Less than thirty minutes later, Ding Ye arrived on time. As soon as he entered the door, he bowed to apologize, and the fat on his face was all smiles. He said, "Sorry for the long wait. The roads in the capital are much more congested than those in that place. Wait, I will punish myself with three cups of wine, three cups of wine!"
Wen Liang extended his right hand, offered his seat, and said with a smile: "Ding Ye, what are you talking about? You are here to give me face. My last name is Wen, so you can just call me Xiao Wen. We won't leave until we are drunk."
"Young Master Wen, you go first, you go first!"
Ding Ye was flattered, but of course he was not so ignorant. He leaned forward and waited for Wen Liang to sit down first before he sat down. Then, true to his nouveau riche nature, he called the waiter and ordered a table full of dishes, truly choosing only the expensive ones, not the right ones.
After three rounds of drinks, with his gentle eloquence and tactics, he quickly became very familiar with Ding Ye, and by the way, he also got to know his background clearly. This man was called Du Dazhong, from Qingyang County, Northwest Province. In his early years, he had escaped famine and begged for food, and drove a cart to work in a coal mine. He was born in a real poor family. He was still unmarried at the age of 30. In the countryside, this was simply the synonym of a coward. In that year, the only village-run small coal mine in the village could not continue to operate and had to be transferred to a private contractor. Although reform and opening up had begun at that time, there were still illiterates in the village, and no one dared to take it over. Du Dazhong's parents died early, and he was a bachelor with no worries. He gritted his teeth and took out the money he had saved for many years to marry a wife and took over the small coal mine.
From then on, things turned from tragedy to comedy. In the following years, the economy recovered on a large scale and coal prices rose every day. Du Dazhong made his first pot of gold. In his own words, he would be crushed to death by the money even if he lay down on the pit.
But the good times did not last long. Some people in the village were jealous of his easy money and colluded with the village head, the accountant and others to falsely accuse him of embezzling collective assets, and that the contract agreement signed that year was invalid. Du Dazhong was forced into a corner, and he became ruthless and transferred the coal mine to the brother-in-law of a leader of the local county party committee at a very low price. As a result, he became involved with this leader.
When luck comes, it cannot be stopped. Northwest Province was a tribute gold land as early as the Tang Dynasty, and its gold mine resources are among the best in the country. The county leader was soon promoted to the city. It happened that the city took the ancient times as a lesson and formulated a five-year development plan of "gold city". Du Dazhong bought a small gold mine with his help. Unexpectedly, this gold mine had rich reserves and good quality, and he made a fortune overnight.
After that, he bought several mines one after another. Without exception, all of them had stable ore bodies and high grade, with excellent economic and mining value. It was like a dream. In just a few years, he became one of the richest people in the area. However, the funny thing is that having money can't stop his hair from falling out. The more money he has, the faster his hair falls out. Therefore, he got a new nickname: Ding Ye!
After listening to Du Dazhong's story of getting rich, Wen Liang had to admit that there are some people in the world who are born lucky. All their talents, struggles, and hard work are nothing compared to these people who are favored by the God of Wealth!
Wen Liang poured him a glass of wine and said, "Isn't life like this good? Why do you want to start a clothing business?"
Du Dazhong picked up the wine glass and drank it all. He actually showed a somewhat lonely look on his face. He sighed and said, "What's the use of having more money? This status is not presentable! I am just a small private mine owner. It's not a company, and it's not a big enterprise. Any section chief or director can yell at you and teach you a lesson. When you see an official, you have to bow and smile. Life is so frustrating!"
This is also the common confusion of many township entrepreneurs who became rich overnight in this era. They relied on their courage and luck to become rich before others, but after becoming rich, they had to face more complex, or more unpredictable business environment and interpersonal relationships. With their knowledge and ability, they were simply not enough to cope with the domestic official and business culture of bullying and being bullied that has been passed down for thousands of years. However, after material needs are met, the pursuit of political and social status is an inevitable trend. So in the end, some people are imprisoned, some are defeated, and some are like a meteor that flashes by and disappears in the rolling tide of the times.
Compared to them, Du Dazhong is even worse. He has never been to school, is illiterate, and has a huge fortune, but he does not know how to develop and expand a business, or how to manage social networks. Especially in the gold mining industry which involves gangs and officials, without a strong background and strong personal abilities, it is simply not possible to survive long-term.
"I heard that Armani is the clothing worn by the upper class, so I thought about selling the gold mine and opening dozens of Armani stores in the northwest. At least it sounds more upscale than opening a gold mine."
This is a very simple idea, and it fits the impression given by Du Dazhong. But how could he suddenly have such a plan to get involved in other industries? Was it just because he wanted to improve his social status
Wen Liang's deep eyes sparkled with wisdom, and he smiled and said, "Dazhong, the leader who has been helping you has fallen, right?"
Du Dazhong was surprised and asked, "How did you know? I didn't even mention his name just now..."
"It's not important whether or not to mention his name..." Wen Liang didn't comment on this clever trick of the nouveau riche. He changed the subject and asked, "Is there someone who is jealous of your gold mine? He has a big background, so he wants to come to the capital to look for a way?"
