National Tide 1980.

September seems like a big steamer with a strong fire burning.

Nian Jing, who was deeply trapped in it, felt the pain of being on fire all the time, even though he had tried his best to sell his VCR everywhere.

But the results are few and the hope is almost zero.

Even though he had tried his best to lower the retail price, the sales record only increased to nine units.

It turns out that there is a severe shortage of funds in the market right now. Whether it is buyers or sellers, almost everyone has spent their money.

The business is getting slower and slower, and no one is willing to take delivery of the goods.

It can be said that most people doing business have fallen into a bottomless pit, and almost everyone is running their business in a bleak situation and struggling to survive.

Nian Jing was not the only one involved in this conspiracy. Almost all of his friends in the business world had lost a batch of goods.

Now those people are just like him, desperately looking for buyers like headless flies, eager to give "bargains" to others, and can't wait to admit defeat and be eliminated.

Many people asked Nian Jing if he wanted their goods. Some asked him the price, but they couldn't come up with the money and were thinking of getting something for nothing.

So when he saw his situation clearly, he saw that all the profits he had made in recent years would be swallowed up by the weakness.

At this moment, Nian Jing regretted deeply and blamed himself.

Jiang Hui was right about everything! I was too greedy!

If I had listened to her and sold at least some of the goods, I wouldn't have suffered such a bad loss.

But can he admit it?

No!

Admit that a woman understands life better than you do, especially when this woman is your wife.

That would be too much for his self-esteem.

Especially now that he has health problems and his manliness is gone, it is even less likely that he will tell Jiang Hui about these things. Does he need her comfort?

Did he need her pity?

Did he need her help?

To be honest, what he feared most was not the company's bankruptcy. That money was not his anyway, and if he lost it all, the most he would do was lose his position as manager.

He was just afraid that their relationship would return to the past. He was afraid that he would have to continue to obey his wife for the rest of his life, and could only take care of household chores and ask Jiang Hui for everything.

He had fought hard to get everything he had now, and he didn't want to be the Jiang family's nanny or his wife's slave anymore.

He would rather keep everything to himself and keep the matter a secret.

Objectively speaking, Nian Jing is not the kind of person who is good at getting rid of his inner depression, and he cannot let go of many things.

Whether it was economic weakness or physical weakness, it was like a leech on the tarsal bone, torturing his spirit to death.

The only thing he could do was to look at the date on the calendar and count down to the day when salary would be paid, which made him more depressed day by day.

And it is very likely that at the final juncture, he will compromise with reality because he cannot bear the mental pressure, confess everything to his wife, and ask Jiang Hui to give him some more working capital, or help contact Ning Weimin to see if he can sell some of the goods.

But then again, there is always a way out.

The process of life is like this. The most difficult times often turn around and good times will come.

In mid-September, a phone call from Jiang Hao gave Nian Jing's business hope of reviving and escaping the predicament.

It turns out that Jiang Hao had a good childhood friend in the compound. This friend’s family was originally from Chengdu, and he was transferred back to his hometown with his parents when he was in high school.

Now this guy has become a big boss in the local business sector.

Coincidentally, a large shopping mall was built in Chengdu this year, jointly run by the local Second Light Industry Bureau and a Hong Kong-funded company.

The decoration is now basically completed and we plan to open to the public during the National Day.

You have to know that Chengdu at that time had very limited connections with the outside world due to its geographical location. Basic supplies could be guaranteed, but there were not many modern and fashionable products.

It just so happens that this shopping mall is managed by Jiang Hao, a childhood friend.

It just so happened that the main items that the mall was short of were imported color TVs and VCRs.

What’s even more coincidental is that the direction this person chose to purchase goods was not the south, but the capital.

As a result, Jiang Hao soon got the news, and he immediately resumed his old friendship with his childhood friend.

The two hit it off immediately and the other party sent someone over immediately.

So, this incident was like a pie falling from the sky, and it saved Jiang Hao and Nian Kyoto in an instant.

As the saying goes, God will not let the sparrows starve to death. They are living proof of this.

A welcoming dinner for the "savior" was held at "Judequan".

