Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 166 Rosewood

Yan Hui didn't expect that the morning after meeting Lao Guo, Lao Guo's father would come all the way from Fengtian.

There was no airport in Yichun at that time. Guo's father bought a plane ticket from Fengtian to Bingcheng. After landing, he hired a car and drove here overnight. By dawn, Guo's father had arrived.

The journey from Bingcheng to Tangwanghe is about 500 kilometers. When Guo's father arrived, it was six o'clock in the morning.

Yan Hui went downstairs for breakfast and was surprised to see Lao Guo and his father having porridge in the restaurant.

"Xiao Yan," Guo's father stood up immediately upon seeing Yan Hui, "You've changed so much in the past six months!"

"Uncle, you still look as dashing as ever!" Yan Hui walked over quickly, shook hands with Guo's father, and then pulled him down to sit down and continue eating.

"I know everything about Guo Feiyang's situation. You two are truly good brothers. Back when I came to Northeast China alone, I also had two or three good brothers! Of course, I also know your fourth uncle; we even had dinner together last month!" It was rare for Guo's father to say so much to Yan Hui. (Note: In reality, Yan Hui saved Guo's life. The incident involved firearms, which will not be discussed further in the book.)
There were seven or eight people in the restaurant, and some things were not convenient to talk about, so the three of them just sighed a bit.

Yan Hui was somewhat envious. He had been away for almost three years, and every time he encountered difficulties, he had to solve them on his own. He had never experienced this kind of care before.

After finishing their breakfast, the three of them went to Guo's father's room.

The hotel has two rather "high-end" rooms, costing 25 yuan a night. These rooms are twice the size of the other rooms and even have televisions. Yan Hui and Lao Guo have never stayed in them before. Since Guo's father is visiting, they booked one room; Guo's father will be leaving tomorrow at noon.

Once inside, Lao Guo brewed some tea, and the three of them began to talk about these matters in detail.

After listening to what Lao Guo had to say, Guo's father gently patted his son's shoulder: "When we do business, we can't possibly earn all the profits. Look at your brother Xiao Yan, he has his own skills to get where he is today, you don't need to learn everything from him. I'm already very happy that you can keep an eye on things here by yourself."

"Dad, I understand." Old Guo nodded.

In the entire timber business chain, from logging to wholesale and retail, everyone knows that each additional step adds to the profit margin. Yan Hui sources the logs, processes them, ships them, and finds customers all by himself. Lao Guo has witnessed this profit margin firsthand, but when he tried to expand his business, he discovered just how difficult it was. Expanding into a new business or changing suppliers inevitably meant offending existing suppliers.

"But Feiyang, remember this: starting from scratch is definitely harder than trying to change things now. It's hard for you to change course now, but it's even harder for your brother." Guo's father came today to have a good talk with his son, but with Yan Hui here, there were some things he couldn't say.

Guo's platform is different from Yan Hui's; it started with a huge undertaking, which is indeed difficult to manage. If Guo's father or uncle were still alive, they would have other ways to expand the business or switch to a different platform. After Yan Hui leaves, he will explain it to his son in detail.

In business, everything seems to be about profit, but "reputation" is also extremely important.

That's how it is with second-generation entrepreneurs; once parents let go, problems easily arise. On the contrary, those like Yan Hui, who built their foundation entirely on their own, are more stable. Putting aside everything else, just in terms of knowledge about wood alone, Yan Hui could be Lao Guo's mentor.

“Xiao Yan, I came in a hurry this time and didn’t prepare anything. I said I would give you money, but this little bit of money can’t express my feelings. I have a bracelet here, which I specially obtained at Nanputuo Temple. It’s very effective. I brought it with me this time so that it can protect you in the future.” As he spoke, Guo’s father took out a small rosewood box.

"Uncle, no need, no need, this is too precious." As a native of southern Fujian, Yan Hui naturally knew about Nanputuo Temple. His grandfather was a Buddhist, and it can be said that half of the older generation in southern Fujian were Buddhists.

“Once this is said, it can’t be taken back.” Mr. Guo shook his head and placed it in Yan Hui’s hand.

“Just take it, there’s no need to be so polite,” Lao Guo said immediately.

"Thank you, Uncle!" Yan Hui could only accept it; one cannot refuse a gift from an elder.

The three chatted for a while, and then Yan Hui took the opportunity to leave, knowing that the father and son had a lot to talk about.

Back in his room, Yan Hui opened the box and found a silk sachet inside, which in turn contained a wooden bracelet.

Yan Hui could tell that the bracelet was made of rosewood, since the box was also made of rosewood.

Unlike the bracelets I'd seen before, this one had an amazing sheen, a smooth and delicate texture, unique grain, and a warm, lustrous color. It also had a very pleasant, pleasant woody scent. Yan Hui wasn't sure if using the word "jade" was the right description, but it certainly felt as warm and smooth as jade.

Of course, compared to the material, Yan Hui was more aware of the value of "Nanputuo Temple". Since it could bring peace and safety, there was nothing more to say, he would just wear it.

After putting it on, Yan Hui couldn't help but play with it. As he played with it, the fragrance became more and more obvious. He liked it more and more and decided to wear it from now on.

At lunchtime in the hotel restaurant, Yan Hui only saw Lao Guo.

“My dad went out. He said he’s hosting a dinner party tonight and asked me to invite you,” Lao Guo said.

"Okay, I'm good at cooking and things like that." Yan Hui nodded; he would definitely go.

"Huh?" Old Guo only noticed what Yan Hui was holding at this moment. "My dad gave this to you?"

"You didn't know?" Yan Hui was somewhat surprised.

"I feel it's only right to give it to you," Old Guo said with a hint of bitterness, but he still said seriously, "Don't lose it, Hainan rosewood is becoming increasingly rare."

"Don't worry, it won't get lost." Yan Hui knew this thing was valuable, but the key was that the place from which it was taken was valuable, so its monetary value was no longer important; he just needed to wear it.

"Mmm," Lao Guo stopped dwelling on the matter.

While eating, Yan Hui inquired about the train schedule and found out that he could go to Wang Hongjun's place in the afternoon to ride his motorcycle back.

Old Guo still had to dispatch train cars in the afternoon, so after lunch Yan Hui said goodbye to Old Guo and boarded the train to depart.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Yan Hui arrived at Wang Hongjun's forest farm. Wang Hongjun happened to be there at that time, and the two chatted for a while.

Yan Hui owes Wang Hongjun a huge favor for this incident, but it's easy to repay; he just needs to help Wang Hongjun sell more goods in the future.

"Are you free tonight? Old Lin from Sunzhuang caught a pheasant and insists I come over," Wang Hongjun said.

"Tonight won't work, my friend's dad is here, we're having dinner together tonight," Yan Hui said briefly.

"Oh, okay, go ahead then. By the way, when will the goods arrive? When do we need the next batch?" Wang Hongjun has a lot of inventory to sell, and he'll only feel better after selling about 200 cubic meters more.

"It will probably take another week. Don't worry, we have orders, and there are new orders as well," Yan Hui explained.

"That's reliable! You've shipped all your orders together, so I'm not worried about not paying for the truckload of goods!" Wang Hongjun was delighted to hear that.

"I know, Brother Jun, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"Okay! Oh, right! Don't make any plans for next Sunday. It's Yali's birthday. All my friends are illiterate, and the three of them together won't be able to speak a single polite word. Remember to come over and join the fun!"

"Okay, then I definitely won't arrange anything else." Yan Hui nodded, secretly pleased.

The prepared gift looks like it has come in handy.

(End of this chapter)