As the drinking reached its climax, the serious business began. This is also a characteristic of Chinese drinking culture.
Section Chief Zhang initiated the conversation, saying, "Mr. Liu, I don't know how much you're looking to borrow this time? With Director Xu here, I believe it won't be a problem if it's not too large."
Liu Fu smiled and said, "You are aware of my situation. I've invested a lot in the winery, and although production will resume soon, the capital recovery won't be too quick. Recently, there's a new project that needs some emergency funding, not a lot." He then spread out one of his hands.
Section Chief Zhang asked hesitantly, "Five hundred thousand?" Then his eyes widened in surprise. He could approve that amount himself without needing the director. He looked back at the director and noticed the smile on Director Xu's face, instantly understanding. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "It's not five million, is it?"
Liu Fu nodded and said, "That's right, it's five million. Although my funds are a bit tight, fifty thousand isn't worth me haggling over. What do you say, President Xu, is this amount not a big problem?" This was also what Liu Jian had instructed Liu Fu beforehand, to ask for a large sum right off the bat, to scare them, so that the following things would be easier to handle. If he had asked for two million, the momentum would be much weaker.
President Xu held his wine glass, swirling it around, somewhat amused and exasperated. He knew that Liu Fu would borrow a considerable sum, otherwise he wouldn't have invited him to dinner. However, he didn't expect Liu Fu's appetite to be so large. He knew that in this era, not many individuals took out loans, and in Panshi, no one had ever asked for such a large sum. After all, this era had not yet reached the point where everyone was engaged in development, where real estate companies would borrow millions without a second thought.
President Xu thought for a moment. He definitely couldn't lend Liu Fu the full five million, but he couldn't deny him completely, otherwise he might lose this customer. There are so many banks; if the Agricultural Bank doesn't lend, Liu Fu can go to the Industrial and Commercial Bank or the Construction Bank. Someone will always lend to him. The reason he came to him was because he had dealt with the Agricultural Bank before. If he refused this time, then he wouldn't have the opportunity to do business with Liu Fu again, whether it was loans or deposits, he wouldn't be putting them in the Agricultural Bank.
President Xu considered it for a long time before saying, "Boss Liu, this is quite a large sum! It's not that I don't want to lend it to you, but the bank needs sufficient collateral!"
Liu Fu laughed heartily and said, "I thought it was something. President Xu, whichever you want to use as collateral, your car outside, your house, or the Sanbao Distillery, just say the word."
President Xu also laughed and said, "Boss Liu, I know you have a lot of assets, but only the Sanbao Distillery can be used as collateral. As for the others, aren't you joking with me? But Boss Liu, we've audited the Sanbao Distillery before, and it can only secure a loan of three million. I really can't do any more than that."
Liu Fu's heart sank upon hearing that, it was a million more than his son had planned. Seeing Liu Fu's expression change, Section Chief Zhang thought Liu Fu was a bit dissatisfied, and hurriedly explained the bank's operating procedures to Liu Fu. Liu Fu wasn't listening at all, he looked at Liu Jian, who nodded gently, borrowing an extra million wasn't a bad thing.
Once the decision was made, Liu Fu regained his magnanimity, laughing, "Alright, Director Xu, I consider you a friend. To be honest, I've invested two or three million in the Sanbao Winery. Once the winery resumes production, I'll send you a few bottles so you can taste our Panshi's King of Wine."
With the matter settled, everyone happily drank. By the time they broke up, Liu Fu was a bit unsteady. Liu Jian helped Liu Fu into the car. Director Xu's driver had been waiting downstairs and also picked up Director Xu and the others. Liu Jian didn't dare drive fast, but he couldn't stop Liu Fu from vomiting. When they reached the city, Liu Fu couldn't hold it in any longer. Liu Jian hurriedly helped Liu Fu out of the car, and Liu Fu vomited for a while by the river. Only after getting back in the car did Liu Fu regain his composure.
Liu Fu frowned and said, "Xiao Jian, we borrowed a million more than we planned. Should we just pay the full amount when acquiring the printing factory?"
Now that the money had been borrowed, Liu Fu was considering how to spend it.
Liu Jian shook his head and said, "Let's stick to the plan. It's good to keep some extra cash on hand for emergencies. By the way, Dad, when will your project be finished? We should also get some money from the Grain Bureau, right?"
Liu Fu thought for a moment and said, "The Grain Bureau project will take another two months, right? If all those projects are settled, we should have about a million left." Liu Jian stuck out his tongue. No wonder it's said that contractors are nouveau riche; the money comes too easily. However, thinking about the projects that trapped Liu Fu in his previous life, he should hurry and pull his dad out.
Liu Jian said, "Dad, once these projects are settled, don't take on any more work from the grain sector. Our focus from now on should be the winery and the printing factory; those are our cash cows."
Liu Fu said hesitantly, "But Xiao Jian, you need to understand that this is a very easy way to make money. We don't really have to do anything; we just wait for the money to be left over. And I've been doing this for so long, I really like the construction industry. Besides, if we stop doing it, what about those workers? They've been working with me for so many years, what if we just abandon them?"
