Chapter 442: The Divine Drama Airs, Sales Explode; Spending Dollars, Rich Beyond Measure

Chapter 442: The Divine Drama Airs, Sales Explode; Spending Dollars, Rich Beyond Measure

New Year's Eve.

After paying respects to Ah Zu Gong, Deng Shirong, as usual, prepared a grand feast.

Before they started eating, Dongzi, who had already gotten used to the "year-end summary," mimicked his grandfather’s tone and said, "Dad, tell us about your development this year!"

“Pfft...”

Dongzi’s serious demeanor made everyone burst out laughing.

Sitting next to him, Deng Yunhua reached out to pat his little head, smiling, “Dongzi, you really are the apple of our eye.”

Deng Shirong also laughed heartily and said, “Since our Dongzi has spoken, let’s start the year-end summary!”

Deng YunTai, who was also amused by his son’s antics, saw that his father had started and said with enthusiasm, “This year, after a year of hard work, we have finally achieved the goals set last year. Yongjia Chain Supermarkets now number 50, and this year’s net profit has reached 36 million.

We expect that even without adding more supermarkets next year, with the current number, the profit will exceed 50 million. We are truly entering a period of rapid growth.

Next year’s goal is to increase the number of chain supermarkets to 100, focusing primarily on the Guangdong market. Guangdong is developing at an incredible pace and is currently the fastest-growing province in the country, with a rapidly increasing migrant worker population and enormous consumption potential.

Cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Dongguan are particularly worth developing.

Once we have supermarkets throughout Guangdong, we will expand into neighboring provinces. In short, we have a well-thought-out development plan, and all we need to do now is follow it step by step.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised by the speed of the supermarket chain’s growth. Pei Qinghua, who had only recently married into the Deng family, was truly shocked.

Yesterday, she was already amazed to learn that her father-in-law could receive a dividend of 4 million from the clan each year. Now, she was even more astonished to learn that her brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s business had such a huge profit of 36 million, and according to her brother-in-law, next year’s business would expand rapidly, with potential profits doubling. This was simply unbelievable.

Doesn’t this mean that in just two years, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law will become billionaires? Even by national standards, billionaires in this era are among the wealthiest.

Deng Shirong was very satisfied when he heard this. When he initially advised his eldest son to run the chain supermarkets, he didn’t expect the business to grow into a national chain. He only hoped it would become a provincial giant, which would already be very impressive.

Now, with foreign supermarket giants not yet entering the domestic market, his eldest son’s chain supermarkets had already expanded rapidly from Guangxi to the national market. At this rate, becoming a national supermarket giant was just a matter of time.

This far exceeded his expectations, and Deng Shirong was naturally very pleased.

“Very well done.”

Deng Shirong praised him and then looked at his second son, “YunHeng, give us your summary.”

Deng YunHeng smiled, “I don’t have much to say. Work is going smoothly, and there’s a possibility I might be transferred to Fuzhou next year.”

Deng Shirong’s eyes lit up, “What position will you be transferred to?”

Deng YunSong and Pei Qinghua also perked up, looking at their second brother.

Deng YunHeng said calmly, “If everything goes as planned, I will likely be appointed as a full-time deputy secretary.”

“Wonderful!”

Deng Shirong’s eyes almost squinted with joy.

Although his second son was already one of the elders, he ranked relatively low among them. However, once he took on this new position, his ranking among the elders would change significantly, jumping from the bottom to third place, making him the top deputy.

This was a tremendous advancement, laying the groundwork for further promotion.

“Congratulations, Second Brother.”

Deng YunSong and Pei Qinghua, both working in the system, understood the significance of these positions and were quick to offer their congratulations.

Seeing that his sister-in-law and other brothers were about to congratulate him, Deng YunHeng quickly interrupted, “Don’t be in a rush to congratulate me. The matter isn’t finalized yet. Let’s wait until it’s official.”

Deng YunTai smiled, “Alright, we’ll wait for your good news.”

Deng Shirong then looked at his third son, “Xiao Song, give us your summary.”

Deng YunSong looked at Pei Qinghua beside him and smiled, “Speaking of which, I’ve had a good year. I’ve been promoted to deputy section chief, I got married, and I have a child. It’s been a year of double harvest in both family and career.”

Deng YunHua, without waiting to be asked, added, “I’m still the same as last year, so I won’t say much more.”

Deng YunHeng echoed, “I’m just a student, so I don’t have much to say.”

Deng Shirong raised his glass, “May you all have promotions, wealth, and smooth sailing in your studies in the new year.”

