"Brother Tao, tell me."
"A few days ago, when I was paying New Year's greetings to the overseas Chinese here, someone asked me to help them find Chinese furniture."
"Chinese furniture?" Dong Qiangqiang had only seen Chinese furniture in costume dramas. He didn't understand why the other party would ask him about this. "Brother Tao, I haven't seen the Chinese furniture you mentioned in Germany. Besides, I don't know. The question should be asked, why don’t you just ask your colleagues in China for help? It should be easy to find it in China.”
"Look, the price of Chinese-style furniture in China is acceptable to overseas Chinese, but shipping to Germany has to be charged by weight, which costs more than buying furniture. The shipping cycle is also long, and overseas Chinese have a limited budget. I remember you are engaged in tourism here. I’ve seen a lot of work in my travels, so I wanted to ask you if you have any information about this.”
"Sure, I understand, then I'll look for it. But I don't understand either, so I can only give it a try. Do overseas Chinese have any special requirements or particularities about furniture materials? For example, the furniture must be made of mahogany?" Dong Qiangqiang vaguely remembered the old man. Bai seems to have mentioned before that Lao Ding and Dong Yiqing will take a domestic group to Berlin to participate in the Ceramics and Mahogany Furniture Exhibition. That group must be related to furniture, and it may be a breakthrough.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be mahogany, walnut, sandalwood, or even huanghuali are also acceptable. The emphasis is on style and craftsmanship. There are no special requirements for wood, but good wood is definitely better."
"Okay, is there a price limit?"
"Look at the wood and craftsmanship of the furniture. The budget is within 100,000 euros, but if it exceeds it, it's no problem. Each matter will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. You don't have to worry about the price."
This figure made Dong Qiangqiang speechless: According to the latest Euro exchange rate, converted into RMB, the budget amount has exceeded 1 million. You can spend so much money to buy furniture. Dong Qiangqiang is very puzzled. The other party is so rich that he can just ship by sea? Why do you say you don’t have to worry about the price? Is it a question of money?
"Then does he have requirements for furniture craftsmanship? I mean the kind that lasts for less than 10,000 words and has rich peonies." Dong Qiangqiang knew that it would last for less than 10,000 words.
"The endless words and rich peonies you mentioned are not craftsmanship, but decorative textures. Craftsmanship refers to production techniques, such as treasure inlay, lacquer painting, and sprinkling of gold. Overseas Chinese have no requirements for craftsmanship, as long as it is typical Chinese-style furniture That’s fine, it would be better if there is cloisonné porcelain, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t.”
Sun Tao explained a little, and Dong Qiangqiang's mind immediately popped up in the restaurant where Qin Youbo worked, and in less than a second, he thought of the decoration in the Wanfu Chinese Restaurant in Hamburg. Isn't this kind of Chinese furniture displayed there? But Sun Tao has also been to Wanfu and helped the boss of Wanfu. Why didn't he ask the boss of Wanfu directly instead of asking himself?
"Brother Tao, there seems to be the Chinese furniture you mentioned in the Wanfu Restaurant in Hamburg."
"Well, do you have the contact information of the boss? If so, ask him later where he bought it from and what are his options. It's best if you can understand it clearly with the company that sells the furniture, and then you contact Huaqiao , I will text you the contact information of the overseas Chinese in a moment." Sun Tao didn't seem surprised or surprised by Dong Qiangqiang's suggestion.
"Should I contact you directly?" Dong Qiangqiang didn't understand again, "But what about the price..."
"It's okay, just contact me. Remember to understand clearly before contacting me. That's it." Sun Tao said and hung up the phone.
Dong Qiangqiang still didn't turn around and didn't understand how this matter happened to him. He thought for a while and decided that it was appropriate to ask Du Lan about his studies. For this kind of worldly knowledge, he still had to ask Lao Bai.
After listening to Dong Qiangqiang's description, Lao Bai directly gave his judgment: "He may be really inconvenient, and he may also want to help you."
