Chapter 1481

There is no doubt that the Canton Fair is a grand event held twice a year.

Overseas Chinese or foreign businessmen from dozens of countries come here. Every year, to serve these arriving foreign businessmen, concentrating various resources for protection and dispatching ingredients and fruits is the most basic; they also have to dispatch drivers from all over to serve the foreign businessmen, which of course costs money.

Near Haizhu Square, people are moving and it is very noisy, and inside the venue, it is buzzing with endless noise.

Foreign business teams walk through the various exhibition halls in the venue, and exhibitors from all over the country bring translators to introduce their various products, looking at the foreign businessmen with eager eyes, as if looking at a golden mountain.

Foreign businessmen are naturally very active too. They come to make money; would they come if they couldn't make money?

Now is a special era. Even foreign businessmen who look down on Chinese people in their hearts are very sensible, each holding a "Little Red Book" and actively displaying their friendly attitude.

They are also quite active in participating in the activities organized here...

Of course, these things have nothing to do with Wang Yan. He takes the county cadre and haunts the square and the hotels where foreign guests are staying. Whenever he meets a foreign businessman, he holds his large self-made booklet and goes up to ask.

There are quite a few people like him trying their luck outside.

"Wang Yan, if we keep asking like this, when will it end?"

Wang Yan hadn't felt anything yet, but the county cadre beside him felt helpless first. Coming with expectations only to hit walls everywhere, disappointment was inevitable.

"Where is there an end, Cadre Zhou? We don't have a booth, so we can only catch people one by one and ask until we find a foreign businessman who is interested, or even find more interested foreign businessmen. We have to stay here until the Canton Fair closes and ask every foreign businessman we can see."

"Do you think we still have a chance?"

Wang Yan glanced at him: "Cadre Zhou, your thinking isn't firm enough. Before the revolution, who knew we could succeed? It was only by gritting our teeth and holding on, with countless heroes dying, that we have today. Don't worry about whether there's a chance, just ask. I haven't gotten tired of opening my mouth, and you've had enough?"

"That's not what I meant." Cadre Zhou hurriedly defended himself, "I was just thinking, is there any other way for us to find people who want to see furniture faster?"

"They won't let us into the hotels or the venue. Even if we want to send money, we don't know which gate to worship at. You'd better stop thinking about this and that. It's cooler over there, go and avoid the heat, I can handle it myself."

Cadre Zhou didn't refuse and stopped foolishly following Wang Yan; he really couldn't help much. Wang Yan was there jabbering in bird language, and he didn't understand a single word.

However, he also roughly knew that Wang Yan should know at least two languages. Because he could distinguish between the people from Europe and America and the people from Japan.

He found that Wang Yan could converse fluently, and looking at the surprised expressions of those foreigners, it seemed that Wang Yan spoke quite authentically...

Just as Cadre Zhou was moving away, another group of four people came from afar, two men and two women, with Asian faces.

Wang Yan greeted them with a "hello": "Hello, I don't know what kind of business you are in?"

The four glanced at him and were about to walk past without a word.

Wang Yan didn't retreat and still walked along with them, while unfolding the large photo album in his hand: "I make furniture, you can take a look."

He spoke in English; undoubtedly, the application of English was quite broad.

Hearing Wang Yan's words and seeing the large booklet in his hand, the four stopped.

This wasn't surprising; in fact, many foreign businessmen Wang Yan approached were basically willing to stop and take a look.

For no other reason than that the photos were good.

Wang Yan's photos weren't taken blindly. He also set up lighting, and with the luster of the wood, they looked very comfortable at first glance. Secondly, of course, Wang Yan's craftsmanship wasn't bad. He really brought out his best carpentry skills, and every piece of furniture was quite good.

His large booklet had one piece of furniture per page. The front ones were high-end goods he made himself. Then the quality gradually decreased, finally reaching the lowest-end furniture that apprentices could make.

He also added various cushions he made, some soft and some hard, making the furniture look both classical and modern. If you make a simple analogy, it's roughly equivalent to "New Chinese Style."

"Where are you a manufacturer from?" one of the leaders asked in English.

"Are you from Hong Kong?" Wang Yan said, and without waiting for their reply, he spoke directly in Cantonese, "Yan City, Qin Province. We have a team of over a hundred people, and we can increase manpower. Conservatively estimated, an annual production of 20,000 pieces of furniture is no problem."

"How do you know?"

