In the afternoon, Nan Yi entered the Silk Museum and squeezed into a crowded booth to take a look at the products. Then he pricked up his ears to listen to the communication between the booth staff and foreigners, capturing key words in the conversation, such as the foreigner's company, name, products of interest, etc.
After hanging around for half an afternoon, Nan Yi was exposed. A staff member at a booth noticed him. Nan Yi also found that the other party realized that something was wrong with him, so he ran away before the other party could call the organizing committee.
The next day, it was Su Meng's turn to enter the Silk Museum and do the same thing. She was not as blatant as Nan Yi, so she survived a little longer. She stayed in the Silk Museum for half a day before coming out.
On the third day, Pan Wujie went in, and on the fourth day, Zhao Jun went in. The four of them took turns going in, and they found out the names of more than 20 companies. By comparing them with the list copied from the European Yellow Pages, they could complete the information of half of them, and the remaining half would be compared after the telephone directories of several European countries were sent to them.
During this period, a payment of 60,000 pounds for information and 30% of the deposit for two orders were received. Nan Yi called Liu Xin, who was still in Hangzhou, and asked her to notify the people from Chaosi Factory to go to Coconut City as soon as possible to receive the 30% deposit that Yiwan International had to pay.
Only by delivery in Coconut City can it be guaranteed that what Chao Silk Factory gets is foreign exchange. If a cash check is written or the money is transferred between banks in other places, what Chao Silk Factory gets is most likely not foreign exchange. It may become foreign exchange coupons or RMB, depending on how much face Chao Silk Factory has in the bank.
As for withdrawing foreign currency from the bank, it is not impossible. The foreign exchange in and out of Coconut City is free. Although this freedom is like the days when "Tomorrow Will Be Better" or "Devotion of Love" are broadcast on the school radio, in theory, the amount of donation is up to the students themselves, but teachers often say "starting from 50 cents". However, it is not impossible for Nanyi to send the foreign exchange directly to Hangzhou.
But by doing so, Nan Yi would have to bear more risks. He didn't even want to bear the risk of the letter of credit, so how could he take the initiative to bear the risk of transporting foreign exchange?
After receiving the deposit, Nan Yi asked Liu Xin to find Penny Street and have Huang Jinjia act as a guarantor for Yi Wan International. Chao Silk Factory did not have to worry about the safety of the balance. It was just a matter of a few days, so naturally they agreed.
On October 19, Nan Yi sent Su Meng back to his hometown to apply for a passport, and sent Pan Wuju and the other two to return to Coconut City first.
On October 20, Zhao Jinshui and Chao Silk Factory completed the deposit settlement. On the same day, the goods were loaded onto a cargo ship at Sanbao Wharf, sailed along the Qiantang River into the East China Sea, and then headed south into Coconut City.
With the goods shipped, the order was half completed. Nan Yi also had the leisure to watch a national model competition called "American Supermodel Contest China Selection China Top Ten Supermodel Contest". He admired the models' style and also cheered up Yao Peifen from Yaqing Company.
"The moon is bright, the moon is shining on the wine bottle. The wine from Suizhou is so good that I can't sleep without drinking it. The aroma of the wine floats into the Moon Palace, and Chang'e is so happy when she smells it. Miss Chang'e came down to earth and insisted on drinking with me. You drink a glass, I drink a glass, and our faces are flushed. Ah, dear Suizhou wine, Chang'e will not let go, she would rather give up the Moon Palace than the wine. In order to drink this wine forever, I might as well get married and stay."
This is the advertising slogan of Suizhou Liquor. Suizhou Liquor is also the most famous liquor this year. Whether it is Maotai or Nanchen Liquor, they all have to stand aside in front of it.
At the just-concluded National Sugar and Wine Autumn Fair, Suizhou Liquor won an order of 50,000 tons, with a total market value of 144 million yuan.
Nan Yi, who saw the news in the newspaper, was wondering how Suizhou Liquor failed. With such a good start, as long as it proceeds steadily, Suizhou Liquor should be among the famous liquors. However, before Nan Yi had an in-depth understanding of domestic liquor brands, this brand was only slightly familiar to him, but he could not remember where he had seen it.
