Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 8 Business
"Stop talking bullshit, bitch, just do it!"

"Have you ever seen a woman in your life? And you're still a woman!"

"I've seen a lot of women, just thinking back to the past."

The people in the Mu Gang are generally around fifty years old, and there are no young people left.

After drinking, Yan Hui heard something.

There are rumors among the wood gangs that a "logging ban" will be issued in a few years.

Regarding the logging ban, not to mention the people in the timber gang, Yan Hui has actually heard of it. This is an old topic in the timber market.

People like Mr. Lin from a retail store tell their customers every day: "The forest farm will soon stop cutting down trees, and then the price will go up dramatically!"

Such rumors are not new in the timber market. At first, Yan Hui thought that the industry was doomed, but later he realized that it was not that simple.

Here, according to the members of the Wood Gang, even if a logging ban is issued next year, the Wood Gang can still operate for at least another five years. After all, the policy cannot be completely eliminated all at once. In addition, large-scale plantation planting has begun in recent years.

This information is quite important, but the rest is just a story to Yan Hui.

These people have a lot of stories to tell after drinking, especially since there is an outsider here today.

The wine they drank was a particularly low-grade, muddy liquor, and their side dish was kimchi. Because they had to spend their money and wrap up work in a few days, someone even brought out some dried meat today, but Yan Hui had no idea what kind of meat it was.

Although these old men in the woodworking gang have experienced countless things, they are much simpler than the old hands in the wood market.

Since you are here today, we must give you good food.

Yan Hui couldn't refuse. He suddenly remembered that he had two packs of cigarettes in his pocket, so he immediately took them out and distributed them to everyone.

This action instantly won everyone's approval. Everyone thought this young man was good and everyone liked children.

Yan Hui's first day here, and he didn't know when Shan Ge would return, so he didn't dare drink. This was his principle. When the elders heard that Yan Hui was underage, no one tried to dissuade him. Overall, the meal was quite enjoyable.

Not all of the Mu Gang members were here. Five or six of them were outside feeding the horses. This was because Yan Hui was here and had guests. Otherwise, more than a dozen horse owners would be outside tending to their horses.

Their income is not low, and they can earn enough for a year in one winter and then go home. Some of these people have happy families with wives and children, while some are still single.

Every time we go down the mountain, the income is divided into three parts, one part for each of us, and one part for the horse, after all, the amount of grass a horse eats is not a small amount.

Gao Bo said that their luck this year is really good. So far, not a single horse has died in their Mu Gang this year. This must be the blessing of the mountain god!

The wood gang members went straight to bed after dinner and drinks. They had to get up at 4:30 the next morning and go up the mountain. There was no ambiguity about this. There was no entertainment in the evening, just sleep.

Yan Hui finished his meal and was very full. He said goodbye to everyone and prepared to return to the forest farm alone.

Seeing that it was getting dark outside, Gao Bo insisted on seeing Yan Hui off. Yan Hui originally thought it was unnecessary, but after hearing so many stories about blind bears, he still listened to Gao Bo.

After the two of them went out, Gao Bo called out and two big yellow dogs immediately came over, giving Yan Hui a lot of sense of security.

"Even we have to be careful during this season. Wolves and bears stay at home during the coldest days of winter. Now that spring is almost here, they're starving and most likely to go down the mountain. Don't go out alone at night."

"Yeah, I know." Yan Hui knew that Uncle Gao had a child, but he hadn't seen him for half a year. When he saw Yan Hui, he loved Yan Hui and wanted to give him a few more words of advice.

Gao Bo was wearing a headlamp that looked like a very old mining lamp, and the light flickered violently when he walked.

In fact, Gao Bo didn't need a headlamp on this road at all. This headlamp was for Yan Hui.

As they were walking, two yellow dogs became agitated, jumped forward a few steps, and started barking.

"What's wrong!" Yan Hui was startled.

Gao Bo shone his mining lamp up the mountain and shook his head. "It's nothing. It's just one wolf. Even if you go back alone, it won't dare to bite you. It just came down the mountain to steal chickens."

Yan Hui followed the light and saw a grayish-white shadow in the distance.

The long tail drooped down, making Yan Hui feel fear from the bottom of his heart.

There was snow on the mountain, making the gray wolf look white. From Yan Hui's perspective, he could see the wolf's side profile, running leisurely, as if he knew he had been discovered by the dog.

As soon as the two yellow dogs barked, all the dogs in the forest farm followed suit.

Some of these dogs were not on leashes and were already moving towards the yellow dog, which made people feel much safer.

The journey is short.

"Uncle Gao, please go back soon. I'm already here."

"Okay, be careful." Gao Bo said with a smile.

