Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 184 Yan Wenxuan

1998 was truly a golden age. If Yan Hui had bought some of these tiny electronic pet machines wholesale and brought them back to southern Fujian to sell, he could have made a lot of money.

The difficulty of doing business in later generations stems primarily from the high level of transparency across various industries. The emergence of AI has made the entire process of cost analysis and process linkage in some business models increasingly transparent, virtually eliminating information and cognitive gaps in many industries, leaving only fierce competition. Those who have taken the lead have already begun exploring overseas markets, while others continue to deepen their expertise in their respective fields to further create information gaps.

Yan Hui can't see that far ahead yet, but Bai Song's innovation has given him a taste of success. It's just a pity that this kind of thing can't be patented; otherwise, this approach could provide a permanent solution for the next 10 years.

...

In the days following his farewell to Su Jin, Yan Hui kept making phone calls to Northeast China.

The increase in orders made him a little uneasy. Liu Zi was a reliable person, but his abilities were not necessarily sufficient. Therefore, Yan Hui still planned to go back for a trip, at least for half a month.

Just as Yan Hui was preparing to return to Northeast China, he suddenly received a call from his second cousin.

Yan Hui's second cousin is his uncle's second son. Yan Hui's relationship with him is not very good. He would run into him every year when he went home for the Spring Festival. He would have a meal together every time he went to his uncle's house, and that was all.

"Xiao Hui, I'm going to Jianye soon to visit you and have a meal with you. Are you free?" my cousin asked.

"Brother, what day are you coming?" Yan Hui still showed great respect to his cousin.

Of my uncle's two sons, my eldest cousin is completely hopeless. Because he is handsome and rich, he is always straightforward and his business is only so-so. My uncle has helped him countless times, but it has been to no avail.

In comparison, the second cousin is at least much better than the eldest cousin, but Yan Hui is not familiar with him, after all, the gap between them in the past was too big.

“I’ll be there the day after tomorrow. I was thinking if you’re free, I could introduce you to some of my friends. We only met briefly during the Chinese New Year. I was talking to my dad about you the other day, and he told me to get to know you better,” my second cousin said.

"The day after tomorrow?" Yan Hui thought for a moment. "Okay, brother. I originally wanted to go back to the Northeast, but it's not in such a hurry. If you come the day after tomorrow, I'm not in a rush to leave. Let's have a meal together and talk about it."

"Okay, I'll drive there. Give me an address and I'll come find you. I'll probably arrive in Jianye this afternoon."

"You can find Zhonghua Gate on the map."

"Okay, see you then. Call Haibo to come along. I have three cars and about seven or eight people."

"Okay, I'll contact him." Yan Hui hung up the phone.

Yan Hui's cousin is named Yan Haibo. He has the surname Yan because his father married into the Yan family, which is very common in southern Fujian.

However, Yan Hui did not expect that his cousin would contact him this time. Logically, he should have contacted his elder cousin, since his elder cousin had been in Jianye for a long time and was older. Most importantly, his elder cousin was actually from the same branch of the family as his cousin.

Yan Hui didn't know why his cousin was coming; he just called to tell him.

"Brother Wenxuan is coming? This is a big deal. Here, Xiaohui, I'll make the arrangements." My cousin took this matter very seriously.

"Brother, where are you? Let's meet and talk."

"it is good."

The two agreed on a place and soon met up.

Over the years, Yan Hui had either worked with his fourth uncle in Northeast China or run a business in Jianye, so he wasn't very familiar with his eldest uncle's two sons. He had been working away from home for three and a half years and had almost no contact with his eldest uncle. But after talking to his cousin in detail, he realized that his second cousin was not simple, at least not as simple as his father had described.

"I won't say much about my eldest cousin. He took me out once, and I can only say I was very envious. My second cousin has changed a lot in the past few years. He has already started helping with my uncle's affairs." My cousin sighed.

The eldest uncle, fourth uncle, and aunt—these are all from the second uncle's family. Yan Hui's father is an only child. Logically, the eldest uncle is the cousin's maternal uncle, and Yan Wenxuan is also a cousin, but this time they contacted Yan Hui, leaving the cousin with no choice but to accept it. Family matters can sometimes be that straightforward.

"He's helping his uncle? Then does that mean Wenxuan is the young clan leader of this generation?" Yan Hui was shocked; this was no ordinary identity.

“There’s no doubt about it, it’s him. This year during the Spring Festival, when we were paying respects to our ancestors, my uncle said that next year, Wenxuan will wear the ancestral robes. You were home for too short a time during the Spring Festival, so you probably didn’t hear about it,” my cousin said.

"Huh? Nobody told me!" Yan Hui was genuinely surprised.

In Yan Hui's branch of the family, it is always the grandfather who wears the sacrificial robes to worship the ancestors every year; even the father is not qualified.

My grandfather's and my second grandfather's families are two separate branches, and they have to hold separate ancestral worship ceremonies every year.

“So Brother Wenxuan came this time for matters concerning the clan.” Yan Hui nodded.

"Yes, definitely. He started receiving the ceremonial robes this year, so he'll definitely want to make a grand entrance. He's taking this visit to you very seriously! I reckon your grandfather might even hand over the ceremonial robes to you this Chinese New Year." The cousin looked at Yan Hui with genuine envy.

My cousin's father married into the Yan family, so he's also a member. If he were successful enough, he could have inherited the ancestral robes, but clearly he didn't. His maternal uncle's branch of the family is incredibly powerful; they're listed not only in the village but also in the county.

"Me?" Yan Hui's heart pounded.

Logically, this was inevitable. Grandpa was in poor health, and the mourning clothes would have to be passed down sooner or later, either to my father or to myself.

It was indeed possible for someone to directly transmit information about their own family's situation to them! However, Yan Hui had never considered this matter; it always seemed too far-fetched to him.

"It's definitely you! Who else is in your family? Anyway, since Brother Wenxuan came to see you this time, he must be more than just him. I'll book a nice place!"

“They told me they need three cars and seven or eight people. You don’t need to come; if you want to come to me, I’ll make the arrangements. The location doesn’t necessarily need to be great, but it must be close to the timber market. How about this, we’ll book that Anhui cuisine restaurant across from the market.” Yan Hui declined his cousin’s offer.

"A whole store? Are there that many people?" my cousin exclaimed in surprise.

"It's such a big deal, it'll be better to handle things at the store," Yan Hui suggested.

"I'll listen to you!" My cousin stopped arguing. "We shouldn't delay, let's go ask right away. If there are any reserved tables, we'll have to figure something out."

"Walk."

The two immediately took a taxi there, discussed the matter with the manager for more than ten minutes, compensated for the cost of the three tables' reservations, and finally booked the restaurant for the whole day for 2000 yuan.

This only covers the cost of the entire restaurant; it does not include the cost of ordering food.

Once the arrangements were finalized, news of the Yan family's impending arrival gradually spread throughout the market. Clearly, my cousin also wanted to take this opportunity to create some buzz in the market.

(End of this chapter)