The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1484 Doing Foreign Trade

There is no doubt that the Canton Fair is a major event held twice a year.

Overseas Chinese and foreign businessmen from dozens of countries come here. Every year, in order to serve these foreign businessmen, we concentrate various resources to ensure their well-being. Providing food and fruits is the most basic thing. We also have to bring in drivers from all over the country to serve the foreign businessmen, all for a fee, of course.

The area around Haizhu Square was bustling with people and extremely noisy, and the venue itself was even more noisy and chaotic.

Foreign business teams strolled through the various exhibition halls of the venue. Exhibitors from all over the country, accompanied by translators, introduced their various products, looking at the foreign businessmen with extremely eager eyes, as if they were looking at a mountain of gold.

Foreign businesses are certainly very enthusiastic; they come to make money. Why would they come if they didn't want to make money?
We live in a special era. Even foreign businessmen who look down on Chinese people are very sensible and are all carrying the Little Red Book, actively showing their friendly attitude.

They also participate quite actively in the activities organized here...

Of course, these things had nothing to do with Wang Yan. He would appear in the square and outside the hotel where foreign guests were staying with his county officials. Whenever he encountered foreign businessmen, he would approach them with a large booklet that he had made himself and ask them questions.

There are quite a few people like him who try their luck outside.

"Wang Yan, when will this questioning ever end?"

Before Wang Yan had even done anything, the county officials accompanying him were already feeling helpless. They had come with high hopes, but were met with setbacks everywhere, so their disappointment was inevitable.

“Where is the leader, Director Zhou? We don’t have a booth either, so we can only ask people one by one until we find an interested foreign businessman, and even more interested foreign businessmen. As long as the Canton Fair doesn’t close, we’ll stay here and ask every foreign businessman we can find.”

Do you think we still have a chance?

Wang Yan glanced at him: "Comrade Zhou, your thinking isn't strong enough. Before the revolution, who knew we could succeed? We only got where we are today because we gritted our teeth and persevered, and countless heroes died. You don't care if it's a success or not, just ask. I haven't even had enough of asking yet, and you've already had enough?"

"That's not what I meant," Officer Zhou quickly explained. "I was just thinking, do we have another way to find people who want to look at furniture more quickly?"

"They won't let us into hotels or conference venues. We're just trying to give money away, but we don't know which temple to pay our respects to. We can't even give it away if we want to. You shouldn't think too much about it. It's cooler over there. Go and avoid it. I can manage on my own."

Zhou, the clerk, didn't refuse. He stopped foolishly following Wang Yan around; he really couldn't be of any help. Wang Yan was babbling in some foreign language, and Zhou didn't understand a single word.

However, he also roughly figured out that Wang Yan should know at least two languages. Because he could tell that there were people from Europe and America, as well as people from Japan.

He discovered that Wang Yan could converse fluently, and judging from the surprised looks on the foreigners' faces, it seemed that Wang Yan spoke quite authentically...

Just as Secretary Zhou was walking away, a group of four people, two men and two women, with Asian features, approached from a distance.

Wang Yan greeted them with a "hello": "Hello, what kind of business do you run?"

The four glanced at him, then walked over without saying a word.

Wang Yan did not back down, but continued to walk with them, while unfolding a large photo album in his hand: "I make furniture, you can take a look."

He spoke entirely in English, which undoubtedly demonstrates the widespread use of English.

Upon hearing Wang Yan's words and seeing the large booklet in his hand, the four stopped in their tracks.

This is not surprising. In fact, many of the foreign businessmen that Wang Yan approached were willing to stop and take a look.

Simply put, the photos are beautiful.

Wang Yan's photos weren't taken carelessly; he also used lighting, which, combined with the color of the wood, makes them very pleasing to the eye. Secondly, of course, Wang Yan's craftsmanship is excellent; he truly showcased his carpentry skills, and each piece of furniture is quite good.

His large photo album featured a piece of furniture on each page, starting with high-end pieces he had personally crafted. The quality gradually decreased, eventually reaching the lowest level of furniture that his apprentices could produce.

He also incorporated various cushions he created, some soft and some firm, giving the furniture a classic yet modern look. To put it simply, it's roughly equivalent to the Neo-Chinese style.

"Where are you from?" the leader asked in English.

"Are you from Hong Kong Island?" Wang Yan asked, and without waiting for their reply, he immediately switched to Cantonese. "In Yancheng, Qin Province, we have a team of over a hundred people, and we can add more manpower. Conservatively speaking, producing 20,000 pieces of furniture a year is not a problem."