It doesn't sound familiar to him. There is only one possibility: Suizhou wine disappeared from the market not long after it was launched.
On October 22, Nan Yi published a recruitment notice in a newspaper in Xiangkeng. The general requirements were similar to those of general foreign trade companies, except that one of the requirements was that employees had to work in Coconut City for half a year after joining the company.
After staying in Xiangkeng for about a week, Nan Yi was about to return to Coconut City with a few new recruits when Fan Hongdou called him.
"Godfather, Uncle Xian Jitong is back."
Hearing Fan Hongdou say this, Nan Yi was startled. If Xian Jitong came back to visit his family normally, Fan Hongdou would not have called him. He was probably either dismissed for making a mistake or retired due to injury.
"Where's the injury?"
"My right foot is a little lame, but it doesn't look serious."
"That's good. Go see him on behalf of Godfather and have a good chat with him. If he wants to start his own business and needs capital, let him come to you. If he is willing to follow Godfather, let him come to Coconut City to find me."
"I see."
In the past few years, the young people in Wenchangwei were very enthusiastic about joining the army. Every year, there were people joining the army, and there were even two female soldiers. The reason for their enthusiasm was not unrelated to the preferential treatment proposed by Nan Yi. If something happened to them in the army, Nan Yi would have to bear some responsibility.
After a lot of effort, they made it to the end of the rotation, and everyone was safe and sound, but unexpectedly, someone was injured and retired at this time. Nan Yi felt very sad.
Nan Yi encourages or instigates the young people of Wenchangwei to join the army. He has both patriotism and selfish motives. One is for the common prosperity of Wenchangwei. In his vision, Wenchangwei should have multi-line development in the military, politics and business, and flourish in all fields. Only in this way can Wenchangwei have a steady path in the future.
The second reason was to help others realize his own military dream. If he had traveled through time a few years earlier, Nan Yi would have joined the army without hesitation and worked there for the rest of his life. He had even thought about becoming a martyr.
Unfortunately, he is a rather selfish person, and is very good at weighing the pros and cons. At this point in time when he traveled through time, he believes that the path he is taking is the most correct one. Therefore, since he cannot join the army himself, he encourages others to go.
As autumn turned to winter, with the final payment for the two orders collected and the renovation of the house named Bridgehead by Nan Yi completed, Yiwan International moved to the first floor to work. The company's structure was improved bit by bit, and it already looked like a formal trading company.
After Su Meng came back with her passport, Nan Yi sent Pan Wuju back to get a passport. As soon as the employees recruited in Xiangkeng became familiar with silk, Nan Yi immediately put them to work.
There were five people in total. Three were sent to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to contact various silk factories. Yiwan International needed more unplanned sources of silk. The other two and Su Meng formed a business team, starting with Xiangkeng, combining telephone calls and cold calls to develop potential customers one by one. At the same time, Yiwan International’s contact information was also listed in the new issue of the European Yellow Pages, and the business model is evolving towards formalization.
Nan Yi's current office is on the second floor of Bridgehead. On the surface, he performs the duties of both the president of Green Core Development and the boss of Billion International, but secretly he also has to take care of Nan's other affairs.
At this moment, Nan Yi was in his office discussing the concept of Dream Town with Li Jialong, a representative of Temasek, Lai Huri, a representative of the Maker Space, and Charles Kushner, a representative of Kushner Companies.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my idea is this: the tallest building in China is the Shenzhen International Trade Tower, which is 160 meters high, and the Yangcheng International Building under construction is 200.18 meters high. The design height of our building must be higher than the International Building. Only in this way can we maintain the title of China's tallest building for a period of time.
And this title will greatly promote the plan of our dream town. Please take a look..." Nan Yi spread out an architectural design drawing on the table, "This is the style of the building that I asked someone to design. The inspiration comes from the coconut trees that can be seen everywhere in Coconut City, so it is called Coconut Tree Building.
The Coconut Tree Building is designed to be 218 meters high. The building looks thin and has several coconut-shaped balls on the top, which are part of the damper.
The pinnate branches and leaves of the coconut tree are not solid objects. They are formed through the refraction of light. Different weather conditions and different angles of sunlight will make it appear in different shapes and colors.
