Chapter 411: The Troublesome Old Distillery

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an went to visit his relative by marriage, Liu Haiyang, again.

"Little brother, how do you have time to pass through Yantai?"

"Haha, elder brother, I just came over to take a look at the food production park. Since I've arrived on your turf, I had to come and pay a visit."

"Haha, you've come at a good time. Let's have a little drink at noon."

"Sure, I even brought two bottles of old liquor."

"Sigh, as soon as you mention old liquor, I think of our local Old Cellar Pool."

"Right, last time you didn't say the specific reason. Let's have a good chat at noon; I've been wanting to enter the white liquor industry for a while now."

"Oh? Little brother, do you mean you want to contract the Old Cellar Pool?"

"Hahaha, if it's possible, it would save me from running to other places." Zhang Ping'an did not hide his thoughts.

Since last year, there have already been private individuals contracting state-run factories, so Zhang Ping'an bringing it up now is not abrupt.

Liu Haiyang pondered for a while; he truly did not want this distillery to collapse just like that, but he was also afraid of letting Zhang Ping'an suffer a loss.

"Little brother, if your schedule isn't urgent, wait two days. I will bring this matter up at the meeting."

"Sure, I'm not in a hurry."

"Actually, ever since the chaos in the white liquor industry, this distillery has been in a slump. It doesn't sell much in a year."

"It's all being supported by the city. When the units distribute benefits, they all choose this, but it still fails to make ends meet and has always been subsidized by the city."

"I have the heart to reform it and hope the distillery can get better. In these two days, I will get the distillery's data for you to look at. If you really want to contract it, you might have to shoulder quite a bit of debt."

"As long as the Old Cellar Pool hasn't been damaged, everything else can be discussed."

"Hahaha, little brother, your courage is absolute. Then let me end my last stint here with this distillery."

"Oh? Elder brother, are you confirmed to be transferred?"

"Haha, that's right."

"Is it Lincheng, Lvzhou, or Jingzhou?"

"Jingzhou? You really dare to think. It's Lvzhou."

Zhang Ping'an nodded; it was about what he expected. Being the Jingzhou Municipal Party Secretary was naturally impossible, as that would be skipping two levels.

Liu Haiyang was initially the Executive Vice Mayor, then Mayor, and now he will be the Lvzhou Municipal Party Secretary. He has advanced two steps, which is due to his own ability, the investment from Zhang Ping'an's side, and, more importantly, his family background.

"Lvzhou is also very good. There are many lakes there, and Yueya Lake is quite famous."

"Oh? Little brother has been there too?"

"Not really, but I should go take a look when I have time."

At noon, the two ate, drank, and chatted. Zhang Ping'an did not know the contracting process, but he stated his own ideas.

"Elder brother, if I can really contract it, I will definitely keep the Master Workers of the distillery, provided they aren't the type to slack off or cheat."

"Regarding the current situation of the distillery, I personally feel that the sales and management teams are not very good. I might fire many people, but of course, their wage compensation will not be a cent less."

"Hmm, I am also worried about this. The distillery's Factory Director, Guo Zhipeng, is a slick person, but unfortunately, his mind isn't used for management and operations."

"He also has a small background; he is the brother-in-law of Zhou Jianshe from the Industrial Bureau."

"Oh? Then I understand a bit. Elder brother, there might be quite a few sordid things going on here."

"Sigh, everyone knows a little bit in their hearts, but unfortunately, we can never catch them in the act. They are all local old foxes. Little brother, under these circumstances, do you still want to contract it?"

"I'll contract it. I'm not afraid of these things. Elder brother, as long as you can handle the official channels, leave the rest to me."

"Fine."

After the two reached an agreement, they drank another half bottle. Zhang Ping'an then got up to take his leave, returned to the breeding farm, and started calling for people.

"Dahu, bring a team of security personnel. I'm at the Yantai breeding farm."

"Understood, Master."

