Chapter 1785: Ma Meng Xiaojun

In the blink of an eye, several months had passed, and it was already the new year.

Wang Yan spent this New Year with Zhuangzhuang at her home, meeting her biological mother and stepfather, the latter of whom was already an acquaintance.

It was also at this time that Wang Yan mentioned he knew a bit of medicine and suggested that Zhuangzhuang's mother and stepfather go for regular health check-ups whenever they had time; the two laughed and agreed, but neither took it seriously.

Wang Yan could only say so much; he had finally fulfilled his duty to remind them, and whether they listened was not within his scope of concern.

As for Kang Shunyin from before, he had not followed his mother over for the New Year to cause trouble, having already submitted; all his previous threats about calling the police and so on had amounted to no action, as they had simply accepted their beating, likely now viewing Wang Yan as a member of the underworld.

To put it plainly, Kang Shunyin and his lot were somewhat rogue, but Zhuangzhuang truly looked down on them; after their rogue attempts to probe her, they had lowered their flags and ceased their drums, proving they were never the type to forcibly abduct a maiden.

After staying at Zhuangzhuang's home until the third day of the New Year, the two returned to Jingcheng, arriving just as winter departed and spring approached.

"Fellow villager, you're already living together? So sudden!"

As Wang Yan and Zhuangzhuang walked into the courtyard, they saw Little Northeast in the gatehouse chatting and laughing with a young lady, displaying great affection.

"Oh, you're back? I thought you wouldn't return until after the fifteenth," Little Northeast greeted enthusiastically, then pulled the lady behind him to his side. "This is the fellow villager I told you about, Wang Yan, Boss Wang Da. This is Yanli, my girlfriend."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, exchanged greetings, and handed over a bag from his hand: "Duck tongues and fish cakes from Zhuangzhuang's home; the taste is quite good, please try some."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony," Little Northeast said, accepting the items. "Since only you two have returned so far and the others haven't shown up, and it's already noon, why don't you eat here with me? We can have a few drinks."

"Sounds good; I'll take charge of the cooking," Wang Yan agreed readily.

"That would be wonderful; I was just about to ask you to cook, but then I thought, you're such a big boss, and it's the New Year, so I didn't dare open my mouth."

Zhuangzhuang laughed: "So normally you would have opened your mouth?"

"Normally I certainly wouldn't stand on ceremony; having such a big boss cook for me, wow, tsk tsk tsk..."

Amidst the laughter, after a brief rest, Chef Wang went online and busied himself.

Just as Wang Yan was frying, stir-frying, and cooking, Tao Liangliang appeared, leading a man and carrying a pile of goods, swaying as he walked in.

"Oh my," Tao Liangliang said with great authenticity. "Brother Yan, Zhuangzhuang, you're both back? Then I'm in for a treat. Perfect, I even bought some cooked food, steamed buns, and wine. Oh, right, Brother Yan, this is Ma Meng Xiaojun, my childhood friend. Meng Xiaojun, this is the awesome person I've always told you about; seeing Brother Yan is, I tell you, a stroke of luck for three lifetimes."

Ma Meng Xiaojun grinned broadly: "Brother Yan, I am truly honored; I've heard about your deeds from Liangliang long ago, they are truly awesome, I admire you so much, Brother Yan."

"We're all insiders, no need for formalities; we'll have a good drink together in a moment."

Ma Meng Xiaojun craned his neck, grinning and nodding, exuding a proper hooligan vibe.

Soon, Wang Yan finished preparing the meal, and the six of them began eating and drinking in the gatehouse.

Everyone who ate Wang Yan's cooking, upon starting the meal, would first lavish praise on his culinary skills; essentially, everyone who eats has such awareness, praising the cook when the food is delicious.

After a cup of white liquor went down, everyone was slightly tipsy, talkative, their voices growing louder, and they began to move from strangers to acquaintances.

Hearing Little Northeast ask what he did for a living, Ma Meng Xiaojun said: "To be precise, I am engaged in import and export trade."

"You really know how to brag; we're all insiders, can't you be a bit more honest?" Tao Liangliang said with a face full of disdain, undermining his good brother. "He just ferries clothes to Russia."

Ma Meng Xiaojun gave Wang Yan an embarrassed smile, then glared at Tao Liangliang: "Am I not being honest? Just tell me, what is import and export trade?"

Tao Liangliang acted carelessly: "It's just buying and selling."

"Then isn't that exactly what I'm doing?" Ma Meng Xiaojun glared at Tao Liangliang again, then turned to Wang Yan with a ingratiating smile. "Brother Yan, let me tell you, business over there is too easy right now, it's simply like picking up money. If you bring some clothes and such from domestically, those Russian guys over there will fight to buy them."

