Chapter 850

Although Chen Hongjun kept wanting to be low-key and not expand this matter, many people still knew about him moving.

This matter couldn't be hidden—if Chen Hongjun wanted to move into the large courtyard, he had to hand over the unit's housing. It was difficult for his family to move during the weekend, but he couldn't bring himself to ask for leave to move.

He simply called some colleagues over to help.

Because Northern Xinjiang is vast and sparsely populated, although the living environment is tight these days, it's not like some places in the interior where seven or eight people are squeezed into a room of ten or twenty square meters.

But information is blocked at this time, and people compare themselves with those around them. Chen Hongjun's family of four lived in two rooms of over twenty square meters, plus a storage room. In terms of per capita area, it wasn't small.

But compared to living in a courtyard, it was naturally much worse.

So in Li Long's view, these conditions were a bit arduous.

But compared to those young people in the unit waiting for housing allocation to get married, it was truly very happy. There were still some in the factory who hadn't been allocated their own housing after getting married and could only live outside the unit with their family members, which was quite uncomfortable.

So as soon as Chen Hongjun bought the courtyard, the news leaked out. He didn't hide it and reported it directly to the unit, planning to move this Sunday and then hand over the keys.

What surprised Chen Hongjun was that early Sunday morning, after they had just eaten and the house wasn't completely packed, someone came over.

However, the person who came wasn't a colleague he had invited to help move, but the new owner of this unit housing, Su Wenqiang from the same unit.

Su Wenqiang had been married for two years. Because he didn't have his own house, he squeezed in with his family, and there were younger brothers and sisters at home. He hadn't dared to have children for these two years.

Su Wenqiang and his wife, Liu Ying, carried things over with a carrying pole. When Chen Hongjun heard the movement and opened the door, the two of them had just placed the things at the door.

Seeing Chen Hongjun come out, Su Wenqiang said with a flushed face:

"Old Chen, I'm really... sorry. We can't live at home anymore, my younger siblings have opinions, and this house has been allocated to us, so we thought... we'd move in early."

"It's fine, it's fine." Since the person had already arrived, saying anything unpleasant wouldn't do any good. He pointed inside the house and said:

"The house is packed quite messily, so I won't invite you in. To be honest, I can understand your feelings. After all, when we were first allocated housing, we were also very excited..."

"That's good, that's good..." Su Wenqiang was afraid that Chen Hongjun and the others would have opinions about his approach. After all, they hadn't moved out yet, and he had rushed to move things over. This was like "forcing the palace."

But if it weren't difficult at home, he wouldn't want to be like this either.

When a person is poor, their ambitions are short; when a horse is thin, its hair is long. If he also had the money to set up a new courtyard, he definitely wouldn't do such a shameful thing.

Chen Hongjun's wife, Zhou Xiujuan, poured two bowls of tea for the two of them and moved small stools for them to sit. Su Wenqiang and Liu Ying both took them with flushed faces.

"Brother Chen, I'll help you move things in a while, and then deal with mine after finishing."

"No need, no need." Chen Hongjun said with a smile, "I've called quite a few people, and it will be almost finished in one trip. You two just set up your new home here. We're in the same unit, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."

While they were talking, some people walked over in strides in groups.

Before the people arrived, their voices had already arrived:

"Little Su, you are... impatient to move in? You have to wait for Station Chief Chen to finish moving before coming over." The person speaking was quite tall; it was Qi Zhiguo from the original Maxian purchasing station. He was a native of Maxian, twenty-seven years old. After that purchasing station was abolished, he came to Beiting and lived in the single dormitory—he was married, his family was in Maxian, and he could only go back on weekends.

There was no other way. Once the purchasing station moved, it was fine for those like Chen Hongjun whose family was in Beiting. For those whose family was in Maxian, they could only temporarily live apart and then wait for an opportunity to bring their wives and children over.

The one slightly shorter with him was thirty years old, named Dong Zhihai, a local of Beiting.

This time, Chen Hongjun called colleagues who worked together at the Maxian purchasing station. After the county purchasing station was abolished, these colleagues returned to the unit and were dispersed to various sections. Some did quite well, while others were mediocre or even dissatisfied.

