On a spring noon, sunlight spilled across the land, and smoke curled up from the villages on both sides of the road.
Unknown wildflowers bloomed on both sides of the road, and willows swayed with the wind, presenting a picturesque pastoral scene that refreshed the heart and mind.
On the journey from Yongkang to Yiwu, the driver chose not to take the highway.
Tan Jincheng rarely saw such a comfortable pastoral landscape and couldn't help but ask the driver to pull over and get out to admire it.
"It's truly beautiful, don't you think?"
Tan Jincheng exclaimed.
Zhao Xinyi and Zeng Jixiang both nodded.
Having grown up in the city, they naturally found the scenery before them breathtaking.
But the driver, Li Yaohui, didn't think so.
Li Yaohui, 35, was a retired soldier.
His hometown was in rural Southern Anhui, and he was introduced by Tan Jincheng's cousin who had served in Zhoushan – Li Yaohui's comrade-in-arms.
Speaking of this somewhat unfamiliar cousin, Tan Jincheng still felt quite regretful.
Tan Jincheng hadn't had much contact with this cousin, but he knew about his deeds.
Originally, he had unlimited prospects in the military and could have stayed there to become a professional soldier.
However, because he was the eldest son in the family, and his younger brother worked in a hospital in a neighboring city with no time to return home, and his younger sisters had married, he considered his parents' increasing age.
He resolutely disregarded his leaders' attempts to retain him, transferred back to his hometown, and became a grassroots civil servant, working in the procuratorate, seemingly at a deputy section-level position, though Tan Jincheng wasn't entirely clear on the specifics.
Tan Jincheng remembered asking him in his previous life if he regretted giving up his future to return home and care for his parents.
His answer was that life would be very difficult for elderly parents without their children by their side, and someone always had to step up.
He couldn't say whether he regretted it or not, but he felt it was something he ought to do.
It was a great pity that such a filial person ultimately died of cancer before his parents, unable to care for them in their old age and see them off in death.
Tan Jincheng also remembered that his cousin passed away on the Winter Solstice in 2019.
After the family finished the funeral arrangements, his second cousin's family, who had planned to take a long vacation to stay home with their parents, was dispatched to Jiangcheng for support on the morning of New Year's Eve due to a special event.
That winter, their family must have been very sad, right?
"If Boss likes this kind of rural scenery, you should visit my hometown sometime. This is far from comparable to my hometown,"
Li Yaohui couldn't help but say, seeing the three of them captivated.
Tan Jincheng smiled and said,
"Okay, if there's a chance, take us to see your hometown."
They stopped by the roadside for a while longer until Gu Hongshun called to ask where Tan Jincheng was.
The group of four then set off again.
It seemed his father-in-law was waiting for him for lunch.
—
It was a different feeling from the last time he saw this "son-in-law" of convenience.
Dressed in business attire, with a buzz cut hailed as a "face value detector," Tan Jincheng, who at New Year had long hair and preferred casual wear, brought a considerable sense of pressure to Gu Hongshun.
Especially with three accompanying personnel behind him.
Among these three, the robust, burly middle-aged man who stepped out of the driver's seat clearly looked like a driver and bodyguard.
As for the young man and woman, they were clearly his assistants.
This definitely looked like the style of a big boss.
Gu Hongshun had somewhat disbelieved rumors that this kid was worth over a hundred million, thinking it was bragging.
Now, seeing this impressive demeanor, there truly seemed to be something to it.
"He actually brought two assistants and a driver. What kind of business did he go to Yongkang to discuss?"
Gu Hongshun couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He knew Tan Jincheng went to Yongkang for business and would stop by Yiwu, but he didn't expect such a big entourage.
"Xiao Tan is here, you must be hungry; come on, let's go in quickly."
Li Jinzhen didn't have many thoughts, still smiling as she looked at Tan Jincheng.
They say buzz cuts are ugly, but it looked quite good on Xiao Tan.
Compared to his previous long hair, it made him look much more capable.
"I'm sorry, Uncle and Auntie, we were a bit delayed on the way."
"It's fine, it's not late yet. Everyone, please come in, don't stand at the door. The private room is ready. Old Gu, go add a few dishes and change the table."
Li Jinzhen continued to welcome them.
Before Tan Jincheng arrived, they didn't know how many people there would be, thinking it was just him.
So they had already reserved a table and ordered dishes, ready to be served once he arrived.
"No need, Auntie, we can just eat in the downstairs lobby, so as not to disturb your family reunion,"
Zeng Jixiang said repeatedly before Gu Hongshun could turn around.
Zeng Jixiang was responsible for the early registration and preparatory work for Orange Technology, which was one of the reasons he was brought to Yiwu.
Additionally, his girlfriend was Gu Yanning's best friend, so he knew some information about Gu Hongshun and his wife.
But clearly, having just met, it wasn't the time to discuss Orange Technology, and it was better not to bother the boss.
No matter how awesome the boss was outside, when meeting his girlfriend's parents, he was a junior.
He understood the etiquette for juniors meeting elders, and some things should be avoided.
"Huh? No need, the private room can seat everyone, just add a few dishes,"
Li Jinzhen replied.
