Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 106 - 100 Finding a Buyer
Chapter 106: Chapter 100 Finding a Buyer
Xue Mao followed Lu Jiajie over, and he had been cooking all three meals a day; now that Xiao Qiu had come over, he went out with Lu Jiajie as well.
Lu Jiajie was responsible for procurement and communicating with several leather factories and processing plants. The four people he brought along, Ah Sheng, Ah Le, and Sha Xiangyang, were each assigned to one of three shoe processing plants—to oversee progress and ensure quality; Master Jia was in charge of inspecting raw materials. His thirty-plus years of experience in a shoe factory meant he could identify the quality of leather and cotton padding at a glance, and he could easily distinguish real from fake leather by touch. He would also handle the final inspection of the shoes. This job wasn’t strenuous, but it required someone experienced and with integrity. As for Lu Jiazong, he had moved into the rented warehouse and would be in charge of guarding it from now on.
Lu Jiajie took out all six shoe designs, among which the pointed, thick-heeled leather boots with double-row buckles and a side zipper for winter were his favorite. These boots were simple, stylish, and fashionable, surely to be sought after by young women.
He excitedly said, “Xinxin, these shoes are really good-looking, no worse than the batch the department store brought in last year.”
Of course, it wasn’t just the appearance of the leather shoes that was good; the quality was also top-notch. And because the standards were high, the processing fee was one and a half times higher than other places.
In the beginning, Lu Jiaxin designed metal double-row buckles, which would have looked better, but such an addition would increase the purchasing cost, adding an extra step and consuming more time. To save on costs, they reluctantly had to give up on it.
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Lu Jiajie said, “Jiaxin, I’ll take four pairs of each design back to the Forty-nine City. Those scalpers will definitely be eager to put down a deposit.”
Lu Jiaxin checked the six pairs of shoes one by one, ensuring the quality was without issues, and then she went to the telephone exchange to call Su Heming.
Unexpectedly, when the call connected, the person answering said that Su Heming had gone to Yangcheng City over a month ago, “Miss Lu, last month Brother Ming called and left a number, saying if you were looking for her, you could call this number. Wait a moment, let me find it.”
After a while, the other end provided a telephone number.
Lu Jiaxin wrote down the number, and after doing so, she realized it was a Peng City number. She thought of something and asked Gu Wenfeng, who came along, “I remember you saying that you’ve seen Su Heming’s father and big brother at the Swan Hotel; they were also staying at the hotel at that time.”
“Yes, what about it?”
Lu Jiaxin said that Su Heming had also come over a while ago: “They haven’t returned to the Forty-nine City for such a long time, and they called Heming over after coming back. I think they must be planning to set up a factory in Peng City.”
Being closer to Hong Kong, setting up a factory in Peng City could save on transportation costs for goods sold there. Thinking about how Grandpa Su and Big Uncle Su were in Hong Kong, he felt this investment must be significant.
When the call went through, it connected quickly. Lu Jiaxin said, “I’m looking for Su Heming.”
Although she just wanted to try her luck, she didn’t expect to hear Su Heming’s cheerful laugh over the phone: “Sister Jiaxin, you finally remembered to call me.”
They talked, and Lu Jiaxin learned that not long after she went to the Ancient Capital, Su Heming was called over. Later, hearing from Madam Xie that she had come to Peng City, he very much wanted to find her, but without an address or telephone number, there was nothing he could do. Madam Xie wouldn’t disclose it, so he had no choice but to wait.
Lu Jiaxin asked, “What kind of factory are you opening?”
Hearing that the Su family started an electronic factory, planning to produce televisions and radios and the like. Su Heming said, “My big brother says that there will be a large demand for household appliances in the country in the future, and there’s money to be made in it. However, my big uncle thinks the Mainland is too backward, and the common people can’t afford appliances, so starting such a business would surely lose money. After my dad and big brother stayed there for over three months, my grandpa finally agreed to invest money.”
Lu Jiaxin thought that Su Heming’s older brother was very farsighted. During the eighties and nineties, electronic products sold well all over the country, and those in the industry made a killing.
Thinking about this, she said, “This company was invested in by your grandfather. Is it also registered under his name?”
Su Heming exclaimed in surprise, “How could that be possible? My grandfather has four sons, aside from my Big Uncle Su and my dad, he even has two more with a younger wife in Hong Kong! If the company is under his name, once it starts making money, everyone will want a share. Wouldn’t that mean we’re just working for them?”
The phrase ‘just working for them’ was thrown out, showing significant progress.
Lu Jiaxin asked, “The cost of setting up a TV production line isn’t small. Your grandfather is quite generous to provide so much money for you to open a factory.”
Su Heming scoffed and said, “Generous? My grandfather gave three million, and although he didn’t ask for shares, he said this would be the only time. If we lose it all, he won’t give us any more money.”
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“My grandfather’s assets are worth over a hundred million, and we don’t have any share in that.”
“Is the three million in Hong Kong Dollars or Hua currency?” asked Lu Jiaxin. Now, with the conversion rate of Hua currency to Hong Kong Dollars being 1:3, it would be too little if he was giving in Hong Kong Dollars.
Su Heming said with a laugh, “Of course, in Hua currency. If it were in Hong Kong Dollars, three million would only be equivalent to one million Hua currency after conversion, which would be a huge loss!”
“Then your grandfather is still quite good to you,” Lu Jiaxin remarked. Not to mention the Mainland, even someone in Hong Kong with nine million in assets is considered wealthy.
Su Heming snorted coldly and said, “Generous? He’s doing it out of guilt. When he took his eldest son to Hong Kong, he abandoned my grandmother and the rest without a care. To support three kids, my grandmother worked herself to death and was constantly harassed by others; she passed away in her forties, and my eldest aunt, who was in the prime of her life, was killed by a brute. My younger aunt has been sickly all these years.”
“What about your dad?”
Su Heming said, “My dad was often bullied as a kid too, and because he did heavy physical labor from a young age, he is quite short. My grandmother and dad suffered immensely in the Mainland, while he lived a life of luxury in Hong Kong, taking one younger wife after another.”
Because of his hatred for Grandpa Su, he is also reluctant to go to Hong Kong. In Su Heming’s opinion, there was absolutely no need to acknowledge kinship; the Old Master had abandoned them, showing that he did not care whether they lived or died. Why recognize such a cold-hearted and ruthless elder? However, his brother Su Heyuan had a different idea. He wanted to open an electronics factory but was hard-pressed for funds; such a good opportunity was definitely not to be missed. And indeed, he succeeded. The factory is already under construction.
Lu Jiaxin asked, “What does your grandfather do?”
“Our family used to run a textile factory, and when we settled in Hong Kong, we continued with the family business. When he saw that making plastic flowers was profitable, he also opened a factory. But my dad says that the Old Man made a fortune from stocks, and now he has tens of millions in cash on hand.”
It was only after learning that Old Master Su had money that Father Su and Su Heyuan traveled all the way to Hong Kong to recognize relatives. After getting the money, Father Su stayed in Hong Kong to continue playing the filial son, while Su Heyuan returned to the Mainland to set up the factory and work hard.
Lu Jiaxin felt that what Su Heyuan did was the right move. When you’re at a disadvantage, you have to bow your head; it’s not too late to turn your back after you’ve made money and have capital. If they refuse to acknowledge their kin now, the ones at a loss would be their branch of the family.
