2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 618 Tan Shoufu, the Most Glamorous Man in the Villagers' Eyes
He Jia is a damn dedicated guy.

Tan Jincheng always had this illusion that after he was told that the project team would be split into an independent company, he became incredibly enthusiastic.

There's always a stretch of road with difficult terrain around ancestral graves, making it hard to carry a camera. Tan Jincheng's idea was to skip filming that section and just find a scenic spot or road with decent conditions to film.

Instead, he carried another small camera and followed Tan Jincheng and his group, saying it was to create behind-the-scenes footage.

"Be careful, kid. There are bumps and puddles around here. Don't fall."

"Thank you for your concern, boss. It's nothing serious; a fall is no big deal."

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm just worried about breaking the camera. You've spent a lot of money on this equipment, and you can't just use it once and then throw it away."

The ancestral graves of the Tan family are scattered and not in one area. They were buried according to the land that each family had previously allocated. Due to changes in the environment, the surrounding land has also changed, and some roads are indeed very difficult to travel.

When they encountered difficult sections, Tan Jinyue would ask him to carry her, and he wouldn't agree to let her take over. These kinds of sections require extra caution, but He Jia, carrying a camera, didn't seem to care at all, and had almost fallen several times already.

"Haha, boss, give me some face during the New Year, okay? Don't be so blunt."

After spending a few days with her, He Jia discovered that her boss was actually very easy to talk to. As long as he agreed with her ideas, he was very agreeable. In addition, after spending the past two days at Lao Tan's house, she discovered that her boss was a completely different person in real life.

In real life, the boss seems no different from how he acts in front of his parents. He can be a bit crazy at times, and when he plays with his younger sister, he acts like a childish older brother.

He is very polite in front of his elders, which is completely different from the image of a billionaire that one might have imagined.

The behind-the-scenes footage mainly records scenes that are not convenient to appear during the live broadcast. It will definitely be edited before being uploaded. It mainly reflects one aspect of Mr. Tan's life. He Jia plans to make it into a short documentary and put it on the website.

He could imagine that a similar documentary would definitely attract attention and bring a lot of traffic to the website.

The ancestral worship ceremony in Tanjiacun officially begins at 10:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, the entire village gathers in the ancestral hall, and various groups bring out firecrackers and fireworks to set off together. This is considered a ceremony to worship the ancestors of all the villagers.

After the ceremony, each household goes to worship their own ancestors. The whole process usually lasts until 12 o'clock. Although there is no ban on setting off fireworks, firecrackers are still uncommon in the city.

Orange Live broadcast the entire ancestral worship ceremony in Tanjiacun, which was truly an eye-opener for viewers. This morning, most of the people who were able to sit at home and watch the live broadcast, apart from those who were watching Boss Tan, were just doing nothing else.

According to data, by the end of 2008, my country had 3 million internet users, including about 1.2 million mobile internet users, with an internet penetration rate of 22.6%, which has exceeded the global average.

Most people who watch live streams use computers, though some don't care about data usage.

When knock-off phones were popular, smartphones were already available, such as the Nokia N97, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Samsung, and the iPhone 3G, which were quite common in China.

I don't care about data usage or buffering; I can actually watch it on my phone, albeit with some difficulty.

As Tan Jincheng's live streams went on for longer, they continued to attract new viewers, including many electric vehicle manufacturers who had business dealings with him and those who had received exposure by sending gifts during his previous live streams.

The effect of sending gifts and advertising in the live stream was better than they had imagined, especially the wave that brought huge traffic to Xinri and Yadi.

Such a good thing, there's actually a second time?
After receiving a call from his assistant, Zhang Congxun immediately grabbed his computer and quickly logged into his Orange Live account, only to be dumbfounded when he did.

"Holy crap, why did this kid turn off the tipping function?"

Zhang Congxun was a little confused. Such a good opportunity was not given to everyone. This kid is not fair. Is there any way to advertise?
Business people are quick-witted. After studying it for a while, Zhang Congxun discovered that he could also send red envelopes.

"Hey, the red envelope has the sender's name on it, that's good."

Xiao Tan is so angry, she just wants to ride his coattails. But this red envelope has a time limit, so I'll have my assistant keep an eye on it and send out another one when it's about to expire.

Zhang Congxun's approach inspired many other competitors who wanted to capitalize on his popularity, and for a time, red envelopes were flying everywhere in the live stream.