Du Dazhong's eyes, which were almost invisible due to his obesity, suddenly widened to the size of cow eggs. He looked at Wen Liang as if he was a monster: "You... How do you know everything..."
Wen Liang is certainly not a god, and he doesn't have the time to find someone to investigate Du Dazhong's background. He just combined what he saw and heard yesterday and today, and used his careful thinking to infer the conclusion.
Even Bill Gates would not easily get involved in an unfamiliar industry, let alone Du Dazhong, who has suffered since childhood and has extremely limited knowledge and courage. If his backers had not fallen and someone wanted to reap the benefits, how could he be willing to give up the gold mining business that he was familiar with and made money as easily as robbing money
This reminded Wen Liang of the surprised and anxious expression on his face when he saw Lei Fang yesterday. How could he remember Lei Fang's appearance and know his identity just by looking at him from afar at Mr. Yang's welcoming banquet
These words can only fool children. Well, maybe even thunder and rain can't be fooled. Mr. Yang must have mentioned Lei Fang to Du Dazhong in private, so he was impressed. Why is this so? As long as you think of Lei Fang's brokerage business in Sijiu City, it is not difficult to guess the cause and effect of all this.
Of course, Wen Liang would not be bored explaining all this to Du Dazhong. It was actually not bad to be able to leave an impression of him as having great powers in his mind.
"So you found Mr. Yang, and he recommended Mr. Lei to you?"
Du Dazhong nodded, and leaned his fat mountain body against the chair. The rosewood backrest actually made a creaking sound. He said, "I'm so hungry that I want to earn money and enjoy life in peace. But there are those bastards who are blind. They come to rob people from coal mines and gold mines. They eat public food and force the people to death. You hungry thieves, don't pinch your ancestors' graves!"
I've heard that Northwestern dialect is very powerful when it comes to cursing people, and Wen Liang finally saw it today. Du Dazhong cursed a few more times to vent his anger, and then said dejectedly: "This is because I have no choice, so I came to Beijing to find Lao Yang. He is a fellow villager, and he has been in Beijing for more than ten years. He has connections and connections, and I was afraid that he would not believe me, so I specially invited Lei Shao to have a meal. I originally wanted to go and pay a formal visit in a few days, but I didn't expect that it would happen by chance yesterday..."
At this point, Du Dazhong suddenly became excited, sat up straight, rubbed his hands nervously, and said, "Master Wen, you are so familiar with Master Lei, can you help say a word?"
Wen Liang deliberately hesitated for a moment and said, "It's a small matter to say a word, but your matter... Dazhong, we are brothers with the same temper, and I am not afraid of talking about deep things. In your case, it is not easy for Lei Shao to come forward."
After the shock just now, Du Dazhong had already regarded Wen Liang as a god, and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Lei Fang usually does business in Beijing. He doesn't know many local officials, let alone high-ranking mayors and even county governors. Haven't you heard the saying that county officials are not as good as the current ones? Even if you spend a lot of money to ask someone in Beijing to pass on a message, how much weight will it have in your northwest? Even if the other party gives you face and temporarily withdraws, you don't have to worry about thieves stealing, but you have to worry about thieves thinking about it. Since they have set their sights on you, without the support of local people in Northwest Province, your mine will be lost sooner or later. Don't you think this makes sense?"
After hearing what Wen Liang said, Du Dazhong was completely desperate. He was in his forties and almost burst into tears. After a while, he said, "Forget it, I'll sell the mine when I get back. Anyway, I've made enough money to support myself in my old age."
Wen Liang sneered, "If only it were that simple. Have you offended a few people in all these years of mining? With a mine in hand, you are at least a local entrepreneur, and some people dare not do anything to you. But if you lose everything, will no one be jealous of your huge wealth? Any gangster boss can swallow you up in one gulp, chew you up and leave you no bones!"
Du Dazhong remembered what a big brother in the city had said. He shuddered all over, grabbed Wen Liang's hand, and begged bitterly: "Young Master Wen, please show me a way out. Please, please!"
Wen Liang felt uncomfortable being held by his fat hands, but still said with a smile: "Of course I won't stand by and watch you die. In my opinion, you might as well do this..."
Poor Du Dazhong was rubbed to the point of ecstasy by Wen Liang. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that what he said made sense. He said hastily, "I'll listen to Master Wen. So, when do we meet?"
After much effort, Wen Liang finally waited for this moment. He pretended to be polite and said with a smile, "Don't worry, go back and think about it carefully. This is a big deal, you must think it through, don't blame your brother for hurting you later."
Du Dazhong stood up suddenly, his face filled with shame and indignation, and patted his chest vigorously, saying, "Northwest men are not ungrateful people. They know who is good to me. Master Wen, come and drink this glass of wine. From now on, I will listen to you in everything!"
Wen Liang drank the wine with a smile, but he was so cunning and scheming that how could he not understand that the passionate Du Dazhong in front of him was not as lovable and sincere as the nouveau riche who spent money lavishly.
But it doesn't matter. As long as Du Dazhong is not too stupid, he will eventually understand that the choice I gave him is the best way for him! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)