Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

"Big sister, is it really true?" Bai Hongbing was now uncertain.

"Let's give it a try. I'm fairly confident," Bai Hongyan said.

"That's right, back then, you faced so much pressure to be with him, and you even had three children with him!"

"Second brother, you can say that, but you can't."

"But I didn't do it in front of him!"

"Forget it, I don't want you to say things like that to my face in the future."

"Fine! Money talks, whatever you say goes, okay? Little sister, you've never gotten involved in this kind of thing before, is something on your mind?" As an older brother, he still knows his younger sister quite well.

"These past few years of experience haven't been wasted; you saw right through it."

Outside, he was a deputy mayor of a region; in front of his family, he was still the same second brother he always was.

No matter how old they are, older brothers always want to show off their abilities in front of their younger sisters!

"That's right, I'm an outsider, and I'm constantly scheming against the local faction. Don't interrupt, tell your second brother about it!"

"To be honest, it all comes down to money. What have the Zhang sisters contributed to this family? Why do they get all the good things? I'm no worse than them."

"You just want to earn some money for your nephews in advance, don't you!" Bai Hongbing's words struck a chord with Bai Hongyan.

"You can do things this way, but you can't say them like that. Dazhuang hates it when his women are fighting amongst themselves."

"Sigh! Yes, we're only human after all. How many of us wouldn't be tempted by such vast wealth? What are your specific plans? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Please don't interfere. Whatever our argument is, it's a family matter. If you…"

"I understand, you have internal conflicts."

"Tell me about your story!"

"Hehe, to sum it up in one sentence, they want to attract investment. As long as it doesn't violate their principles, they're willing to discuss anything to get foreign investment."

"Okay, Lao Niu should come to our place tonight. I'll tell you."

"I heard he's been messing around with his alleyway lately, aren't you planning to move there too?"

"Xiaomin and I are living quite well now, and we have no plans to go over there and join the fun."

"Let me ask you something else. Your company is now a joint venture. How is it different from before?"

"When it comes to capital, there's no room for sentimentality."

"I can imagine that. After all, they're investing to make money. How big will the workers' reaction be?"

"How should I put it? For those who are just coasting along, there's a lot of complaints, but for those who want to make more money, there's plenty of motivation."

The tasks and funding allocated by the higher-ups have been reduced by half. If you want to make money, you have to work harder...

Before the joint venture, several people were transferred, especially middle-level managers. Except for the finance and office staff, who remained largely unchanged, more than half of the staff in other departments were transferred. It was truly a case of one person doing the work of two.

"Then the salary and benefits must have increased significantly!"

"Middle-level managers saw their salaries increased by half, while frontline staff saw theirs double."

"Does that mean that frontline workers generally earn more than their managers?"

"Um."

"Don't the middle-level managers have any objections?"

Those who had objections were all transferred.

"Oh, I see. You and Dazhuang have discussed it and decided to call our province's Beijing office."

"You haven't reconciled with your second sister-in-law yet, and now that you're back, you're not staying at home?"

"I won't interfere in your family's affairs, and you shouldn't bother with my family's affairs either."

"Fine, I admit I was being nosy!"

That evening, Niu Dazhuang arrived as scheduled.

Even though they've been married for a long time, after dinner, Bai Hongyan asked directly, "Do you still have plans for a joint venture?"

"What, someone's come after you?"

"Yes, it's my second brother. He found someone before the New Year, but my eldest brother snatched her away. Now he's back. He's offering very good terms. Want to hear them?"

"There are plans for further joint ventures, but I've left these matters to Zhang Bingxi and her sister. If there's anything, you can talk to them. I have other things to attend to."

"Busy renovating Niujia Hutong?"

"The renovation is just an excuse I use to appease outsiders. Some time ago, I submitted a few applications, and one of them was approved. I need to prepare for that."

"What is it?"

"The road repair project."

"Road repairs, are they going to be another project funded by donations?"

"I don't have such high ideals. If I donated all my assets, my whole family would starve."

"Has the government allowed private contractors to undertake such large-scale projects?"

"No, we'll pay for the repairs ourselves, and we'll charge you after they're fixed."

"Charge? Robbery is legal now?" Bai Hongmin's words nearly made Niu Dazhuang faint with anger.

"I'm a capitalist, I need to make money. Is it too much for me to pay for road construction and charge tolls? When the term is up, the road still belongs to the state. This is called mutual benefit, don't you understand?"

"No, you have money, why don't you do something else that gets you criticized? What are you trying to achieve?"

"How am I asking for trouble? The roads are repaired, and the people benefit from it! The city is still a bit lacking. You see, once you leave Beijing, you're covered in dust on a dry day and mud on a rainy day."

The government can't worry about these things right now. I'll pay for the road repairs, collect tolls, and if this cycle continues, in less than twenty years, there will basically be a wide paved road connecting every provincial capital. What's wrong with that?

"It's useless for you to tell me this. I can understand you, but the people below might not feel the same way. Besides, you're collecting tolls to get through; aren't you making money?"

"Of course! Who would bother doing this if it didn't make money!"

"That's settled then. You made money and got a few scoldings, what are you complaining about?"

"Damn it! My brain isn't working properly, I can't outsmart you with your pen. You've said all the right things, so come here and let me vent my anger..."

"Hehehe...that's all you've got left, waving that big stick around to show off..."

"Hahaha, a man can be bad at everything else, but he must be able to wield a big stick..."

"Hey...wait a minute, I have something important to say."

"You say so!"

"I can't concentrate if you keep doing this."

"Then just say whatever comes to mind."

"How about I handle the negotiations regarding my second brother's matter?"

"What? You still have the energy for this?"

"I really don't have much to do right now; the people you sent over have already taken care of everything below."

"Fine, fine, you can manage it if you want."

"I don't want to be their subordinate."

"You're overthinking it. Nobody's going to want you, Xiaomin. Why don't you take a nominal position at your workplace and work with your sister?"

"Me! My sister and I are both gone, what will happen to the children?"

"Why aren't you thinking straight now? From now on, you'll be the bosses. Where you go and when you go will be entirely up to you!"

"Yeah, I was a bit stunned by what you hit me just now, and I didn't quite catch on for a moment."