Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 937 Independent Freight Operations
After Wang Jianguo finished his introduction, he looked at Chen Fan and said with a smile, "Advisor Chen, would you like coffee or tea? It's on me."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Wow, you must be making a good living now. I'm going to have to treat you to a good meal."

He looked at the two storefronts with a scrutinizing gaze, asking, "Which one is more expensive?"

Wang Jianguo laughed and said, "The price difference is about right. That's what Boss Fang said. Putting aside top-tier luxury goods, the price difference between mass-produced good tea and good coffee beans isn't that much."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Actually, things here aren't that expensive, otherwise the management committee staff wouldn't be able to afford such things. A cup of coffee ranges from one to five yuan, and a pot of tea is about the same price. Not to mention us, even ordinary workers sometimes come here to sit for a while."

However, the workers drank tea more often, since there was only one cup of coffee, but a pot of tea, enough for three or four people, and they could also get refills.

Chen Fan pointed to the tea room, "Then let's go have some tea."

He then turned to look at Wang Jianguo and smiled, "Workers are here too? They must all be young people, right?"

Wang Jianguo smiled and nodded repeatedly, then quickly took two steps to push open the glass door and invite Chen Fan in first. He said, "Yes, they're all young people. The older folks are reluctant to spend money. Even the cheapest coffee that costs one yuan a cup or tea that costs two yuan a pot, they see it as almost like robbery."

Release your hand, and the glass door will automatically spring back and close, keeping the outside heat out.

Chen Fan glanced around, walked to a table near the glass wall, sat down, and said, "The air conditioning is on inside, that's nice."

Wang Jianguo glanced at the bar and saw that the waiter had already walked over quickly. He sat down opposite him and said with a smile, "There are still too few air conditioners. Only the office building, the senior executive dormitory and a few public places have air conditioners installed. The other workers' dormitories still use electric fans."

However, Shenzhen summers are very hot, and many colleagues from the north often can't sleep at night because of the heat. Therefore, General Manager Ye decided to open another air conditioner factory. General Manager Ma was recently inspecting air conditioner production lines, and it's estimated that the factory will be operational as early as the second half of the year. At that time, not only will air conditioning be installed in all dormitories, but it will also provide an additional export product, increasing the company's profits.

Compared to other home appliances, air conditioners and refrigerators are more technologically advanced and were not included in the initial product range. However, now that everything has been streamlined, it is time to increase the variety of products.

After Wang Jianguo finished speaking, he glanced at the waiter who was already waiting beside him and asked Chen Fan, "Consultant Chen, what kind of tea would you like?"

Chen Fan looked at the waiter and asked with a smile, "What kind of tea do you have here?"

The waiter was clearly trained; he placed his hands on his lower abdomen and grinned, revealing eight teeth. “Hello, Consultant Chen, we have West Lake Longjing, Dongting Biluochun, Huangshan Maofeng, Lushan Yunwu Tea, Liuan Guapian, Junshan Yinzhen, Xinyang Maojian, Wuyi Rock Tea, Anxi Tieguanyin, and Qimen Black Tea.”

Chen Fan blinked, turned to look at Wang Jianguo, then turned back and chuckled, "You guys sourced your tea from the list of the top ten famous teas, right?"

In 1959, the official selection of teas from across the country resulted in the selection of the top ten famous teas.

After the selection results were announced, the value of these teas increased significantly. The biggest challenge, however, is the limited production volume, making it very difficult for ordinary people to purchase them.

Because, apart from supplying special units, most of the good tea production was exported to earn foreign exchange. The supply and marketing cooperatives mainly sold local teas and coarse teas from various regions, which were produced in large quantities, were inexpensive, and affordable for ordinary people.

Of course, there's also this "special tea" that farmers pick themselves, which is free and tastes great.

The fact that this place could gather all ten famous teas was obvious to Chen Fan; he knew without a doubt that it was thanks to the US dollar.

The waiter blushed slightly and said, "We also have Yunnan Pu'er tea, both ripe and raw, Suzhou jasmine tea, Taiping Houkui,..."

Seeing Chen Fan's increasingly cheerful smile, she assumed that the legendary consultant and great writer thought the tea here was too ordinary and had become competitive. So she immediately changed her tune and said, "We have another kind of tea here that you've definitely never tried before."

Chen Fan looked at her, then at Wang Jianguo, and noticed that Wang Jianguo was also smiling and silent. So he turned to look at her and said with a smile, "Oh? Then tell me about it."

The waiter raised his chin slightly and said confidently, "It's golden flower tea from Fangcheng, Guangxi. This tea is produced in very small quantities. The brewed tea soup is golden in color. After the golden flowers absorb water, they bloom in the water. It's not only beautiful and delicious, but it also has the effects of nourishing the kidneys and replenishing qi, as well as detoxifying and beautifying the skin."

