"Happy New Year."
Gu Qingqing looked Tan Jincheng up and down, and after a good while, she said,
"Your hair is a bit long, but it really gives off a hint of Bai Gu's charm this way."
"I forgot to get a haircut before the New Year; I'll wait until after the first lunar month,"
Tan Jincheng replied with a smile.
While the superstition about cutting hair during the first lunar month leading to the death of one's maternal uncle is just a belief, Tan Jincheng, with his memories from his previous life, was very particular about it.
So, even though his hair grew very quickly, Tan Jincheng would wait until the end of the first lunar month to cut it.
"It's fine, it looks good this way. You usually have short hair; I'd really like to see you with long hair."
"Like that style where it covers half the face and is dyed yellow? Your dad would kick me out."
"Who said it has to be like that? Just that black long hair parted 30-70."
"Alright, you can arrange it then."
"You came quite early today. Our family initially thought you wouldn't arrive until the afternoon."
"Don't even mention it. My mom dragged me out of bed at six this morning, saying it's the first time visiting the future in-laws, so I shouldn't be too late."
"Nonsense. Auntie probably woke you up, but she definitely wouldn't say that."
"How do you know she wouldn't?"
The car drove into the residential complex, which consisted of relocated homes from demolition.
The environment wasn't particularly good, but luxury cars were everywhere, with BBAs commonly seen.
It was also quite lively, with people bustling through the complex.
"Your complex is quite lively."
"Yes, almost everyone used to be from the village, so everyone knows each other."
"It's similar to my old complex; they were all workers from the same factory, and after living there for decades, they almost all knew each other."
"Your family was like that too?"
"Yes, my family used to live in the factory family quarters, but we moved this New Year. The old house was a bit small; as soon as one grandparent from the countryside came over, I'd have to sleep in the living room."
A two-bedroom, one-living room apartment was how it had actually been for the first 18 years.
In previous years, Tan Jincheng was young, Jinyue hadn't been born yet, and transportation was inconvenient, so his grandparents and maternal grandparents would stay for a while whenever they came to the city.
During these times, Tan Jincheng would either stay at Zhang Xupeng's house or have to sleep in the living room.
For rural people in the last century, moving to the city was actually no less difficult than buying a house in later generations.
If they were lucky enough to catch a good time and be allocated a house, the area wouldn't be very large.
Whether it was for marriage and starting a family or taking care of parents in the future, it required a lot of effort.
When the eldest son, Tan Lihua, moved to the city while the other siblings remained in the countryside, his initial life was actually very hard.
His salary mostly subsidized his parents and siblings back home.
Zhang Suzhi was also in the same situation.
The Tan brothers were relatively reasonable; although they occasionally grumbled about the eldest having gone to school, they all understood that they themselves weren't ambitious enough to pass the exams.
After they each started their own families, they also knew to work hard to live their own lives well, instead of bleeding their elder brother dry and causing the entire family to fall into chaos.
This was already very commendable.
A large part of the reason for the term "phoenix man" is that those who fly out of their small mountain villages cannot escape their original families, nor can they refuse the endless demands of their native families, causing the originally positive term to become a derogatory one.
Now that Tan Jincheng has the ability, Tan Lihua's desire to use these abilities to help his brothers as much as possible is actually understandable.
After all, his native family and younger siblings never owed him anything in the past.
Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing carried their numerous bags into the house.
The moment he stepped inside, Tan Jincheng was startled.
"There are too many people here, why didn't you say anything before?"
Tan Jincheng whispered, turning sideways.
"I had originally wanted to, but then I got caught up talking to you and forgot,"
Gu Qingqing said, a little embarrassed.
The house was full of people.
Besides Gu Qingqing's parents, there were also her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and several younger relatives looking at Tan Jincheng with curious eyes.
Gu Qingqing introduced Tan Jincheng to everyone one by one.
After some polite exchanges, Li Jinzhen smiled and said to Tan Jincheng,
"Xiao Tan, you must be tired from driving. Let's eat first; everyone's been waiting for you."
"I'm so sorry to have kept everyone waiting."
He felt a bit overwhelmed, that they would actually wait for him to have lunch together.
Gu Hongshun patted Tan Jincheng's shoulder and said,
"It's alright, everyone isn't too hungry during the New Year, and we wake up late. We usually have lunch around 12:30 to 1:00 PM. Let's go to the dining room."
He then added,
"You'll have to keep us company for a few extra drinks later."
"Of course, but my tolerance for alcohol is average. I'll try my best to satisfy Grandpa and my uncles."
It seemed a drinking session was unavoidable today.
Gu Qingqing's house was very spacious, with a four-bedroom, two-living room layout.
At this moment, a large round table that could seat nearly 20 people was set in the dining room, looking very grand.
From the outside, the complex's environment didn't seem great, but each house, like Gu Qingqing's, had its own hidden depths.
All her uncles also lived in the same complex.
Yiwu is located in the central part of Zhejiang Province, a county-level city, almost twice the size of Beicang District.
In 2005, its annual GDP exceeded 30 billion for the first time, with its tertiary industry being particularly developed and a resident population of over a million.
