Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 173 Going Home for the New Year!

By 1997, the machining industry had become quite comprehensive. In addition to the woodworking saws and planers that Yan Hui commonly saw, there were also woodworking milling machines, tenoning machines, woodworking drilling machines, mortising machines, round bar machines, edge banding machines, sanding machines, and so on.

Yan Hui had read many woodworking books, but there were still some pieces of equipment he didn't understand because he had never seen them before. He couldn't understand them just by looking at the pictures.

From the names of the machines above, we can see the main direction of wood processing. Yan Hui is in the wholesale business, so he can't do secondary processing of boards like Lao Song. Equipment for tenoning and precision milling is unnecessary for him, but he needs to look into and learn more about other things.

Old Song accompanied Yan Hui for an afternoon of sightseeing. They first went to a large machinery manufacturing plant and saw many new pieces of equipment.

Bigger, faster, better.

In just one afternoon, Yan Hui was already thinking about buying equipment, especially a woodworking milling machine produced by the Japanese company Shota, which Yan Hui found amazing.

This five-axis CNC milling machine from Zhuangtian Company, codenamed NC361L, completely outclasses traditional woodworking. Yan Hui listened to many explanations, including the electro-hydraulic servo system, computer input system, and mechanical transmission system, and could roughly understand them, but when asked about the price, he fell silent.

After hearing the price, Yan Hui felt that traditional woodworking could easily outperform this milling machine.

Ultimately, Yan Hui developed a strong interest in sanders.

A sander, also known as a polishing machine, can polish and finish boards, greatly improving the appearance of the wood. For Yan Hui, this falls under the category of the first step in wood processing. In front of the technicians, Yan Hui calculated the costs and found them to be controllable.

Yan Hui returned to Fengtian this time to catch up on his studies. In fact, apart from some very expensive equipment, Yichun has all the equipment that Fengtian has, it's just not concentrated in Tangwanghe.

The worst thing in doing business is being at a disadvantage due to "information gaps." It's the most cost-effective way for Yan Hui to come and understand the situation first before negotiating prices in Yichun.

After spending three days in Fengtian, Yan Hui bought some things to send home, ate and played with his friends, and then hurried back to Yichun. During this trip, he crammed on his knowledge of high-end processing machinery. He had only seen theoretical machines before, but this time he saw almost all of them. Some of the equipment was affordable for Yan Hui, and he was even considering buying it.

After returning to Yichun, Yan Hui began sorting out new orders and preparing for shipment. He was busy for at least another week, and after shipping out all the goods, he had a few more days of rest.

In the past few days, Yan Hui has been visiting processing plants in various places. He spent two days at the "Friendly Comprehensive Timber Processing Plant" in the city. Although no cooperation was discussed, the frequent visits still gave Yan Hui some ideas.

Previously, Lao Guo asked Yan Hui what his thoughts were, and Yan Hui said he had none.

After visiting these places, he gradually developed an idea.

To get ahead of others in business, you must understand more advanced technologies.
Time passed slowly, and by January, Yan Hui had many new ideas, but he couldn't put them into practice.

The core problem limiting the company's development is the lack of manpower. When he goes home for the Chinese New Year this year, he plans to ask some classmates and friends for help. It's just that Qinglan is too young. If Qinglan were 18 this year, he would like to call her over.

In mid-January, Yan Hui said goodbye to Wang Hongjun and prepared to go home for the Chinese New Year.

He left Wang Hongjun with about 10 yuan as payment for the goods, and with the remaining 23 yuan in his card, he embarked on his journey home.

Direct flights from Harbin to Xiamen.

Stepping out of the airport, Yan Hui was still a little excited; it was so warm. Sitting on the plane, Yan Hui had been wondering if it was really possible for a plane to go from -30 degrees Celsius to +10 degrees Celsius in just a few hours.

Feeling the familiar climate, Yan Hui was completely relieved; he was truly home.

Outsiders, of course, couldn't understand Yan Hui's feelings at this moment. Last year during the Spring Festival, he had more than 3 yuan in his hands, but he didn't dare to spend any of it, and he looked miserable. But this year is different. Not only did he fly back, but he also planned to charter a car to go home.

In short, I'm rich!

Walking on the streets of Xiamen, Yan Hui felt that everyone was inferior to him.

In 1997, the average house price on Xiamen Island was about 2000 yuan. Yan Hui had enough money on him to buy a three-bedroom house outright.

That year, Yan Hui was 18 years old.

He was preparing to go home, and of course he wanted to tell his grandparents about his success. He chose the simplest way: to withdraw all the money.

Yan Hui had already made this preparation before going home, so he sent most of his things back with him.

He went to several banks and withdrew 23 yuan in cash, which he carried on his back. Then he hired a car and headed straight to his hometown.

After Yan Hui's net worth exceeded 10 yuan, he never withdrew that much money at once. Keeping it in his account is just a few numbers, but withdrawing more than 20 yuan in cash is a different matter entirely.

Although it was all his own money, carrying it around gave people a completely different feeling, like he was constantly on steroids.

Yan Hui had a thought in his heart: this time, he wanted to tell not only his grandparents but also his parents that he had succeeded.

He was a left-behind child from a young age, receiving insufficient care and attention from his parents. He had to rely on himself for everything when he went out to work. However, his parents went out to work to support the family and never stopped providing for them, which was actually quite admirable. Yan Hui couldn't quite understand this before, but after going out to work and earning money himself, he came to understand.

Yan Hui had always hoped to change his parents' situation of working odd jobs through his own efforts, but it was never possible before. Now, there is finally hope.

Yan Hui and Qing Lan's relationships with their parents were rather average, except for their older sister, who had a deep bond with them. The older sister's mild-mannered personality was somewhat inherited from their parents.

In short! Yan Hui must prove himself this year!
The image of his uncle returning with a sack full of money when he was a child was deeply imprinted in Yan Hui's mind, and now he wanted to try doing the same.

Aside from asking the driver for directions, Yan Hui didn't talk to the driver at all the way. He was just immersed in his own world, thinking about this and that, and his mind was in a state of excitement.

When a man has money, he stands as straight as a bamboo pole, completely unable to bend down.

Three years, three years...
It was supposed to be a long journey, but before Yan Hui could even think about a few things, the car stopped at the village entrance.

"Boss, we're here," the driver said. "Do you need anything?"

"No need, you can go back." Yan Hui picked up his bag and got out of the car. He had already paid before he arrived.

It's already the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, and the Little New Year is just around the corner. The festive atmosphere in the village is becoming more and more pronounced. Even before Yan Hui got home, he could feel the smell of firecrackers, meat, and the New Year everywhere. Everything was good, everything made people excited, and everything was something to look forward to.

I'm home!
(I haven't been in the timber business for a long time, and many woodworking machines are completely different today. All the equipment is CNC-controlled now, so there's no point in writing too much; I'll just skip over it.)

(End of this chapter)