Chapter 32: The First Business Deal - Part 1

"Xiao Song, is this your friend from Huqing University, the factory manager Chen from your factory?" In the courtyard of the Haizhou City Administrative Office in Jiangnan Province, Deputy Director of the Office Management Section and Fleet Captain Su Jian asked Song Yuhang, while his gaze, filled with curiosity, fell on Chen Geng.

To be fair, Chen Geng could be considered a "prominent figure" in Haizhou recently. Many people had heard of this young man's "fame." Some said he was foolish, others said he was cunning, but regardless of how people evaluated him, one thing was certain: even the leaders of the Provincial Committee and the Administrative Office had heard of Chen Geng's "fame."

As for Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang, who were behind Chen Geng, Su Jian glanced at them once and then ignored them. In Su Jian's view, Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang were just Chen Geng's lackeys. What right did lackeys have to catch his attention?

"Ha... It seems my reputation has spread far and wide," Chen Geng said with a self-deprecating smile, and then took out a cigarette, offering one to Su Jian.

"Zhonghua? What a good cigarette," Su Jian's eyes lit up as he saw the cigarette Chen Geng offered. Zhonghua? Even as the fleet captain of the Haizhou Administrative Office, he couldn't just smoke Zhonghua whenever he wanted. His face immediately became more enthusiastic, and after taking a satisfying puff, he asked with a smile, "Factory Manager Lin, is the treatment in your factory so good?"

"This is a special cigarette I requested from the factory. Who would normally smoke this?"

"Ha ha ha... Factory Manager Chen, you really are... You're Xiao Song's friend, and I have a good relationship with Xiao Song. We're all friends. Next time, don't go to such lengths."

This was how things were these days. Most people carried two packs of cigarettes, one cheap and one expensive. The cheap ones were for their own use and for passing around to colleagues, while the expensive ones were only given to leaders.

Don't think that people would be upset if they received an expensive cigarette. The current social custom and atmosphere were such that when someone received a good cigarette, they knew the other person must have cheaper ones as well. Instead of being upset, they would feel respected. For example, Su Jian, who knew that Chen Geng had explicitly stated that this was a special cigarette he had requested from the factory for him, felt that Chen Geng respected him and was only happy, not thinking that Chen Geng was putting on a show of wealth or looking down on him.

"Sure, sure, I'll remember next time..." Chen Geng responded insincerely. Anyone could tell that Chen Geng would do the same thing next time. Of course, Su Jian was just being polite. If the cigarette he received next time was changed from Zhonghua to Hongmei, what would he think?

The power of Zhonghua was immense. Chen Geng was a serving military officer, and after a brief conversation, Su Jian took the initiative to ask, "Factory Manager Chen, Xiao Song said you have something to discuss with me?"

This was a given. The two had never met before, and Chen Geng had found Su Jian through Song Yuhang, so there must be a reason. However, both understood that Su Jian's true meaning was not this.

"That's right," Chen Geng pointed to the 212 jeep behind him and said, "Director Su should know that our Third Armament Repair Factory can not only repair vehicles but also modify them. This car is one of our modified vehicles. Director Su is a well-known veteran driver in Haizhou. We would like to ask you to take a look and give us some advice."

As he spoke, he beckoned to Yang Lei, who was standing behind him. Yang Lei immediately took out two packs of Zhonghua from the leather bag he was carrying and handed them to Chen Geng.

Chen Geng handed the Zhonghua to Su Jian and said with a smile, "Captain Su, I'm troubling you."

Is that all? Hearing Chen Geng's explanation, Su Jian immediately relaxed.

Su Jian was a veteran, and in the military, he had driven the 212. To exaggerate a bit, he was more familiar with the 212 than with himself, and could be considered the chief authority on the 212 jeep in Haizhou. The Third Armament Repair Factory had modified the 212 jeep and asked him to comment, which seemed perfectly normal to Su Jian.

He knew the problems with this model of car so well that he could fix them with his eyes closed. He was the most qualified to speak about the car. However, he was skeptical about Chen Geng's claim that the modified 212 could rival the Volga. What kind of car was the 212? What kind of car was the Volga? Could the 212's comfort level rival the Volga? You must be joking!

But when the car started moving, Su Jian was stunned. He had driven the 212 for over 20 years and knew exactly how it felt. But this car had a very resilient and comfortable chassis, almost like a sedan. Could this be a 212?