This was the usual way people in Beijing entertained guests in that era. As the saying goes, "You are not a true man if you haven't been to the Great Wall, and it's a pity if you haven't eaten Peking duck."

Even foreigners are like this. No matter where they come from, when they come to Beijing, they have to eat roast duck.

Jiang Hao’s childhood friend did not come in person, but instead sent a purchasing section chief named Li Guozhong.

The man was about 40 years old, not tall, but with a very wide waist. It was obvious that he was a frequent guest at banquets.

Perhaps he wanted to speak more standard Mandarin and was afraid of being laughed at by others, so he spoke very slowly. He looked chubby and honest.

If they only looked at the appearance, Jiang Hao and Nian Kyoto would have thought it was a dish in their mouths.

But when it comes to the real thing, they don't think so.

As the old saying goes, good things do come to those who wait.

"Old Li, you have seen our goods. These are all original imported goods. You may have heard that the business in Beijing has been quite a commotion recently, with people rushing to buy goods everywhere. To be honest, except for the two of us, probably no one else in Beijing can get so much goods. We have imported no less than 2,000 units in total, and we have sold the rest. Now we still have 463 units. As a trading partner, I think I must be honest with you. You don't have any more than you want."

Nian Jing paid for the meal, and he didn't hesitate to get down to business after eating a few bites of the food. And in order to get a good price, Nian Jing's words were of course half true and half false, and he boasted a lot while also pretending to be sincere.

"...Of course, since you came here, and we are mutual friends, I will give you all these goods. After all, people should value friendship. I may need to ask you for help someday. Friendship is more important than anything else."

Old Li smiled, looking like Maitreya Buddha.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Nian, you are really a good friend. Then, can you let me sell these VCRs on your behalf?"

Well, just one sentence made Nian Jing speechless.

He clearly felt that this guy was very cunning and was not as honest as he appeared.

Jiang Hao then picked up a piece of food for Lao Li with his chopsticks and took over the conversation, "Lao Li, you look like an experienced buyer. Let's just keep this in mind. If it's consignment sales, do we still need to sit here and talk?"

Old Li laughed dryly. "Hehe, Mr. Jiang, our mall has not yet opened, and it's a small place. You have to understand that we still have limited financial resources. Although we have the care of the higher-ups and the supply of goods has been confirmed for you, the higher-ups are not responsible for the specific business. The responsibility for the mall's lack of funds will eventually be blamed on me. You can't make things difficult for me, the person in charge."

"No, no, of course I understand. I can't make it difficult for you. But it's right to use good steel on the blade. If these video recorders are brought to your mall, it will be enough to make other malls jealous."

Jiang Hao laughed, "Besides, Lao Li, you are so old, and you are still running around to get the goods. To be honest, I feel sorry for you for the country. I'm afraid your travel allowance is not much, right? How about this, I will talk to my buddies and ask them to increase your salary."

Nian Jing has followed Jiang Hao for so many years, and the two of them have cooperated with each other a lot, so he naturally knows what to say at this moment, and his expression is more direct.

"Old Li, we are not outsiders. Let's put it this way. You are the one who handled this batch of goods. You have worked hard for us, so we can't do without showing any appreciation. We will give you 20 yuan for each video recorder. Let's not count more than 400. Let's count 500. That's 10,000 yuan. I will definitely put it in your pocket the day you leave Beijing. Is that okay?"

Another voice suddenly slid out from the sound of the roast duck rolling between lips and teeth, "What's the price?"

Nian Jing immediately perked up and quickly filled Lao Li's glass of Luzhou Laojiao. "Lao Li, let me tell you the truth, we got this batch of goods for 4,200 yuan per unit, not including the transportation fee."

It is obvious that the prices reported in Beijing were inflated, and this was a deliberate way to leave room for maneuver.

But Lao Li's reaction was even more intense. He almost caused Nian Jing and Jiang Hao to misunderstand him, and his teeth were broken by the bone.

"It's too expensive! This is too expensive! The most I can give you is 3,500 per unit."

