"We're all from the same factory. After the New Year, when spring begins, we'll work together on jobs and share the wealth." Zhou Kai said with a smile.

"Great!" Everyone was hugely excited.

Back at the factory. Zhou Kai carefully placed the six hundred thousand on the table in the factory, stack by stack, neatly arranged. He looked solemn, as if he were arranging an altar, not laying out CNY. Next to him, Lu Dapao and a few others crowded around the table, curiously eyeing the sixty stacks of cash on the desk, all appearing very excited and thrilled.

The money was arranged, stacked high.

At this moment, everyone fell silent, just surrounding the pile of money, looking at it curiously.

"Why are you all just looking at it?" Lin Chuan asked in confusion: "Aren't we going to discuss how to divide the money?"

"Right right right, let's divide the money quickly." Lu Dapao said excitedly.

Then, Zhou Kai took half of the money from the table, leaving the crowd dumbfounded, their minds filled with wild speculation. Surely Zhou Kai wouldn't want to take half for himself? Although he did play a big role, he couldn't be that greedy.

"Brother Chuan, this is for you." Zhou Kai handed Lin Chuan three hundred thousand.

"Uh… Why?" Lin Chuan blinked, asking, "Why do I get so much?"

"First of all, the truck is yours, and secondly, almost all of the expenses for the eight-wheeler these past few months have been paid by you alone." Zhou Kai said with a smile: "Just running the eight-wheeler for one month costs fifty thousand, and two eight-wheelers come close to two hundred thousand in expenses. The extra hundred thousand is what you deserve."

With that explanation, everyone was convinced. Without Lin Chuan, there wouldn't be a path for everyone to get rich; without Lin Chuan, they'd probably still be working as underlings, as lackeys. Without Lin Chuan, in all likelihood, they'd never see so much money in their lifetime.

"Brother Chuan, this is what you deserve, we all agree wholeheartedly." Lu Dapao, Huang Bo, and the core group of followers all nodded their heads.

"Forget it." Lin Chuan waved his hand, saying: "I don't want this money."

"Why?" Zhou Kai asked, puzzled.

"Keep these three hundred thousand. Next spring, let's buy three more eight-wheelers. Only with more trucks can we make more money, right?" Lin Chuan stood up and said: "So, consider these three hundred thousand the original capital. Investment should be like rolling a snowball, it should keep growing. Maybe now we only have two trucks, but next year we'll have five, and the year after we'll have ten... In a few years, we can start our own transport company..."

Lin Chuan painted a grand vision for everyone, letting everyone fantasize about a better future. This further solidified the determination of those who wanted to follow Zhou Kai.

"Good." Zhou Kai clapped enthusiastically.

Rustling...

Over a dozen people applauded fervently, resounding throughout the factory.

"Brother Chuan, how should we divide the remaining three hundred thousand?" Zhou Kai was also somewhat conflicted, as everyone naturally has their own desires.

"Those who take turns driving every day, come out." Lin Chuan said.

At that moment, Lu Dapao, Huang Bo, Zhou Kai... Five people stood out. These five were familiar faces, all close to Lin Chuan. They were busy in the factory every day and had to drive to the construction site. They worked from dawn to dusk, which was truly tough.

Lin Chuan took out two hundred thousand and gave forty thousand to each.

"These forty thousand, you've earned them." Lin Chuan said earnestly, looking at the five: "You work from dawn to dusk, on shifts, and it's hard work. Forty thousand isn't a lot, after all, we still need to develop, and make more money."

"It's plenty." Lu Dapao held the four stacks of cash, a substantial weight in his hands, his eyes moist and red as he said: "Brother Chuan, I... Lu Dapao has never seen so much money in my life. My parents divorced over money. I've always wanted to work hard, but society is too harsh. I've reached this age, and I've always been raised by my grandparents. This time, I must use these forty thousand to properly honor my elders."

"Of course." Lin Chuan patted Lu Dapao's shoulder, saying, "Take good care of your elders."

For a family as poor as Lu Dapao's, the combined pensions of his grandparents weren't much, barely two thousand a month. Lu Dapao's smoking and drinking took up a big chunk, and the rest couldn't cover much after his grandparents' daily expenses and medicine – certainly barely enough to make ends meet.

"Wow..." Lu Dapao couldn't help but burst into tears.

The others also wiped away tears, holding so much money for the first time, naturally filled with sentiment. They wished to properly honor their families, to honor those relatives they hadn't yet, who might leave them soon. It's a sad fact of life that children are often not able to provide for their parents before they are gone. Fortunately, Lu Dapao now had the ability to earn money and could honor his grandparents in time.

Zhou Kai smiled and said: "My dad and mom never believed in me, they said I had no diplomas, no capability, even getting fired from a job as a supermarket security guard. So, they look down on me and have almost given up on me. If they knew I made this much money, they might be shocked to the point of their eyes falling out."

