I'm incredibly ambitious after being reborn.

Chapter 52 When sleepiness comes, there is a pillow

After instructing his younger brother to "study hard and make progress every day," Zhang Daxiang, unusually, embarked on a round of social engagements.

The main issues are the approval for construction to begin at the "Shizipo" site and the recruitment of technical personnel after the restart of "Jinsangye".

This involved a lot of people from major banks, so there were still some social obligations involved, since restarting the "Golden Mulberry Leaf" cold storage was originally quite a troublesome thing.

It's not just about equipment inspection and the cleanliness of the operating environment; dealing with outsiders is also a major challenge.

Because cold storage work is a specialized job, it's best to have a pressure vessel certificate if you want to do it long-term.

At this point, recruiting from the general labor market will not be very effective. Specialized jobs are often limited to a specific niche, such as tower crane operators.

It is relatively rare for them to directly enter the common labor market.

So, a grandfather who had worked at the Employment Security Administration and hadn't retired yet helped out by organizing a small job fair for "Golden Mulberry Leaf," which had reopened.

The power supply company and the bank also came to show their support. The bank mainly hoped to cooperate with "Golden Mulberry Leaf" in the long term, so that they could use the same company's salary cards in the future.

Of course, it would be even better if I could get a loan while I was at it.

Zhang Daxiang did not place the "Golden Mulberry Leaf" business department in the factory area, which is far from the city and suburbs. Instead, he set up contact points or offices in several surrounding villages and towns, where he could also sell some local specialties brought over from other places in "Shizipo".

There is already a bank cooperating with "Shizipo" – the bank where Zhang Daxiang's fellow clansman works. The construction site successfully obtained a loan of two million yuan, which makes Zhang Daxiang quite well-off. Normally, he doesn't need to take out any more loans, nor is there any place where he needs to increase his investment.

However, the bank they encountered at this social gathering was incredibly well-informed; the second-in-command of the credit department even knew he was selling melon seeds.

"Mr. Zhang, I heard you're in the wholesale business of sunflower seeds and peanuts? And you're even selling them all the way to Huating?"

"Yes, there is such a thing, but to be honest, Director Shen, it's just a small business. I've only made a few tens of thousands of yuan so far. It shouldn't be enough to alarm Director Shen, right?"

"Oh, Mr. Zhang, you're too modest. When we do business, we try every means to find entrepreneurs and business leaders with great potential. Which bank wouldn't be burning incense every day to hope for someone as young and capable as you?"

Director Shen's expression and tone were extremely exaggerated, leaving the old men at the table stunned.

However, an old man from the bank nodded while holding his wine glass: "What Xiao Shen said is absolutely right. We who work in the bank, lending out banknotes, do indeed like people like Zhang Xiang."

As he spoke, the bank's grandfather chuckled and said, "Young man, don't think Director Shen is exaggerating. Your youth means you'll live a long life, and a long life means a longer cooperation period. Your strong abilities mean you have a strong sense of career ambition, and therefore a strong drive and motivation. The bank isn't afraid of your hard work; it's afraid you'll take the money and then collapse in bed. Now we have several big and small hens laying golden eggs. Don't just talk about banks in Jiyang City; even international commercial banks in big cities outside the city will definitely contact you if they have business coming their way. You might say you only make tens of thousands of yuan selling melon seeds, but in the eyes of the bank, even just one cent is enough to establish a business relationship. That one cent is the key to opening doors. Later, you can easily find a reason to use that one cent as a basis for deeper cooperation."

While seemingly offering some advice based on experience, this senior banker was actually reminding Zhang Daxiang that Director Shen had other plans in store.

If melon seeds are served with a cup of tea, then when abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw arrive, shouldn't we prepare some "foot bath water"?
Just as the bank's grandfather had predicted, after the meeting, Director Shen invited Zhang Daxiang to a teahouse next to the bank to listen to a performance of traditional musical instruments. "Mr. Zhang, I wonder if you'd be interested in expanding your peanut and melon seed business?"

"To be honest, if it weren't for Mr. Xu from Huating mentioning it, my melon seeds and peanuts would have just been given away as extras. I never thought about making it big."

Zhang Daxiang never tells the truth once he opens his mouth. The idea that nine parts truth and one part falsehood doesn't exist. He doesn't dare to utter a single word when facing people in the bank.

These people are so cunning that their infiltration capabilities are even more exaggerated than those of special agents; to say they are ubiquitous is an understatement.

Director Shen couldn't discern anything amiss from Zhang Daxiang's face. He had previously heard that Zhang Daxiang had acquired equipment, so he guessed that he probably had at least a complete processing plant.

So far, he hasn't heard which equipment supplier installed and debugged "Shizipo". The passing truck drivers aren't interested in these things; they only know that "Shizipo" has goods.

Originally, Director Shen thought that if Zhang Daxiang was interested, he would help make connections and provide him with a batch of equipment. He could also persuade Zhang Daxiang to use a loan to purchase the equipment.

Now that the equipment issue was no longer needed, Director Shen's eyes lit up, and he came up with a second plan: "Mr. Zhang, actually, this sunflower seed business can be really scaled up. There's a batch of sunflower seeds coming to market in Hebei North Road right now, and the price is less than 1.5 yuan per jin (500g). If you want to do big business, I can help you contact an old classmate there. Of course, the price is still negotiable. To be honest, my old classmate is in trouble right now. A sunflower seed buyer has vanished, and his company in the area is empty. Now, the sunflower seed farmers are taking their problems to him..."

First, he throws out some bait, then he complains and asks for sympathy. Director Shen really knows how to use these tricks. Moreover, he subtly reveals that his classmate is also someone of importance.

What Director Shen really wanted was for the young, wealthy, and powerful man to demonstrate his strength and charisma, and then conveniently resolve the matter his old classmate had asked him to do.

In this way, while gaining favors from old classmates, the favor owed to Zhang Daxiang won't be too great, and can be repaid later using the bank's resources.

However, what Director Shen didn't know was that Zhang Daxiang was already grinning from ear to ear. If he didn't have to try to maintain the image of a tough, domineering, and arrogant man from Zhangshi Village, he really wouldn't have been able to hold it in.

What does it mean to have a pillow when you're sleepy?
That's it.

What a coincidence! He told Sang Yuke to send forty or fifty drivers over first, so does that mean he'll just ignore the rest?

Even if you're going to refuse, you need to give a definite answer.

Now we don't need to anymore. We have a definite answer, and we have it right now.

"Director Shen, we in the 'Three Banks' have always valued morality. My great-grandfather bought sixteen gold bars to give away as gifts without batting an eye. Today, if you can help out, just name a rough amount and I'll cover it."

"..."

Director Shen, who had initially thought Zhang Daxiang was going to make an exorbitant demand, was now completely stunned, thinking to himself: This shouldn't be a fool, right? Is he going to cause me trouble?

(End of this chapter)