Chapter 185: Acquisition (2)

In the supermarket rest area, Bai Zimu was waiting for the water to boil.

The teapot from earlier couldn’t be washed clean in a short while, so Bai Zimu simply changed to a new one, had someone bring over a bag of Maojian tea leaves, and poured some into the teapot.

He was quite dissatisfied with what Lei Dongchuan had just done, and blamed him:

“Brother, you shouldn’t have done that.”

Sun Xiaojiu, who was nearby, heard this and rushed to say:

“It has nothing to do with Boss. Boss went to pick you guys up, he didn’t know. I entertained him myself…”

Bai Zimu shot him a faint look, pursed his lips and didn’t utter a sound.

Sun Xiaojiu didn’t dare to finish the second half of his sentence, mumbling to a stop.

Bai Zimu’s attitude towards him was cold. He furrowed his brows and said:

“Go to the warehouse where the cars are repaired, and don’t follow around later. Didn’t you offend him severely enough just now?”

Sun Xiaojiu laughed dryly, scratched his head and hurried off.

Lei Dongchuan was helping on the side, and whispered:

“That surnamed He isn’t a good person either.”

Bai Zimu looked up at him.

Lei Dongchuan said: “Really, I could tell with one glance. That person speaks and acts in a roundabout way, and is ruthless when striking—”

While talking, the water boiled.

Lei Dongchuan, afraid of Bai Zimu getting scalded, brewed the new tea himself, picked up the teapot and said:

“I’ll go over with you.”

Bai Zimu was protected tightly by him, with Lei Dongchuan stepping half a pace ahead even when walking. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and whispered:

“Brother, what’s wrong with you lately?”

Lei Dongchuan’s heartbeat sped up a beat, and he mumbled:

“What?”

“You’re still asking me. You’ve been treating me like a three-year-old child these past few days? Only short of changing my clothes and putting on my socks.”

“It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

“But that was when I was little…”

Bai Zimu leaned closer and asked him, “Hey Brother, hasn’t it been too long since you saw me, so you missed me especially? I feel like after taking this trip to Pingjiang City with Grandpa, you treat me especially well after coming back.”

Lei Dongchuan met his gaze, not looking away:

“Mn, missed you especially.”

Bai Zimu thought he was going to bicker with him, but his brother admitted it openly and generously. He also felt a bit embarrassed, rubbed the tip of his nose:

“Me too, I won’t go out for so long in the future.”

Lei Dongchuan had never known that his heartbeat could be easily manipulated by a single sentence.

Just this one sentence, hearing it in his ears, it went all the way down, sweetening straight to his heart. If it weren’t for outsiders being present, he truly wanted to reach out and hold his little friend’s hand, holding it like this for a whole day without letting go.

In the courtyard.

The bosses of the two hypermarkets were sitting there, currently discussing matters.

After Lei Dongchuan came over, he bowed and poured new tea for them.

Boss He looked towards them.

Mother Lei smiled and said:

“It’s no bother, these are two children from my family. Our family has always raised children this way. Whether it’s official business or family matters, we don’t hide it from them. After all, the family business we worked hard to build will eventually be handed over to the next generation to continue striving for. Letting them follow and learn in advance is only right. President He, where were we just now?”

Boss He withdrew his gaze and continued:

“Regarding the acquisition amount, I can move closer to what you said, but I also have other conditions.”

“Please speak.”

“After competing for this year, everyone is clear about where their respective strengths and weaknesses lie. Baichuan has done well in the countryside, but to truly compete in the city or the province, pardon me for speaking bluntly, but it still lacks a bit… The He Jiale Hypermarket in the city is a springboard. It just depends on whether President Fang dares to try.”

Boss He deliberated for a moment, and said to her, “I know your Baichuan is currently working on a warehousing and logistics management system. However, for such warehousing management to operate effectively, it is imperative to improve the basic infrastructure construction of the warehousing, reduce manual labor, and raising the degree of mechanization is key… These all require talking about a system.”

Mother Lei said: “You mean?”

“To build a system, more money must be added.”

“President He, you aren’t just selling the hypermarket?”

