America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 390 Inspection Team

Jinjiang, a residential complex that was built only a few years ago.

Early in the morning, Ding Haitao sat in the restaurant drinking peanut soup, stuffing a pan-fried bun into his mouth while reaching for a fried dough stick.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he hadn't eaten in days and was fighting over food because of how he was wolfing it down.

"Can't you eat slower? When are you going to get rid of this habit of eating so fast?" His wife, Lu Hui, came out of the kitchen with a plate of cut fruit. When she saw Ding Haitao's appearance, she couldn't help but frown and give him a dissatisfied look.

Although the couple has been married for nearly thirty years, Lu Hui still finds it hard to tolerate her husband's unpalatable eating habits. Over the years, she has grumbled about it almost every day.

Ding Haitao swallowed the food in his mouth, took a sip of peanut soup, and then slowly said, "There's nothing I can do. It's a habit I've had for decades. It's ingrained in my bones. I can't change it even if I want to."

When he was a child, his family was poor and they often didn't know where their next meal would come from. Every time he saw food, it was like he was racing against time, afraid that if he was too slow, he wouldn't be able to eat it.

Later, when I grew up and joined the army, speed became even more crucial, and that's how I developed this habit.

"It's fine at home, no one will say anything, but when you're out, you really need to pay attention to your image. Look at the way you eat, you have no manners at all. What will people say about you if they see this?" Lu Hui placed the fruit plate on the table, picked up a piece of apple and handed it to Ding Haitao, while still eating.

Lu Hui's dissatisfaction with Ding Haitao's eating habits stemmed largely from the fact that he was often ridiculed in public.

Because of Yu Haitao's eating habits, she was often ridiculed by her relatives at her parents' home. Even now, Lu Hui still feels uncomfortable when she thinks about those harsh words.

In the past few years, Ding Haitao's business has gradually improved, from a small-scale operation to a large-scale garment OEM factory, and his family's economic conditions have also improved.

With Ding Haitao's success, the attitude of his relatives has changed dramatically. Those who used to speak coldly to them now greet the couple with smiles and warm greetings.

"Okay, okay, I'll remember. I'll definitely be mindful of my image in public, so don't worry about me." Ding Haitao took the apple and said perfunctorily, then quickly changed the subject, "By the way, where's the little rascal? What time is it? Why isn't he awake yet?"

When Lu Hui heard Ding Haitao ask about their son, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and said irritably, "Our son didn't come home last night. He's probably busy with a project at the company. Can't you, as his father, ever pay more attention to our son?"

Starting a business isn't easy for our son, and you haven't even offered him more support or communicated with him more.

Upon hearing Lu Hui's accusation, Ding Haitao instantly became displeased. His voice rose eight octaves as he exclaimed excitedly, "I don't care? For this little brat, I sold the clothing factory I'd painstakingly built up over a decade, only to send him off to do something like the internet. What more do you want?"

Seeing that Ding Haitao was agitated and his voice was getting louder, Lu Hui slammed her chopsticks on the table and said sternly, "Can't you speak a little quieter? It's so early in the morning, do you want the whole building to hear us arguing?"

Seeing his wife's genuine anger, Ding Haitao deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon, all his previous excitement vanishing without a trace.

You can't argue with that. If they get angry, they'll make you pay taxes. What man can stand being exploited like that?

Ding Haitao's momentum immediately diminished. "It would have been better if he had just inherited the family's garment factory, lived a peaceful and stable life, and had a steady income. But instead, he insisted on getting involved with the internet. Someone who can't even sell fishing nets properly has connected to the internet."

Ding Haitao grew angrier as he spoke, and couldn't help but continue complaining, "If it weren't for his insistence on getting involved in this damn internet thing, would I have been able to give Lao Chen a large stake in the merged factory?"

After listening to Ding Haitao's complaints, Lu Hui couldn't help but retort, "I think it's good to let Lao Chen be the major shareholder. Lao Chen is much more farsighted than you."

"If it weren't for Lao Chen securing that huge American order at a low price, would we have the opportunity to transform today? Don't try to be innocent while you've already benefited."

Old Chen, Chen Hongping, has been riding high lately, becoming a prominent figure in Jinjiang's garment industry.

Many garment manufacturers initially felt that there was no profit to be made from Craig Trading Company's order, considering it a worthless piece of work, and declined it. However, Chen Hongping decisively secured the order at a low price.

No one expected that this seemingly insignificant order, along with subsequent orders from Google, would not only become Chen Hongping's lifeline but also allow him to take a major step in accumulating capital.

The Southeast Asian financial crisis has also had a huge impact on the entire garment industry in Jinjiang.

Due to a sharp decline in external market demand and a significant drop in orders, more than half of the garment manufacturers faced a broken capital chain due to a lack of orders, and ultimately had to go bankrupt and close down. The once prosperous garment industry in Pujiang suddenly fell into an unprecedented trough.

Chen Hongping survived thanks to large orders from Craig Trading Company. He also acquired a number of bankrupt garment factories at super low prices, registered a brand, and began to transform into a brand-oriented company.

Ding Haitao also benefited from this wave of opportunities thanks to Chen Hongping and this order.

Ding Haitao's son, Ding Ming, was the college student who helped Chen Hongping communicate and translate with Craig Trading Company.

That translation work helped Chen Hongping successfully reach a cooperation agreement with Craig Trading Company. In order to improve production efficiency and meet the growing demand for orders, Chen Hongping proposed to merge his factory with Ding Haitao's garment OEM factory.

