pertwk Chapter 78 Lifeline
Chapter 78 Lifeline
At 2 a.m., Baijia Market was bustling with activity.
As soon as the roller shutter door of Beichuan Seafood was opened, several regular customers who had been waiting for a long time poured in as if they knew the place well.
In less than an hour, more than 500 kilograms of eels and about 100 kilograms of loach were sold.
After seeing off the first group of guests, Zhang Beichuan took a breather.
Including the deliveries reserved for Wang Ping and Ma Ben, there were about 400 jin of eels, but only about 1600 jin of eels can be sold today.
There are more goods today than usual, so he estimates that it will take longer to finish shipping them all.
At 9:30 a.m., the last few dozen kilograms of eels were sold out.
Looking at the three to five pounds of miscellaneous fish in the fish tank, Zhang Beichuan decided not to continue selling them, as he couldn't delay delivering goods to Wang Ping and Ma Ben.
Wang Ping followed the same old routine: 160 jin of eels, 40 jin of loach, plus 10 free-range chickens.
"Brother Wang, it's getting late, I'll be going now."
Wang Ping nodded with a smile, "Business comes first."
Zhang Beichuan was on his way to Taoyuan Villa when his phone rang.
When he saw that it was Ma Ben calling, he quickly answered the phone.
"Brother Xiaochuan, you haven't arrived yet? Did you run into some trouble on the way?"
On the other end of the phone, Ma Ben's tone was quite polite, but there was a hint of anxiety in it.
It's almost 11 o'clock, and lunchtime is just around the corner. The kitchen needs time to process the eels.
If it weren't for Manager Hu from the logistics department being so impatient, Ma Ben would still be unaware that Zhang Beichuan's goods hadn't been delivered yet.
Zhang Beichuan quickly apologized, "Brother Ma, I'm so sorry. The market caused a bit of a delay today. I'm on my way now and will be there in twenty minutes at most."
"Okay, it's good that everything's alright." Ma Ben breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just asking. Be careful on the road."
"clear."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Beichuan stepped on the gas, but his mind was already racing.
The number of eels is increasing, and the door-to-door purchase of free-range chickens has been effective, making it possible for him to run between the two places all by himself.
Delivering goods, minding the store, and selling merchandise are all too much to handle, and I also need to spend time dealing with things on the 1986 side.
Today we almost delayed the supply to Ma Ben, which should serve as a wake-up call.
Going it alone like this isn't a long-term solution. Time constraints can easily lead to mistakes, and if you delay a client's business one day, all the hard-earned reputation will be ruined.
It seems it's time to find some help.
Zhang Beichuan's first thought was of his parents. His father, Zhang Qiang, was now having an unstable income, and his mother was working even harder.
If we invite them to help out at the store, we can solve the manpower problem, and the whole family can be together and look after each other.
As for why my mom and dad often argue when they're together, it's quite simple.
As Beichuan Aquatic Products gains more and more regular customers, we can deliver to the door for customers who need hundreds of kilograms of seafood.
My mom is in charge of minding the store, and my dad drives to deliver the goods.
He made up his mind that once he finished his work today, he would find an opportunity to call his parents and be honest with them, and have a proper talk about this matter.
We rushed as fast as we could, and managed to deliver the goods to Taoyuan Mountain Villa before lunchtime.
"Brother Ma, I'm so sorry for today! I'm a little late, but I'm sure there won't be any problems tomorrow."
Ma Ben smiled as he looked at his nervous expression.
"It's alright, as long as it doesn't cause any problems."
While Manager Hu and the others were weighing their items, the two chatted briefly.
Considering that Ma Ben would be busy at noon, Zhang Beichuan did not take up any more of his time.
"Brother Ma, you go ahead with your work, I'm going back now."
"Okay, I'll have the finance department transfer the money to your account." Ma Ben said, watching Zhang Beichuan get into the car.
I hadn't driven far when my phone, which was hanging on the phone holder, beeped – a bank notification had arrived.
【招商银行】您帐户6999于04月09日11:20分入帐22660元，余额361318.38元......
After driving back to his rented apartment complex, just as he was about to return to 1986, his phone on the table beeped with a text message: the 50 TVs he had ordered online had arrived.
It took three trips and more than an hour to finally get these TVs back; the entire rented room was almost filled with them.
Considering that many people had come to the store to inquire about televisions in the past two days, but only one had been sold, he figured he wasn't in a hurry to get the 1986.
Let's wait a couple of days, see how things go, and then bring some more over.
Back in the warehouse in 1986, it was just getting light.
The breakfast stalls on the street had already opened for business. Zhang Beichuan went to a noodle shop, ate a bowl of noodles, and then went to the city.
He arrived in Guocheng City at nine o'clock in the morning and went straight to the West Industrial Zone.
At the entrance of Dongfeng Injection Molding Factory, it's still the same old gatekeeper.
"Grandpa, we meet again." Zhang Beichuan smiled and offered him a cigarette.
When Old Zhao saw that it was him, his eyes lit up. As if afraid that he would run away, he didn't even take the cigarette and ran straight out of the guard room, grabbing his arm.
"Young man, you've finally arrived! Come on in, I'll take you inside. Our factory manager, Liu Jianguo, happens to be here today!"
Seeing the old man's posture, Zhang Beichuan was slightly taken aback, but then felt a surge of joy.
"Is Factory Manager Liu at the factory?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Old Zhao nodded repeatedly, pulling him inside. "Last time you came, I told him as soon as he got back. He's been waiting for you these past few days!"
Zhang Beichuan followed Lao Zhao through the empty factory area. The red brick factory buildings on both sides were silent, with a few broken pieces of window glass, haphazardly nailed together with wooden boards.
The two walked and talked, testing each other's limits.
Upon entering a two-story office building, Old Zhao stopped in front of a wooden door with peeling paint and knocked on it.
Liu Jianguo, who was smoking with a worried expression inside the door, instinctively ran to the window when he heard the knocking. But the next second, he heard Lao Zhao's voice from outside.
"Factory manager, it's me, Lao Zhao."
"Old Zhao?" Liu Jianguo, one leg already on the windowsill, spoke in a tense voice, tinged with fear, "What's wrong? Have the workers come to the factory?"
"Not a worker!" Old Zhao explained through the door, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "It's Zhang Beichuan, who came to inquire about the contract last time. He's here!"
There was a moment of silence inside the door, then Zhang Beichuan heard a "plop" and a rustling sound, and wondered what Liu Jianguo was doing.
Liu Jianguo, who jumped out of the window, steadied himself, glanced at the smoke-filled and messy office, and quickly opened the window and tidied the desk.
After doing all that, he straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
The strong smell of smoke in the room made Zhang Beichuan, a smoker, take two steps back.
Liu Jianguo looked more haggard than he had imagined. In his early fifties, his hair was already streaked with gray, and his eyes were sunken.
Liu Jianguo was also sizing up Zhang Beichuan. The young man was not old, but his clothes looked fashionable.
"Director Liu, hello." Zhang Beichuan extended his hand proactively, his attitude calm.
Liu Jianguo then seemed to wake from a dream, rubbed his hands on his clothes, and then reached out and firmly grasped Zhang Beichuan's hand.
"You...you're Comrade Zhang? Quick, please come in!" His voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed excitement, and he spoke so fast he almost stammered, "Old Zhao, quick, quick, get Comrade Zhang some water...no, I'll go, I'll go..."
Seeing his excited expression, Zhang Beichuan understood why.
Liu Jianguo is now like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
"Director Liu, there's no need to trouble yourself. Let's get straight to business."