Era: Rise from the Wilderness

The old man's tone was full of genuine, unfeigned pity.

He had lived through hardship and had a deep understanding of the plight of children from poor families who had to learn to be independent early and give up their studies to make a living.

He even felt that this bright-eyed, articulate boy in front of him might have been a promising student if he had been born into a better family. It was a pity.

Li Yunjing felt a little guilty about the old man's sincere sympathy.

After all, this was a script he made up entirely out of thin air to gain people's trust.

He dared not delve any deeper into this topic, which was easy to expose and could easily provoke his father's anger, for fear that saying too much would lead to trouble, or that his father, who was already suffering from internal injuries from holding it in, would suddenly explode on the spot.

He quickly opened the backpack he had been clutching tightly, his movements careful, as if it contained some important documents.

Then, he took out a thick stack of draft paper covered with dense drawings and obvious revisions, and respectfully handed it over with both hands, cleverly and quickly changing the subject.

"Sir, let's talk about business first, so as not to take up your time."

Li Yunjing's tone became serious and professional as he pointed to the details on the draft paper, "These are the lottery ticket designs we'll be using for our factory's anniversary celebration. I've carefully drawn them on here according to the leaders' requirements."

He pointed to the blueprints and explained, "The requirements are to use sturdy cardboard, with colorful patterns, red background and gold lettering. It must look very exquisite and high-end, so that people will immediately feel that this thing is valuable and attractive, and be willing to spend money... oh no, I mean be willing to actively participate in the activity."

He almost let slip the secret, but quickly covered it up, saying, "Look, with our cooperative's equipment and technology, can we do it?"

"The main issue is the tight schedule, and the quality also needs to be guaranteed."

Upon hearing this, Liang Yongshi immediately dropped his casual, sentimental expression and became serious and focused.

Business is coming to us, and it's business from a "big factory," so we can't afford to be careless.

He adjusted his reading glasses, leaned closer to the lamp, and carefully took the stack of draft papers. Under the dim but focused light, he examined each paper meticulously.

Under the light, the lines of the pattern on the draft paper were clear and the layout was reasonable. Although it was drawn with a pencil, it was obvious that a lot of effort had been put into it.

The size, aspect ratio, front and back format, and division of each functional area (such as the scratch area, prize description area, and manufacturer's logo area) of the lottery ticket are all clearly marked, and there are also detailed dimension markings next to them.

The front features a beautifully designed pattern background.

It features a cloud-patterned border symbolizing good fortune, a large golden ingot in the center, and artistic stylized characters for "Wishing you prosperity," with a prominently displayed scratch-off area.

Next to it, in tiny handwriting, are the names of the six prize levels, from "Grand Prize" to "Lucky Prize," and their corresponding "prizes."

The back of the document contains brief "Event Rules" and the statement "The organizer reserves the right to final interpretation of this event."

Although the tools were simple, the design was well-organized and thoughtfully considered. It was not something that an eighteen-year-old boy who called himself an "office helper" could complete independently. Instead, it seemed to be the work of a master craftsman with many years of experience and familiarity with printing technology.

Liang Yongshi was increasingly surprised as he looked at the paper, his brows furrowing and relaxing at times, his fingers unconsciously stroking the rough edges of the paper.

He originally thought the boy was just a messenger, or at most a follower with some ideas. He never expected that the lottery ticket design, which looked quite professional and even a bit complicated, was actually his work!

Furthermore, the actual printing process was taken into account.

"Oh dear!"

Liang Yongshi finally couldn't help but raise his head and scrutinize Li Yunjing from head to toe again, his eyes filled with disbelief and undisguised admiration, even a hint of awe at the young man's potential. "Young man, I really didn't see that coming!"

"You have this talent!"

"This lottery ticket design is just... just like it!"

He gave a thumbs-up and shook it vigorously, his wrinkles deepening with his smile: "Clear and organized, everything you need is there, even the things we need to pay attention to during printing!"

"Not simple, truly not simple!"

"You probably don't just do odd jobs at the factory, do you?"

"Could you also help with publicity, drawing blackboard bulletins, or something?"

Li Yunjing chuckled inwardly, but his face showed a slightly embarrassed expression after being praised. He humbly replied, "Grandpa, you flatter me. I just like to think things through and do whatever the boss asks me to do."

"This drawing was revised many times, just in case it didn't meet the requirements and caused delays."

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

Liang Yongshi nodded repeatedly, examining the blueprints with obvious interest. "We can handle this job!"

"Don't underestimate our old equipment; it's perfect for printing these kinds of lottery tickets that require clear printing and festive colors!"

"We also have cardboard boxes in stock, and all the colors and inks are available."

"This 'silver coating'...I'm experienced; I guarantee it can be scraped off without revealing the bottom!"

He put down the blueprints, looked at Li Hongfeng and Li Yunjing with eager eyes, and began to get to the point: "So, gentlemen, how many of these lottery tickets do you plan to print?"

What is the required construction period?

"Shall we talk about specifics?"

Li Yunjing felt a little embarrassed by the old man's praise, thinking to himself, "I copied the mature design of the lottery scratch-off tickets from over twenty years later, how could it not be good?"

Of course, there's no problem at all!

"You flatter me, sir. Let's get back to business."

"We can discuss the specifics of the fees."

Before Liang Yongshi could elaborate on the price quote, Li Yunjing dropped a number that left both of them speechless: "Sir, if this is our first collaboration, let's print 50,000 copies. Based on the technology and materials you just mentioned, what's the approximate cost per copy? And what's the total price?"

"Fifty...fifty thousand sheets?!"

Liang Yongshi's hand holding the draft paper trembled violently, and the edge of the draft paper made a soft "rustling" sound.

He opened his mouth wide in surprise, his lips trembled slightly, and the reading glasses on his nose wobbled, almost slipping off.

He subconsciously reached out to adjust his glasses, his eyes wide open, staring intently at Li Yunjing, as if trying to confirm whether he was hallucinating.

His small village-run printing shop usually takes on jobs for nearby village-run enterprises, schools, and village committees, printing letterheads, envelopes, simple forms, notices, or invitations for weddings and funerals. Printing a few hundred or a couple of thousand copies at a time is the norm, and receiving an order for three to five thousand copies is considered a "big business" that only comes a few times a year.

They're offering 50,000 colored lottery tickets right off the bat?!

This number is absolutely one of the top-tier orders in his years of experience in the industry!

No, it's unprecedented!