2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 42 "Grandpa Uncle" (4K)

As time went by, the sun shone brightly on the earth, and the chill gradually dissipated.

The coach had already made arrangements; Tan Jincheng's exam was conducted in the same way as everyone else's.

With Tan Jincheng's abilities and the coach's arrangements, the exam should be no problem.

Chen Shuyi has been practicing driving for a long time and has also passed the test.

After more than a year of hard work, I finally reaped the rewards and was overjoyed to learn that I had passed.

"Let's go, I'll take you back."

After a long day of work, Chen Shuyi was a little tired, but she couldn't hide her joy.

"Wait for me a moment, I need to talk to the coach about something."

Tan Jincheng used connections to get his driver's license as soon as possible; he didn't want to follow the normal procedures.

"Then hurry up, I'll go wait for you in the car and tell my dad while I'm at it."

"Okay." Old Tan had to go to work, so I didn't want to trouble him.

A short while later, Tan Jincheng came out of the instructor's office, having already received his driver's license; if it weren't for Lao Tan's insistence on practicing driving, he probably would have gotten it in about a week.

Actually, there's no need to take the test; these days it's easy to get a driver's license. Old Tan really went to unnecessary trouble.

However, if it had been another ten years, it wouldn't have been so easy.

Tan Jincheng walked straight out of the examination room and came to the side of Jetta.

Offering a cigarette, Tan Jincheng said to Chen Shuyi's father, "Uncle Chen, thank you for your help."

As I recall, Chen's father was a doctor? I don't remember, it doesn't matter.

"It's nothing, just something I brought along. Get in the car." Chen Zhongping said with a smile as he took the cigarette.

Chen Zhongping had heard of Tan Jincheng's name before. He knew that the Tan family had been thrown into chaos by him last year, but this was the first time the two had met.

He looks good, but he's a bit wild and daring. He dared to go to sea at the age of seventeen or eighteen, and it's said that he's no longer in school.

After Tan Jincheng got into the back seat, Chen Shuyi, who was in the passenger seat, couldn't help but ask, "Why are you smoking now?"

"It was sent to the coach, to build a good relationship and get him to take care of me."

"Oh, I see. No wonder you were able to take the exam so quickly. Was it because I didn't offer you cigarettes that it took you so long?"

Chen Zhongping couldn't help but laugh at his daughter's question. This kid was anything but honest; only someone as naive as his daughter would believe his nonsense.

It's obvious that he got his driver's license through connections, obtaining it in less than half a month. He might have even bought it.

Is that a problem that can be solved by offering a cigarette? Besides, when this kid answered the question about smoking, he was just avoiding the real issue.

The cigarettes were Dahongying, a brand from another province. It's impossible to give the coach cigarettes from another province; even if you don't buy Zhonghua, it should at least be Jinwan.

Besides, the way he just offered the cigarette was extremely skillful, which clearly indicated that it was his own cigarette.

Due to preconceived notions, Chen Zhongping did not have a very good impression of his elder sister's son-in-law's nephew upon their first meeting.

He's wild and daring; he even dares to pull strings and use connections to get a driver's license, something that's a matter of life and death. Who knows what he'll do in the future?

As Chen Zhongping carefully drove, he asked, "Xiao Tan isn't in school anymore, is she?"

Tan Jincheng knew what Chen Zhongping wanted to ask: "Yes, after I came back, I started a small business."

"Oh, you're in business? What kind of business?"

This was unexpected for Chen Zhongping, who had assumed the boy had gone out to work. However, Chen Zhongping quickly came to his senses.

This kid has such a wild personality, he can't possibly work for someone else forever.

"I'm selling clothes with a classmate."

"Is this Zhang Xupeng? I heard you two were going to start a business together. What made you decide to sell clothes?" Chen Shuyi interjected.

"Yeah, it's him. I don't know what he does, he just sells some clothes."

"Men's clothing or women's clothing?"

"Women's clothing".

Listening to their conversation, Chen Zhongping nodded to himself. He had never done business before and didn't know how much profit he could make in clothing, but he knew that selling women's clothing was definitely more profitable than selling men's clothing.

Where is your shop located? I'd like to visit your shop sometime to show my support.

Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng's entrepreneurial venture has been very low-key; currently, apart from their parents, no one knows exactly what the two do. Even Tan Jincheng's grandmother and maternal grandmother only know that their grandson is selling clothes, not running a company.

When Chen Shuyi heard Tan Jincheng mention selling clothes, she naturally thought of opening a women's clothing store.

