Chapter 98 You get what you pay for.
"Boss, I don't understand, why would you buy a factory that's about to go bankrupt?"
It wasn't until the group left the auction hall that the bodyguard Lermontov finally asked the question that had been bothering him for so long.
After the auction was completed, a bureaucrat named Taras watched intently as the staff finished processing the auction procedures for the dairy factory. He seemed even more eager than the buyer, He Changyi.
This led Lermontov to suspect that the man was a creditor of the dairy factory and was eager to find a wealthy new shareholder to pay off his debts.
After all, everyone in Oros knows that the truly good things are fought over, like sausages, cheese, and fresh beef on store shelves; only expired, stinking military supplies go unclaimed.
In the back seat of the jeep, He Changyi flipped through the auction documents, asking without looking up:
Do you know the auction price of a dairy factory of similar size in Europe?
Lermontov said uncertainly, "Uh, three hundred thousand dollars?"
He was already guessing high, a full two times higher than the auction price of the dairy factory in Vladimir.
He Changyi said, "No, it's five million US dollars."
Even Lev, who had been focused on driving without saying a word, was shocked.
Five million dollars?! Just for a dairy factory?!
Lev's hand trembled, and he almost drove the jeep into the oncoming lane because he couldn't hold the steering wheel properly.
Lermontov's tongue was practically tied in knots; it took him ages to manage to utter a single sentence:
"You must be joking, right? That's just an old factory! There are factories like that all over the Alliance, and they can't even pay their employees' wages!"
He Changyi said, "It is obvious that our ancestors left you a treasure trove, but it seems that not many people realize the value of this treasure trove."
Lermontov muttered, “My father was a worker, and to be honest, I never thought most of the Union factories were of any value.”
Those dilapidated, outdated, and uncompetitive factories have unsold products and no income, yet they still have to support thousands of workers, as well as the parents, children, and even spouses of these workers.
To most people, these old factories of the alliance were a complete burden, a huge liability, with no value whatsoever, and all their assets combined were not enough to offset even a fraction of their liabilities.
He Changyi said, "That's why I was able to buy this factory."
Lermontov shook his head. "I dare say you will regret it. Once you see those old factories for yourself, you will understand why those greedy bureaucrats are willing to let them be auctioned off on the market."
He Changyi finally looked up from the document and gave a faint smile.
"Let's make a bet."
Lermontov asked curiously, "What are we betting on?"
He Changyi said, "I'm betting on how long it will take me to regret it."
Lermontov was excited but hesitant. He said tactfully, "That's not a good idea. After all, you're the boss. How can I beat the boss? ... I'll bet a month's salary. If I win, you'll have to pay me an extra month's salary."
He Changyi said with a smile, "One month is too short, how about three months?"
Lermontov tried his best to suppress his laughter, but he looked like a happy great white shark!
"Lev, Lev! You should join us, this is a great opportunity to make a fortune!"
Lev, sitting in the driver's seat, glanced at the rearview mirror and hesitated, saying, "I want to hear about the consequences of losing the bet first."
Lermontov retorted, "Hey, what are you talking about... Oh, I forgot, you're a farmer's son, not a worker's. Well, you really don't know how bad those factories are."
Lev ignored him and insisted on asking, "Boss, what if we lose? Will you pay me a month's salary less?"
Amid Lermontov's protests ("Hey, shut up, this is bad luck!"), He Changyi calmly said:
"I don't want your money."
Lev and Lermontov both breathed a sigh of relief.
He Changyi said, "If you lose, you have to run a lap around the store."
Lev was overjoyed upon hearing this, and added, feigning generosity, "You're so kind..."
He Changyi said, "I haven't finished yet."
Lev and Lermontov both pricked up their ears, and for some reason, they had a bad feeling.
“Run around the store once during peak customer traffic,” He Changyi said slowly, “but don’t wear anything.”
Lev, Lermontov: ...!!
Wait, what did they all hear?!
The gazes of the two burly men collided in the rearview mirror, both filled with incredulous terror, trembling like delicate flowers.
Lermontov: "Boss, I think one month's salary, no, two months' salary would be more suitable as a wager..."
Lev added, "Three months or longer is also acceptable!"
In short, he didn't want to run around naked in front of countless strangers in the coldest winter!
Even a one in ten thousand chance is unacceptable!
He Changyi clapped his hands and said cheerfully, "Alright, it's decided then."
The jeep sped erratically on the road, and snippets of conversation leaked out of the windows.
"Please, please reconsider! You could even leave me one pair of underwear!"
"Lermontov, you idiot! I should have remembered this back in the Middle East: never fight in the same trench as you!"
Acquiring a stake in the dairy factory is just the first step.
After completing the equity transfer procedures, He Changyi, as the controlling shareholder and the first private shareholder since the factory was established, was unsurprisingly met with a cold reception when he first visited the factory.
—Yes, it's very cold, like minus twenty degrees Celsius.
He Changyi sat at the head of the conference table, subtly pulling her mink coat even tighter around herself.
The deputy factory manager across from me was still slowly reading out the data.
