2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 62 The Parents' Surprise

In the evening, Tan Lihua returned home after get off work.

"Was that Passat with the Zhejiang B license plate downstairs the one you drove back?"

He hadn't heard of anyone from the family building working in Ningbo, and since his son was coming home today, Tan Lihua figured the car downstairs might have been driven back by him.

“Yeah, I drove it back. Do you want to drive it to the factory and show it off?” Tan Jincheng said with a grin.

A Passat might not be much in the future, but in 2005, Yicheng, a city that wasn't even a third-tier city, still had something to boast about.

"What nonsense are you spouting? What's there to show off? As for you, you've only been in business for a few months, and you're already buying a house and a car. Why are you being so flashy? Don't you know that you shouldn't flaunt your wealth?"

Tan Lihua said this, but his expression showed that he was somewhat tempted. What man could refuse to drive?

I've had my driver's license for many years, but I've hardly ever driven a car.

"Go ahead and drive if you want. I bought the car for business purposes, not to show off. I can't take the bus everywhere, can I?" Tan Jincheng saw through his father's thoughts at a glance.

"Forget it, let me drive it for a few days when I go home for the Chinese New Year. It's not appropriate to drive it to the factory."

"Whatever you want, have you bought the house yet?" Tan Jincheng cared more about this than the car.

Tan Lihua nodded. He didn't object to his son wanting to buy a house; on the contrary, he was quite enthusiastic. His son was growing up, and now that he had a daughter, the house was indeed not big enough for them.

Moreover, the fact that her son consulted her and sought her help on such a big matter as buying a house made Tan Lihua's previous disappointment disappear.

In fact, they were unaware that Tan Jincheng had bought another house in Beicang.

"There are ready-made apartments near Linghu Park. I've found one I like, a 133-square-meter one. I'll have your mom take you to see it tomorrow. If everything is okay, we'll sign the contract."

"Just make sure you like it. You'll be staying there anyway, and the location is pretty good."

“We don’t plan to live there for the time being. It’s more convenient to commute to work here. We’ll keep that place as your wedding home. Since you’re no longer studying, you should get married as soon as you’re of age. Keep an eye out for suitable options.”

Tan Jincheng said with a hint of helplessness, "There's no rush, let's talk about it later. Let's get the contract signed as soon as possible, and then ask my uncle to help us with the renovation, so that he doesn't have to go all the way to the Northeast."

That's how parents are. When you're in school, they're afraid you'll fall in love, but once you've finished your studies, they can't wait for you to get married.

"Your mom has already talked to your uncle about this. We'll discuss it again when we go back for the New Year. It shouldn't be a big problem."

Although he didn't understand why his son insisted on having his fourth uncle manage things, since he could easily keep an eye on things himself on weekends, Tan Lihua didn't really have a choice but to say something since it involved his wife's brother.

There are some things that are hard to say between relatives. If you stay at home and earn less money, it might cause conflicts.

Looking at her son, Tan Lihua decided not to tell him what she had thought of.

When my son came back this time, he bought a car worth hundreds of thousands of yuan without hesitation, and now he wants to buy a house. It seems he's made a lot of money. We can't avoid the problems with relatives in the future. Let's see how he handles this.

Compared to his other siblings, Xiao Liang has the best temper and is the most reasonable. Although his wife has a big temper, she is not unreasonable. She is straightforward and straightforward.

"What are you two talking about? Come in and serve the dishes, it's time to eat." The first proper meal after returning home was as sumptuous as ever. Knowing that her eldest grandson was coming back today, the old lady had brought back quite a few dishes when she went grocery shopping after watching the opera in the afternoon.

Tan Jinyue, who had slept all afternoon, seemed to smell the aroma of food and woke up at an inopportune time. Zhang Suzhi, not caring about eating, had to comfort her.

"Jinyue slept all afternoon, will she be able to sleep tonight?"

"She's like this every day, sleeping during the day and full of energy at night. She's such a little devil."

Tan Jincheng laughed heartily, quite unkindly. He had experienced this himself in his previous life. Children seemed to have similar sleep schedules to cats, being full of energy at night.

"Grandma, I brought you two outfits. Let's try them on after dinner."

“Son, why are you wasting this money? Things outside are very expensive. I’m already old, why do I need new clothes?”

"It's not expensive. I sell clothes myself, so I can buy cheap ones."

"Son" is a local dialect term used in my hometown. It's not a formal way of addressing Tan Lihua. It roughly means something like "baby" or "darling," and is a term of endearment.

Meanwhile, the Zhang family was also having dinner. Zhang Xupeng's mother, Liu Huiru, had come home early from get off work today, and the table was laden with dishes. Zhang Xupeng was recounting his experiences over the past three months.

"Hehe, Mom and Dad, you have no idea how easy it is to make money from foreigners. I was originally thinking of opening a restaurant, but thankfully I listened to Xiaotan."

"You didn't do anything illegal, did you? This sounds so unbelievable. You made six or seven hundred thousand in three months." Like Zhang Suzhi, Liu Huiru's first reaction upon hearing this number was also disbelief.

"How could that be? How can you make money by breaking the law? We operate a legitimate business and pay taxes. We've never had any problems even when the tax bureau came to conduct a surprise inspection."

"The tax bureau came for a surprise inspection? You're in trouble? Did you fail to bribe them?" Zhang Guolong heard the key point.

While picking up some food, Zhang Xupeng shook his head and said, "No, Dad, you're overthinking it. There aren't that many problems doing business over there. Xiao Tan has taken care of everything, so don't worry."

Liu Huiru asked with some curiosity, "Why do I keep hearing you talking about Xiao Tan? Aren't you two running a company together? What are you doing?"

“Xiao Tan is more capable than me. He takes care of the outside work, while I manage the factory’s processing progress. Without Xiao Tan, I wouldn’t have earned so much money. Xiao Tan also set up the Taobao store. Mom, you can earn more than 25,000 yuan this month.”

Liu Huiru was also surprised. Her son had previously said that he would use her ID card to open an online store and get a few hundred yuan of pocket money every month. Now he said that he could earn more than 2 yuan a month.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xupeng recounted everything he knew about Tan Jincheng's actions over the past three months, revealing all the details he had learned. He desperately needed an outlet for his pent-up emotions.

From the initial ease of arriving in Beicang, to finding someone to register the company, renting an apartment, and finding a factory, to traveling alone to Guangzhou to discuss business, and upon returning, immediately being able to sort out the company affairs that had been giving me a headache.

Not only can she communicate fluently with foreign businessmen in English, but she is also very fluent in Ningbo dialect. In addition, Xiao Tan led the upgrade of the Taobao store, and the results were immediately apparent in just one month.

Zhang Xupeng is very clear about store upgrades. Xiao Tan personally oversees everything from clothing style selection and online store design to model photography, and he also provides the ideas.

At first, Zhang Xupeng even thought that Xiao Tan was making a mountain out of a molehill. Why bother with an online store that only earns a few thousand yuan a month?

(End of this chapter)