Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Zheng Hui led Lin Dashan and Chen Jianguo out of the bank. Lin Dashan was carrying a bulging black bag.

"Boss, are you really not going to Xiamen?" Lin Dashan took two quick steps, leaned close to Zheng Hui's ear and whispered, "I heard from my comrades that things are really complicated there now."

Toyota Camry, Previa, you name it, they have it there. And the prices are less than half of what you'd pay at a reputable dealership. With the money we have, we could get two nice cars there.

Zheng Hui stopped and turned to Lin Dashan, saying, "No, Dashan, we're doing legitimate business. Those kinds of cars are smuggled."

It seems cheap now, but this cheap deal is a hot potato. I'm a singer, a public figure. If I'm exposed for buying smuggled cars, my reputation will be ruined, and I won't be able to continue working."

Zheng Hui knew that smuggling was rampant in Xiamen, but he also knew that the authorities would be launching an investigation next April, so buying now would make it easier to get implicated.

"Okay, whatever the boss says. So, where are we going?"

"Let's go to the auto trade center."

Upon arriving at the auto trade center, colorful flags fluttered in the wind. Zheng Hui ignored the cars and headed straight for the Jinbei booth.

In this era, the Jinbei Haishi was synonymous with domestically produced light commercial vehicles. It was sturdy, durable, spacious, and, most importantly, easy to maintain; any roadside repair shop could handle it.

The salesman was a young man in his early twenties. When he saw three big men come in, especially the two men in the back who stood up straight and looked like they were no ordinary people, he quickly came to greet them.

"Hey three bosses, looking for a car? Our Jinbei Haishi is a brand new model that just arrived, made with Toyota technology, and it's powerful."

Zheng Hui patted the white, high-roofed Hiace in the middle of the showroom: "How much is this high-spec model?"

"This is the luxury model, with a 2.4L engine and an original imported engine. It comes with air conditioning and power windows. All the paperwork will be done, and it will cost around 160,000 yuan," the salesperson quoted.

Lin Dashan handed his bag to Chen Jianguo and walked around the car. He squatted down, looked at the chassis and suspension, then opened the car door, slammed it shut, and listened to the sound.

"Open the hood," Lin Dashan said to the salesman.

The Hiace's engine was under the driver's seat. Lin Dashan lifted the driver's seat, skillfully pulled out the dipstick to check the oil level, and then asked the salesman to start the engine.

"boom--"

The engine started, its sound deep and powerful. Lin Dashan put his ear close to it and listened for a while, then reached out and touched the engine block to feel the vibration.

"Boss, the machine is good, it sounds smooth. This car has a lot of space, and the third-row seats can be folded forward. If we're going on a long trip, we can remove or modify the back rows, put a mattress on them, and it'll be spacious enough for two people to lie down and sleep comfortably."

Zheng Hui nodded; that was exactly what he valued. This car would be his personal van for future promotional and performance tours across the country.

"Do you have any cars in stock?" Zheng Hui asked the salesperson.

"Yes, there are two new ones in the warehouse."

"I'll take this one, but I'll have to test drive it first," Zheng Hui said, pointing to the car.

Lin Dashan got into the driver's seat, shifted gears, released the clutch, and accelerated—all in one smooth motion. The car circled the test track in the auto trade city twice, braking sharply, going over bumps, and turning.

After the car came to a stop, Lin Dashan patted the steering wheel and smiled, "Boss, this car is straight, the steering wheel doesn't veer off course, and the brakes are good. Let's take this one."

Zheng Hui didn't waste any time and directly beckoned to Chen Jianguo: "Jianguo, pay the bill."

Chen Jianguo unzipped his canvas bag, revealing stacks of neatly tied banknotes and old man's bills. He was there to handle the paperwork, pay taxes, and get a temporary license plate.

Two hours later, a brand-new white Jinbei Haishi drove out of the auto trade city. Lin Dashan was driving, Chen Jianguo was in the passenger seat, and Zheng Hui occupied the back seat all by himself.

The car's air conditioning was on full blast, dispelling the summer heat outside. Zheng Hui leaned back in his seat, watching the scenery rushing past the window.

"Back to Guangzhou."

……

The Jinbei Haishi sped along the national highway. Lin Dashan's driving skills were indeed superb; he drove fast and steadily. When encountering potholes, he always slowed down in advance, allowing the vehicle to gently sway over them, so Zheng Hui, sitting in the back seat, could barely feel the bumps.

Guangzhou, Swan Audio-Visual Publishing House.

The Jinbei van came to a smooth stop in the parking lot below the publishing house building. Zheng Hui opened the car door, glanced at his watch—three in the afternoon.

In President Wang's office, President Wang emerged from behind his desk: "Xiao Zheng, you're finally back. If you hadn't come back, I would have had to page you."

Zheng Hui placed his briefcase on the sofa: "What's wrong? Something went wrong?"

"No problems. The copy factory in Panyu has already finished producing 200,000 boxes. Now we're just waiting for you to sign off on the shipment."

Zheng Hui picked up the document and looked at it; it was an inbound order.

The cassette tape of the album "Stubborn" has been added to the inventory: 200,000 cassettes.