"I heard it. I've been here for a few days and have seen some Hong Kong people. Your English accent is similar to theirs."

"I didn't expect that one day I would be told about my accent by someone from the mainland. My name is Peng Yunliang."

"Hello, Mr. Peng, my name is Wang Yan."

Peng Yunliang nodded and asked: "The 20,000 pieces a year you mentioned, are they like this?"

He pointed to the photo in the booklet, which was the high-end product from the front.

Wang Yan shook his head: "That's impossible. Not to mention now, even fifty years later, technology won't reach that level. These pieces of furniture at the front require very high skills from carpenters. Currently, our factory can only make three or four hundred pieces a year."

While speaking, Wang Yan flipped the booklet to the end, "The ones that can produce 20,000 pieces are these. There are some changes in shape and pattern, the technical difficulty isn't high, and apprentices who have learned for three months can make them. Mr. Peng seems very interested, are you in the furniture business?"

"No, I'm in plastics. I wasn't interested at first, but after seeing your furniture, I have some ideas. Hong Kong doesn't have that much wood, and furniture isn't cheap. I also have some connections in Japan. You make them novel, and the craftsmanship is good. What material are these cushions made of?"

"Cotton and linen blend, some filled with cotton, some with down. We will continue to improve them to make them fluffy, comfortable, and dirt-resistant. Currently, they are just primary products. We are poor in the mainland, so these things related to enjoyment are still in the budding stage. Truth be told, our factory can be considered a pioneer in the mainland."

Peng Yunliang laughed: "Looking at you, you shouldn't be very old, just twenty-something?"

"Nineteen." Wang Yan pointed to the booklet, "I am the director of this furniture factory. The furniture at the beginning was all made by me, and the apprentices who made the furniture at the back were also trained by me."

"A hero among the young, Wang Sheng..."

Peng Yunliang's tone was quite teasing.

Wang Yan nodded calmly: "It's the trust of the Party and the country."

"You're just a small factory director, the Party and the country don't know who you are."

Wang Yan smiled lightly, took the newspaper out of his pocket, and flipped to his page: "Mr. Peng can take a look. This report was written by me, and after returning, this trip to the Canton Fair will also be written on it. If I do business with Mr. Peng, Mr. Peng's name will also appear on it."

Peng Yunliang naturally knew the People's Daily, as the People's Daily also had a branch in Hong Kong, and he knew the weight of the People's Daily very well.

Looking at Wang Yan with suspicion, Peng Yunliang took the newspaper and read it.

While he was reading, Wang Yan also talked about his reports being serialized in the Daily. After all, there was only one copy here, and it contained one of his reports about opening a furniture factory in Hecuan Commune. For the reports before that, Peng Yunliang would have to find them himself.

After reading the report, Peng Yunliang still asked uncertainly: "Are you saying that the reports you wrote are serialized on this?"

"Six articles have been published so far." Wang Yan nodded with a smile.

Peng Yunliang thought for a while and asked: "After the Canton Fair ends, can we go to your factory to take a look?"

"Of course, we warmly welcome you. But if you want to go, you need to report it first."

"That's no problem. How about this, you write down the location of my hotel, and after today ends, you come to find me. We'll talk while eating and have a detailed chat."

"Okay."

Thus, Wang Yan finally had a client with great intent.

That night, both sides talked happily and communicated an intended order worth 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. In Peng Yunliang's words, he would first buy a batch and ship it to Hong Kong and Japan to see the situation.

The next day, Wang Yan and the others went with Peng Yunliang's group to find the Qin Province representatives to report, signed a preliminary contract, and sent a telegram back to Lin County, saying that Hong Kong businessmen were going to inspect.

With Peng Yunliang, Wang Yan and the others' mission was already accomplished, after all, Peng Yunliang had already signed the contract.

However, the Canton Fair lasted half a month, and Wang Yan and the others had only been here for a few days and weren't in a hurry to leave. So Wang Yan wandered around for a few more days and found a Japanese person. Wang Yan's furniture was good-looking and had many patterns; the Japanese liked this, the "light luxury log style."

Peng Yunliang's connections were in Tokyo, but this Japanese person was from Osaka. The two had no conflict, so Wang Yan confirmed the intention of cooperation with this Japanese person and would follow him to Lin County for an on-site inspection.

This Japanese person was bolder than Peng Yunliang, and they initially set a furniture order of 150,000. However, his requirements for furniture were also much higher than Peng Yunliang's.

