12dz Chapter 601 The situation is stronger than the people
Chapter 601 The situation is stronger than the people
Just when Li Xiangyang thought everything was going in a good direction, an unexpected phone call shattered the peace.
"Director Li, something's happened!" Wang Hu's voice came through the phone, clearly anxious.
Li Xiangyang was in his office processing new order contracts for Jinghua Chain when he heard this and immediately put down his pen: "What happened?"
“One of our trucks was in an accident in the provincial capital, and the driver, Lao Zhang, was injured and hospitalized,” Wang Hu said quickly. “What’s worse, the truck was carrying goods from that appliance company, and now the goods are scattered all over the ground.”
Li Xiangyang's heart tightened. This batch of goods was quite valuable; if the loss was severe, he would not only have to compensate the customer, but it could also affect his business relationship with Zhao Zhiqiang.
"How badly is Lao Zhang injured?" Li Xiangyang's first concern was the safety of the personnel.
"My leg is broken, but otherwise I'm okay," Wang Hu replied. "However, the damage to the goods is quite severe; those appliances are all fragile."
Where are you now?
"I'm at the hospital, processing Lao Zhang's hospital admission paperwork."
“Okay, you take care of Lao Zhang first, I'll handle the goods.” Li Xiangyang quickly made a decision. “I’ll be there right away.”
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang immediately packed his things and prepared to leave. Just as he reached the door, he ran into Wang Ergou, who had come looking for him.
"Xiangyang, I heard something happened?" Wang Ergou's face was full of worry.
"Yeah, Old Zhang was in a car accident," Li Xiangyang said as he walked. "You watch the factory for me, I'm going to the provincial capital to handle this."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No need, it's more important for you to be here," Li Xiangyang waved his hand. "In case anything changes over there, someone at the factory needs to keep things under control."
Li Xiangyang drove to the provincial capital with a heavy heart. During the more than one-hour drive, he kept thinking about the possible chain reaction of this accident.
It was already 3 p.m. when Li Xiangyang arrived at the First People's Hospital of the provincial capital. He went straight to the orthopedic ward and saw Wang Hu sitting by the bedside with Old Zhang.
"Factory Manager, you've arrived!" Wang Hu quickly stood up when he saw Li Xiangyang.
Upon seeing Li Xiangyang, Old Zhang, lying in his hospital bed, immediately burst into tears. He struggled to sit up, saying, "Factory Director, I'm sorry, I've caused the factory so much trouble."
"Don't move, lie still." Li Xiangyang quickly pressed down on Old Zhang's shoulder. "How badly are you injured? What did the doctor say?"
"My leg is broken. The doctor said I need a cast and at least three months of rest," Old Zhang said, his voice choked with emotion. "Factory manager, that whole batch of goods is ruined, worth over ten thousand yuan. I... I can't afford to pay for it in my lifetime."
Li Xiangyang pulled up a chair and sat down, his tone gentle: "Old Zhang, don't think too much about it. It's better that everyone's alright; the factory will handle the goods."
"But..." Old Zhang wanted to say something more.
“No buts,” Li Xiangyang interrupted him. “You’ve worked at our factory for over three years, always diligently. This accident wasn’t intentional on your part, so how can the factory let you bear the losses?”
Wang Hu added from the side, "Factory manager, I've inquired. The main responsibility for this accident lies with the other party; the driver of the van was driving under the influence of alcohol and has already been detained."
“Then it’s even less of Lao Zhang’s responsibility.” Li Xiangyang turned to Lao Zhang, “Just focus on recovering. The factory will cover your medical expenses, and you’ll continue to receive your wages during your work injury period. If you have any difficulties at home, just contact Wang Hu.”
Upon hearing this, Old Zhang couldn't hold back his tears: "Factory Director, I...I don't know how to thank you."
"Don't say that, we're family." Li Xiangyang patted Lao Zhang's hand. "You get some rest, I'll go take care of the goods."
After leaving the hospital, Li Xiangyang called Zhao Zhiqiang directly.
"Director Li, I've heard about it," Zhao Zhiqiang said apologetically. "It's really bad timing."
"Mr. Zhao, we need to discuss compensation." Li Xiangyang got straight to the point.
“Of course, we share this responsibility too,” Zhao Zhiqiang readily agreed. “Where are you now? I’ll come find you.”
Half an hour later, the two met at a teahouse near the hospital.
“Director Li, this was indeed an accident,” Zhao Zhiqiang said as soon as he sat down. “However, since this is a business deal between us, the losses should be shared proportionally.”
Li Xiangyang nodded: "That's what I think too. The total value of that batch of goods is 158,000 yuan, and according to our 50/50 split, each company will contribute 79,000 yuan."
“No problem,” Zhao Zhiqiang agreed without hesitation. “I’ll transfer the money to you tomorrow.”
"What about the client...?"
“I’ll explain to the customer,” Zhao Zhiqiang patted his chest. “To be honest, this kind of thing is not uncommon in the logistics industry. As long as the compensation is adequate, people generally understand. But it depends on whether the other party will make unreasonable demands. Let’s go over tomorrow and talk it over.”
Li Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Zhiqiang's cooperation had indeed exceeded his expectations.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang and Zhao Zhiqiang went to the home appliance company together.
The company's purchasing manager, surnamed Sun, was a middle-aged man in his forties. He looked very unhappy when he heard the news.
"Gentlemen, we urgently need this shipment; it needs to be delivered to our stores tomorrow." Manager Sun frowned. "Now that the goods are gone, how are we going to explain this to our customers?"
“Manager Sun, this is indeed our responsibility,” Zhao Zhiqiang said, taking the initiative to assume responsibility. “We are willing to compensate for all losses at the original price.”
"Compensation is necessary, but what about the business disruptions?" Manager Sun was clearly dissatisfied. "We signed contracts with our clients, and the penalty for breach of contract is no small amount."
Li Xiangyang knew that compensation for the goods alone wasn't enough; he also had to consider breach of contract damages. In those days, the insurance system was still underdeveloped, and such unexpected losses were generally borne by the individual.
"Manager Sun, how about this?" Li Xiangyang thought for a moment, "We'll fully compensate for the loss of the goods, and also cover your penalty for breach of contract, but we hope you can give us an accurate figure."
Manager Sun glanced at the two men, his tone softening slightly: "The penalty for breach of contract is 20% of the value of the goods, which is over 30,000 yuan. Adding the loss of the goods, the total compensation will be nearly 200,000 yuan."
Two hundred thousand! This number made Li Xiangyang's heart tighten. Although the factory was doing well, coming up with two hundred thousand was still a considerable sum.
"Two hundred thousand is too much," Zhao Zhiqiang said hesitantly. "Manager Sun, can we discuss it?"
"This is according to the contract, not a penny less," Manager Sun said firmly. "If it weren't for our previous cooperation, we would be pursuing other responsibilities against you."
Li Xiangyang could tell that Manager Sun was trying to extort money from him. But the situation was beyond his control, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.