2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 151 Flash Speeds Towards Yicheng
Monday, September 9th, sunny.

"Mr. Huang, the 100 electric scooters will arrive on schedule before the end of the month, so you can rest assured."

"Haha, there's nothing to worry about. You were introduced by a friend, Lao Lin, so don't worry about the prepayment. It will definitely be transferred to your company within this week."

"Alright, I'll be going now. I wish Mr. Huang great success in his business."

"Sit a little longer, let's have lunch together, and invite Lao Qi too."

"No, no, I have something to do this afternoon. I'll treat Boss Huang to a meal when I get back next time."

"Alright then, since you're busy, Lao Lin, I won't keep you any longer. Let's get together another time."

"Okay, goodbye Mr. Huang."

"Goodbye."

Lin Yumin, who was politely seen out of the store, turned around and waved. He looked up at the sign that read "Huang Yifeng Electric Vehicle Store" and let out a long sigh of relief.

This is the 40th retailer in Yicheng, and also the last of the first batch of signed agreements. Of the 40 retailers, 10 are located in each of the three districts of Yicheng, and another 10 are located in Mr. Tan's hometown county. The initial task of establishing a presence in the Yicheng market can be considered temporarily completed.

Compared to the promotion in Henan Province, Yicheng City has had a much smoother experience since the widespread broadcast of advertisements and the advertising effect of the Super Girl finals. Although the amount of prepayment has increased, many retailers still want to find connections to secure the first batch of goods.

The shop owned by the Mr. Huang who signed the contract today was contacted by a middleman he knew well. I have to say, when it comes to business acumen, he is far more decisive than someone like me who used to work partly in the system.

They really dared to think and act. Back then, he was still hesitant. Thinking of this, Lin Yumin couldn't help but chuckle, then got on his electric scooter and rode home.

As of today, the Yicheng market promotion has ended, and Flash has covered four cities in Anhui and Henan provinces, with the first batch of terminal retail stores reaching 120. This is a good result for a new electric scooter brand.

Lin Yumin is confident in the quality of the company's products and believes that with the passage of time and continued efforts to resolve production capacity issues, FlashChi will surely spread throughout the country like ChipSun.

Lin Yumin was quite happy that his work was completed, but it also meant that he would have to leave home again, which made him a little sad.

Having been staying at home during this period, with flexible working hours and smooth progress at work, Lin Yumin felt that his wife's skin had become much more hydrated lately.

"Alas, what a pity, the good days are coming to an end."
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"Mr. Tan, please take a look. This is the situation. If there's anything else you'd like to add, please let me know. If not, I'll go back and prepare as soon as possible."

In the afternoon, Lin Yumin finished reporting and summarizing his recent work to Tan Jincheng at home.

Tan Jincheng smiled as he looked at the data sent in the email. This old Lin was quite shrewd; he had actually managed to secure an area in his hometown county, something Tan Jincheng hadn't told him beforehand.

As he looked around, Tan Jincheng suddenly saw a familiar name: "What's the deal with this Tan Lixin?"

Isn't this my uncle, who's worth millions? Isn't he in the steel business? How come he's started a small electric scooter dealership?

"Oh, that? You should ask Lao Tan. He knows more about it. But don't worry, everything is going according to procedure. All the prepayments have been paid. It's just that the delivery date is a little earlier than others."

“Alright, I’ll ask him later. You did a great job. Here’s what we’ll do: you bring your team back, and you can temporarily fill in for the people staying in Yicheng. Stay home for a few more days.”

"Isn't this a bad idea? Won't it affect your work?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. When Uncle Wu comes back to Wuhu to do promotions next time, he'll get the same treatment. Don't worry."

"Alright then, thank you, Mr. Tan."

"Okay, that's all for now, I'll hang up now."

"Goodbye, Mr. Tan."

After hanging up the phone, Tan Jincheng immediately called his uncle, who told him that his uncle couldn't stand his brother-in-law not doing any proper work at his steel shop. So, after seeing the Flash Motors advertisement, he thought of opening a shop for him to manage and get rid of him.

After making contact, I discovered that the Yicheng promotion team had actually left the petrochemical company. So I thought I'd ask my cousin, Tan Lihua, if he knew them. When I did, I was surprised to find out that the electric scooter company in Yicheng was actually run by my nephew!
Tan Lixin had little contact with this nephew, but he was quite well-known among the relatives. Everyone said he was honest when he was a child, but Tan Lixin, who had been traveling around doing business and coming into contact with all kinds of people for many years, knew that this nephew was far from what everyone said.

He was always there when the kids did bad things, but it was always said that it had nothing to do with him. This is completely unreasonable!
Later, I heard that he had good grades and had been admitted to a university in Anhui Province. My cousin even called me to prepare for a celebration for his graduation. But then, unexpectedly, he suddenly disappeared! It took several months to get in touch with him. I also helped him by pulling a lot of strings.

He returned more than a year later, without causing much of a stir. However, he drove his Passat back to his hometown during the Chinese New Year, making Tan Lixin increasingly aware that this kid was no ordinary person. If nothing unexpected happened, the clothing business would be booming in the past few years, and if nothing unexpected happened, this kid might save up several million yuan in a few years, possibly even exceeding Tan Lixin's own net worth.

