I See through Everything

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: A Business Deal

International Financial City.

Jinhe Peninsula Garden Restaurant.

Inside a private room, General Manager Du had already arrived and ordered the food. freёweɓnovel.com

His secretary escorted Jiang Miao and his party upstairs.

Upon entering the room, General Manager Du quickly stood up with a smile and welcomed them. "Brother Jiang, and you must be his wife, please, have a seat. I’ve already ordered."

After taking his seat, Jiang Miao got straight to the point. "General Manager Du, what’s this business you wanted to ’take care of’ your younger brother with?"

"Ah! To be honest, this has become a real headache for me. It’s a long story..." General Manager Du quickly explained his situation. "Back in ’18, the market looked decent, so I invested in a feed mill. I figured it would be convenient for supplying my own farms, and I hoped to make a little extra money on the side."

Jiang Miao’s expression showed his understanding. He then asked, "Isn’t that a good thing?"

"But the market conditions these past few years have been brutal. My feed mill just started production in ’19, and it’s been running at half capacity ever since. On top of that, the cost of raw materials for feed has skyrocketed. If I price the fish feed too high, no one buys it. If I price it too low, I can’t even break even. It’s been incredibly tough for me," General Manager Du lamented.

"Don’t tell me you want to sell the feed mill to me, General Manager Du?"

General Manager Du nodded eagerly. "Exactly! Brother Jiang, I won’t lie to you. Since I bought the equipment, it’s barely been used for more than two years total. Plus, I have professionals maintain it annually, so it’s practically brand new. I’ll sell you the whole package for just five million. What do you think? Interested in taking it off my hands?"

"What’s the annual production capacity?" Jiang Miao asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"At full capacity, it’s 40 TPH, with an annual output of around 100,000 to 200,000 tons."

TPH means 40 tons per hour.

The price was indeed reasonable, but Jiang Miao didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he inquired, "Is the production line equipment all there?"

"Don’t worry, the production line is fully equipped. Ah Kang, show General Manager Jiang the details of our equipment." General Manager Du turned and instructed his other secretary.

The secretary, Ah Kang, quickly turned the laptop screen toward him. "General Manager Jiang, this is our company’s equipment. Please take a look. If you need a live video or anything like that, I can arrange for someone to film on-site."

"Go ahead and arrange it," Jiang Miao said, looking at the equipment list on the laptop screen, which included detailed quantities and specifications.

Raw Material Receiving: truck scale, two independent pulse dust collectors (20 TPH).

Raw Material Cleaning: conveyor, feeder, cylindrical pre-cleaner, independent pulse dust collector, permanent magnetic drum.

Raw Material Grinding: water-drop hammer mill, independent pulse dust collector.

Dosing and Mixing: batching system, rotary distributor, single-shaft paddle mixer, ribbon-paddle mixer.

Pelletizing System: steam boiler, conditioner, aquafeed extruder, pellet mill, dryer, liquid coating system.

Cooling System: counterflow cooler.

Remaining Systems: three-roller crumbler, rotary screener, quantitative packaging scale, sealing machine, automated control system.

After reviewing the equipment list, Jiang Miao looked up and asked, "General Manager Du, you don’t have any exhaust gas purification equipment installed?"

"Huh?" General Manager Du was momentarily stumped and quickly turned to his secretary, Ah Kang.

Ah Kang reacted quickly, replying at once, "General Manager Jiang, this production line indeed does not have exhaust gas purification equipment. This is mainly because our factory is in a suburban area, with no residential zones within a one-kilometer radius."

Jiang Miao smiled, but inwardly, he knew the real reason. ’They probably just didn’t want to spend the money on it.’

"If everything is as you say, General Manager Du, then five million is indeed an acceptable price. However, I haven’t seen it in person. How about this? I’ll have someone from my company go and inspect it. If there are no major issues, I’d be more than willing to work with you."

General Manager Du nodded. "I’ll have my secretary cooperate fully. Ah Kang, give General Manager Jiang your contact information."

