Volume 5: The Age of Storms Chapter 0642: Enemy Appears
"The grocery store here doesn't have much food, so I went to Xidan to buy it." Gong Xue handed the basket of vegetables to Nan Yi naturally, and took out a net bag from the car, "Come with me to the grocery store."
"Anything else you want to buy?"
"The garlic sausage in the grocery store is delicious. I'll go buy some. There's a woodworking shop opposite the grocery store. There's a big mulberry tree in the yard. Some mulberries are ripe. You can pick some very sweet ones on the ground."
Gong Xue took Nan Yi towards the grocery store. She didn't rush to buy garlic sausage, but took Nan Yi to the woodworking workshop first.
Originally, Nan Yi thought that the Woodworking Room was the name of a place, but when he came over and took a look, he found that it was indeed a carpenter's workshop. It should have been the place where the community's logistics department repaired windows, tables and chairs in the past.
The carpentry workshop is square, almost a square, but there is a mulberry tree planted in the yard, which forms the Chinese character "困". The old carpenters in the past paid attention to many things, so how could their own workshop become a dilemma?
Nan Yi thought that Baiwanzhuang was formerly called Baiwanfen. The layout of the community is a square with a spiral pattern, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches surround the center. The name is neither popular nor specialized, which is very interesting .
Those who practice Taoism say they should believe in science, and great scientists explore the secrets of qigong. Was this a pre-planned agreement to support each other?
"Heipi, Galiang, Anitou, Ah Huzi, Yapeng, and Damozi, come and have dinner." After entering the yard, Gong Xue shouted towards the roof of the carpentry workshop.
As Gong Xue shouted, several wild cats jumped out from the roof, four black cats and two tabby cats. They jumped from the roof to the wall one after another, then walked upright along the wall for a distance, and then jumped to the ground with a kick of their limbs.
As soon as the six cats landed, they stared at Nan Yi vigilantly, as if they would run away if he made the slightest move.
Nan Yi stood still and didn't look at the cat.
The six cats looked at him for a long time and felt that this big fool Nan Yi was not a threat, so they filed around Gong Xue's feet.
Nan Yi was a little depressed. It would be fine if the black cat was vigilant, after all, black cats were not lovable and few people were willing to keep them. When children saw them, they either picked up stones to throw at them or hid far away. Whether in the city or in the countryside, the owners of black cats were mostly lonely and elderly people.
Perhaps because they are lonely and need company, or perhaps because they share the same suffering, black cats and lonely elderly people have become a golden pair. When the body of an elderly person who has died at home for three or five days without anyone knowing is discovered, there is often a black cat by his side.
Perhaps it is because so many such incidents have been discovered that rumors have spread, giving rise to all sorts of ominous rumors about black cats.
As for which came first, unpleasantness or ominousness, it's like the question of whether the chicken or the egg came first. It would be difficult to find the answer without driving a dozen philosophers crazy.
Gong Xue fed each cat two or three small fish, and then coaxed them back to the roof.
"When I first moved here, I saw a few kids playing around here. They tied a cat by the neck with a rope and hung it on a mulberry tree. It was the big one." Gong Xue pointed at the black cat running last and said, "There's a circle of marks on its neck that won't go away."
"Oh, if you like, take it home and keep it."
"No, they are too noisy and shed their hair everywhere. It's fine here. I have bought candies to bribe the children here. They will not bully these cats anymore." Gong Xue said, pointing to the ground, "Look, those fallen mulberries are ripe."
"I see, these are leftovers picked up by others. Come early tomorrow to pick them up."
Gong Xue picked up a few from the ground and looked at them, "Hey, they are all bad. I will come early tomorrow morning to see who can snatch them from me."
"Let's go buy some garlic sausage."
"good."
After buying the garlic sausage, the two returned to Gong Xue's house.
The layout of the house is very good and the lighting is great. The room on the left has been converted into an open kitchen and living room, and the room on the right has been converted into a private space, which contains Gong Xue's bedroom and a gym, where she doesn't lift weights but does aerobics.
In the morning, the TV station will broadcast "Five Minutes of Fitness" hosted by Ma Hua. "Do it with me every day, five minutes every day, hands on hips, right hand and left hand on the tip of shoulders, upwards, pat..." Many fashionable young women will follow along.
"Is the filming of "Only Mom Is Good in the World" almost finished?"
After walking around the room, Nan Yi sat on the sofa in the living room.
"The main scenes have been filmed, and now we just need to film the beginning of the movie, which is the part where the granddaughter of Taicun comes back to trace her roots and founds the 'Mamahao' frozen food factory, which unfolds the whole story."
