2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 112 Parents' Worries

A young man on the road, his body exuding the fragrance of orchids and musk.

For some reason, upon seeing Tan Jincheng again, Gu Qingqing couldn't help but recall this line of poetry; Boss Tan's demeanor seemed somewhat different from that at the end of March.

"What you want."

"Thank you. How much is it? I'll pay you." Gu Qingqing said shyly.

"That's about 1900 RMB. Here's 1900."

Gu Qingqing quickly took out her wallet, counted out 19 bills, and handed them to Tan Jincheng. These days, people have a habit of buying Hong Kong goods, especially electronic products. The styles are novel, and the exchange rate is favorable. So when she learned that Tan Jincheng was going to Hong Kong, Gu Qingqing asked him to help her buy a mobile phone.

Her father's birthday is coming up, and she wants to prepare a birthday gift for him.

After Tan Jincheng put the money into his wallet, Gu Qingqing pointed to the BMW across the street and said, "Haven't seen you in a while, Mr. Tan, you've changed your car?"

"Oh, you've started a new company. This car is part of the new company's equipment."

If he's not going out for long, Tan Jincheng drives himself to the airport and parks his car in the airport parking lot. Although the parking fee is quite expensive, it's relatively more convenient.

After returning today, Tan Jincheng decided to save time and avoid having to make another trip for a single item next time. He figured he could deliver the item before heading back to Beicang.

"You've opened another new company? Boss Tan's business is getting bigger and bigger."

"I wouldn't say I've gotten rich, but I'm doing something I want to do, since I'm drowning in debt."

"When you start a business, you'll definitely owe some money at the beginning. Take it slow, and you'll make money later."

Then Gu Qingqing hesitated for a moment and said, "It's still early. How about I show Boss Tan around my campus and then treat you to dinner to express my gratitude?"

Tan Jincheng checked the time; it was only a little past two o'clock, still a long time before dinner. Why bother wandering around the campus? It would be more practical to go back and work as a laborer to earn money.

"I just came from the airport and haven't gone home yet. I'm a bit busy with the new company's setup. Maybe next time, I'll treat you next time."

"Alright then, Mr. Tan, you're busy." Gu Qingqing was somewhat disappointed. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to invite a boy to stroll around campus and treat him to a meal, and she hadn't expected to be rejected.

After Tan Jincheng drove away, three girls sitting not far away quickly got up and came to Gu Qingqing's side. These three were Gu Qingqing's roommates.

Today, the three of them in the dormitory overheard Tan Jincheng saying he was going to deliver something to Gu Qingqing on the phone. Being gossipy, they followed him to peek.

In addition, strolling around the campus and having dinner together were also their ideas.

"Why did you leave? Weren't we supposed to stroll around campus and then have dinner together?"

"Didn't you say you drive a Volkswagen? But I see a BMW logo, that's the one I recognize."

Three women make a drama, chattering away non-stop, making Gu Qingqing extremely shy.

"It was all your bad ideas. I already said I just asked him to bring my dad a birthday present from Hong Kong. You saw it just now, I gave him money and he accepted it."

"Why didn't he bring any for us? Hehe, but this Mr. Tan is indeed in the clothing business. His clothes look really comfortable, and he's handsome too."

It seems that every university dormitory has a roommate who loves to play matchmaker, regardless of whether they are male or female.

After learning that Gu Qingqing had eaten alone with Tan Jincheng several times, the group felt that their roommate, who was always a little arrogant, had a special relationship with him, especially after Gu Qingqing went to Beicang alone last time.

In relationships between men and women, the two parties may often just be decent friends, but their friends may perceive something amiss, leading to a change in their mindset. This is roughly equivalent to brainwashing.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of her three roommates, Gu Qingqing's mindset inevitably underwent some changes. This time, buying a gift for her father was her way of testing him.

Normally, if a business owner goes to Hong Kong for a few days, it's definitely for work-related matters. Helping with purchasing things is somewhat inappropriate, but Gu Qingqing still suggested it.

To her surprise, Tan Jincheng agreed. In just three days, after finishing his own business, he still managed to find time to buy things for her. Does that mean he has some feelings for me?

So, with her roommates half-heartedly agreeing, this whole thing happened, but the result wasn't what they had imagined.

