this man is not calm

Chapter 534 Next step

As March arrives, temperatures in the Gyeonggi region begin to rise, about two weeks later than in the south. By late March, local residents are starting to shed their thick cotton-padded coats and down jackets and put on lighter spring clothes.

Compared to the short and comfortable spring in Central China, spring in North China is much longer. In early spring, the green plants and flower beds along the roads are just beginning to sprout, the roadside trees are not yet lush, and the occasional cold snap will force everyone to reluctantly take out their winter clothes that have already been put away and put them back on.

By the 25th, the cold wave had little chance of crossing the Yanshan Mountains. The warm and humid air from the south added moisture to the dry air. A light rain a couple of days ago increased the workload of the housekeeper, Lao Bian, in managing the courtyard. In addition, he was also busy with the maintenance of the Jinshang New House Garden Villa, asking for help every now and then.

Having adapted to the northern climate and becoming quite familiar with the Jin family, Gui Feng and Que Sheng gradually began to handle the more troublesome tasks, making things a little easier for the slightly aged butler.

Jin Shang and Li Xuan's wedding was not as extravagant and elaborate as outsiders might imagine.

Given their current wealth and influence, they can certainly afford to be extravagant. However, setting off two mushroom eggs like fireworks is definitely out of the question. But if they're a step behind and leverage Lao Huang's connections, it's hard to say whether they can even give it a try.

If it really turns out like that, it will become a pure display and a commercial spectacle, losing its original purpose and making this commemorative ceremony impure.

Using major events like weddings and funerals to boost one's career and inviting many VIPs to showcase one's status is actually a very common practice. Kim Sang wasn't heartless, nor was he particularly averse to it, but it was best to leave external affairs to his father to handle without affecting his private life.

Old Jin has indeed been quite busy lately. His eldest son is getting married, so he can't afford to be lazy. In particular, he has to entertain the Huang family members who are not very familiar with Jin Shang and are staying in the capital. His grandmother, Xian Guizhen, is not involved at all, and his mother, Mei Xinghong, is too lazy to worry about it.

If it weren't for Lao Bian hiring a few more great young men to help, things would have been really chaotic.

Even so, quite a few people still attended when the wedding banquet began.

Yuanqilou, a mid-to-high-end brand that has gradually gained popularity in Beijing, started with its signature mid-range hot pot and has gradually begun to venture into various classic dishes. It focuses on being affordable, fashionable, and reasonably priced, and has become an important local restaurant frequented by the increasingly affluent citizens. Now it has also begun to accept orders for business banquets, weddings, birthday parties, and other events.

The largest boutique in western Beijing is located about five kilometers from the train station. It's very popular, and you usually need to book half a month to a month in advance. During holidays and festivals, the waiting time is even longer.

Jin Shi even set the date six months in advance and reserved the venue for Jin Shang's wedding banquet.

As for why we didn't choose a more upscale hotel, to be honest, there was really no need.

The guests present consisted of several cousins, people from Grandmother Xian Guizhen's hometown, and Lao Jin's personal friends and people Jin Shang felt he got along well with, who were invited by invitation. It was basically a large family banquet. The wedding emcee was mainly there to liven up the atmosphere, and there were no awkward little games or dirty jokes.

After Jin Shi and Mei Xinghong exchanged some pleasantries, Jin Shang and Li Xuan changed their clothes and went from table to table toasting each other.

There were no wedding pranks or forced drinking incidents, and no one got drunk and acted out.

We're all relatives, there's really no need to do anything too formal.

The Jin family has very few relatives; including Jin Miao's family is the most they have.

Strictly speaking, Jin Miao is of Jin Shang's grandfather's generation, but no one cared too much about it. Everyone addressed each other as uncles, while Jin Shang addressed him as an uncle and Jin Shi as an equal. The two families did not interact much, except for exchanging greetings during holidays.

Later, with Jin Shang's support, Jin Miao's business grew significantly, and their interactions became much more frequent.

The used car business and auto parts business may be completely incomprehensible to outsiders, but insiders know it like the back of their hand. No one can really say how deep the water is in it. The longer you work in this industry, the less daring you become and the more cautious you become.

Don't be fooled by the fact that you seem to make a lot of money normally. If you fall into a big trap, you might lose all the money you've earned, including interest.