The golden camellias harvested each year are almost entirely exported to earn foreign exchange, with almost none available domestically. Our tea leaves are even sourced from Hong Kong.

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly as he asked, "Is it the golden camellia that botanist Hu Xiansu named in the 1960s?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter's eyes widened in surprise. "You know about this too?"

At this moment, she was completely impressed, thinking that he truly deserved to be called a great writer, as he was knowledgeable and worldly-wise. After work, when she returned to her dormitory, she would have something to talk about with her girlfriends.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "I may know it, but I've never actually drunk it."

Then he looked at Wang Jianguo and said, "Then we'll drink this tea today."

Wang Jianguo immediately gestured, "Bring a pot of Golden Flower tea, and a few plates of snacks."

The waiter nodded immediately. "Okay, please wait a moment, it'll be right there."

After saying that, he gracefully left.

Chen Fan leaned back in the rattan chair, found a comfortable position, and looked at Wang Jianguo with a smile, "Not bad, Mr. Wang, that move just now really showed the demeanor of a boss."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianguo's face flushed slightly. He lowered his head and smiled, then raised his head and said, "What boss or not, we're all just serving the company."

As he spoke, he suddenly couldn't help but sigh, turned to look out the window, and said with emotion, "Last year, I came to Shenzhen with the intention of going all out to Hong Kong to try my luck and make a living. I never expected to meet you, which led to the Wang Jianguo I am today."

He then looked at Chen Fan, his eyes filled with a complicated expression. "The reason I thought of going to Hong Kong was because I listened to some of my comrades and wanted to make a living there. It's just that those who went earlier were in very bad shape."

Just like what Cai Guo-Qiang said about those who swam across, some were reduced to manual labor, barely earning enough to eat, while others searched for odd jobs to make ends meet. Many couldn't bear that life with no future and, under the influence of unscrupulous individuals, committed grave mistakes…

Chen Fan sat opposite him, listening silently to his outpouring of emotions.

He knew very well that he didn't need to discuss anything with Wang Jianguo right now; he just needed to listen attentively.

However, he was already familiar with what Wang Jianguo was talking about.

It's not that he had heard about it from others before, but rather that he had seen it in movies and TV shows.

The "Big Circle Boys" have always been a negative example in Hong Kong films. Ruthless, fearless, and with explosive firepower, etc. Chen Fan doesn't comment on this group. After all, every group has its good and bad. Not all Big Circle Boys are the fearsome cavalrymen who shocked Guangdong and Hong Kong. On the contrary, the vast majority of them lived at the very bottom of Hong Kong's social ladder, becoming ants struggling for survival in this international metropolis.

However, due to the influence of film and television works, the big circle has been equated with ruthless bandits.

Actually, compared to local gangs and some Southeast Asian thugs, what the Big Circle did is really nothing. Well, it was just that the firepower was impressive and memorable.

As Chen Fan sipped his tea and listened to Wang Jianguo's story, his mind wandered elsewhere.

After a while, Wang Jianguo finally came to his senses, quickly composed himself, and said with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry, I was a bit moved by the scene just now and said a lot of nonsense. Please forgive me."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's only natural that you, now that you've reached the shore, still think about your suffering comrades. There's nothing to laugh at."

He paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and looked at Wang Jianguo and said, "Have you ever thought about bringing all your comrades over? Even if Shunfeng Transportation Company is temporarily full, they can work in the factory."

I heard from General Manager Ye that there's a lot of overtime now; the equipment keeps running even when people stop. The average worker's wage is around 100 yuan. Although it's not as much as the windfall they make over there, they feel at peace with the money they earn, and it's better than risking their lives, right?

Wang Jianguo pursed his lips, shook his head slightly, and said with a wry smile, "I've mentioned it to them too, but they..."

At this point, he shook his head again, seemingly unsure how to continue.

Chen Fan thought for a moment and said, "If you get into trouble, there's no turning back?"

Wang Jianguo nodded slightly. "To paraphrase a friend of mine, people in the underworld are often powerless to change their fate. If they lay down their guns and wait for their enemies to come knocking, they will be powerless to fight back, and may even implicate others."

Chen Fan pursed his lips. "Yeah, Gu Long is right. When you're in the martial world, you're not in control of your own destiny. Love and hate are hard to escape, and grudges are endless. Some things you can't just back down from."

Wang Jianguo blinked, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "Who is Gu Long?"

