Chapter 18 5. Those who can make up rumors are not ordinary people

Zhuang Zhiqi flew back to Hezhou on the afternoon flight, and Gao Mingyong came to the airport to greet him in person.As the car drove out of the airport, Gao Mingyong said, "When I came to pick you up, Mr. Du told me that there is a dinner tonight, so you can go together." Zhuang Zhiqi asked, "What dinner?" Gao Mingyong said: "Hezhou established a real estate association, and Wan Shunlong was elected as the president. Wan Shunlong will host a banquet tonight. In addition to Mr. Du and you, Mr. An will also attend." The Mercedes-Benz was speeding on the highway. Zhuang Zhiqi looked out the window and saw farmers setting off firecrackers from time to time on the field ridges beside the road.Zhuang Zhiqi asked: "What day is it today? Why are the farmers setting off firecrackers?"

Gao Mingyong was also at a loss: "I don't know. When I left the city just now, firecrackers were set off everywhere in the city. I checked the calendar, today is not a special day." The driver in the front row interjected, "You don't know yet? The news spread in Hezhou City in the morning. Every household must set off firecrackers, otherwise their children will be in danger." Gao Mingyong asked: "What's going on?" The driver said: "The night before yesterday, a Taoist temple in the northern suburbs of Hezhou suddenly collapsed. Then early this morning, there were rumors that the Taoist temple collapsed, and Lord Yan was very angry. He sent people to Hezhou to take a hundred children to the underworld. Only by setting off firecrackers can we drive away the little ghosts who come to take lives. My wife also bought a bunch of firecrackers to set off at noon."

Zhuang Zhiqi asked the driver: "Do you believe this too?" The driver smiled and said, "It's not trustworthy. Anyway, a string of firecrackers is not worth much, so let's just spend money to buy peace of mind." Gao Mingyong was a little disdainful: "What's the matter? A few nonsense words will make the whole city busy." Zhuang Zhiqi also found it funny.But after thinking about it, I feel a little heavy again: "The high-rise buildings in Hezhou are not much different from those in Hong Kong and Macau, but the ideas of many ordinary people are still quite backward."

Back in the office, Zhuang Zhiqi took a short rest, and then followed Du Linxiang and An Youqi to the office building of Shunlong Group.Wan Shunlong, Sun Xingguo, Executive Vice President of Shunlong Group and others had already been waiting in the luxury private room on the top floor.After Du Linxiang walked in, he stretched out his hands enthusiastically: "Mr. Wan, congratulations. Now that you are the president, you are our leader. I hope you will take care of me in the future." Wan Shunlong smiled and said: "Lin Xiang, you keep mentioning that shitty president, I'm going to be anxious with you. It's just a useless name, I really can't get rid of it, so I reluctantly become it. What kind of leader? ?In the future, I will order that the price of the houses of the Weitong Group should not exceed 10,000, or that Weitong is not allowed to participate in any land auction, will you listen to me?"

Du Linxiang laughed: "Mr. Wan always hits the nail on the head when he speaks." Wan Shunlong and An Youqi have known each other for a long time, after saying hello, he held Zhuang Zhiqi's hand again: "This must be Mr. Zhuang, right?" Zhuang Zhiqi nodded: "Mr. Wan, hello, I have heard your name for a long time. I am Zhuang Zhiqi." Wan Shunlong said: "I have heard Lin Xiang introduce you a long time ago. You are a top talent in the capital market." Zhuang Zhiqi said repeatedly: "I'm overwhelmed, I'm overwhelmed." After everyone was seated, Du Linxiang asked, "Why is it just us and other real estate companies?"

Wan Shunlong smiled and said, "I invited you. That association is all empty and useless. The real estate industry in Hezhou is just the two of us. Other developers can't keep up with us." Du Linxiang said: "Mr. Wan's family has a great career, and he has the confidence to speak. I don't have the courage to look down on others like you." Wan Shunlong lit a cigarette leisurely: "Last year, among the local developers, the combined share of Shunlong and Weitong accounted for more than 60%. Where am I exaggerating? After several years of development, those small developers , has been thrown out by us a long time ago."

