The Panshi City No. 1 Printing Factory is not like the Three Treasures Winery, which was just an empty shell. The machinery alone is worth so much more. Workshops, factory buildings, office buildings, cars, everything is available; this is a large enterprise. In my previous life, the No. 1 Printing Factory was later restructured and rejuvenated. Without the bloodsuckers, the No. 1 Printing Factory developed extremely rapidly. You must know that with so many schools in Panshi City, the printing of various test papers and materials alone could maintain the operation of the factory. In addition, it later printed wall calendars, desk calendars, couplets, and promotional brochures for various enterprises. Moreover, as the only printing factory in Panshi City, it was extremely lucrative and a major source of tax revenue for Panshi City.
Although Liu Jian didn't think there was anything great about the First Printing Factory, he wasn't so arrogant as to think he could acquire it; it wouldn't be a case of a snake swallowing an elephant, but an ant swallowing an elephant.
One could imagine that acquiring the Sanbao Distillery and restoring production would require a total investment of over one million yuan. If he were to acquire the First Printing Factory, the acquisition money alone would be two to three times that amount. Adding in the cost of restoring production, he shouldn't even think about it without four million yuan. Where would the Liu family get so much money?
Liu Jian had a general understanding of his family's situation. The savings of these past years, at most, were less than two million yuan. Now, more than one million yuan is about to be spent. Buying an Audi would cost another one million five hundred thousand, and he would need to keep some money on hand for emergencies. Right now, even selling everything they own wouldn't be enough to raise the money.
The father and son were sitting in "Yu Ji Tea Restaurant," looking at each other, really staring blankly.
"Dad, what did you say when Mayor Yu asked you?" Liu Jian asked after thinking for a moment, hoping there was a way to refuse.
Liu Fu smiled wryly and said, "I told Mayor Yu that we're a bit tight on funds right now. Sanbao Winery is about to resume production, and we've already invested all the money in purchasing materials, repairing machinery, and paying workers' wages. Plus, we're about to buy a new car, so we really don't have the ability to help right now."
Hearing what was said earlier, Liu Jian didn't pay much attention, but when he heard the last two sentences, Liu Jian was dumbfounded. Wasn't this clearly telling people that you still had money? And buying a car? If the mayor hears this, if you don't acquire it, he'll think you're not giving him face.
"Dad, why did you say that? Saying you're going to buy a car, how will he believe you don't have money?" Liu Jian complained somewhat.
Liu Fu also shook his head and said, "I was also frightened by what he said, and I didn't know what I was thinking. At the time, I was just thinking of saying I had no money and pushing the matter away. But who knew that saying that would make Mayor Yu say even more that being able to buy a new car shows that Boss Liu has strength, and since he has already gotten rich first, he should help the government solve some difficulties. In the end, I don't even know how I got out of there."
Liu Jian looked at Liu Fu's bitter face and didn't know what to say. No wonder people say to keep a low profile and not flaunt wealth. They were targeted as soon as they showed a little bit of promise. Although it wasn't a bad thing, the scale of production depends on the courage you have.
He certainly didn't have that kind of courage right now. He had already been terrified when he bought the Sanbao Winery at a bargain price a while ago, fearing someone would come after him later. Now it was happening again. Was he going to buy it for a bargain price again this time? The problem was that even if he bought it for a bargain price, the family didn't even have the money to buy cabbages.
Liu Jian was also worried. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he said, "Dad, I've thought about it, and it's not like there's no solution."
Liu Fu perked up and asked, "Son, tell me quickly, how can we get out of this?"
Liu Jian shook his head and said, "Dad, I'm not talking about getting out of this, but I thought of a way to buy the First Printing Factory!"
Liu Fu was a little stunned, wondering if he had misheard. Buy the First Printing Factory?
Looking at Liu Jian's serious expression, knowing he wasn't joking, he asked strangely, "Son, you know our family's situation, buying the First Printing Factory isn't something we can joke about, is it?"
Liu Jian nodded and said, "The usual methods would definitely be a joke, but with the method I'm thinking of, I think there's a good chance of success. Even if the municipal government doesn't agree, we can still back out of it. You could say it's a win-win situation."
Hearing his son say this, Liu Fu immediately smiled and said, "Son, tell me quickly."
Liu Jian lowered his head and took a sip of coffee. After thinking about his plan, he didn't find any major loopholes, so he said, "The first step is to buy the car first, so everyone knows we have the strength. Just like Mayor Yu said, if we can acquire the Sanbao Winery and still have money to buy a good car, it shows that our family still has money. This way, the acquisition of the First Printing Factory won't raise doubts about our strength."
Liu Fu didn't say anything, and continued listening. This was something they had already discussed, so there was no opposition, and no need to change it. Not to mention anything else, just seeing the mayor's attitude today, he knew his son was right, a car is a facade for a boss.
Liu Jian continued, "The second step is to apply for a loan from a bank in the name of the winery's expansion. We have the Sanbao Winery as collateral, and a good car, so it will be easy to get the loan. My basic idea is to borrow two million, but we need to get at least one and a half million."
Hearing the loan amount Liu Jian mentioned, Liu Fu was immediately taken aback. He agreed with Liu Jian's idea of taking out a loan for development, but he didn't expect Liu Jian's appetite to be so big, this was like betting the whole farm. Although he had some doubts, he decided to listen to what other steps Liu Jian had in mind before interrupting him.
