2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 260 Reunion with the "Father-in-Law"

On a spring noon, the sun shines on the earth, and wisps of smoke rise from the villages along the roadside.

Unidentified wildflowers bloom on both sides of the road, and willows sway in the wind, creating a pastoral scene that is refreshing and delightful.

On the way from Yongkang to Yiwu, the driver did not choose to take the highway. Tan Jincheng also had the rare opportunity to see such extremely comfortable pastoral scenery, so he couldn't help but ask the driver to stop the car on the side of the road so he could get out and admire it.

"It's so beautiful, don't you think?" Tan Jincheng exclaimed.

Zhao Xinyi and Zeng Jixiang nodded in agreement. Having grown up in the city, they naturally found the scenery before them breathtaking.

But driver Lai Yiu-fai doesn't think so. The 35-year-old Lai Yiu-fai is a retired soldier from a rural area in southern Anhui. He was introduced to Tan Jincheng by his cousin who had served in Zhoushan and was his comrade-in-arms.

Speaking of this uncle whom he didn't know very well, Tan Jincheng felt quite sorry for him.

Tan Jincheng didn't have much contact with this cousin, but he knew about his deeds. He originally had a bright future in the JUN team and could have stayed there and become a professional JUN member.

However, as the eldest son in his family, and with his younger brother working at a hospital in a neighboring city who had no time to come home, after his sisters got married, considering that his parents were getting older, he resolutely ignored the leaders' attempts to persuade him to stay and transferred back to his hometown to become a grassroots civil servant, working in the procuratorate, I think at the deputy section chief level, but Tan Jincheng wasn't sure of the specifics.

In his previous life, Tan Jincheng had asked him if he had ever regretted giving up his future to return to his hometown and take care of his parents.

His answer was that his parents were getting old and life would be very difficult with their children not around, so someone had to step up. He wasn't sure if he regretted it, but he felt he should do it.

It's a pity that such a filial person died of cancer before his parents, ultimately unable to care for them in their old age and see them off in their final days.

Tan Jincheng still remembers that his cousin passed away on the winter solstice of 2019. After the family finished handling the funeral, his second cousin's family, who had planned to take a long leave to stay at home with their parents, were sent to Jiangcheng for assistance on the morning of New Year's Eve due to a special event.

That winter must have been very difficult for their family.

“If the boss likes this kind of rural scenery, when will you come and visit my hometown? This is nothing compared to my hometown,” Li Yaohui said, seeing the three of them looking so engrossed.

Tan Jincheng smiled and said, "Okay, if you have the chance, take us to visit your hometown."

They lingered by the roadside for a while until Gu Hongshun called to ask where Tan Jincheng was. Only then did the four of them set off again, as it seemed that his father-in-law was waiting for them to have lunch.
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My impression of this cheap "son-in-law" is different from the last time I met him.

Dressed in business attire and sporting a buzz cut that's known as a "face detector," Tan Jincheng's style was quite different from his long hair and more casual attire during the Lunar New Year, which made Gu Hongshun feel quite pressured.

Especially since there were three people following behind him. Among them, the middle-aged man who got out of the driver's seat was obviously the driver and bodyguard.

As for the young man and woman, they were clearly his assistants.

This guy definitely has the air of a big boss. Gu Hongshun hadn't really believed it when he heard that this kid was worth over 100 million, thinking it was just bragging. But now that he sees this guy's demeanor, it really does seem like he is.

"They actually brought two assistants and a driver. What are they talking about in Yongkang?" Gu Hongshun couldn't help but mutter to himself.

He knew that Tan Jincheng was going to Yongkang to discuss business and was just stopping by Yiwu, but he didn't expect the entourage to be so large.

"Little Tan's here! Are you hungry? Come on, let's go inside." Li Jinzhen didn't have many thoughts on this and still looked at Tan Jincheng with a smile.

Everyone says that buzz cuts are ugly, but it looks pretty good on Xiao Tan. Compared to her previous long hair, it makes her look much more capable.

"I'm sorry, uncle and aunt, I was a little delayed on the way."

"It's alright, it's not too late now. Everyone, please go inside. Don't stand at the door. The private rooms are already booked. Lao Gu, go and order a few more dishes, and also change tables," Li Jinzhen continued to call out.

Before Tan Jincheng arrived, they didn't know how many people there were and thought he was the only one. So they booked a table and ordered the dishes in advance, and then the dishes were served after he arrived.

"No need, Auntie, we can just eat in the lobby downstairs. We won't disturb your family reunion," Zeng Jixiang said repeatedly before Gu Hongshun could turn around.

Zeng Jixiang was in charge of the early registration and preparation work for Orange Technology, which was one of the reasons for bringing him to Yiwu. In addition, his girlfriend is Gu Yanning's best friend, so she knows some information about Gu Hongshun and his wife.

But obviously, it's not the right time to talk about Orange Technology since we've just met, so it's best not to bother the boss.

No matter how powerful a boss is outside, when he comes to meet his girlfriend's parents, he is a junior. He knows the proper etiquette for a junior meeting an elder, and he should still be mindful of certain things.