At the time, Ding Haitao used all his funds to support his son Ding Ming's business venture, and he also thought that he would have more energy to help his son take care of the company in the future. Therefore, he did not continue to invest funds in the merged contract manufacturer, which resulted in Chen Hongping holding a majority of shares in the new company and becoming the major shareholder.

"He just got lucky, nothing special. When that American Craig came to Jinjiang for inspection, if I hadn't accompanied you on your trip to Beijing, my quote would definitely have been lower than Chen Hongping's. Then, what chance would Chen Hongping have?" Ding Haitao said stubbornly, trying to save face.

Upon hearing Ding Haitao's words, Lu Hui immediately cast a cold glance at him, her tone laced with murderous intent as she said, "So you're blaming me? Did I hinder your career development by having you accompany me on that trip to Beijing?"

Ding Haitao felt his penis trembling. It wasn't unheard of for someone to come knocking on his door early in the morning to demand his "labor." He swallowed hard, about to explain, when his cell phone on the coffee table in the living room suddenly rang, its clear ringtone unusually loud.

Ding Haitao's eyes lit up immediately, feeling that this ringtone was the most beautiful and melodious sound in the world.

"I'm going to answer the phone," he said, practically jumping off his chair and running quickly toward the living room.

Pick up the phone and press the answer button.

Before they could finish their sentence, a look of delight appeared on his face. "I'll be there right away. Don't worry, I'll book a nice, upscale restaurant right away and make sure they're all taken care of perfectly."

After hanging up the phone, Ding Haitao felt exceptionally relaxed. He ran into the master bedroom and quickly changed his clothes.

Lu Hui followed with a frown, asking in confusion, "What happened?"

While quickly putting on his tie, Ding Haitao excitedly said, "Great news, fantastic news! The big fish is here, and Old Chen just said on the phone that he's not coming alone this time; he's brought an inspection team with him."

"The Americans are here?" Lu Hui immediately understood when she heard the nickname "Big Fat Sheep".

In Jinjiang's garment manufacturing industry, the nickname "Big Fat Sheep" was given to Craig by everyone in private.

Although Craig's order profit margin was small due to Chen Hongping's influence, who knew it wasn't just one order, but a very substantial one?

Moreover, Craig Trading Company makes payments very quickly and decisively, which is undoubtedly the most desirable type of client for business people.

Many people now think that his orders are actually quite good, hence the nickname "Big Fat Sheep".

"But wasn't that Google event already over? What are they doing here again?"

Chen Hongping and Ding Haitao's generation had limited understanding of the emerging internet industry, but Ding Haitao's son, Ding Ming, did.

Previously, Google's clothing orders had very unique designs, and Ding Ming, through his attention to the American internet, could hardly miss that these clothes were Google's orders.

Otherwise, how could Chen Hongping and his group have known that there was such a behemoth behind Craig Trading Company?

"The owner of Google is the fifth richest person in the world, with a net worth of hundreds of billions of dollars and many companies under his control. Can't it be other companies that need to order clothing for an event?" Ding Haitao straightened his collar and said calmly.

They not only learned about Google, but also about Google's founder, Ernst.

It wasn't that they wanted to know, but rather that this guy was his son Ding Ming's idol, and he aspired to make a name for himself in the internet field, just like his idol.

Originally, Ding Haitao did not support Ding Ming's idea at all, but after hearing him talk about the wealth Ernst had created in two years because of the Internet, he became more supportive.

Especially recently, when Forbes magazine released its latest list of the world's richest people, Ernst ranked fifth with a net worth of $258 billion, a figure that shocked Ding Haitao immensely.

$258 billion is more than 100 billion yuan. Even if he had 258 billion yuan, let alone dollars, he would be so excited that he couldn't sleep at night.

He simply couldn't believe how incredibly powerful the internet was at creating wealth; otherwise, he wouldn't have changed his attitude.

"Even if other companies want to order clothing, do they really need to send an inspection team? Isn't that a bit too much of a fuss?" Lu Hui still found it unbelievable. In her impression, inspection teams were usually only sent to conduct on-site inspections for very important cooperative projects.

"Why do you care so much? It doesn't matter how many people they come or what their identities are. The key is how many orders they can place for us and how much money we can make. As long as there are orders, I'd welcome even ten inspection teams, let alone one." Ding Haitao said as he picked up his coat and put it on, then walked to the door.

Before he had even properly put on his shoes, Ding Haitao had already eagerly stepped out of the house. Before closing the door, he deliberately raised his voice and shouted into the house, "Don't wait for me for lunch and dinner. I'm staying at the company to entertain the foreign guests and try to secure this big order from the United States."

Lu Hui, standing inside the room, couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard Ding Haitao's words.

She knew Ding Haitao too well; she knew that the reason he deliberately raised his voice was so that the other residents in the building could hear him.

When Ding Haitao drove his Santana to the company, which was the processing plant he and Chen Hongping had merged, he was dumbfounded by what he saw.

Inside the factory's production workshop, Chen Hongping was standing among a group of foreigners, explaining the factory's production process and equipment to them with the help of his secretary's translation.

But is this really a business delegation from the United States?

They were all tall and burly, covered in brightly colored tattoos, wearing thick gold necklaces around their necks, glittering gold watches on their wrists, and loose, baggy trousers with their waistbands hanging loosely around their waists. They walked with a swaying gait, exuding a carefree and irresponsible air.

Does this image have anything to do with a business delegation?

He would believe it if you told him they were American gangsters invading Jinjiang.