2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 56 Brotherhood

January 17th is Laba Festival.

The rain was quite heavy today, so Zhang Xupeng was too lazy to go out and rode in a car with Tan Jincheng to the company.

The more the weather was like this, the more Zhang Xupeng envied Xiao Tan for being able to drive. He simply didn't have the courage to go out on an electric scooter in this weather.

In the afternoon, Zhang Xupeng noticed that Xiao Tan seemed a little unusual today.

"Xiao Tan, what's wrong with you today? You haven't been talking much and you look so gloomy." He was busy playing games in the morning and assumed Xiao Tan hadn't slept well, so he didn't pay much attention.

After lunch, Xiao Tan was still in the same state, which was a bit unusual.

"Ugh, I'm short on money, it's giving me a headache," Tan Jincheng said, rubbing his head.

"Doesn't the company have plenty of money in its accounts? How could it be short of funds?"

"It's not the company, it's me personally who needs money and wants to buy a house," Tan Jincheng said helplessly.

As the year draws to a close, Tan Jincheng is also facing many worries.

The biggest worry is how to persuade my fourth uncle to come work in Beicang next year when I go home for the Chinese New Year, so as to avoid the tragedy from happening again as much as possible.

A factory can't be set up for the time being; we don't have that much money. Besides, a trading company with light assets is the best option.

The company has another major shareholder. It wouldn't be good if he affected Zhang Xupeng's interests because of his own selfish motives.

Buying a house on your own is the best option. Using the excuse of helping with the renovation to lure your uncle over is the best solution.

My uncle works in the renovation business; it's his main job. With my mother's connections, it shouldn't be difficult to get him to come and help.

The most difficult thing right now is solving the money problem.

I've recently looked at information on many properties in various neighborhoods. Based on my memories from my previous life, the only one I can think of that's currently on sale or in pre-sale is Liren Garden. Other neighborhoods, which are now considered popular locations, have become less desirable this year due to the relocation of the district government.

Take the most bustling area of ​​Mingzhou Road now, near the night market, for example. In more than 10 years, it will become deserted.

The only option left to consider is Liren Garden. Liren Garden has been a top-tier community in Beicang for decades, and there are currently quite a few units for sale, with an average price of around 3800 yuan.

The house can't be too small, otherwise my uncle will run away again after less than two months.

However, if the entire renovation process is left to my uncle and I find fault with it myself, it should take at least half a year to finish, right?
Six months later, when I have enough money, I will think of other ways to keep my uncle here and try to keep him from going to work in Northeast China this year, or at least until after September.

"You want to buy a house? In Beicang?" Zhang Xupeng asked with some surprise.

"Yes, I want to buy a house, but I don't have enough money."

Unfortunately, there's no zero-down-payment option in Beicang. I heard that some places have started offering zero-down-payment home purchases this year, but I don't know if it's true.

“Why buy it in Beicang? It costs over 3000 yuan there. It’s better to buy it back home, where it’s more than half the price,” Zhang Xupeng said, scratching his head.

Zhang Xupeng's words startled Tan Jincheng, who then slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "That's right!"

I seem to have fallen into a misconception, thinking that it would be safer to bring my uncle to Beicang, but wouldn't it be better if he stayed in our hometown of Yicheng? That way, it would be easier for him to take care of my cousin.

Houses back home cost less than 1500 yuan per square meter, so 200,000 yuan can buy a fairly large space. A 30% down payment is possible, and I can manage to get 60,000 yuan myself. I can also use my parents' housing provident fund, so it won't cost much at all. As for the renovation costs, that doesn't need to be a one-time investment. Besides using my parents' money, I can also cover the rest with my own salary later. There's no need to rush into buying Moutai for now.

The main purpose of this house is to keep my uncle from going to Northeast China. Whether it will appreciate in value is not a consideration. It's okay if he lives in Beicang a little later.

“You’re right, buying from home is just as good, hehe.” Tan Jincheng chuckled.

Then he added, "I'll go out for a bit."

"Why are you going out in this heavy rain? You don't seem to have anything planned for today, do you?"

"Borrow money? I don't have enough to buy it at home, so I'm planning to buy a bigger one," Tan Jincheng said casually.

Based on a full-payment price of 200,000, the money I have plus this month's salary is barely enough for a down payment, not even enough for renovations. Labor is cheap these days, but for a 200,000 house, renovations will cost at least 50,000 to 60,000, right?

I don't know how much money I can get from my parents.

“Why do you need to borrow money from outside? I have some here, I can lend it to you,” Zhang Xupeng shouted.

From October to December, both of them received their full salaries. Unlike Tan Jincheng, who also bought nearly 10 yuan worth of stocks, Zhang Xupeng barely spent any money, and he also returned the 12 yuan he had lent to Tan Jincheng.

Including the money he had left, Zhang Xupeng now had 10 yuan in savings. If you add his January salary, it means that he didn't spend a penny in the past four months, yet he still owns 43% of Jinpeng Trading's shares.

Zhang Xupeng was well aware that Xiao Tan had developed the company's business and interpersonal relationships; he knew that he couldn't have recouped his investment so quickly on his own.

When the night is deep and people are alone, Zhang Xupeng would also think that holding these shares was even a bit too hot to handle.

Now that Xiao Tan wants to buy a house and has encountered some problems, it would be unreasonable for me to offer no help at all, given that I have the ability to do so.

When Zhang Xupeng asked to borrow money, Tan Jincheng was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you going to buy one? You have enough money to buy a decent house back in your hometown."

Zhang Xupeng laughed and said, "I haven't thought about buying a house. You buy one first, and I'll talk about it at the end of the year. Just remember to wait until I'm more skilled at driving before buying a car."

Compared to houses, Zhang Xupeng is now more interested in cars, fantasizing about one day being able to drive home, which would be truly glamorous.

The house is just sitting there, who can see it? Besides, we don't have as many relatives as Xiao Tan's family. The house is perfectly adequate for us right now.

"You should think it through. It's cheap to buy now, but the price might go up by the end of the year. Look at the housing prices in Beicang. Last year it was less than 3500, but this year it's 3800."

"Let it go up by a few hundred, it goes up by a few hundred. We're making money now, why are we afraid of them raising prices?"

Seeing that Tan Jincheng was about to say something, Zhang Xupeng waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, "Alright, stop talking. As your brother, I can't just watch you sleep on the sofa all the time. You have a lot of relatives, so you should buy it first."

"I have over 8 yuan in my account right now. I'll transfer 8 yuan to you first. If that's not enough, I'll give you more when I get my salary next year."

"I won't transfer your January salary to you. I'll give my parents 20,000 yuan when I go home, hehe."

Seeing Zhang Xupeng's insistence, Tan Jincheng felt a warmth in his heart and then said without any hesitation, "Alright, let's give ourselves some bonuses before the holiday. You can give me a little more when you go home. Also, I'll give you some interest on this 8 yuan."

"What are you saying? Are you insulting me? We're talking about interest, brothers," Zhang Xupeng said, somewhat displeased.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Xupeng continued, "Actually, I know very well that all this money was earned with your help. I'm not comfortable holding onto the company's shares right now. How about I give you some more shares?"

(End of this chapter)