It was another weekend, and Chang Jing took Xu Yumei to hire a small truck to go to the clothing wholesale market to buy goods. This time, they went to the neighboring city of Dongguan, which is known as one of the four major clothing production bases.
They set off at five in the morning and after a three-hour drive, they finally arrived at their destination. After asking the truck driver to park and wait, Chang Jing took Xu Yumei to stroll around the market.
The bustling wholesale market was incredibly lively. Wholesale clothing was priced by quantity. Once you found something you liked, you got a price, paid, and had it packed. The saleswomen were quick-witted and skilled. If you hesitated for even a few seconds, they would let you look around at your own pace and then turn to attend to other customers.
At the small clothing wholesale stall, business transactions were completed at an astonishing speed. Chang Jing probably knew the rules here, so he quickly selected styles, reported the quantity, asked for prices, and took business cards, hoping to reorder and ship goods by phone next time.
Chang Jing tried his best to explain winter fashion trends to Xu Yumei, such as the selection of wool coats, cotton-padded jackets, and down jackets, as well as the diverse matching methods. He also encouraged her to take a brochure whenever there was one at the clothing stall.
“Sister Yumei, large wholesale markets like this usually have their own models shooting clothing catalogs. When we buy goods, it would be best to ask them to send a few catalogs to put in our clothing store.”
Chang Jing strives to do even the smallest details perfectly, and Xu Yumei naturally learns from him. She absorbs the points Chang Jing explains and reflects on her own shortcomings.
"I understand. The styles here are generally much more expensive and trendy than those at Thirteen Factories, but the wholesale prices are a bit high."
"The goods here are of good quality, and consumers are willing to accept higher prices. People are generally more willing to spend money to buy good quality winter clothes."
"That's right. Winter clothes are usually worn for several years, so you definitely have to buy better ones."
Put yourself in her shoes; when she buys winter clothes, she only spends a lot of money if she thinks she can wear them for two or three years!
And so, Chang Jing took Xu Yumei shopping from morning until afternoon before preparing to return home, while the truck was filled with large and small black duct tapes.
Perhaps it was because Chang Jing and his group bought so aggressively and readily that a group of porters in the wholesale market noticed them and were already considering making a purchase.
"Go quickly and tell Master Hua that a big soft-shelled fish has come to the market. If we catch it, we can fatten up for half a month."
Out-of-town vehicles and people carrying large amounts of cash to buy goods are easy targets; once they leave the wholesale market parking lot, they're the ones in charge.
According to their usual practice, the clothing wholesale market is their facade; no force, big or small, in Dongguan will allow anyone to cause trouble here. But once outside, it's a scene where everyone shows their own unique abilities.
The truck slowly drove out of the parking lot, followed by several motorcycles less than fifty meters behind, but they didn't attract much attention. When the truck turned onto a side road, the motorcycles began to overtake and then cut it off.
"Open the door! Open the door! You've hit someone, get out of there right now!"
Before the small truck had even come to a complete stop, the tattooed guy started yelling and banging on the metal pipe with his phone.
Xu Yumei's hands began to tremble with fear, and the driver stammered as he asked her what to do.
What do you want to do?
Finally, Chang Jing spoke up. He quietly instructed the driver and Xu Yumei not to get out of the car, implying that if Xu Yumei had the chance, she should take the driver and the goods back first.
"Oh, why is it a little boy coming down to talk?"
No matter how composed or mature Chang Jing was at sixteen, he still looked like a young boy. The tattooed guy found it strange; the two older boys in the car were silent, but the youngest one came out to talk.
"What's the matter? Is there anything we can discuss?"
Chang Jing ignored the taunts and asked again. If the other party only wanted a few hundred thousand, he would be happy to pay to avoid trouble.
"We can discuss it! Unload the goods from the truck, hand over all your money, and you can do as you please."
...That means there's no room for negotiation.
Chang Jing had been observing the situation on the roadside. He noticed that a few minutes after the motorcycle stopped, pedestrians seemed to receive some kind of signal and began to avoid the area from a distance.
He could fight the ten men who came down from the three motorcycles, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to protect Xu Yumei and might accidentally hurt his own cousin.
“We’ve spent all our money on goods, and the bags in the car are all women’s clothes. You won’t need them. How about this: I’ll stay, and you can let my sister go back and get money to ransom me. How about that?”
"Hey, this kid's got guts, daring to stay as a hostage. How much do you think you're worth?"
The person who spoke was probably the leader of this group. He seemed to agree with Chang Jing's suggestion, but continued to probe to find out Chang Jing's net worth.
"How much do you want? Although I'm the boy in the family, we're not exactly rich. My sister will go back and raise whatever the goods on this truck are worth, okay?"
Chang Jing's reasonable and well-founded arguments convinced the group of people to agree to his terms, and the truck driver and Xu Yumei left first.
Xu Yumei was anxious. She was not only Chang Jing's employee but also his cousin. How could she really let Chang Jing stay?
"Xiao Jing, why don't I stay and you go back and get the money?"
"Sis, listen to me, you guys go back first and wait for my call."
At Chang Jing's prompting, Xu Yumei left with tears in her eyes, feeling both anxious and angry. After the truck had safely driven a considerable distance, Xu Yumei could no longer hold back and wanted the driver to take her to the police station to report the incident.
"Ms. Xu, are you really going to call the police? But..."
The driver, who had been running freight transport for many years, was somewhat familiar with the robbery situation in Dongguan, but he didn't know how to persuade Xu Yumei to spend money to buy peace.
"Those thugs were probably henchmen under the Crown Prince. If they really cause trouble, the local police station probably won't dare to get involved."
The "Prince of Dongguan" has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. He commands countless henchmen, including organized criminal groups based in places like the clothing wholesale market.
"Then...what should I do? My brother is only 16 years old. How can I really leave him to face bad people?"
Xu Yumei burst into tears. Actually, she had the bank card from the clothing store with her. She could just find a bank to withdraw money, but she couldn't make that decision for Chang Jing.
Chang Jing watched the small truck drive away before turning his attention to the people in front of him. Recalling the rumors he had heard in his previous life, he roughly knew what kind of people these were.
In the 1990s, the Pearl River Delta region fought desperately against organized crime, but unfortunately, the process was not easy.
With his cousin gone, he can finally unleash his full potential and test the skills he's honed over the past six months since his rebirth.
Caught completely off guard, the people standing in front of Chang Jing had their weapons taken away. Chang Jing, wielding an iron pipe, ruthlessly took down three people within five seconds, gaining the advantage of striking first.
"You little brat, you dare to lay a hand on me... beat him to death right now."
The tattooed group reacted quickly, and everyone gathered around. How could an ordinary person possibly defeat Chang Jing, who practiced internal energy cultivation techniques?
"Ahhh..." The screams of agony rose and fell intermittently. Chang Jing did not dare to kill, but only broke the opponent's hands and feet.
"Who are you, daring to run wild on the Crown Prince's territory?"
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