Du Linxiang still had that simple and honest smile on his face: "Little brother, I am still far behind Mr. Wan." Wan Shunlong said: "Today, in the name of this bullshit association, I invite brothers Lin Xiang, old friends like Mr. An, and new friends like Mr. Zhuang to get together and get drunk." An Youqi said, "What kind of wine is Mr. Wan planning to treat us to today?" Sun Xingguo said: "Today, all distinguished guests are invited to experience our latest drinking method." Those present here are all people who have been soaking in wine jars all day long. They have seen a lot of big battles, so they really don't know what new ways to drink this wine.Sun Xingguo greeted the waiter: "Bring the things up."

I saw two waiters walking in from the outside, one of them was holding a bottle of high-end liquor, and the other was holding a shauke with steaming rice in it. Du Linxiang made Shau Kei when he was a child in the countryside.It is a round shallow bamboo basket woven with thin bamboo strips, which is used to store and wash rice, and there are many thin and small grooves on it.He suddenly became interested: "What kind of drinking method is this?" Wan Shunlong patted Du Linxiang on the shoulder: "Don't worry, look again." The waiter puts the Shau Kei filled with rice on top of a large bowl.Another waiter unscrewed the wine bottle and slowly poured a full bottle of white wine into the rice.After about a minute, the baijiu was filtered through the rice and Shau Kei, and flowed into the large bowl below.

Zhuang Zhiqi was quite curious: "What is the taste of this wine?" Sun Xingguo said to the waiter: "Quickly pour each distinguished guest a glass and let them have a taste." Seeing that everyone's cups were full of wine, Wan Shunlong raised his cup and said, "Come on, brother, let me do it first as a respect." Du Linxiang and others also drank the wine in the cup.Putting down the wine glass, Du Linxiang was a little intoxicated: "The aroma of this wine is mixed with a rice aroma, which has a special taste." Zhuang Zhiqi also said: "After filtering through the hot rice, the wine still tastes warm."

Du Linxiang gave a thumbs up: "In the past, I only knew about Wan Zong's huge volume, but I didn't know that you were still a person who knew wine. When the wine came to you, it really made a new name." Wan Shunlong laughed loudly: "This is not my invention, the real wisdom lies in the folks." Wan Shunlong explained: "I went to visit a relative in the countryside some time ago, and found that they actually drink in such a way, so I learned it back. In this way, the wine has undergone three changes. The first is after heating, The wine has gained temperature; second, as Lin Xiang said just now, the aroma of the wine is mixed with the aroma of rice, which is a bit like fermented glutinous rice, but not fermented glutinous rice; third, after filtering, the alcohol content of the liquor is reduced."