Chen Fan chuckled, "There's a novelist in Taiwan whose books are also sold in Hong Kong. When you send someone to Hong Kong to pick up a truck, bring back a set for you, and you'll see."

I don't know if I'll be stopped at the border, but the truck is so big and it's a company under Wan Muchun, so I guess I won't be given any trouble.

Wang Jianguo said "Oh," wondering if this Gu Long was really that powerful, since even Consultant Chen knew about him.
The next second, he saw that Chen Fan's teacup was more than half empty, so he quickly picked up the teapot and refilled it.

He put the teapot back on the small charcoal stove, looked up at Chen Fan and smiled, "Actually, most of our trips now are to the mainland; less than half of them go to Hong Kong."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Didn't you say that all the products here are sold overseas? How come there are still cars driving inland?"

Wang Jianguo explained with a smile, "Our factory's products are indeed all sold overseas, but our current production capacity is limited. We only need 30 to 40 trucks a day to meet our transportation needs."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's eyes twitched. Thirty or forty cars a day, and he calls that limited production capacity?
Wang Jianguo continued, “The remaining trucks can’t just sit there. The industrial park management committee approached me, hoping to transport building materials to the construction site, but I felt that our trucks were all new and it would be a waste to use them to haul earth, sand, gravel, and cement, so I didn’t agree.”

Then I remembered what you told me before: the transportation company should operate independently, not treat itself as an appendage of Wanmuchun Factory, and have its own independence, and what we can do, etc.

Fortunately, some of our comrades knew that there were several unofficial wholesale markets in Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Dongguan, and many people from the north went to those wholesale markets to purchase goods.

If they can successfully bring the goods back to the northern cities, the price can increase several times, or even ten or dozens of times.

The problem is they lack suitable transportation channels. If they travel by train or long-distance bus, there will be inspections on board. Small shipments are manageable, but larger quantities are likely to be lost.

Hearing this, Chen Fan asked curiously, "So you sent the truck over to transport their goods?"

Wang Jianguo chuckled twice and said, "At first, it was like this: I sent a few quick-witted and eloquent comrades to several wholesale markets to find customers from the north and tell them that we could help them transport their goods back home."

We investigated and found that strict checks are only conducted on trains and long-distance buses; for smaller, independent vehicles, no one cares at all.

Chen Fan nodded slightly as he listened, "Yes, that's true. Otherwise, those long-distance drivers wouldn't be carrying goods for others so often."

These days, each of the eight types of employees has its own advantages, but if we're talking about who can make the most money, it's undoubtedly the "steering wheel" driver. Among the group that got rich earliest in the 80s, they are also the most famous, even more so than street vendors.

After Chen Fan finished speaking, Wang Jianguo smiled and said, "That's true, so using spare vehicles to help others transport goods is feasible."

Chen Fan had a new question, looking at him and asking, "Do they believe you?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianguo couldn't help but puff out his chest and said with pride, "We're not some unemployed bastards. Shenzhen isn't far from Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Dongguan. They'll know once they take the time to come and see for themselves."

"With over a thousand acres of freight yard right here, and a hundred Jiefang trucks constantly coming and going, never stopping, how could we possibly cheat them out of such a small amount of money?"

Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle as he listened, "That's true."

Wang Jianguo took a sip of tea and instinctively wanted to smoke, but after glancing at Chen Fan, he forced himself to resist.

Upon seeing this, Chen Fan immediately took out a cigarette and tossed it to him, saying, "Smoke if you want, what are you afraid of?"

Wang Jianguo chuckled twice, quickly took out a lighter to light Chen Fan's cigarette, then lit his own before taking a satisfying puff. He continued, "So, we find cargo owners here and help them transport the goods northward. Along the way, we only stop in major provincial capitals north of the Yangtze River, which means passing through Wuhan, Zhengzhou, and Shijiazhuang, before finally arriving in Beijing."

After two months of operation, at the client's request, we extended our stop northward into the three northeastern provinces, finally stopping in Harbin.

After saying that, he took two more puffs of his cigarette, flicked off the ash, and chuckled at Chen Fan, "I never thought that transporting goods could be so profitable. You can earn several thousand yuan for just one trip."

At this point, he suddenly became a little embarrassed, "After we made money, Mr. Ye said that since we had secured this part of the freight business ourselves, he would give us 30% as bonuses. I initially said it was too much, that we didn't need that much, but Mr. Ye directly instructed the finance department to deposit the bonuses into our bank accounts, and we couldn't get them back..."

Seeing his expression, Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh and say, "Why would you want to back out? This is the money you earned, it's rightfully yours, it's yours to keep. Take it."

Hearing Chen Fan say that, Wang Jianguo finally grinned from ear to ear, "Hey."

(End of this chapter)