Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 127 High-Risk Contract, Let's Do It! (Bonus Chapter 510 for the Silver Alliance's Elbow)

"Mr. Yan, you're being too polite. Why did you bring wine to my place? Do you think I don't have wine here?" Mr. Teng's expression was somewhat displeased when he saw the wine Yan Hui had brought.

“It’s not that I’m being formal,” Yan Hui said, casually placing the bottle on the coffee table. “Mr. Teng, to be honest, two years ago in Fengtian, I drank too much with some business friends. The four of us drank over 200 bottles of beer, from evening until the early hours of the morning. I even ended up in the hospital. Since then, I’ve completely given up drinking. I brought this bottle because I can’t drink tonight and can’t keep you company. I’d like to express my apologies.”

"Fifty-odd bottles of beer by yourself? My God, it's a good thing you don't drink, otherwise the three of us wouldn't be able to outdrink you." Mr. Teng exclaimed in surprise.

"Young and naive," Yan Hui shook his head helplessly.

“If you don’t want to drink, then don’t. Come, sit down,” President Teng gestured for Yan Hui to sit down, then looked at Haotian and said, “Haotian, tell the kitchen to serve the dishes.”

Today, three people came from Mr. Teng's side. In addition to Mr. Teng and Haotian, there was also the manager of Mr. Teng's own company, who can be considered Mr. Teng's right-hand man.

Seeing this configuration, Yan Hui felt confident that everything was going well.

Since Yan Hui doesn't drink, no one else did either, and they started talking about timber.

Yan Hui was initially unsure what to talk about, but he felt relieved when the conversation turned to timber. He knew more about it than Haotian did, and neither did the manager.

After chatting for twenty minutes, all the dishes were served, and Mr. Teng invited everyone to start eating and chatting.

“I understand. Your system is indeed advanced and can save my factory a lot of money. I heard from Haotian that you have some other good things here. President Yan, don’t keep your skills to yourself. Tell Haotian about them when you have time.” President Teng said, putting a piece of meat on Yan Hui’s plate.

"Mr. Teng, are you planning to purchase some new equipment? Some things still require more suitable equipment," Yan Hui explained.

"There are no plans to buy equipment at the moment, and I don't have much funding on my side," Mr. Teng sighed.

Woodworking equipment is no small matter; a single piece can easily cost tens of thousands, and larger pieces can easily cost hundreds of thousands. If the budget allows, Mr. Teng can also optimize his own factory.

"We've optimized some of our equipment, and there are some minor details. I'll go to the factory tomorrow and discuss them with Brother Tian. It's hard to explain here." Yan Hui wouldn't reveal anything without first making a decision. He couldn't just say everything and then what if President Teng didn't respond at all?
“That’s true, this place isn’t suitable for discussing technology.” Mr. Teng nodded. “However, to be honest, Mr. Yan, although you’re young, you’re smart and resourceful. I think you’re a capable person. We can talk about the timber issue later.”

“No rush,” Yan Hui responded immediately. “President Teng, although the improvements to woodworking techniques are quite complex, there’s something I’d like to mention. I’m wondering how you handle that piece of wood that can’t be turned into planks after the first cut of the log?”

"Aren't those things usually chopped up and burned?" Mr. Teng asked, somewhat puzzled.

The logs from Northeast China are of good quality; the thinner diameter logs are generally regularly round, and the thicker diameter logs, except for the bottom section, are also very regular in shape. (A single tree can be cut into several pieces.)

Because of the rules, the diameter of the tree is only three to five centimeters larger than the diameter of the tree, and the thickness cut from one side is only two to three centimeters, including the bark.

With this thickness, it seems to be of little use except for burning firewood.

“I see we have a circular saw here, and it’s not very busy. If we cut off the scraps, we can process them into some strips, one centimeter wide, one centimeter thick, or even half a centimeter thick, about one meter long. That should be fine, right?” Yan Hui asked.

"That's definitely not a problem, but what's the use of these wooden strips? They offer no support at all." Haotian said with some doubt.

“In Northeast China, people need wooden strips for nailing windows or agricultural greenhouses in winter. Nails alone can't hold down the plastic sheeting; it tears easily. You need wooden strips to hold the nails in place so the plastic sheeting is stable. I know you don't need it here, but the Northeast does. We can only process a limited amount of these wooden strips each day, but I estimate that we can gather enough for a truckload in a few months or a year. Sending a truckload to the Northeast will bring in tens of thousands of yuan. I can even sell them for you then.” Yan Hui clearly knew the market. “This stuff can be sold?” Boss Teng's eyes lit up as he looked at Haotian. “Can the factory make this, Boss Yan? Is it easy to make?”

"Yes, and it's quite simple. One worker can make a lot in a day. As long as there's a market, it's easy to manage. Anyway, circular saws aren't used much." Haotian nodded.

"That's great news! I feel so bad every time I see those scraps being taken away for firewood! Oh, this is really good news! So, Mr. Yan, I'll leave the sales of these timber strips to you from now on! Once we've collected ten cubic meters, I'll send a truck to Fengtian to pick them up!" Mr. Teng thought it was a reliable deal as soon as he heard it.

"Mr. Teng, I'm here to discuss the business of logs and lumber with you," Yan Hui said calmly.

"Of course, look, I've already drafted the contract." Mr. Teng said, looking at his manager, "Take it out and let Mr. Teng take a look."

Upon hearing this, the manager immediately took out the contract from his briefcase and handed it to Yan Hui with both hands.

Yan Hui took it and examined it carefully.

This contract is a prime example of an unfair contract.

Simply put, this is a purchase contract for Mr. Teng, and he does not bear any responsibility. The contract process is that Mr. Teng sees the goods, inspects them, and then pays.

All the risks would fall on Yan Hui. Even if Yan Hui delivered a truckload of goods and then Mr. Teng refused to pay after receiving them, Yan Hui would have no choice but to resort to litigation, which would be devastating for him.

There was no deposit or down payment whatsoever.

“Mr. Yan, I’ve done some research on your company,” the manager said, seeing Yan Hui had reached the last page. Before Yan Hui could speak, he continued, “We acknowledge your personal expertise, but your company is indeed newly established. You should also be familiar with our company; our industry reputation and scale are quite good. So…”

"There's nothing wrong with the contract." Yan Hui interrupted the manager after reading the contract. "I've also looked into Mr. Teng's company. If there wasn't this level of trust, I wouldn't have come to discuss this business."

Yan Hui's simple and unpretentious words surprised everyone at the table. They had discussed this matter before coming. They didn't lack suppliers; adding a new one wasn't out of the question, but the company wouldn't take any risk. Yan Hui was capable, but there were no guarantees whatsoever.

Such a contract was perfectly reasonable; they had originally judged that Yan Hui wouldn't sign it, meaning all the previous deals would be for nothing. Even if Yan Hui signed, President Teng would still be guaranteed a profit.

"President Yan, you have guts." President Teng laughed immediately.

“I have a request,” Yan Hui said, his heart pounding but his expression remaining calm. “If this deal goes through, I hope I can do a second and a third trip.”

"I can guarantee that. As long as you do it according to the contract standards, I will definitely get your goods first!" General Manager Teng immediately stated.

"Okay, add this sentence to the contract, and I'll stamp it." Yan Hui said, taking the company seal out of his bag.

risk?

Without risk, there's no profit. Yan Hui had already made preparations. The logging ban in Northeast China was imminent; if he didn't act now, when would he? Wait until others had devoured the national market?

(End of this chapter)