Yan Hui nodded and watched Gao Bo leave. He was also worried about Gao Bo's return journey, so he kept watching closely until the miner's lamp reached the thatched house in the distance and the dog stopped barking. Only then did he feel relieved.

He gained a lot tonight, especially after he finished the bowl of rice and saw Uncle Wang's happy expression, he was also particularly happy.

Putting aside his emotions, Yan Hui looked towards the forest farm.

Brother Shan still hasn't come back.

Yan Hui didn't look anxious at all. Since his fourth uncle had warned him before, "Don't let Brother Shan get drunk when shipping," he just needed to confirm this matter.

He didn't need to look at the car either.

The cigarettes in his pocket had been distributed, and the store was still open, so Yan Hui bought two more boxes.

The shop was quite lively at this time, with six people playing cards, using the same rules as "Six Clash" (a card game). In addition, there were four or five people looking at the cards.

The owner of this place is also a worker at the forest farm. I don't know his name, he's a quiet guy who likes to carve wood with a knife. Even though so many people are playing cards and looking at cards, he doesn't say a word and just carves slowly and leisurely.

The stove here is very warm, which is much more interesting than the residence. Yan Hui didn't leave, but just looked around slowly without saying a word.

In addition to the people from the forest farm, there were two or three other people in this place at night who should also be timber wholesalers and looked like outsiders.

These people could also tell that Yan Hui was from another place, and they looked at Yan Hui frequently.

Little Yanhui doesn’t know so much. He just knows to keep his mouth shut when he goes out, and he can’t handle anything else.

After watching for more than half an hour, Yan Hui didn't say a word, neither cheered nor cursed.

I was watching the people playing cards here half-heartedly when I heard the sound of a car outside.

Cars were a rare sight, and more than half the people leaned over to look, trying to see who was coming.

Yan Hui glanced outside and saw the familiar white Jetta, and his heart finally relaxed.

call.
It would be a lie to say I'm not worried.

If Brother Shan really drove away, although it was not Yan Hui's responsibility, it would be enough to make Fourth Uncle and him enemies.

Yan Hui walked out of the convenience store, and when Shan Ge got off the car, Yan Hui's cigarette had already been handed to him, and Shan Ge couldn't do anything about it.

"How about this?" Brother Shan closed the car door, took the cigarette and lit it.

"This is quite interesting." Yan Hui pointed to the store and gave the pack of cigarettes to Brother Shan. "I saw other people buying wood."

"How many people are there? Do they look powerful?" Brother Shan asked. "Three, two of them are followers, and the leader seems quite cunning. I don't understand."

"What does it look like?"

"She had short hair, but with a very small braid, and she was wearing a mink coat."

"Oh, just one group of people. That's fine. I know who they are." Shan Ge nodded, unconcerned. "Your fourth uncle has already signed the contract. They won't bargain with us for the price. There's no need."

"Uh-huh."

Brother Shan glanced at Yan Hui and asked, "Have you had dinner tonight?"

"have eaten."

"Okay, then go to bed early. There's nothing much to do here. It's much easier here than in the market."

"Brother Shan, I have to find something to do." Yan Hui said.

"Are you still not satisfied with being able to rest? When you go back this time, your fourth uncle will definitely give you your wages."

"I"

"I called your fourth uncle today," Shan Ge reassured Yan Hui when he saw he was about to ask more questions. "He said he'll be waiting here for the next five days and will start shipping goods continuously next week. If you have nothing to do these few days, just stay here and don't run around. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

"Brother Shan, starting next week, the wood in the forest farm will no longer be both in and out. At that time, there will only be outflows and no inflows. Will the price go up?" Yan Hui asked.

"What do you mean?" Shan Ge was a little confused.

"I heard today that the timber gang that's cutting down trees on the mountain will stop working next week."

"How did you know this news? Is it accurate?" Brother Shan suspected that this was a smokescreen.

"Brother Shan, trust me, it's accurate." Yan Hui nodded seriously, "And there are two Jiefang trucks coming in tonight to haul wood."

"Although we have a contract," Shan Ge thought for a moment, "you go and rest first. Wait for me. I'll go down the mountain and call your fourth uncle again."

"Well, there's another piece of information. In a few days, the forest farm will pay the entire timber gang their wages for the past four or five months. They're probably short of money right now. Although it's hard to bargain after signing the contract, I'm sure they'll be very happy to see the cash!"

"Okay, I'll tell him."

Speaking of this, Brother Shan also knew that this matter was important. After spending some time together, Brother Shan knew that Yan Hui was a man of his words.

Brother Shan drove away again. This scene was seen by the people in the convenience store, and Yan Hui never went to the convenience store again.

