Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 218 Warmth
"Xiaohui, listen to your brother-in-law when it comes to things!" His mother said with a face full of worry.

"Yes, yes, I will definitely do my best." Yan Hui nodded, clutching the 1300 yuan his mother had given him.

He will never forget that 1300 yuan. It was the first time he had ever seen a red 100-yuan note, brand new money, which his mother had exchanged at the bank.

His mother prepared 2000 yuan for him, but Yan Hui returned 1000 yuan. After several arguments, he took 1300 yuan and embarked on his journey to Jinan.

On the way, Yan Hui was still filled with confusion.

Whenever I read "Business World" magazine, when it talks about a big shot who has experienced setbacks, it always mentions his comeback. Yan Hui always just glances at those stories.

Nobody cares how you failed; everyone wants to learn from your successes.

Yan Hui has hundreds of these kinds of stories in his mind, but when it actually happens to him, all he can do right now is... survive.

...

Lacking grand ambitions, Yan Hui is more confused than anyone else right now.

My brother-in-law returned to Jinan earlier than Yan Hui. This time, he specially drove to pick up Yan Hui in a Santana 2000.

The brother-in-law put Yan Hui's things in the back seat, drove Yan Hui away from the station, and the two of them didn't say a word the whole way.

Before the Chinese New Year, when my brother-in-law went to Jianye, Yan Hui could easily arrange an Audi and a five-star hotel. Now that we meet again, my brother-in-law is still as dashing as ever.

"Xiao Hui, we're here," the brother-in-law stopped the car and led Yan Hui into a warehouse.

Yan Hui wasn't in the mood. He walked a few hundred meters with his brother-in-law, and once inside the house, he had no idea which district or direction he was in.

“City of springs is developing quite fast, and it has a promising future in Shandong. I can tell you’re not in the mood, so come over and help me look after the warehouse. I’ll pay you 1500 a month.” My brother-in-law opened the warehouse door.

My brother-in-law's main business is selling air conditioners, but not residential air conditioners; they are large industrial central air conditioning systems, each costing tens of thousands of yuan.

The air conditioner brand is TRANE, an American brand. There are dozens of units in the warehouse, divided into seven or eight different models.

"Trane air conditioners are becoming increasingly well-known in China. Back in 97, they established technical service centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Tianjin. Just this month, they set up a parts distribution center in your Jiangsu province. I estimate that parts prices will come down soon. If you'd like, you could learn how to repair air conditioners. It's actually quite simple; it's just about replacing parts. Once parts become cheaper, the profit margin will be quite good," my brother-in-law explained briefly.

“Okay, brother-in-law, I can learn how to repair air conditioners when I have time.” Yan Hui nodded.

At this point, having more skills is always a good thing.

There's a separate room in the warehouse with a large bed that can accommodate two people. My brother-in-law used to live here, but now that his business has grown, he's been trying to find someone to keep an eye on things, but he doesn't trust most people, so he comes over to stay every few days.

For him, Yan Hui's arrival was a relief.

The total value of the items in his warehouse is definitely over a million, and sometimes when there's a delivery deadline, the total value might exceed 300 million. He wouldn't dare entrust it to anyone.

My brother-in-law spent half an hour explaining the surroundings to Yan Hui, settled her in, locked the door, and led her home.

Yan Hui's job is incredibly easy. There's a police station near the warehouse, so he doesn't need to worry about safety during the day. All Yan Hui needs to do is sleep here every night.

His brother-in-law's only requirement was that he stay there every night and not drink too much. Since his brother-in-law was in the air conditioning business, Yan Hui's place also had air conditioning installed. The living conditions were similar to those Yan Hui had in Jianye, which improved Yan Hui's mood somewhat.

On the way back to her brother-in-law's house, her brother-in-law saw that Yan Hui was in better condition and then said, "Xiao Hui, once you're more familiar with your job, it's time for you to settle down and start a family. I've been lucky in my life to have met your sister. She's always been there for me when I faced difficulties."

“My sister’s personality is really good. I’ll wait until I’ve settled down.” Yan Hui nodded.

"Well, there's no rush. The best thing about this job is that it won't interfere with your daytime work, as long as you come back every night. Remember, if you can't come back one day, or if you've had too much to drink, be sure to call me in advance. This warehouse can't be left unattended at night. To be frank, I don't trust any outsiders watching me." My brother-in-law emphasized again.

"Brother-in-law, I've learned my lesson, don't worry." Yan Hui nodded.

"Yes, there are plenty of opportunities in Jinan. Don't rush, stay calm. You'll find an opportunity eventually." My brother-in-law reached out his right hand and patted Yan Hui on the shoulder.

When Yan Hui arrived at his brother-in-law's house, his sister had already prepared a lot of delicious food and was waiting for him to come over.

My sister is a very mild-mannered person and cooks rather slowly. Even my brother-in-law has barely eaten any of this meal.

The older sister wasn't very talkative; she just held Yan Hui's hand and would put food on his plate whenever she let go.

After dinner, the older sister brought some books for Yan Hui and asked her brother-in-law to take them to the warehouse for Yan Hui to read on a daily basis.

"Xiaohui, it's cold, and there's no heating in the warehouse. Don't hesitate to turn on the electric heater, and make sure it's plugged in properly," her sister added as a final reminder.

"Don't worry, sister."

Yan Hui's mood changed a lot during the meal.

In recent years, Yan Hui has never eaten such a delicious meal.

It's not that my sister's cooking skills are better than those of the chefs from Jiangnan, but rather that she has truly lost something and now knows how to cherish it.

After dinner, her sister packed some sausages for Yan Hui to take home and eat. In March, the temperature in Jinan was still around zero degrees Celsius, so the sausages wouldn't spoil even if left outside for a week.

On the way back to the warehouse, his brother-in-law reminded Yan Hui again about fire prevention and theft prevention, and also told Yan Hui to keep his phone on at all times so he could call the police if needed.

"Brother-in-law, don't worry, unless I die, there won't be any problems with this place," Yan Hui assured him.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Don't say things like that again!" My brother-in-law was a little unhappy.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, brother-in-law."

"By the way," the brother-in-law thought for a moment, "do you remember Yan Delin from the village?"

“I remember, he was Grandpa’s friend.” Yan Hui nodded. “Last year when I was beaten up, Grandpa Delin stood up for me.”

"Hmm, this guy is alright. Not many people in the village know about what happened to you this year, but his family is one of them. When he heard about it, he was the only elder in our village who offered to lend you money. Not many people know about this, and I happened to be there that day, so I refused. You probably don't know about this either, but I have to tell you. Anyway, you have to remember this favor." My brother-in-law mentioned it casually, thinking about it.

"Yes, I won't forget any of that." Yan Hui made a note of it.

(End of this chapter)