392: Chapter 386: Negotiation 392: Chapter 386: Negotiation Jiang Dalong rushed to Liuyuan overnight and came to Chen Hai’s place, which certainly meant there was something he wanted to discuss in detail with Chen Hai.
However, at this dining table now, it wasn’t just the two of them; Chen Zhonghua was also present.
In the presence of his elder, there were some things he seemed to find difficult to bring up.
Chen Hai asked him why he was in such a hurry to come to the county city, and all he did was let out a dry chuckle and did not offer much of an explanation.
After eating two bowls of rice, Chen Hai had already put down his chopsticks.
Chen Zhonghua, who had agreed to drink only a small cup of alcohol, seemed unable to stop once he started.
In no time at all, the small cup of baijiu that had just been filled was drained in a few gulps by him, and without anyone urging him on, he had already poured himself another cup.
“The good liquor is just good liquor.
This Peach Blossom Immortal Brew goes down without burning the throat at all; no wonder it can sell for up to a couple of hundred yuan per bottle!”
“I’ve heard that this liquor has won several gold awards internationally.”
“We from Yanhuang Country are blessed with outstanding talents and an inspired land; our brewing techniques have been passed down for at least a thousand years.
When it comes to baijiu, those foreigners can’t catch up with us, even if they were riding horses.”
…
After a few cups of liquor, Chen Zhonghua, who had chatted about the affairs of Conggui Mountain for a while, began talking to Jiang Dalong about the Peach Blossom Immortal Brew.
In his words, those foreign technology companies that build airplanes and tanks were nothing compared to a domestic distillery.
When his dad wasn’t drinking, things were fine, but once he started, his tendency to boast seemed incurable!
No wonder Jiang Meixian would curse up a storm as soon as she saw him drinking.
At this, Chen Hai couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
The Peach Blossom Wine Industry’s Peach Blossom Immortal Brew had not even officially hit the market yet.
The liquor Chen Zhonghua was drinking came from Sun Jinzhong.
After all, Chen Hai was the real owner behind Peach Blossom Wine Industry.
It was only natural for Sun Jinzhong to send some liquor over to Chen Zhonghua after it was brewed.
In Chen Zhonghua’s mouth, the Peach Blossom Immortal Brew was extolled to the heavens.
It seemed that he was still unaware that the real owner behind the distillery was none other than his son, Chen Hai.
“Dad, drink less; otherwise, when mom comes back, be careful she gives you an earful!”
In under half an hour, Chen Zhonghua’s second cup was already empty.
Seeing him reach for the bottle to pour himself a third, Chen Hai snatched the bottle away with one hand.
“Brother Long, didn’t you have something you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Let’s go outside to talk!”
While stopping his dad from drinking, Chen Hai gave Jiang Dalong a meaningful look and spoke with a smile.
“Sure!
Let’s go outside, Hai,” Jiang Dalong quickly got up to his feet.
He had come to Chen Hai’s place not just for a casual drink; there was no need for him to rush over here overnight for that.
The main reason he had sat down at the dining table earlier was that Chen Hai was having dinner at the time.
The casual invitation to his uncle by marriage, Chen Zhonghua, for a drink, was just a polite gesture.
He had never imagined his uncle by marriage would become seemingly endless when it came to drinking!
Judging by his manner, it seemed he wouldn’t stop until he finished off the bottle of liquor he had just opened.
“Going outside at this time?” Chen Zhonghua, who seemed reluctant to end the night, stood up.
He was about to speak up and persuade Jiang Dalong to stay for a few more drinks.
But just then, the sound of a key turning in the door lock suddenly rang out.
Immediately after, the door opened, and Jiang Meixian walked in from outside.
The scent of alcohol filled the room, and her initially smiling face instantly furrowed into a frown.
“Oh, Dalong, when did you come over?” However, when she saw Jiang Dalong, who was about to get up and leave, she quickly put on a smile again.
“Auntie…” Jiang Dalong greeted Jiang Meixian, adding, “I’ve been here for a while, I came to see Chen Hai, there’s something we need to discuss!”
“Mom, Brother Long and I have some business to take care of, we need to go out for a bit!” Chen Hai followed up with a call to his mother.
“Dalong hardly ever comes over, and now it’s so late, what are you two going out for?”
Jiang Meixian murmured, a bit taken aback.
It was nearly eleven o’clock at night now; if it had been in the past, she would have been stern-faced and lectured her son if he intended to head out at this hour.
But now, she would only mutter a few words and not say much more!
After all, in her eyes, her son, who was wealthy and capable, was sure to be sensible in his actions and wouldn’t behave recklessly!
“Mom, that’s exactly why, because Brother Long rarely comes by, that I’m taking him out to properly entertain him!” Chen Hai said with a chuckle, smoothly offering an explanation.
