Chapter 74

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As you grow older, such incidents will only increase. You can be disappointed, you can be不服 (unconvinced), but the fact is the fact, and you cannot change it.

Therefore, many officials later became very particular about feng shui and loved to seek out various "masters"; those who have been in business for a long time also worshiped every Buddha and burned incense at every temple, and there was a reason for this.

Perhaps in some people's eyes, Feng Yiping was also a person with good luck.

In 2002, in addition to the projects he was originally responsible for, he also took over the generator and power equipment projects that no one in the company wanted. It was not easy to do well in such projects, but it was also not easy to do worse than before. Who knows, if things went well, he might sign a few building backup power projects, and that would be a significant achievement.

At the time, he absolutely did not expect that his luck would be so good next!

In most people's minds, the main impression of 2003 was SARS! But for those in the electromechanical industry, it started from 2002, with a nationwide power shortage and power rationing.

How severe was the power shortage? Without mentioning the economically developed coastal provinces or the power rationing for industrial enterprises, even in a less developed province in the central region, the average household power outage time that year was almost 9 hours! Note the "average per household," and even the total for the previous ten years did not reach 9 hours.

Although later efforts were made to ensure residential power supply and promote off-peak power use, for enterprises and commercial users at the time, power rationing was a common occurrence. Originally, they could勉强 (barely) achieve "three days off, four days on," meaning three days of power outages and four days of power supply in a week. After the peak residential power consumption period, around 11 PM, the production lines of enterprises could still operate at full capacity. However, as the temperature rose and the demand for residential power increased, even "five days off, two days on" became a luxury.

For enterprises, not to mention whether they could barely operate for ten days a month, the question was whether they could survive at all. If they did not deliver the foreign trade contracts on time, the compensation they would have to pay would leave them penniless.

As for the merchants, those with refrigerators would suffer significant losses with just a few hours of power outage. For other ordinary shops, it was not just about the heat making the store feel like a steamer; who would have the interest to shop if they were drenched in sweat after just one minute inside?

There was no choice but to buy generators.

So, the market for generators at the time was extremely tight. Forget about bargaining; many people were willing to pay extra just to get the stock.

Feng Yiping was familiar with a city-level agent for the American Cummins brand. Originally, he drove a Passat, but after half a year, the technicians from his company who were responsible for installation and commissioning were all driving Audis.

Another agent for Volvo generators, after two months, upgraded from a Honda to a Mercedes.

Feng Yiping was no different. He had not even taken over the project for two months when he was suddenly hit by this peak period. The inventory was swept clean, and the intermediaries who were not very enthusiastic during his visits suddenly burst with unprecedented, and later unmatched, enthusiasm. They all came with cash, hoping he could supply a few more units, even the returned and refurbished ones were snatched up by those waiting.

Feng Yiping himself also sent dedicated personnel to wait at the supplier's place, negotiating with sales every day to get more stock.

As for large diesel generator sets, the requirements were even higher. Agents required you to report your three-month demand plan, and they would place orders based on your plan. Then, at the end of the month, you had to pay the full amount for the next month's orders in one go. If some models were not selling well after delivery, sorry, no returns. If some popular models were out of stock, sorry, no availability!

In short, those two years, it wasn't just the coal bosses who made money. From the United States to Europe to Japan, power producers were operating at full capacity. Domestically, whether state-owned large factories or private enterprises, they all worked in three shifts, 24 hours a day, and still could not meet the growing demand. The offices were filled with clients carrying cash, ready to take the goods.

In short, those two years were a rare good time for them. Every link in the supply chain made a fortune—of course, not comparable to the coal bosses!

As a result, at the time, especially in the coastal areas, every factory built a generator room, and diesel engines roared day and night. On the streets, various types of generators lined up in front of the shops, a grand sight.

Such an opportunity, once was enough. The project department that Feng Yiping took over, which he initially thought was a chicken rib, easily achieved sales of tens of millions in a year, with a capital turnover of less than 10 days and no accounts receivable. This set a record in the company that was hard for later generations to surpass.

At the end of the year, the after-sales personnel in his department received higher bonuses than the managers in other departments. As for those who had given up on this project, their regret and resentment were endless, but what could they do? They could only watch helplessly.

In less than two years, Feng Yiping obtained his first pot of gold, which gave him the capital to start his own business in Guangzhou.

Perhaps it was the blessing of his ancestors, or the favor of fate, but in any case, the opportunities given by heaven might only come once. Therefore, every such rare opportunity must be firmly grasped!

So, being reborn in the 1990s, if one did not take advantage of the upcoming Asian financial crisis a few years later, it would be unforgivable, and even heaven would not approve, possibly sending him back to the primitive era of a thousand years BC.

However, to profit from the 1997 financial crisis, one would inevitably have to involve methods such as currency trading, stock index futures, and futures trading, which were out of reach for most people in China.

It was not until the establishment of the free trade zones that citizens were allowed to open capital accounts, with each account limited to a few thousand US dollars and various restrictions on fund inflows and outflows.

Therefore, like most people, Feng Yiping could only play in the domestic stock markets. He had heard of currency trading, stock index futures, and futures trading but had no knowledge of them and now needed to learn.

To learn these, there was no better choice than a finance university known for its finance program.

And, to be honest, Feng Yiping not only felt no guilt but was also very excited about the idea of following the international financial giants and taking a small bite out of Southeast Asian countries.

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