The two chatted as they entered the office, both in good spirits. Having weathered this ordeal, Jiaming Foods had essentially established itself, and with the current market, no one could bring it down.
"I heard that we can also set up operations in some southern provinces?" Lu Feng asked as he sat down.
“Yes, but transportation is a problem. The Yangtze River Delta region and Zhengzhou have factories covering some cities. But in the Pearl River Delta region, unless we build factories, the transportation costs are too high. If we force the goods to be transported there, the cost will be about the same as the local selling price of the drinks. It feels like an invisible tariff.” Gao Zhiwei clicked his tongue and said, “I talked to President Du about this, and he said that we will build factories gradually later.”
"Don't build any more factories!" Lu Feng rejected the idea without hesitation. These factories were enough; building more would only be a burden.
"So we don't want the southern market anymore? If we don't want it, why bother with all this trouble?" Gao Zhiwei asked, looking completely bewildered.
"The cost is too high and the return is too low in the later stage. We can start the OEM model. We don't have a factory in the south, but Wahaha does. We can let them do the production."
"Huh?" Gao Zhiwei was dumbfounded and said, "Things are so tense now, how can you agree to that?"
"Look at you, you don't understand business anymore. As long as there's money, there's nothing that can't be negotiated. In return, we can also do OEM for them in the north, but I think it's unlikely this year. Let's solidify our market first, and then let them in. They'll definitely do the same. So this is the solution."
"Remember this: in business matters, save money wherever possible and pursue maximum profit. But there is one rule: never sell out matters of dignity. Personal dignity, corporate respect, and national dignity. Business is business, but some things cannot be bought with money."
Gao Zhiwei nodded thoughtfully, keeping those words firmly in mind. He could sense that Lu Feng's business acumen was beyond his imagination.
“Let’s talk about something else. How’s the case going? Didn’t you say you wanted a settlement? How do you plan to settle?” Lu Feng asked.
“There are two cases going to trial there now, and several of our lawyers have gone there. They are about the probiotic product. They are saying it infringes on our rights, and they have even provided the formula and breakdown structure. They are demanding that we stop production and pay five million in compensation. They are also accusing us of using their marketing by advertising that our products make children eat better after drinking probiotics. Our case has not yet gone to trial.”
"So, they couldn't get jurisdiction, huh?" Lu Feng took out a cigarette, lit it, and tossed it on the table. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What does 'mediation between the two courts' mean?"
“Dean Ma has approached me several times, saying that this matter is very tricky. Given the current state of communication between the two sides, since the trial has already begun, we can just pay some compensation and let the other cases go.”
"Pay us money? The case isn't even closed yet, and you're already asking us to pay? What? Is it already decided?" Lu Feng was a little angry, but that was understandable. He asked, "How much?"
“I know the deputy general manager there, so I called his company and asked him to help me find out. When he came back, he told me that we had to pay one yuan in compensation and publish an apology in newspapers in all provinces across the country.”
Lu Feng raised an eyebrow and his face darkened. He said, "Trying to humiliate me? Heh, if he wants to play, then let's keep playing along. I have 20 million, enough to last until winter."
“I was furious when I heard the news that day. The next day, President Zong called me and said that he knew we had been struggling for so long and that everyone was short of cash. He apologized briefly, but mainly it was to save us money.”
Lu Feng chuckled coldly twice and said, "That's impossible. What does Dean Ma mean?"
"He said that's all he could do, and also to reach a private settlement with both parties withdrawing their lawsuits. He made it very clear that day that it's all about finding connections; whoever has the strongest connections will win. Maybe he should go to the south in a while?"
Lu Feng waved his hands repeatedly, yawned, and said, "Let me rest for a while. I won't concern myself with these things for the next few days. I'll just sleep and think about whether I should go on a trip."
"Sure, it's been hot lately, let's go to the beach and have some seafood," Gao Zhiwei suggested.
"Does that mean I'll have a holiday too?" Zhang Fengxia rushed over and asked excitedly.
"If you want to rest, then rest. Nobody can stop you." Lu Feng looked at her, the thought of having her grandfather intervene flashing through his mind, but he immediately rejected it.
Zhang Fengxia has grown a lot during this period, and she can feel it herself. Lu Feng has given her a lot of authority to do, including some business negotiation terms and reception.
"You said it. I'm going home for a bit, and I'll probably be back in a month or two. Settle my salary for me, and give me the 150,000 yuan first. We'll talk about the rest later."
“I can only give you 50,000 out of 150,000. The factory is short of funds lately, and we need to buy a car for General Manager Gao soon, so be careful with your money.” As he spoke, Lu Feng picked up a piece of paper from the table, wrote a line, stamped it, and handed it over, saying, “Go to the finance department to get the money.”
"Fifty thousand yuan?" Zhang Fengxia exclaimed.
"You don't want it? Never mind, I'll use it to buy a car." Gao Zhiwei reached out to take it with a teasing expression.
"Get lost!" Zhang Fengxia snatched it away, looking at Lu Feng and saying, "You win!"
At 10 a.m., Lu Feng strolled around the factory, but there wasn't much to do. At 10:30 a.m., he went to the vegetable market. He planned to give himself a good vacation for the next few days.
Gao Zhiwei said he needed the car in the afternoon, so Lu Feng left it to him and rode his motorcycle. It was hot, and the ride was quite refreshing.
Riding my motorcycle home, I suddenly heard someone call out from behind at an intersection: "Lu Feng? Madman?"
Lu Feng turned around and saw a young man dressed in brightly colored clothes riding a Suzuki 125. He looked like a hoodlum, and Lu Feng couldn't remember who he was.
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