“More than that. I’ll package these experiences and some channels together for President Fang, also considering it forming a good tie with Baichuan.”

Boss He tapped the tabletop, offering a price.

“8 million, how about it?”

Mother Lei was somewhat surprised. She had weighed it before. The He Jiale Hypermarket, the whole package, was conservatively estimated at around 5 million. If it was really like what Boss He just said, providing these things, adding 3 million wasn’t impossible…

Bai Zimu on the side raised his eyes and spoke:

“Uncle He, we are indeed interested in the He family’s hypermarket, but this addition is too expensive. Those high-end electronic products of yours are not, at least for now, are not selling well in Dongchang. Let’s just stick to talking about the hypermarket today.”

Mother Lei chided: “Zimu, how can you speak to an elder like that? This is the experience your Uncle He has summarized, it’s very precious.”

Bai Zimu blinked:

“But those Walkmans and things only sold well for one summer vacation. The classmates at my school all say that VCDs are not compatible with discs. Everyone is waiting for a machine that can play movies, it seems to be called a DVD. Moreover, the price of those transported from the south is only a few hundred yuan, much cheaper than those Japanese goods costing over a thousand yuan. Don’t you agree, Uncle He?”

Boss He smiled, nodded and said:

“You are right. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Then let’s talk about the hypermarket.”

Mother Lei and Bai Zimu played good cop and bad cop, cooperating tacitly to bargain without batting an eyelid.

Faced with this offensive from Baichuan, Boss He was at a disadvantage, but remained neither haughty nor humble.

He still wanted to insist on his method. This theoretical system might not be applicable now, but it didn’t mean it wouldn’t be applicable in the future. As for what Bai Zimu just said, Old He had also heard it many times at the family council meetings. But if one didn’t even dare to make mistakes, then what kind of business was he doing?

After several exchanges, the price negotiation reached a stalemate at a certain number.

Mother Lei said somewhat regretfully:

“6.6 million, this price is still too high. With our small family and small business, we can’t afford it.”

Boss He’s eyelids twitched violently, but he held back and said:

“President Fang is being modest. You have 47 Baichuan supermarkets in the townships, the total value of these is definitely more than this amount. Oh, forgot that you opened 3 more last week, now there are 50. It truly can’t be considered a small family and small business.”

Mother Lei:

“Look at what you’re saying. We don’t have as many professionals as your side. Starting halfway through, relying entirely on groping our own way, we are just getting started! For a moment, we don’t dare to take such hasty steps. Everything must be taken slowly.”

Boss He closed his eyes briefly.

He felt the other party was doing it on purpose.

Baichuan wouldn’t leave Dongchang, but the He family was different.

This was Baichuan’s home turf. Baichuan could afford to wait; at most, they would just delay their entry into high-end large hypermarkets for two years. Once enough strength was accumulated, success would follow naturally. But the He family was different now. The He family couldn’t achieve this, nor could they afford to drag it out.

Boss He pondered for a moment, and said:

“President Fang, bargaining back and forth will probably hurt our relationship. How about I take a step back, 5.5 million.”

He looked at the other party, waved his hand and said:

“President Fang, no need to rush to answer. I have one more condition. Within three days, I only accept cash. If President Fang can do it, we can settle the deal at this price, and our He family will withdraw from Dongchang City.”

Upon hearing this, Mother Lei first raised her eyes to look at Bai Zimu.

Boss He also followed her gaze, smiled faintly and said:

“Little friend, what do you think? Do you dare to make a bet with Uncle?”

Bai Zimu said: “Uncle He, this condition is too harsh. You make an offer, you must give me some room to counteroffer, right?”

“Is this discount not enough?”

“The price is fine, but the time is too short. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Even if we go to the bank to apply for a mortgage loan, it will take at least ten days to a half month to complete. You are clearly making things difficult for people.”

Boss He laughed heartily. Only at this moment did he feel a bit more cheerful, raising his hand and pointing at him:

“If I wasn’t in urgent need of money for turnover, I wouldn’t have offered this price, right? You, you’re just a child, don’t be too heavy-hearted. Everything can’t be just your family taking the advantage.”

