Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 222 Shandong Culture
Air conditioner installation is the simplest because the process is the same. Yan Hui worked with several experienced installers all morning to install two air conditioners, and then his brother-in-law brought people over to inspect them.

The installation and commissioning of this large air conditioner is very complicated. The installation of the pipes and electronic components alone takes several days. Yan Hui has not learned those skills and cannot participate in them.

The job his brother-in-law found for him mainly involved repairing household air conditioners.

"Okay, well done," the brother-in-law called Yan Hui aside, "Their project manager, General Manager Yin, will be here in a bit, and I'll introduce you to him."

"Yes, I'm fine."

As the two were chatting, President Yin came over, shook hands with his brother-in-law, carefully examined the installation of the air conditioner outdoor unit, and nodded: "President Wang, I've always trusted you with your work. Let's take a closer look after the air conditioner is turned on."

"Mr. Yin, you're too kind," the brother-in-law said with a smile.

That's how it is when you're out and about. Even though Mr. Yin was clearly looking very carefully, he insisted on pretending to trust him.

"By the way, Mr. Yin, this is my younger brother, Yan Hui. He's in the timber business and is very professional in this field. I'll introduce you to him sometime," the brother-in-law said.

"Huh? Your brother?" President Yin looked at Yan Hui with some surprise. He clearly saw that Yan Hui was an air conditioner installer.

"Yes, yes, let him experience my job," my brother-in-law explained.

"Oh, I'm free right now, let's have lunch together." President Yin was very enthusiastic.

The fact that his brother-in-law was willing to cooperate with him shows that their relationship is special, and Yan Hui could tell that.

"Mr. Yin is free too? That's great. I just happened to have reserved a table. How many people are with you, Mr. Yin?" The brother-in-law took the initiative with just one sentence.

"There are three of us here, and two of you? Well, we have a lot of people, so come with me."

"Mr. Yin, don't be so polite. You can arrange it next time. I just happened to have a table booked today. Besides, I have three or four people with me." My brother-in-law said with a smile, "I ordered a big wild fish from that fish restaurant near the entrance."

"Alright, I'll arrange it next time." President Yin didn't stand on ceremony anymore.

"Then just come over in a bit and tell them I booked the room."

"Okay." President Yin left with his men.

After Mr. Yin left, my brother-in-law started booking rooms and fish.

Rooms were easy to book, but this wild fish was a bit of a hassle, as the hotel didn't have it.

"No rush, Mr. Sun, I'll have someone deliver one to you in a bit." After saying that, the brother-in-law dialed another number and quickly found a ten-pound wild carp.

After contacting the fish, the brother-in-law didn't stop; he called someone to send cigarettes and alcohol to the restaurant.

"You can have a good chat with President Yin at noon. I think Quancheng and Jianye are about the same. I can't help you forever, but I know President Yin very well. This is a good opportunity." The brother-in-law looked at Yan Hui and thought that Yan Hui was in a good mood.

"Yeah, that's right. I haven't been to the market near us lately, so I'm a bit unsure about the prices here."

“Mr. Yin is a very honest person, so just tell me the truth. Even if you go to the market here all day, you still won’t know the purchase price and the selling price. It will take some time.” The brother-in-law led Yan Hui downstairs and headed straight for the fish restaurant.

The fish, cigarettes, and alcohol arrived quickly, and the fish was immediately put into stew.

Before long, President Yin arrived with his men. Upon entering the room and seeing Yan Hui and his brother-in-law, he said, "President Wang, you've come quite early."

"I just arrived. I was supposed to have three or four people with me, but both my boss, Mr. Lin, and Mr. Liu, were busy, so it's just my brother and me. Is Mr. Yin's group all here? If they are, I'll have them start serving the dishes." My brother-in-law was very adept at this polite manner.

Business people are used to speaking in a way that saves face and gives the other party a way out.

"I have everything I need. We can just have a quick bite," President Yin said with a smile.

"Mmm, just home-style cooking." My brother-in-law called the waiter to start serving the dishes, and the waiter quickly brought out cold dishes such as braised beef. A dozen minutes later, the crabs were served.

In Shandong Province, these days almost everyone drinks alcohol at lunchtime. When the big fish was served, everyone except Yan Hui drank more than half a jin (250ml).

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Yan Hui also raised his glass. He brought up the fact that he had been hospitalized for drinking before, so he was given special treatment and could drink beer.

If I drink alcohol, I can forget about doing high-altitude work in the afternoon. I can just rest for a while in the afternoon and I won't have to worry about watching the warehouse in the evening.

"We've started doing interior decoration on our construction site now, and they've even started installing air conditioners, right? There aren't many places that need wood anymore. I'll go back and take a look. If there's anything you need, Mr. Wang, please don't think it's too little." Mr. Yin still had to give Yan Hui's brother-in-law this much face.

“He used to have a pretty big business in Jianye. He came to Quancheng to expand his market. One square meter is never too little, and a thousand square meters is never too much. Since President Yin has spoken, Xiao Yan, quickly toast President Yin!” said the brother-in-law.

"Thank you, Mr. Yin. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and I need your guidance here!" Yan Hui raised his beer with both hands.

"It's nothing, no need to be so polite," President Yin waved his hand casually.

Now that the window and door frames are all in place, the remaining finishing work mainly involves load-bearing boards, landscaping materials, and some simple decoration materials, which will probably only amount to about ten cubic meters. Of course, Mr. Yin doesn't care about such a small amount.

Ten cubic meters of timber, purchased for around 10,000 yuan, is nothing to the construction site; the profit probably wouldn't even cover the cost of lunch today.

After the meal, the brother-in-law, having had some alcohol, became more talkative and gave Yan Hui a long lecture on how to conduct oneself in society.

When you're out and about, you should project a reliable image. Avoid making exaggerated or boastful remarks, as these are considered foolish behavior by elders.

Doing business takes different approaches in different places. In Shandong Province, seniority is highly valued, so you have to consider these things when doing business and be careful what you say.

The so-called "being careful in speech" means leaving room for maneuver in everything you say, and giving the other person face. If you ask someone to do something, first offer them a way out, so that even if the other person doesn't want to agree, it won't hurt feelings.

Another unique characteristic of Shandong Province is that, in this special environment, no one wants to offend anyone casually. Because even if the person you offend seems ordinary, you don't know who they know behind the scenes, and you might inadvertently make an enemy.

Once you've mastered these everyday things and become a "sensible" person, you'll just begin to know how to communicate and interact with people from Shandong Province, and thus how to collaborate.

"Don't think of these as bad habits; they're the way to survive, the most basic of basics. In Shandong Province, before doing business or cooperating, they usually investigate you thoroughly and ask many people they know. It may seem tedious, but in reality, there are fewer swindlers among Shandong businessmen than in many other places. You've learned your lesson the hard way, so learn more about the culture here," my brother-in-law advised.

(End of this chapter)