Hearing Xiaoliang lay out his real plan in full, Gu Peijun felt a surge of excitement—and immediately pressed further, unwilling to let anything slip past him.

“What exactly do you mean by a completely new product?”

“If we register another juice brand, we’re still relying on the juice factory’s existing resources. That kind of overlap always leaves room for suspicion,” Xiaoliang said. “So apart from avoiding that, there’s another reason—there’s limited room left for juice drinks in Shenshan County’s current market.”

“We need something new. My initial idea is health supplements.”

He glanced at his brother.

“As for formulas and production processes, my brother works at the Municipal Economic and Trade Commission. He deals with the city pharmaceutical factory regularly—he might be able to help.”

“I can’t promise anything,” Xiaoxiao said quickly after listening for a while. Once the discussion turned to him, he instinctively left himself an escape route. “I can only try.”

“No problem,” Xiaoliang said with a smile.

After 9 p.m., the restaurant had no more customers. The plump owner—so overweight she looked like she could render a pot of lard—was already urging her staff to start cleaning, chairs scraping and clattering loudly. Taking the hint, the group paid and left.

They didn’t go to the newly popular cafés or tea houses in Dongzhou. Instead, they bought a pack of cigarettes and sat down under a streetlight by the roadside, going over how to present their proposal to Wang Xingmin and Liang Zhaobin.

Xiaoliang knew Wang Xingmin had likely heard rumors about his family background, and trust was still far from established. If he went directly to propose contracting out juice factory inventory sales, it would almost certainly be rejected outright.

But if the idea was embedded within a broader recovery plan—and presented by Gu Peijun—it would be different. Not only would the village committee have fewer objections, Wang Xingmin and Liang Zhaobin would likely be willing to give Gu Peijun room to experiment.

After all, the factory’s situation was dire. If handled poorly, not only would four to five million worth of inventory rot in storage, but they wouldn’t be able to buy fresh fruit from local farmers anymore, let alone resume production.

If the factory collapsed, over ten million in debt would fall on Nanting Village and the township. In 1994, that was a terrifying number—Shenshe Township’s entire annual budget was only around six or seven million.

And Xiao Yujun’s case was still under investigation. By separating inventory sales into an independent contract, financial issues could be simplified and kept from entangling the ongoing investigation.

Around eleven, Gu Peijun was still energized, but Xiaoliang cut the discussion short.

“We need to put the recovery plan into writing as soon as possible. I’ll draft a first version tonight. Tomorrow you can fill in what you’re more familiar with. Then we move fast—get Liang Zhaobin involved and report directly to Wang Xingmin.”

“Right now, Wang Xingmin doesn’t have many people he can truly trust in Yunshe. You’ve worked in the juice factory before and achieved results—don’t hesitate.”

“Also, get your father to review it. Check for gaps.”

Gu Peijun’s father, Gu Xiong, had retired from the township supply station nearly two years ago, but his influence in Nanting Village and across Yunshe was still strong. His eldest daughter worked in the civil affairs office, and now his younger son was stepping into village leadership.

In a place like Yunshe, where trusted people were few, Gu Xiong’s presence carried subtle but significant weight.

Most people would even feel more reassured knowing Gu Peijun had his father advising him.

Without Gu Xiong’s approval, it would be difficult to gain Wang Xingmin’s trust.

Xiaoliang didn’t even need to say it—Gu Peijun would have gone to his father anyway. Especially for something as big as separating inventory sales.

Gu Xiong was deeply involved in local affairs and had strong opinions about his son’s path. Gu Peijun was still unmarried and had never truly broken free from his father’s influence.

That night, Gu Peijun rode his motorcycle back to the wholesale shop in Xiwadun Village. Through the side entrance, he pushed the bike into the courtyard and saw his father still under a lamp, balancing the accounts.

“You’re still working? Didn’t I say I’d be back tonight?” he asked.

“You don’t need to worry about the shop anymore,” Gu Xiong said, taking off his reading glasses and setting them beside the lamp. “You don’t have the bandwidth for everything.”

“I’m planning to call Jianbing in tomorrow to help.”

Gu Peijun frowned. “Auntie mentioned that before. You didn’t agree.”

“I didn’t agree before because I was afraid that once Jianbing came in, you’d completely lose interest in the shop,” Gu Xiong said bluntly.

He never hid his thoughts from his son. In fact, he wanted him to understand how things really worked.

“There’s no mystery to running a rural wholesale shop. Jianbing can learn everything in two years and open his own place. In the end, we get nothing, and you stop caring altogether.”

“But now it’s different. Your focus should be the village and the juice factory. Don’t get distracted.”

Gu Peijun laughed. “He’s your nephew. Do you really need to be so calculating?”

“Of course I want my nephew to do well,” Gu Xiong replied calmly. “But I want my own son to do better.”

Then he looked up. “So, how did things go with Xiaoliang? What exactly does he think about the factory?”

“That’s actually what I came back to talk to you about.”

Gu Peijun’s confidence had been stirred by Xiaoliang’s words, but deep down, he wasn’t entirely sure they could pull it off.

He was more mature than most his age—but only relatively so. After years in the army and then returning to the village, his exposure had still been limited. He knew his age put him at a disadvantage; people would naturally underestimate him. And Xiaoliang was even younger.

He explained everything Xiaoliang had proposed.

Gu Xiong listened in silence.

Then, without hesitation, he said: “If there’s an opportunity, you go for it.”

Gu Peijun blinked. That was unusually decisive.

Gu Xiong had always been cautious—he had originally opposed his son getting involved in exposing Xiao Yujun. Only pressure from Xiaoliang had left them no way to retreat. Even so, Xiaoliang had avoided direct confrontation, carefully preventing Gu Peijun from being dragged into danger head-on.

In all his years, Gu Xiong had seen many people—but he had never seen anyone handle a desperate situation with such composure, turning danger step by step into control.

It was fair to say Wang Xingmin, Xiao Yujun, Fan Chunjang—all of them—were being played within Xiaoliang’s reach.

Gu Xiong had spent his life at the grassroots level, but he understood one thing deeply:

Life is about choosing the right person.

And someone like Xiaoliang—so young, yet already possessing that level of calculation and control—was exactly the kind of person worth betting on.

Even if this factory venture failed, it didn’t matter.

What concerned him more was that someone like Xiaoliang might not have ambitions big enough.

Because as long as the ambition was there, and the ability was there, setbacks meant nothing at their age.

But if they hesitated now—if they stepped back—then when Xiaoliang truly rose in the future, they would miss their chance entirely.

Wang Xingmin might be an important figure now, yes—but in Gu Xiong’s mind, he no longer compared to Xiaoliang.

And unlike Wang Xingmin, they had no shared hardship or trust built over time. Even if they tried their hardest to attach themselves to him, the benefits would always be limited.

At this point, Gu Xiong made his decision without hesitation.

“I may be retired, but I’m not that old yet,” he said. “If there’s anything inconvenient, or if you’re short-handed, I can still help.”

“You’re not going to manage the shop anymore?” Gu Peijun asked.

“Tomorrow I’ll call Jianbing over,” Gu Xiong replied. “Pay him a bit more. He learns fast. I can still step away when needed.”

“Alright,” Gu Peijun said. “Xiaoliang said he’ll finish the draft recovery plan tonight. I’ll bring it back tomorrow for you to review.”