An Youqi said: "It makes sense. Today we drank 52-degree alcohol, but I just had a drink and it feels milder than before." Wan Shunlong said: "After I came back, I did a lot of experiments, such as what kind of rice to filter, the wine is the sweetest. I tried Thai fragrant rice and northeast pearl rice, and finally found that the new rice just produced by the Hongxi farm is the best. There is also time. If you want the rice to be more fragrant, you can put the rice in a large bowl, pour it into the wine and soak it for a while before filtering it, or you can drink it directly on the table like today.” Zhuang Zhiqi said: "This drinking method is equivalent to reducing the alcohol content, and it can be regarded as a way to maintain health." "However, it also has disadvantages." Wan Shunlong said, "It is the filtered wine, which cannot be stored anymore. Even if it is left for a day, it will deteriorate, so today we have to work hard to eliminate these wines." With Wan Shunlong's opening remarks, the atmosphere at the wine table was naturally mobilized.You have a cup, I have a cup, and Xia Fei's face is red.Taking advantage of his high interest, Wan Shunlong also talked about drinking jokes: "It is said that there is a bureau chief who drinks every day, and his wife can't bear it. The wife goes around to report the situation. She went to the Discipline Inspection Commission, and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission said, should I drink It’s not right to drink; I reported it to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and the director of the National People’s Congress said that the expenses for drinking had long been included in the budget; I reported it to the Women’s Federation, and the chairman of the Women’s Federation said that my family was also drunk every day; I finally found the secretary, and the secretary made a decision: We were drunk to death. Hold a memorial service for him." The whole table burst into laughter.Sun Xingguo stood up and toasted Du Linxiang. Du Linxiang was also in a good mood at the moment, so he joked: "Mr. Sun, do you know that there is a saying on the wine table: Lift your buttocks and drink again." Sun Xingguo reacted very quickly, and immediately said: "I really haven't heard of it. But I know another saying: move your buttocks to show respect. Standing up today to respect Mr. Du is to show a kind of respect." "Old grandson is still famous!" Du Linxiang laughed and drank the wine in the glass. The wine was hot, and Du Linxiang patted Wan Shunlong: "Mr. Wan, I bought a copy of your "Shunlong has Regrets" for every employee in the company, so that they can study hard." "Oh." Wan Shunlong turned his head and said, "What do you think after watching it?" Du Linxiang said: "As far as my group of people can learn a tenth or two of the essence of the book, I am thankful. I don't have any opinions." Wan Shunlong said: "I can't bear what you say." He pointed at Zhuang Zhiqi again: "Mr. Zhuang, I heard that you are a great talent. Tell me, what's wrong with that book?" Zhuang Zhiqi put down his wine glass and said: "The book is indeed a good book, and we only have to worship it. But I have a question, and I just asked Mr. Wan for advice today. As a book written by a successful businessman, the book does not have enough space to talk about business. More, more talking about history, art, and life, I don’t know what Wan always thought about it at the beginning?” Wan Shunlong, who has always been a good teacher, naturally would not let go of the opportunity to show off his knowledge. He sat up straight and began to talk eloquently: "Mr. Nan Huaijin said that the so-called history often has real names, places, and times, but the content is false. ;As for novels, the names, places, and times are all fake, but the story is often true. Ask me to write a history of the business development of Shunlong Group. How should I write it? There are many things in it that cannot be shared with outsiders. Shared. But if I want to tell lies against my will, then why am I writing a book! So, I decided to talk less about business. In short, there are some things I can’t say, but what I say must be the truth.” Du Linxiang remained silent, he knew that Wan Shunlong's words were really emotional.As far as the development of Shunlong Group is concerned, does Wan Shunlong dare to write about the great help given by Jiangju people?There is also the story about Wan Shunlong's exhaustive tricks, even resorting to shady tricks, which made Du Linxiang stumble on the skyscraper project. Will he write about it?All of these are really not humane. Not to mention Shunlong Group, which company in China dares to unreservedly spread its development history in the sun?Over the years, Du Linxiang has never read books such as biographies of entrepreneurs.In his opinion, those exciting and inspirational