Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 205 Outlook
Originally, her sister came to visit Yan Hui, and she was in a good mood. However, upon hearing Yan Hui's words, she could no longer hold back her tears.

When his sister started crying, Yan Hui, who hadn't cried for two months, couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

At this moment, it would be superfluous to use an idiom like "tears flowing like a spring" to describe it. Yan Hui didn't have many emotions at this time; he just couldn't help but burst into tears.

My sister and brother-in-law left. Before they left, my brother-in-law told Yan Hui that he could come to Quancheng to find me if he needed anything. Yan Hui nodded and didn't say anything more.

It's a pity that my brother-in-law's job has nothing to do with timber. If it did, Yan Hui could have gone with him to develop the timber market in Jinan.

My brother-in-law's business mainly involves the cities of Jinan and Linzi. In previous years, his work was mainly focused on Linzi, but it developed quite well, and his family has moved to Jinan.

These days, learning to drive takes a long time, and Yan Hui is somewhat distracted, so it'll probably be half a year before he gets his license.

In mid-May, Yan Hui returned to Northeast China and finalized deals with a wood polishing plant and a newly built large-scale drying plant. From now on, all his timber, unless it is log, will be dried and polished.

In addition, he hired two people to assist Liu Zi, so it can be said that he has completely established a foothold in Northeast China. As long as his business does not expand to other regions, he will not need to come to Northeast China for the foreseeable future.

Old Guo hadn't seen Yan Hui in a long time and missed him dearly. He greatly envied Yan Hui for not having to spend the winter in Northeast China. He was somewhat surprised to hear that Yan Hui's grandfather had passed away, but that was all; after all, it was a grandfather's generation, not a father's.

"You must have a lot of money now, right?" Yan Hui inquired about Lao Guo's wealth.

“I have about 11 yuan of my own money. I even arranged some of the railcars myself. But the profit margin in Fengtian is really not high. Wholesalers are the ones receiving the goods there. I don’t have your ability to expand the market little by little.” Old Guo only realized how capable Yan Hui was after doing business himself.

Everyone wants stable, long-term clients, but they're not so easy to acquire.
The timber transport route from Yichun to Fengtian has very transparent pricing and minimal information gaps. Old Guo arranges his own freight cars, and the profit per load of logs is no more than 2000 yuan. Even for lumber, the profit is only four or five thousand yuan. Any higher, and he wouldn't be in the business.

"How much money do you have right now?" Old Guo asked, very curious.

"One zero more than yours, I guess," Yan Hui said casually.

The company currently has approximately 150 million in cash and goods in its accounts.

"Damn, you're amazing! Two years ago when you first arrived in Yichun, you couldn't even get one train carload! Now you can get more than a dozen!" Old Guo had truly watched Yan Hui grow step by step.

From Yan Hui going to Fengtian in 1995, when a few young men went to the hospital after a hangover, to later working together as middlemen at the train station, and then traveling together to Yichun further north, it's been five years since we met.

Few people know Yan Hui's experiences over the past four or five years better than Guo Feiyang; in fact, it could be said that no one does.

"Overall, I've had pretty good luck these past few years. Lao Guo, I probably won't be back for a while after this trip. If you can spare a few days, you can come visit me in Jianye." Yan Hui and Lao Guo still have a deep friendship.

"Okay, I'll come visit you when I have time." Old Guo nodded. "Everyone says there are many beautiful women in Jiangnan, remember to introduce me to one."

"Leave this to me," Yan Hui laughed.

After spending a few days with Lao Guo, Yan Hui has fully recovered.

Back in Jianye, Yan Hui quickly began connecting with clients and announced to the market that all timber produced by Dazhan Hongtu Company would undergo drying and polishing processes; they would only accept orders for raw logs. This announcement, in fact, gave other businessmen some opportunities. Yan Hui was essentially relinquishing the ordinary market, excluding raw logs, to focus solely on high-end products.

Even though the price difference between high-end and ordinary products is only a couple hundred yuan, many people still choose the ordinary products. For example, scaffolding boards for construction sites don't require drying or sanding at all.

Yan Hui ceded some market share, but his orders are still sufficient, and he has already attracted many businessmen from other provinces.

His current clients are spread across at least three or four provinces.

At the end of May, Yan Hui, whose life had returned to normal, finally began to look outward.

The devastating floods of 98 and the Asian financial crisis of 1999 impacted many industries in China.

On May 16, 1999, the State officially approved the "Request for Instructions on Several Policies to Further Promote and Regulate the Development of the Securities Market". On May 19, the market began to boom, and a series of favorable policies were released.

In late May, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) approved capital increases for a large number of securities firms, and in June, the stamp duty rate was lowered, and some restrictions on B-share companies were lifted. At the same time, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) cut interest rates across the board.

By the end of June, the listing index had risen by 60% in a month and a half, but that's another story.

In early 1997, the Jewish businessman George Soros attacked the Thai baht, causing it to depreciate sharply. On July 2 of the same year, the baht depreciated by 17% in a single day. Later, Soros and a series of speculators swept through the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and also affected Singapore, Japan, and South Korea.

In October, Soros and others began shorting the Hong Kong dollar. The government injected US$140 billion to support it, stabilizing the Hong Kong dollar and causing speculative capital to suffer huge losses. Soros alone lost more than US$800 million here.

In 1999, the Asian financial crisis ended, and with the exception of the Hong Kong dollar, almost all major Southeast Asian currencies plummeted and stock markets crashed.

Behind the booming domestic stock market, there are still some problems. The domestic real estate market has also fallen into a slump, and the amount of goods that General Manager Teng ordered from Yan Hui has started to decrease.

It was precisely because of the decrease in Mr. Teng's orders that Yan Hui decided to give up the low-end board market. What he needed was a more stable, detailed, and continuous customer relationship, and differentiation was definitely the way to survive.

During this period, Yan Hui visited some scenic spots in Jianye, read some stories of historical figures, and watched the news every day.

He was always shocked by the news reports of hundreds of millions or even tens of billions of yuan being involved. Before this, Yan Hui had actually been quite satisfied with the million-yuan level.

He can buy almost anything he can show off on a daily basis.

However, after reading about the deeds of so many great people and hearing about the complex and unpredictable changes in the international situation every day, Yan Hui's mindset has also matured slightly.

Should we adjust our goals? For example, how about earning 100 million?

The thought of the unit "hundred million" made Yan Hui's heart race. He didn't even dare to say it aloud.

(End of this chapter)