Age of Legends

Chapter 213 The First in Rongcheng!
On Shuwa Street, the dappled shadows of sycamore trees fall on the blue brick and tile walls, and the air is filled with the fragrance of jasmine from the teahouse and the smell of rust from the hardware store next door.

The newly opened "Shengfeng Express" sign hangs on the roller shutter of this small shop, the blue background and white lettering still looking brand new.

Zhao Tao stood at the door and lit the firecrackers himself. After the crackling sound of firecrackers in the early morning, the express station officially opened, attracting many onlookers.

This is the first privately-owned express delivery station in Fuzhou, which has a more down-to-earth feel than the green of the post office.

Liu Zhijun, a middle-aged man in a polyester jacket, lingered at the door for five minutes, his fingers, gripping the brown paper envelope, glistening with sweat. He had an urgent letter to send to Jiangcheng. If he used EMS express delivery, it would take one or two days to arrive, even if he sent it today, and it would still be delayed on the road.

The express delivery station in front of us, which has a sign that reads "Next-day delivery within the province," also charges 15 yuan.

Liu Zhijun leaned closer, saw Zhao Tao, and asked, "Boss, are you sure it's next-day delivery?"

Zhao Tao hadn't expected to have business so soon after opening, and quickly replied, "Of course, our slogans have been very popular."

"Sent today, delivered tomorrow? In Jiangcheng?"

“Jiangcheng? No problem.” Zhao Tao nodded. “Our driver will set off this afternoon and get there overnight. The sorting station will deliver it immediately. Is this Jiangcheng city proper? It will be a little slower in the suburbs. It will arrive in the city tomorrow.”

"City center, city center, Shapingba! And don't you dare lose the documents in this letter!"

"No, no, don't worry!" Zhao Tao replied immediately.

At that time, there was no such thing as price guarantee; it was basically all verbal promises.

"Okay then!" The man handed over the letter, which was sealed by the receptionist, and then the money was handed to Zhao Tao.

Having business right after opening is certainly a good omen. Zhao Tao had a strange feeling about it all. From Zhang Chen pointing him to this path, to the two of them going to the Yangtze River Delta under the guise of tourism to investigate, to returning and confirming, raising funds, borrowing money, gathering people, setting up the company, then spreading out to set up branches, and now building a preliminary network and receiving the first order.

It's only a small amount, fifteen yuan. This fifteen yuan is just the fee for a few hours of use on a single machine in my internet cafe, and it seems much harder to earn money than that.

But like a drop of water, coming from the vibrant community around it, from this surging era, what will it eventually become?

Will they converge into the rivers, lakes, and seas that Zhang Chen spoke of, forming rolling waves?

After the first order, business gradually resumed, and people started asking, "Boss, can you mail parcels?"

"We can ship! We charge based on weight and volume!"

"Is it also delivered the next day?"

"Delivery within the province and municipalities directly under the central government will be completed the next day; delivery to the southwest region outside the province will be completed within three days!"

"Auntie, if you need to send a package, try to do so here. This is currently Shengfeng's headquarters, so there are more departures and pickups!"

"Oh, are you going to expand? Can you ship to Zhonghai? I have relatives there and I want to bring them some local specialties. Some of them will expire if they get too hot on the way, so I need them to arrive quickly."

"Yes, yes, we'll do it. Once the branch is up and running, we'll expand outwards. Then we can ship there. Right now, it's the fastest within the province!"

"Fine!"

Actually, there weren't many elderly women who came to inquire about the details of sending packages. This was because Zhao Tao had received Zhang Chen's planning document before the opening, which detailed everything from the entrance to the display stands and advertising boards outside. It included everything from the placement of items at the entrance, the setting off of firecrackers, the package information at the door, and a concise and eye-catching introduction.

The main purpose is to make it clear at a glance, highlight "next-day delivery," and reflect its differentiation and advanced nature from the postal system.

Furthermore, the promotional board uses a question-and-answer format, much like the headline "Breaking News! Huang He from Jiangnan Leather Factory eloped with his sister-in-law..." followed by, "What you see here is Chengdu's first privately-owned next-day delivery courier company! Our slogan is 'Next-day delivery is guaranteed, packages arrive like rockets, and errors are fixed overnight!'"

Then, the poster moves downwards, using artistic exaggeration to highlight the main subject.

"Whether it's windy or rainy, we'll still deliver it. -- Braving the elements, we shoulder our mission!"

"Are private services reliable? — Promises are delivered personally, each one with warmth!"

The ending, which brings the theme back to life, leaves a lasting impression.

"Our motto is: Swift as lightning, steady as a mountain, passed down from hand to hand, and living up to the trust placed in us!"

This set of advertisements has a strong, catchy, street-style rhythm. Almost everyone is drawn in, amused by the advertisement board, and then by the details on how to send packages. One memorable point after another, and they quickly understand what it is.

Private courier company.

It's the first one in Fuzhou!

They can quickly deliver packages and letters; they have their own fleet of vehicles and can directly dispatch trucks to deliver goods! They also offer one-on-one, hand-delivery service to the recipient.