stories in the book should be reserved to fool college students. "According to what Mr. Wan said, then there is no reading in history books." Zhuang Zhiqi laughed. Wan Shunlong said sternly: "Of course you have to read, but as Mencius said, it is better to have no books than to believe in books. Let me just give you an example, such as the Battle of Yiling during the Three Kingdoms period. Historians all commented that Liu Bei did not listen to it." According to Zhuge Liang's advice, he insisted on raising troops, and finally returned in a disastrous defeat. But I think that Liu Bei was a real strategist when he decided to send troops against all opinions." Du Linxiang didn't read much, but he was familiar with it.He asked puzzledly: "The facts didn't prove in the end, did Liu Bei lose? Otherwise, there would be no Baidi City Tuogu." "Lin Xiang, you judge heroes by success or failure." Wan Shunlong said, "I don't know how many times I have read "Three Kingdoms". The more I read it, the more I feel that Liu Bei must defeat Wu at that time. , It is tantamount to handing over a strategically important place to others. Losing Jingzhou, it is doomed that the Shu Han regime can only live in a corner, and will never have the opportunity to compete in the Central Plains." "Why do you say that?" Wan Shunlong asked himself and answered, "The road to Shu is difficult, and it is difficult to go to the blue sky. It is so difficult for hundreds of thousands of troops to fight along this dangerous road! So Zhuge Liang failed all six times when he came out of Qishan. Let’s take a step forward, so what if he succeeds? After leaving Qishan, the army is still in Shaanxi, far away from the capital of Wei State. But Jingzhou is different. Starting from Jingzhou, there are plains on all sides, and food, grass and luggage are easy to transport. It only takes a few days In a few days, the army will be able to point directly at Xuchang and Luoyang." Seeing everyone listening attentively, Wan Shunlong became more and more proud: "So for Liu Bei, Jingzhou cannot be lost. If you lose Jingzhou, you will lose the destiny of the country. Analysis shows that the army of Shu State is strong and strong, so it is possible to take back Jingzhou. At the beginning of the war between Shu and Wu, wouldn’t the Shu army be as powerful as a broken bamboo? If I were Liu Bei, I would also attack Jingzhou with all my troops.” "In the past, people accused Liu Bei of defeating Wu out of a moment of righteous indignation to avenge Guan Yu. This is even more nonsense." Wan Shunlong said, "Liu Bei's generation of heroes can even throw their sons, so why would they care about the life and death of a brother? Besides, Guan Yu died in 219 A.D., and Liu Bei defeated Wu in 221 A.D. There were two full years in between! Liu Bei was definitely not acting out of whim, but just finding an excuse for himself to send troops." "Hearing what Boss Wan said, it really makes sense. But why was there a defeat in Yiling?" Zhuang Zhiqi also became interested at this moment. Wan Shunlong said: "It is strategically correct to send troops to fight against Wu, but Liu Bei, who has a strategic vision, made a big mistake in tactics. The Shu army's hundreds of miles of battalions and camps were all built of wooden fences. It's full of woods and thatch, and once it catches fire, it will burn into one piece. In the end, let Lu Xun succeed in attacking the fire." Wan Shunlong went on to say: "When we look at history now, we have to divide it into two. We cannot deny the correctness of Liu Bei's strategy of raising troops to conquer Wu just because of Liu Bei's tactical mistakes." Du Linxiang clapped his palms: "Listening to Mr. Wan's words is better than reading ten years of books!" Du Linxiang said this from the bottom of his heart.He even felt that if Wan Shunlong hadn't been in business, he would have been a scholar with many works. Wan Shunlong laughed and said: "I am a person who likes to speculate when I have nothing to do. Moreover, I also want to question many things that have long been concluded. I most admire Mr. Hu Shi's words, bold assumptions, careful verification." "Oh," Zhuang Zhiqi said, "What other ideas does Mr. Wan have?" "Just give me an example." Wan Shunlong said, "It is said that Chongzhen killed Yuan Chonghuan because of Huang Taiji's countermeasures and self-destructed the Great Wall. At the beginning, I boldly assumed that there would be another possibility: Yuan Chonghuan was really A traitor, Chongzhen was right to kill. It’s just that after the Manchus won the world, they denied any collusion with Yuan Chonghuan, and put a big shit bowl on Chongzhen’s head. With this question in mind, I went to the book, Check various historical materials. Up to now, I have not found enough evidence to support my point of view. But in the process, I have understood another