Jiang Miao turned and gave instructions to Li Zixuan.

The two secretaries exchanged contact information.

Although they didn’t sign a contract on the spot, General Manager Du was still all smiles.

After all, this was completely normal in business negotiations. No matter how good the relationship between two parties, no one would agree to buy a secondhand production line without first inspecting the equipment’s condition.

Moreover, he and Jiang Miao were merely acquaintances. Reaching a preliminary agreement was already a great outcome.

A short while later, two waiters came in, pushing a serving cart.

Seeing the dishes being placed on the table, General Manager Du said apologetically, "Brother Jiang, since I’m the host today, we really should have a couple of drinks. But I have a symposium to attend this afternoon, so I’m afraid we’ll have to make do with tea instead of wine."

"No need to stand on ceremony. I don’t drink," Jiang Miao said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Oh, I see! Not drinking is a good thing!" General Manager Du immediately changed his tune. "I have to go to so many social engagements these days, always drinking. My health isn’t what it used to be."

Jiang Miao glanced at him. ’This General Manager Du is an interesting character.’ The man was clearly in excellent health, even sporting a six-pack. He was obviously a seasoned gym-goer.

"General Manager Du, with muscles like that, you put me to shame!"

"Hahaha, just a good habit from my army days," General Manager Du said, clearly proud of his physique.

Jiang Miao smiled and picked up a piece of white-cut chicken. "My driver, Ah Yong, is also a veteran. Though I doubt he was in the same branch as you, General Manager Du."

"Oh? So the young man is also a veteran? Which unit were you in?"

Ke Yong replied respectfully, "The 76th Group Army, sir."

"I was with the 41st Group Army. My father made me go back in the day. He even fought the ’monkeys,’ but I never got the chance," General Manager Du said with a laugh, shaking his head.

"The old gentleman must be over sixty now, right?" Jiang Miao asked, placing a piece of grouper on Shuya’s plate.

"That’s right! He’s sixty-eight this year."

"With you around, General Manager Du, the old gentleman can live a comfortable life."

General Manager Du picked up a piece of fish and said with a helpless sigh, "Don’t even mention it. The old man is too stubborn. He still lives in our old village, growing his own vegetables. But I’ll admit, he’s still in great shape."

"The countryside isn’t bad. The air is good! Growing vegetables is good exercise, as long as he doesn’t overdo it. My father used to farm and sell vegetables all the time. Now, when he’s bored, he’ll still plant a few things by the door. Old folks are all like that." ƒrēewebnovel.com

General Manager Du felt a sense of camaraderie. "Yes, exactly! Old folks are all like that. Come on, eat up. Don’t be shy. The food won’t be as good if it gets cold."

After some small talk about their families, the two men had grown more familiar with each other.

General Manager Du’s hometown was near Jiangmen. He ran a large aquaculture company, mainly farming prawns, grouper, and oysters.

"The oysters from your Hailufeng are quite good! Chenzhou Oysters are a famous specialty throughout Lingnan!"

"The oysters there are indeed excellent. Chenzhou is right next to my hometown. If you ever visit Hailufeng, General Manager Du, I’ll definitely treat you to some Chenzhou Oysters, as well as my company’s specialty: our ’earthy-taste-free’ eels."

"’Earthy-taste-free’ eels?" General Manager Du paused, then asked with some uncertainty, "Brother Jiang, the ones that sell like crazy online... don’t tell me those are from your company?"

Jiang Miao explained casually, "That’s right, they’re produced by our company. We make them from the eels that are culled after spawning. We have a special formula that eliminates the earthy taste during the farming process."

"Brother Jiang, you’re really something else! I’m truly impressed."

The two men chatted and laughed, talking about everything under the sun. Before they knew it, most of the food on the table was gone.

Seeing that it was almost two o’clock, Jiang Miao suggested, "General Manager Du, it’s getting late. You don’t want to be late for your symposium. We’re about done here, so why don’t we head over together?"

"Sounds good."

Soon, the group left the International Financial City and drove once again toward Ocean College.