Chapter 349: That Girl—Are You Even Allowed to Think About Her?

"Old Tian, Master Tian, don't leave yet—Manager Jin said he needs to see you, told you to wait here for five minutes."

Tian Hongshan had just pushed his motorcycle out of the parking shed when he heard someone calling his name from behind.

Tian Hongshan turned around and saw it was Xiao Liang, a new recruit at the unit.

The current Pengcheng Seventh Factory was no longer the ragtag crew it once was—it now had a fixed office space at the entrance of Xiushuijie and had hired several staff specifically to handle miscellaneous departmental tasks.

According to Manager Ma Qianshan, these office staff were called "clerks" in Hong Kong, meaning they were cultured people.

Xiao Liang was a high school graduate, barely qualified as a cultured person.

Tian Hongshan took off his helmet and smiled: "Xiao Liang! Didn't Manager Jin say what he wanted with me?"

"He didn't say. But Manager Jin always keeps time—he said five minutes, so it's five minutes."

Xiao Liang walked over, eyeing Tian Hongshan's motorcycle with envy: "Master Tian, they say you got your motorcycle in just a year—wait another year and you'll definitely be driving a car, right?"

"Don't listen to their nonsense! I paid a fortune out of my own pocket for this bike! If they give me a car next year, I'd have to sell myself to afford it!"

Tian Hongshan laughed humbly, but the pride on his face showed he was thrilled.

Last spring, he'd been framed at his old unit, the Xicheng Department Store, and in a rage, he quit and joined Jin Peng.

He was then assigned to the distribution team, constantly traveling to surrounding districts and counties—even spending much of last autumn in Jincheng researching the market, preparing to expand there.

After a full year on the road, though he was often exhausted from business trips, Pengcheng Seventh Factory lived by the principle: "No effort, no reward."

Between all the miscellaneous benefits, he earned at least a hundred and some yuan a month, often over two hundred.

This eased Tian Hongshan's mind—he'd been anxious when he first arrived, since his former unit, the Xicheng Department Store, was nationally renowned; switching to Pengcheng Seventh Factory felt like being demoted three ranks.

But for the money, Tian Hongshan accepted it—those two hundred yuan weren't just material compensation; they gave him the emotional comfort of being respected.

By year's end, Jin Peng awarded him a Happiness 250 motorcycle quota at the annual meeting, charging him only a token fee—making it fully his own.

So Tian Hongshan had a fantastic Spring Festival in '84—he rode his motorcycle back to the Xicheng Department Store dormitory to visit friends, and after a few shots of strong liquor, he drunkenly declared: "Someday I'll be driving a Volga, just like them!"

Because Jin Peng had required all his "backbone" staff to learn to drive, Tian Hongshan held a driver's license.

So when Xiao Liang said he'd swap his bike for a car in a year, though Tian Hongshan pretended humility, he secretly longed for it more than anyone.

"You don't even have to pay! Maybe Manager Jin will just assign you a dedicated car!"

Xiao Liang grinned: "Look at our Group Leader Li—she got a Volga right when she arrived! And she's even your apprentice—she's already ahead of you!"

"Huh?"

Tian Hongshan paused, then gave Xiao Liang a sly look: "I don't envy Li's Volga—she's always running to Shunyi or Tongzhou, never on schedule. You envious, Xiao Liang?"

Li Yue arrived in Jingcheng last autumn and first shadowed Tian Hongshan to learn the market—effectively his apprentice.

But by year's end, she became "Market Supervision Group Leader," cruising around in her Volga, even more flashy than Tian Hongshan.

So naturally, someone took notice.

Xiao Liang quickly laughed: "Master Tian, don't misunderstand—I'm not envious. I'm just curious about who she really is."

"Who she is?"

Tian Hongshan's smile turned even more peculiar.

"You just joined—why so interested in Group Leader Li? You got designs on her?"

"Hahaha, Master Tian, you're joking! I'm just asking for a friend."

Li Yue was young and beautiful, standing out from day one—of course she drew the attention of young guys like Xiao Liang.

"Best not to have any designs," Tian Hongshan patted Xiao Liang's shoulder sincerely. "Before you, at least eight or ten guys had the same idea—but they all ended up embarrassed. So don't even think about it."