point. Even if Chongzhen fell into the countermeasures of others, it is not self-destruction of the Great Wall. .” "How?" Zhuang Zhiqi asked. Wan Shunlong said: "Although Yuan Chonghuan had the great victory in Ningyuan and the feat of injuring Nurhachi to death, his record in the past few years after his comeback as the supervisor of Liaodong was mediocre. Against the Eight Banners cavalry, at most he did not suffer a big loss, but he definitely They didn’t take advantage. The Manchus regarded Yuan Chonghuan as a stumbling block on the way to the customs. It may be true, but it would be an exaggeration to say how much they feared him. With Yuan Chonghuan present, the Ming Dynasty could not recover Liaodong; Yuan Chonghuan was gone, and Wu Sangui was replaced. Shanhaiguan is still not lost." Zhuang Zhiqi couldn't help giving a thumbs up: "I've heard that Wan is always a famous Confucian businessman, today is an eye-opener." Wan Shunlong became interested, and the following time almost became his special academic report meeting.Up and down five thousand years, ninety thousand miles in length and width, let him point and comment. Seeing that the dinner was coming to an end, Wan Shunlong put away his scholarly demeanor and revealed the cunning of a businessman again.He lit a cigarette, and said unhurriedly, "Lin Xiang, how is your business going public through buying a shell?" When Du Linxiang heard this, he knew that the main course of today's dinner was finally served.He paused and said, "It's not going well, so let's just take a step at a time." "Me too." Wan Shunlong sighed, "Gu Weimin is such a good bastard!" Wan Shunlong changed the subject: "Next month, two more lands in the west of the city will be auctioned. Does Weitong have any ideas?" An Youqi is currently in charge of the company's real estate business, and she took over the quarrel: "Those two pieces of land are treasured lands. In terms of business, of course Weitong wants to take them. But I heard that Mr. Wan is also interested in those two pieces of land. Compared with Shunlong Group, there is still a gap in strength between us." Wan Shunlong smiled: "As far as I know, the big developers in other places have no interest in those two lands at present, and all the people who signed up for the auction are local companies. As I said just now, the local real estate companies in Hezhou, except Shunlong and Weitong are both soldiers and crab generals, not worth mentioning. If Lin Xiang is really interested in those two lands, I can be the beauty of an adult." Wan Shunlong went on to say: "In the business field, we have to give each other face. For the sake of two lands, we raised the price at the auction. In the end, even if one party wins, the cost is also raised. Instead of doing this, it's better for me to accept the difficulties Retire. Lin Xiang, we are old friends, and I also know that since the operation of the skyscraper, Weitong's capital chain has been very tight. Seeing that there is a profitable project in front of me, I will carry forward my style." "Mr. Wan is really generous." Du Linxiang said polite words on his lips, but he was like a mirror in his heart.It is definitely not Wan Shunlong's character to retreat voluntarily.Wan Shunlong first mentioned the listing, and then talked about the land auction. In fact, he wanted to make a deal with himself-Shunlong voluntarily withdrew from the land auction, and Weitong gave up the plan to buy the shell from Gu Weimin. An Youqi also knew it well: "Mr. Wan, do you have any additional conditions for your adult beauty this time?" Wan Shunlong continued to smoke a cigarette: "It's vulgar to talk about conditions. I can only say that we should support each other. Regarding the matter of Shunlong Group buying a shell to go public, can Lin Xiang support it?" "I understand what Mr. Wan means." Du Linxiang rubbed his hands, "But you also know the situation of Weitong. Now that the debts are high, you can count on some money in the capital market to come back for emergency." Wan Shunlong said: "Of course I know the situation of Weitong. I have always regarded Weitong as a partner rather than a competitor. I sincerely hope that your company will go on the right track. When Weitong's situation was critical, I didn't just spend money. Buying a house, and borrowing a large sum of money to help you tide over the difficulties? Depending on the development of the situation in the future, you can also postpone the repayment of that loan. " Du Linxiang scolded the word "Bah" fiercely in his heart.He hates Wan Shunlong's fake merciful look like a cat crying and a mouse!I can have today, not thanks to you!Don't think that I don't know anything. Ten years is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge.Wan, you wait! "Yeah, thank you, Mr. Wan, for taking the initiative." Du Linxiang forced himself to pretend to