Zhao Ergou held up five fingers and said, "Fifty million!"
"Fifty million? That's too much. Don't scare people away."
“That’s right. If things really don’t work out this time, let’s just sell it. My family is short of money. We can use the proceeds to build a few big brick houses.”
Zhao Ergou was somewhat displeased with the short-sightedness of these people. They still didn't understand the value of this factory. In the past two years, countless companies had come here, and each one of them had tried to squeeze a layer of profit out of them.
If he signs the contract and sells it, then it really has nothing to do with him anymore. He can tell the difference between having a full meal in one sitting and having a full meal every day.
"Go back and hold a meeting with the villagers. Call Sun Er, Si Biao, and Liu Zi to the village committee. I'll talk to them." Zhao Ergou finished speaking and turned on the gas.
Zhao Ergou's thinking was simple: if a big boss like Lu Feng wanted things to go through, wouldn't he have to give him a bribe?
Moreover, he saw that Lu Feng was very young, just a greenhorn, and that he could easily squeeze hundreds of thousands out of him. He would then share some of it with the village. If he wanted to be a good village chief, he would have to learn to deceive his superiors and subordinates and squeeze as much money as possible out of him.
On the way back, Zhao Ergou was still cursing the previous village chief in his heart. 1,900 mu of land was sold off just like that. When it came to him, there was no land left to sell. He parked his motorcycle, spat, and cursed, "Damn, that's corrupt."
A short while later, three or four shady-looking young men walked in. One was a tall, thin man named Sun Er, who was cross-eyed, bow-legged, and had tattoos. Another was slightly overweight, bald, with unfocused eyes and a long scar on his head, named Si Biao.
The only normal-looking one was a man with long hair, wearing bell-bottoms, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and looking somewhat trendy. His name was Liu Zi. He walked in and said, "Uncle Zhao, how did the talks go?"
"Liu Zi is here. Sit down. I have something to tell you. The big boss is coming tomorrow. Whether you can squeeze any money out of him depends on you. This time it's just a greenhorn. Scare him a bit. Call all your cronies from the village. We'll give you 100,000 yuan."
"Don't worry, I'll handle this perfectly." Liu Zi took a puff of his cigarette, sat down on the table, and said, "Why don't we ask for more? It's not easy to come across something like this. If you ask me, let's do something big and just drag the machines out of the factory and sell them as scrap metal."
"Yes, there's a big lump of iron inside. Selling it to a scrap yard will get you at least... five... five hundred!" Si Biao exclaimed excitedly.
"Shut up! That factory gets inspected almost every month. I'm telling you, don't do anything rash, or you'll end up in jail!" Zhao Ergou gave a few more instructions and then let them leave.
In this village, Liu Zi is definitely the most successful. The whole village is afraid of him. As for Sun Er and Si Biao, they are just lackeys and thugs.
With Liu Zi's help, Sun Ergou was able to hold his position as village chief securely.
The next day, a welcome banner was hung in the village. At nine o'clock in the morning, several vans stopped at the factory gate. Lu Feng got out of the car and looked at the mottled walls washed by the rain, with weeds growing all around. The huge gatehouse had the words "Panda Electronics Manufacturing Factory" written on it, and even a red silk cloth was still on it.
The vast factory area, with its towering buildings and numerous structures, clearly demonstrated the ambition of the time. It could accommodate 19,000 employees, with a dormitory area for 3,000 people and a canteen for 5,000.
Lu Feng entered the factory area and looked at the flat plain, which made him feel extremely small. He parked his car in the factory building, where the machines were neatly arranged, and many of them were still unpacked.
The electronic production line has been installed. Stepping inside, it feels like a large factory about to start operations, only to be paused at the last second.
The tables in the canteen were covered in dust. A blackboard read: "Fish-flavored shredded pork, 50 cents; potatoes and eggplant, 30 cents," with the date May 19, 1988, written below.
Secretary Cui sighed from the side, "What a pity, what a real shame about this place."
Su Yourong nodded slightly. Even she felt that as long as Lu Feng could handle Xiaoli Village, this place would be like a gift carefully prepared for him by heaven.
Zhao Ergou glanced at the time; it was almost noon. He said, “President Lu, it’s almost noon. Let’s go into the village. The village has prepared food. Although it’s not as fancy as a banquet in the city, it’s still a rustic meal.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
