Directly cutting prices?
Wang Yu's words left Andre speechless. It was the first time he had seen someone openly discuss price cuts with such justification and naturalness.
"That's right, price cuts," Wu Lingling also caught on and chimed in.
Given the Ice Bear Kingdom's current dire economic situation, a piece of white bread could, to put it bluntly, buy the freedom to do anything to a young girl. Their currency was now just a piece of scrap paper!
Ordinary daily necessities and general merchandise were extremely scarce, while various industrial raw materials and labor were overwhelmingly abundant, presenting a natural and cheap source of productivity.
This was simply a golden opportunity to make a fortune!
What?
You call this kicking someone when they're down?
No, no, no, it's just voluntary cooperation for mutual benefit.
After all, many factories in our own country are also on the brink of collapse, and the situation isn't much better. Even the landlord has no surplus grain!
We're struggling to survive ourselves, so how can we possibly help you?
Are we supposed to be saints?
I'm very sorry, but Wang Yu really couldn't do that.
He needed to be responsible for the livelihoods of his many subordinates, consider Wu Lingling's small goals, and strive for his own ideal of building an industrial powerhouse!
"Therefore, I can only offer you a quarter of the market price for contract manufacturing."
Wang Yu smiled at Andre.
"What? A quarter of the market price? Are you crazy!"
Andre shot up from his seat. His burly frame, unlike Wang Yu's, was imposing and cast a large shadow.
"This is blatant robbery! Robbery!" Andre roared, "Wang, your actions are outrageous. Not even the harshest serf owner is this extreme! Contract manufacturing already has a low price, and you're offering a quarter of that. It's just exploitation by capitalists!"
His eyes were about to burst, a phrase that best described Andre's state at the moment. Combined with his furious roar, he looked like an enraged brown bear, exuding immense deterrence.
"You can also choose to refuse," Wang Yu said with a smile. "If you can find someone else to cooperate with, I'm sure you wouldn't have been lingering here for so long, would you?"
Wang Yu's words immediately quelled Andre's anger.
Indeed, if he had other options, why would he have been dragging on, leading everyone around without achieving anything, and numbing himself with alcohol every day? The situation in the Yuan Federation wasn't much better. State-owned factories were struggling, while many private factories were profitable but generally lacked strength. Factories that were truly flourishing like Wang Yu's, with sufficient funds and the ability to help him, were as rare as finding a needle in a haystack! At least, Andre hadn't found one in such a long time.
"So, what do you say?" Wang Yu asked Andre with a smile.
Andre lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before reluctantly speaking, "But a quarter of the price is too low, isn't it? Can you add a little more?"
"It's not low. It's enough to ensure that your country's factories and workers can survive. After all, if I offer a higher price, it might not be a good thing for them. Are you sure others won't be envious?"
Hearing Wang Yu's words, Andre fell silent again. He knew Wang Yu was right. The economic depression brought about severe public safety issues; it's not the lack of goods but the unequal distribution that causes problems. It's better if everyone is struggling on the verge of starvation. If someone suddenly starts eating white steamed buns, others might become envious and take desperate measures, leading to various issues! However, if the other party is just barely surviving on coarse food, there won't be as many problems.
Therefore, if the contract manufacturing orders Wang Yu offered were too expensive, it might not necessarily be a good thing!
Thinking of this, Andre's expression was filled with conflict and struggle.
"We are not gods; we cannot expect to help everyone. We can only help a limited number of people within our capabilities," Wang Yu said calmly. "Compared to others in your country, the factories you have connections with are at least luckier, aren't they?"
Hearing Wang Yu's words, Andre let out a long sigh, turned, and quietly went to a corner of the room to take out a bottle of Erguotou. He uncapped it and drank half of it in one gulp. Then, he forcefully exhaled a breath of alcohol and looked at Wang Yu with cloudy eyes.
"So... how many outsourcing orders can you offer?"
Wang Yu replied calmly to Andre's inquiry, "I won't make empty promises. I can only tell you that my factory is currently in a phase of rapid expansion and needs a large number of orders! As long as we cooperate, I can conservatively estimate that you will receive no less than 10 million in orders in the future. And I'm measuring this in our country's currency, not yours! Furthermore, to show my sincerity, I am willing to purchase your automated industrial design for 1 million. Of course, you will need to provide the related equipment and parts for the design. I would also like to hire you as our factory's external senior engineer to guide the technology, with an annual salary of 100,000. What do you say?"
After saying all this, Wang Yu looked intently at Andre.
"No less than 10 million in orders? And 1 million for my design? And hired as a technical consultant with an annual salary of 100,000?"
Hearing Wang Yu's words, Andre's heart stirred as he silently calculated. Originally, he believed his design was worth at least 5 million, as it was the crystallization of his years of hard work. However, after seeing Wang Yu continuously present multiple similar design proposals, his pride had been utterly crushed. Coupled with continuous rejections in reality, no one was interested in his design. Andre even felt that if someone offered 100,000, no, even 50,000, he would sell it immediately. Especially since Wang Yu, who could have come up with better designs, still offered him 1 million for this design, which was undeniably a form of assistance. Although he would have to provide all the equipment and parts, Andre considered it. Just as Wang Yu said, in the current state of his country, any sale, no matter how cheap, was not a loss. As for the 100,000 annual salary, it was an incredibly substantial sum in this era. However, a few years ago, when the Ice Bear Kingdom was at its peak, for a distinguished senior technical expert like himself, Andre, it was nothing special. But now, it was incredibly precious! Without further hesitation, Andre immediately agreed to all of Wang Yu's terms.
They finalized the details. Andre would be responsible for communicating with his country, and then he would return to Jiangyang County Automobile Factory with Wang Yu. Wang Yu and Wu Lingling also left his small room.
"So, is this a big surprise?" Wang Yu suddenly asked Wu Lingling after leaving Andre's room.
"This is indeed a very big surprise," Wu Lingling's eyes sparkled with sharp brilliance. "And I also have an additional, special plan!"