There weren't as many tips, but just like the last live stream, the other companies stirred things up again, and the number of viewers in the live stream quickly rose, breaking through 1.

Tan Jincheng only learned of the news a few minutes later, and couldn't help but smile wryly, realizing that they had actually found a bug in his system.

"Forget it, let them send it. They're not short of money anyway. Consider it a New Year's treat for their fans."

As for diverting traffic, let them divert it. If it can drive the development of online and offline industries, that would be good. In any case, this is just a small promotion for Orange Live, and Tan Jincheng didn't have high hopes for the specific effect.

Without 4G network access and without lowering network fees, this thing will never grow big. He Jia has a long way to go if she wants to continue.

He Jianeng's investment was also very limited. The best way for him to achieve rapid development was not to follow the path of celebrities like La Tan Jincheng and start live streaming, but to follow the route of Douyu and do e-sports.

The live stream will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be no live stream in the afternoon, as Boss Tan also needs to leave some private space for himself and his family.

After lunch, Tanjiacun Village was peaceful, with each household preparing to put up Spring Festival couplets and have New Year's Eve dinner. The children were no longer running around, but Tan Jincheng's house was still very lively.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, villagers who couldn't get into the courtyard, along with some town officials, came over early today, mainly to maintain good relations and hope that Tan Jincheng could donate some money to the town to invest in some kind of construction project.

The richest man is coming back to the village! We might as well take advantage of this opportunity.

As everyone knows, Tan Jincheng, who was born in the city, doesn't have much affection for the village, let alone the town. He takes advantage of his grandparents' relatively good health and his parents' ties to him to make as much money as he can.

"Boss, I just went out for a walk and I saw that everyone is putting up Spring Festival couplets. Why aren't we putting them up yet?"

After seeing off another group of customers, He Jia quietly asked Tan Jincheng if he still wanted to film the scene of the boss's family putting up Spring Festival couplets.

Tan Jincheng raised his hand and glanced at his watch; it was already past two in the afternoon.

"Our custom is that if you put up Spring Festival couplets on New Year's Eve, no one else can enter your house, not even relatives, otherwise it will bring bad luck to the host family."

No one would dare do such a thing unless they had a deep-seated hatred; they would get beaten up for it.

"Oh, is that so? The boss is worried there might be other customers?"

"Okay, let's wait another hour. We'll post it in an hour, and then we won't care if anyone comes over. By the way, you have to let me review the clips before you upload them. I'm afraid you might release some scenes that can't be posted."

"That's for sure, boss, don't worry," He Jia said, patting her chest. Last year on New Year's Eve, Tan Jincheng wasn't really relaxed because of the snow disaster. His businesses were spread across the north and south, and although he had made all sorts of preparations in advance, any accident would still be quite worrying.

Therefore, even during the Spring Festival, Tan Jincheng was constantly monitoring the snow disaster situation and maintaining constant contact with officials in various regions, so he did not have an easy time during the holiday.

They would decline social engagements whenever possible.

This year felt different. The whole family went back to their hometown for the Spring Festival. Among those who came to welcome and see off him, there were few who were of higher status than him. Tao Qinian could influence a county, but in terms of status, he was not necessarily comparable to Tan Jincheng.

He's already quite old. If he gets promoted one more level, it would be to the city level. If he doesn't have better resources, he might just stop there and at most go to the province to get a sinecure and retire.

However, what titles does Tan Jincheng hold now?
He was named CCTV's Economic Figure of the Year, one of Ningbo's Top Ten Outstanding Youths, and in 2008, he was also named one of Zhejiang Province's Top Ten Outstanding Youths and a representative of Beicang District. His group company is among the top 500 private enterprises and a leader in the electric vehicle industry.

The youngest self-made billionaire on the rich list, and also the youngest entrepreneur in the country to control two listed companies, is now partnering with Mitsubishi to manufacture cars.

Besides, when Tan Jincheng goes to invest in a certain place, he usually meets high-level people, almost none of them at the county level. He has met some big shots and has even received praise from them.

Two years ago, Tao Qinian dared to call him Xiao Tan casually, but now he has to consider the occasion.

He was able to get promoted largely because of Tan Jincheng; if it weren't for their shared hometown ties, he wouldn't have had this opportunity.