"...Currently, the dairy factory has 579 employees, with a total of 21 months' wages and allowances owed, amounting to 69,795,000 rubles; payments for raw milk from the collective farm have not been made since the beginning of this year, totaling over 94,260,000 rubles; electricity and gas bills are in arrears...; taxes and social security contributions are in arrears...; bank loans and government budget appropriations are in arrears...; service fees for the factory-run school, clinic, sanatorium, etc...; water and heating costs for the family quarters and staff dormitories..."
He Changyi felt dizzy and lightheaded, but managed to glean a hidden message from the deputy factory director's data report—
The sucker who's going to pay off his debts has finally arrived!
He Changyi couldn't help but interrupt the deputy factory director's speech.
"Ms. Lyudmila, it's always the dairy factories that owe money. Doesn't anyone owe the dairy factories money?"
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmir adjusted his reading glasses and said kindly, "Of course."
Before He Changyi could ask, she said with a smile, "The state-owned stores, government agencies, and local army in Vladimir City all owe our factory money."
He Changyi asked hopefully, "When will they pay me back?"
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmir said with an unwavering smile, "They have been in arrears for ten years."
He Changyi: ...
Ten years! This has all become bad debt! Auditors would shout, "Adjust the accounts! You must adjust the accounts! Make a full provision for bad debts on all of these accounts receivable, leave not a single penny!"
Clinging to a last glimmer of hope, He Changyi asked, "If—and I mean if—the factory hires a lawyer to sue, at least they'll settle this year's payments, right?"
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmir gazed at the factory's new owner with a tender and loving look.
“Ms. He,” she said, “the factory has been shut down for eight months.”
He Changyi used all her strength to avoid falling off the chair.
well.
She knew it.
You get what you pay for.
Even medium-sized dairy processing plants, like those selling off leftover stock, offer incredibly low prices but also have equally astonishingly large flaws.
But in the end, she only spent less than $150,000 to buy the factory. At market price, she made more than $4 million from this one deal, which was faster than robbery.
Even if you dismantle the entire production line and sell it as scrap steel, you'd still make more than $150,000.
From the very beginning, once He Changyi bought the factory, she was guaranteed to make a profit.
But why can't we earn a little more and spend a little less?
After an excessively long silence, Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier called out in a questioning tone, "Miss He?"
He Changyi let out a long sigh.
She slowly pushed the ledger aside and said sadly, "Since things have come to this, let's pay the wages first."
In the past few years, she has been a prominent figure in the business world of Emei, experiencing both wealth and poverty. But even when she was penniless, she never delayed paying her employees' wages.
Even if they are a group of unfamiliar dairy factory workers who have never met before and whose working hours are no more than 24 hours.
Upon hearing that He Changyi was going to pay wages, Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier's eyes lit up instantly; even through her reading glasses, she couldn't hide the excitement in them. The others in the meeting room were equally delighted, and the previously chilly atmosphere instantly warmed up.
"Miss He, getting paid is a good thing," Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier said tactfully, "but where is the money?"
He Changyi stood up, and the mink coat that had been piled up due to her sitting posture cascaded down like water, the tips of the fur shimmering.
She said in an overly calm tone:
"I brought the money. But I have one request."
Amidst the questioning gazes of all the factory leaders present, He Changyi said, "I want to see every employee and personally hand over their wages to them."
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier hesitated and said, "But the dairy factory has a total of 579 employees..."
He Changyi interrupted her.
"That's not a problem."
He Changyi walked out, and her bodyguard had already opened the conference room door for her.
Many people gathered outside the meeting room, looking at the unusually young new owner of the dairy factory with curiosity and trepidation.
—How strange, she was actually a Tatar with black hair and black eyes!
—This is terrible! We've become a factory for the Chinese! This must be a conspiracy, economic colonization!
He Changyi calmly walked through the various gazes, while her bodyguards scared off the hostile men with threatening looks and fists.
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier hurriedly caught up with him, saying as he walked, "Don't worry, I will arrange for you to personally pay your wages within a week, no, within three days!"
He Changyi kept walking and said expressionlessly, "Not three days. Today, or tomorrow."
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier said with difficulty, "But we have five hundred..."
He Changyi said bluntly, "Yes, five hundred and seventy-nine idle workers. Are they busy on the production line?"
The group walked to the jeep, the bodyguard opened the door, He Changyi got in, and before closing the door, she said to Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier:
"The auditors and lawyers will be stationed at the factory today. Please cooperate with them, as well as all factory owners."
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier said unhappily, "Do you think I'm deceiving you?!"
He Changyi shook his head. “I have no objection to your personal character, but for a factory that has been established for thirty years, a more detailed and accurate report will help me make a decision.”
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmier asked instinctively, "What decision?"
He Changyi suddenly laughed, “Reform, or bankruptcy.”
A convoy of military jeeps roared past on the road, kicking up clouds of dust as they drove by.
Deputy Factory Director Lyudmir took off his reading glasses and wiped the lenses.
—It seems the dairy factory has a remarkable new boss.
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