“Without my dad’s skilled hands, my designs would be worthless,” Hua Jie modestly replied.
Father and daughter shared a smile, both quite proud.
“I’m planning to apply for the housing policy at my unit this month. The company offers a subsidy for a two-bedroom apartment of 76 square meters, and we can secure it for 40,000 yuan.”
“I’ll apply in December, queue up, and by the time it’s our turn after the New Year, we should have saved enough.”
Hua’s father counted the days and the furniture sales revenue on his fingers.
“An apartment?” Hua Jie was puzzled.
Although their current home was a single-story house and not very fancy, it totaled nearly 100 square meters, and the yard and storage area together added another 100 square meters. There was plenty of space for the family of three, plus a dog and a bird.
Plus, in the yard, her father could still do his carpentry work, and in the summer, they could set up a table and chairs to enjoy the sun and have tea.
A small apartment of just over seventy square meters would feel much more cramped.
“Yes,” Hua’s father laughed. The train conductors and such all live in apartment buildings now, while he still resides in a flat in Erdao Street Workers’ New Village with his family.
Now, at last, it seemed they could move into an apartment building. It would be closer to the school for the children and closer to the workplace for his wife. It had indeed not been easy over the years.
“…” Hua Jie furrowed her brows. In the year 2000, everyone took pride in moving into apartment buildings, even though there were no elevators yet, it was still highly desirable.
However, Hua Jie, who had been reborn from the future, especially cherished the spaciousness of a single-story house and the joy of having a small yard.
Moreover, her industrious parents had renovated the bathroom themselves, installed heating walls, and built a particularly good kang (traditional heated bed), making their home very comfortable to live in.
In her past life, she might have longed to move into an apartment complex, but now, she really did not want to move.
“By the way, I visited Yao’s Fuyun Furniture yesterday to check the situation and also went around to other furniture stores to see their craftsmanship and handiwork.”
“Fuyun Building on the top floor has half the space vacant, with a ‘Furniture City’ sign hung up. There must be five or six large and small stores; I saw several of them are rented out and currently being renovated.”
“With furniture business competition likely to intensify, now that so many stores have opened in the city center, I wonder if our products will continue to sell as well.”
Hua’s father was a bit worried.
“They will definitely sell well. No matter how well others make their furniture, it surely can’t match our designs, and I have great confidence in Dad’s carpentry skills,” Hua Jie sincerely said.
Jinsong City has always had many furniture stores. The fact that they are selling well now shows that her father’s fine carpentry skills are still in high demand.
However, with the home decor market on the rise, competition is indeed going to get more intense and will remain so for decades.
Hua Jie thought about the situation at the furniture city, then the conversation turned back to buying a house.
Hua’s father took a sip of boiled water, and Shen Mo, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up:
“Uncle, have you considered opening your own store?”
“?” Hua’s father raised an eyebrow.
“Fuyun Building is currently the tallest building in Jinsong City. Now, in many big cities, these types of mixed-use buildings are very popular.”
“I heard that the Fuyun Group is already purchasing the land on the other side of the tower, planning to build another Fuyun Building B. They aim to emulate the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, concentrating shopping districts in one building, selling clothes, groceries, daily necessities, cosmetics, jewelry, crafts, and furniture all in one place.”
“Let customers enter this building and be able to purchase everything they need for daily life, and even dine inside,” Shen Mo sat up straight, summarizing and presenting the information he had gathered from newspapers, news, and the internet.
“…Yes, it seems like there’s an electronics city on the other side of Fuyun Building’s top-floor furniture city,” Hua’s father said.
“Nowadays, many people are moving from single-story houses to apartment buildings, and more and more people from surrounding towns and villages are flocking into Jinsong City, gradually renting or buying homes and settling here.”
“The city center, especially to the west, is building more residential complexes and apartment buildings. In the next few years, there should be a huge market growth for furniture. I think it’s feasible,” Shen Mo, supporting himself on the table with both arms, spoke with authority, not seeming like a child at all.