Previously, it was fine to only operate in the used car market, but after officially starting a 4S store business, expanding the scope of services, and becoming more and more standardized, many problems that were previously unavoidable began to appear one after another. Fortunately, Jin Miao's abilities were also decent. After a period of chaos in the beginning, he gradually got the hang of it.

While embracing online promotion and retail, they have also begun to integrate upstream small and medium-sized suppliers, such as car window tinting, windshield washer fluid, leather seat cushions, dashcams, reversing radars, car air conditioners, fuel coolant and lubricants, which are all businesses with high barriers to entry, opaque information and ridiculously high profits.

Jinshang's automotive business was able to obtain firsthand information and feedback largely thanks to Jin Miao's help.

Electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids with extended range, are, strictly speaking, not only a manufacturing industry but also a service industry. If after-sales support is done well, the profits may be higher than directly manufacturing cars.

The more Jin Shang learned, the more he understood the meaning of the saying "automobiles are the backbone of a country's industry".

The car brand of a certain grain in the past was not actually a car company, but a supply chain integrator and after-sales service provider. No wonder the actual controller and management would play all sorts of underhanded tricks.

That is why Jin Miao, a distant relative, holds an increasingly important place in Jin Shang's heart.

After running around for a while, Jin Shang finally sat down with Li Xuan and had a meal with their close relatives.

Having barely eaten all day, only managing a few bites to tide me over when it was time to eat, I found the food to be especially delicious.

After taking a few sips of the lotus root, kelp, and pork rib soup, Jin Shang let out a long sigh of relief and said:
"It's so fresh and fragrant. Even though this is an off-season variety grown in greenhouses using advanced technology, it's still different from the lotus root grown in the lotus root hometown. This batch was specially cultivated a year in advance."

It is precisely because of the variety of local specialties that other businesses do not have that Lao Jin's restaurant and fresh food supermarket are doing better and better. Some high-end customers who pursue a high quality of life have begun to adapt to customized products, and the brand's reputation has gradually improved.

"Life is better now, and people from all over the country can gather together, which is not as difficult as before."

With a reserved smile, Li Xuan said a few words, poured drinks for her parents-in-law, and then wiped the greasy mouth of Xiao Jinfeng.

The young lady, who couldn't even take care of herself a few years ago, has changed.

Cao Heng, the rather strong-willed mother-in-law, also had a big smile on her face. She had been busy with preparations these past few days. Although the wedding didn't seem extravagant or low-key at first glance, and didn't even seem luxurious or sophisticated, every detail showed the thoughtfulness of the in-laws. The money was spent on enhancing the actual experience.

People tend to flaunt what they lack most. Those who truly live a down-to-earth life have a sense of right and wrong and know what to do and when to do it.

The money was spent on things that wouldn't attract attention or envy, and the practical benefits were not compromised at all.

The daughter, who had caused the mother so much worry, finally got married. The old mother was filled with mixed emotions as she watched her daughter, son-in-law, and everyone else talking peacefully.

After a while, Grandmother Xian Guizhen, who had drunk a little wine, felt a bit tired and asked Lao Bian to take her to a nearby guest room to rest.

Jinshan also took a moment to check his phone; there were over two hundred unread text messages and more than twenty missed calls.

Jin Shang smiled knowingly and ignored it. He glanced at the contacts and records, got the gist of it, and then focused on entertaining the guests.

Today was a workday, and Jinshang hadn't sent out many invitations, so many people in the know simply offered their congratulations and greetings and that was it.

Jin Shang himself has given out a lot of benefits. The gifts and various expenses that the boss has given to employees of all sizes in the group company and important partners amount to more than 70 million.

Regardless of the amount, almost everyone receives a share.

Taking the opportunity to give employees some benefits, Jinshang is quite generous, provided they have the capacity.

Then there's Huang Zhengkuo, his great-grandfather by blood. He should have shown up, but due to health reasons, he couldn't go too far. He basically didn't go out unless there was something he absolutely had to do.

As the new year approaches, Old Huang will be ninety-five, entering his ninety-sixth year. At this age, although he looks fine, his spirits are declining year by year. After winter, his complexion has become even worse.