Just from the conversation with Liu Haiyang, Zhang Ping'an discovered that the water in Yantai is very deep.

He is now the Mayor; logically speaking, investigating a mere state-run factory should be easy, yet he cannot catch them in the act. This is interesting.

Liu Haiyang also parachuted into Yantai. It seems that because he has never colluded with the local forces, he has been constrained at every turn. If not for the Oriental Group coming to invest, he would likely have had to endure a few more years of seniority.

If Zhang Ping'an wants to successfully take over this distillery, he must clear out this string of people; otherwise, even if he successfully contracts it, there will be troublesome matters later.

It is a pity that he does not know of other Old Cellar Pools, otherwise he wouldn't have to get involved in this.

As for the other famous old distilleries in Sijiucheng, Zhang Ping'an is not qualified to get involved, and the water there is even deeper.

Yantai's one is considered to have no fame, but it is one of the few Old Cellar Pools from the previous dynasty, which is why Zhang Ping'an wants to take it down.

The next evening, three small, beat-up vans stopped at the entrance of the breeding farm.

"Rest for the night. This is the information on Guo Zhipeng and Zhou Jianshe. Starting tomorrow, you will monitor them in twenty-four-hour shifts."

This was the information provided by Liu Haiyang. He has also felt stifled these years. Since Zhang Ping'an wanted it, he gave it without a second word, also wanting to use Zhang Ping'an as an external force to vent his anger.

"Yes, General Manager Zhang."

On Monday, Zhang Ping'an received a call from Liu Haiyang, but his mood was clearly not very good.

"Little brother, there is some progress on the matter, but the result is not very good. Are you still at the Reception House? Let's meet and talk in detail."

"I'm at Qi Family Village; I can be there in a while."

"Good."

Twenty minutes later, in a private room at the Reception House, the two sat opposite each other.

"Little brother, I didn't expect Squad Leader Tian to speak up today. His words implied he was unwilling to proceed with the contract, saying it would cause a loss of state assets, unless one is willing to assume all debts and the issue of worker layoffs and resettlement."

"This is simply nonsense. These years, the distillery has been riddled with debt. The money spent on subsidies is enough to build a new distillery."

"And this worker resettlement issue goes against your wishes, little brother. Little brother, why don't we just forget it?"

Liu Haiyang was a bit slow to realize. He has been suppressed in Yantai all these years and never expected it would be this "good old man," Squad Leader Tian Dadong.

"Elder brother, how much longer until you are transferred?"

"Half a year."

"Fine, it's a deal. I'm determined to take this distillery, but I'll need you to mediate and stall for time, brother; I need to look into some things."

"Fine."

Liu Haiyang thought of the Zhong family behind Zhang Ping'an; weren't they in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection? It was just right for this aspect.

For the next half month, Zhang Ping'an stayed in Qi Family Village; security had already investigated some things, but they were all still superficial.

Zhang Ping'an didn't want to wait anymore; at midnight, he slipped directly into the old house of Guo Zhipeng's family. Only his parents lived here, but he would return twice every week.

As soon as Zhang Ping'an activated his spatial scan, he was startled; the money in this three-meter-deep cellar was so plentiful it had gone moldy, and there were many old "Big Black Tens" among them. Just how much had this guy embezzled?

Zhang Ping'an didn't count it in detail, but after a rough look, there had to be three or four million in Big Black Tens alone, and there were no fewer of the current hundred-yuan bills.

Looking again at this dilapidated old house of his, and the old unit building where Guo Zhipeng currently lived, he was incredibly frugal and rarely spent money lavishly. It was hard to understand why he would embezzle so much money only to let it sit there and go moldy without spending it; could he have some sort of perverse hobby?

The money inside was divided into three portions, and there were also large black notebooks used for bookkeeping, with every single transaction recorded clearly.

Zhang Ping'an took a look and, good heavens, it turned out the money here didn't all belong to him; his brother-in-law and several directors from the Industrial Bureau also had a share.