Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 239 Integrity
Having learned his lesson the hard way, Yan Hui was always overly cautious, wanting to observe everything and everyone carefully. President Han's unfathomable nature put some pressure on him, but his brother-in-law's words completely put him at ease.

Too
Am I just being crazy?
!!!

That night, Yan Hui lay in bed, pondering the matter. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was crazy. Sometimes, he would even laugh at himself when he thought about it.

The next day, Yan Hui went to see President Han as usual, as he had many things he wanted to discuss with him that day.

After diligently finishing his work, Yan Hui noticed that General Manager Han hadn't arrived yet. He checked the time; it was already 8:20, so he decided to leave.

Yan Hui was somewhat helpless when he didn't run into General Manager Han, but his job was to clean, and he couldn't stay there during working hours.

After leaving, Yan Hui went to the timber market as usual, and then went to various construction sites to look for opportunities.

With more attempts, you'll eventually get some small orders, and even repeat customers.

Over the next three or four days, Yan Hui took on two small orders, each requiring very little quantity, totaling about 8 cubic meters of timber, both sourced from Geng Zhongxing. Because of the small quantities, the two orders together only filled one truckload.

The cooperation with President Geng was going very smoothly, but Yan Hui felt that he was being neglected.

The price I paid this time was slightly higher than before, and Mr. Geng didn't come; it was Mr. Geng's son who received me.

"To be honest, your prices aren't very attractive anymore," Yan Hui said bluntly. "You promised me the same price, so why did the shipping cost increase by 200 this time?"

“You’re shipping to two places this time, so the shipping cost should be a bit higher.” Xiao Geng took out his notebook and waved it at Yan Hui. “I’m telling you, Mr. Yan, with this quantity and this price, there really isn’t another company like you in the market.”

"Where is President Geng? Is he coming back today?" Yan Hui didn't want to talk to President Geng's son.

“My dad has something to do today. Why don’t you come over tomorrow? He’ll definitely be here tomorrow morning.”

"I also have something to do in the morning. Is he not coming tomorrow morning?" Yan Hui continued to ask.

"I can't guarantee that."

"Alright then." Yan Hui nodded.

You can't blame Mr. Geng. His prices were indeed not high. Mr. Geng initially treated him as a big customer who wanted samples, but now that he found out he was just a small vendor, he naturally wouldn't pay attention to him.

Yan Hui still frowned slightly. If Geng Zhongxing raised the price like this, there was indeed no point in continuing the cooperation.

Less than half an hour after Yan Hui left, Geng Zhongxing returned, and his son briefly discussed the matter with him.

"You overcharged me by 200 yuan for shipping? Did he pay me back?" Geng Zhongxing asked.

“Yes, he gave it to us. He delivered 10 cubic meters of goods to two different places. If we didn’t add a little extra for shipping, would we even make a profit?” Xiao Geng said matter-of-factly.

"Is the distance too far, or did the convoy overcharge you?" Geng Zhongxing frowned. "It's not far at all, but his price is too low! Dad, even major clients don't get this price."

"Tomorrow, or the next time he comes, return the 200 yuan to him," Geng Zhongxing said without much thought.

"Huh? Why? He already paid." Xiao Geng was very confused.

"The most important thing in doing business is integrity. Since we agreed on that price at the beginning, and the market price hasn't changed, how can we change it arbitrarily?" Geng Zhongxing lectured. "We've been cooperating well with them, even though the quantity is small. I also think I misjudged this person, but one thing at a time, we can't ruin our reputation so easily."

“He’s from out of town and doesn’t have many friends. Dad, I think he should still make money.” Xiao Geng said somewhat unconvinced.

He and his father had talked about Yan Hui before, and they both felt something was off about him. Geng Zhongxing had also expressed some dissatisfaction to his son at the time, and Geng also felt the price was too low and not profitable enough. This time, he proactively added 200 yuan to the shipping fee, and Yan Hui agreed, didn't he?

“Son, money can never be earned enough. This time, listen to me. Even if this person is indeed different from others, or even if he is just a small vendor, we still made a profit, didn’t we? Having a regular customer is always good. Remember, we must be honest in business,” Geng Zhongxing instructed. “In short, next time he comes to the market, you must return the money to him.”

Although General Manager Geng also had grievances against Yan Hui, his principles remained unchanged.

"I understand." Xiao Geng nodded, choosing to obey.

Although he was somewhat dismissive, he had only just come of age and had to listen to his father in everything he did here.

After delivering the goods, Yan Hui took out his notebook and did some accounting.

I currently have about 15,000 yuan owed to me by several construction sites for goods, and I also have nearly 40,000 yuan in cash on hand. I'm not in a hurry to pay the outstanding balances because the value of the goods is low, and they will usually be paid within half a month. After all, I'm a "sensible" person.

At this rate, he'll likely not be able to save 10 yuan by the end of the year. Orders are simply too few.
If things don't work out with Mr. Han, Yan Hui might resort to his old methods: finding clients like Geng Zhongxing here and getting goods from Wang Hongjun to ship here. Geng Zhongxing is a wholesaler, so Yan Hui's profit margin would be very low, but the turnover rate would be high enough that he could still earn several hundred thousand over two years.

Wang Hongjun offered him the lowest price, mainly because of his large volume. If he wanted to restart, he'd have to pay the previous price, and Wang Hongjun would likely agree. Wang Hongjun would still help him with this kind of favor.

"Help" in business is very pragmatic, especially with someone like Wang Hongjun who doesn't have much sentimentality involved. To renegotiate this deal, another trip to Northeast China would be necessary. In short, this path is feasible, but it's not guaranteed to be smooth.

Now that we have President Han, it might be a different approach.

Yan Hui always felt that he could create value for President Han, which meant he must be a useful person. Therefore, President Han would definitely need him.

He has this confidence.

Another week has passed, and Yan Hui has hardly seen President Han lately, nor have they had a single conversation. But he remains tireless, persisting every day. One must be honest; if you promise to "clean for others," it's not just for show, you have to do it! Over time, you'll always learn something!
In the evening, with nothing to do, Yan Hui petted the dog at the warehouse entrance and combed its fur: "Lingling, do you think we'll succeed?"

"Well, so we seem to have a lot of potential right now, but in reality we're nothing, we have nothing at all. Will we succeed?"

"Yes, right? Hmm, I think so too." Yan Hui patted Lingling's head, increasingly feeling that this little dog was really clever, as if it could bring him good fortune.

(End of this chapter)