Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 289 Seeing Lao Guo Again
Before establishing the leasing company, Yan Hui still needed to resolve the issue of timber raw materials.

Now that he has his own processing plant, he also sells boards and timber, as well as some custom-made products. His craftsmanship is now good enough to do preliminary processing for furniture factories. Most furniture factories don't have large-scale processing equipment; they just buy materials of suitable thickness and shape and process them directly into furniture.

Business is relatively easy to manage now, but he needs to make a trip to deal with the timber raw materials. After all, with the increase in quantity, it's not appropriate to ask Geng Zhongxing for help anymore.

Yan Hui called Lao Guo in advance, took a few days off, flew to Harbin, and then took a train straight to Tangwanghe.

Yan Hui had traveled this road countless times in previous years, but he didn't dare to come for the next three years. Now that he was finally able to let go of these things, he boarded this train.

Actually, it's fine if he doesn't come; he can just get the goods directly from Lao Guo. But Yan Hui heard from Lao Guo that Lao Guo is planning to go back to Fengtian to build a factory to deal with rosewood, and that he will outsource the work here to someone else. That's why Yan Hui had to come.

Old Guo wants to build a small rosewood processing plant, investing about 50 yuan, which is a supplement to his father's processing plant.

After getting off the bus, Yan Hui looked around. The entire Tangwanghe River hadn't changed much; it looked much the same as before, with people coming and going. The only difference was that more and more people had cell phones, and the cell phone signal in the vicinity was also better.

"Old Yan!" Old Guo shouted loudly when he saw Yan Hui.

“Here it is.” There weren’t many people at the station, and Yan Hui immediately followed, only to find that Lao Guo had already bought a car.

"It's been so long since I've seen you. I'm so glad you're doing well!" Old Guo stepped forward and hugged Yan Hui.

"Don't worry, I won't die, it's just a little hardship." Yan Hui hugged Lao Guo tightly.

"A few difficulties!" Old Guo patted Yan Hui on the shoulder. "Brother, if there's anything you need me for this trip, just let me know. The logging season is about to begin, and I'll only consider going back to Fengtian after it ends. I'll stay here until at least the end of the year!"

"Don't worry, I won't stand on ceremony with you." Yan Hui smiled and looked around carefully.

"Let me tell you, the county town has changed a lot in the past few years. The accommodation is much better now. There are guesthouses all over here. Come with me!" Old Guo called Yan Hui to the door and got into a Xiali car.

Once in the car, Yan Hui leaned back comfortably in his seat and casually asked, "By the way, how has Wang Hongjun been these past few years?"

“Him? He’s even more capable than before! What, are you going to see him? I can lend you my car,” Old Guo said.

"Forget it, we agreed this time I'd get the wood from you. I don't have the energy to run between the two places anymore. We haven't seen each other for years, and Wang Hongjun and I don't have any friendship left." Yan Hui refused Lao Guo's offer.

"Huh? I thought you were looking for him. If you were looking for me, we could just call each other if we needed to talk, right?"

"How can that be the same? I had to come and see you!" Yan Hui laughed. "I still remember what you said when I was thinking of getting Yang Shu."

"You're telling me this? With our relationship, why are you talking about this! Let me tell you, this time when you come to me, I can't guarantee a cheaper price than Wang Hongjun, but it'll definitely be the lowest on the market. I'll just make enough to cover my labor costs." Old Guo was always quite honest with Yan Hui. "It's alright, you make your profit. Anyway, you're definitely one of the people I trust most. I absolutely had to come see you this time and stay for a few days." Yan Hui pulled his seat back all the way and crossed his legs. The car was a bit small, and Yan Hui's legs were already sticking out onto the dashboard.

"To be honest, I still don't understand why you got such a low price from Wang Hongjun back then... Didn't Wang Hongjun make any money himself?" Old Guo asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.

Generally speaking, business people are very reluctant to ask this kind of question, no matter how good the relationship is. But since Yan Hui came this time and confirmed that he would not cooperate with Wang Hongjun, Lao Guo can ask it now.

“Wang Hongjun’s purchase price is relatively low. He’s just too ruthless, and many people don’t dare to get close to him. Otherwise, he would earn more than anyone else,” Yan Hui sighed.

In fact, Yan Hui didn't like to associate with Wang Hongjun either. This man was too domineering. Even at the peak of Yan Hui's career, when he was Wang Hongjun's number one client, he still felt immense pressure.

Wang Hongjun didn't really respect Yan Hui. Although he always boasted about Yan Hui in public, it was only for his own face; he never truly respected Yan Hui. This was arrogance ingrained in his bones.

"Why is his purchase price so low? Is he also involved with the logging sites?"

“The main reason is that no one dares to mess with him. Do you remember the last time you were trapped, and I took Liu Zi to rescue you? You know what we brought back then, right? For Wang Hongjun, that kind of thing is commonplace.” Yan Hui recounted some details from the last time.

In Northeast China, back then, it was common knowledge within the industry that nine out of ten people running forest farms had some kind of shady background. Many people who hadn't lived there might not know this, but it was actually similar to rural sand pits in most other places.

In a village or region, very few people manage to acquire a forest or sand quarry through legitimate means. Or rather, even if you manage to acquire it, you won't be able to keep it without some special methods. Back then, Yan Hui's uncle also ran a sand quarry. Even someone as capable as him could only run away when problems arose. His advantage over others was that he sold it for a decent price.

"It seems Wang Hongjun is indeed ruthless..." Old Guo understood somewhat.

Some stories from this era are impossible to write; it's normal for these people to have lives on their hands.

“Yes, I have to be careful about my reputation and image in Quancheng now. After all, I work for a big shot. I don’t want to have anything to do with someone like Wang Hongjun anymore. When I went bankrupt, he never thought of helping me. Although it was his duty not to help, I helped him earn at least a million yuan back then.” Yan Hui was telling the truth.

Back then, Yan Hui helped Wang Hongjun negotiate with many clients. Because Wang Hongjun was too fierce and didn't understand the specific business, Yan Hui often went out with Wang Hongjun to help negotiate deals, and he couldn't refuse. For these things, Wang Hongjun never gave him any "commission" or similar fees.

Once Wang Hongjun secures a client, it's very difficult for that client to switch locations, because the pressure he exerts is immense. Of course, Wang Hongjun's prices are also quite good, so people tend to follow suit.

Yan Hui had never said these things to Lao Guo before, and it wouldn't have made any difference if he had.

But now, Yan Hui can easily find Lao Guo again. Almost three years have passed, and everything has changed.

(End of this chapter)