Nian Jing couldn't help but look aggrieved and pretended, "Lao Li, no matter how stupid I am, I can't make a profit at a loss. You want us to accept the loss while expressing our friendship to you. Is this how you treat your friends?"

Jiang Haoze took the opportunity to suggest, "Old Li, how about this, four thousand is really the pure cost. If you can accept it. It doesn't matter if we lose a little for the sake of friendship. We are all friends after all."

However, Lao Li shook his head like a rattle. "It's useless for you to talk. Since we are friends, let's talk about the truth. I have my own difficulties. Yes, I have been instructed by the higher-ups to take care of you, but I can't go too far and let others find fault with me. Let me tell you this, this is not the first time I, Lao Li, have come to Beijing. Before meeting you, I asked others about it. I can't just come to talk to you without knowing the market situation at all. I, Lao Li, dare to say this to your face. Now I can find goods in Beijing for 3,000 yuan per unit. Do you believe it? To be honest, the price of 3,500 yuan per unit is already my highest authority. If it's more, I really can't make the decision. How about this, I'll call the higher-ups to see what they mean? Or you can make this call, it's the same..."

Old Li is obviously an extremely shrewd person, and he also said the most extreme words.

In this situation, saying anything more would only bring shame upon oneself.

So Nian Jing and Jiang Hao looked at each other and could only nod in agreement.

At this time, it was Lao Li who showed a warm smile again, took the initiative to shake their hands, and said with a smile, "Hey, you are not at a loss. Aren't these goods left over from the sale? These are the only ones left from the 2,000 units. You must have made money from the others. You are all big bosses, do you still care about this?"

Under Jiang Hao's meaningful gaze, Nian Jing, who had been talking nonsense just now, felt even more uncomfortable.

He felt so sad that he had no tears left. He really hoped that what he had just said was true.

Unfortunately, it’s not the case.

………………

Most of the gifts from fate are imperfect and unsatisfactory.

But what can one do as the recipient of such a gift?

As I said, something is better than nothing.

After all, Lao Li came with money, and after all, he sold the goods and got money in return, so his business was revitalized.

Anyway, it’s not his own money that he lost, so Nian Jing thought that it’s okay to lose a little, it won’t be a big deal.

After finishing the negotiation with Lao Li, Nian Jing was more concerned about another thing - curing the disease.

This hope also came out of the blue. Nian Jing himself couldn't believe it, that he actually found the doctor who was right for his condition on a telephone pole.

No one knows when it started, but advertisements from quack doctors specializing in treating certain "difficult and complicated diseases" have appeared on telephone poles and toilets in Beijing.

Although it did not cost much in advertising fees, this advertisement, which made use of toilet walls and telephone poles, social curiosity, people's need for male self-esteem, and their urgent desire to continue the family line, actually achieved precise delivery and defeated newspapers and television, which are known as mass media, to become the most effective and recognizable advertisement.

Such advertisements have no fancy words or confusing colors. They are straightforward and get straight to the point.

Although the market is weak and the economy is sluggish, this advertisement is so strong that it shows the vitality of a special market.

The rough paper, the moldy paste, the crooked fonts, everything looked so dirty and even a little incomplete.

However, those inexplicable slogans strongly shine with an indomitable spirit that is inspiring.

Nian Jing couldn't help but follow the instructions in the advertisement to find his place of rebirth.

A narrow and dark alley, a lifeless courtyard, and a dirty little guest room.

He saw hope in it.

The doctor was ugly, a little old man who looked like a zombie. He asked Nian Jing to take off his pants and lie down.

But it really has some ability - it got up! It actually got up!

The old man put away his chicken claw-like black hands and laughed, "There is a cure, there is a cure."

As he spoke, he prescribed the medicine.

Then he stretched out his chicken claw-like hand and asked Nian Jing for money, "One hundred yuan. After taking my medicine, you will know that this money is worth it."

Nian Jing paid the money without hesitation and agreed with it from the bottom of his heart.

That’s right, for men, as long as this disease can be cured, they are willing to spend any amount of money.

What's more, the treatment of physical weakness is much cheaper than the cost of recovering from economic weakness. (End of this chapter)