Gong Xue shook her wet hands and said, "Why are you so persistent in arranging a Taiwanese identity for your granddaughter? Can't Hong Kong or other countries be used ?"
"There are signs that the martial law in Taiyuan will be lifted. Once it is lifted, the veterans who fled there will come back to visit their families. Doing the right thing at the right time will get the results we want. Has Yaqing Company paid off the money?"
"No, Yang Kaiyan means that we have to wait until the movie is released and see the effect before paying."
"That's pretty clever." Nan Yi chuckled and said, "Let her do whatever she wants. This is what I should have done in the first place. I want to finish it well from beginning to end."
"Yaqing Company is very famous now. Everyone is scrambling to work there. I also heard a rumor that someone has connections and can get a job at Yaqing for just 50,000 yuan."
“It’s so valuable.”
"It's not bad. I heard that working at the Asia Station counter, you can earn 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a year. 50,000 yuan can be earned back in six to seven years." Gong Xue said.
Nan Yi: "You, don't listen to the nonsense outside. Although the tellers and shopping guides in Asia earn a lot, the job requirements are also high. Not everyone can be qualified."
"You're not in power now, so how do you know what it will become?"
"No matter how it changes, it won't be too bad. I know Yang Kaiyan's personality. She will definitely turn hostile to anyone who hinders her from making money. The phenomenon of buying and selling positions definitely exists, but I am sure that not everyone can . If the ability is not up to standard, Yang Kaiyan will not buy it."
Once Asia and Qinghe International are on track, dirty things will definitely breed, but Nan Yi believes that Yang Kaiyan can control Asia Qing Company. Minor chaos is inevitable, but major chaos should not happen.
There is no company in the world that is completely clear. Favoritism, nepotism, and disordered small accounts are all inevitable. As long as the situation is controlled within a certain range, the company will not be in chaos.
"Are you so confident in Yang Kaiyan?"
"Yes, I am confident." Nan Yi nodded and changed the subject: "Will the houses on the first and second floors be sold? If they are willing to sell, then buy the whole building."
Gong Xue thought for a moment and said, "I don't think they will sell it."
"Forget about it. Beijing is going to build houses for export, which are villas. You can buy a villa when the time comes. If you don't want to live in a villa, Fangzhuang will soon start construction. You can go and take a look at the high-rise buildings when the time comes."
"It's nice living here. I don't want to move out." Gong Xue said in a daze.
"Two people are going to move in. I'm worried that the place is too small and it will be too depressing for you."
"Two people?" Gong Xue was confused for a moment, then a look of joy suddenly appeared on her face. "You want to send someone to look after me?"
"Yes, you are almost 40 years old. If I don't accept you, I'm afraid you won't be able to get married and become an old maid. Then I will be guilty of a great sin."
"What old maid? As long as I want to get married, there are plenty of people willing to marry me." Gong Xue twisted her neck, looking down on her.
"Just be happy. I'm going to put an ad in the newspaper to recruit lovers. If there are not 100 million, there will be at least 80 million people who apply."
Gong Xue spat, "Why didn't you say 800 million?"
"The numbers are too big to be rounded off."
"Hehe, so you still have some shame." Gong Xue laughed, covering her mouth.
Nan Yi shook his head and did not respond to Gong Xue's laughter. He picked up the remote control from the coffee table and turned on the TV.
…
After having dinner at Gong Xue's place, Nan Yi and Gong Xue left Baiwanzhuang together. Gong Xue went to the crew, and Nan Yi went to visit Sun Changzheng.
Jingxi Yiguo, a partnership between Nan Yi and Sun Changzheng, has opened two stores, one in Xinjiekou and the other in Xidan. The second store has just been open for less than half a year.
Xinjiekou is the first store and also the flagship store of Jingxi Yiguo. According to Sun Changzheng himself, he usually stays in this store when he has nothing to do, and only goes to the second store when he is doing account counting or when there is something else.
Nan Yi got out of the car and walked into the store, his brows instantly frowned.
Today is the weekend, and there is no one in the store looking at electrical appliances. Nan Yi walked to a TV, looked at his watch, and counted the seconds in his mind.
Three minutes, a full three minutes, he was standing there, but no one came to greet him.
Nan Yi gathered his strength and shouted, "Sun Changzheng, Chang Tianxiao, get out here."
"Who is it? Who is it? Who the hell is calling me?"
Following a foul sound, footsteps came from the stairs.
After a while, a man and a woman came to Nan Yi.
Sun Changzheng stammered, "Nan... Master Nan."
"Boss Nan."
Chang Tianxiao's voice was clear, without a trace of panic.
"Where is the clerk?" Nan Yi asked indifferently.
"The Xidan store is doing good business, so I was transferred there to help out."