Seeing that Gu Qingqing looked a little down, Xu Manli comforted her, "It's only a little past two o'clock now. He must really have something to do. It's normal that he can't agree to your request. He's a boss, after all. He's definitely busier than us."

"Well, he hasn't been home yet; he came directly from the airport," Gu Qingqing said apologetically.

"That's it, they gave you something as soon as you got off the plane, that's already very kind of them, keep it up."

"Hey, you still haven't told me why you changed your car to a BMW. Is selling clothes that profitable?"

"Oh, they said they started a new company, and the BMW was bought for the new company, but I don't know the specifics."

Then, Gu Qingqing seemed to remember something: "Oh dear, I forgot to mention the time he asked me to hire a fashion model. I was going to talk about that. It's all your fault."

"Haha, that's great! We can meet again sometime, right?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going back."

Meanwhile, Tan Jincheng, driving back, had no idea what awaited him.

After Zhang Xupeng told Zhang Suzhi everything that had happened recently, Zhang Suzhi became increasingly uneasy. The company the two brothers co-founded was doing business with foreigners, and they could secure orders worth tens of millions of yuan in just one business trip.

The speed at which they were making money had exceeded Zhang Suzhi's imagination. On the other hand, they were actually planning a small electric scooter factory with an annual output of 30000 units. Zhang Suzhi knew about the small electric scooter.

In Yicheng, electric scooters are sold in various shops, ranging from a little over 2000 yuan to around 4000 yuan. If we take the mid-range price, wouldn't that mean an annual output value of around 1 million yuan? Zhang Suzhi, who was still recovering from her investment of several million yuan, couldn't sit still any longer.

Before evening, they called Tan Lihua to come home early, saying they had something important to discuss. Tan Lihua was so frightened that he immediately asked for leave and went home. Everything was fine at home, and the construction site was operating normally. If there was anything going on back home, the call would come directly to him.

Needless to say, the important matter my wife mentioned must be something that happened to that brat far away in Ningbo.

When Tan Lihua returned home and heard what his wife said, he was completely stunned.

No, when he came back last year, he just said he was going to do some business. Tan Lihua's understanding of doing business is similar to Zhang Suzhi's. For example, his cousin sells steel, which is a fairly large business.

However, the investment in selling steel is also large. When business is good, he can make a lot of money in a year, but when business is bad, he may lose money due to inventory and other issues. In the beginning, he had to shamelessly borrow money from every household.

Tan Lihua didn't take it seriously when his son took 10 yuan to start a business. He didn't really feel anything when his son lost it all. Although his family wasn't wealthy, they could still afford to lose 10 yuan.

Once he's suffered a setback, we can use our connections to find him a job in a factory or elsewhere, and help him get married; then he'll have a stable life.

"Do you think Pengya might be lying to you? Is business really that easy? Linong has been struggling for years and his net worth hasn't even reached ten million. How come you're saying that these two young guys are already worth over ten million?"

“Pengya can brag and lie to me, but Qingliang wouldn’t, would he? He’s seen that 1000-square-meter factory with his own eyes.”

“That’s true. We really need to go and take a look. If it’s like Pengya said, then it might really have an annual output value of hundreds of millions. That would be terrible. If we lose so much, we’d have to sell our whole family to pay it back.”

"So, are you going or am I going? If I go, I need to take Jin Yue back to her hometown first."

“I’ll go there. I’ll take a few days off. Let Lamei manage the construction site, or we can just stop for a few days.”

"Should we tell Huiru and her husband?"

"Well, it's good to tell them. Let's see if they want to see their son who's worth millions. I guess they don't know the full story. If you hadn't pressed them, Pengya probably wouldn't have wanted to tell you."

Zhang Suzhi was speechless for a while before sighing and saying, "Sigh, every now and then a large sum of money goes into my bank account from that Taobao store. In the past few months, I've saved up over 10 yuan. Your son said it was pocket money for me, and he just did it on a whim."

"If he really manages to keep this factory running, then it can really be considered pocket money," Tan Lihua said with a wry smile.

The factory covers more than 1000 square meters and produces 30,000 electric scooters a year. Although these things cannot compare with cars or motorcycles, they are still important means of transportation, and in some ways, they have even gained a higher status in the family than motorcycles.

