In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 407: Past Glory

"Don't you believe me? You won't find another place like it in the whole of Shenzhen when it comes to their rice. If you're really that capable, get us some good rice." Yu Daren poured the other person a glass of sake. "I'm from Northeast China, and I always feel inferior when I come here. It's not like we don't have good rice back in Northeast China. Just bring it over. It's not like I have to come here to lick sushi every time I want to eat good rice."

Yang Tianzheng rolled his eyes upon hearing this: "Do you think I don't want to get good rice? Brother, do you know how far it is from Heilongjiang Province to Shenzhen? No matter how good the rice is, it still needs to get here, right?"

"Besides, I listened to you before. I went to your hometown to investigate last year. The rice yield in Heilongjiang Province, especially Qiqihar City, is too low. After investigating, it turns out that there isn't enough rice to feed the local people. It's even more impossible to transport it to the south."

At this point, Yang Tianzheng drew a small circle on the dipping sauce plate with his chopsticks: "If we want to make the North Rice to South Transport project work, there are two problems that need to be solved before there is even the slightest possibility."

"What?" Yu Daren asked, looking up as he ate.

"One is to increase production. Relying solely on Qiqihar City is not enough. Most of the surrounding cities have been converted to paddy fields. I estimate that based on the current rice production, it should be able to double."

"The other issue is transportation. It's not a problem to own a large trailer truck now, but the difficulty lies in the poor road conditions, which greatly affects transportation time. With the rapid pace of infrastructure construction in China, I estimate that in another four or five years, long-distance material transportation should be possible."

Yang Tianzheng was originally in the grain and oil business, and he had a stake in grain all over the country. Especially in the south, where grain enterprises have gradually been privatized, there are many things he can do now.

"So, if that's the case, it'll be a real hassle for you to get me some good rice and flour for my hotel?" Yu Daren finally revealed the true purpose of this meal.

"Huh? What do you mean? You want to cook in your high-end hotel? Doesn't your hotel outsource all food-related matters? Wouldn't it be beneath you to cook it yourself?" Yang Tianzheng asked, his face full of curiosity, even a hint of shock.

Yu Daren smiled mysteriously, and then copied and pasted Yu Dawei's ideas to the boss in front of him.

After listening, Boss Yang slapped his thigh and gave Yu Dawei a thumbs up: "You're a real talent! Brother, do you have any insights on grain? Feel free to share them, anything goes."

Yang Tianzheng finally understood that Yu Daren had used someone else's experience to improve his own skills. Perhaps those who are not experts are better able to see the ins and outs of the industry.

It could also be said that being in the mountains makes it impossible to see the entire mountain.

But Yang Tianzheng is truly in a difficult position this time.

Although Yu Dawei comes from a farming background and even worked the land in his previous life, he really doesn't know anything about grain.

I was once cheated by my partner because I knew nothing about the varieties and types of grains.

After Yu Dawei politely declined, his elder brother Yu Daren also helped to smooth things over, and the meal ended up being quite harmonious.

When Yu Daren asked for some good quality rice, flour, cooking oil, and specially supplied vegetables, the wealthy and powerful Boss Yang didn't even raise his eyes and took on the task without hesitation.

On the way back, Yu Dawei drove. The older brother, Yu Daren, was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol he had drunk earlier, and he kept muttering, "This lousy liquor is nowhere near as good as the liquor left by our ancestors."

On the way, Yu Daren mentioned the rice and noodles from his hometown, saying they were incredibly delicious. He said the rice here wasn't bad, but he just wasn't used to it.

The locals, who have lived in the south for generations, seemed to be eating quite well, according to Yu Daren.

On the way, Yu Dawei promised his older brother that he would find a way to mail rice to him and his second uncle whenever he had time.

When it comes to rice and noodles, Yu Dawei will subconsciously think of Duan Dahai.

He's been out for a while now; I wonder if Brother Duan has actually acquired the town's flour mill yet.

If nothing unexpected happens to the flour mill under his management in the future, perhaps we could cooperate with this Mr. Yang.

Both of them are unconventional, so they should be able to work well together.

"Dawei, give me some more time regarding the parts supply chain. I'll try to find out more about that boss surnamed Ye for you in the next few days." In the passenger seat, Yu Daren turned his head and smiled at his younger brother, who was much younger than him.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble, brother."

This boss surnamed Ye was a major distributor that Yang Tianzheng remembered again at the dinner table, and Yu Dawei had also heard about him at the auto parts market.

However, he knew too little information. For example, he didn't know anything about the character and style of the Boss Zhang who had become his godmother. After Yu Daren's brief explanation at the dinner table, Yu Dawei instantly realized that this person was not suitable for cooperation, especially in a situation where the two sides were extremely unequal. He estimated that if they cooperated, he would definitely be devoured without a trace.

