Siheyuan: I am Banggeng's uncle

Chapter 1001 Rank matters!

Around 12:00 PM, two trucks carrying four fully armed guards drove out of the steel rolling mill and headed towards Jingu City. At the same time, a convoy of ten trucks, accompanied by dozens of guards, drove out of the Commerce Bureau compound.

"Dingling! Dingling! Dingling!"

Around 3 p.m., the phone in Jiang Kun's office suddenly rang. Jiang Kun, who was sitting in his office reading a newspaper, heard the phone ring, reached out and picked up the receiver, and politely asked, "Hello! This is Jiang Kun. May I ask who this is?"

"Xiao Jiang! Good afternoon, this is your Uncle Wang. I heard that your Commerce Bureau purchased a batch of electrical appliances from Hong Kong through Mr. Wu's channels, and is preparing to sell them in department stores. Is this news true?" Jiang Kun's question had just ended when a very kind voice from a middle-aged man came through the phone.

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's self-introduction, Jiang Kun immediately recognized him and greeted him warmly, "Uncle Wang! Good afternoon! Half a year ago, I was transferred from the ministry to the Municipal Bureau of Commerce. As soon as I arrived, I conducted research on several department stores under its jurisdiction and found that these department stores had many problems in their operation."

"In order to solve the problems existing in the department store and to prevent it from continuing to rely on the municipal bureau's financial subsidies to achieve its goal of making a fortune, I met Mr. Wu, who specializes in helping to purchase imported equipment, through a friend's introduction. If we can purchase a batch of imported goods from Hong Kong through Mr. Wu's purchasing channels, we plan to use the Second Department Store as a pilot to sell these imported goods."

After hearing Jiang Kun's explanation, Uncle Wang confirmed that Jiang Kun had indeed purchased a batch of imported appliances. He smiled and explained to Jiang Kun, "Little Jiang! Here's the situation: My son Zhiming is getting married soon, and he originally planned to buy a TV. But then he heard from someone that your Commerce Bureau had purchased a batch of color TVs, so he came to my office and asked me to call you and see if I could spare him a color TV."

When Jiang Kun heard Uncle Wang's explanation on the phone, he thought of the plan he had come up with from the beginning and said to Uncle Wang with a smile, "Uncle Wang! To be honest, this time we purchased a total of fifty color TVs, twenty refrigerators, and twenty washing machines. Although there are ninety appliances in total, there are far more than ninety people eyeing these appliances."

"But since you and my dad are old comrades-in-arms, Uncle Wang, I can disregard other people's feelings, but I must give you face, Uncle Wang. This batch of appliances will be delivered to our city tomorrow evening. To avoid any unforeseen complications, have Zhiming come to me tomorrow to get the delivery order, and then take the money and the delivery order to the Second Department Store to pay and pick up the goods."

Upon hearing Jiang Kun's words, Uncle Wang on the other end of the phone immediately asked, "Xiao Jiang! Then I'll thank you on behalf of my son Zhiming. By the way, how much does this color TV cost? I'll have Zhiming prepare the money later."

When Jiang Kun heard Uncle Wang ask about the price of the color television, he remembered the prices they had discussed in the meeting that morning and immediately replied with a smile, "Uncle Wang! The price of the color television is one thousand and eighty-eight, the price of the refrigerator is nine hundred and eighty-eight, and the price of the washing machine is six hundred and eighty-eight!"

When Uncle Wang heard the price Jiang Kun quoted, he smiled and said to Jiang Kun, "Okay! Little Jiang! I'll have Zhiming come to you later to get the delivery order. Goodbye!"

"Dingling! Dingling! Dingling!"

After hearing Uncle Wang's words, Jiang Kun said goodbye and placed the receiver on the landline. Less than thirty seconds after hanging up, the phone rang again. For the next hour or so, the phone in Jiang Kun's office rang non-stop, all from people seeking information about color televisions or asking for quotas.

At first, Jiang Kun was proud of his decision when he received these calls. However, as he received more and more calls, he realized that he didn't have enough quota to go around. This gave him a huge headache, and he eventually stopped answering the phone altogether.

"Director Jiang! Deputy General Manager Chen from the General Administration called you and wants you to call him back immediately." Around 5 p.m., Jiang Kun, looking dejected, packed his things and prepared to go home after get off work when Director Guo suddenly rushed into his office and respectfully reported to Jiang Kun.

Upon hearing Director Guo's report and learning that Deputy Director Chen from the General Administration had called him, Jiang Kun felt a sense of foreboding and asked Director Guo curiously, "Director Guo! Did Deputy Director Chen say why he wanted to see me?"

Upon hearing Jiang Kun's inquiry, Director Guo immediately reported to Jiang Kun: "Director Jiang! Deputy General Manager Chen said he called you several times in a row, but your phone was always busy, so he called our office. He specifically asked me to inquire about our purchase of goods from Hong Kong, and he also asked me to find you immediately so that you can call him back."

Upon hearing Director Guo's report, Jiang Kun felt utterly overwhelmed. Helpless, he reached for the phone, pressed the button, and vigorously cranked the handset several times to call Deputy Director Chen of the General Administration.

"Xiao Jiang! What's going on over there? Why can't I get through to your office phone?" The call was quickly connected, and before Jiang Kun could even speak, a middle-aged man's very dissatisfied voice came from the other end of the line.

Upon hearing Vice President Chen's questioning voice, Jiang Kun immediately broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "President Chen! It's not that I didn't answer the phone, but the news about our purchase of imported goods has been leaked by someone. All afternoon, I've been getting calls one after another asking for quotas. Even when I just called you, the phone in my office hadn't stopped ringing."

Upon hearing Jiang Kun's report, Vice President Chen did not delve further into the matter and went straight to the point: "Jiang! I heard that you purchased a total of fifty color television sets this time. No matter how many people with connections ask you for quotas, you must reserve twenty color television sets for the General Administration."

Upon hearing Vice President Chen's request, Jiang Kun, recalling the phone calls he had received that afternoon, felt utterly overwhelmed. He quickly asked Vice President Chen, "President Chen! When I reported to the General Administration last time, didn't they only request a quota of ten color television sets? Now you're adding ten more quotas. Where am I supposed to find ten more quotas for you?"

"Jiang Kun! I don't care where you change it, in short, the quota of fifty color television sets, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television requires at least twenty sets. This is not a discussion, it is an order." Upon hearing Jiang Kun's complaint, Vice President Chen gave him no room for negotiation and directly ordered him in a tough manner.

"It's true what they say, rank really does crush you!" Jiang Kun, despite his reluctance, had no choice but to accept the order from Vice President Chen. He muttered a frustrated complaint in his heart before reluctantly replying, "President Chen! I understand. We will reserve twenty quotas for the General Administration."

(End of this chapter)