"how do you know?"

“I could tell from your accent. I’ve been here for a few days and met some people from Hong Kong Island. Your English accent is similar to theirs.”

“I never imagined that one day people from the mainland would comment on my accent. My name is Peng Yunliang.”

"Hello, Mr. Peng, my name is Wang Yan."

Peng Yunliang nodded, then asked, "Is it true that you said there will be an annual production of 20,000 pieces?"

He pointed to the photos in the brochure, which showed the high-end products.

Wang Yan shook his head: "That's impossible. Not to mention now, even fifty years from now, with the advancement of technology, we still can't achieve that. These pieces of furniture require very high skill from the carpenters. Currently, our factory can only make three or four hundred pieces a year."

As they spoke, Wang Yan flipped through the booklet to the last page. "This is the kind that can produce 20,000 pieces. It has some modifications in shape and pattern, but the technical difficulty isn't high. Even an apprentice who has studied for three months can make it. Peng Sheng seems very interested. Is he a furniture maker?"

"No, I work in the plastics industry. I wasn't really interested at first, but after seeing your furniture, I've become interested. There isn't that much wood in Hong Kong, and furniture isn't cheap. I also have some connections in Japan. Your designs are innovative, and the craftsmanship is excellent. What are these cushions made of?"

"It's a cotton-linen blend, some filled with cotton, some with down. We'll continue to improve it to make it fluffy, comfortable, and stain-resistant. Right now, it's just a basic product. We're poor in the inland areas, so these things related to enjoyment are still in their infancy. To be honest, our factory can be considered one of the pioneers in the inland areas."

Peng Yunliang laughed: "Judging from your appearance, you shouldn't be very old, maybe in your early twenties?"

“Nineteen.” Wang Yan pointed to the booklet. “I am the factory manager of this furniture factory. I made all the furniture at the beginning, and I also trained the apprentices who made the furniture later.”

"A hero emerges from among the young, Wang Sheng..."

Peng Yunliang's tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Wang Yan nodded frankly: "It is the trust of the Party and the country."

“You’re just a small factory director; the Party and the state don’t even know who you are.”

Wang Yan chuckled softly, took out a newspaper from his pocket, and flipped to his page: "Peng Sheng can take a look. I wrote this report, and it will be included in the report when we get back. If we do business with Peng Sheng, his name will also appear in it."

Peng Yunliang certainly knew about the People's Daily, after all, the People's Daily also had a branch in Hong Kong Island, and he was well aware of the People's Daily's influence.

Looking at Wang Yan with surprise and suspicion, Peng Yunliang took the newspaper and began to read it. While he was reading, Wang Yan was also talking about his report being serialized in the daily newspaper. After all, there was only one copy, which contained one of his reports about opening a furniture factory in Hechuan Commune. Peng Yunliang would have to find the reports before that himself.

After reading the report once, Peng Yunliang still asked uncertainly, "You mean your report will be serialized here?"

"Six articles have been published so far," Wang Yan nodded with a smile.

Peng Yunliang thought for a moment and asked, "After the Canton Fair ends, can we visit your factory?"

"Of course, we warmly welcome you. However, you'll need to register first if you wish to go."

"That's no problem. Here's what you do: write down the location of my hotel. After today, come find me, and we can talk over a meal and discuss things in more detail."

"it is good."

So Wang Yan finally found a very interested client.

The two sides had a pleasant conversation that evening and initially discussed a tentative order worth HK$100,000. In Peng Yunliang's words, they would buy a batch first and then ship it to Hong Kong Island and Japan to see how it goes.

The next day, Wang Yan and his group, along with Peng Yunliang's group, went to report to the representative of Qin Province, signed a preliminary contract, and sent a telegram back to Lin County, saying that a Hong Kong businessman wanted to go and inspect the area.

With Peng Yunliang's help, Wang Yan and the others had already completed their task, since Peng Yunliang had already signed the contract.

However, the Canton Fair was only half a month away, and Wang Yan and his group had only been there a few days, so they weren't in a hurry to leave. Wang Yan lingered for a few more days and found a Japanese man. He thought the furniture Wang Yan made was beautiful and had many designs; the Japanese liked that style—a light luxury, natural wood aesthetic.

Peng Yunliang's connections were in Tokyo, while this Japanese guy was from Osaka. The two had no conflicts, so Wang Yan confirmed the intention to cooperate with this Japanese guy and they would go to Linxian together for an on-site inspection.