"What about the four major wholesalers?" Zheng Hui asked.

President Wang picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Everything has been contacted. Fatty Liu and the others have all been arranged to have a car waiting at the copy factory."

As previously agreed, the four companies together ordered 80,000 boxes. The remaining 120,000 boxes were sent to our publishing house's warehouse, ready for distribution to Xinhua bookstores and chain stores in the city.

Zheng Hui closed the document: "That's perfect. I just picked up my truck too. Let's go to the factory, take a look, and get the paperwork done so they can pick up the goods."

……

Panyu, Swan Audio-Visual Reproduction Factory. A Jinbei van drove into the factory area, and the air was filled with the smell of heated plastic.

Several Isuzu trucks with "freight" signs were parked at the factory gate. Several workers wearing vests were carrying cardboard boxes.

A middle-aged man in gray overalls walked over quickly, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.

"President Wang, Boss Zheng, you've arrived." This is Director Li from the tape factory.

Zheng Hui shook hands with Factory Director Li: "Factory Director Li, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard work, it's good to have work to do." Factory Manager Li pointed to the warehouse behind him: "Boss Zheng, all the goods you wanted are in that section. Two hundred thousand boxes, not a single one missing."

Zheng Hui walked into the warehouse.

The tall shelves were piled high with yellow corrugated cardboard boxes. Each box had the words "Stubborn" printed on its side in black: "Stubborn" - Zheng Hui.

Zheng Hui walked to a cardboard box, reached out and tore open the seal, revealing a hundred cassette tapes neatly stacked inside.

A transparent plastic box with a black and white cover. The boy's back, backlit, stands out starkly in the dim warehouse light.

Zheng Hui took out a box, tore off the plastic seal, opened the box, and took out the lyric booklet. The paper was thick, the printing was clear, there was no ghosting, and no typos.

"The quality is good." Zheng Hui put the tape back.

Factory Manager Li patted his chest confidently: "Absolutely, this is export-grade standard. Boss Zheng, we use imported Mitsubishi injection molding machines, and the magnetic strips are the best."

Zheng Hui turned to Factory Director Li: "Factory Director Li, I have another matter I need to trouble you with."

"Please speak."

"I still need to produce 800,000 more boxes. That's a large order, and I haven't found a suitable warehouse in Guangzhou yet. Do you think you could..."

Before Zheng Hui could finish speaking, Factory Manager Li laughed and said, "Boss Zheng, you want to rent a warehouse?"

"Yes, it would be best if it were nearby, for convenient shipping."

Factory Director Li waved his hand and pointed to the huge warehouse: "Why rent it? This warehouse is just sitting empty. As you can see, the factory is doing poorly right now. Apart from your order, we have very few other orders. This warehouse is mostly empty."

"Just use this place as a warehouse. Anyway, the goods are produced here, so they go directly into the warehouse after they come off the production line, saving you the trouble of moving them around."

"If you need to ship goods, just have your truck come here to pick them up. I'll have the loaders help you load the truck. I won't charge you storage fees; just give them a small loading and unloading fee to buy cigarettes for the workers."

Zheng Hui was somewhat surprised: "This... isn't against the rules?"

Factory Director Li sighed: "What rules or regulations? As long as the machines are running, the workers have work to do and receive bonuses, that's the most important rule."

If you take the goods away, my factory will become deserted again. With the goods here, looking at these piles of boxes, I feel at ease.

"Alright, thank you very much, Director Li." Zheng Hui didn't stand on ceremony. "I'll pay the storage and loading/unloading fees at market price. I won't let the factory suffer any losses."

Factory Director Li waved his hand: "No problem, no problem."

As they were talking, the roar of a car engine came from the warehouse entrance, and the truck that Fatty Liu had arranged reversed into the loading and unloading area.

"Start work!" Factory Manager Li shouted.

The workers under the shade of the trees threw away their cigarette butts, dusted themselves off, stood up, and pushed their carts into the warehouse.

Boxes of cassette tapes were loaded onto the truck. Chen Jianguo stood by the truck bed with a notebook in hand, his eyes fixed on each box that was loaded onto the truck.

"One box, two boxes... fifty boxes."

He sketched on the paper with his pen, muttering numbers to himself.

Lin Dashan wasn't idle either. He took off his shirt, revealing his strong muscles, and joined the workers in moving the cassette tapes. Each box weighed about twenty pounds, and he carried one box in each hand, walking with a powerful stride.

Zheng Hui stood to the side, watching the bustling scene: 80,000 boxes and four trucks.

In less than two hours, a corner of the warehouse was empty.

Fatty Liu's driver came over with the delivery note and handed it to Zheng Hui: "Boss Zheng, count it, 20,000 boxes, all set."

Zheng Hui signed his name, tore off a copy of the form, and handed it to the driver: "Drive carefully."

"Alright! Let's go!"

The truck spewed out a plume of black smoke and drove out of the factory area, followed by Mr. Zhang's, Mr. Chen's, and Sister Sun's trucks.

Four trucks, carrying a total of 80,000 copies of "Stubborn," headed towards South China, Southwest China, East China, and Northeast China.

The remaining 120,000 boxes arrived in a truck from the Swan Publishing House.