"Zhiguo, I don't want to either, you know the situation at my home..."

"Even if it's difficult, it's not a matter of a day or two..." Qi Zhiguo still wanted to say more, but seeing Chen Hongjun give him a look, he changed his words, "That's fine, we move out, you move in, the stove here is just right and warm, no need to bake the stove, quite good."

Two more female colleagues came over. The last one to arrive was older, over forty, Lu Dagang, pushing a handcart, who could be considered the main force among these people.

If Li Long were here, it would be better, with a jeep, moving would be more convenient, right?

Chen Hongjun flashed this thought, then shook his head. He was really ungrateful. Li Long gave him one thousand yuan, which was already considered benevolent enough. What else did he want to ask for?

He knew that as long as he opened his mouth, Li Long would definitely drive the jeep over to help move things, but Chen Hongjun also had his own persistence and principles; he couldn't open his mouth.

Chen Hongjun's things at home were all packed—actually, there weren't many things. Although a broken home is worth ten thousand strings of cash, that's under the condition of having a courtyard. There were only two and a half rooms in total; how many things could there be?

The largest items were bedding, a television, a sewing machine, and three beds. The double bed in the inner room was a steel pipe bed, easy to disassemble and pack. The two single beds in the outer room were folding beds, which could be taken away once folded.

One handcart, two bicycles, and they finished moving these things in two trips.

Su Wenqiang looked at the house. Although it was "bare walls" at this time, at least for now, these two rooms inside and out were the new home for him and his wife.

Could he not be happy?

The embarrassment in front of Chen Hongjun's family and colleagues just now had all disappeared. Being able to be allocated housing, even if it was a bit more disheveled, was nothing.

He and his wife, Liu Ying, looked at each other, then smiled and began to arrange the house.

The things they carried over with the carrying pole also included a steel pipe bed, which needed to be assembled and then covered with wood to be used as a bed.

"This courtyard is really nice." In Chen Hongjun's new home, Qi Zhiguo sighed while helping to arrange things, "I didn't feel it when I lived in the county, but now that I've moved to the city, I realize that having such a courtyard in the city is really rare!"

The courtyard was well-maintained. Old Huang actually moved out in ten days.

There were quite a few facilities left in the courtyard, such as a grape trellis, fruit trees, vegetable trellises, etc., and there were dozens of kilograms of coal left in the kitchen.

The keys had been handed over a few days ago. Zhou Xiujuan had used her spare time after work to clean the house. Old Chen's family, plus a few colleagues, came over together, and before lunch, the house had been moved, the beds were set up, and the furniture inside was simply put back in place, looking a bit like a home.

"Old Chen, we put in the effort today, you have to bleed a little." Qi Zhiguo said with a smile, "How can we not have a meal of latiaozi at noon?"

"How can a meal of latiaozi be enough?" Old Chen shook his head and said: "At noon, we'll have a big meal, just like last year in Maxian. We'll get a private room, order a few good dishes, and have a good meal today—beer is also included, one case. It's not to say I want you to drink well at noon, just a gesture will do."

"Hey, Old Chen, you've really made a fortune!" Qi Zhiguo said in surprise, "If you have a path, you have to bring us old subordinates along! To be honest, since returning from Maxian and being allocated to the current 'clear water yamen' (a low-paying, low-power position), our days have suddenly become much worse than before. It's not bad to be able to eat meat once a month. I really miss the past."

"That's right, that's right. Now there are no bonuses, and the benefits are just that little bit. It's been half a year in the section, and I've never seen a group meal. I really don't know how these colleagues in Beiting have lived all these years." Lu Dagang also followed up.

To be honest, they didn't feel it when they were in Maxian. Last year, after Chen Hongjun became the station chief, a portion of the monthly surplus of the purchasing station would be extracted to issue bonuses to everyone. Although it was only a few yuan or ten yuan, sometimes it could be very useful.