"Prove your worth." Lin Chuan patted Zhou Kai on the shoulder and smiled: "This world created us all, meaning everyone has their own value in this world. That's true for you, for me, and for everyone else."

"Brother Chuan, thank you for letting me prove myself." Zhou Kai wiped the corners of his eyes, his eyes brimming with tears.

Lin Chuan looked at everyone and said, "Brothers, this money is earned through your own hard work. You didn't steal it, nor did you rob anyone. Take this money home and proudly tell your family, 'I have a decent job now, I can support the family, and there's no need for anyone at home to worry about me anymore."

Everyone applauded unanimously. Indeed, who wouldn't want to take the honest path and stand tall and proud?

The atmosphere at the scene moved Huang Bo.

Huang Bo had always been an inferior person, stuttering since childhood. After finishing junior high, he didn't want to continue his education and had been looked down upon during his years of struggling.

"What what what do you guys think you are..." When Huang Bo spoke, his face turned red. He had always tried hard not to stutter, but whenever he talked, his words would come out all stuttered: "I I I have been on so many blind dates, every time I get get get rejected by the women, damn it, this time I am going to crush them with money."

Huang Bo clutched the 40,000 CNY, coming into contact with so much money for the first time in his life, and it was his to spend however he liked. It felt really good.

"Brother Chuan, what about the remaining 100,000?" Zhou Kai asked.

"You guys over there." Lin Chuan waved to several people not far away and said, "Come here."

Although they hadn't driven the eight-wheeler trucks, they had all worked hard and were Zhou Kai's buddies, quite familiar with each other, always ready to help out with anything, so Lin Chuan planned to share a cut with them too.

"Brother Chuan." The several people nodded eagerly.

"Each of you gets 10,000." Lin Chuan handed them each 10,000 CNY.

The guys caught the money in a fluster, and one of them said awkwardly, "Brother Chuan, we... we didn't do any work, we don't really deserve this money."

"It's okay." Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Next year when spring begins, work hard with Zhou Kai. I guarantee next year you will have ten times the money in your hands."

"That's great." The guys were overjoyed and said, "We've been wanting to work with Zhou Kai, and you too."

"Brother Chuan, you've contributed the most, only taking 30,000? That won't do." Zhou Kai hurriedly took out 20,000 CNY and stuffed it into Lin Chuan's hands.

Lin Chuan returned the money to Zhou Kai saying, "I don't want these 30,000 either, I have other uses for it."

"What are you going to do with it?" Zhou Kai asked curiously.

"Changlin Community has been quiet for too long. With the year-end approaching, shouldn't we hold a big staff meeting?" Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Consider this 30,000 CNY as funds for the event, it should be enough. You guys go prepare, gather people, organize the old workers from the former cultural and arts team, put on some shows, and give everyone a bit of cheer for the end of the year."

"Alright." Zhou Kai nodded and said, "But 30,000 CNY might be... a bit tight, considering there are so many of us in the factory, and although the old workers from the cultural and arts team will perform for free, we should still give them some gifts, right? And if we want to make the event exciting, we should have some rewards to surprise everyone."

"Mhm." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "I'll think of a way for the money."

"Just take it from here, take an extra 20,000, that should be enough," Zhou Kai suggested, pointing to the remaining 300,000 CNY.

"That works." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "This time, let's try to make the staff meeting somewhat impressive, understand?"

"Don't worry, we have half a month to prepare, that's plenty of time," Zhou Kai nodded and assured he would complete the task.

Afterward, everyone dispersed.

Each person took a stack of money, and Zhou Kai took the remaining hundreds of thousands, depositing all of it into the bank to save for purchasing more eight-wheel trucks next spring. By expanding the transportation fleet, they hoped to earn even more money.

.......

Da Pao did not go home immediately, but first made a trip to the town. This melon seed of a guy bought a lot of things on the street, swiftly spending 3,000 CNY. He bought brand new clothes for the two elders at home, got them delicacies they usually wouldn't splurge on, and even bought a premium ham. The elders loved ham, but it was pricey, costing hundreds of CNY each, way beyond their means. Now, Da Pao didn't hesitate to buy one.

Although he spent 3,000 CNY, he didn't feel the pinch at all; instead, he felt very happy.

When he returned home, the elders had already come back.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back." Da Pao, carrying several bags, excitedly rushed home and dumped the items he bought onto the worn-out sofa.

"Da Pao, where have you been fooling around again?" The old man was packing his pipe with tobacco. It wasn't that he didn't smoke filter cigarettes, but because they were too expensive, with the cheapest ones costing fifty CNY a pack. For someone like the old man who smoked two packs a day, it was unaffordable, so he always insisted on smoking tobacco, which was cheap, only costing a few CNY for enough to last several days.

"How many times have I told you not to smoke tobacco?" Da Pao snatched the pipe from the old man.

"You rascal, what should I smoke if not this?" the old man said irritably, looking at Da Pao.

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