This Japanese soldier was a bit bolder than Peng Yunliang; he initially ordered 150,000 yuan worth of furniture. However, his requirements for the furniture were also much higher than Peng Yunliang's.

Furniture involves many aspects. Even just the wood itself is divided into various grades, and then there are different shapes and craftsmanship, which further distinguish the grades.

Simply put, the Japanese wanted high-end goods, while Peng Yunliang wanted mid-to-low-end. However, Peng Yunliang did order a set of nice furniture for himself and had Wang Yan personally make it for him...

Besides these two major buyers, Wang Yan also used his silver tongue to sell high-end furniture to the attendees. All orders were scheduled and will be delivered to them gradually along with the cargo ships.

While the results weren't outstanding, they still managed to sell over two hundred sets. Wang Yan charged these people a high price, several thousand yuan per set.

Since these are sold individually, and some are custom-made, it's reasonable that the price is a bit higher...

These smaller sellers were more straightforward; they all paid Wang Yan in foreign currency upfront, then delivered the goods. Wang Yan then contacted their domestic partners to find a way to ship the goods.

The Canton Fair isn't a one-off transaction; the orders placed there have a cycle, some even lasting several years. Furthermore, the Canton Fair will continue to be held in the future, so the furniture will always be delivered. Therefore, delivery is not a concern.

This venture was a complete success. It earned foreign exchange, expanded sales channels, and generated much more profit than selling directly to the villagers. For the small furniture factory in Baidian Brigade, this single order would sustain them for three years.

For the commune, this meant that more young people would join as apprentices in the furniture factory, earning them work points and greatly boosting the commune's development.

As long as everyone is busy and has something to do, everyone can live a good life.

Especially for the impoverished Hechuan Commune, where a family used to cultivate a few acres of barren land, now that one person has left to work at a furniture factory, the remaining people continue to farm, receiving the same amount of grain as before, and naturally, they are living much better.

As for the factory's food supply, they've already made so much profit; they should find a way to procure it. If they can't import, they can distribute it within the city or the province. Hechuan Commune only has so many people; they can always solve the problem.

The problem couldn't be solved before simply because we didn't have the money...

When Wang Yan and his group returned to Yanshi with Peng Yunliang and the Japanese soldiers, they were warmly received by the municipal government. Although the order was small, it was of great significance.

The county government and the commune's Secretary Zhang and others all came to the city to welcome them. They didn't even have a place to speak. Surrounded by the crowd were Wang Yan and the foreign businessmen.

To be honest, the leaders treated Wang Yan much better than they treated foreign businessmen.

After all, Wang Yan was a nationally renowned figure, a household name in Haizi. The leaders of Yancheng patted Wang Yan on the shoulder warmly, saying they had long wanted to visit their commune but had never had the time. Since foreign businessmen were visiting this time, they decided to go and inspect the work achievements of Hechuan Commune.

So the large group of people traveled by car to Hechuan Commune, where they searched the furniture factory.

This was quite an eye-opener. Peng Yunliang and the Japanese soldiers both saw the cutting and polishing machine designed by Wang Yan. This thing could also make money.

So in addition to furniture, they also ordered a batch of machines from the county's machinery factory.

Of course, there are requirements for the materials used; it wouldn't be good if the saw teeth broke after only a short period of use.

In fact, since production began, the county's machinery factory has been researching better materials, and now they are much better than the original ones.

This time, everyone was happy.

“Mr. Wang, you must come when it’s time to deliver the goods. Many of your ideas are very important. I’d like to invite you to Hong Kong for a while to give me some advice. You can also take a look at the development of Hong Kong Island.”

Peng Yunliang held Wang Yan's hand tightly, his gaze earnest.

Over the time they had spent together, he had been completely impressed by Wang Yan, saying that Wang Yan was a genius.

Wang Yan patted his arm with a smile: "No problem, no problem. You can send a letter and go to the border crossing. I'd really like to go and take a look."

"Then see you next year."

Peng Yunliang finally got into the car and left.

Secretary Zhang patted Wang Yan hard on the back: "Good young man, you've done a great job! Hahaha..."

"If you put in any more effort, I won't be able to get anything done."

"I'm so excited!" Secretary Zhang laughed heartily. "Our commune is having a really good year! I can't talk to you anymore, I need to get to the meeting right away, assign apprentices, we need to expand production! This year, the whole commune will eat meat! Hahaha..."

Secretary Zhang practically skipped and hopped away, as if he had become twenty years younger…

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