"Liu Zi, explain to me, why is there no one in the store today on Sunday? I've been standing here for three minutes, why didn't anyone come to serve me?"
"Uncle Nan, there's a new Xiaoxiao Trading Company that just opened on this street. They specialize in electrical appliances, motorcycles, and bicycles. They keep the prices of electrical appliances very low, and many people are flocking there."
"Well, go on." Nan Yi nodded and said.
"Because there was no business in the store, Chang Tianxiao and I went upstairs to find a solution."
"Oh, you thought of a solution. You were thoughtful. The store should have the most customers when you ran upstairs to think of a solution because there was no business. So I ask you, have you come up with a solution?"
After Nan Yi finished speaking, he stared at Sun Changzheng's face with cold eyes.
"No...no." Sun Changzheng lowered his head and said guiltily.
"Liuzi, as for you, even if you have no merit, you have worked hard. This is the first time, so I'm giving you a yellow card. Now tell me about this Xiaoxiao. Is the boss a woman?" Nan Yi said lightly.
Sun Changzheng stroked his forehead, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Uncle Nan, the boss of this Xiaoxiao Trading is called Han Guohui. He also has an assistant named Wei Jian, who is a retired soldier. Er, no, he is a soldier who was punished and returned. I don't know why the company is called Xiaoxiao."
Nan Yi laughed, "Liu Zi, you are becoming more and more capable. You are almost forced to close down because of being squeezed by others, but you don't even know the other party's background. Tell me, what actions have you taken?"
"I didn't do anything." Sun Changzheng said, avoiding her gaze.
"I can accept your incompetence, but I cannot accept deception. I'll give you another chance." Nan Yi's voice remained calm, without any ripples.
Sun Changzheng was stunned for a while, then he said fluently: "I sent people to stop Han Guohui, but the people I sent were beaten up by Wei Jian. They were beaten up pretty badly, and the medical expenses were quite high."
"Does the other party know that it was you who sent them?"
"He probably doesn't know. I'm looking for someone in the fighting industry. He has nothing to do with me." Sun Changzheng said after thinking for a while.
"When will there be fighting in the capital?"
"He came from Bingcheng. It seems he lost a battle for territory and has no place to stay in Bingcheng. That's why he came to Beijing to hang out. After he came here, he specialized in checking racks and collecting debts."
"I'll make two points." Nan Yi raised a finger, "First, there is no business that guarantees profit. Business is like a group of people squeezing on a single-plank bridge. Only a few succeed, and the rest will fall into the water.
In order to succeed, some people resort to some scheming and underhanded means. This is human nature and understandable.
But……
Tiger cub, close the door."
Nan Yi stood there and waited for the tiger cub to close the door of the shop before he raised his foot and kicked Sun Changzheng on the knee, causing him to stagger.
"But why did you actually look for a hitman and told me that you might not know? Why didn't you just hire a killer to kill the man? I tell you, you have to thank that Wei Jian. If the hitman you hired turns around and blackmails you, I'll see what you'll do.
You are from Ice City, do you know how they fight for territory in Ice City?
Just use your guns, kill the person and throw him into the river or bury him in the ground. Even if the person coming over there doesn't have any life on him, he still has arms and legs on him. Others don't even have time to hide, and you're still coming forward."
Nan Yi calmed down and continued, "You can use dirty tricks, but you have to be absolutely sure, otherwise you should put away your evil thoughts and behave yourself.
Remember, in our land, fighting and killing is the stupidest thing to do."
Nan Yi raised his second finger, "Forget it, your brain is still not open, it's useless to tell you, two days, I'll give you two days, I want to know who Xiaoxiao is, I want to know the source of this Han Guohui's goods, what he deals in, and his main customers.
Damn it, you've wasted all these years. A guy named Han Guohui who came out of nowhere has made you look so miserable.
Be smart next time. I don’t want to go to Zixin Road to see you, and I don’t want to go to the cemetery to give you flowers.
Call Huang Saner and ask her to come and help you."
"Got it, Master Nan."
"Tian Xiao, show me the cash flow, starting from one month before Xiao Xiao opened."
Chang Tianxiao said: "Boss Nan, the accounts are upstairs."
"Okay, let's go upstairs."
The two went upstairs. Chang Tianxiao first sorted out the account book and handed it to Nan Yi, then made him a cup of tea.
Nan Yi was looking through the accounts while talking to Chang Tianxiao.
“Are you happy doing this here?”
"Very good, Boss Sun is very nice to me and thinks highly of me." Chang Tianxiao said.
"That's good. If you are unhappy here, it will be my fault."