"Inconvenience? Help me?"
"Overseas Chinese are not of Chinese descent, but still hold Chinese nationality, so as the vice consul, he has the obligation to provide legal advice and services to overseas Chinese, but it is not appropriate for him to directly recommend companies that sell furniture to overseas Chinese, especially if the company that sells furniture is still It's owned by a Chinese. It's hard to say whether he will be suspected of being an agent, easily misunderstood, or even violating discipline. Didn't you just lose money to Chen Xiaofei? He may see you as pitiful, so he introduced you because he wanted to help you. "
"What you said makes sense, but what does this have to do with helping me?"
"Hey, let me ask you, he asked you to find a furniture seller, and then contact the overseas Chinese. Did he tell you that you can't get the broker's fee?"
"The intermediary fee is commission, right? He didn't say that."
"So, you have to talk to the furniture seller yourself. If the overseas Chinese you introduced make a purchase, you can ask for a few points as commission. Although buying furniture is not like traveling abroad every year, the unit price of furniture is high. , there may be more than one buyer, so you can take a long-term view. The middle point does not need to be too high, and of course it certainly cannot be too low. Remember to always think about the beauty of adulthood and the traditional virtues of effortlessness when talking about this. You need to know that you The commission also includes Sun Tao’s portion.”
"That's impossible!" Dong Qiangqiang categorically denied, "Even if I negotiate a commission, I won't give Sun Tao a penny."
"Ordinarily you are not a money fan." Lao Bai said curiously, "His relationship with you is much more important than that little money."
"Of course I'm not obsessed with money, and this is not about money, but I just can't give him a penny. If I give him money, the nature of this will change. Then it will be a bribe and a crime on my part. That would be tantamount to harming him. It hurt me.”
"You can give me something instead of money, you can just give me a card." Lao Bai hinted.
"No money, no stuff, no card." Dong Qiangqiang replied with his neck stiffened.
"If you want to do this," Lao Bai said with emotion when Dong Qiangqiang couldn't be persuaded, "it would be a one-time deal, isn't it a pity?"
"I really don't think it's a pity," Dong Qiangqiang said honestly, "I didn't expect him to introduce me, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't introduce it to me in the future. By the way, is everything going well for you? Can you come back in March?"
"It's hard to explain in words." Lao Bai sighed, "I'll go back in early March and look for you then. Are you still thinking about the trip in March? Don't worry, I won't miss you."
"So soon? I thought you wouldn't be able to come back until late March. It's a good thing you're back, but why are you always sighing? What's going on?"
"Lebai Germany has a lot to deal with, and I have to go back. I originally wanted to ask Lei Lanting to help me deal with it, but no one answered the phone of that guy. It was like he was missing. No one could contact him, so I After finishing the things at hand here, hurry back and leave the rest to Lele, she has to stay at BJ for a while."
"Lei Lanting is missing? Have you not contacted his family?" Dong Qiangqiang unconsciously remembered that after Lu Wei went to prison, her parents immediately called the police to find someone. Otherwise, he would not have known Sun Tao.
"I contacted him. His family said he made a phone call during the holidays, but they didn't say where he was. I think he is avoiding me on purpose. It doesn't matter. I don't have time to talk to him now."
"Old Bai, tell the truth. Are you worried that you won't be able to come back if you rush back?" Dong Qiangqiang asked bluntly.
“Before I came back, I thought the Germans were alarmist, but now there are fewer people and fewer cars on the road. There are obviously more people wearing masks on the streets than before the holidays. Places like shopping malls and amusement parks that should have a lot of traffic during the holidays are not very popular. , the situation seems to be much more serious than when I first came back. I now wear a mask when I go out, just in case." Lao Bai paused, "Yes, I do have the worries you mentioned."
