2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 342 Returning Home to Invest?

The National Day celebrations in Tanjiacun have never been as lively as this year.

Rural people all have to go out to work and earn money, and with the lack of high-speed rail in recent years, it's actually quite difficult for them to go home.

Even those who work in Yicheng rarely go home, partly because they don't have many holidays, and partly because they can't bear the travel expenses and the cost of going home.

But this time it's different; the golden phoenix of Tanjia Village is coming back.

Commercials for Shanchi and Fengchi series electric vehicles frequently appear on CCTV, Anhui Satellite TV, Yicheng TV, and local TV stations, and Tan Jincheng's image also appears in the news from time to time.

These villagers from Tanjiacun who work in the city, especially those who are related to Tan Lihua, have all met him, but they still can't match him with the real Tan Jincheng.

Tan Jincheng is taking his girlfriend back to his hometown. These relatives who usually have social interactions with Tan Lihua, and those with closer relationships, are all expected to receive red envelopes (cash gifts).

In Tan Jincheng's case, if it were a less promising younger generation, they wouldn't come back during the middle of the year when they were busy making money; they would just make up for it during the New Year.

However, this time, Tan Jincheng's uncles and cousins, who were of the same generation as Tan Lihua, all returned home, ostensibly to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Some migrant workers who lived nearby returned to the village, and some of Tan Jincheng's peers who were about to graduate or had not been doing well in their jobs were also called back by their parents.

Suddenly, Tanjiacun Village felt like it was celebrating the Lunar New Year. The village regained its vitality, with many young faces, and it was no longer just a village where the elderly, children, and the sick were left behind.

"Third brother, how much are you planning to give in the red envelopes?" Tan Licheng asked his younger brother Tan Liye, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Generally speaking, when a nephew brings his girlfriend home, 200 yuan is enough for immediate family members like them, while 100 yuan is enough for more distant relatives.

But clearly, Tan Jincheng, this eldest nephew, is a bit different.

"Let's give you 1000 yuan. Too little is embarrassing, and we can't afford more," Tan Liye said with a smile.

“Okay, then I’ll tell Lijuan too, and all three of us will order the same thing.” Tan Licheng nodded.

Then he laughed and said, "A red envelope of 1000 yuan, wow, this is the first time ever! No one in our village has ever done this before."

Lijuan is Tan Jincheng's aunt. In fact, the economic conditions of these three families are not good. Tan Licheng is better off, as he only has one son, so his economic pressure is less. Tan Liye and Tan Lijuan both have a son and a daughter.

In those days, the economic conditions in rural areas were not so different, and everyone's conditions were similar, so the folk customs were still very simple and honest.

However, things will change a lot in a few years. The rich will be truly rich, and the poor will be truly poor, and the competition will become more intense.

"It is quite a headache. This kid is too good at making money. But it's not our problem. His uncles are the ones who should be worried."

"Lijuan also has a headache."

"Hahaha."

The two brothers laughed heartlessly. They were the uncles, so this was enough for them. But their aunts were different from their uncles. From now on, Tan Jincheng would have to give a red envelope every time he got married, had a child, or celebrated his first birthday.

In addition, Tan Jincheng and his future wife will also have a grand celebration for their 36th birthdays, and the gifts given must be substantial, as this is a local custom symbolizing the warding off of misfortune.

On the contrary, Tan Jincheng didn't have to pay; all these social obligations were paid by Tan Lihua.
-
"Dad, you and Uncle take Qingqing back first. I need to go to the county first."

Tan Jincheng's purpose in returning to his hometown was not to visit relatives, but to talk to the county leaders about Shanchi's third factory.

At the same time, Tan Jincheng looked at Gu Qingqing with some apology. What kind of situation was this? It was the first time he had properly brought his girlfriend back to his hometown, but he wasn't even walking into the house with her.

Gu Qingqing was quite sensible; compared to accompanying her to meet a bunch of relatives she didn't know, the important business was obviously more important.

"Can't we meet tomorrow? Tell me, what's the point of your schedule? What's the difference if we're a day or two later?" Tan Lihua said, somewhat displeased.

That's what he said, but in reality, Tan Lihua knew that this wasn't something his son could decide on his own.

On the second day after returning home, Old Li waited until evening to report that Tan Jincheng had returned, which gave him a day to take his daughter-in-law around the city. By the third day, his son had no choice but to leave.

All sorts of phone calls came in, some even came to his door in person, and even the neighborhood committee joined in the fun. Tan Jincheng had no choice but to accompany these people on a tour for two days.

I also cooperated with the city's publicity department by giving several interviews and filming two promotional videos.

In his own words, he was extremely busy, and he only said that to comfort Gu Qingqing.

Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "It's alright, Uncle. Let him go. This was an itinerary we discussed beforehand. Besides, Jin Yue is with me."

"Jin Yue, don't you think so?"

"Yes, I'll stay with my sister."

"So nice."

Tan Jinyue is very sensible. She will definitely make a fuss when she wants to, but she is also very obedient when she needs to be. Tan Jincheng will definitely not allow himself to go out to play without her, but if he goes to work and can't take her, she will be very obedient. With Zhang Qingliang's family and Tan Jincheng's Audi about to leave, there was no room left in the two cars, so Tan Lihua had to drive back by himself.