Whether it is the height of the Coconut Tree Building or its unique architectural shape, once the plan to build the building is exposed, I believe it will cause a sensation in China and even in Asia."
“Adam, what happens after the sensation?” Kushner asked.
"Charles, have you seen the plan for the Dream Town that I asked someone to bring to you?"
"certainly."
"OK, I won't repeat it. Did you notice the red dotted line on the plan?"
Nan Yi said, looking at Kushner, then at Li Jialong, and after getting affirmative responses from the two, he continued: "Along the red dotted line, the entire Dream Town will be divided. Except for the independent biopharmaceutical industrial park that belongs to me personally, the other parts are part of the Dream Town plan, and the divided areas will be divided into blocks for investment promotion.
Attracting investment is just a nice-sounding rhetoric. In fact, the correct way of saying it should be to wait for the right price to sell. Once the plan of the Dream Town becomes popular and the land price starts to rise, the divided parts will be sold.
At this point, the first step of the plan is complete. Charles, Mr. Li, you two can choose to exit the Dream Town plan with profits at this point . "
Li Jialong raised his hand and said, "Mr. Nan, how can you guarantee that the land price will go up?"
"Mr. Li, I'll let Mr. Lai answer this question." Nan Yi gestured to Lai Hu and said.
Lai Huri picked up a document on the table and opened it. "Mr. Li, Mr. Kushner, up to now, the hot money that has flowed into Qiong Province is equivalent to 3.7 billion RMB, but less than 1.5 billion has been invested in actual projects. More than 2.2 billion hot money is still lying in the bank doing nothing."
"2.2 billion, is it to go around in Qiong Province and return to where it came from, or to find suitable investment projects in Qiong Province?" Nan Yi took over Lai Huri's words and said: "The New York Times compared Qiong Province to the Wild West. The West in the 19th century had gold and silver, but Qiong Province did not have these. Even if it did, these two things are not something that private individuals can touch in China.
The funds have already come, and no investor will watch the time and capital retention costs slip away. For Qiong Province, it cannot watch the funds that have already come in flow away. Mr. Li, if you put yourself in their shoes, and think about it from the perspective of Qiong Province, where would you direct this money?"
"Real estate." Li Jialong said without hesitation.
"Hmm." Nan Yi nodded and said, "All the land in China belongs to the country. If the real estate in Qiong Province can develop in an orderly manner, Qiong Province can obtain the funds needed for development by selling land, and thus embark on the fast track of development.
However, as to achieve orderly development. The test field is to test whether certain models can be implemented. The country will not take action to regulate before serious consequences occur.
Florida, located on the south coast and with a warm climate, was a popular destination for the wealthy in the 1920s for vacation in the winter.
After World War I, a large amount of wealth flowed into the United States, and the U.S. economy developed rapidly, and the real estate industry also developed rapidly. At that time, Americans believed that the United States would prosper forever. This statement is very similar to the statement made by the Japanese today that "Japanese housing prices will never fall." "
Nan Yi smiled faintly and continued, "The rapid economic development has driven various industries and created a large demand for housing. Originally, housing prices were still rising normally, but the emergence of 'Smart Money' has made the entire market fanatical and blind.
[Smart Money literally means smart money. It actually means the investment of knowledgeable people. For example, if a stock god who has never lost money buys a certain stock, it will naturally attract other investors to follow suit.]
Loans no longer examine repayment ability, but focus on real estate prices. As long as a down payment of 10% is made, a loan can be obtained to buy a house. When getting rich overnight becomes a reality, even the most rational investors will be drawn into the market.
At one time, countless adventurers rushed to Florida, including a large number of intermediaries and scammers, such as Charles Ponzi.
He divided a piece of barren land into many small plots and sold them to small investors, promising a return of $30 within 60 days for a $10 investment, which was more attractive than his earlier reply coupon investment plan.
At the same time, a large number of celebrities and politicians came here to buy houses. A piece of land in Palm Beach sold for US$800,000 in 1923, US$1.5 million in 1924, and as high as US$4 million in 1925.
Compared with land, the price increase of houses is even more astonishing. It is not uncommon for a house to increase fourfold in one year.