Mother Lei smoothed things over a bit, laughing and saying:

“Zimu is still young, speaks childishly, excuse his manners.”

She looked at Bai Zimu. Seeing his calm expression and slight nod, she nodded and agreed:

“Since President He is so sincere, give us two days to discuss it, and we will give you a reply the day after tomorrow, how about that?”

Boss He shook his head and said:

“Starting from today. Sign the contract early tomorrow morning, and three days later, I only want cash.”

Mother Lei deliberated for a moment, nodded and said:

“Alright, I’ll go to your place early tomorrow morning to discuss.”

Having finished the negotiation, Boss He didn’t linger. He got up and left with his secretary.

On the way back.

Boss He sat in the backseat, closing his eyes to rest.

The secretary sitting in the front row asked softly:

“President He, how should this report be written?”

Boss He said: “Just write it truthfully.”

The secretary hesitated: “President He, are we really yielding the store to Baichuan? Although the Wanzhou matter is urgent, it’s not like there’s no room to maneuver…”

“What do you know, Baichuan is also in a dilemma right now.”

Boss He sat in the back, closing his eyes to rest. After a while, he said slowly:

“What does Baichuan rely on to gain a firm foothold in the city? It’s exactly these individual ‘Baichuan Supermarkets’ in the townships. If she wants to take out money now, where can she find it? Even for a bank loan, the mortgage period isn’t enough; it will definitely take more than half a month, the approval process is very slow… In half a month’s time, it’s enough for her to sell off all her old capital completely.”

He had investigated the shops Baichuan opened in the townships before, and looked at Baichuan’s daily stocking, capital chain, and the containers at the port. After calm analysis, he was certain that Baichuan didn’t have so much liquid capital on the books.

Even if they had accumulated some before, but that Baichuan Hypermarket in the city—with the two stores adjacent, their He family spent over 5 million just to set up, and Baichuan couldn’t be much less than them. Plus, fighting fiercely for half a year, tens of millions of funds were tied up there. Baichuan was also just holding on forcefully.

“If Baichuan wants to swallow my hypermarket in the city, then they must choose to stay in the city. The original Baichuan Hypermarket definitely won’t be sold. The old capital that can be sold are these small supermarkets…”

Boss He turned his head to look out the car window, his eyes carrying appreciation.

“These foundations were laid solidly. Baichuan really put thought into it.”

Once these small supermarkets were sold, Boss He would definitely swallow them all up, even swallowing this commercial network Baichuan had already woven together.

The He Jiale Hypermarket was a bait, very fragrant, but it also came with a hook.

Boss He snorted: “Just wait and see, let’s see what Fang Jin does.”

The secretary offered a few flattering words, smiled and said:

“President He is still a notch higher in skill. If you hadn’t spoken, I wouldn’t even know there was so much hidden mechanism inside. Then if Baichuan truly can raise the money—”

“Then Baichuan is worth me investing this capital to make a friend.”

*****

The next day.

Fang Jin brought people to negotiate the details and signed the acquisition contract.

Boss He used himself as bait, and even at this moment, still wanted to counterattack.

He had people keep a close eye on Baichuan. As long as the other party sold a small supermarket, he would have his subordinates acquire it immediately.

Boss He called his secretary over again and told him:

“Find a few people to go over to the bank side, keep an eye on Baichuan’s remittances. If there’s any news, notify me immediately.”

The secretary agreed and hurried out.

Boss He sat in his boss chair, leaning back slightly, his expression somewhat relaxed.

Ever since he knew Baichuan’s people were keeping an eye on him, he had felt uncomfortable in his heart. Now the tables have turned, and he, Old He, also gets to taste this feeling, specially sending someone to keep an eye on Baichuan to see if they have any large remittances.

Also to vent some frustration.

The authorities had been investigating illegal fundraising strictly these past two years. Wenzhou made a huge scene last year. Who would dare to do such a thing? They would probably set up a special investigation team on the spot. Boss He had a high political sensitivity and had always been very concerned about these matters. He also kept a close eye on Baichuan. He knew in his heart that as long as he got over this hurdle, he could make Baichuan spit out everything they had eaten.