The sons and daughters-in-law also raised their glasses, “Dad, may you have good health and everything go smoothly in the new year.”

...

The second day of the New Year.

Deng YunZhen and Deng YunZhu, along with their husbands and children, also returned to their parents’ home to visit relatives.

Because it was rare for the whole family to gather, Zhang Xiuping didn’t rush back to her parents’ home but stayed to accompany her sisters.

On that day, Deng Yunzhu, who loved photography, took many photos, including a family portrait.

The joy of family gatherings is always short-lived. On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Zhang Xiuping, along with her husband and children, returned to her parents' home to visit relatives. Deng Yunzhen and Deng Yunzhu, along with their husbands and children, also returned to their homes.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Deng Yunheng's family, together with Deng Dimei, headed to Fujian. Deng Yunsong and his wife also traveled with Deng Changfu and his wife to Beijing.

The once bustling home suddenly became quiet.

Soon, it was the tenth day of the first lunar month, the day when the divine drama "The Legend of the White Snake" made its debut on mainland China. The clan members knew that their Liquean Beer would be advertised during this TV series. After dinner, they all turned on their TVs and tuned to the central channel to watch the beer ad.

At exactly 8 PM, "The Legend of the White Snake" officially aired.

It must be said that in this era, where entertainment was still quite scarce, "The Legend of the White Snake" had an irresistible appeal. Once people started watching, they couldn't look away.

Especially when Bai Suzhen appeared, her appearance was truly breathtaking.

Perhaps in the future, such a look might not be considered extraordinary or stunning, but this was the early 1990s. Zhao Ya-Zhi's portrayal of Bai Suzhen was iconic. From octogenarians to young children, nearly everyone was captivated by her ethereal beauty.

Her every smile and frown captivated countless men.

What was truly astonishing was that Zhao Yazhi was already 38 years old when she portrayed Bai Suzhen.

To be honest, when people watched this drama back then, how many could guess that she was nearly forty and a mother of three?

The clan members originally came to watch the ad, but they found the drama so captivating that they were completely engrossed.

Fortunately, ads in this era never disappointed. Just as the plot reached its most exciting part, the ad finally came on.

This time, Liquean Beer's ad slogan was very simple: "For beer, drink Liquean Beer, Bai Suzhen herself approves."

As the largest advertiser for this TV series, Liquean Beer naturally received the best ad treatment, with six ads during the two episodes. This instantly made Liquean Beer, which was only well-known in Guangxi, famous across the country.

Considering that the series had a total of 50 episodes, and each episode would follow this ad schedule, it was almost impossible for Liquean Beer not to become a hit. After all, a 91% viewership rate was no joke.

As expected, on the second day of "The Legend of the White Snake" airing, Liquean Beer entered a sales frenzy across the country. As the series' viewership and influence continued to grow, so did Liquean Beer's sales.

Soon, Liquean Beer was selling like hotcakes nationwide.

Originally, merchants across the country agreed to sell this unknown Liquean Beer largely because the brewery promised that unsold beer could be returned at any time. Additionally, the brewery informed them that Liquean Beer would be advertised on CCTV.

Given this, the merchants were willing to try a batch to see if they could sell it.

Some merchants, who believed that the CCTV ad would be effective, ordered more stock, hoping to make a profit.

Others were more cautious, ordering a small batch to test the waters and planning to increase their orders once the beer became popular.

However, whether they were confident or skeptical about Liquean Beer, no one expected the ad to be so effective that sales would explode.

Those who had ordered only a small amount quickly ran out of stock.

Even those who had ordered a large amount saw their stock rapidly deplete.

Seeing this, the merchants were both surprised and delighted. They all picked up their phones to order more, a lot more.

Deng Shirong was well aware of the power of advertising and knew that sales would surge once the ads aired. Therefore, the brewery's acquisitions never stopped. After acquiring Zhujiang Beer, they also acquired Jinling Beer, Lianjian Beer, Shuanglu Beer, and Basha Beer over the next two months.

The speed of these acquisitions was also carefully considered. If the goal was to get the best price, negotiations could drag on for a long time. However, with generous offers, acquisitions became much easier.

Deng Shirong's only requirement was to build a super-large brewery with factories spread across the country as quickly as possible.

After all, the transportation cost of beer is quite high. Since the Deng family brewery aimed for the national market, they needed to have breweries in most provinces to reduce transportation costs and maximize profits.

And the current progress is clearly very good. The wealthy Deng Group is willing to spend money, and few of these beer brands can resist being acquired.

