Yun Que'er's heart skipped a beat. "Really? Where did they get the connections?"
"Clearly you've been so busy with your father's business lately that you haven't had the time to keep tabs on the market."
Ji Chengxuan was talking as if he were mapping out grand strategies. Yun Que'er didn't like it and retorted.
"If something like this happened to your father, would you still be in the mood to think about making money?"
Ji Chengxuan clicked his tongue. "I was just teasing you. Why are you getting so worked up?"
He tossed a pebble in his hand and said casually.
"They say a group of timber buyers came from the city. Someone made some inquiries and found out that they usually make money by dealing in antiques and curios. The feng shui is good in our area, and the trees grow well, so they came here to source materials."
Yun Que'er frowned. "Among wooden antiques, sandalwood is the most precious. Sandalwood mostly grows in tropical regions. Can the timber here be used?"
"So, they send the timber they've bought to a processing factory. They get the workers there to carve it and then sell it to small merchants who are interested in getting into this business but can't afford the real deal." Ji Chengxuan explained. "In essence, they're just ornaments, something nice to look at and show off."
He winked at Yun Que'er. "Actually, it doesn't matter if the timber is precious or not. What matters is the craftsmanship. If we can get in touch with them and meet some merchants, it will pave the way for our future."
Yun Que'er fell into deep thought.
With the distribution of land to individual households, the rise of private businesses soon followed.
This was an opportunity. One could say that those who became wealthy in the decades to come were mostly those who seized this opportunity and made a fortune.
Yun Que'er had also had this idea for a while, but she just didn't have the connections. Ji Chengxuan's idea was indeed a good one.
"You've said all this just to give me advice?" Yun Que'er suddenly asked. "You can't not think about yourself at all, can you?"
Ji Chengxuan laughed. "It's really refreshing to talk to a smart person."
He leaned closer to Yun Que'er's ear. "I've recently heard rumors that the village clinic might be relocated."
"Ah?" Yun Que'er was surprised. "This is the only clinic in our ten - mile radius. If it's relocated, where will we go to see a doctor in the future?"
When it came to this matter, Ji Chengxuan frowned constantly.
"In Shahe Village, the village where Zhao Ruoshui's in - laws live, there's a doctor who retired from a city hospital. His daughter graduated from a nursing school. His wife is also from the town hospital and is the deputy director."
After this explanation, Yun Que'er understood.
The village clinic was under the jurisdiction of the town hospital. If the town hospital had approved a new location, there was no way to oppose it.
The most important thing was that they had connections, and all three family members were in the medical field, so this relocation was a foregone conclusion.
"Then it will be a long way for your father to go to work in the future." Yun Que'er said. "It won't be like before, where he could just step out of the backyard and into the clinic."
Ji Chengxuan sighed regretfully. "My father doesn't want to get involved in this anymore."
After hearing Ji Chengxuan's story, Yun Que'er finally understood the ins and outs of the matter.
Back then, Dr. Ji and Dr. Xu from Shahe Village were classmates. Their compound was next to the art troupe, and the two compounds often interacted.
As time went by, Xu Rongda took a fancy to the leading dancer in the art troupe, Zheng Ying, who was Dr. Ji's wife.
However, Zheng Ying didn't like Xu Rongda and always kept him at arm's length.
But Xu Rongda was not an honest person. After failing to pursue Zheng Ying relentlessly, he spread rumors that Zheng Ying had a midnight rendezvous with him.
In that era, if a man and a woman had an affair without being engaged, they would be looked down upon.
Especially since Zheng Ying was from the art troupe, this incident immediately caused a huge stir.
At that time, Zheng Ying was just in her early twenties. She was young and beautiful, and her dancing was second to none. Since she was seventeen or eighteen, she had been the leading dancer. There were many people who wanted to take her place.
So a few of her roommates joined forces to help Xu Rongda spread the rumors. Although Zheng Ying practiced dancing until very late every day before returning to the dormitory, she was said to be out all night.
As the rumors spread, the affair between Zheng Ying and Xu Rongda seemed to be a fact.
Zheng Ying was removed from her position. Wherever she went, people would gossip about her behind her back. The most serious incident was when she was cornered in the toilet by a few girls and splashed with cold water on a freezing winter day.
Although there was a medical college nearby, because Zheng Ying had a bad reputation, no one wanted to get involved, and no one was willing to treat her.
Later, Dr. Ji stepped forward and took Zheng Ying, who was so feverish that she could hardly open her eyes, to their medical office to get medicine.
At that time, Xu Rongda joined his classmates in mocking Dr. Ji, saying that he was picking up someone else's cast - off.
Dr. Ji ignored Xu Rongda. Later, Xu Rongda felt bored and hooked up with his current wife during his internship.
His wife was more than ten years older than him and already had a lot of influence in the hospital at that time.
After they started dating, Xu Rongda went to a city hospital through his wife's connections and rarely came back.
Dr. Ji and Zheng Ying also developed feelings for each other during their long - term interaction and got married and had children.
Later, the girls in the art troupe either got married or left the troupe. Since there was really no one available, they wanted to invite Zheng Ying back.
Zheng Ying was too lazy to deal with these fickle people, so she simply took a job performing outside. Usually, she had to go on business trips for a few years at a time. This time was the longest, almost two years.
After hearing the story of the older generation, Yun Que'er finally understood why Dr. Ji didn't want to get involved.
Dr. Ji was a rare good person. He had dedicated his life to saving lives. What he cared about was never money.
If his original dream was to be destroyed by those villains, why should he endure their cold looks?
Moreover, Dr. Ji clearly knew the grievances Zheng Ying had suffered in the past. As Zheng Ying's husband, how could he smile at those who had once hurt her?
Dr. Ji couldn't do it.
"So you guys also want to do this business?"
Ji Chengxuan nodded. "My mother called a few days ago and said she would be back next week and then quit the troupe. My father said that people have to live. Without the clinic, we have to find other ways out."
Ji Chengxuan thought it over and decided that since they were going to change careers anyway, they might as well join forces with the Yun family.
The Yun family had experience in this kind of business. Moreover, the two families were familiar with each other and had a life - and - death friendship. They wouldn't have any disputes because of interests, so it was the most suitable choice.
"I'll go back and talk to my elder brother." Yun Que'er nodded. "There are still a few wood carvings at home that haven't been sold. We can take them to the market and give it a try."
"Get into the timber business? We don't have the connections for that." Yun Fujin hesitated.
"So, if we can meet those people, won't we have the connections?" Yun Que'er said.
Yun Fujin thought it over carefully. "Even if we want to do business, we need a good reason. Xiaojuan said there are so many people selling wood carvings in the market. I'm sure they all want to get on that bandwagon. Compared with them, do we have the strength to win?"