Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 180 Timing
Yan Hui once again staked everything he had, sending six train cars full of goods to Jianye in one go.

In addition to orders for larch and red pine logs and lumber, there are also two train cars of white pine lumber.

Yan Hui originally wanted to ship timber directly, as timber has a higher profit margin than planks, but decided against it for the first shipment. Planks would be a safer option.

If the entire truckload of goods were to suffer a major problem, such as all the wooden planks cracking, Yan Hui's losses would be staggering.

The secrets to air-drying, baking, and stacking white pine were developed by Yan Hui based on his own experience. At this stage, they are Yan Hui's trade secrets, and he will not tell even his cousin and third brother.

After working in Northeast China for more than a week and getting all the channels in place, Yan Hui calculated the time and flew back to Jianye again.

Although he arranged for his third brother to pick up the goods at the station, he still had to come back the first time. Not only this time, but every time timber was shipped here in the future, he would still have to come back the first time; it was impossible to explain over the phone.

March 12th is a good day, Arbor Day. Most people don't pay attention to this holiday, but many people in the timber market organize activities to participate in tree planting.

This is not an official event, nor is it mandatory; it's something only a few discerning people would do.

When Yan Hui was in Northeast China, he would sometimes go with the forestry workers to plant trees. Currently, taking Yichun as an example, the planting volume of Korean pine is only half of the logging volume, so a logging ban in Yichun is only a matter of time.

In 1998, there were still some high-quality red pines with relatively large diameters in Yichun, but they were basically gone after 10 years. It was not until 2014, when a complete ban was imposed, that they gradually began to recover.

Yan Hui had expected the market to be bustling with activity on Arbor Day, but upon entering, he found it surprisingly deserted. This puzzled him. When he returned to the company, he found his third brother cleaning up, so he asked him about it.

"A major case happened on Jiankang Road early yesterday morning. The perpetrator fled, and the police are searching everywhere. Our market has been ransacked twice." The third brother looked around. "Fifth brother, is Jianye really that dangerous?"

"Health Road? Isn't that not far?" Yan Hui was also surprised, as this place was also in Qinhuai.

"It's not far!" The third brother had already found out quite a few "secrets" today and couldn't wait to tell Yan Hui.

It's said that the murderer, surnamed Cao, was quite well-known locally. He had supposedly retired from the criminal life, but for some unknown reason, he reappeared early yesterday morning, presumably to rescue his underlings. In short, Cao's gang killed the opposing leader, and then everyone fled; the murderer has yet to be found.

“I think I’ve heard of this person before. My brother told me about him.” Yan Hui thought carefully for a moment. “Wait a minute, I’ll call my brother.”

As he spoke, Yan Hui took out his phone and called his cousin, who arrived quickly.

“Yes, I told you about Boss Cao before. He was ruthless back then, and everyone in our market had to give him face! Moreover, the person he killed was no ordinary person either.” His cousin told Yan Hui a lot of secrets.

The third brother loved hearing what his cousin was saying, and he listened intently, holding his ear tightly.

After listening, Yan Hui had a different opinion from his cousin and the third brother.

"This is great news for us." Yan Hui looked at his cousin. "I always had this kind of headache, but now... it's like heaven is helping us!"

"What does this have to do with us? Do you have a grudge against these two?" my cousin asked, puzzled.

"No matter how we expand, we won't encounter any troublemakers anymore! For at least a year, not just these two groups, but the entire neighborhood will be very peaceful!" Yan Hui exclaimed excitedly. He had encountered threats from Huang Tianhong when he first expanded Teng Zong's business; this was just the beginning.

When his business gradually expands while his influence remains stagnant, he will become easy prey for many people, which is what Yan Hui has always been worried about.

He had considered allocating more manpower and resources to Lao San's place, but it was still useless and sometimes even caused trouble.

In short, Yan Hui's perspective is different from that of his cousin, the third brother, and others. He had long felt the pressure in this regard, but he never expected that something like this would happen.

No matter who this Boss Cao is, or who the person who was killed is, as long as it happens in this area, it will surely make all the petty thieves in the area disappear without a trace.

Who dares to stand up and brag at this time?
Cao and his gang are still on the run. The police are conducting a daily search of the area, but there isn't a single fight going on in the market.

Who dares!
"So, this matter is actually beneficial to you?" My cousin seemed to have thought it through. "Xiao Hui, according to you, this is your opportunity."

“Yes, we just need to engage in normal business competition. No matter how much I expand, it will be safe.” Yan Hui nodded.

"Huh?" The third brother couldn't understand at all, but he still nodded. "As long as it's a good thing."

"Don't underestimate this matter; it's all thanks to Mazu's blessing!" my cousin and the third brother instructed.

In short, this incident became a side story, and only Yan Hui himself could feel the benefits. For others, it was probably just a topic of conversation.

In this case, Cao and his gang weren't arrested in July, while the local thugs near the market didn't dare show their faces until after the 1998 floods. But that's another story.

For a person to succeed, the right timing, the right place, and the right people are all indispensable. At this stage, Yan Hui did not have this feeling; he only thought that he was somewhat remarkable.

The next day, Yan Hui's freight train of white pine trees finally arrived, and Yan Hui called over dozens of bosses.

All of this had been arranged in advance, and everyone was quite curious about the new timber.

The texture of white pine is not suitable for the wind and rain in Jianye's climate, but many indoor settings require this lightweight wood.

Wood is not necessarily better the harder or the heavier it is. In many applications, lightweight wood is the preferred choice, such as furniture making, interior decoration, wooden handicrafts, temporary structures, and so on.

As the crane unloaded stacks of white pine planks, more and more people gathered around, even more than when Yan Hui and General Manager Teng came last time.

This time it's not about advertising anymore; it's about people being curious when something new enters the market. If someone else brings in new materials, Yan Hui will go and see for himself—who wouldn't want to broaden their horizons?

Because the market had been quiet for two days, the market order was better than ever before, and more and more people came to look at the white pine trees. Several owners even expressed their intention to buy after inspecting them. General Manager Zheng even called Yan Hui aside and discussed the price in detail.

(End of this chapter)