Zhang Tianxing did a quick calculation. With school starting in a few days, he’d have to hand over the barbecue restaurant to his uncle.
Upon hearing this, Liang Cheng was astonished. “With business this booming, what happens if I’m left to flounder?”
“Brothers have to help each other, fathers and sons fight together. Uncle, think about it. If you don’t run this restaurant, we’ll have to close it, and then we won’t get any money from the crayfish.” Zhang Tianxing put an arm around Liang Cheng.
Liang Cheng pondered Zhang Tianxing's words. “Then what about acquiring the crayfish?”
“We’ll let someone else handle that. We’ll buy them. We can’t eat the entire fish from head to tail, or we’ll get indigestion after just a few days,” Zhang Tianxing said with a meaningful smile.
Liang Cheng was bewildered, not quite understanding. However, Liang Cheng had one good quality: he realized he couldn’t be greedy.
The crayfish industry had brought them considerable wealth. Both the export of crayfish and the candies imported from abroad had profited Zhang Tianxing immensely.
For those two months, they had kept all the profits to themselves, leaving only a little broth for the members of the crayfish association to sip.
If this continued, the crayfish association would become disheartened. In the long run, everyone needed to make money. It wasn't about you making ninety and leaving ten for others.
Zhang Tianxing’s ambitions went further. He wanted to expand the cake, making the entire crayfish market larger, and leading everyone to unimaginable wealth.
Trust Zhang Tianxing, and making money was never an issue.
This was why Zhang Tianxing wanted his uncle, Liang Cheng, to take over the barbecue restaurant.
“Oh, Tianxing, after October, when the crayfish are gone, what will we do? And what about the seafood shop then?”
Zhang Tianxing smiled. His uncle really thought ahead. It was precisely because of this that his uncle was someone he respected.
Only by diligently researching and dedicating himself to any endeavor could one achieve success.
“Uncle, I have a plan. The shop will remain open, and we'll pivot. Crayfish are seasonal, but they are our signature. So, we need to prepare for next year.”
Zhang Tianxing said with a smile. He had a new plan that, when implemented next year, would surely elevate the crayfish association to a new level.
Liang Cheng’s curiosity was piqued, and he eagerly pressed for details. “Tell me quickly, what are you doing next year that will make the crayfish even more popular, surpassing its current success?”
This was beyond Liang Cheng’s imagination. The phenomenal rise of crayfish this year, coupled with promotion from major newspapers, the first Chinese Crayfish Festival, and the support of the entertainment industry and top stars, had propelled crayfish to its peak. Yet, Zhang Tianxing claimed it could become even more popular, which defied Liang Cheng’s understanding.
Perhaps, understanding was meant to be broken. Liang Cheng believed in Zhang Tianxing; this soon-to-be college student had surprised him too much in just over two months.
He eagerly awaited Zhang Tianxing to create new glories. In business, some things were best left unsaid until they were done, as revealing them too early might render them ineffective.
Liang Cheng didn’t press further. He was truly impressed by his nephew. The past two months had brought him more wealth than he could have ever imagined.
His pockets had become incredibly full. The facts proved that he had been floundering all along, thinking he had been doing well.
In reality, his nephew was far more capable, able to multiply his assets several times over with such ease.
“One more thing, Wu Jiuping came to me. He has a factory he wants to sell. We can acquire it at a low price,” Zhang Tianxing said.
“Tianxing, this won’t do! I know about this. Wu Jiuping doesn’t have good intentions. He wants to offload that factory, but in reality, he wants to drag you into a quagmire,” Liang Cheng said anxiously, recalling what he knew and wanting to change Zhang Tianxing’s mind.
“Uncle, what’s going on here? Tell me about it,” Zhang Tianxing asked with interest.
“I heard from someone that Wu Jiuping originally intended to produce beverages, but the formula had issues. Coupled with the severe blow you dealt him, his family is dissatisfied with him. So, he’s desperate to liquidate his assets.”
“Desperate to liquidate doesn’t mean getting a production line at a bargain price?”
“That’s true, but the formula is unusable. What’s the point of having a production line if you can’t use it? It would be a waste of money. That’s not how money should be spent,” Liang Cheng couldn’t quite grasp Zhang Tianxing’s thinking.
“A wise man has his own plans. I have arrangements,” Zhang Tianxing said with a smile.
“Even if you take over that beverage factory, Wu Jiuping will still hate you deeply. He won’t reconcile with you. You need to be wary of him in the future.”
Zhang Tianxing nodded firmly. He never underestimated anyone, nor did he give anyone an opportunity. In this world, people’s hearts were the most unpredictable.
One couldn't test them; if you dug a hole, someone would fall into it. Therefore, even the smallest boat could capsize. Zhang Tianxing now practiced the principle of not harboring ill intentions but maintaining vigilance against others.
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade Zhang Tianxing, Liang Cheng had no choice. Wu Jiuping’s demand was simple: he wanted Zhang Tianxing to return his deposit.
Additionally, he wanted an additional 50,000 yuan transferred to him. In essence, for 50,000 yuan, Zhang Tianxing would acquire his production line and factory. According to industry insiders, the assets were worth around 70,000 yuan.
This was Wu Jiuping’s strategy to kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, he would get his 100,000 yuan deposit back. Secondly, he would offload this problematic asset, selling it for whatever price he could get, as he was prepared to cut his losses to protect himself.
Wu Jiuping now had a phobia of crayfish, mainly due to the devastating impact of the pond being poisoned.
However, Zhang Tianxing felt the 50,000 yuan was well spent. He was getting an existing factory building and production line. He could debug it and put it into production. He wouldn't have to level the land or anything else.
He could simply hire people and procure materials to start production. Nothing could be more satisfactory than this.
For Zhang Tianxing, time was money. He would soon be starting school, and he wouldn't have the energy to manage the family business then. So, he needed to settle these matters before he left.
This was a mutual exchange of perceived foolishness between Zhang Tianxing and Wu Jiuping. Both believed they had profited, and the other was out of their mind.
Zhang Tianxing knew very well that, regardless of anything else, this plot of land alone would skyrocket in value within a few years. Acquiring it for 50,000 yuan now was an unexpected joy.
Wu Jiuping also breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to offload that beverage factory. This would reduce the criticism he faced from his family. He planned to use this opportunity to consolidate his resources.
He would plan carefully, ensuring that his losses this time were not in vain. Zhang Tianxing, he vowed, Wu Jiuping would not let this go.