Volume Two: The Path to Azure Clouds – 27. The Sales Battlefield (Part II)

My appointment as Deputy Director of the Sales Department was certainly not a promotion for the sake of promotion, but rather a mandate to lead a transformation of our sales operations. Such change is never easy; every shift in policy entails a realignment of interests, which inevitably triggers friction and conflict. History is filled with countless examples where large-scale changes, such as those at the national level, have even led to bloodshed. While corporate reform may not escalate to such extremes, conflicts remain unavoidable.

According to Director Shi’s vision, the first step in our sales reform—as I had originally suggested—was to revoke the agencies of our distributors and establish our own regional offices. This would significantly impact the distributors' interests and was bound to meet with resistance, making the management of these relationships our top priority.

After careful consideration and consultation with Ruan Changqing and Lin Xiaolong, we decided to make the Pengda Chemical Company in Jiyang Province our breakthrough point. Lin and I would personally travel to Jiyang to negotiate with them. It is said that Pengda Chemical has since been renamed Junqiang Chemical. The owner has changed as well; the original proprietor, Zhang Peng, has vanished, and the company is now headed by Li Qiang. The firm has transitioned from a state-owned enterprise to a private one. Zhang Peng had gone from being the head of a state-owned entity to a private boss, and now, as the banners on the city walls have changed once more, the ownership has shifted again to Li Qiang. Such is the fickle nature of the world—people change, circumstances shift, and the dizzying array of events leaves one full of reflection.

Once the factory affairs were in order, Lin Xiaolong and I set off. This time, however, we traveled by air instead of by train; my new status as a division-level cadre granted me the privilege of flying.

It had been eight years since Lin and I last traveled to Jiyang together. How times change and fortunes turn. Who could have imagined that when we stepped onto Jiyang soil again, our roles would be completely reversed? Throughout the journey, Lin took care of all the logistics—handling paperwork, arranging meals, and hailing taxis—while I comfortably played the role of the supervisor. Had I insisted on doing those chores myself, it would have seemed unnatural and made everyone awkward. I only drew the line when he offered to carry my suitcase; there must be a limit to these things, and letting him push my luggage would have been far too pretentious.

I specifically instructed Lin not to disclose our arrival time and, above all, not to let them send a car to pick us up. After landing in Tongyang, the city where Junqiang Chemical is located, we took a taxi directly to the city center. The changes in Tongyang over the years were striking; places we had once passed by train, which used to be nothing but farmland, were now crowded with high-rise buildings.

After checking into our hotel and resting for a while, Lin and I didn’t head straight to Junqiang Chemical. Instead, we visited the local Lianghekou Chemical Wholesale Market to look around.

After a tour, I formed a preliminary impression of the largest chemical wholesale market in Tongyang. While it hosted a vast array of chemical raw materials and numerous merchants, the scale of each business was small. They were mostly individual private traders, with almost no large manufacturers present, only a few scattered agents. I asked for Lin’s opinion, and his view was largely the same.

Back at the hotel after dinner, Lin asked if I wanted to arrange any evening activities. I was suddenly reminded of the "revolutionary work" he had arranged for us over eight years ago. I wondered what had become of that poor girl, but realized that regardless of her fate, there was nothing I could do. The world is full of pitiful people and helpless situations; they cannot be changed by the strength of one individual, but require the transformation of society as a whole.

Knowing that Lin’s idea of "activities" likely referred to the same sort of thing, I declined, simply saying, "We have important work tomorrow, so let’s get some rest early."

Lin fell asleep quickly, his snoring thunderous. He had initially insisted that I get a separate room, fearing his snoring would disturb me, but I felt that one should save where possible, so I insisted on sharing.

That night, I lay awake for a long time. It wasn't because of the snoring, but because I kept thinking about Li Qiang. What kind of man was he? When I met him last, he seemed remarkably low-key, showing great respect and obedience toward Zhang Peng. Zhang had even said he treated him like a brother. Yet, in just a few short years, Li had become the owner, and Zhang had disappeared. I had no way of knowing the story or the shifts that had occurred, but I knew Li Qiang was not as simple as he appeared. If negotiations hit a deadlock tomorrow, how would I maneuver or find a new opening? It was, indeed, a headache-inducing problem.