The main reason the Deng Group is acquiring these breweries is not to consider their fame but to obtain the premises, equipment, workers, and brewing masters. As for the beer brands, they can be ignored.

In short, this is to save time. Otherwise, setting up breweries step by step in various regions would be too slow.

Originally, only the Liquean Brewery and Zhujiang Brewery existed. After the explosive sales of Liquean Beer, it was very difficult to supply the entire national market. However, with the acquisition of breweries across the country, after a bit of integration, production could start, greatly alleviating the supply pressure on Liquean Beer.

By the time all 50 episodes of "The Legend of the White Snake" had aired, Liquean Beer had become the top-selling beer in the country.

The next step was to continue acquiring beer brands in various provinces, establish more branch breweries, and strive to maintain the current sales. As long as sales did not decline, in about a year and a half, the name Liquean Beer would truly be known nationwide.

As the Deng Group's beer business rapidly developed, the domestic economy began to show signs of overheating, with fixed asset investment increasing by nearly a hundred percent year-on-year, and inflation exceeding double digits.

Affected by the macroeconomic environment, the exchange rate in the foreign exchange adjustment market fluctuated significantly, with the US dollar changing price daily, sometimes multiple times a day, especially in the black market, where the price of US dollars soared, rising from 1 USD to 8 RMB to over 1 USD to 10 RMB.

In the capital, the private exchange rate was slightly lower, around 1 USD to 10 RMB, but there was little demand.

In the southeastern coastal special economic zones, a small amount of foreign currency could be bought on the black market at a price of 1 USD to 11 RMB. Overseas reports indicated that the black market exchange rate in mainland China would soon reach 1 USD to 13 RMB or more.

Suddenly, US dollars became highly sought after, and they were bought and sold without scruples.

Deng Shirong, who had obtained over ten million US dollars from his old comrade, naturally kept a close eye on this information. Seeing that the black market price of US dollars had soared to his ideal level, he no longer held back and began selling his US dollars in batches in the southeastern coastal regions.

It took three months for Deng Shirong to finally sell all his US dollars, at an average price of 1 USD to 12 RMB.

Instantly, Deng Shirong made a profit of 136 million RMB. Adding this to his existing cash, his total cash holdings reached 1.5 billion RMB, making him extremely wealthy.

Meanwhile, his second son’s position was smoothly adjusted. He left Fuzhou, where he had worked for several years, and moved to Fuzhou to work as a full-time deputy secretary.

Upon receiving the news, Deng Shirong was delighted and drank an extra half bowl of wine. This step not only meant a rise in his rank among the elders but also indicated that his second son was truly working alongside leaders, which implied a bright future.

Previously, Deng Shirong kept one or two million RMB in cash for convenience, but now, keeping 1.5 billion RMB was the biggest waste, as the value of this money would continuously depreciate over time.

Therefore, after exchanging all his US dollars for RMB, Deng Shirong began purchasing land in major cities in Guangdong and Guangxi, focusing on areas near universities and high schools.

The purpose was simple: to prepare for the upcoming internet cafes.

The primary customer base for these internet cafes would be college and high school students.

The focus on the two provinces was for easier management.

In the heyday of internet cafes, the profits were unimaginably high. The early pioneers in the internet cafe business all made substantial profits, often described as counting money until their hands cramped.

Deng Shirong planned to purchase the land first, and when the internet cafe era arrived, he would build simple one- or two-story buildings to open internet cafes. This way, he could experience the joy of counting money until his hands cramped, as the internet cafe owners did in his previous life.

Additionally, the land would appreciate in value, and once the internet cafes were established, he could sell them for a huge profit, generating income from multiple sources.

Moreover, opening so many internet cafes would require a large number of computers, measured in the tens of thousands. This money should not go to others. At that time, he could have his fourth son enter the computer assembly business. With so many internet cafe orders, even a novice could make a profit.

Deng Shirong was deeply concerned about his fourth son's development.

After all, his eldest son's annual net profit was already 36 million RMB, while his fourth son, managing an appliance market, only made a few hundred thousand RMB a year, a significant disparity.

Even if he handed over the Nanning snack street to his fourth son, it would not bridge this gap.

However, computer assembly in the late 1990s to the early 2000s was extremely profitable. If he sent his fourth son to Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei to open a store and hire more computer assemblers, with so many internet cafe orders, his fourth son's business would definitely boom.

