Chapter 179: If You Want to Corner the Market, Just Say So

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng didn't sleep well all night. He memorized every issue Li Ye had brought up and every corresponding response countless times, fearing that if he encountered an unexpected situation at the meeting the next day, he wouldn't be able to react in time.

However, as soon as he arrived at the meeting venue for the Xiushuijie renovation, he encountered a problem Li Ye hadn't anticipated.

A group of individual merchants had blocked the entrance to the venue.

Among them were several people Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng recognized.

Pengcheng Factory No. 7 had established its foothold in Xiushuijie, and now, with their occasional discount promotions, the surrounding small vendors—those selling needles and thread, repairing shoes, or roasting sweet potatoes—were also able to get a taste of the success.

Seeing Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng walk over, Wang Laohan, the sweet potato vendor, greeted him warmly and handed him a piece of sweet potato wrapped in newspaper.

"Manager Jin, are you here to demand an explanation too, or are you here for the meeting?"

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng took the sweet potato and took a bite. While blowing on it because it was scalding hot, he laughed and asked in return, "What do you think I'm here for?"

"Sigh, look at me asking a stupid question," Wang Laohan laughed self-deprecatingly. "Manager Jin, you're from a formal organization, so you're definitely here for the meeting. You're not in the same boat as us nobodies."

"What do you mean 'nobodies'?" Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng laughed as well. "I remember you have a Beijing household registration; the neighborhood office is your home base. If we really talk about roots, I'm the outsider without any foundation."

"Manager Jin, you're joking, you're joking."

Wang Laohan waved his hand. "Having a Beijing registration is the only benefit I have, but no one in the neighborhood office takes me seriously! You're going in there, so you'll at least have a seat."

"That's not necessarily true. If I had a son in the future, I wouldn't be able to get him into a Beijing school, but your grandson would have a spot the moment he's born, wouldn't he?"

"That's the only benefit, I suppose." Wang Laohan felt a bit better, and a genuine smile finally appeared on his weathered face.

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng finished the sweet potato in a few bites and asked in a low voice, "Wang Laohan, what exactly are you all doing gathered here?

We're acquaintances, so I'll advise you not to be foolish. I heard that someone from the district is coming today! Don't cause trouble for the neighborhood office at a time like this; you can't fight the authorities, you know?"

"We wouldn't dare cause trouble!" Wang Laohan was startled. "We just heard that Xiushuijie is going to be renovated, so where are we supposed to set up our stalls?

Even if we don't make much, every bit of income helps the family survive."

Wang Laohan gestured toward the west with his chin and whispered, "I'm just here to get the news. If I have to, I'll just go set up my stall somewhere else, but the people over there are the ones who are truly desperate!"

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng looked toward the west and saw that they were mostly merchants selling general merchandise on Xiushuijie.

Unlike Wang Laohan, who only made a pittance, they had quietly made a small fortune riding the winds of the era, and some even had net worths exceeding ten thousand yuan.

These people all recognized Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng, the "outsider" who had struck gold, but they all looked at him with hostility.

They used to get their goods from Boss Hou, and by sticking together, they had lived comfortably on Xiushuijie. But after Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng, this outsider, arrived and ignored the rules, his discount sales had snatched away a large portion of their business.

Boss Hou, who came from the south, was wealthy and arrogant, constantly bragging, but he folded instantly and switched to differentiated management.

The clothing and footwear were mainly sold by Pengcheng Factory No. 7, while Boss Hou's group sold electronics and general merchandise. At least on the surface, they stayed out of each other's way.

But because of this, the profit margins for the small vendors who used to make money on clothing shrank significantly, leading them to resent Pengcheng Factory No. 7 even more.

But what could they do?

The "righteous" Duo Ye, who had stood up for everyone, had been arrested and was currently eating free government meals somewhere.

The notorious Heng San was even worse off; his group of twenty-plus men had been beaten to a pulp by the people from Pengcheng Factory No. 7, and they were all currently in the hospital, having collectively received a pair of silver bracelets.

Wasn't that clear enough?

Pengcheng Factory No. 7 wasn't some bumpkin from out of town; they were a powerful force to be reckoned with.

"They're saying you're all colluding to monopolize the business on Xiushuijie and cut off everyone else's livelihood."

Wang Laohan whispered, "I heard from Old Liu from the back street that the big boss from the south also wanted to attend today's meeting but was rejected, so all the people who rely on him for a living came to petition!"

"Petition? They don't deserve to!"

"Do they pay taxes? It's one thing if the small vendors don't make much, but Boss Hou makes plenty. Why should he get the same treatment as us?"

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng laughed dismissively, wiped the sweet potato powder from his mouth, and walked toward the neighborhood office's meeting site with his head held high.

Even though there was a dense crowd squatting outside the venue, there were two police officers guarding the door, and no one dared to shout.

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng walked up, took out his meeting invitation, and was let in.

In that instant, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng's sense of superiority surged.

Pengcheng Factory No. 7 and people like Boss Hou were essentially doing the same business—reselling goods, or more severely, speculation.

