They were unable to handle the current situation and could only accept the most realistic outcome: there was no escaping the problem at hand. They had to deal with it using the methods they possessed.
"What exactly do you want?" Ye Tiancheng asked directly, wanting to understand his motives.
"Naturally, I want to ask you. If we make a bet, and you lose, you will completely get out of our family," Song Shaobai said with great confidence.
The Song family members were greatly shocked by Song Shaobai's words. They felt he was going to lose and tried desperately to stop him. However, this fellow seemed to be driven by emotion and didn't listen to his grandfather at all. He was very firm in his opinion.
"Grandpa, I know you mean well for me, but I absolutely cannot swallow this insult today. Why should an outsider take so much of our family's profit?"
This person was clearly a fool. Anyone with sense could see that the benefits they were gaining far exceeded what they currently possessed.
If they didn't ally with Ye Tiancheng, and other families did, then those families would definitely surpass their current three families. Seeing the Song family's decision, they regretted it immensely.
At this moment, the Song family patriarch wished he could step forward and slap him.
He thought he was too stupid, as stupid as a clumsy dog.
Unfortunately, fools seldom realize they are fools; they think they are very clever, which made the Song family patriarch extremely speechless.
"Old man Song, don't bother with this kid. If he's willing to bet with me, I'm willing to take the bet. Otherwise, it would seem like I'm afraid of him."
Since the words had been spoken, evading any further would be meaningless.
There was no point in saying more about things that were no longer meaningful. The only way to have meaning and demonstrate his capability was to make the other party shut up. What he wanted to say now was what Song Shaobai wanted to say.
"You mean you accept my challenge?" Song Shaobai smiled wickedly.
"Since you understand what I intend to do, let's be clear. State the conditions for the competition." Ye Tiancheng said with a faint smile.
"Within ten days, you must be able to buy at least half of the city of Duogong. If you do, you win. If not, you lose."
Hearing this condition, he smiled faintly. He only needed a name to support him; that was all. He didn't need such a challenge and readily accepted Song Shaobai's terms.
"Very well, I accept."
For others, this was very difficult to accept. They could not believe what they were hearing, as only a madman would agree to such terms.
"Are you crazy or stupid?" Su Miexian, standing nearby, asked.
"Of course, I'm not crazy. I know very well that if I don't accept this condition, should I become a timid person?" Clearly, he could not and absolutely would not do that.
Others viewed this farce as him staging it himself, turning himself into a fool. Regardless, anyone with eyes could see Ye Tiancheng's actions; only those who considered themselves smart couldn't see it.
There was nothing to discuss with these self-righteous people. In his opinion, the reason he was looked down upon and appeared so powerless was that he hadn't proven his abilities.
After reaching an agreement with them, Ye Tiancheng calmly and serenely left. For him, it was merely about borrowing the Song family's name.
With their name, the common people would naturally buy into it.
After leaving, he returned to Sister Si's home.
When Dou Miaomiao saw Ye Tiancai return, she immediately asked him why he did it, what his purpose was, and what his actions meant. She felt that doing so was a huge loss, essentially giving two-thirds of the profits to the Song family.
"Am I that foolish in your eyes?"
Facing Dou Jie's question, Ye Tiancheng appeared very impatient. He really wanted to explain but couldn't, because he wanted to show them. Only by succeeding would they understand, and his actions would be more impactful.
"Just wait and see. I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."
After saying this, he went to rest, not wanting to be upset by this matter. After all, he didn't want others to misunderstand. If others misunderstood, it would mean he had failed, failed miserably.
What others thought and how they felt was their business. What he did and what state he wanted to achieve was the posture he should present.
It was quite laughable that his actions were incomprehensible and inexplicable to others. Since things were incomprehensible and inexplicable to others, why bother explaining?
In Ye Tiancheng's view, he now had to do what he wanted to do well.
Only then would they have no objections.
"This guy is really annoying. I don't know why he's so detestable," Sister Dou said this to make him understand that the people who cared about him in this world were always his five older sisters.
"If you truly care about me, then listen to me. Please help me complete the plan I want to carry out next."
The plan he wanted to complete was not complicated; it just required many people to cooperate in business. The most important thing was to play on human nature. The human heart was complex, but not unmanipulable. There was an idiom: "朝三暮四" (zhāo sān mù sì), meaning "three in the morning and four in the evening."