Fortunately, she was well taken care of and looked like an ordinary elderly person who was not very mobile. In fact, if she really made up her mind, she could take a short walk or even jog a short distance. It's just that she gets tired very quickly and recovers very slowly.

As a senior colleague who also possessed a "golden touch," Lao Huang increasingly felt that his own vitality, like a "candle in the wind," was already teetering on the brink of collapse.

If it's well cared for, it can last for quite a while, but if anything goes wrong, it's hard to say.

Unfortunately, what Lao Huang and his family, whom he couldn't let go of, lacked most was time, which they desperately needed to mitigate the impact of the decline and slow collapse of their thousand-year-old family.

To ensure the safe arrival of future generations, no mishaps are acceptable, especially during the years when the Kim family is rapidly climbing the ladder of success. Without the subtle protection of this great Buddha, it's hard to say whether they could have progressed faster and more steadily.

Even though he didn't come, at least the gift was delivered, and Kim Sang smiled knowingly when he saw the gift list.

Huang Zhengkuo basically met all the requests and conditions he had made not long ago, and even added a few truly good things, such as a medium-sized copper and lithium mine in South America, a trading company in Central Africa with exploration and mining rights, sugarcane, sugar beets and rubber plantations in Northwest Africa, and several farms on the Red Sea coast.

These things may seem a bit abstract, but in reality, their actual value depends entirely on whether the person in charge has the ability to tap into their potential. The things are there, but whether they have the ability to acquire the resources is another matter entirely.

Whether Jin Shang pays his dues and is sent back in disgrace, or successfully appeases all the stakeholders and reaps the greatest benefits, is another test that Lao Huang is giving Jin Shang.

"Only time and history can truly test me; you old man, you really don't hold back at all!"

Having accepted Jin Shang's benefits and promises, Lao Huang was indeed very generous. However, the gifts he gave were full of hidden barbs. Whether Jin Shang could remove the barbs and straighten them out depended on his abilities.

And then...

"They probably think I'm powerful enough now, and that the power of my 'Golden Broom' will be even more effective!"

Those things, if not handled well, won't make much money, and may even become liabilities; but once you encounter a favorable time with the right circumstances, they can become a treasure trove worth hundreds of billions, trillions, or even trillions.

The fact that he hasn't even made it in the domestic market suggests that Jin Shang is looking abroad. Does this imply that Jin Shang has reached the ceiling of what a typical entrepreneur can achieve?
Indeed, if you want to grow bigger and stronger, it's no longer a simple business or commercial matter, and it's not even an economic issue.

Huang Zhengkuo is a senior and powerful figure, but that doesn't mean he can handle everything. There are people stronger than him, and even several with equal influence, not to mention that he has been behind the scenes for many years.

Those in positions of power should fulfill their responsibilities. Relying solely on protégés and former subordinates to advocate for one's position has its limitations. Once someone leaves, their influence fades – this is the harsh reality.
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On the surface, it may seem that nothing has changed from an unmarried young man to a married husband, but in reality, there are many differences.

In the past, they were called promising young talents; now they are called steady, reliable, and successful people with a bright future. Simply put, the transition from child to adult is not just about reaching a certain age.

In public, fewer people call Kim Sang "Little Kim." Close friends still call him "Ah Sang" or "Little Sang," while others call him Boss Kim, Mr. Kim, or Mr. Kim. You can tell from the way he is addressed that married people give a completely different impression and feeling.

Of course, another important point is that by taking advantage of the boss's wedding and giving out so many gifts, they were able to gain some goodwill, making Jin Shang and Li Xuan feel increasingly favored and trusted.

From another perspective, having completed the progression from "self-cultivation" to "family management," Jin Shang instinctively sensed that the power of the "Golden Broom" seemed to have suddenly taken a big leap forward, and his previously vague premonition had become clearer.

Just when it seemed something big was about to happen, global internet technology stocks experienced an epic surge. As a series of listed companies, such as e-commerce, social networking, information dissemination, news media, online games, hardware systems, browsers, security antivirus, and email, were sought after, China's relatively conservative capital market also ushered in a spring. Jinghua Mall took the lead in launching its IPO plan, and Fetion, after integrating resources, also announced its financing and listing timetable.

Originally a pioneer and leader, Jinxi Culture seems to be struggling to keep up with the overwhelming publicity campaign.

(End of this chapter)