But now, he, Manager Jin, could walk in and attend the meeting openly, while the wealthy Boss Hou could only squat outside and watch with envy.

That was the difference.

At the beginning, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng hadn't understood why Li Ye insisted on paying taxes according to the rules. Why share hard-earned money with others?

Even when the tax authorities came to collect taxes in Beijing, they were surprised by Pengcheng Factory No. 7's "cooperative attitude."

But now it seemed those taxes hadn't been paid in vain.

Li Ye had once told Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng: "Large taxpayers can live openly in the sunlight, while tax-evading tycoons can only hide in the cold darkness."

However, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng's sense of superiority lasted only a few minutes.

Once he entered the venue, he was arranged to sit in a corner, while the people sitting in front were all influential figures.

In this environment, Pengcheng Factory No. 7 was truly just a small shrimp.

"In order to regulate the chaotic order of Xiushuijie and create a better commercial environment, we plan to raise funds to renovate this street...

You are all experts in retail, so you should be able to see the bright future of Xiushuijie. Don't be so reserved!"

After the meeting began, the moderator spoke some platitudes and then hoped everyone would be generous and contribute to the renovation of Xiushuijie.

However, the attendees all frowned and remained silent.

Because from the "plan" in their hands, they realized that this renovation of Xiushuijie was much bolder than they had expected.

Everyone had thought it would just be a renovation of the street, followed by setting up a few rows of open-air stalls to accommodate one or two hundred small vendors.

Everyone would contribute a little money, arrange for some struggling individuals or connections from their own units to find flexible employment, and the stall fees would be negligible, having no impact on them.

But now it seemed this renovation plan was not small at all; it didn't just include open-air stalls, but also multi-story commercial storefronts, requiring a significant amount of funding.

What they didn't know was that according to the original history, the Xiushuijie of 1985 would be a "simplified version" consisting of two or three hundred open-air stalls, and the management's attitude would be more or less "laissez-faire."

But Li Ye had only chatted with Wen Guohua for a while, and he had raised the scale by several levels, and even boldly piloted fundraising, which wouldn't have been attempted for years.

This step was indeed too big.

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng looked past the shoulders of the attendees toward the podium and found Wen Guohua, who was on the renovation team.

Wen Guohua was just a "staff officer," but having spent some time in Beijing, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng could naturally grasp the subtlety of his seating position.

However, when Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng saw the representative from the tax department, the other party smiled slightly and exchanged a look with him.

He shuddered.

Even though Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng was usually overshadowed by Li Ye, that was mainly due to a difference in perspective; in reality, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng was very smart, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to manage such a large operation and thrive in Beijing.

Now, a single look from the other party made him realize many things.

Why did they invite Pengcheng Factory No. 7, an outsider? And why did they send someone to the bank to deliver a loan?

They were using him, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng, as a spear... or rather, asking him to take the lead.

You don't know how small your official rank is until you get to Beijing. Any commercial unit could pull out several bureau-level cadres.

Even if the Beijing neighborhood office was a level higher than those in other cities, in Beijing, they couldn't really order those people around. If the meeting went cold, it would be embarrassing.

Moreover, the Xiushuijie renovation was a move that favored individual operations.

Many of the attendees were from large department stores. They definitely had money, but they were inherently repulsed by this commercial model that favored individual operations.

According to them, all individual vendors should be banned, and all customers should still come to their department stores and buildings to buy things.

So didn't Pengcheng Factory No. 7, with its heavy individual-operation style, stand out?

Or rather, had they already seen through the fact that you were just an individual vendor?

【Li Ye didn't tell me about this part; I'm here to cause trouble for everyone!】

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng felt a bit anxious. He had just negotiated a "settlement and operation" deal with the Xicheng Department Store a few days ago and had established connections with several other commercial institutions. Everything was going smoothly.

Was it a bit too arrogant to jump out now and "set an example" for everyone?

Sure enough, when the people above saw that no one was speaking, they pointed directly at Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng.

"Don't be so reserved! This is just a discussion meeting, not a robbery. Even if you don't want to contribute money, giving a suggestion is fine!

That young man in the back, I've seen you holding back words for a long time. Tell us a few things!"

Where did you see me holding back words?

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng put on a smiling expression and said modestly, "Our Pengcheng Factory No. 7 is small, and we aren't very familiar with the situation in Beijing, so we really don't have any suggestions..."

"Don't be nervous, just speak your mind. You've been very popular in Beijing recently! Foreign monks know how to chant scriptures; tell us, let everyone learn from each other..."

In this situation, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng had no choice but to follow Li Ye's script.

"Then I'll state our position!" Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng smiled modestly. "We'll pay a deposit first, and after the neighborhood office coordinates the arrangements, just give us a share. If it's not enough, we can take out a loan."

This posture was quite low.

The peers around him all felt that Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng was sensible, knowing to wait until the end to get the scraps.

"Hahaha, this young man is really straightforward! This is the attitude of someone who gets things done, no wonder we keep hearing about you lately!"

