Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 241 Testing the Waters
Mr. Han's two children were very polite and courteous to Yan Hui, calling him "Brother Yan" the whole way, which made Yan Hui feel a little conceited.

"I'll take my sister to school first," Yan Hui said, glancing at the time. It was 8:10 a.m. Both children's schools were very close, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Okay, Brother Yan," the little girl said obediently.

"What are your names?" Yan Hui asked.

"My name is Han Xiuwen, and my sister's name is Han Yue," Han Xiuwen said.

"What wonderful names!" Yan Hui remembered the two children's names.

Yan Hui only asked for their names and didn't chat much. He took the two children to different schools one after the other, asked them if they had forgotten anything, and then drove off.

On the way back, Yan Hui looked at the Audi and felt a mix of emotions.

I never expected to be driving an Audi again so soon.

This was the first time he'd driven an Audi without spending any money. Although it wasn't his own car, the feeling was completely different. This time last year, driving this car made him feel incredibly cool, like he wanted to open the hood and show everyone that he was driving an Audi!
It's just that Jianye is really far from his hometown, otherwise Yan Hui really wanted to drive the car home! He would have parked it at the gate of the courtyard for the whole holiday!
At this moment, driving President Han's car, Yan Hui felt completely calm and composed, as if he were just a tool.

He drove very slowly and deliberately, never rushing through traffic lights. He just kept his eyes on the road and only had his mind on driving.

You absolutely cannot scratch it or break it; you can't ruin your life on something as trivial as this.

The Audi gracefully turned into the courtyard, and the security guards at the gate saluted.

After parking the car, Yan Hui went upstairs to find President Han.

The door to President Han's office was open, but he wasn't there. Yan Hui placed his car keys in a prominent position on his desk and then left.

Today is Wednesday. After finishing his work here, Yan Hui immediately went to the market.

He didn't actually know much about plywood.

Plywood is different from most timber and boards. It has a characteristic that it is used in large quantities but is very specific, and is almost exclusively used on construction sites.

Therefore, most of these are ordered directly from construction sites by factories, and you won't find them in the raw wood lumber market. If you do find them, the price won't be less than 100 yuan per sheet.

Plywood generally comes in two sizes: 1.22m x 2.44m is considered a large board, and there is another size, 1.83m x 0.915m, which is more commonly used nowadays. In 2000, due to limitations in construction technology, using large boards was more convenient and ensured better quality.

Yan Hui's first stop was to see Geng Zhongxing, whom he thought was alright. If Geng's son was there again, Yan Hui would just leave.

We were lucky this time; Geng Zhongxing happened to be there.

"Mr. Yan," Geng Zhongxing greeted Yan Hui immediately, "What brings you here this time?"

"Just browsing around. Since Mr. Geng is here today, of course I should pay him a visit," Yan Hui said politely.

“I’ve been staying at the market these past few days, waiting for Mr. Yan. Last time my son was confused and overcharged you by 200 yuan for shipping, so I have to refund you this time.” Geng Zhongxing opened the drawer and took out 200 yuan that he had prepared beforehand.

"Hmm?" Yan Hui glanced at him. "President Geng, what's this?"

Yan Hui could tell that the money had been prepared long ago. Of course, Geng Zhongxing's statement that he had been "waiting for President Yan" was just a polite remark.

“You have to do business the way you should. My son might not understand, but I do,” Geng Zhongxing said with a smile.

"Mr. Geng is a very honest man." Yan Hui nodded, took the money, and put it in his pocket. "Is there anything else you need this time, Mr. Yan?" Geng Zhongxing asked again.

"I wonder what the price of plywood is for you, Mr. Geng? I need high-quality grade II plywood," Yan Hui asked.

“Normally, it’s 95 yuan per piece for takeout, but if it’s for Boss Yan, it’s 88 yuan per piece!” Geng Zhongxing offered a very low price.

"What if we need more?" Yan Hui asked again.

"This price is already quite high; you only get this price for orders of 100 or more," Geng Zhongxing said.

"What thickness? 80 or 90?" Yan Hui asked.

"It's around 80, the quality is pretty good," Geng Zhongxing explained.

80 means 80 sheets thick enough to last 1 meter, with each sheet being 1.25cm thick, which is considered a qualified product. Any thinner and it wouldn't last long.

按照80张1米来计算，80张大板就差不多3立方米，价格大概6000多，平均每方的价格2000多。

No one calculates the cost of large planks by "square"; they calculate it by "sheet." But Yan Hui, who is used to calculating by square in his log business, has to calculate the original cost.

Many people may have seen a short video when browsing woodworking videos online: a log about 30 centimeters in diameter is placed on two rollers and rolled, and then quickly turned into a stick.

Some might say the last piece of wood could be used to make a mop handle, while others would say that's too wasteful.

In fact, this processing method is called planing. It's like treating a log as a roll of tape or toilet paper, planing the log into thin sheets like tape or toilet paper, and then gluing the sheets together to form plywood.

Plywood has advantages that solid wood cannot match. First, it can be made into very large pieces. Second, it can withstand both horizontal and vertical forces and will not break along the grain like solid wood planks.

Because plywood uses adhesives and hot-pressing techniques, its density is much greater than that of logs. Therefore, to calculate cost based on volume, density must also be considered.

Even with Yan Hui's extensive knowledge of the timber industry, he still can't calculate the exact cost of plywood. Therefore, he needs to quickly investigate the market in the next few days and obtain all the basic data by next Monday.

"If I want 1 copies, what would the price be?" Yan Hui asked.

"1 tickets?" Geng Zhongxing was stunned. Was he talking about a million-dollar deal?
"Mm." Yan Hui nodded gently.

“Then I think 82 is definitely no problem.” Geng Zhongxing thought for a moment.

“I have no profit at 82,” Yan Hui shook his head. The price he quoted to General Manager Han was 80, which is also the price that a typical construction site would pay for materials.

"Then we can discuss it further. I wonder how many units Mr. Yan wants for the first batch? And approximately how long will it take to deliver?" Geng Zhongxing recovered his composure and began to re-analyze the matter.

He still doesn't know whether Yan Hui is using a vague, large order to pressure for a lower price, or whether he actually has the capability to do so.

“Mr. Geng, we are all businessmen. To be honest, I need to guarantee quality and quantity, and the price must be below 70,” Yan Hui said tentatively.

“I definitely can’t do that, Mr. Yan. You need profits, and so do I.” Hearing this, Geng Zhongxing breathed a sigh of relief; there was no need to worry about it anymore.

“I understand. Okay, Mr. Geng, I’ll go and see the processing plant again. I’ll probably still have to negotiate with them about this quantity, but I can guarantee that if this path works out, I’ll definitely come back to support your business in other areas.” Yan Hui got the information he wanted.

"Yes, let's cooperate more in the future." President Geng didn't waste any more words.

(End of this chapter)