Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 322 Cost Reduction
After a busy day, having received many guests, Li Pengfei drove Yan Hui, who had drunk quite a bit, home in the evening.

Yan Hui has moved out of his brother-in-law's warehouse and now stays in the temporary prefabricated house that the factory manager gave him at night.

When this temporary prefabricated house was delivered to the factory manager, it was impossible to assume that Yan Hui would live there, so the conditions were quite basic. Yan Hui didn't mind, as long as it saved money. He was used to living at his brother-in-law's place, and his status had always been that of a "security guard," so what difference did it make if he stayed here?

After a good night's sleep, Yan Hui felt aches all over his body. It was October 1st, National Day, and Jinan was already a bit chilly. He remembered that he had vomited twice last night, but there was nothing on the ground, so someone must have cleaned it up.

After waking up, Yan Hui went outside, found a water pipe to wash his face, and found that the workers were lining up to get breakfast. He joined them and took a packet of soy milk to drink.

After finishing the packet of soy milk, Yan Hui wandered around the construction site and saw the driver, Li Pengfei, asking him about what happened last night.

"You threw up? Huh?" Li Pengfei asked, somewhat puzzled. "I didn't clean it up."

"That's a bit strange. I must have thrown up." Yan Hui shook his head. "Never mind, I have to go to Mr. Ma's place today to discuss the engineering equipment. Have you eaten? If you have, let's set off."

"Aren't you going to change your clothes?" Li Pengfei reminded him.

"No need to change, it's easier to negotiate the price if you're dressed a little tattered." Yan Hui waved his hand and gestured for Li Pengfei to get into the car.

After getting on the bus, Yan Hui took out two bottles of mineral water, handed one to Li Pengfei, and chatted with him for a few minutes.

When Yan Hui first asked Li Pengfei to come over, he thought that he was successful in his career and would need a driver wherever he went. He also thought that Li Pengfei could live a good life with him, but the reality was quite different.

As a good crane operator and team leader, Li Pengfei already received good treatment from the crane team, and Yan Hui could only offer him the same treatment, nothing better. However, Yan Hui felt somewhat indebted to Li Pengfei for having to work late nights and get up early with him.

Thinking of all this, Yan Hui brought up the matter casually.

“President Yan, I’ve seen your progress over the past few years. My wife and I have told each other that we’ll definitely succeed with you! I don’t care about what you have now, just don’t forget me when you’re successful.” Li Pengfei was quite honest.

Hearing Li Pengfei say this, what could Yan Hui say? He could only nod slightly and say, "Old Li, what you're saying is nothing. But if I can't make it next year, I might have to sell my car. If you don't mind, you can come with me and do something else. If you want to be a crane operator, I can arrange for you to work for Boss Ma. It's a skilled trade, you can find work anywhere."

"Mr. Yan, don't talk about that. I'm willing to work for you. Liu Jianlei is fine with it, why can't I?" Li Pengfei has been with Yan Hui for so long, so he knows Yan Hui very well.

The driver is actually the one who knows the boss best. During this time, Yan Hui had been treating Li Pengfei well, giving him generous bonuses and such. Moreover, Li Pengfei knew that Yan Hui had given Chen Jian 6% of the shares, and he understood that his boss was a decisive and generous one.

If a boss like this faces difficulties, you should stay by their side and wait for them to take off.

"Old Li, you're fine, but I'm worried your wife won't be happy," Yan Hui laughed.

"It's okay, my wife supports me in everything." Li Pengfei drove the car, his hands still steady.

The car quickly arrived near Mr. Ma's company. Recognizing Yan Hui's car, the driver didn't greet him and drove directly into a large courtyard. A long row of various machines was parked there, quite impressive. Almost every time Yan Hui came, this place was filled with cars, which puzzled him somewhat. How could they make money with so many unrented vehicles?
After parking his car, Yan Hui went straight to find Boss Ma. When he went upstairs, he found Boss Ma busy, so he waited at the door. After about ten minutes, Yan Hui saw Boss Ma come out.

"President Yan? Why didn't you call me when you arrived?" President Ma quickened his pace and walked over as soon as he saw Yan Hui.

Yan Hui could clearly sense that President Ma was being more polite to him than before.

“Mr. Ma, it’s such a small matter, how could I trouble you?” Yan Hui immediately stepped forward and said, “I don’t use cars much, it’s nothing.”

"These are two different things. Construction site bosses may have more cars than you, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're more powerful." Mr. Ma was very well-informed and knew about Yan Hui's purchase of land for over ten million. "Mr. Yan, what kind of car are you planning to use for this trip?"

"We still need two more excavators, four dump trucks, and a 25-ton crane," Yan Hui said.

“Alright, you know my prices here, so I'll give you the internal price from Jian'an Group. However, I have a lot of trucks but not enough drivers, especially crane operators. I'll have to find one for you.” Mr. Ma thought for a moment, “Give me a day.”

“Mr. Yan,” Li Pengfei suddenly stepped forward and said, “would you like me to be the crane operator? I’ve been driving cars for so long lately, my hands are itching to get back to driving.”

"Huh?" Yan Hui was taken aback. "You're here to operate the crane?"

"You can operate a crane?" Mr. Ma was also somewhat curious. Since Li Pengfei was Yan Hui's driver, he would give him some respect.

“I used to drive cranes, and later I became a driver for Mr. Yan,” Li Pengfei explained. “I can handle a 150-ton crane without any problems.”

"Mr. Yan, you've got a lot of talented people around you!" Mr. Ma found it interesting. "I don't mind. A 25-ton crane doesn't cost much. If you don't need a driver, I can lend you one. Just return it to me when you're done."

“One thing at a time,” Yan Hui gritted his teeth. “Mr. Ma, let’s do this: I’ll rent a car, I’ll be responsible for the driver, and I’ll take responsibility for any damage.”

"It's nothing," Mr. Ma waved his hand, though he was genuinely puzzled.

No boss wants their driver to do that kind of work. Car drivers are the boss's personal secretaries, and crane operators are workers. If a boss lets his personal driver operate a crane, it shows that the boss lacks ability, and it's a very incompetent act.

But Yan Hui didn't care about all that now. He wanted to cut costs to the extreme. Since Li Pengfei had said so, it was settled. It's not like he couldn't drive!
"Then I'll go find Director Zhang to get his signature in a bit." Yan Hui didn't want to talk too much.

When people get along, one's own strength comes first. Before his chemical plant was built, he was not qualified to be on equal footing with Mr. Ma, so there was no need for him to be too polite, as the difference in their status was too great.

"Alright, go ahead." Mr. Ma nodded.

(End of this chapter)