Furniture involved many aspects. Just the wood alone was divided into various levels, and then there were different shapes and crafts, which further distinguished the levels.

Simply put, the Japanese wanted high-end goods, while Peng Yunliang wanted mid-to-low-end ones. However, Peng Yunliang ordered a set of good furniture for himself and asked Wang Yan to make it for him personally...

In addition to these two large-scale purchases, Wang Yan also fully utilized his silver tongue to sell high-end furniture to other participants. They all made appointments, and they would be gradually shipped to them along with the ships transporting goods later.

It couldn't be said that the results were outstanding, but he still sold over two hundred sets. Wang Yan quoted a high price for these people, thousands of yuan per set.

After all, they were sold individually, and there were some customizations, so a higher price was reasonable...

These individual sales were quite straightforward; they all used foreign exchange to pay Wang Yan first before getting the goods. Afterward, Wang Yan contacted their domestic partners to find a way to ship the goods.

The Canton Fair wasn't a one-off deal. Various orders concluded at the meeting had cycles, and some might even be done for several years. Furthermore, the Canton Fair would continue to be held in the future, and furniture could always be shipped out. So, the delivery problem was not a concern.

This wave was a complete success. They earned foreign exchange and broadened sales channels, and it was much more profitable than selling to the folks at home. For the small furniture factory of the Baidian Brigade, earning this order meant eating for three years.

And for the commune, it was destined that more young people would join the furniture factory as apprentices, giving them work points, which greatly drove the development of the commune.

As long as people aren't idle and have things to do, everyone can live well.

Especially for the poor Hecuan Commune, where a family originally farmed a few acres of thin land, now one person went to the furniture factory to eat, and the rest continued to farm, sharing the same amount of grain as before, so naturally, they lived even better.

As for the factory's grain problem, since they had earned so much, they could find a way to purchase it. If they couldn't import it, they could balance it in the city or the province. How many people were there in Hecuan Commune? It could always be solved.

It couldn't be solved before only because there was no money...

When Wang Yan and the others returned to Yan City with Peng Yunliang and the Japanese, they were warmly received by the municipal government. Although the order was small, the significance was different.

The county government and Secretary Zhang of the commune also arrived in the city to welcome them. They didn't even have a place to speak; surrounded by the crowd were Wang Yan and the foreign businessmen.

Truth be told, the leaders' attitude toward Wang Yan was even better than toward the foreign businessmen.

After all, Wang Yan was a nationally famous person registered in the "Sea." The leaders of Yan City patted Wang Yan on the shoulder kindly, saying they had long wanted to visit their commune but never had the time. It just so happened that foreign businessmen were here this time, so they might as well go together to inspect and see the work achievements of Hecuan Commune.

Thus, the team drove in a grand procession to Hecuan Commune, and a large group of people looked around in the furniture factory.

This look was extraordinary. Peng Yunliang and the Japanese both saw the cutting and polishing machines designed by Wang Yan; this thing could also make money.

So, in addition to furniture, they also ordered a batch of machines from the county machinery factory.

Of course, there were requirements for the materials used; it wouldn't be good if the saw teeth broke after not being used for long.

In fact, since they started producing these, the county machinery factory had been researching better materials, and now they were much stronger than at the beginning.

This trip was a happy ending for everyone.

"Wang Sheng, you must come when it's time for delivery. Many of your ideas are too important. I invite you to Hong Kong for a period of time to help me with ideas. You can also take the opportunity to see the development of Hong Kong."

Peng Yunliang shook Wang Yan's hand very hard, his eyes very sincere.

During the time they spent together in the past, he had already been convinced by Wang Yan, calling Wang Sheng a genius.

Wang Yan patted his arm with a smile: "Easy to say, easy to say. When the time comes, you send a letter and clear the customs, and I'll be happy to go over and take a look."

"Then we'll see each other next year."

Peng Yunliang finally got into the car and left.

Secretary Zhang patted Wang Yan's back hard: "Good young man, you've done a great thing! Hahaha..."

"If you use more strength, I won't be able to do anything."

"Too excited." Secretary Zhang laughed, "Our commune's life will be better this year. I won't talk to you anymore, I have to open a meeting quickly to apportion apprentice spots. We're going to expand production! Everyone in the commune will eat meat this year! Hahaha..."

Secretary Zhang actually hopped away, looking twenty years younger...

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