But before receiving news of Baichuan selling small supermarkets, he first ushered in Baichuan’s new trick.

In less than half an hour, the secretary hurried back to report.

Boss He looked shocked, slapped the desk and said:

“Issuing cards?!”

“Yes, President He. Baichuan is issuing supermarket stored-value cards. Recharging within three days has a discount, giving 20 yuan for every 100 yuan spent, with no upper limit. They also launched many activities using cards for shopping all at once. It doesn’t look like a decision made suddenly, they must have prepared for a long time…”

“Then what are you still standing here in a daze for, go investigate quickly!!”

******

Baichuan Hypermarket launched supermarket stored-value cards. Buying cards in the first three days had a discount, giving 20 yuan for every 100 yuan spent. The amounts on these stored-value cards ranged from 100 to 5000 yuan, but the gifts were the same. The more you bought, the more discount you got. Moreover, not only could the shopping cards be used in the Baichuan Hypermarket in the city, but they could also be used in the Baichuan supermarkets in all the townships. As soon as the news came out, people in the entire Dongchang City crowded to watch the excitement, and many people applied for cards on the spot.

Baichuan’s goods were top-notch, and the activities were numerous. Using the card to shop was not only convenient but also had such a big discount, it was truly extremely cost-effective!

Someone came to inquire if they could deposit in advance. Mother Lei made a prompt decision and gave a price of getting 20 yuan free for every 100 yuan deposited in advance. What was given was cash, which could be used for daily shopping in the supermarket, a solid and real discount.

Not to mention other things, this was universal in Baichuan supermarkets everywhere!

For a time, the card purchasing points set up in the townships were also extraordinarily lively. In the countryside in earlier years, besides supply and marketing cooperatives, it was going to the market. Buying anything had no guarantee at all. Only after Baichuan Supermarket started operating did everyone have a reliable shopping channel. Once Baichuan’s shopping card came out, it sold even more livelier in the countryside than in the city!

When people in villages and towns bought agricultural machinery, those families who originally intended to wait a bit, seeing such a good deal, immediately scraped together the money on hand to buy an agricultural vehicle. There were also those whose sons at home would reach marriageable age next year or the year after. After asking and confirming that the stored-value card had no time limit, they happily deposited several thousand yuan, planning to buy all the large household appliances together; it could genuinely save several hundred yuan!

……

What Mother Lei carved out was roughly also the profit of the goods in Baichuan Supermarket. Taking it out perfectly solved the problem of financial difficulty.

The various supermarkets, from the city to the townships, completely circulated!

Once this money started rolling, it was incredible.

Seeing the amount received in just half a day, approaching a million in the blink of an eye, her heart pounded violently. She couldn’t help but call the village again to ask about the situation.

The one answering the phone was Sun Xiaojiu. He was also terribly busy over there. Listening twice before hearing clearly, he patted his chest and said:

“Auntie, rest assured! Zimu told me several times before. I prepared well in advance, the supply of goods is sufficient, extremely sufficient!”

Sun Xiaojiu’s words were full of confidence.

Ever since summer, he had started accumulating.

Although he didn’t understand at that time, their boss ordered it, and whatever Zimu said, they just had to follow suit!

Sun Xiaojiu was obedient, rolling up his sleeves to work with all his might. Not to mention anything else, the agricultural and sideline products sector was managed even more comprehensively than when Fang Qi was around. Especially the fish ponds in Lei Family Village; after entering autumn, they didn’t sell a single fish to the outside world, keeping them all for themselves!

In winter, the price of fish was expensive, but they remarkably managed to supply fresh fish to Baichuan supermarkets everywhere in Dongchang every day!

At this moment, Sun Xiaojiu only had admiration for Bai Zimu in his heart.

He even guessed that the other party had perhaps prepared to swallow the He family’s hypermarket early on, grasping every little detail accurately. He was truly completely convinced.

On the other side, Mother Lei hung up the phone. Pacing around the office, she suddenly remembered something, picked up her coat and went outside. She bumped right into Lei Dongchuan, who was coming over from the corridor.

