Chapter 423 Difficult Negotiations
On October 2, the fourth year of Shangzhou, General Deng, Xiao Liming and I officially set off.
Since there are no direct flights from Upstate to Cebu, we had to change planes at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and arrived in Cebu in the evening.
At this time, the whole world was filled with an air of mystery. After arriving, we checked into a hotel designated by the local government and were quarantined for 10 days as required.
To quote what President Deng said later - I would rather be a stray dog than endure the loneliness of being cared for by someone.
At nine o'clock in the morning on October 12, we finally met Chairman Zheng. If it weren't for the pandemic, I really wanted to give him a hug.
We exchanged greetings. I introduced them to each other. The Cruz family had already sent a helicopter to pick us up.
When the helicopter landed at the Sixiaguan Hotel, I shouted, "Bohol, I'm back!"
He Yun was still the one who came to receive us.
Except for Mr. Deng who lived in a suite, Xiao Liming and I each lived in a single room.
As soon as I settled in, Tang Man called my room: "Teacher Wan, it's great to see you again."
"You even know my room number?"
"Yes, I booked the room in advance. By the way, tomorrow's meeting will be held at Chief Bale's villa. I will pick you up tomorrow morning."
"Chief Bale?"
"Yes. A man named Bale, his ancestor was a chief, and his villa resort is Chief Bale. No, no, no, let me put it another way.
Mr. Bale was the person chosen by Professor Cruz to head the hospital, and the meeting was held at Mr. Bale’s resort.”
"Oh, okay, see you tomorrow."
After lunch, we each took a break and then gathered in Mr. Deng’s office at 3 p.m.
This was a preparatory meeting before the negotiations with Cruz. Xiao Liming took notes.
Chairman Zheng, as the host, said, "We are very happy to welcome Mr. Deng, Mr. Shanhong, and Director Xiao. Your willingness to invest and promote Chinese medicine is of great significance not only to me personally, but also to the Chinese community in the Philippines."
Mr. Shanhong knows Professor Cruz. He's quite serious. "Let's get straight to the point tomorrow. Talk to me first about your proposal. I'll have a good idea of what you're going to translate."
Mr. Deng said: "Before coming here, I discussed with Shan Hong that we would mainly use the following medical techniques with Chinese characteristics:
Traditional Chinese medicine meridian regulation, traditional Chinese medicine moxibustion therapy, traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine massage, acupressure, traditional Chinese medicine chiropractic therapy, traditional Chinese medicine scraping, traditional Chinese medicine lactation, general physiotherapy, and vision rehabilitation.
We will also establish a specialized center for difficult and complicated TCM diseases. We will recruit a group of experienced folk doctors and retired renowned TCM doctors from major TCM hospitals to serve in this area. This center will focus on treating various difficult and complicated diseases that have long been difficult to treat, even for those with Western medicine problems.
Chairman Zheng gave a thumbs-up and said, "Boss Deng, I really appreciate your style. You have done a lot of solid preliminary work.
Professor Cruz likes this approach. The second question is who will be the manager.”
Mr. Deng said, "It's this young man." Xiao Liming stood up and bowed slightly with a smile.
Mr. Deng said, "His strength is that he has considerable experience in business management, but his weakness is that he can't speak English yet."
President Zheng said, "Language isn't a problem. We'll start with a translator, and in a year or two, we'll be able to speak fluent English."
Mr. Deng said, "With him as the main person, we will recruit several people from local Chinese communities to form the management team, such as legal advisors, finance staff, public relations staff, etc. If the president can recommend suitable candidates, we will be more assured."
Chairman Zheng nodded. Then he turned to me and asked, "Mr. Shanhong, what role will you play?"
I smiled and said, "I will be flying back and forth, and I will spend most of my time in China. When I am needed here, I will come over."
He smiled and said, "I wonder if Mr. Cruz will agree to your condition."
I said, “My original idea was to become a doctor myself, but after discussing this with Mr. Deng, he felt that I should be a promoter, promoting Chinese medicine to the world.
However, I will come to work for a while after the hospital officially opens."
Chairman Zheng nodded and said, "That's it, have a good rest, and we'll set off together at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
The next day, at Chief Bale’s villa.
Tang Man led us to a detached house. It was not the villa we imagined, but a fully wooden detached house with a sea view.
The main gate is in the middle, and the roof looks like two open wings, with two independent trapezoidal roofs under the wings.
Cruz stood at the door to greet us, and President Zheng introduced General Manager Deng and Xiao Liming to him.
He clasped his hands together and nodded.
When he saw me, he said something, which Tang Man translated: "Doctors don't see lewdness. We should give each other a hug."
We hugged each other and he said, "Nothing makes me happier than your arrival."
Then, Tang Man introduced us to Balai, a middle-aged man with a pale face. He looked honest, and I was sure of that.
Bale smiled and extended his hand, making a "please" gesture. We were led to a meeting room on the left.
Cruz said to me, "Mistang, left, big, tall."
I understood what he meant and said to Mr. Deng, "He used a few Chinese words to tell me that Miss Tang taught him that according to Chinese custom, the left side is bigger."
Mr. Deng said, "He's a very interesting person. He put a lot of thought into choosing the conference room."
After entering, we were greeted by a typical long-table conference room. We sat on one side, and Cruz, Bale, and Tang Man sat on the other.
There is mineral water on the table.
Cruz delivered a welcome speech, with Tang Man translating simultaneously. President Deng delivered a thank-you speech, with President Zheng translating simultaneously.
Cruz introduced the acquisition of the entire hospital and its future management methods, and General Manager Deng introduced the concept of the traditional Chinese medicine part.
Chairman Zheng introduced the investment structure of 150 million yuan.
Anyway, most of the conversations were in English. Chairman Zheng became our representative, and after communicating with Cruz, he relayed the information to President Deng.
After Mr. Deng, Xiao Liming and I discussed it, we finalized our opinion, which was then conveyed by Chairman Zheng.
We talked for the whole morning and continued in the afternoon.
I felt the conversation was difficult. Because Cruz was so detailed, Xiao Liming kept writing on his paper: "Very fussy, too tedious, too pragmatic."
I smiled and pointed at the paper, indicating that he should put it in his pocket.
The talks lasted until 6 p.m., but no agreement was reached. The key disagreement was that Cruz disagreed with the personnel framework for traditional Chinese medicine proposed by President Deng.
He believes that the Chinese side only needs Xiao Liming to participate in the management. Regarding personnel, finance, logistics and other aspects, there cannot be dual management personnel. They should be managed by the other side.
We had to agree to talk about it tomorrow.
We had dinner at the villa. I was used to this kind of food, but Mr. Deng and Xiao Liming were not. I can only say that they looked very happy eating it.
Because Cruz still has some things to discuss with President Zheng.
Cruz walked us to the door and said something, which was translated by Tang Man. It was: "Birds have wings but cannot fly."
Then the driver took us back to the hotel.
When we got to the hotel, Mr. Deng said, "Take a shower first, then come to my room to discuss it."
Then he said to me, "Shanhong, ask Tang Man or Chairman Zheng what the saying 'birds have wings but cannot fly' means."
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