As for his second, third, and youngest sons, Deng Shirong would also prepare a family business for each of them in the future. He didn’t aim for perfect fairness, but he would ensure that the economic gap between his five sons wouldn’t be too large before he left this world.

The internet cafes were not only popular in big cities but also in small counties. Therefore, when Deng Shirong purchased land, he didn’t limit himself to big cities. He also bought land in well-located counties, spending over 130 million RMB before stopping.

The remaining 20 million RMB, Deng Shirong kept as a reserve for unexpected needs.

By the time he finished these tasks, it was already the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and his third daughter-in-law’s due date was only about half a month away.

...

Beijing.

In a four-courtyard house.

Deng YunSong, while walking with his wife, asked, "Wife, have you really decided to stay in Beijing to give birth?"

Pei Qinghua sighed and said, "I also want to go back to Nanning to give birth. The weather is getting hotter, and our house in Nanning has central air conditioning, which would be much more comfortable for my postpartum period. Unfortunately, my due date is only half a month away, and it’s not suitable to fly. Taking the train would take several days and nights, which would be too exhausting.

So, I can only stay in Beijing to give birth."

Deng YunSong nodded, "Staying in Beijing is also good. If you went back to Nanning to give birth, I would have to work and couldn’t accompany you, which would be a regret. But staying in Beijing means I can be with you after work."

Pei Qinghua said, "It’s just that it will be a bother for Dad to come to Beijing, and I feel a bit embarrassed."

Deng YunSong smiled, "We’re all family, there’s nothing to feel embarrassed about."

...

Naye Village.

Ah Zhang Qi, watching her second daughter eating a zongzi, instructed, "Second Daughter, you know that Ah Zu Gong is a great benefactor to our family. When you go to Beijing with Ah Zu Gong, you must behave well and take good care of Third Aunt and the child, understand?"

Deng Ermei swallowed the fragrant zongzi and said expectantly, "Mom, I understand. Don’t worry, I will behave well."

Deng Changchun couldn’t help but remind her, "Second Daughter, your Third Uncle and Third Aunt are officials in Beijing, and the people they usually interact with are also officials. If you don’t understand something, ask, and don’t cause any trouble for your Third Uncle and Third Aunt, understand?"

Deng Ermei nodded, "I understand. I will observe more and talk less."

Ah Zhang Qi, out of concern for her daughter, continued, "When you get to Beijing, spend money when you need to, don’t be too frugal. The family isn’t short of money now, and you can keep your salary for yourself."

Deng Ermei said, "Yes, I will spend when necessary."

...

The next day, Deng Shirong set off for Beijing with Deng Ermei. The clan members, seeing this, all sighed with emotion.

"Ah Zhang Qi really hit the jackpot!"

"Yes, when she had five daughters in a row, her mother-in-law despised her so much. Who would have thought she would have such a day!"

"Her eldest daughter has been helping Uncle YunHeng take care of his children. With this bond, the future for Deng Dimei will definitely be bright."

"Of course, whether it’s Ah Zu Gong or Uncle YunHeng, a little help from them will be enough for Deng Dimei to benefit immensely."

"Now that Deng Ermei has been chosen by Ah Zu Gong to help Uncle YunSong take care of his child in Beijing, her future is also boundless!"

"..."

In the present Naye Deng family, although the preference for sons over daughters still existed, it was not as deeply rooted as before due to Deng Shirong’s influence. People who had daughters no longer felt as inferior as they used to.

Now, Ah Zhang Qi was already envied by many clan members.

...

Nanning.

Wuyue Square.

It’s worth mentioning that the current Wuyue Square already had elevators installed.

Deng Shirong and Deng Ermei took a dedicated elevator to the fifth floor of the luxurious apartment. The beautifully decorated apartment left Deng Ermei in awe, even though she had already heard about it from her sister. Hearing about it and seeing it in person were two very different experiences.

After staying in Nanning for a night, Deng Shirong took Deng Ermei on a flight to Beijing the next day.

This was her first time flying, and it was a real eye-opener. The view from above the clouds could only be seen from an airplane.

Starting this year, the state had completely abolished the requirement of a letter of introduction to purchase plane tickets and train sleeper tickets. Passengers could buy tickets as long as they had the money.

However, even though the requirement for a letter of introduction was gone, the number of people who could afford to buy plane tickets was still limited.

After all, a plane ticket could cost several hundred RMB, which was not affordable for ordinary people in this era unless they were wealthy or could get reimbursed by their employer.

...

PS: Seeing all the familiar IDs casting their votes, I’m truly grateful ^_^

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end