Um, how should I answer this? Did I open an online store? Or did I start a company?

Forget it, let's talk about opening an online store instead. Zhang Xupeng is so tight-lipped and doesn't brag about it everywhere, so there's even less need for me to do the same.

"Um, I set up a website, you know Taobao?"

"I've heard of it, but I've never bought anything online. Is buying things online reliable? Aren't you afraid of being scammed?"

"With a third-party trading platform, the funds are relatively safe, but you still need to be careful to distinguish between genuine and fake products, as there are quite a few that do not match the description."

"Why did you even think of starting a website? Do you think this business will be successful?"

"Opening a website is cheaper, so we can use the money we would have spent on renting a shop to buy more goods."

Hearing this, Chen Zhongping almost couldn't help but laugh. Wasn't this just childish nonsense? He had never heard of doing business this way before. What was the point of buying a lot of goods if he couldn't sell them?

No, this kid may be wild, but he doesn't seem like the type to fool around. He probably wasn't telling the truth.

"What's the name of your shop? I'd like to check it out sometime and experience what online shopping is like," Chen Shuyi said with a smile.

"Jinshang Clothing, you can find it by searching on Taobao when you get back."

"Okay, I'll look it up later. Remember to give me a discount then."

Tan Jincheng laughed and said, "I'll refund you the money later, and you just need to help us boost sales; but you have to let me know in advance, as I don't usually manage the shop."

"That won't do. You have to pay. You have to make costs to do business. Besides, this isn't just your shop. Zhang Xupeng is also in it."

"Whatever you like, we'll see."

This topic can't be discussed anymore, so Tan Jincheng said to Chen Zhongping, "Uncle Chen, it's already noon. Please have lunch with me to thank me for bringing me back."

What's going on? Does getting a ride mean you have to treat her to a meal? Chen Zhongping looked at his daughter with some confusion.

"Hehe, Dad; we agreed before the exam that we'd run into each other and have a meal together." Oh, that's how it is; indeed, it's not easy for classmates to run into each other at the same exam site. Chen Zhongping didn't think much of it: "You two go ahead and eat. I have something to do this afternoon, I need to go to the hospital."

"Can't we go over after we finish eating?"

"No, your mom is still waiting for me at home. I'll take you to your school gate. Xiao Tan, you can take a taxi back by yourself, right?"

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Chen."

"Haha, don't be so polite; speaking of which, it's not appropriate for you to call me uncle. Do you know what you should call me?"

Tan Jincheng was taken aback. What did this old man mean? He hadn't responded at all when Tan called him Uncle Chen before; but now that he heard he was going to have dinner with his daughter, he was suddenly talking about seniority.

"It was my fault; Uncle, Aunt."

People from Yicheng, especially those in counties and rural areas, actually place great importance on etiquette.

In certain circumstances, Tan Jincheng indeed cannot call Chen Zhongping "uncle," as a respectful elder would think the child is being disrespectful.

After all, he is his own aunt's uncle.

A moment of silence fell over the car. Tan Jincheng's unexpected use of the term "great-uncle" truly caught Chen Zhongping off guard.

Looking at his daughter beside him and then at Tan Jincheng in the back row, Chen Zhongping couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Society really does toughen people up.

Chen Shuyi was also extremely embarrassed, as this was the second time Tan Jincheng had called her "Auntie".

Now a sophomore in college, she naturally knew how childish it was to force Tan Jincheng to call her "aunt" during high school.

Yicheng Normal School.

There are many small restaurants near universities, which is a standard feature in almost all major cities, and Yicheng Normal University is no exception.

As a local and a student at the university, Chen Shuyi obviously knew which restaurants were better and more affordable.

Chen Zhongping dropped the two off at the designated location, gave them a few instructions, and then drove away, as he did have something to do that afternoon.

After entering the restaurant and ordering, both parties remained silent for a moment.

Back in this era, it was the first time Tan Jincheng had eaten alone with a woman, and so was Chen Shuyi; for a moment, neither of them knew what to say.

Especially considering that he had just made a fool of himself.

In his past life, Tan Jincheng had met many women, but he didn't have many serious romantic relationships.

When he was dating his ex-wife, the two were used to sitting side by side. After six or seven years of this habit, Tan Jincheng subconsciously walked to Chen Shuyi's side instead of facing her.

After realizing what had happened, he abruptly withdrew.

After a moment of silence, Tan Jincheng spoke up: "How do you have time to take a driving test? Aren't teacher training courses supposed to be quite demanding?"