Electric scooters don't require a driver's license, are easy to use, and are cheaper. Plus, the large front compartment can hold some goods. Tan Lihua often sees construction workers and clothing store owners using electric scooters to haul goods.

In a sense, a small electric scooter is no longer just a means of transportation for a family; it can even be considered a production tool. In addition, the country has been vigorously developing motorcycles in recent years, and some cities have begun to ban them.

You know what, this kid has a good eye. Maybe he can make it work. Tan Lihua doesn't know how much profit a small electric scooter makes, but for a factory with an annual output value of over 100 million, it's not just about profit that needs to be calculated.

Even a veteran employee of a state-owned enterprise, even at the grassroots level, is more politically sensitive than the average person. A company with an annual output value of over 100 million yuan, even if located in an economically developed coastal city, cannot be ignored.

If a factory like this were located in Yicheng...

For some reason, Tan Lihua had a feeling that the days ahead wouldn't be as peaceful as they were now.

"Hey, let me call Lao Zhang first. This shouldn't be just a worry for me; let him have a headache too."

So, the day before Tan Jincheng was to return home, the two families discussed it and decided to send Tan Lihua and Zhang Guolong to Ningbo to take a look. Zhang Guolong's initial idea about Zhang Xupeng and Tan Jincheng going into business together was similar to Tan Lihua's.

Young people are often arrogant and eager to venture out into the world. But once they run into trouble, that's when their parents will have a say in them.

And now, after only six months, you've pulled this stunt on me? My son's a multi-millionaire?

I knew he made some money during the Chinese New Year, and he was quite smug about it, but I never imagined he made so much!
There's no such thing as instant success in business. Everyone develops step by step. No one achieves this level of success in just six months. We have to go and see for ourselves and put these two wild boys in the reins.

Whether it was intentional or not, Tan Lihua and his wife, Zhang Guolong and his wife, did not tell Zhang Xupeng or Tan Jincheng before coming to Ningbo, and they didn't even tell Zhang Qingliang.

After arriving in Beicang, Zhang Guolong called Zhang Xupeng and said that he had arrived in Beicang and wanted to visit his company. Zhang Xupeng, who had betrayed Tan Jincheng, was also dumbfounded. He thought, "I just wanted to see Aunt Zhang's reaction, or maybe just to trick Tan Jincheng a little. How did I end up bringing my dad here?"

"Dad, Uncle Tan, why did you suddenly come over?" Zhang Xupeng greeted the two of them with a bewildered look.

"We came to see you. You've made such a big fuss, your Uncle Tan and I wouldn't feel at ease if we didn't come and check on you."

"Haha, I didn't have much work done. It was Xiao Tan who did it, it has nothing to do with me. And you know what, people have already been asking me about Xiao Tan these past few days."

"What are you asking about? Who are they?" Tan Lihua asked hurriedly.

"Oh, our company's supervisor asked Xiao Tan if she was really planning to set up a factory with an annual production capacity of 30,000 electric scooters. I guess it was another department that asked them to inquire about it."

With a sudden payout, trips abroad, factory registration, registration of the automotive company and trademarks, and various connections to buy equipment, coupled with the Canton Fair, it's hard to avoid attracting attention.

The reason there has been no statement yet is twofold: firstly, Tan Jincheng has not clearly stated any specific goals, nor has he made any explicit statements to his superiors; secondly, Tan Jincheng is currently abroad, but this does not diminish the attention he receives from some people.

As a result, more and more people started asking Zhang Xupeng for information, especially since Zhang Xupeng had been helping out in Shanqian Village recently.

Of course, the person gathering information had no other intentions than that a factory with an annual output value of nearly 100 million yuan might appear in the area; tax revenue and employment would be greatly improved, so it was only right to pay attention to it.

Let alone in 2005, even in 2023, a company with an annual output value of over 100 million yuan would be a key enterprise registered in the neighborhood. Putting aside the tax revenue, such a company could at least solve the employment problem for about 200 employees.

Upon hearing Zhang Xupeng's words, Tan Lihua frowned, becoming even more worried. Whether being in the spotlight was a good thing or a bad thing, in Tan Lihua's eyes, Tan Jincheng was still just a child.

(End of this chapter)