The three cars, with Liu Suman driving a GL8 in the lead, Tan Lihua's Passat in the middle, and Li Yaohui driving an A6 in the back, headed towards Anjiu Road.

The road was still the same old, dilapidated road, very bumpy.

When they reached the intersection in the town, Tan Lihua started to lead the way, as the navigation on the village road was not very reliable. Tan Jincheng and Li Yaohui continued to drive along Anjiu Road towards Wangjiang County.

Leaving aside the scene of Tan Lihua's family returning home, in the county town at this time, Tao Qinian was already waiting for Tan Jincheng in his office.

Today is the first day of National Day.

Ever since receiving the news that Tan Jincheng would return to personally discuss factory matters with him, the county has been making all sorts of preparations for this meeting.

After Flashpoint proactively held a press conference to announce its performance and future development plans, Tao Qinian was well aware that this was Flashpoint Technology's last expansion before 2009.

If the county, or rather he himself, doesn't seize this opportunity, then there will be no more.

Whether the goal of annual sales of 1 million vehicles can be achieved within three years seems to be no big problem, given the current growth rate of the electric vehicle industry and the market position of the Flash.

Don't forget that besides ranking among the top three in the domestic market share, the Flash Motor Group, which started with foreign trade, currently ranks first in the country in terms of electric vehicle exports.

Building a third factory is not a rash expansion for Flashpoint, but a very important strategy.

Given the county's relationship with Flash, and the fact that the location for the third factory hasn't been decided yet, we should, and must, try to secure it.

Tao Qinian knew that Shanchi and Tan Jincheng looked down on Wangjiang's environment, that its industrial chain was not complete and its transportation was not as developed as that of the coastal areas, but he still had hope for this negotiation, even great hope.

This time, it's been a month since the press conference ended, and Tan Jincheng still hasn't settled on the location of the third factory. You know, the last factory in Tianjin was completed very quickly, and he didn't even give him a chance to negotiate.

Tan Jincheng is known for his efficiency and decisiveness; the fact that he couldn't finalize an address even after a month suggests that he was hesitant.

This hesitation is very likely due to my several sincere phone conversations, and this is Wangjiang's opportunity now!

Tan Jincheng was indeed hesitant. On the one hand, there was the attitude of Changzhou towards protecting small and medium-sized enterprises. In order to improve the survival environment of local small and medium-sized enterprises, they even went so far as to manipulate the regulations. At the same time, they also lobbied leading companies not to engage in excessive price wars.

From the perspective of local development and their own interests, these are understandable, but it is precisely for this reason that Tan Jincheng hesitated.

In a market economy, price wars will occur in every industry. The price war in the electric vehicle industry has only just begun and will definitely become more serious in the future. If you don't let me compete, won't they start competing on their own?
FlashChe was just getting started, and it was precisely for this reason that Tan Jincheng was afraid that if he really built a factory there, it might end up benefiting local small and medium-sized enterprises.

On the other hand, the sincerity of the hometown is really great. Although there is a risk of the wind changing after Tao Qinian left, it is a large factory with a good reputation throughout the country. No matter who comes, they will not mess things up.

On the other hand, Tan Jincheng remembers that around 08, Shenzhou invested in building the largest textile industrial park in Anhui Province in Wangjiang. Later, Wenshi also started raising pigs, as well as some other large and small enterprises.

The fact that two large listed companies were able to invest, one of which is also owned by Beicang, shows that the investment environment isn't that bad.

Tan Jincheng hesitated between going to Changzhou or returning to his hometown. As for other places, he had not considered them for the time being. He already had a factory in Tianjin in the north, and the most suitable place in the south was actually Dongguan.

However, Tan Jincheng has not wanted to go to Guancheng in recent years. Firstly, it is too far away, and secondly, it has been quite chaotic there in recent years.

We'll have to wait until at least 2010 to talk about it.

The Audi A6 drove steadily into the government compound. Tan Jincheng had already called Tao Qinian before they arrived, and Tao Qinian had already sent his liaison to wait at the gate after receiving the call.

According to regulations, county-level officials do not have secretaries, but they will have an assistant, commonly known as a liaison officer. Generally, the rank is not fixed; this one is at the deputy section chief level.

"Hello Mr. Tan, I am the liaison officer from Tao County. My name is Nie Yunlai."

As soon as the car came to a stop, Nie Yunlai hurriedly stepped forward and extended his hand, being extremely polite and enthusiastic. He was a newcomer to Tao Qinian's side, and he had to thank Tan Jincheng for getting to work for the leader.

Tan Jincheng was taken aback: "Hello, Nie Ke, are you from Xinba?"

"I wouldn't dare call myself Director Nie, just call me Old Nie, did you recognize me, Mr. Tan?" Nie Yunlai said with a hearty laugh.

Nonsense, do you think I wouldn't tell? You're speaking in a local dialect. The accents in different parts of Yicheng are all different; they can sound different every ten miles.

For example, the accents of the county town are significantly different from those of Tan Jincheng's hometown, and many local dialects are even incomprehensible.

Tan Jincheng's accent carries the urban flavor, but Tan Lihua and Zhang Suzhi retain the accent from their hometown, Xinba Township.

"Impressive! The attention to detail is incredible. They even found a real fellow villager to be the liaison officer," Tan Jincheng couldn't help but admire inwardly.

No one's success comes without a reason.

(End of this chapter)