Lei Dongchuan supported her and asked: “Mom, where are you going?”

Mother Lei said: “I’ll go out and take a look. This is the first time our supermarket is receiving such a large sum of money, I’m not at ease…”

Lei Dongchuan said: “I’ve already arranged it well. These few days, Sun Xiaojiu and the others all asked for leave, and every store has someone guarding it. Besides, I also spoke with my Second Uncle’s side, and made a trip to the township police stations in advance. You don’t need to worry.”

Mother Lei was somewhat surprised, looking up at him:

“Third Child, when did you do all this work?”

Lei Dongchuan smiled and said:

“Just this morning, when you took Small Bowl over to negotiate the contract with Boss He.”

Mother Lei also smiled. Hearing her son say this, she was no longer so anxious, relaxing slightly and saying:

“That’s good. Fortunately, there’s you and Zimu. Having you two by my side is even more reassuring than when your dad helped me back then.”

Lei Dongchuan said: “There are still a few carloads of goods here that need to be checked with you, do you have time?”

Mother Lei was full of energy at this moment, having endless strength. Raising an eyebrow, she said:

“Of course I do. Let’s go, let’s talk inside.”

On the other side, He Jiale Hypermarket.

Boss He also held a card in his hand. It was a supermarket shopping card with the minimum amount of 100 yuan bought by his secretary.

Boss He looked at it seriously for a while, shook his head and said:

“This is truly… another new trick I’ve never seen before. Besides the shopping cards, did you find out anything else?”

The secretary said: “Found out some things. The amount from shopping cards received by Baichuan in the city today alone might have exceeded 2 million…”

“Impossible!”

Boss He furrowed his brows and said, “The city is only so big in total. In one day’s time, it’s absolutely impossible. Even adding those small supermarkets in the townships, they wouldn’t gather that much!”

The secretary said:

“President He, I heard the boss of Dongchang Garment Factory came over to buy festival and holiday welfare cards for the enterprise employees, distributing the cards in advance. Heard the total amount adds up to 800 thousand.”

“Dongchang City Garment Factory? How many people can this factory have? 300 people would be considered pretty good!”

“President He, this factory also has branch companies in Qindao City, 3 places opened in total, adding up to nearly a thousand people…”

Boss He was in a daze for a moment, and suddenly remembered:

“Is it the one that makes jeans? The DC brand?”

“Right, right, it’s exactly this one!”

When Boss He first came to Dongchang City, he had also heard of this garment factory in the city. It was already a flagship enterprise in Dongchang City, and was highly valued by the city. It was just that different professions are worlds apart. Moreover, the boss of the garment factory rarely showed her face, mostly letting a manager named Jin Sui come out to speak as a representative. He had also never connected this factory with Baichuan together.

Boss He’s Adam’s apple bobbed, swallowing drily. No matter what, he didn’t believe these two had no relationship—how close must their relationship be to be able to take out nearly a million in one breath?!

Unless… unless they belonged to one family?

Thinking this way, reading the brand of the garment factory a few more times made it seem even more so. This “DC” could be read as Dongchang, or it could be read as Dongchuan…

Boss He turned pale with fright:

“Could it be that Fang Jin of Baichuan Supermarket and the boss of Dongchang Garment Factory are really a married couple?! Go investigate quickly, why didn’t anyone tell me such important news, a bunch of muddleheads!”

The secretary hurriedly agreed, and hurried off to investigate.

Boss He paced around the office anxiously, feeling more and more that it was right.

Those two children beside Fang Jin, the tall boy looked like her. That shorter one, fair and clean, was full of devious ideas at a glance, different from Fang Jin who fought openly with real swords and spears. He still remembered that child was called “Bai Zimu”. He must have been taught by that President Bai of the garment factory. These tactics are truly extraordinary!

If there really was this layer of relationship, it would be difficult to handle.

Baichuan was a local township enterprise and had been rooted for a year. It was already much trickier than he thought.

If you added Dongchang Garment Factory, this was a large factory that had been operating for over a decade… The strength of Dongchang Garment Factory was probably not inferior to their entire He family.