According to Yang Tianzheng, the distributor surnamed Ye was a man of few words. He had attended several gatherings organized by friends, but rarely heard him engage in lengthy discussions.

So to be honest, Yang Tianzheng wasn't really familiar with the other party, and they hadn't even exchanged contact information.

But Yang Tianzheng had heard his friends praise him. He came to Shenzhen relatively late, but he managed to gain a foothold in the city and even build a business.

This is truly a rare and commendable thing.

Because Yu Daren immediately recognized this Boss Ye and planned to ask around for his younger brother when he had time.

After all, he is the current head of the Yu family, so the affairs of the head of the family must be treated as important matters, right?
Yu Daren seemed to find it somewhat amusing, and unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth as he leaned back in his seat.

My own father is also a stubborn and peculiar person.

“When do you have time to go to your little sister’s hotel and keep an eye on her? If she finds out you’re coming to my place the day after the party, she’ll probably complain to my dad,” Yu Daren asked.

"If I'm not busy today or tomorrow, I'll go see her." Yu Dawei felt a headache coming on when he thought of Yu Zhouzhou, a girl his age. Last night, before leaving, she insisted on dragging him to sleep at her hotel.

All that's missing is a few more of her close girlfriends to chat about life with her late at night. Yu Zhouzhou is a free spirit at heart. Although it might not be the most accurate description, she gives off a kind of unrestrained and dissolute vibe.

After Yu Dawei drove Yu Daren back to the hotel, he hailed a taxi and left.

The eldest brother of this second uncle also had the characteristic of blushing and becoming sleepy after drinking. After sending him to a hotel room, Yu Dawei did not have the idea of ​​letting the other party take him back to the barbershop. After chatting briefly with the lobby manager, he turned around and left the hotel.

On the way, the taxi driver chatted with Yu Dawei for a long time. The driver was also from Northeast China, and he felt a sense of kinship when he heard Yu Dawei's Northeast accent.

However, the taxi driver kept talking to himself throughout the journey, and Yu Dawei simply listened.

"Let me tell you, now is actually the right time for you to come to Shenzhen. In the past, Shenzhen was quite unsafe. Even now, if you go anywhere, it's not impossible to find a few gunmen."

“I still remember when I first came here. Fortunately, everyone was able to stick together and support each other. Even someone as insignificant as me could earn a little money peacefully, so that I wouldn’t be targeted by others.”

"Let me tell you, back in the day, there was a really amazing guy in Northeast China who led a bunch of guys from the Northeast and swept across the land! As a taxi driver, if we just went out and told people that we were from such-and-such place in Northeast China, we would feel really proud."

"That's amazing?" Yu Dawei, sitting in the passenger seat, was intrigued by the taxi driver's words.

"Oh my, you didn't know back then, there was a slogan: 'Tigers in the Northeast, wolves in the Northwest, and the rest are all little lambs.'"

The taxi driver seemed to recall the past, clicking his tongue twice: "People like us, nobodys, are from a completely different world than them, but even so, we were protected by them without even realizing it. Anyway, for the past ten years or so, people from Northeast China didn't cause trouble in Shenzhen, but they were never afraid of trouble either."

"Alas, what a pity. Later I heard that the Wolf Lord in the Northwest had an accident, and then our leader, the Tiger in the Northeast, also disappeared. Life has become a bit nerve-wracking."

The driver remembered something and turned to glance at the young man from his hometown: "Let me remind you, things haven't been peaceful around Fukang Building lately. There are always troublemakers. If you're looking for a job, you can look in the east."

"Okay, thanks, bro." Yu Dawei smiled.

"No need for thanks, we're from the same hometown. If that fellow villager surnamed Jiang were still alive back then, there wouldn't have been this incident of a Northeasterner getting beaten up and hospitalized. Sigh, it's all in the past now." The driver chuckled self-deprecatingly, realizing that he had been driving a taxi for almost eight years.

Time flies so fast it's hard to get used to. My two sons from back then, one is now working in an electronics factory and earning money, and the other will soon graduate from high school.

"Surname Jiang..." Yu Dawei never expected that the fellow Northeasterner whom the driver had once praised would also have the surname Jiang, and that he shared the same name as Brother Erdan.

The guy they were talking about who got beaten up should be Zhao Yi, right? I heard from Erdan that he's still in a deep coma. The doctor said there's a good chance he'll wake up, but it will be hard for him to recover.

"Go back and ask that guy surnamed Jiang, Erdan. Maybe he's seen him before." Yu Dawei thought to himself, treating it as a piece of gossip to talk about over tea. Erdan had been in Shenzhen for so long, he must know.

(End of this chapter)