The car screeched to a stop in front of Chen Geng. Before it had even come to a complete stop, Su Jian had already jumped out, excitedly asking, "Factory Manager Chen, how did you do this?"

"What's wrong?"

"This car is truly amazing. It doesn't feel like a jeep at all, but more like a comfortable sedan!"

"Really that good?" Chen Geng seemed surprised, "Director Su, how does this car compare to the Shanghai sedan?"

"Damn! Not only does it rival the Shanghai sedan, but it can even match the Volga," Su Jian burst out, perhaps due to his excitement, "I never thought the 212 could be modified like this... Brother, tell me, how did you do it?"

"It's simple, actually..."

Just as Chen Geng was about to speak, someone rushed out of the office building, running towards them and shouting, "Old Su, Old Su, Commissioner Li needs to go out. Help prepare the car... Oh? Who are these people?"

Seeing Chen Geng next to Su Jian, the person was taken aback and became somewhat wary.

"Old Three, this is Director Sun Dacheng from our Administrative Office," Song Yuhang whispered to Chen Geng.

The big boss of the Haizhou Administrative Office! Chen Geng immediately understood. As for who Commissioner Li was... Chen Geng quickly recalled the "heroes" of Haizhou. In the entire Haizhou Administrative Office, there was only one deputy commissioner surnamed Li, the deputy commissioner in charge of industry, Li Chenfeng.

In other words, the deputy mayor in charge of industry.

"Oh? Oh... So you're Comrade Chen Geng." Sun Dacheng was first taken aback, then immediately realized, looking at Chen Geng with a strange expression.

Got it! Another person who couldn't understand why someone would give up a job in the capital to come back to a local position. Chen Geng had long been accustomed to such looks from people like Sun Dacheng and smiled, extending his hand to Sun Dacheng, "Director Sun, hello. I'm Chen Geng. Today, I'm here to ask Captain Su for guidance on our work."

"Guidance on work?" Sun Dacheng subconsciously turned to look at Su Jian, his eyes filled with surprise: You know him?

Chen Geng's humility made Su Jian's face turn red, and he quickly waved his hands, saying modestly, "Factory Manager Chen, you're insulting me. Your factory's level doesn't need my guidance."

If Su Jian hadn't experienced the magic of this 212, he might have accepted Chen Geng's words. But after experiencing the capabilities of the Third Armament Repair Factory through this 212 jeep, he would be slapping himself in the face if he still claimed to be an authority on the 212.

"What's going on here?" Sun Dacheng looked at Su Jian, then at Chen Geng, and was momentarily confused: Old Su is usually very proud when it comes to cars. When have I ever seen him be so humble? But then he shuddered, "Almost forgot the main thing. Old Su, Commissioner Li needs a car. Hurry up and arrange it."

Seeing this, some readers might wonder: In 1985, could the municipal government, which was the administrative office, not guarantee a car for each deputy mayor?

In fact, that was the case.

In 1985, the Haizhou Administrative Office had one commissioner and 11 deputy commissioners, but only 6 cars. Of course, it was impossible to ensure that each leader had a car. Only the commissioner and the deputy commissioner in charge of daily affairs had fixed cars. The other 9 deputy commissioners had to rely on luck when they needed a car. If there was an available car in the fleet, they could use it. If the car was being used by another leader, they could only wait.

Of course, while the situation was like this, there were always ways to deal with it. For example, deputy commissioners could "borrow" cars from the units under their jurisdiction for long-term use. However, Deputy Commissioner Li in charge of industry was one of the more unfortunate ones. Haizhou's industry was not well-developed, or rather, it was extremely underdeveloped. Among the subordinate enterprises, very few had cars. The best car was a 212 jeep that was over 10 years old. After being stranded multiple times by this 212 jeep, Deputy Commissioner Li preferred to take his chances with the fleet rather than ride in a car from a subordinate unit.

Of course, since other deputy commissioners could usually "borrow" cars from subordinate units for long-term use, the fleet could still ensure Deputy Commissioner Li's car needs.

Su Jian didn't dare to delay the leader's car, and immediately said, "Then it's the 758! That car was just serviced and washed yesterday. It's perfect for Commissioner Li..."

Chen Geng suddenly interjected, "Why don't you use our car?"

"Use your car?" Su Jian was taken aback.

"To be honest, we're here to discuss business today," Chen Geng finally revealed his purpose, "Captain Su, after experiencing this car, do you think it would be a good idea for the Administrative Office to have our factory modify the 212s in the fleet?"

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