Home is the harbor for everyone's soul.
Many people will say that when you embark on the path of entrepreneurship, you should return home as little as possible, as it can lead to inertia.
But often, home is also one's refueling station.
The mottled city, old buildings, and caring family members are all forms of encouragement.
After dinner, after delivering Zhang Xupeng's gift to his home, Tan Jincheng quickly returned home and once again urged his mother to go to the hospital for prenatal care as soon as possible.
Each generation has its own way of thinking.
Tan Jincheng's mother's views on childbirth are still stuck in the last century.
Even now, many people don't have the concept of going to the hospital for prenatal care before giving birth; most people only rush to the hospital when they are about to deliver.
His son spoke with conviction, and Tan Lihua asked with some confusion,
"Why do I feel like you know more about giving birth than I do?"
"It's not that I know more than you. 38 plus 19, calculation shows I'm actually a bit older than you now."
"Just don't worry about these things. Go to the hospital for prenatal care tomorrow, so you don't get flustered when the time comes."
"Enough about that. How's your business doing? I heard last time you went to Yangcheng for a business trip. I heard from migrant workers that it's quite chaotic there. Did anything happen?"
"What could happen? I don't run around. After the exhibition, I just hid in the hotel."
"Didn't you say most people there don't speak Mandarin? How do you communicate?"
Zhang Suzhi also asked curiously.
"I went for an exhibition, so I didn't interact much with the locals. Most of the people I spoke to spoke Mandarin,"
Tan Jincheng said with a smile.
In fact, Zhang Suzhi was not wrong.
Not to mention the two Guang provinces, even among the locals of Yongcheng, fewer people speak fluent Mandarin these days.
Businessmen like Zhang Haiping would occasionally blurt out a few local dialects during conversations because there were some words they didn't know how to describe in Mandarin.
Among young people, there are also many who speak awkward Mandarin.
Language communication was indeed a unique barrier in this era, but with economic development and the start of major infrastructure projects, population mobility became more frequent, and these problems ceased to exist.
"So, how's your business doing? I heard you and Peng Ya started a company. How many people are in the company now?"
"Currently, including Peng Ya and me, there are 4 full-time employees, plus a few part-timers. Business is alright; I just shipped nearly a million in goods before I came back."
Tan Lihua glanced sideways and said,
"A million in goods in just over a month? Is business that good?"
"The foreign trade industry is quite hot right now, and we settle in US dollars, so it sounds impressive, but it's not actually that large in scale. Still, it's pretty profitable."
Tan Jincheng then added,
"Mom, do you remember asking for your ID number last time? I'm too lazy to find channels to deal with some of our company's leftover stock, so I opened a website. We'll sell as much as we can, under your name, and it can be your pocket money then."
"Hmm, I know about that. Peng Ya's mother also said the same thing."
"Dad, you have some connections here at home. Find an opportunity to register a business license, together with Peng Ya's family."
"Opening a website requires a business license too?"
"Just get a business license for a sole proprietorship. After all, it's selling clothes. You don't need to manage it; I've found someone on my end to take care of it."
State-owned enterprise workers were not prohibited from opening stores, let alone an online store opened in another city, so this was not a big deal.
However, the necessary business registration still needed to be done.
Tan Jincheng had originally intended to handle it himself, but then he thought that his father would certainly be more effective speaking in their hometown, so he simply left it to him.
"Can you really make money selling things online? You might as well sell them cheaply; why go through all this trouble?"
Zhang Suzhi said with some doubt.
Moreover, hiring someone to manage it would also incur wages.
"It's alright. I sold over 100 orders before I came back, which could earn a few hundred yuan, just enough to add a few dishes to your meals."
"As for hiring someone, it's not a dedicated hire. The company's clerk does it on the side, so there's no additional cost."
In the living room, the family of three sat on the sofa.
Tan Lihua and Zhang Suzhi listened to their son recount his work experiences over the past month, their eyes filled with pride.
The small dwelling, illuminated by the incandescent lamp, appeared bright and warm.
From their son's scattered words, the couple could easily tell that the business was gradually getting on track; it had only been open for less than two months, and it already had a turnover of 1 million.
The two had no business experience and didn't know how much profit a 1 million turnover would generate.
But the number 1 million was enough to shock them.
Last year, the average annual income of employees in Yicheng was less than 10,000 yuan.
The couple, working at the local flagship state-owned enterprise, would have slightly higher incomes than the average.
But it wouldn't be ridiculously higher.
Their son's turnover in less than two months was equivalent to decades of income for an ordinary worker.
This figure, for a time, made the couple disbelieving.
However, looking at their son's tone and demeanor, he didn't seem to be lying.
How to describe 1 million yuan in 2004? Tan Jincheng naturally understood this better than his parents.
1 million yuan in 2004 was roughly equivalent to 6 to 8 million yuan in later times, and in terms of purchasing power, it could even be up to about 10 times more.
In 2004, 1 million yuan could buy a house of about 300 square meters in the best area of Beicang, while in 2023, it could only buy a little over 30 square meters.
In Yicheng, it was even more exaggerated, but overall purchasing power was similar.
The couple wasn't entirely ignorant; 1 million yuan was a lot, but not unacceptable.
Many businesses start this way, and besides, this was just turnover.
It was a good thing that their son was successful; as long as he acted honestly and properly, there would be no problem.
The heavy weight on their hearts finally eased a little.
In fact, many parents are like this; as their descendants gradually become prosperous, they will not reject it.
What is difficult to accept is a sudden, huge wealth, which can create a sense of insecurity.
"Now that your business has taken off, don't get carried away. Also, make sure to handle money matters well with Peng Ya. Your relationship is so good; don't let money cause estrangement,"
Tan Lihua said earnestly.
"Yes, you two are as close as brothers. We don't object to you doing business together, but you must remember not to let money cause unhappiness."
"Don't worry, good brothers settle accounts clearly. We've already discussed the shareholding agreement and dividends, so there won't be any problems."
Then, Tan Jincheng added,
"It's the same with the online store. We supply the company's leftover stock to the website, which means the website buys from the company, and we equally share this payment for goods."
"That's right, it's best to discuss many things in advance. If one day you two brothers have conflicting ideas, you must resolve them amicably. It's not easy to have a good friend from childhood throughout one's life."
In his previous life, there was no conversation that night.
Tan Jincheng only returned after his younger sister was born.
In his previous life, he was busy selling lunchboxes at this time, working himself to death every day.
Unexpectedly, his parents were not concerned with how much money he could earn, but rather admonished him and Zhang Xupeng not to fall out, which was somewhat beyond Tan Jincheng's expectation.
(End of chapter)
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