be grateful. Zhuang Zhiqi said at this time: "Mr. Wan, I'm afraid we will have to go back to a meeting to study the plan you proposed today before we can answer you." Du Linxiang was very grateful to Zhuang Zhiqi for jumping out to save him. He nodded and said, "This kind of important matter needs to be studied." "Of course, of course." Wan Shunlong nodded and said, "This is also reasonable." "Look at me," Wan Shunlong patted his head suddenly, "If you don't talk about business, why are you talking about business now? Or drink! Xingguo, how much wine is left?" Sun Xingguo replied: "There is still half a bottle left." Wan Shunlong said: "We have to work harder. As I said at the beginning, once the rice is filtered, the wine can't be stored." The people who had their own concerns began to talk about the wine again. An Youqi felt that the private room was too stuffy, and wanted to get some air, so she went to the window and opened it.There was a sound of firecrackers outside, and the sky was full of fireworks.She also heard about the people in Hezhou setting off firecrackers to drive away ghosts today, so she sighed: "It's so old, and there are still people who believe in it." But Sun Xingguo smiled triumphantly: "I'm sorry. Firecrackers are going off all over the city, disturbing Mr. An's cleanliness." "People set off firecrackers, why are you embarrassed?" An Youqi asked strangely. Du Linxiang immediately remembered something: "Mr. Wan, these firecrackers..." Wan Shunlong glared at Sun Xingguo: "Your mouth is really hateful." "I said why all the people in the city set off firecrackers." Du Linxiang patted his thigh, "I heard that Mr. Wan bought a firecracker factory a few months ago, and he planned to dismantle it and start real estate development on the original site. Today, the city is full of firecrackers. I've been wondering, but I'm too embarrassed to ask you." Wan Shunlong laughed loudly: "I bought that firecracker factory three months ago, and planned to tear down the factory building to build a resort hotel. Later, I found that there were still a lot of firecrackers piled up in the warehouse, so I thought about selling them at a discount. It doesn't matter if you have less money, the key is to free up space. But there are no holidays recently, and no one wants those firecrackers even if they are sold at a loss." Wan Shunlong went on to say: "The project manager complained in front of me every day, and said that firecrackers are special products, and if they really don't work, they have to pay a professional company to destroy them. When I heard this, I was so angry that I slapped the table. I taught him, Shunlong Group does not lack this small amount of money, but it is a great shame for a businessman to spend money to destroy good products that cannot be sold in their hands. Just at this time, the Taoist temple in the suburbs of the city collapsed. The joke about firecrackers expelling ghosts, within half a day, all the firecrackers in the warehouse were sold out, and the price was still high." Zhuang Zhiqi said with emotion: "I heard a saying before that rumors end with wise men. I think it should be added that rumors start with wise men. Those rumors throughout the ages are really beyond the imagination of ordinary people." An Youqi said: "With all due respect, Mr. Wan's move may not be popular in areas where the people's wisdom is already developed." Wan Shunlong nodded and said: "Mr. An is right. Not to mention abroad, even in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, no one would believe this. But China is too big, and there are still many places like Hezhou. Such a city. There are many more cities that are still behind Hezhou. Think carefully, isn’t this an opportunity to get rich? After decades of economic development, ordinary people have some money in their pockets and have some purchasing power. But the awareness of most people is still quite backward. As the saying goes, if people are stupid and have a lot of money, it depends on whether the businessman can come quickly." After the banquet was over, Wan Shunlong personally sent Du Linxiang and his party downstairs.After getting in the car, Du Linxiang asked Zhuang Zhiqi: "After eating this meal, what impression do you have of Wan Shunlong?" Zhuang Zhiqi thought about it for a while, and said, "You have a lot of talents, and you have a lot of knowledge. To achieve your goals, you will use any means." Du Linxiang laughed: "In order to recognize this person, I spent several years and paid hundreds of millions of tuition fees. You are not easy, and you are done in just one meal." Du Linxiang asked again: "Today Wan Shunlong is a The words are clear, what do you think?" Zhuang Zhiqi said, "Boss Du has to take the big idea." Du Linxiang closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, then said viciously: "Think he is farting!"