12dz Chapter 565 No rush
Chapter 565 No rush
On the third day of the factory shutdown, Li Xiangyang slept in for the first time ever.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the kang (a heated brick bed), making it so warm and cozy that one didn't want to get up.
He's been busy fighting with Jin Yuandou lately, and hasn't had a chance to spend quality time with his family in a long time.
Now that the factory has stopped operating and his accounts are frozen, he has a rare moment of relief.
Li Xiaoyun brought in water to wash her face and saw the father and son playing on the kang (a heated brick bed). A long-lost smile appeared on her face.
"Xiangyang, are you really not worried about the factory?" She sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes still showing some concern.
“What’s the use of worrying?” Li Xiangyang took his wife’s hand. “We’ve done everything we could; the rest is up to fate.”
His tone was relaxed, but Li Xiaoyun knew that behind that relaxation lay absolute confidence.
Li Xiangyang had a very relaxing day. In the morning, he played with building blocks with his son. In the afternoon, he strolled around the village with Li Xiaoyun. In the evening, the three of them sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) listening to the radio.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang was playing Go with his son at home when Ma Qingfu came running in, panting.
"Xiangyang, something bad has happened!" Ma Qingfu was covered in sweat. "Several of our major clients received calls yesterday saying our factory is going to go bankrupt and they need to find other suppliers immediately."
Li Xiangyang glanced at the chessboard, then reached out and patted his son's head: "Chenchen, Daddy needs to talk to Uncle Ma about something. Can you play by yourself for a while?"
“Okay, Dad.” Li Wangchen nodded obediently.
"Fatty, don't rush." Li Xiangyang stood up and poured Ma Qingfu a glass of water. "What did the client say?"
"Those companies in the south are quite reasonable; they said they're willing to wait," Ma Qingfu said, finishing his water in one gulp. "But it's hard to say about the companies in the provincial capital; after all, they have their own businesses to run."
“That’s normal.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same.”
"So we're really just going to do nothing?" Ma Qingfu wrung his hands anxiously. "Xiangyang, things will really go wrong if we continue like this."
Li Xiangyang walked to the window, looked at the village scenery outside, and slowly said, "Fatty, do you know what's most important in fishing?"
"What?"
"Patience," Li Xiangyang turned around. "The bait's in, the line's taut; now we just have to see when the fish bite."
Just then, the sound of a car came from outside. Li Xiangyang went into the yard and saw that it was Liu Jianjun's car from the county.
"Mr. Li," Liu Jianjun said, getting out of the car with a serious expression, "there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
The three entered the room. Liu Jianjun looked around and got straight to the point: "President Li, from what I understand, Jinyuan Industrial is actively lobbying to take over projects in our county."
Li Xiangyang poured tea and said calmly, "Director Liu, do you think they have the capability?"
"To be honest, on paper, their strength is indeed considerable," Liu Jianjun said, taking the teacup. "But..."
"but what?"
“But I’ve investigated these past few days and found that their cash flow seems to be problematic.” Liu Jianjun lowered his voice. “Mr. Li, do you know anything inside?”
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "Director Liu, do you think a company with a tight cash flow can complete a major project in the county?"
A flash of understanding crossed Liu Jianjun's eyes: "You mean..."
“What I mean is, sometimes what appears to be a crisis might actually be an opportunity,” Li Xiangyang said, putting down his teacup. “However, this requires a lot of patience.”
After seeing Liu Jianjun off, Ma Qingfu became even more anxious.
"Xiangyang, what are you waiting for?" Ma Qingfu paced back and forth. "If this continues, even if we win in the end, we'll suffer heavy losses."
Just as Li Xiangyang was about to answer, Wang Ergou rushed in again.
"Xiangyang, something's happened at Jinyuan!" Wang Ergou gasped for breath. "News just came from town that Zhao Mingyuan was cornered in his office by several creditors demanding repayment!"
Ma Qingfu's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Absolutely true!" Wang Ergou said excitedly. "I heard it was creditors from the provincial capital. More than a dozen of them came and completely surrounded Jinyuan's office building."
Li Xiangyang stood up, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Looks like the fish has finally taken the bait."
"So what do we do now?" Ma Qingfu asked anxiously.
“Let’s wait.” Li Xiangyang walked into the courtyard, looking at the sunset on the horizon. “Let’s wait for them to come to us.”
Sure enough, the next afternoon, a car pulled up in front of Li Xiangyang's house. The person who got out was none other than Zhao Mingyuan, the vice president of Jinyuan Industrial.
But Zhao Mingyuan was no longer the spirited man he once was. His hair was disheveled, his suit was wrinkled, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion and anxiety.
"Mr. Li, I apologize for disturbing you." Zhao Mingyuan stood at the courtyard gate, his tone unusually polite.
Li Xiangyang was feeding Xiaohu in the yard, not even turning his head: "Vice President Zhao, what a rare guest."
“Mr. Li, I think we should have a serious talk.” Zhao Mingyuan tried his best to maintain his last shred of dignity.
Li Xiangyang then turned around and looked Zhao Mingyuan up and down: "What do you want to talk about?"
“Cooperation.” Zhao Mingyuan gritted his teeth. “Genuine cooperation.”
Li Xiangyang wiped his hands and slowly walked to the wicker chair, sitting down: "Vice President Zhao, please sit down."
Zhao Mingyuan sat down somewhat awkwardly, a stark contrast to his previous arrogant demeanor.
"Mr. Li, to be honest, our company is indeed facing some financial difficulties right now," Zhao Mingyuan said with difficulty. "But we still have our technology and distribution channels. If we could cooperate..."
"Cooperation?" Li Xiangyang picked up his teacup. "Vice President Zhao, you've mentioned this many times before."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhao Mingyuan's face: "That was...that was because I was ignorant. Mr. Li, please forgive my mistake and give me a chance, okay?"
Li Xiangyang did not answer immediately, but slowly sipped his tea.
After a brief silence, Li Xiangyang spoke: "Vice President Zhao, I remember you said that you would either sell the factory to me or I would acquire it."
"Does Mr. Li mean... he's willing to acquire it?" A glimmer of hope flashed in Zhao Mingyuan's eyes.
“Your family is so large and powerful, a full acquisition is indeed beyond your capabilities,” Li Xiangyang said, putting down his teacup. “However, if the price is right, acquiring some assets is something we could consider.”
Zhao Mingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but then tensed up again: "Mr. Li, name your price."
Li Xiangyang stood up, gazing at the distant, misty mountains, and said calmly, "No rush. Vice President Zhao, go back and organize the asset list first. We'll discuss it in detail another day."
Zhao Mingyuan knew he was being told to leave, but he had no bargaining power at this point and could only nod in agreement.
After seeing Zhao Mingyuan off, Ma Qingfu slapped his thigh excitedly: "Xiangyang, your move to cut off their own supply lines was brilliant! You made them drag themselves down!"