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墨書 Inktalez
A convoy of cars was making its way forward, with one leading the way and another pushing from behind. In the middle was a Mercedes van driven by Laiwen, carrying a Vice President surnamed Hu and myself.
The procession arrived at Jimei Color Printing in grand style. Old Xu and Xiao Xu came out to greet us, but when they saw me at the center of the group, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
Laiwen stood gracefully beside me and introduced, "This is Ms. Jiang Qiuying from Dahua Color Printing, our chief representative for this negotiation!"
Two attendants dressed like flight attendants flanked me as we entered the pre-arranged conference room, and I confidently took a seat in the middle on one side.
Xu Huairen looked at me with disdain, mockery, and a hint of derision. He brazenly addressed Laiwen, "Come on, assistant. Our provincial tobacco company is truly desperate for talent if we're now giving a position of importance to someone we've dismissed!"
Laiwen smiled lightly, "If Ms. Jiang were still at Your Factory, we probably wouldn't have this opportunity to sit here today!"
That was quite a slap in the face; it implied that if they hadn't let me go, their once-thriving company wouldn't have fallen into such dire straits.
Xiao Xu's eyes burned with fury as he glared at me. "Originally, we had already discussed once before. A price below 70 million could be negotiable, but based on your company's representative here, we believe you lack sufficient sincerity. Therefore, we now require at least 80 million!"
The Vice President Hu on my left shot me a glance and hastily said, "President Xu, regarding the price issue, we have conducted a comprehensive assessment. Your sky-high demands are unreasonable!"
Old Xu seemed about to say something but was cut off by Xu Huairen: "Have you seen the TV drama Dye House? Chen Liuzi sold his factory for 60 thousand to the Japanese but managed to get 140 thousand in return. Why? Because the factory had skilled workers! Our factory has evolved from single-color printing machines to six-color printing machines and fully automatic Die Cutting and Hot Stamping machines. Each machine operator has been trained step by step by us. High-end printing is very niche; such technical talent is rare!
So even though our tangible assets are only around 60 million, we have the confidence to demand 80 million or even 100 million!"
Vice President Hu's gaze towards me was complex. I understood his unspoken question: Are you capable? The company brought you in; don't let us down!
I cleared my throat slightly and bypassed Xu Huairen to address Old Xu directly: "President Xu, I can't sit for too long. To keep it brief, if you agree to 55 million, we can sign right now. If not, let's part ways here!"
Xu Huairen was infuriated by my disregard: "On what basis?"
I continued to ignore him and focused solely on Old Xu.
Old Xu was puzzled by my intentions and couldn't comprehend why they had pushed me forward.
"80 million; not a cent less!"
Vice President Hu seemed anxious that I might suggest walking away: "President Xu, since we're paying, can we ask your technical staff to train us? What would be your asking price for training?"
Xu Huairen smiled insincerely as he crossed his legs: "I'll give you face; that's acceptable."
But before President Hu could celebrate this concession, Xu Huairen extended his right hand with his thumb and index finger raised: "Training fee: 80 million; no negotiation!"
Vice President Hu's face turned pale, nearly choking on his words.
I stood up and said, "Let's go!"
Everyone was stunned; they had never seen a negotiation break apart so abruptly over a disagreement.
On the way back, Vice President Hu scolded me, "Xiao Jiang, the company brought you in to mediate. How can you act so impulsively? We can agree to 70 million, and 80 million isn't out of the question either. Our new factory must start operations in the second half of the year, but it's incredibly difficult to recruit such specialized talent. We can't afford to wait!"
I replied confidently, "President Hu, we will start on schedule next month!"
Vice President Hu looked at me in disbelief. "You need to be responsible for every word you say!"
The negotiation had collapsed.
Xu Huairen called me, saying, "Jiang, although the truth may be hard to hear, I have to tell you that your waddle looks ridiculous—like a penguin!"
I shrugged it off. "No matter how ridiculous I look, I'm still going to be a mother. But what about you, President Xu? I heard you've gone through several wives—both legitimate and otherwise—and none have given you a son or daughter? Are they all just hens that don't lay eggs? Or are you just a rooster that looks good but is useless?"
"You... you...!"
"Thanks to you, I've raised the price from 70 million to 80 million. Let's see how long you can keep your position at that factory of yours that hasn't even opened yet!"
I added, "It's fine; my family has two acres of land back in the countryside. The crops will be enough for us."
Dahua Color Printing was up and running.
Old Xu called me several times in one day: "Xiao Jiang, considering you've worked here for many years, could you please talk to the higher-ups about the factory sale? It’s still negotiable."
"I'm sorry, President Xu, but I'm currently in the hospital having a baby. You can discuss the details with Vice President Hu."
Xu Huairen planned to use his skilled workers as leverage to sell the factory for a good price and even deliberately increased his demands during negotiations as revenge against me.
What he didn't realize was that I had already spoken with Xiao Xia and each of the department heads: "The wages at Jiangcheng's new factory will definitely be higher than those in Dangyang City, plus we offer five social insurances and one housing fund!"
Some were reluctant to leave their families behind, so I coaxed them gently: "Wives can work as auxiliary staff at the factory! Children in kindergarten, elementary school, or middle school can attend schools under the Tobacco System! My old Hu has already been teaching here!"
With this combination of incentives, I managed to poach nearly all of the key technical personnel.
The leverage Xu Huairen relied on quickly became his Achilles' heel.
On our first call after this shift, he agreed to a deal at 65 million.
I ignored him.
The second time, he personally came to find Vice President Hu, agreeing to sell for 60 million. Vice President Hu, who had been quite dissatisfied with me, completely believed in me and stood by my side, using official rhetoric to turn him down. Old Xu was anxious. He called me and sought out Vice President Hu...
The land and factory could be sold at any time, but finding a buyer for the equipment worth over 20 million was not easy. The longer it took, the more it would turn into scrap metal. In the end, Dahua invested 45 million to acquire Jimei Printing and turned it into a branch.
Laiwen's parents were both high-ranking officials in the Tobacco System. Dahua Color Printing was invested by the Tobacco System, and Laiwen was the assistant to the chairman of Dahua Color Printing, with her father managing the chairman. Laiwen was my benefactor, and I was her prized horse.
By acquiring Jimei, Dahua saved nearly 20 million, and with the new factory starting early, I was greatly credited for this success. During a leadership meeting, Vice President Hu, who had previously looked at me with disdain, strongly requested a reward for me!
I was planning how to spend the 800 yuan or 1000 yuan reward... Who would have thought that in the end, I received a set of keys? The chairman announced: “In light of Comrade Jiang Qiuying's tremendous contributions, the board has decided to reward her with a furnished apartment!”
That evening, my husband asked me, “From Dangyang to the provincial capital, who are you most grateful to?” I replied, “I'm most grateful to Xu Huairen!”
He sat up abruptly, bare-backed: “What did you say?” I said, “I want to thank Xu Huairen the most. He deducted over 7,000 yuan from me and kept setting us up with tricks and schemes, forcing me to think of every possible way to work hard and become strong, even ruthlessly poaching his technical backbone!”
My husband lay back down and held me close: “Please don’t talk like that with such heavy breathing!”
Now I am the deputy section chief of production at Dahua Color Printing Co., Ltd., responsible for Quality Control Inspection, with Xiao Xia as my assistant.
(The End)
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