"Boy, you need to be more tight-lipped in the future and don't speak carelessly, or people will think you're unreliable."
"Which father wouldn't want their daughter to find a dependable man? Try to show your mature, steady, thoughtful, and considerate side more to Li Jing's father."
Chen Yang glanced at Lei Baoguo. This was all he could advise the guy. How far he could go would depend on himself.
"Boss, now that you say that, I think I understand a little."
"Jing Jing's dad just thinks I'm not very smart and worries that Jing Jing won't have a good life with me."
Lei Baoguo sighed, feeling a big headache coming on. Changing Li Jing's father's opinion wouldn't happen overnight.
"Then you can take some time to talk to him about our business and let him know what you're doing now."
"You can exaggerate your role a bit. Don't just stupidly say your main job is to protect our safety. Do you think that old man will value you then?"
"Being honest is good, but it depends on the occasion. You need to let people see your strengths. Your honesty and trustworthiness, and your willingness to go through fire and water for a friend, these are all your advantages."
Chen Yang looked at the honest and sincere man in front of him. It seemed that it wasn't just in later generations that honest people suffered; even in this era, honest people were at a disadvantage. After all, most honest people weren't good at talking.
Those who were glib and eloquent naturally pleased people. After all, who didn't like someone who spoke nicely and knew how to coax others? Everyone was busy and didn't have time to stop and understand someone's character and moral standing.
"Thank you, boss, for your guidance. I finally have some idea on how to convince my father-in-law."
Lei Baoguo gave a simple and honest smile. He was completely sincere towards Li Jing, otherwise, he wouldn't be racking his brains trying to please her relatives.
"As for the rest, you handle it. If you need any help, just let me know."
"By the way, how's the matter I asked you to handle coming along? Li Jing said you hadn't even spent a few days with her after you returned before you went to see your old comrades?"
After instructing Lei Baoguo on how to please his father-in-law, Chen Yang shifted his attention to the matter of finding bodyguards that he had previously asked Lei Baoguo about.
"When the boss assigns something, I will definitely seize the opportunity. Besides, I have my own selfish motives."
"Except for a small portion of my comrades whose families are in the city and were arranged jobs upon their return, most others have to go back to farming after their military service."
"The boss is offering a monthly salary of fifty yuan. Even many workers in state-owned enterprises don't earn this much. If my brothers can follow the boss, it would truly be their good fortune."
Lei Baoguo smiled honestly. He knew that with such a high salary offered by Chen Yang, they wouldn't be able to back down if there was real danger in the future.
However, in this era, this salary was already worth their risking their lives for these retired soldiers who would otherwise have to return to farming.
"You take their money, you help them overcome their troubles!"
As long as Chen Yang wasn't asking them to do anything against the law or their moral standards, they would even risk their lives to protect him.
"How are some of them in terms of combat skills? And roughly when can they come over?"
The incident with that lunatic last time had left Chen Yang with some lingering fear, especially with the dual transformations of the economy and society that began with the reform and opening up in the 1980s.
To make quick money, many people didn't shy away from taking risks. It was precisely because society was so chaotic that there wouldn't be several rounds of severe crackdowns later on.
"Boss, I have eight retired comrades. I think three of them have reliable character and are willing to work for you. The rest either already have jobs or are married with wives and children and don't want to take risks."
"The remaining three are not much different from me in terms of combat skills. Under normal circumstances, three to five people wouldn't be able to get close to them."
"In any case, I've made it clear to them. If there's real danger and anyone dares to run and abandon the boss, then I, Lei Baoguo, will never recognize them as my brother again."
Lei Baoguo patted his chest and guaranteed it. The bond with these comrades he served with was sometimes stronger than that with his own brothers. The fact that he could say this showed he was being serious.
He wouldn't introduce unreliable people to work for Chen Yang, as Chen Yang definitely needed reliable people this time, and it concerned his personal safety in the future.
"Alright, Baoguo, I trust you."
"After the fifteenth, have them come to Jinling. As for Weiyang, once the old man's condition improves, we should discuss expanding the scale of our business."
What Chen Yang cared about now wasn't just expanding the used radio business, but rather controlling the offline sales channels.
In the future, from the 1980s to the 1990s and even into the 21st century, until Lei Big Boss created Xiaomi and kicked off the price war of e-commerce, and before he mastered the art of "hunger marketing" to its extreme.
Offline channels were the absolute top priority for all domestic home appliance companies.
What Chen Yang could grasp now would be a marketing channel that could generate wealth continuously for decades to come.
After all, he knew the future direction of home appliances. Once he accumulated capital and technical personnel, and when the policy environment became more flexible, he could quickly set up a factory and launch several production lines. Then he could go after the huge pie of the home appliance market.
"Brother, I've been considering this matter all along. I was even planning to visit the leaders of the industry and commerce bureau in Jinling after the fifteenth."
"Li Jing said she has connections. However, I've been wanting to discuss this with you."
The scale of Jiangsu Province was much larger than that of Anhui Province, and its economic situation was not comparable to Anhui. This gap would only widen in the coming decades.
This piece of pie within reach, whether for Chen Yang or Zhang Weiyang, no one with a business mind could let it slip by.
"I've known Li Jing longer than you have, and I don't even know she has connections. I didn't expect you to find out."
Chen Yang glanced at Zhang Weiyang. He had looked disheveled when he first arrived, but he hadn't expected him to uncover such significant news.
"It wasn't that I asked. It was Er Di. Women, when they chat, talk about everything under the sun."
"It just so happened that while they were chatting, Er Di mentioned my troubles, and Li Jing said that in their compound, many of her childhood playmates, one of them's family is currently in the industry and commerce bureau."
"If it wasn't for my father being unable to leave, I would have asked Li Jing to arrange a meeting with them to get acquainted."
Although Zhang Weiyang hadn't experienced the domestic business environment of later generations, he had already reaped its benefits. He knew that doing business was inseparable from policy support.
Having someone speak up for you made doing business a completely different level of difficulty compared to just working hard on your own.
"Baoguo, this matter is up to you. After the fifteenth, have your Jing Jing arrange for the person to meet, and I'll host."
Chen Yang patted Lei Baoguo on the shoulder. This guy was lucky to have a girl from a good family who liked him.