2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 236 "Investing Back in My Hometown"

Before we knew it, February had passed.

The biting chill was driven away by the arrival of spring, and the temperature gradually rose.

In the last few days of the month, Tan Jincheng returned to his hometown of Yicheng with Tao Qinian's convoy. Zhang Xupeng, as well as staff from Flash Technology and Jinpeng Trading, also accompanied him.

Besides the driver, Tan Jincheng brought a legal counsel, an administrative clerk, and Sun Yuming with him this time.

Zhang Xuhui was left in Beicang to handle the work before his transfer. These days he needs to sort out his previous work and hand it over to his new assistant.

Sun Yuming, who had previously served as Tan Jincheng's assistant for a period of time, was temporarily drafted again.

After the New Year, Sun Yuming gained a lot of weight, but his overall energy and spirit were completely different from when he first joined Jinpeng Trading. Although he had gained weight, he had a vibrant and energetic feeling.

The saying that money can support people is probably not just a casual remark.

"Big brother, can I come to your house as a guest? I've prepared a gift for the little sister."

Compared to Zhang Xuhui, a recent college graduate, Sun Yuming, who has been working in society for many years, is obviously better at flattery.

The emotional value that a sister 18 years younger than oneself can provide is twofold. Using the sister of Boss Tan to flatter him is a very smooth way to do so.

"Go if you want, just follow me when you get there."

“Okay, speaking of which, even though we’re from the same province, I’ve never been to Yicheng.”

“You’re from Luzhou, and you don’t get along with us Yicheng people. The whole province looks down on you for being the provincial capital.”

"Haha, that's right. There's a lot of arguing about it on the forums and Tieba, but I don't think so. I really get along with you, Boss."

After arriving in Yicheng, Tan Jincheng did not go home first, but went to the leaf spring factory to finalize the formal contract. The leaf spring factory had been paying close attention to the progress of the cooperation, and Xu Xueming received calls from the factory every day.

The 500 million yuan in cash, along with the help of securing an investment, wasn't exactly a fire sale of assets. In particular, the 500 million yuan saved the factory's life; with this cash injection, it might just be able to revive the factory.

"Thank you, Mr. Tan, for your generosity in contributing to the development of your hometown. We also hope that Mr. Tan's business will continue to grow and that there will be more opportunities for cooperation in the future."

“Giving back to our hometown is what we wanderers should do, especially since my father has received a lot of care from Guo Jia over the years.”

As for the formalities, we still need to say them when necessary. In addition to the leaders of the leaf spring factory, a leader from the Municipal Department of Industry and Information Technology was also present at this signing ceremony, as well as leaders from the Industry and Commerce Department.

In terms of scale, it was quite a grand affair.

"The funds will be transferred to your account within five business days, Mr. Li, please rest assured."

The acquisition of assets worth 500 million yuan, plus the investment in a logistics and transshipment center, requires at least tens of millions of yuan in funding. Therefore, the acquisition of Andar's intangible assets is no longer in the name of Tan Jincheng personally.

The City Investment Company, another major shareholder of FlashTech and the representative of the Beicang District Government, is also very supportive of this acquisition of Andar's intangible assets. At this time, Geely has not yet built a factory in Beicang.

The district has a company with automobile production qualifications. Even if it doesn't manufacture cars at this stage, it's still a remarkable thing. If it weren't for the fact that Flash Technology's current development plan is already very complete and the city investment company is not allowed to interfere with Flash Technology's management rights, the district would have wanted to directly invest in the automobile project.

However, no matter what, even if the district government had this intention, Tan Jincheng would not agree.

In his view, the development plan he designed for Flash Technology is the most suitable for him. While making the electric vehicle business stronger and bigger, he will invest the profits in the research and development of lithium battery technology, and at the same time try to control the upstream resources of lithium mines.

The right approach is to wait until battery technology matures and mass production is achieved before entering the automotive sector.

This is similar to how the stock market speculates on expectations. If the electric vehicle business does well, then expectations for lithium batteries are released. If lithium batteries are successful, then expectations for automobiles are released. This is how stock prices are boosted.

After the formal contract was signed, there was naturally another round of eating and drinking. Tan Lihua had already slipped home early. He doesn't drink alcohol, and he found these occasions quite uncomfortable. His alcohol allergy might be one of the reasons why he couldn't advance in his career.

The trip to Beicang made Tan Lihua realize that his son was extraordinary, and at the same time, it made him feel confused about his future life. Needless to say, those peaceful days before would never come again.

Perhaps we should really listen to our son's opinion and let his wife and children move to Beicang?

As for himself, he can just hide anywhere by himself and go to the countryside on weekends. It shouldn't be a big problem. He's already 46 years old this year. If he can hold on for another 10 years, he can apply for early retirement.

"Sigh, if only this kid had made his fortune a few years later, I could have just retired early due to illness when I was 50."