And when they were in Maxian, every half a month or a month, Chen Hongjun would always set aside a day to call everyone to eat together at noon or in the evening, which was considered an extra meal. This extra meal was paid for by the purchasing station's "small treasury," and they ate at the state-run canteen, ordering at least three or four solid dishes.

For people who were short of meat these days, this was undoubtedly a very big reward.

However, all of this disappeared after the purchasing station was abolished.

Now that Chen Hongjun said this, Qi Zhiguo, Lu Dagang, and the others immediately thought of the days in the past.

The colleagues in Beiting had been living like this all along, so it was nothing, they were used to it. Those of them who had enjoyed a better life were naturally uncomfortable.

It was truly a huge gap.

"We'll talk when we eat." Chen Hongjun said with a smile, "Let's go, let's go, let's go occupy a place first. Today is Sunday, if we're late, there won't be any private rooms."

Zhou Xiujuan, Chen Hongjun's mother, and the child didn't go. They had to stay behind to continue cleaning the house and then make do with a meal at home—it wasn't about saving or anything else, they had finally moved into a new home, and the whole family was so excited that they weren't hungry at all and didn't want to do anything else.

The new courtyard was bought, Chen Hongjun's mother had her own room, the child had a place to do homework, the storage room and kitchen could be separated, and most importantly, they had their own latrine and didn't have to squeeze with others.

Although it was further from the unit than before, both husband and wife had bicycles, so they weren't afraid of this at all—besides, this courtyard was closer to the child's academy, which was also a benefit.

"Let's go together, Auntie and Sister-in-law, and Zhixin also did a lot of work today, how can you stay at home?" Qi Zhiguo disagreed.

"It's fine, there are vegetables in this courtyard, and coal in the kitchen, they can just make something to eat. There are still some odd jobs at home, we have to take advantage of having time today to clean up properly, tomorrow is work and school, there won't be time."

Chen Hongjun took a group of colleagues to a nearby state-run canteen; he had already scouted the place.

It wasn't mealtime yet, so there weren't many diners in the canteen. Chen Hongjun went to ask for a private room and didn't let others order dishes. He first asked for a case of beer, then ordered solid dishes like spicy chicken, braised carp, stewed pork knuckle, braised pork ribs, as well as fresh vegetables, plus rice.

Seeing Chen Hongjun reporting the dish names to the waiter, Qi Zhiguo and the others were drooling.

"Station Chief, if you order like this, half a month's salary will be gone, right?" Lu Dagang sighed, "Eating like this... is it okay?"

He spoke relatively euphemistically, but actually pointed out, treating everyone to a meal like this, does Zhou Xiujuan have any opinions?

"No problem, didn't Zhiguo ask me just now if I made a fortune recently? I haven't made a fortune, but I have a small income." Chen Hongjun said with a smile, "So treating everyone to such a meal is still no problem."

"Station Chief, tell us!" Qi Zhiguo couldn't help it, "If you have any good paths, bring us along too. We don't ask to eat meat, drinking soup is fine too."

"Alright, then I'll talk about it." Taking advantage of the fact that the food hadn't been served yet, Chen Hongjun pointed to the west and said:

"I don't know if you still remember a young man named Li Long in Maxian?"

"Remember, how could I not remember? When the young man first came, he came to sell deer antlers, right?" Someone said.

"Yes, yes, yes, deer antlers, skins, fritillaria, he sold everything, it seems he also sold deer velvet or something..."

Everyone had an impression of Li Long. After all, Li Long went to the purchasing station quite often. At first, he brought fewer things, but later more and more. At one point, some people even thought Li Long was doing wholesale or was a middleman.

"Hmm, the path is right here." Chen Hongjun said, "A few days ago, Li Long sent me a sum of money. You also know that when the purchasing station was there, many merchants wanted to know us and collect some things from us, so I also know some people who came from the interior to do business."

"I know them too." Qi Zhiguo smiled. Anyway, the purchasing station was gone, so it wasn't that he couldn't say this.

"Exactly, who doesn't know a few people who do business?"

"Our purchasing station is no longer open, so Li Long opened a private purchasing station at our original site in Maxian. He collected a lot of fritillaria and skins this year, and the two people I introduced happened to collect this. Li Long earned a lot of money and came to give me some referral fees."