During 1925 and 1926, at the height of the Florida real estate bubble, developers hired bands and circuses to attract customers, and sidewalks became impassable because of the sheer number of real estate agents soliciting business.
When I open the newspaper, all I see are real estate ads.
At that time, you could pay a deposit to purchase a guarantee. After paying the deposit, you didn't have to actually buy or sell the house. Most of the time, the guarantee would be resold quickly, and the person handling it would earn the difference.
These guarantees could once be used as currency and could be spent in casinos, hotels, and nightclubs.
At the same time, another event occurred that had a significant impact on the real estate bubble - the famous Model T of Ford Motor Company was launched.
The loose loan policies and interest rates made it possible for more and more Americans to afford cars, and they drove to Florida, where the climate was warm and the land was cheap.
Rising housing prices brought new demand, and this situation continued until September 1926, when a hurricane hit Florida.
After that, housing prices plummeted, and many people could not afford their mortgages and went bankrupt. A chain reaction began: sell-offs, price cuts, bad debts in banks. Countless bankers and entrepreneurs went from being extremely wealthy to being beggars overnight, and ordinary people became penniless. Many people never recovered in their lifetime.
Nan Yi spread his hands and continued, "You two must know the story of Florida very well. The reason why I tell you this story is because I want to tell you that Coconut City and Florida are very similar.
Also in the south, also a great place for a winter vacation, also sparsely populated, also with vast room for speculation, and also with a lot of hot money swimming around here.
So, do you think the Florida story will be repeated here?
Ha, it's not appropriate to discuss this issue now. I will send you back to the hotel first. In the next two days, I will accompany you to inspect Coconut City. After the inspection, I will give you a few days to understand the situation in China. After a few days, we will continue to discuss it. How about it?"
"OK."
"I'm fine."
Kushner and Li Jialong responded respectively, which also indicated that the conversation between the four people came to a temporary end.
After sending the person to Wanghai Tower, Nan Yi had just walked out of the hall when his pager rang.
In Coconut City, satellite phones cannot be too conspicuous. Without a pager, it is difficult to find anyone when something happens, so Nan Yi had no choice but to buy another pager.
As soon as Nan Yi saw the number displayed on the pager, he knew it was Su Meng calling him, and he also knew that someone wanted to interview him. He hurried back to the bridgehead and entered the meeting room on the first floor.
There are seven rooms with one bedroom and one living room. YiWan International is currently using only two of them as offices. The remaining five rooms are used as a reception room, a conference room and a leisure room.
In the reception room, there was a young girl sitting there, looking very special.
The girl had delicate eyebrows and pure eyes. Her fair face was smeared with black sweat stains. She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and the canvas bib work clothes that the factory had distributed a few years ago. There were two boxes at her feet, and the corner of a shoe repair machine was sticking out of one of the boxes.
"Do you have no clothes to change, or are you trying to be unique and surprising?" After looking at the girl, Nan Yi asked jokingly.
"I saw your company's recruitment advertisement on the wall today. I saw that the corner of the paper had turned yellow, so it must have been posted for a few days. I packed up my stall and rushed here. I hope you can understand."
As soon as the girl opened her mouth, Nan Yi could tell that she was from Beijing. It was quite strange. This was the first time he heard a Beijing accent in Coconut City.
"I understand. Of course I understand. There is a toilet on the right hand side of the door. Go wash up first and adjust your mood. When you come back, we will officially start the interview."
"OK."
The girl agreed generously, got up and went to the bathroom.
When the girl came back, the sweat on her face had disappeared, revealing her fair skin.
"Name?"
"Sonja."
"age?"
"twenty three."
Following the rhythm, Nan Yi suddenly asked a question.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Uncle police, I..." Song Jia answered subconsciously, and then stopped abruptly.
Nan Yi said happily: "Tell me, where were you arrested by the police?"
"I've never been caught, I just said it casually." Song Jia explained awkwardly.
"Think it over before you answer. If you fail the interview, it's just a small lie, which is not a big deal. If you pass the interview, I will have to retrieve your file and ask the police station a few questions. If they find out anything, it's a question of your integrity. If your integrity is questionable, our company will definitely not keep you. Not only will you not get a penny of salary, but you will also lose a few days of work."