Boss He started feeling anxious.

But he was also reluctant to part with this piece of fat meat.

What he valued was Dongchang’s geographical location. Dongchang was located in the center of the hinterland. To the east was Qindao City with a port, to the south was shipping, and the railway to the north went straight to the capital. If warehousing was established here, it would be convenient to dispatch anywhere. Moreover, with abundant resources here, it was truly the best place to establish warehousing.

Boss He gritted his teeth, hoping not to hear that worst piece of news.

*****

Family compound.

Dong Yuxiu wasn’t considered busy during this period. On the contrary, she had time to come home and take care of the child. However, the only one she could take care of was Bai Zimu. The Lei family mother and son next door were busy spinning around like tops, and hadn’t come home for a day or two.

Dong Yuxiu bought a fresh fish that was already cleaned. Bringing it back, she made the simplest steamed fish, and also stir-fried a green vegetable.

Bai Zimu liked it very much, eating without even raising his head.

Dong Yuxiu smiled and said:

“Zimu, eat slowly. How is the taste? Mom hasn’t cooked for a long time, is it okay?”

Bai Zimu nodded his head: “Delicious.”

His earliest memories were of the taste of such meals. He couldn’t say what was special about it, perhaps because it was the first bite he ate, so it was naturally categorized by memory as “the taste of home”. This flavor of meals would never be tired of in a lifetime.

Dong Yuxiu slowly ate her meal while chatting with him:

“Zimu, tomorrow you go to Baichuan and help me ask your Mother Lei. If they still lack money over there, I still have—”

Bai Zimu said: “Mom, no need.”

“Mn?”

“I just called my brother to ask. They can gather enough money in three days, and my brother said he doesn’t want yours.”

Dong Yuxiu was somewhat worried and wanted to persuade him again, but Bai Zimu smiled and said:

“Mom, you have to give Mother Lei some confidence. She is working very hard right now, she can definitely do it well.”

Dong Yuxiu also smiled, and said softly:

“I was just thinking, when things were the hardest back then, it was your Mother Lei who helped me. Now we can’t help with other things, we can only help a bit financially.”

Bai Zimu chewed the fish meat, and mumbled:

“Didn’t you apply for the cards?”

Dong Yuxiu sighed: “That’s only how much.”

Bai Zimu: “…”

He thought to himself, as long as Mother Lei asked, his mom would probably be able to cover that money too.

After dinner, the phone at home rang.

Bai Zimu went over and answered the phone. It was a call from Master He.

Old Master He was unhappy as soon as he got through:

“Zimu, what’s going on? I called your phone several times today, and you didn’t answer! Called Dongchuan boy, he did answer, but also couldn’t find you. Why weren’t you with him today?”

Bai Zimu coaxed him: “Grandpa, I had class. My brother took leave to help out at home.”

Old Master He over there gave an “oh”, and said repeatedly:

“Right, right, nothing can delay your studies. I heard the Lei family is short of money?”

Bai Zimu didn’t hide anything from the old man and told him.

Old Master He breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it, and smiled:

“I thought it was how much, gave me a scare. Zimu you wait, Grandpa will tomorrow…”

Bai Zimu interrupted him: “Grandpa, no need. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Baichuan’s side can manage.”

Old Master He: “Then alright, but don’t force it. I know you’re worried about the Lei family, but you still have to review and prepare for the exams. This matter isn’t as important as your exams, you know? When you need money, just tell Grandpa. Grandpa will prepare it for you first, don’t feel pressured.”

“Mn.”

“Also tell Dongchuan boy, this boy, when encountering matters he doesn’t utter a sound, treating me, an old man, as an outsider!”

Bai Zimu said: “That’s not true, my brother treats you like his own grandpa.”

Old Master He raised his voice:

“Why not? I heard the garment factory on your mom’s side scraped together a sum of money.”

“That was for holiday welfare cards issued to the employees.”

Bai Zimu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, explaining it to him once.

“Grandpa, I just told Mom, don’t want hers, and also don’t want your money.”

“But…”

“This is Baichuan’s matter, Baichuan can shoulder it and get through it themselves.”