Liu Jian himself swallowed, knowing that he was playing with fire, but being forced into this situation, he would play with fire. He continued, "The third step is to negotiate with Mayor Yu. Dad, don't go to Uncle Chen about this, he can't make this decision and it will put him in a difficult position. Since Mayor Yu has come forward, we'll talk to him directly. We can acquire the First Printing Factory, but the price can't exceed three million, including all the factory buildings, equipment, office buildings, cars, and land. I think this price, given Mayor Yu's eagerness to get rid of this mess, is possible to negotiate. Next is the important part, the bank loans and various outstanding debts. We can accept and repay them, but they have to be deducted from the acquisition price. And we won't pay the full amount for the factory at once, we can only pay half now, and the remaining half next year."
Liu Fu asked doubtfully, "Will they accept these conditions? What do we say when they ask why we can't pay the full acquisition price at once?"
Liu Jian said, "If they ask, say we want to prioritize paying off all sorts of debts. I've estimated that if the acquisition price is three million, the First Printing Factory's debts will be around one million three hundred to four hundred thousand, so we'll have to pay the municipal government one million six hundred to seven hundred thousand. Half of that would be seven hundred to eight hundred thousand. If the municipal government is strict, we can pay a round number, one million. As long as we can get a loan of one million five hundred thousand, we'll have fifty to eight hundred thousand left after paying the municipal government, which is completely enough for the printing factory to start operating and for the subsequent development of the Sanbao Winery. Of course, just like with the acquisition of the Sanbao Winery, we're not keeping anyone. Whoever wants to leave can leave. Those who stay are our workers, no longer with the Communist Party's iron rice bowl. We also need to remove those unqualified officials. This point must be brought up, to prevent these leaders from making trouble."
Liu Jian's mouth was dry, and he drank his coffee in one gulp. Looking at Liu Fu sitting there without saying a word, he didn't know what he was thinking, whether he agreed with his plan or not, but this was the best solution Liu Jian could think of.
Liu Fu hesitated and said, "Son, aren't we spreading ourselves too thin by doing this? If the loan comes through, but the acquisition doesn't go through, what will we do with so much money? And the interest is so high?"
Liu Jian said with a smile, "Dad, the winery has resumed production, do we still lack this little bit of interest? If the municipal government doesn't agree to this price, we won't buy it. The money we save can be completely used on the winery, we can purchase more raw materials, and hire more workers, and work three shifts non-stop. With money, are we still afraid of not being able to spend it? Dad, I know the risk is great this time, but opportunity and risk coexist. If we develop step by step, we will have no opportunity to acquire the First Printing Factory. By the time we have the strength, the printing factory will either be acquired by others or be rescued by the municipal government again. This is a big factory, a factory that can still be saved. We won't let it go bankrupt slowly like the Sanbao Winery."
Liu Fu still asked with some doubts, "But we don't understand printing, even if we acquire it, we don't have enough manpower to manage it. We've already put all of our family's people into the winery. Moreover, the printing factory is different from the winery. The winery will definitely make money according to our plan, but what does the printing factory rely on to make money? Investing so much money, and it still doesn't earn as much as the winery, is it necessary?"
Liu Jian smiled and said, "Dad, who said the printing factory doesn't make money? In my opinion, it's a printing press! We not only have to take over the jobs of the city's education system, but also the jobs of the various counties under it. And we can print calendars for various enterprises and institutions and distribute them as benefits. I believe that spending a little money, every unit will be very happy to have calendars printed with the name of their unit. The same goes for couplets. Our city doesn't have a newspaper now, but that doesn't mean it won't have one in the future. In a year and a half, if the municipal government publishes a newspaper, that will be a big job. Dad, do you think these things are few? New Year's pictures, posters, anything people want, we can print! It's just that the leaders of the printing factory have never considered open source. Some jobs they still act high and mighty and don't accept. Once we acquire it, as long as they give us money, we will print anything."
Liu Fu's eyes grew brighter and brighter, almost glowing towards the end, but thinking of the lack of manpower, he hesitated and asked, "Son, we don't have any trustworthy people. If we really acquire it, we won't be able to handle it!"
Liu Jian smiled and said, "Dad, who said we don't have anyone? It's just that you haven't thought of it. We have quite a few relatives. They couldn't help when you were doing construction projects, but now they can help with running a factory." Liu Jian's words reminded Liu Fu, and Liu Fu's eyes immediately lit up. The Liu family had quite a few relatives. Liu Jian had two uncles, two aunts, two maternal uncles, and two maternal aunts, all direct relatives. Speaking of which, the relationships between the Liu family's relatives were pretty good. Whether the family was rich in the previous life or poor later on, these relatives' attitudes hadn't changed much.
Liu Jian's eldest aunt and second aunt were older, now in their fifties, and about to retire. Both of them lived in Dalian, a northeastern port city. They were a bit older and couldn't help much, but both of their families were the same, with two daughters and one son. Taking his eldest aunt's eldest daughter as an example, she had been working in a clothing factory and was now a small department head. Liu Jian knew that this cousin of his later jumped to another clothing company and became the factory director, so she had good management skills. The second aunt's younger daughter was also a competitive girl, and she should be graduating from vocational school now and working for a foreign trade company in Dalian. In the previous life, this cousin taught herself Japanese and was a very capable person. The two male cousins were a bit ordinary, just regular office workers, but they were both very good to Liu Jian, their cousin.
My second uncle now works at a bearing factory in Wafangdian City. He's a small team leader, and the pay is pretty good. Second uncle has never changed jobs and has worked at the bearing factory his whole life. Third uncle is the smartest of the Liu family, but he's also the most "troublesome." He learns everything quickly but doesn't have the patience to stick with anything. Liu Jian knows that this third uncle of his has great management skills and will be hired as a general manager by a large company in a few years, where he'll do very well. It's just that these relatives all live relatively far away, all in Liaoning Province. Only my dad stayed here after being in the army.