In addition to its 700,000 registered residents, Yiwu is home to hundreds of thousands of migrant entrepreneurs and laborers.
With industrial development, this number will gradually increase, especially with a large proportion from Jiangxi Province.
This is why people living in Yiwu often joke that their special delicacy is "Jiangxi Province stir-fry."
In terms of dietary style, Yiwu is quite similar to Yicheng, mainly featuring chicken, duck, fish, beef, and lamb, with even some similarities in taste, a clear distinction from coastal Beicang.
"Do you like the food, Xiao Tan?"
Li Jinzhen asked considerately.
She liked Xiao Tan more and more the more she looked at him.
He was truly handsome, especially now that his hair was a bit longer, looking even better than in the short-haired photos.
If he became her son-in-law, how prestigious would that be?
His demeanor was impeccable, and he was very polite.
He had prepared gifts for everyone when he came to visit.
To be so well-prepared, his parents must also be reasonable people, so his upbringing was naturally beyond question.
Furthermore, this young man's abilities were impressive.
Not only did he start several companies at a young age, but he also managed to advertise his company's products on CCTV-1, with their company's advertisements even airing on New Year's Eve.
"I'm used to the food, Auntie, please don't be so polite. I'll serve myself."
"No problem, no problem. You drove for five or six hours, you must be very tired. Eat more first to fill up, and then you can drink with your uncles later."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie."
Tan Jincheng nodded.
He was indeed quite hungry.
His last meal was around six in the morning, and in order to save time, he hadn't stopped except to use the restroom and get a cup of hot water at a service area.
Now, faced with a table full of delicacies, even though he was being watched by everyone, Tan Jincheng didn't stand on ceremony at all.
He truly was hungry.
"This kid is good, very composed. He isn't timid even with a table full of people watching him. It makes sense that he's successful in business."
Watching Tan Jincheng's composed yet polite behavior, even Gu Hongshun, who had initially found him somewhat displeasing, secretly nodded.
In Gu Hongshun's opinion, Tan Jincheng's success in business certainly wasn't without his vision, but luck also played a significant part.
His first venture into the foreign trade industry—as someone from Yiwu, he naturally knew this industry could be profitable.
It wasn't surprising that people in inland cities knew about it, but certainly not a young man fresh out of high school like him.
His choice of this industry might be related to his experience going abroad.
His ability to do well was his own, but his subsequent success in his second venture seemed to involve an element of luck.
Since their last meeting, he had also thoroughly analyzed Shanchi Technology.
Shanchi Technology's rapid development was largely due to advertising and his so-called "hunger marketing" strategy.
He was lucky enough to choose the most popular talent show champion of 2005 as an endorser, which instantly boosted product recognition.
Subsequently, through television and online advertising coverage, by using the principle of targeted city placement, they cleverly circumvented insufficient production capacity and also achieved the effect of hunger marketing, creating the illusion of product scarcity.
Being able to leverage strengths and avoid weaknesses was his ability.
After making money, he wasn't satisfied but quickly rented another factory to expand production—this was his decisiveness.
However, the establishment of the industrial base had an element of luck.
Gu Hongshun didn't know why Beicang District Government favored him, collaborated with him, and provided various assistance, but it was precisely the intervention of Beicang District Government that gave Shanchi Technology the ability to expand again.
Luck is by no means a derogatory term; on the contrary, for superstitious businessmen, luck is something they value greatly.
With vision, strong execution, and good luck, it's hard for this kid not to succeed.
But now that he's so successful, will he treat his daughter seriously in the future?
Will he be a playboy?
In terms of career, at over 40 years old, he didn't have the energy to compete with this young man.
His own wealth might seem out of reach for an average family, but if he wanted to use it to support his daughter, he still lacked some confidence.
Then, looking at his daughter sitting beside Tan Jincheng with a loving expression, and his smiling wife beside him, Gu Hongshun started to get angry again.
He couldn't help but wink at his two brothers, then smiled and raised his glass:
"Come, Xiao Tan, don't just eat, have a drink to wet your throat."
Just like that, Tan Jincheng was immediately plied with drinks by several of Gu Qingqing's elders, dashing Gu Qingqing's original plan to take him to explore Yiwu city and enjoy some time alone.
"This kid didn't lie; he really can't hold his liquor. How does he do business like this, haha?"
Gu Hongshun finally breathed a sigh of relief, laughing heartily as he looked at Tan Jincheng lying on the guest room bed.
"Is that how you all do things? Xiao Tan is visiting for the first time, and he drove for several hours. Drinking so much alcohol is bad for his health. Also, now that he's drunk, the poached eggs I prepared can't be eaten,"
Li Jinzhen said, somewhat dissatisfied.
"Give them to Qingqing to eat, and prepare some for this kid tonight; damn it, I really don't want to give them to him, it's too good for him,"
Gu Hongshun grumbled resentfully.
The so-called "water-poached egg" is also known as "zitang," a custom for Yiwu people when treating their prospective son-in-law.
It refers to shelled eggs cooked in brown sugar water or soy sauce broth, symbolizing ingots.
If they approve, they offer the water-poached eggs; if not, they offer tea and do not accept gifts.
(End of Chapter)