If this were in later generations, such a dry topic would likely be looked down upon by many young women, since even with a full schedule of classes, there are weekends available.

Fortunately, young women in this era are still relatively innocent.

Chen Shuyi gently smoothed her hair and replied with a smile, "The course schedule is quite full, but I can still find the time if I squeeze it in. My family has a car, so my dad made me take the exam, saying it will be useful when I enter society in the future."

"And you? Is it because having a driver's license makes doing business easier?"

Then, Chen Shuyi asked, "By the way, I still don't know which city you and Zhang Xupeng are in now. Why aren't you two talking in the group chat?"

Zhang Xupeng is alright; he'll occasionally chat in the high school group chat. Tan Jincheng, on the other hand, almost never appears in the group chat, and he's even changed his username.

"I'm in Ningbo now, but I'll be going back in a couple of days. As for why I'm not chatting in the group, it's because I'm busy. I'm new to business and there's a lot I don't know. I need to learn."

"Ningbo is in Zhejiang Province, right? If you want to open an online store, can't you just do it from home? Why go so far away?"

That's a good question. As for why he went to Ningbo, besides the fact that it's more convenient for doing business, it's probably because of a lingering attachment from a past life, since Tan Jincheng really loves this city.

Ningbo, a highly industrialized city, offers a very convenient lifestyle. In an era when all cities were vying to become first-tier or new first-tier cities, Ningbo has consistently remained a second-tier city, maintaining an exceptionally low profile.

If it weren't for the three-year special period that devastated the import and export industry, coupled with changes in the global landscape, housing prices wouldn't have even risen so dramatically.

During the nationwide housing price surge in 2015-2016 and the peak of housing prices in 2018, the price fluctuations in Beicang were kept within a very good range.

For an industrial city, skyrocketing housing prices are fatal; clearly, the Ningbo municipal government knows this, and its leaders have a good plan.

Unfortunately, things changed in just three years; by 2023, the average housing price in Beicang District, exceeding 2.5 yuan per square meter, was no longer suitable for new entrepreneurs or migrant workers.

Regardless of the circumstances, Beicang has great potential right now.

Perhaps one day, Tan Jincheng will return to his hometown, but now, even in his past life, he has never had this thought.

"Coastal cities have their advantages. If you don't want to be confined to university, it's good to go out and see the world. It's a good way to broaden your horizons."

Just then, the dishes arrived: "That's true, let's eat. The food at this restaurant is quite delicious and not expensive."

“Okay, I’ll also try out the food at the university.” Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

For Tan Jincheng, the meal was somewhat awkward; although they were classmates, their mindsets and environments were different, and apart from reminiscing about the past, they had almost nothing in common to talk about.

After the meal, Chen Shuyi suggested going for a walk around the school, but Tan Jincheng declined, saying that his younger sister was still young and needed help taking care of.

In reality, Tan Jincheng wanted to go back to pack his things and prepare to return to Beicang.

It's been half a month since they returned, and there's only one week left before the order from the OEM factory is delivered. There are still some follow-up tasks, such as contacting shipping containers, which Zhang Xupeng and Li Yanning alone may not be able to handle.

In fact, Tan Jincheng did do quite a bit during the past two weeks at home.

After Li Jinglan was hired, Zhang Xupeng's original computer was given to Li Jinglan to use, while Tan Jincheng's original desktop computer was given to Zhang Xupeng.

Tan Jincheng himself bought a new laptop, which was considered high-end in terms of performance at the time, and cost more than 10,000 yuan.

When he has free time, Tan Jincheng will communicate with the designer to enrich the samples.

In addition, we will maintain good relationships with our customers and also keep an eye on changes on our international store. So far, we have not received a single order from our international site.

Is this your website?

In the afternoon, just as Tan Jincheng was at home pondering how to operate his international website on his computer, a QQ message popped up.

It's Chen Shuyi, along with a screenshot of the shop.

"Yes, this is the store. Do you see any clothes you like? I'll have someone send them to you," Tan Jincheng replied casually.

"How come your shop doesn't even have a model? You just have a few pictures of clothes hanging up. How are people supposed to choose?"

Back in her dorm, Chen Shuyi remembered the Taobao shop Tan Jincheng had mentioned at noon, so she logged in to take a look. To her surprise, all she saw were a few simple photos of clothes, without even a model, and the sales figures were dismal.

With such a perfunctory page design, how can anyone choose clothes?

(End of this chapter)