The heavens set sail from the courtyard

After Ouyang Bao and Wang Gang parted ways, he was riding high for a few months, his business was booming, and everyone called him Boss Bao.

Later, by chance, Ouyang Bao made contact with Russia in the north, transported a batch of in-demand goods back to sell, made a fortune, and even bought a small villa.

Ouyang Bao and He Jiayi saw a business opportunity and felt it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, especially an opportunity to completely get rid of Wang Gang.

Nowadays, Ouyang Bao's distribution channels mostly rely on Wang Gang's connections. Now that they've parted ways, Ouyang Bao wants to make the separation as thorough as possible.

Seeing an opportunity in the trade routes to Russia, Ouyang Bao discussed it with his wife, He Jiayi, and they decided to use all their savings to pull off a big heist.

Ouyang Bao contacted the north and ordered three truckloads of leather goods, investing all his savings and even putting in the prepayments of many customers.

Everything was going smoothly until the goods from Russia were ready to be loaded onto the truck, when an accident occurred.

Russia suddenly blocked all transportation routes, preventing goods from being shipped out.

Upon receiving the news, Ouyang Bao was extremely anxious, like an ant on a hot pan. He had no idea what was happening in Russia and wished he could go there himself.

The goods are stuck and can't be delivered, and the customers who have paid in advance are also anxious! They run to Ouyang Bao's house every few days to urge for delivery, and they want their money back even if they can't get the goods.

Ouyang Bao had no money left. He had invested all his assets in the business and was still heavily in debt. He couldn't come up with a single copper coin.

With debt collectors coming to his door every day, He Jiayi thought of going home to borrow some money.

“We’re having some business problems right now and urgently need cash flow. Can any of you lend me some money? If I can get through this, I’ll pay you back double afterward.”

Although He Jiayi was anxious, she couldn't bring herself to ask for the money without saying a word of politeness.

Fortunately, the He family knew her personality and didn't mind.

"Third brother, how much do you need?" He Changsheng asked.

"Probably a few hundred thousand!" Ouyang Bao sighed.

"How much?" Liu Meixin exclaimed.

He Jiayi said impatiently, "Don't worry, as soon as the goods from the north arrive, I will return the money immediately. I can write an IOU."

He Jiali frowned and said, "Third brother, your deficit is too big. How much did you invest exactly?"

Ouyang Bao and He Jiayi exchanged a glance, and he said bitterly, "I invested a full million, even mortgaged my house."

Upon hearing this, the He family was in complete uproar!
It's 1991 now, an era when having 10,000 yuan was a rare thing, and many people had never even seen what a million yuan looked like.

"Ouyang Bao, didn't you set aside any reserve funds before you placed your order?" He Jiawen said angrily.

Ouyang Bao sighed, "The Russian goods are very cheap this time. As long as they are shipped over, the profit will be at least five or six times. I want to make a big move and invest all my assets."

Wang Gang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Has Russia said when the goods will be delivered?"

Ouyang Bao said dejectedly, "I don't know what happened over there. We've completely lost contact. I can't even go there myself."

He Jiawen asked in surprise, "Ouyang Bao, you haven't been scammed, have you?"

Ouyang Bao exclaimed excitedly, "No way! We've always had a great working relationship. I even went to check the goods myself before making the payment, and everything was fine. I don't know why it's stuck on shipping!"

Wang Gang said knowingly, "There's a coup going on in Russia, it's very chaotic, and there might be traffic control measures in place."

"Ah!" Ouyang Bao exclaimed in surprise, "What coup? How come I didn't know about it?"

Wang Gang shook his head and said, "The Russian economy has long been on the verge of collapse. Now it's completely unsustainable, and the country is on the verge of disintegration!"

He Changsheng asked, "What does the disintegration of the country have to do with Ouyang Bao's business dealings?"

Wang Gang said speechlessly, "The country is almost gone, who can still do business? This is called 'when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken'! I reckon that supplier, Ouyang Bao, is in even worse shape now!" He Jiayi asked anxiously, "Second brother-in-law, are you serious?"

Wang Gang nodded and said, "It's pretty much true. Didn't you pay attention to the policy direction there before you did business with Russia?"

Ouyang Bao plopped down on the ground, stunned, and said, "Who cares about politics when they're in business?"

He Jiayi's face was also deathly pale. She had thought that as long as she could hold on until the goods arrived, she would be able to get through this difficult time.

"Has all our money gone to waste?" He Jiayi asked, completely bewildered.

He Jiali asked Wang Gang, "Youmin, you know a lot of people, can you help Ouyang Bao and Jiayi?"

Hope rekindled in Ouyang Bao and He Jiayi's eyes, and they both looked at Wang Gang.

Wang Gang shook his head and said, "If this were in China, I could still think of a way, but I'm helpless in Russia!"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Bao completely collapsed in despair and then slapped himself hard.

"It's all my fault for being blinded by greed! It's all my fault!"

He Changsheng asked seriously, "Ouyang Bao, how much do you estimate we'll lose this time?"

He Jiayi said, her face pale, "We've invested everything we've earned over the years. I even sold my jewelry, and we still owe over 100,000 yuan in debt!"

hiss……

The He family gasped in shock, never expecting that He Jiayi and Ouyang Bao had gone this far.

He Jiawen was so angry that he wanted to hit someone.

“Your second brother-in-law taught you before that doing business is not gambling. You can’t go all in and you have to leave yourself some room for maneuver. Why don’t you listen to him!”

He Jiayi cried, "We've made a lot of money before, and we thought this time it was a sure thing, so we didn't think much about it! Second sister, please save us!"

He Jiawen said with difficulty, "We can't come up with a million! I just bought a few houses and only have ten thousand left as emergency funds."

He Jiali said, "Let each family take as much as they can first! We can't just watch our third son go bankrupt."

Liu Xiaoling said with a bitter face, "Big sister, you really think highly of us. I don't even have a thousand yuan, let alone ten thousand!"

Liu Meixin sighed, "We've spent a lot of money on your father's illness these past few years, and we only have three thousand yuan left at home."

He Jiali sighed, "Neither of us earns much, and we have to support two children, so we can only afford two thousand."

After discussing it, the He sisters could only come up with a little over ten thousand yuan, less than twenty thousand, which was far from enough. Everyone then looked at Wang Gang.

Wang Gang is the most capable and knows the most people here!
"Honey, do you still have any money?" He Jiawen asked.

"Not much, less than five thousand at most," Wang Gang said. "Most of the family's money is invested in real estate, which is not easy to liquidate in the short term."

"Second brother-in-law, could you lend me some money? Ouyang Bao and I will definitely pay it back," He Jiayi pleaded.

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that the amount is too large, and no one I know can come up with it."

Wang Gang certainly had the money to lend to Ouyang Bao, but he didn't want to.

People must be responsible for their own actions. Ouyang Bao lost this bet, so he has to accept the consequences. Wang Gang will not help him pay off his debts!
Wang Gang understood the principle of helping in an emergency but not in a life of poverty. At most, Ouyang Bao would lose everything and have to start over; he hadn't reached the point of utter despair.

He's still young, and He Jiayi isn't old either. As long as the couple is willing to work hard, it won't be difficult for them to pay off their debts! (End of Chapter)