Chapter 254 - 175: Is This Labor Card a Little Improper?
"Alright."
Lin Jiang didn’t bother explaining. The two of them weren’t ones for pleasantries; once business was settled, they hung up as if nothing had happened.
"Is your friend coming back to Zhonghai?" He Siyao asked quietly.
"Mhm."
"Should I move out?"
"What would you move out for? This place is for you. That brat has no right to it."
PFFT—
He Siyao couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Friendships between guys are way more interesting than between girls."
After breakfast, the two of them went to the office together.
With Huang Youwei’s help, the company’s expansion had picked up speed. There were already six employees.
When they saw Lin Jiang walk in, they all stood up to greet him.
He Siyao went to take care of her work, and Lin Jiang returned to his office.
He had barely stepped inside when Chen Jingxian followed right on his heels, a stack of files in her arms and a mischievous smile on her face.
"President Lin seems to have been very busy these past few days."
"I have been a bit busy, juggling things on both ends."
"I’d say you’re busy falling in love."
"And what, may I ask, gave you the mistaken impression that I’m dating someone?" Lin Jiang said.
"I’ve seen you and Yaoyao coming and going together a lot lately."
’I have indeed been going in and out of her a lot.’
"Besides, you’re the one who brought her into the company. Something must be starting to sprout between you two, right?" Chen Jingxian said with a grin.
"And what if something did sprout between us? What would you do?"
Lin Jiang smiled at Chen Jingxian. "I couldn’t bear to hand you over to another man."
"You’re always surrounded by women. I want nothing to do with you."
"You’re my accountant and secretary. How can you say we have nothing to do with each other?"
"Hmph. We just don’t."
Chen Jingxian dropped the files onto Lin Jiang’s lap and said,
"Here are the reports for the noodle restaurant and the business management company. Take a look when you have time."
"Mhm."
With business out of the way, Chen Jingxian left.
Lin Jiang glanced at the files on his desk. They were just some plans and reports with no major issues. After skimming them, he set them aside.
Taking advantage of the free time he had in the morning, Lin Jiang held a brief meeting, then left with He Siyao at noon.
Chen Jingxian saw this and couldn’t stop grumbling to herself.
’Those two left together again. Something’s definitely going on.’
Her mood soured instantly.
When they got downstairs, Yang Tao was already waiting. The three of them then headed to the Mu Xing Processing Plant.
Three people stood at the main gate, one of whom was He Siyao’s father, He Xuelu.
Next to him was a middle-aged man in a suit. His hair was a bit disheveled, his suit wasn’t very neat, and his leather shoes were dusty, giving him the aura of a rough-and-ready entrepreneur.
Next to the man was a woman who looked slightly younger; Lin Jiang took a wild guess that she was his wife’s sister.
After getting out of the car, Lin Jiang went up to greet them.
"Hello, President Ma."
Lin Jiang had already done his homework on the man.
His name was Ma Hongbo. He’d started working right after junior high.
But his junior high education was nothing like Li Yuanyuan’s.
A junior high diploma from the seventies or eighties held a lot of weight.
"President Lin, good to see you. This isn’t the place to talk; let’s head to my office."
"How about we tour the plant first? If there are no major issues, we can settle this as soon as possible. No need to waste time on minor details."
Seeing Lin Jiang’s direct attitude, Ma Hongbo was naturally pleased.
The plant’s business was getting worse and worse; he was desperate to sell it off as soon as possible.
"Very well."
The group was led into the plant’s workshop. The moment they stepped inside, they were hit with the stench of blood and manure.
The production line was semi-automated; many steps required manual pre-processing before the product could be moved to the machines.
"Our production line here, at full capacity, can process about 100 head of cattle a day. The profit margins are quite respectable."
Lin Jiang had already learned about the plant’s actual situation from He Xuelu.
Due to the old equipment and inefficient workers, its full capacity was only around 80 head. Trying to process 100 would probably make the machines smoke.
But business was slow these days, so they were only processing about 40 to 50 head a day.
A tour of the plant floor confirmed it: you get what you pay for. The place was just barely passable.
The only thing that satisfied Lin Jiang was a plot of unused land on the property.
According to Ma Hongbo, they had set aside this plot of land years ago with plans for expansion.
But before they could expand, their competitor, Yong’an, received a major investment and entered a period of rapid growth. This caused Mu Xing’s market share to shrink, and the expansion plans were shelved.
The method for the Wagyu feed required feeding it to cattle exclusively for one month, after which their meat would become high-quality Wagyu.
Therefore, he needed a large, empty plot of land to raise the purchased cattle for an additional month.
With this empty plot available, the whole operation would be much easier to manage.
After touring the plant, the group returned to the office, where tea had been prepared for them.
"President Lin, you’ve seen the plant. What are your thoughts?"
"That depends on the price. President Ma, name your number. If it’s reasonable, we can sign the contract today."
A flicker of joy crossed Ma Hongbo’s face, but he kept his expression neutral.
"President Lin is a straightforward man, and I’m not one to beat around the bush. Plus, Master He was the one who introduced you. If we can close the deal today... 15 million. I’ll have my people draw up the contract."
"That price is a little high. I don’t like haggling either. Ten million. If you can do that, we’ll sign the contract right now. If not, I’ll be on my way."
"President Lin, you have quite a sense of humor. Thinking you can buy my plant for 10 million... that’s impossible."