Chapter 159 - 158: Intellectual Regression

Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Intellectual Regression

A little after 7:00 PM, Yu Zhiming returned to his place at Zijin Garden. He found that his Fourth Sister had already made dinner, but that character, Gu Qingning, was nowhere to be seen.

"Qingning went out with Xiaobo to drum up some business. They’re eating dinner out and will be back later."

Yu Xiangwan explained as she handed a full bowl of rice to Yu Zhiming. Then, her voice filled with excitement, she said, "Third Sister called me this afternoon. She told me two things."

"And it gave me a great idea for making money."

"What two things? And what money-making opportunity?" Yu Zhiming asked, playing along dutifully.

Yu Xiangwan giggled. "First, that brokerage office I was renting in the county town has finally been sublet."

"Hehe, between the transferred office furniture and the rent, I got back seven thousand yuan. At least it wasn’t a total loss."

Yu Xiangwan happily took a big gulp of shrimp soup, then continued, "Second, Third Sister isn’t working as a nurse anymore."

"Third Sister quit?" Yu Zhiming was very surprised.

Yu Xiangwan laughed. "Fifth Brother, what are you thinking?"

"There aren’t any better jobs in the county town, so why would Third Sister quit? Her position was just changed."

"She was transferred to the Binhai Medical Travel Work Group. From now on, she’ll be responsible for handling matters for patients coming to Binhai for treatment."

"Third Sister said the job is easy, the pay is high, and Dean Wu transferred her specifically as a favor to you."

Yu Zhiming just grunted in acknowledgment.

’He understood. This was Dean Wu returning the favor, sharing some of the benefits with his family—specifically, his third sister.’

"They’ve already settled the cooperation agreement? That fast?"

Yu Xiangwan shook her head. "Third Sister said they only had a preliminary discussion over the phone. Dean Wu mentioned that both Huashan Hospital and Ning’an Hospital have shown great sincerity in their willingness to cooperate."

"Third Sister also said that Dean Wu will personally lead a team to Binhai next week for face-to-face negotiations and to sign the cooperation agreement."

"Next week?"

Yu Zhiming pondered for a moment, then said, "Sis, next week, see if you can coordinate with my schedule and Dean Wu’s team to find an evening for us to treat them to dinner."

Yu Xiangwan hummed in agreement, then added persuasively, "You’re going to be very busy next week. Dean Wu must know that."

"If you really don’t have time for a meal, just meeting them for a quick chat would be fine too. A man like Dean Wu will understand."

After a brief pause, Yu Xiangwan’s tone turned gleeful again. "Fifth Brother, the money-making opportunity I was talking about is this collaboration between the county hospital, Huashan Hospital, and Ning’an Hospital."

Without waiting for Yu Zhiming to ask, she explained, "Third Sister said Dean Wu hopes to send a few dozen patients to Binhai for treatment every one or two weeks."

"Let’s say fifty patients, and each patient needs one or two people to stay with them and take care of them."

"When these family members come to Binhai, they have to find a place to eat and sleep, right?"

"My idea is to rent a few apartments near Huashan Hospital and Ning’an Hospital and then sublet them at a relatively cheap price to the family members coming from our hometown."

"Fifth Brother, I’ve already done some preliminary research..."

Yu Xiangwan spoke eloquently about her business plan.

She explained that accommodations around Huashan Hospital and Ning’an Hospital start at one or two hundred yuan even for the cheap ones.

More importantly, you can’t cook your own meals.

A three-bedroom apartment near Huashan Hospital currently goes for eight to ten thousand yuan a month on the market.

If Yu Xiangwan rents one, she could offer short-term leases to six to eight family members, charging each person eighty yuan a day.

"Fifth Brother, if I rent a three-bedroom apartment like that, with a relatively stable stream of short-term tenants, I could count on about five hundred yuan in income per day."

Looking like she was already counting the money, Yu Xiangwan said, "After deducting rent, utilities, and other costs, I could make at least three or four thousand a month."

"If I rent ten apartments, hehe..."

"Fifth Brother, what do you think?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Sis, you know more about business than I do. But I know one thing: planning is one thing, but actually doing it is a whole other story."

"Besides, it’s definitely going to be a lot of hard work."

Yu Xiangwan looked completely confident. "I’m not afraid of hard work. When is making money ever not hard work?"

"I think with your connections to the county hospital, Huashan Hospital, and Ning’an Hospital, the supply of short-term tenants should be guaranteed."

