1994: Starting with unpaid leave

The sky over Hecheng was somewhat overcast in the afternoon. The railway bureau's office was brightly lit, its interior illuminated by the lights, seemingly unaffected by the weather outside.

"Burp~"

Director Jiang of the Passenger Transport Section of the Hecheng Railway Bureau felt a little uncomfortable sitting in his office chair. He twisted his body and burped after drinking, which made him feel a bit better.

The supplier treated us to lunch, and we had a very pleasant conversation. Not only did we close a purchase and sales contract worth tens of thousands of yuan, but we also had a few drinks.

In theory, such invitations to meals and entertainment from suppliers should be resolutely resisted.

However, since the theory of the Hecheng Passenger Transport Section is under his jurisdiction, he doesn't need to care too much.

The person who hosted the dinner was Lao Zhou, the city distributor for Master Kong in Hecheng; they've known each other for a long time.

Moreover, the chef at the restaurant the other party chose was really good at cooking, and the waitress was also attractive and had a flirtatious charm. This meal really satisfied him.

After eating and drinking his fill, the effects of the alcohol started to kick in, and Director Jiang wondered if he should go home early to catch up on some sleep.

"Clang clang."

"Enter."

The door opened, revealing the smiling face of Secretary Zhang.

"What's up?"

"Director, someone is looking for you..."

"Who?"

"It's a new supplier we recently signed with in Harbin, called Hezhiwei Food Processing Plant. They sold 100 boxes of braised eggs to our section before the holiday."

"Oh?"

Director Jiang rubbed his temples and thought for a moment before he vaguely remembered.

Last time, a handsome young man came to our door with a purchase and sale contract from the Harbin Railway Bureau, and we delivered the goods to him on time.

After making a phone call to confirm, he accepted the goods, but he was still unhappy.

This small, run-down factory in Hecheng is trying to pull strings all the way to Harbin, but they're deliberately bypassing me. Isn't that blatantly disrespecting me?!

Moreover, this kid is so unruly; he came to deliver goods without even preparing a gift for himself first.

That's really unruly.

If I hadn't been busy with the National Day travel rush and hadn't had time to deal with these small fry, I would have definitely taught them a lesson.

But it's not too late now.

"He came empty-handed?"

"Yes!" Xiao Zhang nodded.

"However, Director Jiang, there's something I haven't told you yet. This morning, I compiled the sales figures for each route during the National Day holiday. The flight attendants all said that the braised eggs from Hezhiwei were the first to sell out, they were all gone by the morning of the 2nd... They all want to ask if there's any chance of restocking."

"So sought-after?" Director Jiang frowned, but didn't take it to heart.

During the National Day holiday, passenger traffic surged. Ordinary people squeezed onto trains, almost to death, and probably only had enough money in their pockets to buy some cheap braised eggs to satisfy their cravings.

He looked up, tapped the table, and glanced at his secretary: "Tell him I'm not here."

"Yes."

Secretary Zhang nodded, turned and left, but couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

As Director Jiang's secretary, he was responsible for compiling statistics on snack sales at the Hecheng Passenger Transport Section.

Over the years, he has counted hundreds of different types of goods, though not thousands.

Most of these cases involve suppliers cultivating key relationships to make a quick buck and then disappear.

It's rare to see a product like Tsuru no Mi braised eggs that sells so well.

only……

No matter how well you sell, if you're not favored by the director, you're basically doomed.

As Secretary Zhang left the director's office, she turned around and saw Dong Jianguo looking somewhat anxious.

He wasn't particularly averse to the handsome young man, but unfortunately, he couldn't make that decision himself.

"Secretary Zhang, how did it go? What did the director say?"

"Director Jiang said he wouldn't see any visitors."

"this……"

Dong Jianguo frowned:

"Secretary Zhang, I have a bit of an urgent matter here... To be honest, I'm a former employee of the Hecheng Knitting Factory who started my own business. Before National Day, the factory suddenly sent half of the employees home on standby, and now many of my former colleagues have come to me looking for work."

"But my small factory can't start production if it doesn't get orders, and if it can't start production, I can't help everyone. I..."

Secretary Zhang waved his hand: "Director Dong, to be honest, I sympathize with you and your fellow workers in the textile factory, but without the director's approval, there's nothing I can do to help you..."

Dong Jianguo steeled his resolve: "How about I go in and talk to Director Jiang myself?"

They were about to force their way in.

Secretary Zhang grabbed Dong Jianguo's arm: "Director Dong, don't put me in a difficult position!"

Seeing that Dong Jianguo was genuinely anxious, Secretary Zhang sighed, pulled him aside, and offered him a cigarette.

"Director Dong, are you genuinely confused or just pretending?"

"Huh?" Dong Jianguo didn't react for a moment.

"If you want to sell things on our passenger transport line, shouldn't you give Director Jiang a little something?"

Secretary Zhang extended his thumb and forefinger and rubbed them together towards Dong Jianguo, making a gesture that everyone could understand.

"But the person who signed the contract with me was Director Zhang from the Harbin Passenger Transport Section." Dong Jianguo was genuinely confused.

He knew to bribe the egg delivery driver, so how could he not know to give some benefits to the relevant personnel?

However, both Deputy Director Wan and Director Zhang from Harbin were quite frank and directly rejected him.

Why would Director Jiang, with whom I have no real relationship, suddenly ask me for favors through his secretary?

"See, you're confused, aren't you?! Logically, your purchase and sale contract was indeed signed with the Harbin Passenger Transport Section, but Director Jiang made a phone call with Director Zhang in Harbin, and the goods ended up in the Hecheng Passenger Transport Section's warehouse!"

"So in the end, it still comes down to our Hecheng Passenger Transport Section purchasing your eggs."

Dong Jianguo hadn't expected this connection and frowned, "Then what about my eggs...?"

"Let me assure you, the goods sold out quickly. Many flight attendants told me that the feedback from passengers was very positive, and they're urging us to order more!"

"But if Director Jiang doesn't agree, there's nothing I can do to help."

Dong Jianguo patiently inquired, "So, what kind of message should be given to Director Jiang?"

Secretary Zhang thought for a moment: "Actually, there's no fixed figure. Generally, Director Jiang gets a rebate based on the percentage of the purchase and sales contract, at least 10%." Remembering that Dong Jianguo's last order was 2,500, 10% would be 250, which didn't sound good, Secretary Zhang added:

"I suggest you feed Director Jiang a full meal the first time, to make it a round number."

Dong Jianguo raised an eyebrow: "1000?"

"What are you thinking?! If you want to work for the passenger transport section in the long run, you'd better give me 10,000 yuan first, and then I'll take 10% of the commission according to the contract!"

Dong Jianguo closed his lips.

The profit from making my own braised eggs is so high I can calculate it on my fingers.

They give away 10,000 first, and then cut the sales amount by 10%. How many eggs do you have to sell to break even?

Not to mention that he also wanted to help his fellow workers at the textile factory who had lost their jobs.

I'm not a philanthropist, and I don't make a profit. How can I expand production and solve employment issues?

The silence was terrifying.

Secretary Zhang sighed:

"Director Dong, I know your factory's products are good, but when running a business, you have to have a long-term vision, otherwise the factory won't go far."

"You should know that last time you bypassed Director Jiang to find someone in Ha Cheng's connections, Director Jiang didn't say anything, but he already harbored a grudge against you..."

"If you can't get along with the director, then you can forget about making a fortune on the railway..."

Secretary Zhang spoke earnestly, and Dong Jianguo was momentarily dazed.

He suddenly recalled a leader's speech at the meeting:

"I really don't have the ability to support a company, but it's too easy to bring one down..."