"In the couple of years around the time the Soviet Union dissolved, people were really stuffing money into sacks; I heard those awesome people were loading train cars with money, simply making a fortune. The market isn't bad now either; their ability to produce clothes is too poor to meet demand, so going there means making money."

"Brother Yan, you have lots of money and wide connections; I heard the factory director of the film studio values you highly and even introduced loans to you. If you could secure a train car, buy clothes from here, and buy steel and such from the Russians, one trip would make you wildly rich."

Zhuangzhuang's eyes widened slightly: "Is it really that profitable?"

She was actually quite sensitive to business, after all, her family ran a tailor shop, and the atmosphere for doing business in her hometown was very strong.

"It couldn't be more true; we're all insiders, would I lie?" Ma Meng Xiaojun spoke with earnest persuasion. "Brother Yan, you surely know more people than I do; there are too many people in Jingcheng doing this business; just ask around a little and you'll know."

Ma Meng Xiaojun was certainly not wrong; the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a major market trend. However, to seize the highest and greatest profits, one had to act during the period immediately before and after the dissolution; at that time, as long as one had money and goods, the Russians would sell anything. After all, with internal turmoil, no one had the mind to manage such affairs, and when morale collapsed, even if they wanted to control it, they couldn't.

However, it had already been two years since then; they were now in the post-dissolution period of order reconstruction, but the path wasn't completely blocked. After all, Yeltsin had shelled the parliament building just last year; it was just that the difficulty of acquiring big-ticket items had increased significantly, and the price tags had risen considerably.

Because the Russians' light industry capabilities were relatively weak, various daily necessities, clothing, and so on were best-sellers over there, and this major market trend continued throughout the entire 1990s.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "I've heard about these things before; not only this, but also regarding the trains going over there, it's said that on those trains there is practically no law, with people committing robbery and murder on board, running wild without restraint."

Ma Meng Xiaojun waved his hands repeatedly: "There are indeed people committing crimes, but it's not that serious. Otherwise, how would everyone travel back and forth, how would they do business? If it were truly so lawless, how could there be any good people on a single train? Wouldn't they all be criminals?"

Subsequently, Ma Meng Xiaojun recounted a series of experiences and interesting incidents that occurred on the trains and over in the Russian lands.

He said: "Brother Yan, I truly feel you are suited for this. Hearing from Liangliang that the spice formula has already been cracked, making money isn't as easy as before. Brother Yan, earning so little while spending so much time and effort, it's better to engage in import and export trade instead."

Before Wang Yan could speak, Little Northeast laughed first: "Look at what you're saying, brother; 'making money isn't as easy as before'? Brother Yan is still making money, with several hundred people relying on him for their meals. It's just that the barbecue seasoning earns less, but other seasonings have started to generate profit."

"Not to mention anything else, that shop outside the hotel has Brother Yan's soy sauce and vinegar displayed there; I heard sales are quite good, everyone loves eating it, and in the long run, it will definitely earn more than this import and export trade."

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "I myself don't have such confidence to say I'll earn more in the future; thank you very much."

"You're just being humble and low-key; previously Director Han introduced loans to you, and you vigorously developed other seasonings. Look, isn't that pile of mine all your company's seasonings? I'm not just speaking well of you; the taste is indeed excellent, very distinctive."

"Once the movie is released later, when the masses see the eating and drinking in it, the seasonings will surely sell like hotcakes; won't that be making a huge fortune?"

Little Northeast spoke with great certainty, very optimistic about the future of this fellow villager, Wang Yan. After all, from the time he met Wang Yan until now, nothing Wang Yan had done had ever failed.

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement, then turned to look at Ma Meng Xiaojun: "This import and export trade you mentioned sounds quite good; what is your current scale?"

"My capital is small, just over ten thousand yuan; mainly because I only just started," Ma Meng Xiaojun said, feeling a bit embarrassed, since he had talked so big, yet only had this much money.

"There's no need to be embarrassed; everyone goes from earning little to earning much. When I first came to Jingcheng, I only had over a thousand yuan on me, and didn't I slowly build it up?"

Wang Yan raised his cup, took a sip with everyone, then ate some dishes and pondered for a moment before saying, "You are Liangliang's friend, and I see you are also a man of principle."

"Absolutely, Brother Yan; we're all insiders. Liangliang and I grew up wearing the same pair of pants; I call his father 'Dad' too. You have supported Liangliang like this, letting him play the saxophone in the movie, saying he even made an appearance. Even if I were to scam anyone, I could never scam Liangliang, and I could never scam you. Brother Yan, if you have orders, I absolutely won't say a second word. Up the ladder of knives or into a sea of fire, I would not decline even if it meant dying ten thousand deaths."

"You're quite good at spouting idioms," Tao Liangliang exclaimed with a "Heiyo," earning a fistful of greeting from Ma Meng Xiaojun.