This time it was Dong Qiangqiang's turn to sigh: "My mother said that my father was seriously ill, so I originally wanted to take some time to go back to China in the past few days, but the airports in Europe either went on strike and had no flights, or they resumed work but there were no flights to the country. In addition, my parents are also worried that I won’t be able to come out after I go back, so they prevent me from going back. I have already applied for a tourist visa to the United States, and if it doesn’t work, I will go back to my country.”
"Is the old man seriously ill? The last time I went to see them, your mother turned him away. Only Lele saw her and said she looked okay, but she was very thin."
Talking about his parents' health made Dong Qiangqiang feel helpless and sad. He tried to change the topic away: "By the way, can you do me a favor before you come back? Help me visit the factories of SAIC-Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen. Just look at it from the outside. , I would be even more grateful if you could take more photos. SAIC is in Shanghai and FAW is in Changchun. No matter you go by plane or train, I will reimburse you for the travel expenses. You don’t need to give me a ticket. Just tell me the ticket price and I will transfer it. Give it to you, or I can give you euros when you come back, it’s up to you.”
“It’s okay to go, but what should I shoot?”
Dong Qiangqiang actually didn't know what Lao Bai should take a picture of. He thought for a moment: "Look at the factory gate to see if there are many workers at work? Then see if you can take pictures of the warehouse where the cars are stored. Also, pay attention to BJ, there are you in Shanghai. In my hometown, are there many Volkswagen and its brand cars on the streets? By the way, you should also pay attention to the advertisements in commercial streets and newspapers."
"I remember, but why do you understand these?" Lao Bai asked while remembering.
"I think Volkswagen's domestic sales may have a blowout in 2003, far exceeding last year's sales."
"Are you sure?" Lao Bai questioned, "Under the current situation, I suspect that even if the factory can be opened, the production efficiency will be compromised."
“I’m not sure yet, so I’ll go check it out first.”
"I understand. I'll tell you when I get there later. If you remember anything, call me anytime. By the way, what are your and Duanmu's earnings in 2022? Is it convenient to disclose it?"
"Lao Bai, if it was my company, I would definitely tell you." Dong Qiangqiang said it tactfully, and Lao Bai understood immediately.
After Dong Qiangqiang finished speaking, he thought of something and changed the topic again: "You just said that Lele won't come back yet, so isn't she worried about not coming back? Even if she isn't worried, you two haven't even finished your honeymoon yet. Aren’t you annoyed by the separation?”
Lao Bai never told Dong Qiangqiang about the cancellation of their marriage. Dong Qiangqiang's joke left him speechless for a long time. Just when Dong Qiangqiang thought the phone was disconnected and started to "Hey, hey", Lao Bai slowly replied: "We... don't marry."
Dong Qiangqiang was stunned when he heard this, and several scenes flashed through his mind like a montage: Lei Lanting and him complained that Tong Lele complained to He Yuanjin that being single was actually better; Tong Lele and Lao Bai were arguing in the corner of the Christmas market; Tong Lele told him in the kitchen Hualing approached her, but she had no idea whether to get married or not; he advised Tong Lele not to force herself and get married in a hurry.
"Is the wedding postponed?" Dong Qiangqiang asked uncertainly, "Because of the current special circumstances, the wedding cannot be continued."
"It's either postponed or we won't get married. Although Lele didn't say anything, I can feel that she doesn't want to get married anymore."
Although he had known for a long time that there was a possibility that the two of them would not get married, Dong Qiangqiang felt very uncomfortable when he heard Lao Bai say the words "no more".
"I still have things to deal with. Let's go back and talk to you in person. If you need me to do something for your parents, please tell me at any time. My phone is on 24 hours a day." Lao Bai warned, "You were right about the commission. It's safe. First."
Dong Qiangqiang was still immersed in the shock that the two were not getting married. He didn't realize that Lao Bai had hung up the phone. It took him a long time before he heard the "beep" sound ringing in his ears.
He felt that he had not said or done anything wrong, but for some reason he felt guilty towards Lao Bai.