The referral fee was still quite fresh in this era. However, when economic construction was the center, new things like referral fees and consulting companies appeared. Creativity and imagination, as long as they could be transformed, were all money.

And like Chen Hongjun, who had worked in the purchasing field for so long, his network of contacts could also be transformed into money.

It's just that most people didn't have considerations in this regard and couldn't think of it.

You say Qi Zhiguo and these people worked at the purchasing station for a long time, don't they know people?

They definitely know them. But after they left the purchasing station, they didn't contact those people much. In their view, they were no longer involved in purchasing matters, so there was no need for others to pay attention to them.

But it was difficult for them to think at this time, if they introduced these people to suitable people, wouldn't they have played a role as a middleman?

The first two cold dishes were served, and the beer was also moved in. Chen Hongjun gave everyone a bottle and said:

"Come, let's drink while we talk."

After opening the beer, everyone had a glass, and after filling them up, Chen Hongjun said with a smile:

"Come, it's been half a year, and I finally have the opportunity to gather everyone together for a meal. It's my dereliction of duty as the former station chief. Now let's have a drink, and we should contact and gather often in the future."

These people were not all of the original purchasing station. Some had better positions after returning to their original units, and some had approached other leaders immediately after returning and were doing quite well now.

Those who remained here now were all those who had a good relationship with Old Chen. Regardless of whether they were doing well in the unit, at least they would keep in touch, greet each other when they met, and visit each other during holidays.

"For this second cup, I'll take the lead for everyone." After finishing the first cup and inviting everyone to eat, Chen Hongjun poured himself a glass of beer, raised it, and said:

"Zhiguo just said to let me lead the way for everyone. Actually, the path is right in front of us. Think about the people you know, do they still collect things?

This young man Li Long is not bad. The things collected by the purchasing station he opened definitely aren't just skins, fritillaria, and other medicinal materials. If the contacts you find can collect his things at a high price, wouldn't the referral fee come?"

Everyone had actually guessed this earlier, but with Chen Hongjun saying it like this, these people really started to think about it.

After all, this concerned real money.

"Old Chen, give us the bottom line, if we introduce a useful businessman, how much money can he give us?" Lu Dagang took the lead seeing others not speaking, "If it's thirty or fifty yuan, then it's not worth the trouble."

"If the people you introduce can really collect things and the price is good, it should start at one hundred at least. Thirty or fifty? Who are you looking down on?" Chen Hongjun smiled, "I'm not afraid to tell you, the referral fee I received this time is worth half of that courtyard of mine!"

In Beiting, the courtyard Chen Hongjun just bought was worth at least fifteen or sixteen hundred. With him saying this, these people were immediately tempted.

"Of course, it's also because the people I introduced collect fritillaria and skins, these two bulk commodities have large shipment volumes and high profit margins.

But you should also think more. Li Long can collect many things, and they are miscellaneous. He is still collecting almost everything our original purchasing station collected. Most of them haven't been sold yet. As long as they can be sold, referral fees will definitely be given."

Chen Hongjun hadn't greeted Li Long about this matter, but he believed in Li Long's character. If he really introduced suitable business partners, Li Long wouldn't be stingy.

Hmm, next time he comes over, he'll tell Li Long about this.

A case of beer had twenty-four bottles. The ladies present drank one or two bottles each. For those like Qi Zhiguo whose family members weren't in Beiting, six bottles was the baseline, and they didn't have much of a reaction.

While drinking, they were thinking about their own connections. Some people were even thinking, what if they had opened a purchasing station themselves? Or what if they bought things from Li Long and sold them to people they knew?

Could they earn two portions of money?

Once a person's mind is active, there are many things they can associate.

Everyone had swept away the food like a whirlwind. The last bit of the dishes Chen Hongjun ordered wasn't left, the wine was finished, and then they dispersed.

When Chen Hongjun walked back out the door, Qi Zhiguo turned back, walked side by side with him, and said while walking:

"Station Chief, I really thought of someone who collects goods. I think, there's a path!" (End of chapter)