His choice of words was particularly mature, his tone confident, and his demeanor composed, exuding an air of command.
Hua’s father looked at the young man and suddenly felt a strange sensation.
To put it plainly, it felt as though he had just stepped into society, and suddenly aged.
The teenagers had grown up, so full of ideas, making his generation feel old.
Hua’s father didn’t consider that Shen Mo had matured too early, prematurely.
Hua Jie’s eyes suddenly lit up. She also sat up straight, staring at Shen Mo with both agreement and admiration.
As someone who had been reborn, it was natural for her to understand these things, as anyone who had experienced them would know what the future held.
But Shen Mo was a native of this era, and his ability to foresee the future so clearly was impressive.
Compared to a real genius, she felt quite humbled.
“Are you suggesting I also rent a space on the top floor of Fuyun Building?” Hua’s father raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, rent a large one. Like Yao Nan’s family, who collaborates with factories on low-end products, we could do it too.”
“Focus on custom, unique furniture that matches the heart’s desires, purely handcrafted in the latest global styles.”
“At the same time, launch low-end products close in design to expand the brand, letting everyone know about Hua’s Furniture, ensuring everyone buys Hua’s Furniture, and then acquire other businesses. Once established, try expanding the brand to the rest of the province and accept franchise partnerships from other cities.”
This concept was particularly new, something Shen Mo had read in economic books from abroad.
Some domestic industries were already pursuing similar strategies, and although pushing from a small city outward wasn’t easy, niche industries in smaller fourth-tier cities were not impossible.
As Shen Mo spoke more, he felt more convinced of the idea’s viability. Leaning slightly forward and seeing that Hua’s father was intently listening and seemed persuaded, he added more to his proposal:
“Aunt is an accountant, Hua Jie handles design, you oversee when you’re off duty, and other times just hiring someone to mind the store and another for deliveries will suffice.”
“…” Hua’s father listened with a dry mouth, took a sip of water, and after pondering for a while, he finally spoke:
“Right now, we don’t have much money at home, I’m thinking of buying an apartment first, then considering these ideas.”
“Moreover, I’m not business-savvy, I’m not much of a talker, and when it comes to social interactions… everyone says I’m stubborn and tough, can I really do this job?”
His tone was very hesitant.
“!” Hua Jie took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Shen Mo, and immediately said:
“Dad, a person’s job greatly influences their personality, you shouldn’t define your life like this.”
“You grew up leading a group of boys in school, and later as a carpenter, you were the leader among the apprentices. Aren’t you good at making friends? There’s absolutely no problem interacting with people!”
“I know you actually like to take the lead, to be at the center of everyone, to care about and manage things.”
“Didn’t you always say how boring it is to be stuck on a train three days a week, wandering with the train, pacing back and forth in it, finding it meaningless?”
“I think you can do it.”
“Besides, business should be conducted with sincerity. It’s just about buying and selling, who said that all businessmen need to be eloquent, slick, and always smiling?”
“Dad! I don’t want to live in an apartment! I love this house that you and Mom decorated together, it’s big and spacious, with snow and rain falling in our yard.”
“When spring comes, I still want to properly design and tidy up our yard.”
“Moreover, we’re so close to the mountains; during the summer holidays, we can go directly to pick wild vegetables and play.”
“What’s so good about living in an apartment? It’s just a tiny space, a concrete complex, crowded with people. Once everyone closes their doors, they live their own lives, unlike now. If you want to play mahjong, you just shout out the door, and neighbors like Aunt Bian quickly respond, there’s so much more warmth in human relations here.”
“Let’s use the money to rent a shop space, buy wood, negotiate with factories for orders and supplies, and hire someone to mind the store.”
Over the years, her father had become withdrawn due to job dissatisfaction and the pressures of life.
She knew that if they continued on the path of her previous life, her father would become increasingly melancholic.