"This plan of mine has a high probability of making money."

"Of course, I won’t rent a bunch of places all at once. I’ll start with five or six to test the waters."

"Fifth Brother, I want to do this. Will you support me?"

Yu Zhiming met Yu Xiangwan’s earnest gaze and nodded. "Sis, if you’ve made up your mind to do it, I’ll definitely support you."

"But let’s be clear, I can only offer financial support. It’s impossible for me to help with the actual work."

Yu Xiangwan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "Financial support is all I need! If I dared to make you work, Mom, Dad, and Big Sis would kill me."

"So, Fifth Brother, do you want to invest for a stake in the business? Or just lend me the money at the bank’s interest rate?"

Yu Zhiming smiled and said, "We’re twins. Your status with me is second only to Mom, Dad, and Big Sis."

"Sis, I don’t want any shares, and I won’t charge you interest."

"How about this? I’ll give you the money in my bank account, plus this month’s salary, as your startup capital."

"If you make a profit, it’s all yours."

"If you lose it, it’s on me. But if you lose all of it, Sis, you have to promise to stop messing around with these schemes."

"Fifth Brother, I love you so much!"

Yu Xiangwan shot to her feet, threw her arms around Yu Zhiming, and exclaimed, "I’m not jealous of Big Sis at all anymore!"

"You really are my dearest little brother."

"Fifth Brother, don’t you worry. If I can mess up a project like this, I might as well go eat pig slop."

Yu Xiangwan squeezed Yu Zhiming’s shoulders twice more and declared, "Fifth Brother, come Spring Festival, I’ll definitely give you a huge red envelope."

Yu Zhiming squirmed a little. "Sis, are you done with the excitement?"

"Can we eat now?"

Once his Fourth Sister finally let go of him, Yu Zhiming took the small gold ingot from his pocket.

"Sis, this is for you. Consider it a good luck charm..."

Just then, Yu Zhiming’s phone started ringing.

It was a call from Zeng Yan, who was studying at the Aquatic University.

Yu Zhiming answered the call, and Zeng Yan’s somewhat sheepish and nervous voice came through the phone.

"Uncle, is it a good time to talk?"

"It is. If there’s something on your mind, just say it."

Zeng Yan stammered a bit, "Um, well, Uncle, you were on the Binhai evening news, right?"

"So, in a moment of vanity, I, uh... showed off to my roommates that... you’re my uncle."

From Zeng Yan’s halting words, Yu Zhiming could almost picture an embarrassed girl, face flushed red, nervously twisting the corner of her shirt.

He found it rather amusing.

Yu Zhiming chuckled softly. "Zeng Yan, I *am* your uncle. There’s nothing wrong with telling people that."

"Did something happen after that?"

A moment later, Zeng Yan’s voice came through the phone again, even quieter this time. "One of my roommates has a big mouth, and the story... it spread around our class."

"And, um, our counselor came to see me..."

"My counselor said that his aunt is constantly worried she has breast cancer, and he was hoping you could perform a breast examination for her."

Zeng Yan’s voice on the phone got lower and lower, until it was nearly a whisper in his ear.

Fortunately, her phone had a good microphone, and Yu Zhiming’s hearing was exceptional, so he could hear her perfectly clearly.

"Zeng Yan, I understand."

"Okay, how about this? Tell your counselor to have his aunt come find me at the hospital on Tuesday morning."

"Uncle, thank you."

Zeng Yan’s voice returned to its normal volume. She then added, "Uncle, I caused you trouble. You’re not mad, are you?"

"Why would I be mad?"

Yu Zhiming smiled and said, "This kind of thing is very common in the adult world."

"Zeng Yan, you don’t need to feel embarrassed."

"This is how things work in our country. You ask me for a favor, I ask you for a favor—that’s how connections are built."

"Uncle, thank you!"

Zeng Yan’s voice on the line finally sounded cheerful again. She continued, "Uncle, there’s one more thing."

"One of my classmates wanted to ask for a consultation."

"He said he has a younger brother, nine years younger than him, who used to be quite bright and clever as a child."

"He says that over the past year, he’s noticed his brother has become much duller and slower, as if his intelligence is regressing."

"He wants to know if his brother’s condition is something you can treat."

Yu Zhiming said thoughtfully, "What your classmate described is too simple and vague. I can’t make a judgment."

"It would be best if I could see his brother’s medical records, or if he could bring him directly to me..."

PS.

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