The person above was also very happy, as Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng hadn't beaten around the bush and had directly brought out money; real cash was better than any suggestion.

He suddenly remembered something and asked Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng with a smile: "What about your... deposit? You should at least have a number!"

Everyone around looked over, and Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng, feeling the pressure, raised a finger and smiled foolishly, pretending to be a simple-minded youth.

"Ten thousand? You... you're a bit stingy! Young man, be bolder!"

The person above was disappointed, but still wore a smile, as Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng's performance was still acceptable.

But the next moment, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng said sheepishly, "No, we can provide a deposit of one million."

"..."

Damn~

After a brief silence, someone whispered a curse.

Once the figure of one million was out, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng's "low profile" from just a moment ago was clearly just him playing the pig to eat the tiger.

Xiushuijie wasn't that big; you were investing one million in cash right off the bat, and that wasn't even counting the loans?

If you wanted to corner the market, just say so; we'll clear the way for you!

But if you were just a shill, heh heh.

Even the boss on the podium asked suspiciously again: "That... what's your surname... Little Jin, right? Is the one million you mentioned including the loan? Or is that the deposit?"

In 1982, one million might just be paper to a public bank, but it was a huge figure for an enterprise.

"It's the deposit. We are very optimistic about the Xiushuijie project. It's very close to the embassy district, and there are many foreign friends here. We believe that in the future, Xiushuijie could be a window to the outside world, at least allowing us to understand what kind of products foreigners like..."

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng explained confidently, as he could see from the expressions of many people on the scene that they all thought he was a "shill" who was joking and talking nonsense.

"We, Pengcheng Factory No. 7, may be small in scale, but our ambitions are not short. We are only operating domestically for now, but we hope that one day, we can sell our products abroad and let the yellow-haired people see that our goods from the Central Plains are not inferior at all..."

"Hahahahaha~"

"This young man's heart is really big!"

"Hey, this little comrade's courage is commendable, but his appetite is just too big."

"People these days! As soon as they see the glory of exporting to earn foreign exchange, they get excited, but they have no idea how difficult it is behind the scenes!"

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng was a bit stunned, a bit angry, and had the urge to retort.

When Li Ye told him these things before, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng could occasionally see the strange look in Li Ye's eyes. Although he had some resonance, he hadn't fully agreed.

After all, he always felt that he was just a small person who had just walked out of Qingshui County; was it too arrogant to talk about those things?

But now, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng felt a strong sense of unwillingness and ambition.

Look at the people sitting around him, all of whom had fountain pens in their breast pockets; why were they so cowardly? As soon as they heard about earning foreigners' money, they lost their own spirit?

Others could earn our money, why couldn't we earn foreigners' money?

In that instant, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng suddenly identified with the "ambition" in Li Ye.

Even an illiterate martial artist knew about "upholding our national prestige," didn't they?

We have money now, we have people, why can't we compete with the foreigners?

"Clap, clap, clap~"

The boss above suddenly clapped his hands lightly. The sound wasn't loud, but it suppressed the whispering of everyone else.

"Young people have ideas; what's wrong with that? Is it that funny?"

Everyone fell silent. They could laugh at Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng, but they couldn't mess with this person.

"Little Jin, when can your one million be in place?"

"Today is fine. We've checked with the bank, and there is one million in funds in the account. In addition, they are also willing to give us a loan at an interest rate of 6.9, and the amount is quite large."

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng was no longer the street boss from Qingshui County; he quickly adjusted his emotions and answered seriously.

"An interest rate of 6.9? Staff Officer Wen, go and contact Comrade Little Jin and see if you can provide some assistance."

Wen Guohua nodded and stood up, taking Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng directly out of the meeting venue.

Once out of the venue, Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng felt the tightness in his chest ease a bit, and he reached out to touch a cigarette, but Wen Guohua handed him one first.

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng hurried to take it, then lit it for Wen Guohua first.

Wen Guohua took a puff and asked Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng: "Was what you said just now just casual talk? Or do you have a detailed plan?"

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng smiled and said: "I don't know either. However, we have an economic consultant. If Staff Officer Wen wants to know more, you can chat with him."

Wen Guohua looked at Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng and couldn't help but smile: "Fine. I'll go and understand the loan interest rate with you first, and then I'll go chat with that Consultant Li."

"There's no problem with the loan interest rate; we've confirmed it." Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng said firmly.

"The highest loan interest rate is only 7.2; are you sure you want to use the 6.9 one?"

"..."

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng touched his scalp habitually and smiled.

"As long as they dare to lend it, I dare to use it."

"Was this sentence also said by your economic consultant?"

"Heh heh."

Watching Watching Watching Jin Peng smiled and said nothing. Your aura, Wen Guohua, is naturally intimidating; what should I say to you?

If you have anything to say, just go ask your future brother-in-law directly.

I'm not in a good state, and I updated late again. Please forgive me if there are any typos; I'm currently editing them.

(End of chapter)