Li Yaohui clearly caught on too:
"It's fine, we'll just eat downstairs. If we finish quickly, I can still go buy some gifts for my son. Boss wouldn't mind us being temporarily off duty, right?"
Only Zhao Xinyi still watched with a curious expression.
Compared to men who understand men better, and with not much assistant experience, she hadn't quite grasped the difference yet.
"Alright, I'll drive the car myself later. You three have the afternoon off. Go wherever you want to shop, and find your own accommodation."
"Thank you, Boss,"
Zeng Jixiang said, tugging on Zhao Xinyi's sleeve.
"Thank you, Boss."
Although Zhao Xinyi hadn't fully understood, she was very happy to hear the word "holiday."
During these days on the business trip, the boss was like a hands-off manager.
After setting the general direction, everything else fell to her, which exhausted her.
Zeng Jixiang had only arrived yesterday and was unfamiliar with the situation in Yongkang, so he couldn't really help.
"Let's go, everyone, come in. It's fine if you eat in the lobby, but I'll pay the bill later,"
Gu Hongshun said, seeing that Tan Jincheng had decided, and said no more.
"No problem, it's a rare opportunity. Order anything you like, my Uncle Gu is very rich,"
Tan Jincheng said with a smile to the three of them.
Gu Hongshun smiled helplessly,
"You little rascal, looking at your setup, how could I be richer than you? Traveling with several people... but I, Old Gu, can still afford one meal, order whatever you like."
"No choice, it's business. You have to put on a bit of a show and not lose face. Uncle Gu, you should understand that."
"That's true,"
Gu Hongshun replied casually, thinking of his factory-opening days.
Inside the private room.
While waiting for the food, Gu Hongshun still couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked,
"Qingqing said you're usually quite low-key and drive yourself everywhere. This time you came to Yongkang with such a big entourage, it's not just for show, is it?"
Tan Jincheng also nodded and answered truthfully,
"Indeed not. This business deal is quite large. In fact, it wasn't just the four of us who came; a negotiation team from Beicang District government also came. After the talks, I separated from them; they went back to Beicang, and I came here."
"What kind of business? And people from the Beicang District government came to negotiate? Can you tell us?"
Li Jinzhen also asked curiously.
Then she immediately added,
"It's okay if you can't say, it's normal to have some secrets in business."
"There's nothing I can't say. It's already settled, the agreement is signed, and a press conference was even held,"
Tan Jincheng said with a smile, pouring tea for the two of them.
"There was even a press conference? That really is big business. It seems you didn't bring these people just to put on a show."
"There's a company in Yongkang called Zhongtai Manufacturing that makes cars. Uncle Gu, I don't know if you've heard of them. Their boss is Ying Jianren. He owns a company called Tieniu Group. Mr. Ying should be quite a well-known figure in the Jinhua area."
"I haven't really heard of Zhongtai, but Tieniu Group and the name Ying Jianren are often heard. It's said he's worth over 10 billion yuan."
"Probably so. He has a listed company. Zhongtai is his new car factory. This time we came to discuss cooperation on building a car factory in Beicang District, cooperating with him and the Beicang District. I hold a 10% stake in the car factory."
As soon as he finished speaking, the private room fell into a brief silence.
Li Jinzhen knew a little about business, but not much.
She was just happy for Tan Jincheng; a successful cooperation was always good, so she looked at Tan Jincheng with a smile.
To negotiate a business deal with the government and a person worth tens of billions, securing a 10% stake was already very impressive!
Gu Hongshun, on the other hand, was full of surprise and doubt.
This was about cars! Those who dared to manufacture cars in China were no ordinary figures.
To put it plainly, this was a game for the big players.
Without capital and technology, you wouldn't even dare to think about it even if given the land.
Should he admire this "son-in-law" of convenience for his courage, or for his ability?
How did he, someone running a two-wheeled electric vehicle assembly plant, dare to do this?
Slowly exhaling, Gu Hongshun whispered to Li Jinzhen in Yiwu dialect,
"I feel like I gave him the water-poached egg too early; I'm a bit scared now."
Seeing her husband's expression, Li Jinzhen was also stunned:
"What do you mean?"
Their conversation was in Yiwu dialect, and Tan Jincheng, not understanding, looked at them with some confusion.
Gu Hongshun said nothing more and looked at Tan Jincheng:
"A car factory requires a lot of investment, doesn't it? Do you have that much money? Even though it's only a 10% stake, that's still a considerable amount, right?"
"The initial investment share is tentatively set at 1 billion yuan for the first phase, first to build the factory buildings, and then to replicate Zhongtai's existing production lines to the Beicang factory. Subsequent investments are still being standardized and can only be finalized after I return to Beicang."
"As for funding, there are no issues for now. I have 150 mu of land and factory assets in Beicang that can be mortgaged. Additionally, our company's account period is very short, and our credit with the bank is quite good."
"What about in the future?"
"Well, I'm trying to figure out a solution for the future, which is why I came to you, Uncle Gu,"
Tan Jincheng replied with a smile.
(End of Chapter)