It tells of a person who gave three chestnuts to monkeys in the morning and four in the evening. The monkeys were very unwilling to accept this. To satisfy the monkeys, the person who raised them gave them four chestnuts in the morning and three in the evening. The monkeys were immediately satisfied.
Indirectly, it means human nature is greedy, and as long as greedy human desires are met, one can make them work for oneself and earn a lot of money.
"What do you want us to do? As long as it's not a waste of effort, we can definitely do it."
The most important thing was that they didn't want to waste effort. If they did something, they wanted to succeed; otherwise, not only would it be a waste of effort, but they would also be ridiculed as a bunch of big fools, which was unacceptable to Ye Tiancheng's five sisters.
Hearing their words, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but smile wryly. He was not someone who would give up everything easily without seeing results.
"What are you kidding about? How could I possibly lose?"
As someone who desperately wanted to become successful, he wouldn't lose everything under such circumstances. He really wanted to stand out and make others look at him with new eyes. No matter what, once he decided on something, he wouldn't turn back even if he hit a brick wall. This was Ye Tiancheng's stubbornness that made others feel he was foolish and naive.
"I would never do such a thing, so please rest assured. I will definitely do what I want to do according to my own will. So please believe me."
As he said this, he couldn't help but smile faintly, and it was a mature smile, not one chosen out of impulse as others might think.
Next, he went around soliciting investment under the Song family's name, unifying the small vendors. The guy selling sweet potatoes was surprised that Ye Tiancheng would adopt such a strategy, and he was naturally willing to do business with him.
Resources poured into Ye Tiancheng's name, and he exchanged them for paper currency. However, anyone who used paper currency could get some resources for free, including the precious salt.
Salt was a hard currency at the time, but these people had never used salt and thought it was dispensable. As people gradually accepted this item, they realized that life was incomplete without it.
Because many people lacked salt intake, it led to swollen legs and various digestive problems and malnutrition. With salt, these problems were all resolved. At this point, people gradually realized that what Ye Tiancheng was doing had a significant impact on their quality of life, and it became a hard currency.
Only Ye Tiancheng knew how to make salt.
This was undoubtedly controlling the entire artery of the economy. Those who had refused to cooperate with him now clung to Ye Tiancheng, trying their best to get him to let them join.
However, Ye Tiancheng had no intention of doing so, feeling that it was simply outrageous, or rather, like making a fuss.
"It seems you've become a real big shot now. Those who looked down on you back then would never have dreamed of your achievements today," said Pang Hu, the sweet potato seller.
"Before you say that, you should reflect on yourself. You looked down on me just like them, thinking I was finished," Ye Tiancheng rolled his eyes and said to Pang Hu.
"You're saying such disheartening things. Can't you say something constructive to cheer me up?"
Sometimes, certain problems are not solved this way. Everyone thinks they are very capable, but they discover a potential threat: the higher one stands, the more prone they are to becoming hot-headed and looking down on others.
The consequences of this would directly lead to others viewing him as an arrogant person, causing many to be intimidated and no longer approach him. A person like this, when doing business, would soon become a penniless beggar.
Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng was not such a person, so Pang Hu didn't dislike him.
"Quickly, make your sweet potatoes into a truly profitable product. That way, we can continue to have a desire for cooperation."
"But land is limited. The area where I can grow sweet potatoes is very narrow, just enough to support my family," Pang Hu shrugged, showing a helpless expression.
"I've already considered this problem for you. It's just about land. Outside the city, there's a large tract of wasteland that belongs to the Song family. I can transfer it to you, and you just need to pay me 100,000 yuan per month for the land use."
That piece of land was about 100 mu. 100,000 yuan a month for 100 mu was practically giving away land at a low price. However, this land was very difficult to cultivate and was barren. But people who had traveled from a civilized era had ways to turn such land into useful land. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"If you can convince the Song family, I'll be willing. But I think your status is too awkward. They're just treating you like a monkey, and you have no dignity at home. They don't believe anything you say."
Ye Tiancheng certainly agreed with Pang Hu's words, as he was currently in such an awkward situation. But even so, he had not given up. As long as he worked hard enough, he would definitely achieve his dreams.
At this moment, all he thought about was simply establishing a foothold here. Once he had a stable foothold, it wouldn't be too late to develop other things.
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll go to the Song family. I estimate it's 90% likely to succeed."
"If you really have 90%, then it's a sure thing." Pang Hu meant that he didn't believe he had the ability. He had already spoken before doing it, so what if he couldn't achieve it? Wouldn't that be slapping himself in the face?