Chapter 150: Worth Only Several Hundred Million, That’s All

On the other side, many damaged samples had been discarded. Anyone could tell at a glance that they were substandard products that had failed inspection.

Some people at the site were ecstatic, while others were crestfallen.

The samples Jiang Ming had brought were taken away by a staff member assigned by Old Huang for inspection. Old Huang then led him into the office. Once the door closed, he finally felt the pressure in his head ease.

He fetched a towel from the side and wiped away his sweat. “These past few days have been brutal. Sorry about that.”

Jiang Ming sat down, puzzled. “Old Huang, is your trading company really that big?”

“How else could you handle such a mixed bag of products? Do you actually have the capacity to absorb all of it?”

Everyone knew that Wang Shi’s trading company dealt in an astonishingly wide range of goods, but even it had never been as miscellaneous as Hua Sheng Trading.

Towels, toothbrushes, underwear, thermos flasks…

They handled everything.

Old Huang poured him a glass of water and said calmly, “If it’s something the Soviets up north want, we can swallow it.”

Just then, the employee conducting the inspection outside brought the samples in. A blue stamp certifying them as acceptable had been marked on the products.

After giving the employee a few instructions, Old Huang sent him back out to continue working.

He lifted his teacup and took a sip, dispensing with all pleasantries. “Jiang Fayou, how much can your factory produce?”

Jiang Ming gave a bitter smile. “It’s a small factory. But you know what I’m like—I never cut corners. That also means my costs aren’t low. Without any advantage in price, the factory has been hovering on the verge of collapse.”

This was a peculiar phenomenon in China during the 1990s.

Private enterprise had only just been permitted to develop, and the enormous market was spurring private businesses into action.

Moreover, the market economy had only recently been opened up nationwide, and regulatory oversight had yet to catch up with the changing circumstances.

As a result, the market’s products fell into two extremes: either exceptionally good quality, or so poor that they defied belief.

It was common for someone to buy a pair of shoes, wear them for a single day, and find them “smiling”—the fronts split wide open.

People seemed to have grown used to it.

Old Huang understood the predicament facing Jiang Ming’s factory. After thinking for a moment, he said, “In a few days, a team from the Soviet side will come to select goods. Let me make one thing clear in advance.”

“If they take a liking to your products, they’ll want thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of sets. You need to be prepared. Of course, don’t rush into anything either. Wait for my notice.”

“Damn, you really are trading with the Soviets!”

Jiang Ming grew visibly excited.

Old Huang then explained everything to him in detail.

Chai Jin had been inspecting the products in the section reserved for selected samples.

The Soviets were broad-minded and straightforward by nature, and they were hardly the sort to examine merchandise with great care. Even so, Chai Jin did not want to take advantage of them. A single successful deal might not lead to an endless stream of aircraft contracts, but it would establish his reputation.

There would be opportunities for cooperation in other fields later. That was how one built a name for oneself.

So Chai Jin would never exploit someone simply because they had been careless.

He led several people to discard a considerable number of products that failed a second inspection, striving to bring the quality up to the highest possible standard.

They worked until after noon. By then, dozens more samples had been brought in from outside.

During that time, a young man named Qin Xiaozhou had particularly impressed Chai Jin. He had been working alongside Chai Jin for the past few days, handling everything methodically and thinking with impressive clarity.

Chai Jin therefore promoted him to group leader and decided to cultivate him seriously.

When the work was finished, Chai Jin looked at the exhibition hall, now packed to the brim with merchandise, and said, “That’s enough. We have more than enough.”

“Tell everyone waiting at the entrance to leave. We’re not accepting anything else.”

Qin Xiaozhou nodded. “All right, Brother Jin. I’ll take care of it now.”

“Are we eating lunch here later? I can have someone go out and buy something.”

Chai Jin glanced at his watch. “No. I’ve already arranged lunch with someone else.”

“Got it.”

The two of them talked as they walked out of the exhibition hall. Just then, Old Huang and Jiang Ming emerged from inside as well.

Jiang Ming froze when he saw Chai Jin walking out through the main entrance.

“I know that handsome kid. We exchanged a few words outside just now.”

“Hmm? You know our boss?” Old Huang asked from beside him.

Jiang Ming stared blankly. “What did you just say, Old Huang? That handsome kid is your boss?”

“This trading company belongs to him?”

Old Huang adopted a faintly smug air. “Couldn’t tell, could you? He’s the only boss in the world who doesn’t use hair mousse.”

“The young boss is worth several hundred million. I’m the person in charge of this company, and I report only to him.”

“Holy hell, Old Huang—you really latched onto a powerful patron!”

“Haha, nothing special. Come on, let’s go out for lunch.”

With both hands clasped behind his back, Old Huang walked out the door.

…

The people Chai Jin had invited were Zheng Lianshan and Liu Yiqian.

The three met at a restaurant beneath the company offices.

Zheng Lianshan had been extremely efficient. He had his subordinates bring the contract directly.

Chai Jin’s Hua Sheng Trading would lease its import-export credentials from their company, while the National Heavy Machinery Import and Export Company would take a three-percent service fee.

At this stage, many state-owned enterprises allowed private businesses to operate under their credentials in exchange for a fee.

After the contract was signed, Zheng Lianshan gave a bitter smile. “Now that this is settled, I can finally breathe a little easier and leave without worry.”

Chai Jin looked up in surprise. “Manager Zheng, are you being transferred?”

Liu Yiqian explained from the side, “Promoted. He’s going to headquarters in Zhonghai to take charge. He’s been away from Zhonghai for so many years—at last, he’s going home.”

Zheng Lianshan was also from Zhonghai. He had gone to the capital after graduating from university.

Chai Jin felt a complicated mix of emotions.

When a new ruler takes power, new officials take office. Their cooperation had been initiated by Zheng Lianshan.

Now that Zheng Lianshan was stepping away, who could say what kind of person would take over?

Zheng Lianshan noticed Chai Jin’s concern and said, “Don’t worry. The person taking over my work is an old subordinate who has worked with me for many years.”

“Once he’s finished dealing with matters over the next few days, he’ll get in touch with your people.”

“Everything will proceed according to the contract. It’s business, nothing more. There’s no need to worry.”

Chai Jin thought about it and realized Zheng was right. The contract, signed and written in black and white, was right there in front of them. There was no reason to be concerned.

He gave a bitter smile. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I’m overthinking things. It’s just that matters have reached this point, and a problem at any stage could be fatal.”

“I understand,” Zheng Lianshan said with a smile.

Seeing that the two had nearly finished their business, Liu Yiqian said, “President Chai, after you withdrew from the Shenzhen subscription warrants, have you still been following the stock market?”

How could Chai Jin not have been paying attention?

He was waiting for the first major player in the Chinese stock market to gather enough momentum to make its move.

He had kept one eye fixed on it all along. The only issue was that this player had yet to act.

Still, he merely smiled calmly. “Not very closely. But judging from what the newspapers have been saying, things seem rather unclear.”

At that, a bellyful of resentment rose in Liu Yiqian. “That’s why I’ve never been fond of those so-called economists.”

“Why don’t they just do their own jobs and analyze the macroeconomy properly?”

“What did the stock market ever do to them? One sentence from them, and they nearly killed the entire market. It’s enough to ruin anyone’s mood!”