Shen Yanshan calmly stopped him. "Section Chief Hu, don't be in a hurry. Maybe I misled you. I want to buy that official approval from you."
"I don't have any official approval!"
Section Chief Hu flatly denied it and refused to budge.
Shen Yanshan gave a soft laugh. "I was being presumptuous. I'll punish myself with a drink first."
He tilted his head back, and the white liquor in the glass flowed into his mouth.
After downing the drink, he remained clear - headed and steady.
This made Section Chief Hu look at this man in a new light.
"Please sit down." Shen Yanshan gestured for him to sit back down.
Section Chief Hu took a sip of the liquor half - suspiciously.
As the white liquor went down his throat,
the rich aroma that filled his mouth instantly sobered him up.
This Moutai was not the kind produced on the market nowadays. It was extremely rare and only available to a few prominent families in the capital.
Section Chief Hu suddenly felt a sense of unease towards this young man in front of him. He was not the impulsive young man he had imagined. At least, he was much better than his nephew.
His expression softened a bit.
"This liquor is good, isn't it?"
"I'm glad you like it, Section Chief Hu."
From beginning to end, Shen Yanshan always wore a smile, showing no sign of impatience or pride.
Section Chief Hu looked at his expression, paused for a moment, and finally relented in the silence. "There's a batch of steel, four hundred tons, that needs to be transported to Rongcheng. But there will be some expenses for the formalities."
"Whether it succeeds or not, I'll give you a 40% share."
Section Chief Hu thought for a while. "Okay. The approval will take some time. Come and get it tomorrow."
Shen Yanshan raised his glass and smiled. "You're really straightforward, Section Chief Hu. These two unopened bottles of Moutai, I'll send them to you."
After seeing Section Chief Hu off,
Shen Yanshan rubbed his aching head. He squinted and leaned back in his chair.
With the official approval, he could buy steel at the state - regulated price of 400 yuan per ton. Once the steel was transported to Rongcheng, it could be sold for at least 1,500 yuan per ton.
There should be no problem with Section Chief Hu.
It was a win - win situation, and he couldn't possibly refuse.
But getting the approval wasn't enough.
He didn't have enough start - up capital, so he had to use the approval to apply for a loan from the bank.
400 yuan per ton for over 400 tons.
He only had a bit over 10,000 yuan on him. He needed to borrow at least 150,000 yuan.
The approval was only valid for ten days. He had to complete everything within these ten days. Any mistake in any link could lead to failure.
The tasks he had to do next were like a tight and urgent thread in Shen Yanshan's mind. He was standing on the edge of a cliff, the strong wind rustling his clothes,
but he was extremely calm as he prepared for each step and calculated his own interests.
When he opened his eyes again,
his eyes were extremely clear. The bottle of white liquor seemed to have no effect on him.
"Sir, here's your bill. It's 68.5 yuan in total."
The hotel waiter came over and showed the bill to Shen Yanshan.
Shen Yanshan took out his wallet to pay.
There were many expensive dishes on the table, including an imported coral trout, but hardly any of them had been touched.
The waiter felt sorry for it. "Sir, do you want to take these dishes home?"
"No, thanks."
When the waiter looked up again, Shen Yanshan's back had disappeared into the private room.
...
In the abandoned factory building,
"Is the seal on this real? Pinch me quickly, quick!"
The little brothers stared at the steel approval in Shen Yanshan's hand and swallowed hard.
Their eyes were fixed on it.
A companion pinched his arm hard.
"Ouch! Be gentle."
While shouting in pain, his eyes were still fixed on the approval.
This was so exciting.
They heard that this was about making money from the difference between the state price and the market price, but they didn't really understand it. They only knew that if this deal succeeded, they brothers would turn their lives around!
Four hundred tons of steel would require at least thirty large trucks to transport.
How much money would that cost?
Just thinking about it made them feel dizzy, as if stacks of 10 - yuan bills were falling on their heads.
Shen Yanshan was half - leaning against the door.
The dim light in the room made his face look alternately bright and dark. The cigarette in his hand was slowly burning out, almost reaching his fingers. The curling smoke gradually blurred his side face.
There was little expression on his face, and his voice was cold. "Those who are willing to go with me, come. Those who aren't, forget it."
His tone was so calm as if he was just talking about going for fun.
"Go! Why not? We're different from Zhou Xun. We're very loyal. Cough, cough, cough..." The darker - skinned boy slapped his chest bravely. He used too much force and ended up clutching his stomach and coughing.
The others laughed. "Hahaha, Hei Dog. Look at your small body. Don't try to be a hero. We brothers will do this money - making job for you."
Shen Yanshan gave a symbolic smile.
But there were too many things weighing on his mind, and the string in his heart was always taut.
He rarely truly smiled.
Shen Yanshan stubbed out the remaining half of the cigarette on a cardboard box, stood up straight, and said, "For this trip, Hei Dog, Huzi, and A Fei will go with me. Pack your things. We'll leave the morning after tomorrow."
"Okay!"
"No problem!"
Shen Yanshan put away the approval and got ready to leave.
"Hey? Going back now? Brother Shen, why don't you go drinking with us?" Huzi shouted loudly.
He used to be a hooligan. Because of his large build and good fighting skills, he was almost sent to jail. Later, he turned over a new leaf and followed Shen Yanshan. Now he was helping his brother Shen.
"No. I'm going back."
Huzi blurted out, "What for? Others go back to a warm family. Brother Shen, you'll just have to suffer from that shrew. Brother Shen, I'm just saying, you should divorce her as soon as possible."
He was really angry.
That woman did nothing at home and was promiscuous. Brother Shen was like a vast green prairie.
What was the point of this marriage?
He had seen through women's nature. He would never get married in the future!
"Hey? Are you talking about Li Chuchu? I seem to have seen her a few days ago! It was like... " Hei Dog thought hard and suddenly slapped his head. "Oh, right! At the entrance of Lotus Steel Factory."
"Lotus Steel Factory?"
"Could she be meeting that pretty boy Duan Jingqi again?"
Hei Dog thought for a long time and looked confused. "I didn't see that pretty boy."
"Surely he was hiding!"
The two of them were like a cross - talk duo, completely unaware that Shen Yanshan, who had been silent beside them, was getting more and more gloomy.
It was not until Ling Fei nudged their arms and said, "Come on, you two. Say less. Brother Shen must know what he's doing."
The two of them looked at Shen Yanshan at the same time. "Brother Shen."
Shen Yanshan said nothing. He turned around silently and left the abandoned factory building.