Chang Tianxiao used to be a shopping guide at the electrical appliance counter in Asia Mall, and he did very well there. In April of this year, Nan Yi asked Yang Kaiyan for an ambitious person, and Yang Kaiyan recommended Chang Tianxiao.
"Boss Nan, I chose to come here on my own. I should bear all the consequences, good or bad. Besides, my income here is not lower than that in Asia."
"Well, the risks here are great, but the opportunities are also great. If you want to get a high-level position in Asia, you need not only ability, but also other invisible and intangible conditions. But here, as long as you have the ability, it only takes two or three years to become a shareholder, or even less time.
Of course, it is also possible that Jingxi will collapse at any time and you will lose your job.
Whether Jingxi is a dragon or a worm depends on Sun Changzheng and also on you. Just use whatever abilities you have. If you create a profit of 1, I will give you a return of 1.5. If you create a profit of 2, I will give you a return of 4.
If one day you feel that what you get is less than what you give, just bring it up. Don't keep it in your heart. We can sit down and talk it out.
If we can reach an agreement, we will move on. If we can't, we will just part ways amicably. I am always easy to talk to my own people and I will put everything on the table. I treat you this way, and I hope you can do the same to me.
If you have something to say, don't hide it behind your back. Even if you tell me now that you plan to start your own business in a year, I will not do anything to you and will still respectfully send you off to your future.
Just avoid Jingxi for three years and don’t open a business opposite Jingxi.”
"Mr. Nan, I don't have any idea of working alone now. I just want to do a good job in Jingxi and make some achievements." As soon as Nan Yi finished speaking, Chang Tianxiao quickly expressed his loyalty.
"I understand. I'm just making it clear to you so you know where my bottom line is. This will save you from having to guess." Nan Yi spread the account book on the table, pointed to a place and said, "April 12th, Xiaoxiao Trading started to make efforts from this day, right?"
"Yes, from that day on, Xiaoxiao Trading's electrical appliances were priced very low, and they were all sold at a loss."
"I've never heard of the name Han Guohui before. Is he a native of Beijing?"
In the capital city, Nan Yi has heard some rumors about anyone who does big business. Even if he has never seen someone, he should have heard people mention who does what. It is impossible that he has heard no news at all.
"He should be. He speaks in Beijing dialect. I have seen Wei Jian who was with him before. I know this person, but I am not familiar with him."
"Oh, tell me about it." Nan Yi nodded.
"His family is the same as mine, all in the Dongsi area. He has loved to break up fights since he was young, and he is a good fighter. If he had not joined the army, he would not have been able to escape the crackdown in 1983."
"Do you know what kind of soldier he was?"
"He seemed to be a scout. He went there in 1979 and was sent back in 1985."
Nan Yi asked again: "Do you know why you were dismissed?"
"I'm not sure. There are rumors that he has affairs with both men and women, but I don't think that's the case."
"He and Han Guohui are childhood friends?"
"It shouldn't be. Wei Jian is number one in Dongsi. Before he went to the army, there was a lot of news about him. But I've never heard anyone say that there is someone like Han Guohui around him." Chang Tianxiao shook his head.
"Got it." Nan Yi closed the account book and put it aside. "No matter whether the business is good or bad, as long as the door is open, we must always be ready to welcome customers. No matter whether the customers buy anything or not, we can't just leave them there and we have to treat them well.
Leave all your complaints and curses to the air when I am alone. As long as you are at work, you must greet customers with a smile even if there is a funeral at home.
Of course, if you really have to deal with a funeral, then go to bed early. I have always disapproved of going to work while sick or suppressing sadness. It's just a waste of time, and you won't be able to do your job well, and you'll get a work injury."
"Mr. Nan, I understand." Chang Tianxiao nodded and said.
"Okay, the day after tomorrow night you and Boss Sun come to see me, and we'll have dinner together. First listen to the news, and then the three of us can discuss countermeasures together to see how to deal with this Xiaoxiao. Xiaoxiao, I still have Fangfang."
After Nan Yi finished speaking, he clapped his hands on his thighs, stood up and walked downstairs.
Downstairs, Sun Changzheng was huddled on a stool in the corner, looking listless.
Nan Yi walked to Sun Changzheng and patted him on the back, "Okay, stop looking so dead. When will Huang Saner arrive?"
"It will take at most half an hour."
"Don't discuss it in the store, find a place outside, preferably far away from here."
"good."
"Come to me at dinner time the day after tomorrow. If things don't go well, tell me in time. Don't delay. I can let someone else do it earlier."
"Master Nan, I know."
"Let's go first."
After getting into the car, Nan Yi rubbed his temples, feeling tired.
After a while, Nan Yi thought about it and said to the school beauty, "Let's find a place to make a phone call."
