Tian Runye came from afar
"Business has been good lately, hasn't it?" Zhao Dongchuan smiled after reviewing the data.
"Mr. Han, there have been some subtle policy changes in certain regions recently, especially in some cities closer to the south. The distributors from there have been ordering a lot more!" Huang Laosan said with a chuckle.
"Hmm..." Zhao Dongchuan nodded.
This was why he started the distribution model. They couldn't cover many places from their current base. Right now, they were centered in Huangyuan, radiating out to a few surrounding cities, but many places were out of reach.
And those distributors were all adventurous businessmen, traveling everywhere... they could sell goods all over the country.
Of course, high risk also meant high profit, and the wholesale prices they offered were very reasonable.
They had already developed five or six major distributors, not to mention countless smaller ones, and many more came seeking them out.
These were all valuable resources.
"This time, I got a batch of frog-eye sunglasses and bell-bottom pants. Let the brothers below test the waters!"
Ever since the "Gang of Four" collapsed, he had been trying to find another clothing supplier on the black market in Pengcheng, avoiding Li Dadan.
The clothing market was larger and easier to sell, and Zhao Dongchuan wanted to try it out cautiously.
Moreover, he couldn't rely on just Li Dadan as his sole supply chain. He should develop more suppliers. If he wasn't tied up at the moment, he would have wanted to go directly to Hong Kong.
Finally, he found a clothing merchant boss.
The boss, surnamed Zhuang, was dark and chubby, always smiling when he met people. He was nicknamed "Old Black Zhuang."
Their acquaintance was quite interesting. While Zhao Dongchuan was browsing the black market stalls, Old Black Zhuang and a customer were "doing business." For some reason, they ignored the black market rules and started fighting.
Originally, Zhao Dongchuan didn't want to get involved. He just stood by, blending into the crowd, cracking sunflower seeds and watching the show. Coincidentally, Old Black Zhuang was losing and was kicked by the opponent right to Zhao Dongchuan's feet.
He was about to make way for them, but then the other person, relying on his martial arts skills, looked down on everyone present, glared fiercely at Zhao Dongchuan, called him a "puk gai jai" (poor guy), and told him to get lost and not be in the way!
A scholar can endure, but what cannot be endured!
Zhao Dongchuan naturally didn't indulge him. With lightning speed, he slapped the man unconscious.
Afterward, "black market managers" came in groups of three to five, all with guns at their waists, and surrounded them.
Fortunately, Old Black Zhuang was loyal. He explained what happened, vouched for Zhao Dongchuan, and paid a good amount of money to smooth things over, which reduced some trouble.
It turned out that the customer and Old Black Zhuang were formerly colleagues. Because Old Black Zhuang's prices were more reasonable, he had stolen the customer's business. This time, the customer specifically came under the guise of discussing business to taunt him.
He wanted to intentionally provoke Old Black Zhuang, make him break the rules here, and get him kicked out.
As for the result, a fight did break out. It should have been a sure win, but then he provoked Zhao Dongchuan.
He was slapped unconscious by Zhao Dongchuan, making the surrounding onlookers' eyes widen.
Perhaps it was because Zhao Dongchuan remained calm and composed even when surrounded by several guns, and his skills were extraordinary, making him a bit unfathomable.
Old Black Zhuang then paid money to settle the matter. After the black market boss investigated the whole story, he didn't make things difficult for them. Instead, he took away the unconscious customer.
Zhao Dongchuan didn't know how they would deal with him.
But it certainly wouldn't be good for him.
It was also after this incident that Old Black Zhuang was extremely grateful to Zhao Dongchuan. The two got to know each other, and Old Black Zhuang insisted on treating him to a meal.
Zhao Dongchuan also wanted to meet more business friends, so the two ate a bowl of noodles at a small stall in the black market.
While eating, they talked about business.
Hearing that Zhao Dongchuan wanted to find a clothing supplier, Old Black Zhuang directly said he had connections and could get a lot of goods from Hong Kong... and could even introduce him to the upstream suppliers, bringing him into the industry.
However, Zhao Dongchuan just wanted to test the waters, so he naturally didn't plan to get too many goods, and thus didn't go with Old Black Zhuang to meet that Hong Kong upstream supplier.
He just got a small batch through Old Black Zhuang.
Then he put them into his storage ring space and teleported them back to the Huangyuan warehouse.
"Alright, Mr. Han, I'll start making arrangements shortly!" Huang Laosan said respectfully.
"Oh, and Mr. Han, the payments from these past few days, as well as some gold and jade jewelry and trinkets collected by the subordinates, are all locked in the financial office in the front yard. You can check them when you have time!"
Zhao Dongchuan nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. You go get busy!"
...Time flew by, and the eventful year of '76 passed, giving way to '77!
On this day, Zhao Dongchuan was in his office, drinking tea and reading an editorial from the "People's Daily," occasionally discussing their respective views with Jia Bing.
Du Lili walked in, her high heels clicking.
"Little Zhao, we have a distinguished guest today, why aren't you hurrying out to welcome her!" Du Lili said with a wink and a smile.
He wasn't sure if what he had said to Du Lili and Wu Huiliang earlier had worked, but he clearly felt that Du Lili's gaze no longer held any hidden meanings, and her speech was much more natural.
"Oh, Sister Lili, who did you just say came?" Zhao Dongchuan asked, a little puzzled.
"Hahaha, you've probably forgotten her! Who else could it be..." Du Lili said, pulling a girl in.
The person who entered was wearing a white jacket, wrapped in a red scarf, with beautiful long hair, delicate features, and fair skin.
It was Tian Runye, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Zhao Dongchuan unconsciously stood up, a little surprised, and said, "Sister Runye, why are you here!"
"Oh, do you still care if she comes or not? Runye came to see me, and since you two are from the same village, I just brought her over to see you!" Du Lili said with a mischievous look at Zhao Dongchuan, chuckling.
"No, I didn't mean that, I just found it quite surprising!" Zhao Dongchuan felt a little awkward facing Tian Runye at this moment.
He knew clearly that Tian Futang must have said something in that letter, but he had shirked his responsibility and let Runsheng give the letter directly to her.
This made things a bit awkward.
"Dongchuan, long time no see!" Tian Runye looked at Zhao Dongchuan and said with a slight smile.
"Alright, don't just stand there foolishly. Let's go, we'll eat out for lunch and welcome Runye!" Du Lili said, holding Tian Runye's hand.
Then Zhao Dongchuan followed Du Lili and Tian Runye out of the Cultural Center.
Jia Bing looked at the youthful and beautiful Tian Runye and realized why Zhao Dongchuan had rejected his wife Shufen's attempts to set him up.
Clearly, there was someone better waiting for him!
He had experienced it himself; as the saying goes, "the one involved is confused, the bystander sees clearly." Tian Runye's eyes shone when she looked at Zhao Dongchuan.
"This kid is truly blessed. Uh, no, that's not right. Zhao Dongchuan is so outstanding, he deserves any kind of girl..." Jia Bing muttered to himself.