“Hmm!” Hesitating slightly, Jiang Meixian nodded her head.
Ten minutes later, at a barbecue stall in the night market of the business district.
“Vroom vroom vroom vroom…” After Jiang Dalong had ridden his 250cc bike with Chen Hai to this place, the two parked the motorbike, found a spot, and sat down.
Although it was late by then, the bustling activity in this part of the business district was still in full swing, ever as lively.
Both were not hungry; they sat down here not to eat, but simply to find a place to chat for a bit.
Of course, since they were sitting at a barbecue stall, they still had to order something—sitting around doing nothing was out of the question.
After signalling the barbecue stall owner to bring over some beef skewers,
Chen Hai and Jiang Dalong began to discuss matters.
“Cousin, after returning from Shen City, I immediately discussed with some close friends the business you told me about!”
“To be honest, we all know the stuff we’re currently doing isn’t a long-term path.”
“If we’re unlucky and get caught, we’re looking at at least a three-to-five-year sentence!”
“Working in a factory in Yuedong, working harder than oxen but earning less than cats, we’re not content with that, nor are we willing!”
“After discussing with a few friends, we’re thinking of setting up a sand mine operation—just give it a go!”
“The Yuan River has ready-made sand.
Buying a sand-mining ship, even a cheap one, would be just over one hundred thousand yuan.”
“Securing a spot, greasing some palms, and smoothing over relationships, we’ve roughly estimated that with five hundred thousand yuan, we can get our sand operation up and running!”
“Besides myself, there are three other guys willing to join in!”
“Pooling our resources, we should be able to gather about one hundred thousand yuan…”
Jiang Dalong edged closer to Chen Hai and tentatively spoke.
When they were in Shen City, his cousin had promised to invest money to support his entrepreneurship.
But whether Chen Hai was willing to provide the remaining four hundred thousand yuan for the sand mine was something Jiang Dalong was unsure about.
“That’s a sand-mining operation you want to set up?
And you’re short by four hundred thousand?” Chen Hai chuckled and nodded.
To him, such an amount of money was really trivial, mere pocket change.
After a moment’s thought, he added, “I’ll definitely invest in you, no problem with the money!”
“But running an operation isn’t child’s play, you guys need to get clear on the accounts.”
“Considering the proportion of capital invested, I should take an eighty percent share for these four hundred thousand.”
“However, considering I’m only investing the money and you guys will be handling everything, after investing, just give me a sixty percent share of the sand mine!”
“As for the remaining shares, how you and your friends divvy them up is up to you.”
“Since you’re leading this, you definitely should have the lion’s share.”
“My shares will be held by you for now, so you’ll have enough authority within the operation.”
“Go back and discuss this well with your friends.”
“If they have no objections, then we can officially kick things off!”
…
After some deliberation, Chen Hai instructed Jiang Dalong.
Starting a sand mine business had a low barrier to entry, but without manpower or guts, one simply couldn’t manage it.
It was normal for Jiang Dalong to involve a few friends, and naturally, Chen Hai had no objections to that.
He wanted Jiang Dalong to venture into real estate development, which was true.
But one can’t become fat with just one bite; at the beginning stage, their group knew nothing, and it was completely unrealistic to have them build and sell houses right from the start!
Starting with the sand mine and then, once they were established, tentatively moving into the real estate business was not a bad path to take.
“Yeah!
I’ll head back later, call out my friends tomorrow morning, and discuss this with them!” Jiang Dalong nodded and said.
“Are you preparing to go back tonight?” Chen Hai asked in surprise.
“Yeah!
Riding my motorcycle, it takes less than an hour to get to our town, very convenient!” Jiang Dalong replied with a smirk.
“Brother Long, there really might be something strange about Conggui Mountain.”
“It’s almost midnight, and passing by there is really not a good idea!” Chen Hai frowned and cautioned.
“Come on, cousin, are you like my aunt’s husband, believing in that stuff?”
With an incredulous expression, Jiang Dalong sized up Chen Hai with a few glances and laughed in response.
“Brother Long, you really do seem to have quite the nerve!”
“How about you ride with me to Conggui Mountain for a spin?”
“Let’s hope you can still laugh afterward!”
After a brief pondering, Chen Hai spoke with a smile.
Having witnessed the wisp of dark aura entwined around Jiang Dalong with his Divine Soul Eye, he was certain there was something eerie about Conggui Mountain.
However, he couldn’t be sure whether it was a spirit or a demon causing trouble there.
The reason he suggested taking a ride to Conggui Mountain with Jiang Dalong was that Chen Hai had his own plans.
Since coming out of seclusion, he had been practicing his cultivation every day without pause.
Yet in terms of progress, there had been hardly any improvement at all.
If there indeed was a demon soul causing trouble at Conggui Mountain, wouldn’t it be the perfect opportunity for him to replenish himself?