"Oh? No need, the private room is big enough. We can just add a few more dishes," Li Jinzhen replied.

Lai Yiu-fai clearly realized what was going on: "It's okay, we can just eat downstairs. If we finish eating quickly, I can go buy some gifts for my son. Boss, you don't mind if we leave our posts temporarily, do you?"

Only Zhao Xinyi remained curious, seemingly understanding men better than men themselves. Having little experience as an assistant, she hadn't yet grasped the difference. "Alright, I'll drive the car myself later. You three are off this afternoon. Go wherever you want, and find your own accommodations."

"Thank you, boss." Zeng Jixiang tugged at Zhao Xinyi's sleeve.

"Thank you, boss." Although Zhao Xinyi didn't quite understand yet, she was still very happy to hear the word "holiday."

During her business trip these past few days, her boss acted like a hands-off manager, setting the general direction and leaving the rest to her, which exhausted her.

Zeng Jixiang only arrived yesterday and is not familiar with the situation in Yongkang, so he can't offer any help.

"Let's go in, you can eat in the lobby, but I'll have to pay the bill later." Seeing that Tan Jincheng had made up his mind, Gu Hongshun didn't say anything more.

“No problem, this is a rare opportunity. Order whatever you like. My Uncle Gu is very wealthy,” Tan Jincheng said with a smile to the three of them.

Gu Hongshun chuckled helplessly, "You little rascal, judging by your attitude, do you think I'm as rich as you? You're traveling with several people, but I, Old Gu, can still afford to treat you to a meal. Order whatever you like."

"There's no way around it. When it comes to business, you have to make a good impression and not lose in terms of presence. Uncle Gu, you should understand that."

“That’s true.” Gu Hongshun replied casually, thinking back to the days when he opened the factory.

Inside the room.

While waiting for the food, Gu Hongshun couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Qingqing said you're usually quite low-key and always drive yourself. This time you've come to Yongkang with such a big entourage, it's not just for show, is it?"

Tan Jincheng nodded and answered truthfully, "That's not true. This business deal was quite big. Actually, it wasn't just the four of us who came. There was also a negotiation team from the Beicang District government. After the talks, I parted ways with them. They went back to Beicang, and I came here."

"What kind of business? And why are people from the Beicang District government involved in the discussions? Can you tell me more?" Li Jinzhen asked curiously.

He then immediately added, "If you can't say it's okay, it's normal to have some secrets in business."

"There's nothing we can't say. Everything's been agreed upon, the agreement's been signed, and we even held a press conference," Tan Jincheng said with a smile as he poured tea for the two of them.

"There's even a press conference? That must be a big deal. Looks like you brought these people just to make a show of things."

"There's a company in Yongkang called Zhongtai Manufacturing, which makes cars. I don't know if Uncle Gu has heard of them. Their boss is Ying Jianren, who owns a company called Tieniu Group. In the ham region, Boss Ying should be a fairly well-known figure."

"I haven't heard much about Zhongtai, but I often hear about the name Ying Jianren from Tieniu Group. He's said to be worth over 100 billion."

"I think so. He owns a listed company, and Zhongtai is a new car factory he started. We came here to discuss cooperation on building a car factory in Beicang District. We will cooperate with him and the Beicang District government. I will own 10% of the shares in the car factory."

As soon as he finished speaking, the private room fell into a brief silence.

Li Jinzhen knows a little about business, but not much. She was just happy for Tan Jincheng. It's always good that the cooperation was finalized, so she looked at Tan Jincheng with a smile.

When doing business with the government and people with assets of tens of billions, being able to acquire 10% of the shares is already quite impressive!
Gu Hongshun was astonished and suspicious. This was a car! In China, those who dared to manufacture cars were no ordinary people. To put it bluntly, this was a game for the big shots. Without capital and technology, you wouldn't even dare to dream of it, even if you were given a piece of land.

Should we admire this son-in-law's audacity or his abilities? How could someone who runs a two-wheeled electric vehicle assembly plant dare to do that?
Gu Hongshun let out a slow breath and muttered to Li Jinzhen in Yiwu dialect, "I feel like I gave him the boiled egg too early. Now I'm a little scared."

Li Jinzhen was stunned by her husband's expression: "What do you mean?"

The two were speaking in Yiwu dialect, which Tan Jincheng didn't understand, and he looked at them with some confusion.

Gu Hongshun didn't say anything more, and looked at Tan Jincheng, saying, "A car factory requires a lot of investment, right? Do you have that much money? Even though it's only a 10% stake, it's still a considerable amount, isn't it?"

"The initial investment is set at 10 billion yuan to build the factory first, and then replicate the existing production line of Zhongtai to the Beicang factory. The subsequent investment is still being planned and will be finalized after I return to Beicang."

"As for funding, there are no problems for the time being. I have 150 acres of land and factory assets in Beicang that can be mortgaged. In addition, our company has a short payment period and a good credit rating with the banks."

"What happens next?"

"I'm trying to figure out a solution, that's why I came to you, Uncle Gu," Tan Jincheng replied with a smile.

We need to hurry up and develop Happy Farm so we can make money!

(End of this chapter)