Nan Yi was actually talking nonsense. He was a Hong Kong-funded company, so where would he put the transferred files? He was just bluffing Song Jia in front of him.
"I swear, I've never been caught." Song Jia said innocently.
"Okay, let's continue. What major should I study in college?"
"Economics. Graduated from the School of Finance and Economics."
"When did you get on the island?"
"September."
"Practicing shoe repair stall as soon as you get to the island?"
"No, I found a job in a trading company at first, but they asked me to be the public relations director. What kind of public relations is that? They treated public relations as a 'key project'. They asked me to build relationships and get approvals all day long. At night, they just asked me to drink and dance with those bosses. They all had bad intentions towards me, so I just... quit immediately."
"Do you know what the administration does specifically?" Nan Yi asked again.
“Administrative positions refer to work in the two aspects of administrative affairs management and office affairs management. In a narrow sense, it refers to the administrative department, which is mainly responsible for administrative affairs and office affairs.
It includes the formulation and implementation of relevant systems and processes, daily office affairs management, office supplies management, official document management, archives management, meeting management, foreign affairs management, and also involves business trips, property and equipment, living benefits, safety and health, etc.
Its job responsibilities:
1. Responsible for the maintenance and management of the office's daily office system;
2. Responsible for the office logistics support work of all departments;
3. Responsible for daily attendance of all office staff;
4. Before the company establishes a human resources department, establish a preliminary personnel management system and perform personnel management duties;
5. Handle the company's external reception work;
6. Organize various regular and irregular collective activities within the company;
7. Assist leaders in handling external administrative affairs;
8. Handle other related matters in accordance with the company's administrative management system. "
Nan Yi smiled and said, "It can be seen that you worked hard when you were studying. You are right about your job responsibilities, but in practice, administration can be summed up in eight words: 'passing orders, running errands and doing odd jobs'. Are you sure you won't feel wronged doing this as a college student from a prestigious university?"
"Before coming here, I was repairing shoes on the roadside." Song Jia said lightly.
"Very good. Let me tell you about the benefits first. The probation period is one month, with a monthly salary of 280 yuan. You work five days a week and have two days off. Your days off are Sunday and the eighth day, which is the following Monday. You will have days off on all national holidays. The working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with lunch at 11:30 p.m. and work at 1:30 p.m."
After the business model changed, Yiwan International's working hours were adjusted.
Nan Yi paused and continued, "There are some other benefits, but I won't tell you for now. You still need to complete a test. Only if you can answer this test can I hire you. Now, let me confirm. After hearing about the benefits, do you still want to hear me ask questions?"
"think."
A monthly salary of 280 yuan is not low, and the unprecedented eight days off a month makes Song Jia very excited, not to mention other unknown benefits.
"Okay, here's what's going on. Last time I interviewed a job applicant, I was very satisfied with him, but I was careless and neglected to mention that he only left his name but not his address. Within three days, find a way to find him in Coconut City. After three days, we'll discuss your hiring and other welfare issues."
"What's his name?" Song Jia asked anxiously.
"Nan Yi, Nan for South, Yi for Easy. For three days, I will give you 10 yuan a day as subsidy. No matter how many days it takes you to find him, I will give you 30 yuan." Nan Yi said, taking out 30 yuan and handing it to Song Jia. "After three days, whether you have found him or not, come and tell me."
"OK."
Repairing shoes in Coconut City was not profitable, and one could only earn enough for food every day, so Song Jia was very eager. She returned to the guesthouse where she lived, put down the shoe repair box, and went out to look for "Nan Yi".
Within three days, she ran non-stop to all the hotels, guest houses, and talent exchange centers in the city, and cast a wide net to inquire among job seekers, but she found no clues at all.
It would be strange if she could find any clues. Nan Yi had few contacts with seafarers, and even if they did, he never revealed his name. The only place in Coconut City where one could ask for his name was the front desk of Wanghai Building, but how could the front desk easily tell an ordinary person the name of a guest?
For two days, Nan Yi accompanied Li Jialong and Kushner to tour Coconut City, and then gave them time to understand and verify some things through their own channels.
On the fourth day, when Song Jia came, Nan Yi was standing by the corridor fence on the second floor, holding a teacup in his hand.