Even though Tan Lixin was prepared not to underestimate him, he still underestimated him in the end. In less than a year, this kid owned three companies! According to Tan Lixin's later estimate, this kid already had a net worth of at least tens of millions!

Tan Lixin still remembers the shock he felt when he first heard the news. His first reaction was that his cousin was bragging and trying to fool him. But his cousin was always steady and reliable. Besides, there was no need to brag about such a thing. It was something that would be exposed as soon as it was exposed.

It wasn't until his cousin made a phone call to the person in charge of Flash Motors in Yicheng and promised to give him a spot that Tan Lixin realized it was true!
This is outrageous! One year's work is worth a lifetime's work?

Tan Lixin still remembers his cousin's smug look back then; it was truly speechless!

"You have no idea, I'm so happy but I have nowhere to say it, and I don't dare to tell anyone, for fear of causing trouble for Jincheng; you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, so I'm here to gloat a little, but you can't tell anyone else."

"Brother, that's outrageous! Oh, so you've finished bragging to me and now you don't want me to tell anyone? I'm feeling really uncomfortable about it too!"

"Hey, you know the logic anyway. You only came up with this idea because you were so annoyed with your brother-in-law, right?"

Tan Lixin could only nod helplessly. He understood all too well the saying that when you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city, but when you're rich, even distant relatives come to visit. Who doesn't have a few scoundrel relatives?

Not to mention anything else, just take my brother-in-law for example. There's really nothing I can do about him. At my age, and with only a few dollars, I'm already having a terrible headache. Jincheng is only 20 years old. If he were in this situation, wouldn't he be driven crazy?
"I understand, I understand. I definitely won't tell anyone, so as not to annoy my nephew too much and make him unable to deal with it."

Tan Lihua pursed her lips and said, "You're overthinking it. I'm just worried about losing face for my relatives. My son isn't so easy to talk to. Do you know who his assistant is? It's his friend's cousin. I said family members would be fine too, but he said no family members."

"Oh? This kid's got guts? You dare to talk back?" Tan Lixin said, somewhat surprised.

That's a great personality. Tan Lixin only understood this principle after many years of life experience: one must learn to say no.

Tan Lixin not only didn't dislike these things, but actually appreciated them. It's not easy for someone so young to understand this principle. After all, his younger relatives are still in school and they are all business owners. Who would want to put a boss on their head?

Moreover, it's an assistant position, which is an exceptionally intimate one.

Tan Lihua said with a mixture of pride and frustration, "Sigh, it's good to be tough, but it's going to cause me trouble in the future. You're a businessman, so you understand these things, but my relatives back home might not. And I really don't have much say in their business."

Well, he might not even be as good at talking as the young man from the Zhang family.

"Take it slow, let's keep it a secret for now. We'll talk about it when we can't hide it anymore. But bro, we've got a deal. I'll help you keep it a secret this time, so you can be smug. If I ever have any trouble in the future, you'll have to put in a good word for me."

“What difficulties could you possibly have? Your business is running so smoothly, and it's based in your hometown of Yicheng.”

"That's hard to say. Every business is short of money. Besides, my nephew's factory will be worth over 100 million next year. Let's not talk about how much the other two make. You work in the petrochemical industry, so you must know what it's like to work in an industrial enterprise with a value of over 100 million, right?"

As he spoke, Tan Lixin laughed heartily and said, "Maybe I can use my nephew's name to get things done in the future. But don't worry, brother, I definitely won't do anything reckless, and I will ask my nephew's permission first."

"Then you should tell him yourself. He should be back for the Chinese New Year."

"Haha, it's still early, no rush. Let's get the electric scooter shop set up first. I did the math, and this shop has potential. It can earn tens of thousands a month, and hundreds of thousands a year. Bro, aren't you planning to open one too?"

Tan Lixin's rented shop is not large; he originally intended it to be used by his brother-in-law. However, since Shanchi belongs to his nephew, he doesn't plan to sell any other brands. Even if he makes a net profit of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per month, that would be enough, as long as he doesn't lose money.

"I'll pass. I have to go to work, and your sister-in-law has to take care of the child. There's no need to cause this trouble."

Hehe, you don't know, do you? I own three Taobao stores, and I earn nearly 100,000 yuan a month. According to that kid, it will be even higher in the next few years. My wife's store has been open for a longer time and has a higher reputation, so her income is also quite good.

Currently, on the surface, only I am receiving a salary in the family, but the actual income is not low. It's just that that brat deducted the profits from the three shops under my name; otherwise, the family's annual income would be over 100 million.

"That's true, there's really no need for that. But if word gets out, some relatives will definitely come to you asking for goods without paying. You should be prepared for that, brother."

The payment for the goods was less than 20 yuan, and it was to be paid in installments. This amount of money was nothing to Tan Lixin, and he was too lazy to ask for it. He naturally knew the principle that favors should be used wisely, but he was sure that some of his relatives would have such thoughts.

"We'll see when the time comes." Tan Lihua rubbed his head. This matter might really be unavoidable, and he might have to deal with it himself.

Tan Jincheng was unaware of the intricacies involved, nor did he know that a relative already knew he was the owner of the Flash brand. After hanging up the phone, he was still immersed in the joy of Flash entering the Yicheng market and expanding nationwide in the future.

(End of this chapter)