"No, really—it's my friend!"

Xiao Liang, still young, immediately gave himself away under Tian Hongshan's gaze.

"Mm-hmm, friend or not—it's hopeless."

Tian Hongshan internally sneered at Xiao Liang—ugly to boot, lacking courage and backbone—how could he possibly catch Li Yue's eye?

"Diiiiii!"

A red sedan sped up to Tian Hongshan's side and honked repeatedly.

Tian Hongshan looked down and saw it was Jin Peng driving.

But he didn't recognize the car.

"How's it, Old Tian? Nice car, right?"

"Very nice! Really nice!"

Tian Hongshan circled the sedan, smiling: "Manager Jin, is this imported? What brand?"

"Santana. German. Just launched this year—I pulled strings to get one."

"German stuff's good! My old man's unit once had a Feiying bicycle—German too. Decades later, it still rode better than new ones."

Tian Hongshan opened the door, glanced inside, and kept praising.

He'd ridden in Li Yue's Volga often while learning the market—the interior difference was enormous.

"This car's yours. Take it!"

Jin Peng tossed the keys toward Tian Hongshan.

"Huh?"

Tian Hongshan fumbled, catching the keys in panic, utterly flustered.

Once he steadied the keys, he still couldn't believe it: "Wait, Manager Jin—what's this mean?"

"Get in. You drive."

"Oh, okay."

Confused but unable to resist the Santana's allure, Tian Hongshan scrambled into the car, started the engine, and stomped the gas—zooming off.

"Whoa, this thing's fast! Gotta get used to it!"

Tian Hongshan's grin stretched ear to ear—this car had to be better than his old boss's Volga. He'd show it off tomorrow.

No—tonight.

"Old Tian, originally I planned to send you to Jincheng—but now the unit has new needs."

Tian Hongshan was enjoying the drive when Jin Peng's words chilled him halfway.

Last year's end, Jin Peng had told him he'd be sent to Jincheng as head.

Now, Jingcheng's operations were handed to Li Yue—and yet the unit had new needs?

This trick felt too familiar—he'd used it himself back in his old unit.

Give you a new car, make you a driver—can that compare to being a regional head?

Tian Hongshan pulled the Santana to the roadside, exhaled, and fell silent.

Jin Peng noticed his grim expression and comforted him: "I know this came suddenly, but after thinking it over, you're the best fit—"

"Monthly turnover could hit millions. We can't trust just anyone."

"Huh? Huh?"

Monthly turnover millions? What driver had that kind of turnover? Even selling fuel daily wouldn't bring in ten thousand!

Tian Hongshan's temple veins throbbed visibly.

"Manager Jin, just say it—where am I being sent to open a market?"

"All over the country. Here's the product info—study it, then quickly set up your new unit."

Jin Peng handed Tian Hongshan a stack of documents. After flipping through them, Tian Hongshan realized—he was truly being made a "head."

Jin Peng wanted him to independently establish a trading company to sell industrial sewing machines—machines produced by a joint venture in Changbei.

"Manager Jin, the joint venture—will they let us sell their products?"

Tian Hongshan asked his question.

"Don't worry about that. Just sell. Our Seventh Factory has ties with many garment factories and sales reps in several provinces—start there, then expand."

Jin Peng held up one finger: "Your salary will rise to a thousand yuan monthly, with a one percent commission on sales. How you split that commission is your business—but accounts must be crystal clear."

Tian Hongshan swallowed hard, gripped the steering wheel, and sat quietly for a long time—then made a request.

"Manager Jin, I'd like to meet that Li Ye."

"Huh?"

Jin Peng asked, surprised: "Old Tian, why do you want to meet him?"

Tian Hongshan smiled: "To be honest, I've been here over a year, but I still don't understand many things.

I've thought long and hard—is it because of that economic advisor that Pengcheng Seventh Factory has grown so fast?"

Jin Peng looked at Tian Hongshan and silently admired Li Ye's judgment.

Assigning Tian Hongshan to lead the new trading company had been Li Ye's idea, discussed with Jin Peng and Ma Qianshan.

Now it seemed Tian Hongshan really had some talent.