Wang Yan smiled: "I'll give you fifty thousand; ten thousand counts as your commission, and use the remaining forty thousand for import and export trade; can you do it?"

"I can do it! Brother Yan, I can do it! It's just that this ten thousand is too much, there's no need..."

"Running so far with hard work, yet having to bear risks, with many complications in unfamiliar places; I provide the money and enjoy the fruits, so giving you twenty percent is too little. Go ahead and do it boldly; if we make a profit, we'll talk then, and if we lose, it won't be your fault."

"Brother Yan, rest assured; since you trust me so much, I absolutely won't let you lose money. You don't know, Brother Yan, they all call me 'Ma Good Luck,' saying my luck is especially good, so I will definitely make a big fortune. Brother Yan, I'm doing it; drink as you please."

While speaking, Ma Meng Xiaojun tilted his head back and downed a cup of wine, very straightforward.

"I'll match that drink," Tao Liangliang said, also downing a cup. "See, I told you Brother Yan is generous; meeting Brother Yan might just bring you good fortune. Let me tell you, when you get rich, you must treat me to a meal."

"Get lost quickly; did I not get rich, so you eat and drink less?"

Everyone was overjoyed at once, eating and drinking happily while listening to Ma Meng Xiaojun, already tipsy, continue talking about Russia, his business experiences, and so on.

His dramatic storytelling was quite interesting, and everyone listened with great enjoyment.

The next day, Wang Yan gave Ma Meng Xiaojun fifty thousand yuan; both parties formally signed a contract, and then Ma Meng Xiaojun ran off excitedly to get to work, even calling on Tao Liangliang, who had nothing else to do, to help out.

Thus, Wang Yan also arranged for Feng Tieyou to go along.

Feng Tieyou was now completely working for Wang Yan; the workers under him had all been absorbed by Wang Yan, some in the warehouse, some in logistics, and some in the factory, while he himself worked in logistics, which suited his skills well. Now going into foreign trade, his aggressive type of talent was equally suitable.

After finishing Ma Meng Xiaojun's arrangements, Wang Yan held a meeting with Liu Qiangdong to discuss the company's future arrangements, and also entrusted Zhuangzhuang with managing the company.

Actually, Zhuangzhuang had previously been involved in company management but had never formally joined. This time, Wang Yan was going to attend the Berlin Film Festival, and the company could not be left without someone to oversee and solve problems, so he let Zhuangzhuang take the lead.

Zhuangzhuang herself was actually quite eager to try...

"Rest assured, I will definitely guard our home well." After their intimacy, when this topic came up, Zhuangzhuang spoke with such certainty.

"It sounds as if someone is going to steal our home." Wang Yan played with his big treasure, "Basically, there won't be any major problems; right now, it's all about production, and we must provide good service to the workers. Just wait until we return, the movie is released, and we sell like crazy to make a fortune. Then we'll buy a house and move out, and I can even sponsor a theater for you, a big one. No, we'll open one ourselves."

Zhuangzhuang pouted, "How can we earn that much money? Even if we do, we can't spend it like that. The money earned is so much..."

Her words paused, then she smiled, "I always forget that the money you earn doesn't seem too hard-earned."

"Nonsense! Did you forget when we first started selling lamb skewers? I grilled up to a thousand skewers in one night; that was no easy task."

"That was only for a few days."

The two casually reminisced about their past hardships; although they spoke of the past, it was filled with beautiful hopes for the future.

The movie itself was qualified, the subject matter was relatively novel, and its inherent ability to spread was already there; with advertising, Wang Yan would profit. As for the film festival, that was an extra. Winning an award would be better, but not winning wouldn't hinder anything. Wang Yan had already won.

"I also congratulate you in advance; your single is about to be released. Pity I'll still be on the plane then, unable to witness this important moment with you."

To promote the movie, Wang Yan took "The Time Thief," for which he wrote the lyrics and composed the music, and had the production studio arrange for radio stations to play it. This song was very avant-garde and very pleasant to hear; it was bound to become popular throughout Dajiangnanbei. Relying on this song, they could first build anticipation for the movie.

"Where is the need for you to witness it? You were the one who made it all happen in the first place. Without you, there would be no me now; I should thank you."

"Thank me with your mouth?"

Zhuangzhuang cast a coquettish, pouting glance and playfully punched Wang Yan's chest, but she still sincerely expressed her gratitude.

The next day, Wang Yan, accompanied by Shen Ranran who had just arrived in Jingcheng, Xin Baiqing, and representatives sent by the production studio, boarded a plane bound for Berlin.

On this very day, the same piece of music played on radios in thousands of households.

Time is something that catches people off guard,

Sunny with wind, cloudy with rain at times.

Zhuangzhuang gazed at the sky, humming softly along with the music from the radio, tears swirling in her eyes...

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