In the eyes of the people of Tanjiacun, Tan Jincheng, who brought a large group of people home for the New Year, was someone that even people from the county had to curry favor with. Whenever they heard that he hadn't gone out, his family would come in droves, and the visits would continue for a long time, even into the night.

They were incredibly glamorous.

In He Jia's eyes, it was the same. They were all adults in society; they were just young, not stupid.

Many people even felt that this was their only chance to get so close to their boss, let alone spend the New Year with him.

On New Year's Eve, Boss Tan wasn't so heartless. Instead of sending them back to the hotel, he let them have New Year's Eve dinner together before they left, and they could stay in the village to watch the fireworks if they wanted.

At 3:30 p.m., after seeing off the last group of guests, Tan Jincheng said to He Jia and the others, "Come on, let's put up Spring Festival couplets together and experience the atmosphere of celebrating the New Year in the countryside."

We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, the New Year's Eve dinner will be ready, and probably no one will come anymore.

"Alright, but you guys have to put up the boss posters, I have to carry the camera."

He Jia, who had been waiting impatiently for a while, immediately jumped up from her chair.
-

Yicheng City.

Tan Jincheng's family has moved to a new house again.

The reason is simple: as the family grows, the original house is getting too small, and the whole family can't live in two separate places.

Yicheng's new home is also located in a quiet villa area in the city. Every city has such locations, which many residents, even those who have lived there for many years, are unaware of.

The new house had already been furnished, and the family was able to move in immediately with just their belongings.

The family returned to the city on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Staying in their rural hometown for four or five days was already the limit for Tan Jincheng, Gu Qingqing, and the others.

He Jia and her group were arranged to stay in a nearby hotel. Since life was more convenient in the city, so many people were no longer allowed to be at home. Any work required would be done at the hotel or other places.

"With so many eggs and free-range chickens, how long will it take to eat them all?"

Zhang Suzhi was sorting through the things she had brought back. In the countryside, there's nothing much to say but to express gratitude for gifts like eggs and free-range chickens. You can't really refuse them; if you accept one thing but not another, you'll offend them.

Tan Lihua and Gu Qingqing were also helping to tidy up, while Tan Jincheng was on the balcony making a phone call. Tan Jinyue was riding a toy horse at his feet. The family members each had their own tasks and were very harmonious.

Actually, we didn't bring many back. If we had brought them all back, we wouldn't have been able to finish them all and they would have gone bad. We already slaughtered and brought back a few chickens.

"Haha, take your time eating. When you go back to Ningbo, give some to your in-laws. If that's not enough, take it to the company cafeteria. Speaking of which, it's all thanks to your son's good reputation. We didn't get this treatment when we went back."

Tan Lihua was quite pleased with himself; his son's prestige was his own prestige, and he was playing the role of a father gaining status through his son with remarkable ease.

"That's all built with money."

Zhang Suzhi pursed her lips, but you could tell that her eyes were smiling.

The construction of bridges and roads, donations to schools and nursing homes have brought a lot of investment to the county, and many people in nearby villages and towns no longer need to go out to work to earn a good income.

Most people are compassionate. This kind of help may not change the fate of many people, but it can at least make their lives a little easier. How could they not be grateful?

When Tan Jincheng returned to the living room after finishing the phone call, his parents and wife were still discussing things back in their hometown.

"The city TV station is coming over in a little while to do an interview with me. I'll ask Xiao He to come over and buy some fruit while he's at it. Qingqing, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

These days, everything is good in the countryside, except that the fruit is not fresh enough and there are not many varieties. During the Spring Festival, the most common fruit is tangerines, but eating too many of these can easily cause internal heat.

"You just got home and you're already interviewing me?"

Zhang Suzhi was somewhat surprised and annoyed, as the task hadn't been completed yet.

"There's nothing we can do. We booked for today, and if we wait any longer they won't be able to book us. We have to go back to Ningbo," Gu Qingqing explained.

February is almost here, and the formal signing with Mitsubishi needs to be put on the agenda. Tan Jincheng really doesn't have time to keep wasting time in his hometown.

Zhang Suzhi was a little unhappy, but the employees of Yicheng TV Station were even more annoyed. For a city-level TV station like theirs, getting an interview with Tan Jincheng, who rarely accepted interviews, was incredibly difficult.

Even with this, it's still thanks to connections in the city. In addition, people in the city are eager to meet with Tan Jincheng, as the location of the joint venture factory with Mitsubishi hasn't been decided yet.

(End of this chapter)