As a rebellious, playful, and spirited youth who once dreamed of leading the pack, he had become a mundane middle-aged man, dulled by the repetitive monotony of life.
Right now, wasn’t this an opportunity?
Hua’s mother stood by the sink, wiping her hands on her apron, her lips pressed into a straight line, her gaze darting between her husband, daughter, and Shen Mo, her heart pounding rapidly.
Hua’s father felt cold in his hands and feet. As a man responsible for supporting his family, he was now middle-aged and suddenly considering starting a business and venturing into commerce.
The so-called “going into business”…
He had thought he would spend his entire life working in a stable job, living day after day in predictable routine.
He never imagined he’d have the opportunity to make such a choice.
Opening his own furniture store?
Becoming a small business owner?
Being responsible for all the profits and losses himself.
Ever since he started earning, he had been exchanging labor for money.
He had never before invested money and then waited anxiously for a profit.
Could he handle such a risk?
What if it fails?
Renting a storefront, hiring staff, purchasing inventory…
Hua’s father instinctively swallowed but felt extremely dry in the mouth, and again took several big gulps of water.
Only then did he feel how cold his hands and feet were.
Hua Jie stared at her father for a long while, then suddenly said with gritted teeth:
“Dad, don’t you love working with wood the most?”
“Didn’t you used to carve things for fun when you had free time? Give it a try.”
“…” Hua’s father looked up at his daughter.
It’s great to be young, always filled with the spirit to charge forward.
Could his life be restarted?
To make such a big change?
He could already imagine what relatives and friends would say if he shared this plan—
“A stable job is so good. Though it’s a bit tough now, it’ll get better once your daughter graduates from university. Isn’t that better than doing business with all the anxiety and fear?”
“Business isn’t that easy, you know. Thinking of making a fortune? That’s just wishful thinking! Many have failed.”
“You’re not getting any younger. You’re almost forgetting your multiplication tables, and yet you want to do business? How hard it is to take over the reins, and besides, you have such a good train route to Dalian. Why give up a solid job for those uncertain ventures?”
“…” Hua’s father took a deep breath, meeting his daughter’s clear eyes, but found himself unable to speak.
“Dad, you might as well quit your job too.”
“Isn’t Uncle Yu on unpaid leave to drive a taxi?”
“You should apply for unpaid leave as well,” Hua Jie said with increasing seriousness.
Hua’s father hadn’t fully processed the previous message when Hua Jie threw an even bigger bombshell into his world.
Hua’s father stared wide-eyed, managing a helpless smile, “Quit a stable job for this, and what if it fails? Will the whole family end up starving?”
“My salary will increase next year.” Hua’s mother’s eyes shone as she looked at her husband. The first gift she received when they were dating was a little basket carved from a peach pit by him, and now hanging on her waist was a little peach wood axe he carved. The chairs at home were made by him, and he had woven the birdcage himself…
She knew he loved tinkering with these things.
“I support you taking unpaid leave to manage a shop in the top floor furniture city of Fuyun Building.”
“…We haven’t even checked how much the rent is, how much it will cost for inventory and hiring staff. And what about all the various permits…” Hua’s father’s voice trailed off, looking into his wife’s eyes, his chest suddenly felt tight.
Hua Jie took a deep breath, and before acting, she subconsciously glanced at Shen Mo.
The young man smiled encouragingly at her; he knew what she was about to do.
Hua Jie also smiled, seeing from his expression that he already knew her plan.
She got up and walked to the door, took her bag from the coat rack that she usually carried when painting, heavy in her arms.
She returned to her seat, opened her backpack, and placed a bundle wrapped in paper on the table, pushing it towards her father, then solemnly said:
“Dad, in the past, you earned money to support my dreams. Now, I will earn money to support your dreams. I’ll be your support.”
Hua’s father reached out, unfolded the paper wrap, and saw a stack of hundred-yuan bills piled up.