On the other side, Tan Jincheng, after eating and drinking with other middle-aged and elderly people for several hours, also prepared to go home to rest. According to the itinerary, he would go to Wangjiang County for on-site inspection tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the donation amounts had already been confirmed with the county government: Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng would each donate 400 million yuan to improve the county's office conditions, as well as the teaching and accommodation conditions in primary and secondary schools throughout the county. The head of the Finance Bureau was grinning from ear to ear. He was lucky this time; he happened to be reporting on his work when the second boss was arranging things, and he ended up joining in. Naturally, the two donations, totaling 800 million yuan in cash, would be coordinated and arranged by the bureau or by him.

This is truly a windfall. With 800 million in cash, who gets priority in giving it to is a matter of personal favor; you never know when it might come in handy.

Of course, the first thing to do is to improve the schools where Mr. Tan's younger siblings are studying. Mr. Tan's hints are so obvious, if you can't even understand this, then you shouldn't be working here.

"President Tan, President Zhang, after the site visit, should we arrange to visit the town's middle school? That way, we'll have a clear understanding of the subsequent funding arrangements."

Zhang Xupeng exchanged a glance with Zhang Xupeng, who gave him a "whatever" look.

“Great! It’s been many years since we graduated from junior high school. It would be nice to reminisce about our junior high school days.”

This time, the focus of the donation is on village and town-level middle schools, that is, junior high school students. As for the specific allocation of the amount, Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng did not have any special requirements, but only hoped that 40% of the total donation would be used for education.

There are a total of 9 townships and 9 township-level middle schools. If the funds are distributed equally, each middle school would receive about 30 yuan. With the current inflation rate not being particularly high, especially in these towns, 30 yuan can still make a significant difference.

"Okay, I'll talk to someone about it and make some arrangements when I get back."

"I'm causing trouble for you."

"No trouble at all. President Tan and President Zhang are young, promising, and kind-hearted. Even if it is troublesome, we hope there will be as many of these troubles as possible."

"Forget it, the more the better," Zhang Xupeng muttered to himself, pursing his lips.

"Then we'll head back now. We look forward to Mr. Tan and Mr. Zhang's inspection." Tao Qinian interrupted, seeing that the conversation was going on and on.

Back home, there were still many things to prepare. This time, not only did he bring Tan Jincheng over, but he also brought his friend Zhang Xupeng. Tao Qinian was quite satisfied with this.

Zhang Xupeng seems very interested in investing in and building a garment factory. The fact that a garment trading company with an annual output value of over 100 million yuan intends to invest in and build a factory is a big deal for the county, even more important than the logistics center of Flash Technology.

In fact, Jinpeng Trading's total output value last year was close to 1% of the county's total GDP, and its share in the secondary industry was even greater, nearly 36%. The county welcomes such an enterprise investing in and building a factory, especially since it is a labor-intensive enterprise.

However, this Comrade Zhang seems to follow Comrade Xiao Tan's lead, so even if he intends to invest in building a factory, Xiao Tan's opinion is still very important. I just hope he won't interfere too much.

Tao Qinian now understands the relationship between the two young people. Because of their parents, they grew up together from childhood. From kindergarten to high school, they were inseparable. During winter and summer vacations, they would either go to each other's hometowns.

They went overseas together and started a business together. It was an incredibly good relationship. Comrade Xiao Zhang also frankly admitted that the early development planning and business of Jinpeng Trading were all thanks to Xiao Tan.

Therefore, even after taking over and having a new plan, Xiao Tan, who holds 30% of the shares, still has a lot of opinions to give. If he disagrees, Xiao Zhang would rather give up the idea.

Besides the trust between the two, it also shows Xiao Tan's image in Xiao Zhang's mind.

The fact that Xiao Tan can gain the trust of her childhood friend, who is also a wealthy business owner, speaks volumes about her abilities.

"Okay, then you can go ahead, leaders. See you tomorrow. Be careful on the road."

Tao Qinian nodded in satisfaction. This was a public occasion, and he had previously addressed Xiao Tan as "President Tan," while Xiao Tan had tacitly avoided calling him "Uncle Tao."

"Alright, you've had quite a bit to drink. Go back and get some rest."

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. Goodbye, leaders, I'll take my leave now." Tan Jincheng was in a hurry to get home and didn't want to be polite with them.

After saying that, Tan Jincheng asked Zhang Xupeng, "Are you going to my house or going home first?"

"Go home first, I'll rest for a while, and come to see you tonight. Ask Aunt Zhang to cook some extra rice, and our family will come over for dinner," Zhang Xupeng said without any politeness.

Regarding building a garment factory, we still need to discuss it with Xiaotan. Building a factory is not just about building a factory; we definitely need to create our own brand. We need to discuss how to position the brand, whether to make men's wear, women's wear, or children's wear, and make a plan.

"Damn, you're shameless. You're not only freeloading yourself, but you also bring Uncle Zhang and the others along."

"So, just tell me if you're willing or not."

"Fine, fine, get out of here."

In front of a group of leaders, the two of them acted like juniors, joking and bickering. Tao Qinian couldn't help but reassess their relationship. Successful people's actions easily arouse the imagination of those around them.

But actually, the two of them had only had a few drinks and were excited to be home, so they didn't hold back.

(End of this chapter)