Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 135 Cold
After walking for about 10 hours and covering an estimated 35 kilometers, Yan Hui came up empty-handed.

That night, Yan Hui had nowhere to rest, so he gave the person on duty at the train station 5 yuan and made do with sleeping on the floor in the small duty room for the night. Fortunately, it was only two or three degrees below zero outside, and there was a stove inside, so it wasn't too cold.

The next morning, feeling extremely hungry, Yan Hui bought another ticket and boarded the train to a station deeper into the forest.

After walking for two stops, Yan Hui saw a slightly larger bus station, immediately ran down to buy some water and food, and then ran back onto the bus.

Around 9 a.m., Yan Hui arrived at his second planned destination.

He'd run around all day, and if he still hadn't made any progress by tomorrow, he'd go back to Lao Guo's place for a day to rest before heading out again, otherwise he might die out there.

The zero-degree temperature made Yan Hui feel at ease; he was dressed warmly enough that he wouldn't get too cold.

Near this station, there are six forest farms. Yan Hui had no information at all, but he started with a pack of cigarettes and obtained some valuable information near the station. At least he wouldn't end up in those restructured or closed forest farms again.

The first place they went to was a large forest farm. There were two trucks hauling goods inside. Yan Hui looked around but couldn't find the farm manager, who was said to be returning in the afternoon.

After leaving that place, Yan Hui went out and wandered around for five or six hours without finding anything, and then returned to the forest farm.

"Our farm manager and deputy farm manager are both inside. Go knock on the door." The person at the door told Yan Hui to go to a location.

This forest farm was indeed larger. Yan Hui walked for several minutes before finding the farm manager's house. There was a large wooden sign hanging at the door that read "Farm Manager's Office".

Yan Hui knocked on the door, and after a short while, a man who looked somewhat fierce opened the door: "What is it? Who are you looking for?"

"I'd like to discuss a business deal," Yan Hui said.

“Oh, business,” the man immediately smiled. “Come in, have some tea.”

Upon entering the room, Yan Hui discovered there were two people inside. The one who opened the door resembled Brother Shan and exuded a subtle sense of pressure; he was likely the deputy director. The one sitting inside, however, seemed more like a smiling tiger.

The room was somewhat dark, and Yan Hui felt very uncomfortable after entering. He even worried that he would be robbed there.

"Boss, have a seat!" The manager, sitting inside, smiled. "Old Wang, pour the boss some tea."

"Here you are," the deputy manager said. He looked burly and strong, but he moved quite quickly. As soon as Yan Hui sat down, tea was brought over.

"Is the boss from Putian? What do you want to talk about?" the forest manager asked bluntly. "Our forest farm is mostly larch from the Greater Khingan Mountains, but of course, we also have ash and birch. How much are you planning to buy?"

"Manager, it's like this." Yan Hui earnestly explained his demands and then took out the contract. The two managers remained silent, simply listening to Yan Hui finish speaking.

After listening, the farm manager chuckled and threw the contract aside: "You mean you're going to buy 120 cubic meters of logs from me for 20,000 yuan? What if you run away? Do you really think I'm going to take your lousy contract and go to Jianye to find you? That contract of yours looks fake to me, what kind of broken stamp is this?"

"Manager, don't worry, I won't leave until this deal is done and the money from over there has been transferred over." Yan Hui was prepared to gamble everything.

He had nothing left to pledge, so he had to pledge himself.

"What do you mean? You're not leaving? Whether you leave or not has nothing to do with money!" Old Wang chuckled sinisterly. "Do you really think the lives of people in Fujian Province are worth so much?"

“Two managers, to be frank, there were some things I didn’t consider before coming to Yichun, but since I’ve come this far, I have no choice but to continue. My life isn’t worth much, but I can work. I’ll give you 20,000 for 120 cubic meters of timber, but you’re still short at least 40,000 or 50,000. A porter can earn almost 10,000 a year. If I don’t make up this money, I’ll work as a porter in your yard for the rest of my life. Are you afraid I’ll run away?”

"What the hell are you doing to me? Since when did you Fujianese people become like this?" The manager laughed angrily. "I'll have to find someone to keep an eye on you! Otherwise, I'll go bankrupt!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Hui also became somewhat angry: "Director, it depends on how you see me. I know a lot about timber and understand the whole process. If you think I'm just a swindler, then it's not worth having someone keep an eye on me. But what if I can create more value for you in the future? Besides, even if I were a swindler, no one would try to cheat you out of 20,000 or 30,000 yuan in cash. I know that 20,000 or 30,000 yuan in cash is not much for a forest farm, but it represents my attitude and also shows that I have certain abilities!"

"You have the nerve to say a few words to me?" The foreman stood up, walked to Yan Hui's side, looked him over carefully, and then slapped Yan Hui's face. "You little punk, you've got some guts. I'm in a good mood today, so get lost and don't bother me. When I was out there making my way in the world, you were probably still in some woman's belly. Let me tell you, with me, if you have money, I'll give you the goods; if you don't, get the hell out of here!"

"I see you're a very decisive person, and I think we can cooperate." Yan Hui looked at the farm manager, his courage truly remarkable. "From logging, through identification, transportation, processing, and finishing, to wholesale and retail, I understand it all. I can..."

As Yan Hui was watching the farm manager speak, he suddenly felt a chill on his forehead. Something cold was pressed against his head. He turned his head and saw the deputy farm manager holding a double-barreled metal handheld device, which was pressed against his head: "I'll count to three, then get lost. We don't need your guidance here!"

No matter how remarkable Yan Hui was, he was still somewhat frightened by this scene. He shivered, a warm current rushed from his dantian to his limbs, and his body felt a slight numbness. Nine-tenths of his previous eloquent momentum was gone.

"one!"

Yan Hui knew it was futile, so he sat up, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth: "No need to count anymore, brothers, sorry to bother you. I still think we can cooperate, and it can be a long-term cooperation. I'm sure I can create wealth for you."

"two!"

Yan Hui breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and left. He walked with a fairly firm step, but inevitably with some stiffness.

Once outside, Yan Hui realized his legs were weak, but he still managed to walk step by step to the edge of the forest. He found a spot without snow and sat down for a while. He was completely exhausted. The spot on his head where the snow had been pressed against his head still felt icy cold and throbbing, and he was throbbing with a dull ache.

(End of this chapter)