Chapter 348: Visiting 2.0

Only a limited number of people in Xiangjiang knew of Zhang Ping'an's status as a shareholder, and later it was transferred to his three newborn children, so even if they wanted to investigate, there was nowhere to look.

"Is that old Lao Jia, Master Jia?"

Li Huaide had spent the longest time with Zhang Ping'an and was most familiar with Zhang Ping'an's relatives and friends; moreover, Lao Jia was one of the few Level 8 Workers in the factory, so he naturally had an impression of him.

"That's right, Li Ge."

Zhang Ping'an did not say any more about Jia Youwei's identity, only letting them know that this connection existed.

"Regarding the matter in a few days, Xu Ge, as long as our Mechanical Factory has sufficient strength, the chances of securing the subcontracting are quite high, and I have already spoken to San Jie Fu; we will try our best to choose within Sijiucheng."

"Even if Longteng expands its business later, we will still be able to secure the lion's share of the foreign exchange for these few years."

"Mm, hahaha, thank you, Ping'an."

Xu Baisheng had the confidence to be number one in Sijiucheng, but looking at the whole country, it was hard to say; as long as they started in Sijiucheng, then their success was certain.

"Eh~ Xu Ge, you're being too formal; we have a friendship of ten or twenty years here, if we can lend a hand, we shouldn't let outsiders benefit."

"Hahaha, good, come, Ping'an, let's have a drink."

"Come, let's drink."

In the end, both sides drank quite a bit; except for Zhang Ping'an and Xu Laoye, everyone else got drunk.

"Ping'an, your alcohol tolerance is incredible."

"Hahaha, Xu Shu, I practiced it little by little too."

"Oh, Xu Shu, let me say one more thing: people over in Xiangjiang are more pragmatic in their work and might not understand the twists and turns we have here in the country, so it's best to be direct when negotiating terms with them."

"Mm, I understand what you said; I will have Baisheng pay attention."

"Mm, then Xu Shu, I'll head back first."

"Good, you've also had quite a bit to drink, go slowly on the road."

"Done."

Two days later, the Longteng Automobile delegation arrived in Sijiucheng low-key, and after resting for a day, they were invited to visit the Mechanical Factory; Jia Youwei was among them.

The Sijiucheng Machinery Factory covered a large area and had many people and many master craftsmen, but the machinery and equipment were a bit hard to describe; fortunately, before coming, Jia Youwei had prepared the production lines in advance, and they could be shipped directly once both sides reached an agreement.

"You all negotiate; the workshop must be reorganized according to 5S standards, and it would be best to build a new workshop, otherwise it will affect the later assembly."

"Also, we are members of the Zhonghua family, and the Factory Director here is an acquaintance, so keep the degree of pressure in mind; I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood, General Manager Jia."

Longteng Automobile also had three standards for external negotiations: earn, earn a lot, and earn to death; since Jia Youwei said so, it was based on the initial standard.

On the Rolling Mill side, Li Huaide thought for two nights and still decided to build an automobile city; the temptation of being the first in the country was simply too great.

But the money he had on hand was not enough to support him in doing so, and in the end, he set his sights on Zhang Ping'an.

"Ahem, Ping'an, your proposal for an automobile city is very good, but the investment is too large; how about we partner up?"

When Zhang Ping'an originally proposed the automobile city, it was to give Li Huaide a hand, after all, Li Huaide had taken good care of him at the Rolling Mill.

"Li Ge, I can invest the money, but you have to handle the management."

"Hahaha, that's no problem, but I'm afraid the money from both our families won't be enough; Ping'an, I won't hide it from you, my wife and I only have a little over ninety thousand in savings." Li Huaide was eager to manage it himself.

"Li Ge, I've saved about the same as you; how about we pull in a few more people to join? That should be enough."

"Forget it, let's each take on some debt, and we'll split the shares fifty-fifty."

Li Huaide frowned and thought about it, then decided to borrow some from his brother-in-law and a few comrades-in-arms.

Li Huaide knew deeply that the more people involved, the more troublesome the management would be, and there would be more social obligations; it was better to just have him and Zhang Ping'an.

"Fine, but Li Ge, since you are responsible for management, we must have a primary and secondary; let's make it 59 percent for you and 41 percent for me."

"No, no, no, how about this: 51 percent for me and 49 percent for you; you just worry about investing the money and occasionally give me some ideas, and leave the rest to me."

"Hahaha, Li Ge, then let's compromise: 55 percent for you and 45 percent for me, otherwise I won't feel at ease being a hands-off Shopkeeper."

"Haha, you kid, done, that's it then."

Building this automobile city would require an investment of at least one million; the construction costs were the minor part, the main thing was that it cost a lot of money to get the cars later.

"Li Ge, take a look, this is the sketch of the automobile city I drew."

"You kid was prepared early on; hiss~ Ping'an, this... is a bit too luxurious, isn't it?" Li Huaide felt that if he had to follow this standard, he would have to find a few more comrades-in-arms for support.

This was what Zhang Ping'an drew based on his impressions of a 4S Dian from his previous life; this time he not only outlined the contours but also added color.

A three-story design, with large floor-to-ceiling windows on two levels; the first floor was for the showroom and after-sales maintenance services, the second floor had VIP rooms and a canteen, and the third floor was for offices and accommodation.

"Ahem, it doesn't need to be that luxurious in the beginning; we'll take it step by step, and the third floor is optional."

"Mm... then without delay, I heard from my brother-in-law that they seem to be rebuilding the factory buildings and then installing production lines, so we have to be quick too."

"Fine."

There was no regulation yet that civil servants could not engage in business, so even if Li Huaide went to register a company now, it would not be considered a violation.

The next day, Li Huaide had six hundred thousand ready: two hundred thousand from his brother-in-law and father-in-law, one hundred thousand from Li Baoguo, one hundred thousand from Nie Haiquan, and one hundred thousand from Yang Zhiguo.

That Li Huaide and Deputy Factory Director Yang borrowed money was something Zhang Ping'an hadn't expected, but thinking that the two had been working together for ten or twenty years, it was normal for them to have a friendship.

Just in case, Zhang Ping'an also brought six hundred thousand, which was a coincidence.

"Ping'an, where do you think it's appropriate to build our automobile city?"

"Dongcheng, the commercial atmosphere there is strong."

"Mm... then Dongcheng District."

Li Huaide was very fast; in less than half a month, he secured a plot of land of about five mu and quickly began planning, while also finishing the company registration at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau; even Zhang Ping'an admired his efficiency.

"I have to be fast; the Mechanical Factory's buildings are already more than half built, and in another half month, the production lines will arrive one after another; it's a race against time."

Every time Li Huaide thought about the cars coming out of the factory being sold in his automobile city, he would have a price difference income, and later there would be maintenance and upkeep, etc.; just thinking about it made him a little excited.

In Yantai City, Guying Commune, a pair of young man and woman were riding bicycles, strolling along a tree-lined path.

"Jun Ge, my father wants to see you."

Ever since Zhang Weijun returned to Yantai, he would drop off Tongwei at school every day, and Tongwei would return home by himself after school, then he would go on dates with Liu Shujun when she finished her classes.

Liu Haiyang knew the two had established a relationship the moment his daughter returned home, and especially upon learning that he had played a part in it, he wished he could turn back time.

Drinking culture plays a very important role in the business world of our country, and Liu Haiyang naturally could not avoid it; it was that day when they got Zhang Weijun and his group drunk that led to the series of events that followed.

"Alright, tell me about the preferences of Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, I'll prepare some gifts."

"My dad likes drinking tea, and my mom likes knitting sweaters."

"Uh..."