Looking down from above, Nan Yi spat the tea leaves he had drunk back into the cup, closed the lid, looked at Song Jia downstairs and asked, "Did you find the person?"
Song Jia replied nervously: "No."
"Come up and talk."
Song Jia gritted her teeth and walked up the stairs, then moved in front of Nan Yi, looking blankly, waiting for Nan Yi's decision.
"After the probation period, your monthly salary is 350 yuan, regardless of whether it is a long or short month. Each month is calculated as 22 days. Your hourly wage is rounded up to 2.45 yuan. If you take leave, your wages will be deducted according to this standard. Overtime pay for working overtime on weekdays is calculated at 4.9 yuan per hour, and overtime pay for holidays is triple.
There is one day of sick leave without a certificate every month. As long as you inform the company in advance, you can skip work for that day. As for whether you are really sick, it depends on your own conscience and the company will not investigate.
If it's more than one day, go to the hospital and get a sick leave note. If you have someone familiar with the hospital, they can give you a sick leave note for ten days or half a month. It's an old tradition that can't be abandoned."
"I was admitted?" Song Jia asked in disbelief.
"Yes, you are accepted." Nan Yi nodded affirmatively and said, "Don't interrupt me, let me finish talking about the benefits first. I said that administration is about passing orders and running errands. It can be said that you provide services to all the employees of the company, so at the end of each month, everyone in the company except you will evaluate and score you.
There are four evaluations: A, B, C, and D. If you get A, you will get a bonus of 150 yuan, if you get B, you will only get 80 yuan, and if you get C, you will get nothing. If you get D, it means that others are very dissatisfied with you. If you get two Ds, you are an outstanding talent cultivated by Yiwan International. I will export you to the society and you will travel to a wider world.
If you have all five A's, then congratulations, your salary will be adjusted. The minimum increase will not be less than 10%, and the maximum is uncertain because it may involve promotion, and your salary structure and assessment mechanism will change.
There are other benefits that I won’t go into detail about. After you start working, I believe you will definitely ask others about them. I have said everything I should say. If you have any questions, ask them now. "
Song Jia pursed her lips and asked, "Does the person you asked me to find not exist at all?"
"Is that the only question?" Nan Yi asked back.
"Yes."
"Go downstairs and find Su Meng to handle the onboarding process. By the way, ask her to answer your questions."
With doubts, Song Jia came to the first floor and went straight to Su Meng's workstation. It was Su Meng who received her three days ago, and she already knew Su Meng's name.
"Secretary Su, I'm here to handle the onboarding process."
Su Meng put down the work in her hands, looked up and said to Song Jia: "ID card, education certificate, border pass, temporary residence permit, if you have any award certificates, please register them for me, this will help you get a raise in the future."
Song Jia responded, took out various documents from her bag, and handed them to Su Meng. She also asked, "Secretary Su, I want to ask you about someone."
Su Meng took the certificate and said, "You say."
"Do you know Nan Yi?"
Su Meng looked Song Jia up and down, and asked in a slightly dissatisfied tone: "Are you sure you are not kidding me?"
"Uh... Secretary Su, what did I do wrong?"
Song Jia was confused.
"Our boss is Nan Yi. You are being interviewed by him. Do you know his name?"
When Song Jia heard Su Meng's words, her first reaction was that she was fooled. Then she immediately felt something was wrong. She remembered what Nan Yi said, that it was a test question, what was being tested and how was it being tested. She suddenly felt that she must have missed something.
Song Jia had indeed missed something. Nan Yi wasn't kidding when he asked those test questions, and the answer he wanted was not whether he could find "Nan Yi", but to see Song Jia's method and steps for answering the questions.
Nan Yi could only say that he was basically satisfied with Song Jia, just because she didn't disappear with the thirty yuan, just because she had been looking for him seriously for three days, and because she was very resilient and obedient, but unfortunately she was not flexible enough.
Otherwise, Song Jia's official starting salary would not be 350, but a higher number, 500, 600, 700 or 800 would be fine, which would definitely be much higher than Su Meng and others.
Nan Yi was waiting to see Song Jia's complacency after she found out that her salary was higher than others, and was also waiting to see her bitter face after she learned about the commission system.