Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 380 Treating Guests (Part 2)

When Yan Hui started talking about chemical engineering, no one present could join in the conversation; it truly shows how different industries are like different worlds.

"Well... I really need to ask about this carefully later. This project has an investment of about seven or eight million, and it shouldn't be the most advanced one you mentioned." Zhao Changhe couldn't continue the conversation after that point.

Most bosses are very informal and unofficial when discussing projects, often saying things like, "I'll definitely check it out for you in a couple of days, and we can make money together." In short, it's mostly just polite talk at the dinner table.

But Yan Hui was different. Since Zhao Changhe asked, he was willing to explain. If it's outdated technology, there's really no need to invest much. For example, with silicone sealant, building a new factory now makes little sense. So, Yan Hui was giving Zhao Changhe valuable guidance, but whether Zhao Changhe understood it was up to him.

"Mr. Yan is truly an expert in this area. I've heard that many people in Fujian Province are involved in the chemical industry. Is there any explanation for this?" Zhu Hong asked.

"I wonder if Mr. Zhu has ever heard of a chemist named Hou Debang?" Yan Hui asked in return.

"This name sounds familiar, I know where I am," Zhu Hong said, glancing at his friend. "Mr. Liu, do you know the person Mr. Yan is talking about?"

Mr. Liu, being a university graduate, naturally knew: "Hou Debang was a soda ash maker, a chemist during the Republic of China era, and I think he was from Fujian Province."

"That's right, he's from Fujian Province. Today, half of the soda ash factories in China still use his technology. Hou Debang studied at Tsinghua University almost 100 years ago. Back then, Tsinghua's exams consisted of 10 subjects with a total score of 1000 points, and he scored 1000 points." Yan Hui spoke of his fellow townsman with great pride.

Next, Yan Hui gave a brief introduction to this fellow villager.

Hou Debang entered Tsinghua University in 1911 and received a government scholarship to study abroad in 1913. In four years, he earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in chemistry. He then spent another four years abroad before returning to China in 1921. After five years of research and development, he mastered sodium carbonate, the most difficult component in the industrial production of "three acids and two alkalis".

Later, due to the war, he moved the factory from Tianjin to Sichuan Province. Because salt was scarce in the inland areas, he developed a brand-new combined alkali production process in 1943, which led the world.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Hou Lao served as the vice minister of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, and he was originally just a cowherd.

As for the industrial uses of sodium carbonate, they are extremely extensive. For example, in glass manufacturing, 200 kilograms of sodium carbonate are needed to produce one ton of glass. my country's annual demand for sodium carbonate is approximately 3000 million tons.

"Wow, that's impressive! A deputy ministerial level!" General Manager Zhu exclaimed. "Does that mean General Manager Yan will also have the opportunity to become a high-ranking leader in the future?"

"I'm just a businessman; I only need to focus on doing business. Let people like President Zhu handle official matters. I've always heard that President Zhu has a keen eye for talent, and I still have a lot to learn from him," Yan Hui retorted, neither too forcefully nor too softly.

“I’m so old, and I’m still an official! But President Yan is so young and comes from a good family, so it’s not impossible for him to do that,” Zhu Hong tried to hint at it indirectly.

"Me? I don't even know how to make money in business, let alone be an official! Look at me, I'm a complete novice in the timber business, and a complete beginner in steel. I still have to learn a lot from President Zhu." Yan Hui didn't argue with President Zhu, but President Zhu must have been upset by what he said.

"Let's learn from each other." President Zhu didn't get a good response, and since he was at the banquet, he couldn't say anything truly unpleasant, so he had to back down. Actually, everyone still didn't understand Yan Hui enough. Yan Hui was a person who took things seriously. People like Wang Jian, who had known him for a long time, knew that Yan Hui never played these games, but outsiders were unwilling to believe it.

People are more inclined to believe that someone who can handle steel well is ruthless, powerful, and capable of controlling the situation. They are also more inclined to believe that the person is a "gangster" with an extremely powerful background.

People in the underworld, after all, tend to let bygones be bygones over drinks. A drink can lead to cooperation, and everyone gives each other face. This kind of situation is a comfort zone for most people at the table; it's ingrained in their bones, and they know how to handle it even with their eyes closed.

But Yan Hui is like this.
There are many influential people in the steel business, but because they can't figure out Yan Hui's background, no one dares to rashly confront him. As mentioned before, the market in Jinan is huge, and the gains or losses of individual projects are not that important. Yan Hui has now easily secured the entire large project, so under these circumstances, no one dares to offend him.

They chatted, but the drinking couldn't stop. Because there was so much to do, Yan Hui drank two glasses, and at Yan Hui's prompting, Liu Jianlei started to drink on his behalf. Liu Jianlei was the security manager of Yan Hui's company, a fairly high-ranking official, and qualified to drink on his behalf. However, drinking on behalf of others meant drinking double the amount. Liu Jianlei wasn't under any pressure, and he drank four or five glasses for Yan Hui, having already consumed almost two jin (about 1 kg) of liquor himself.

Later on, everyone drank more freely. Yan Hui asked Zhou Ping to stay with everyone while he and Liu Jianlei left first. Face-saving is something that's enough; there's no need to give too much.

Yan Hui's departure left some people dumbfounded.

Initially, several primary agents thought Yan Hui was treating them to a meal because he was short of funds for a "small fish trying to swallow a big fish" deal and wanted to get everyone involved. This kind of thing is quite common; there's a lot of cooperation in this industry—the idea is to share the profits. It's one of the industry's unspoken rules that capable people secure a project first and then find others to collaborate with.

I didn't expect Yan Hui to actually treat everyone to a meal and then leave?

Some people arrived full of enthusiasm, but when they saw Yan Hui leave, they felt uncomfortable.

Yan Hui hadn't even thought that much about it. He was surprised by the large number of people who came today, and he thought it was because he was popular.

After getting into Li Pengfei's car, Yan Hui took Liu Jianlei directly to a bathhouse, found someone to take care of Liu Jianlei, made proper arrangements for him, and then took a bath himself.

Two hours later, Yan Hui returned to the company, and the effects of the alcohol had mostly worn off.

After sleeping for four hours, around 4 a.m., Yan Hui's alarm clock rang. He got up, drank some warm water, went to the bathroom, and after calming down, picked up the phone in the room and called the other side of the world.

Brazil is on the other side of the world. Yan Hui has maintained relatively frequent contact with his boss over the past two years, averaging three or four times a month. Because of the time difference, he usually calls his boss in the middle of the night.

The two talked for half an hour, discussing foreign trade and the latest developments in iron ore, before hanging up.

Foreign trade is definitely something Yan Hui plans to do. Whether it's polyurethane or other products, he intends to sell them overseas. He plans to go abroad for business trips in the middle of this year, so he needs to make more contacts and communicate more now.

(End of this chapter)