Liu Jian laughed and said, "Dad, that's because you haven't seen the benefits of the distillery. Once the distillery opens up sales channels, you'll know how quickly money comes in. Besides, if you like construction, we'll start our own construction company when we have money openly. The priority now is to develop the distillery and acquire the printing factory."
Liu Fu nodded and said, "Yes, that's the priority. By the way, Xiao Jian, your uncles and aunts will be back in a few days. Not only will your third uncle and the eldest sister from your great-aunt's family and the younger miss from your second aunt's family come, but even your eldest sister's husband will also come."
Liu Jian was a little surprised. He thought his eldest sister and her husband might not be able to come. He asked and found out that his eldest sister had a child. The two of them didn't earn much in Dalian, and the expenses for the child were increasing, and they didn't have a house. When they heard the salary Liu Fu offered, they were both tempted. After discussing it, they decided to come and work. Moreover, working in their own uncle's factory, they wouldn't be treated unfairly, so they all came.
Liu Jian thought for a moment and said, "Dad, let Mom rent a house in advance. Anyway, the rent won't be much, we'll pay it. That way, they'll be much more comfortable when they come."
Liu Fu said, "Okay, I'll talk to your mother when I get back. It's not easy for them to come all the way from so far. By the way, Xiao Jian, is it time to talk to Mayor Yu now?"
Liu Jian smiled and said, "Yes, Dad, we're all prepared, it just depends on how determined the mayor is. We're all set, just waiting for the right opportunity. Haha, if we can make a deal, Dad, you'll be a multi-millionaire."
Liu Fu laughed and said, "We don't even know which 'rich' it is yet, it might just be in debt." The laughter of the father and son traveled far, far away in the night.
Before Liu Fu could go to see Mayor Yu, he received a call from the municipal government. It was the mayor's secretary. It seemed that after waiting for a few days without hearing back from Liu Fu, Mayor Yu was getting anxious. Moreover, the printing plant had already gone on strike, holding a sit-in every day in the municipal government square, which had become a unique spectacle. If this continued, Mayor Yu's dream of being the top leader might be over.
Several meetings were held, but no solution could be found. The factory director and the accountant had already become wanted criminals, but no one knew where they had fled. Even if the money was found, it probably couldn't be recovered. After hearing about this, the bank had been constantly demanding repayment of the loan. As the municipal government was the guarantor, the Industrial and Commercial Bank was sticking to the mayor like glue, causing Yu Guohua to have trouble eating and sleeping these past few days. Hearing from his secretary that Liu Fu had bought another new car, he couldn't help but get angry. "So, you, Liu Fu, have money to buy a car, but you can't help the government solve a problem?" With that, he called Liu Fu.
Liu Jian heard the news and said to Liu Fu with a smile, "Dad, it seems the city government is very determined. Go talk to the mayor, but don't agree too readily."
It had been two hours by the time Liu Fu came out of the mayor's office. Once in the car, Liu Fu smiled and described the negotiation process. Originally, Liu Fu started by pleading poverty, repeatedly emphasizing his difficulties. When the time was right, he went with the flow and stated his conditions. Yu Guohua, of course, knew that the city printing factory was worth more than three million yuan, but he really couldn't find anyone else besides Liu Fu. In the past few days, some people had contacted him wanting to acquire the printing factory, but the offers were only tens of thousands of yuan, with the highest being no more than one million. Perhaps the price at which Liu Fu acquired the Sanbao Winery had spread, and others wanted to take advantage of a bargain as well, but was the printing factory the same as the Sanbao Winery?
To be honest, Yu Guohua was quite satisfied with the price offered by Liu Fu. He would assume all the debts, although this part would be deducted from the total acquisition price. Still, the municipal government would receive more than 1.7 million yuan. The only thing that made Yu Guohua somewhat dissatisfied was that Liu Fu requested priority repayment of the loan, with the municipal government only paying one million yuan first. He wanted to resolve the printing factory issue in one go, leaving no future troubles, but Liu Fu also said he needed to keep some money to use as funds for restoring the printing factory's production. Yu Guohua couldn't exactly say, "Give me the money, and I don't care whether the factory produces anything or not." After thinking about it, he decided to hold a meeting to make a decision.
Liu Jian thought for a moment and said, "Dad, it looks like the city government will be in meetings for a few more days, let's go get the loan. By the way, what's the status of the trademark?"
Liu Fu said, "It's already been handed over to the provincial printing factory, and delivery will be in a week. Preparations for the distillery are almost complete, the bottles are already on the way, I think we can reopen."
Liu Jian said, "Yes, preparations are almost complete, let's resume production. Dad, we should hold a reopening ceremony, find an event planning company to plan it, and also let the TV station know, have them do some publicity for us."
Liu Fu frowned, "The opening ceremony is easy to arrange, but will the TV station come? We're a private company, not a government entity, would they provide free publicity?"
Liu Jian said, "Normally they wouldn't, but what if the mayor comes? If we invite Mayor Yu, Uncle Chen, Uncle Wang from the tax bureau, President Xu from the bank, Section Chief Guan from the grain bureau, Uncle Cheng from the public security bureau, and Uncle Yu from the tax bureau, I don't believe the TV station won't come with so many people here. Re-establishing the winery as a well-known enterprise in Panshi, I believe these people will all benefit. Once they come, someone will talk to the TV station, maybe we won't even have to make a special trip."