He was afraid that someone would come to him and ask him questions, and he didn't know what to say, so he went back to the residence he had booked in the afternoon.

Although the shelter was shabby, it had a stove. The forest farm had everything, even rotten wood, and the stove burned quite well.

Yan Hui lay in bed alone, thinking and thinking, until two hours later, Brother Shan came back.

"Is there anyone else in the room?" The room was dark, and Brother Shan said to Yan Hui as soon as he came in.

"No, just me."

"Well, what you said today is very important. Your uncle said that he will start transporting the goods tomorrow. He won't worry about the buyers for now. He will pay for it first and start transporting first." Shan Ge said, "We will have to keep an eye on it tomorrow."

"I'm fine, Shan."

"He actually wanted to advance the money before, but he was still worried about not having enough money. Now he won't wait anymore." Shan Ge smiled, "Maybe we can go back sooner."

"What do you need me to do?" Yan Hui asked.

"Just follow me tomorrow. The only thing you need to remember is, don't tell that brat we've started hauling goods these next two days. Even if he sees the truck and asks you again, don't tell him it's our goods."

"Yeah!" Yan Hui felt a little excited.

Business, business, that’s how it feels!

One and a half months after Yan Hui came out of southern Fujian, he felt the thrill of doing business for the first time. Although he was not even a partner, he was still excited!
Lying here, Yan Hui asked Brother Shan for some business advice.

In fact, Brother Shan is not cut out for business at all, and he can't figure out the twists and turns here. He just thinks that Fourth Uncle should buy the goods in advance.

But Yan Hui actually knows a little bit. It's partly because he has been influenced by his surroundings, but the main thing is that he has a sharp mind.

He knows that the most critical point in doing business is information asymmetry, and he also knows that the most critical point in making money is cash flow!

When he left his hometown, he was different from many rural kids of that generation, because his eldest uncle and fourth uncle were successful businessmen, and he had heard some very useful business tips that were worth a fortune in that era!
It’s not about how much money there is, but how fast it flows!
From Shan Ge's few words, Yan Hui sorted out the whole process.

If my uncle ships the goods to the seller from here and the seller can transfer the money quickly, then no matter how much goods the forest farm here has, my uncle can handle it.

On the other hand, if the payment is slow and the cash flow is cut off, Uncle Si will have to put his wealth under pressure after hoarding for a few times.

The Jiefang trucks here can carry 30 cubic meters of wood at a time, and this truckload is close to 20,000. If the fourth uncle starts to transport goods five days in advance, he can stockpile at least 20 truckloads, which is 400,000!
Don't be fooled by the fact that Fourth Uncle drives a 23 yuan car. This is just for show. He doesn't necessarily have 20 yuan in cash! There may also be high-interest loans in this!

Moreover, this car is probably already mortgaged! That’s how business people are!

Brother Shan didn't like to talk about these things, so Yan Hui didn't ask. He had basically analyzed it himself.

After a moment of silence, Brother Shan fell asleep. Today was a very busy day for Brother Shan. He had been driving for at least ten hours from morning till now.

Anyone who dared to drive back and forth from the mountain to the forest farm at night must be a top-notch driver. Thinking of this, Yan Hui envied his fourth uncle for being able to "recruit" such an amazing person!

There is no point in thinking too much, just go to sleep.

The next day, when Yan Hui got up, Shan Ge was already awake.

Last night, probably in the latter part of the night, four or five people came to live in this house. Yan Hui woke up when he heard the noise and listened with his ears pricked up, hoping to hear some inside information, but he didn't get anything useful.

Judging from the voices, among these people are the "Little Pigtail" trio, and the other two should be workers.

The first thing Yan Hui did when he got up was to check the money in his underwear.

He always carried all his belongings with him, especially the 743.5 yuan.

This was all the belongings he had saved in the one and a half months since he came to the Northeast.

After getting dressed, Yan Hui followed Shan Ge out of the house. Those who came late last night were still sleeping.

Shan opened the trunk of his car and took out the meat and ham, which were already frozen solid. He then took out two iron lunch boxes, put some clean snow in them, and put the steamed buns and the unwrapped ham directly into the lunch boxes.

Then, Shan Ge took the two lunch boxes and went back to his residence and placed them on the stove.

The fire in the stove was not very strong anymore, but before long, the snow turned into boiling water, bubbling.

There wasn't much snow water in the lunch box, and it was basically boiled dry after a while. Brother Shan took out the lunch box wearing gloves and handed one to Yan Hui.

The steamed buns are soft and just the right size, and with the ham sausage in them, it is a rare delicacy.

The two of them finished making breakfast in the house. The others were still asleep and no one knew what time they had played cards until last night.

It's already dawn.

(End of this chapter)