Having tried both postal and logistics services for mail and parcel delivery, almost everyone has encountered pain points. Postal mail is basically just left at a centralized collection point, requiring individuals to search for it themselves, and there are also instances of mail being stolen and people's privacy being violated. Registered mail is okay for those with work units, but for individuals without work units, many places won't deliver to floors above the second floor; if asked, they say delivery failed and you have to go to the post office to sign for it yourself. Not to mention parcels, which are impossible to deliver personally; they're either picked up and delivered by the post office or a delivery point, and it takes an extremely long time.

This immediately gave people a clear understanding of what express delivery is and how it differs from regular postal express delivery.

As he did his inventory that evening, watching the delivery truck speed away, Zhao Tao took a deep breath, picked up his smartphone, and made a call.

The call connected, and Zhao Tao asked, "get out of class is over?"

"Just logged off. You called right on time, didn't you?" Zhang Chen said, holding the phone. "How was the opening today? How's business?"

How many do you think there are?

"One hundred?" Zhang Chen asked tentatively. Private courier services were still a relatively new phenomenon in Rongcheng, and acceptance would take time. Moreover, previous surveys showed that many courier companies initially had very little business. There was no immediate surge in demand; everything needed to gain acceptance and build a reputation, as many people still had trust issues when sending packages.

“308 items,” Zhao Tao said softly.

Zhang Chen paused for a moment, then laughed into the phone, "Not bad!"

Zhao Tao said, "It should still be thanks to you. As soon as the firecrackers were set off, a lot of people gathered around. And those who came to the store were basically attracted by your unique display board. They quickly learned about the scope of business and various situations, which reduced our workload of explanation and made it easier to close deals."

Zhao Tao also came from a business background, and he actually has a keen sense of smell in this area. Ever since Zhang Chen became popular on Wang Bowen's show, Zhao Tao has been observing Zhang Chen. What made him look at Zhang Chen even more with admiration was the bizarre electrocution death of Xiong Laoda that night.

Although he questioned Wang Shuowei about the whole process in detail afterward, during the internal discussion among the brothers, Bu Ruijie and Hong Yao unanimously believed that it was just a coincidence, and that Wang Shuowei and Zhang Chen were simply lucky.

But Zhao Tao always felt that this seemingly coincidental event was not so simple. Although logically everything was fine, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He always thought he could see through people very well, so when he fought outside, others thought he was very good at fighting and very fierce. But he didn't always fight head-on. He could always see the weaknesses of his opponents when surrounded by strong enemies, and see where the situation could be broken. Coupled with his courage, he was able to repeatedly turn the tide of battle.

Despite his supposedly sharp eye, he found himself unable to see through Zhang Chen, a high school student. He wasn't sure what the feeling was, but Zhang Chen seemed shrouded in a mysterious aura. Whenever Zhang Chen looked at him, it wasn't like looking at an older brother, but more like looking at a long-time acquaintance. This made Zhao Tao unable to speak to him with the air of a superior, instead preferring to treat him as an equal.

So when Zhang Chen gave him advice, he listened immediately and then quickly implemented it. Until now, the express station has been opened, becoming the first private express delivery company in Rongcheng.

This label gave Zhao Tao the illusion of being in history.

The reason he called it an illusion is that he knew very well his own worth and whether he deserved to leave his name in this kind of history.
He had been trying to shed the image of Zhao Tao as a gangster boss.

Zhao Tao's first day of delivery business was unexpectedly good, much better than expected. Zhang Chen thought about it and felt it made sense. On the one hand, the store was located in an area with many commercial office buildings. Although it was a shop outside an old residential area, it was still in a bustling area. In addition, with his help in promotion, some things were bound to go viral. Not to mention, by borrowing some brainwashing copywriting techniques from later generations, these things could make onlookers unable to walk by, and then spread the information quickly by word of mouth.

Being able to make someone understand what something is in a short time, and then explain it to a second person, is already a very clever technique in Rongcheng right now.

In other words, this is an absolutely irrefutable truth in domestic marketing throughout this entire stage.

To be honest, Zhang Chen's previous use of QQ was merely a matter of chance, a rather clichéd plot point he'd seen in many rebirth novels. He was simply using someone else's resources to secure a spot. It wasn't anything special.

But guiding Zhao Tao, turning Zhao Tao around, and ultimately leading Zhao Tao to gather a group of brothers and enter the express delivery industry, Zhang Chen felt like he was making history. That's what a sense of accomplishment is.

However, he had more to say: "You keep doing this. After a while, Chen Xuran will invite you to a seminar. If you have a dream, just tell him. Then we'll promote it widely, and you'll be busy. So for now, just spread the network as wide as possible and expand your business."

Chen Xuran also possesses the most powerful propaganda machine in Rongcheng, which Zhang Chen naturally intends to utilize, as it forms the basis for his stirring up trouble in Rongcheng.

In an era when the internet cannot yet catch up with television media, we should naturally make good use of the last vestiges of television media's glory.

Zhao Tao was now truly impressed by Zhang Chen's plans. He had never been one to submit to anyone in terms of physical strength, and he was quite arrogant in his intellect. He also considered himself to have a sharp business mind, but he had indeed witnessed firsthand how a genius like Zhang Chen devised strategies behind the scenes.

He just couldn't bring himself to say the words of praise. This stubborn man, who had never bowed his head in his life, simply said into the phone, "Thanks!"

(End of this chapter)