At half past eleven, Father Xu and Ma Jun arrived at the guest house of Qixing Xiachuang Electronics as agreed.
As the food problem becomes increasingly tense, almost 99% of the restaurants on the market have collapsed. The remaining ones that are still in business have more or less official backgrounds.
Similar guest houses have become very common recently. They are usually affiliated with giant companies and exclusively serve the companies or institutions they belong to.
Manager Yuan of Qixing Xiachuang looks very young, only in his early thirties, but he is very humble. After receiving the call, he personally came to the door to greet Father Xu and his father.
"Mr. Xu, Manager Ma, please come inside."
"Director Yuan, you are too polite." Father Xu was a little flattered.
When we arrived at the private room, Manager Yuan arranged for the waiters to serve the dishes.
In order to comply with the central government's frugal spirit, no food can be ordered in the guest house. The chefs in the cafeteria only cook big pot dishes and serve whatever is available.
"We are under strict control from above. You are not allowed to drink alcohol. Please forgive me." Supervisor Yuan apologized.
Father Xu waved his hand: "It's better if you don't drink. Everyone has to work in the afternoon. Drinking will ruin things."
After exchanging a few words, the food was served.
There are four dishes and one soup in total, one is half-vegetarian shredded garlic pork, the other three are vegetables, and the soup is seaweed and egg soup. The portions are quite generous.
The three of them drank tea instead of wine, drank several rounds with each other, and finally got down to business.
Manager Yuan put down his chopsticks and said solemnly:
"Mr. Xu, our company has recently received a large order from the city, and the demand for electronic components is relatively large.
If we rely solely on production, it will definitely be too late, so I would like to purchase a batch of second-hand electronic components from your company."
There is another important reason, that is, many electronic components in Daxia are highly dependent on imports. Under the current circumstances, counting on imports is tantamount to fishing out of water.
Father Xu did not speak in a hurry. Instead, Ma Jun intervened:
"Director Yuan, I would like to ask, how do you know about our company? After all, a small company like ours doesn't have much visibility at all."
"It's simple. I found out about your company from Boss Yao of Xinke Computer City.
Don't belittle yourselves, both of you. Although your company is small, your shipment volume is not large at all!" Manager Yuan replied.
"Director Yuan, you are overly complimentary. We can only make a small fuss at most." Father Xu said modestly.
Manager Yuan took a sip of tea and got straight to the point: "Mr. Xu, let's open the skylight and tell the truth. What do you mean here? Are you willing to cooperate with our company?"
"Of course we are willing to cooperate." Father Xu quickly expressed his stance.
Ma Jun then asked: "I wonder what electronic components your company needs?"
"Everything, no matter how much goods you have, our company will cover it all." Manager Yuan said domineeringly.
Father Xu couldn't help but feel shocked. It was indeed a big company, and it was extraordinary when it started doing business.
"What about the price?" Ma Jun remained calm.
Manager Yuan calmly took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Father Xu.
Father Xu took it and read it briefly, his expression immediately became solemn, and then handed the document to Ma Jun.
Ma Jun almost jumped up after seeing it: "Director Yuan, aren't your prices too low?"
If they follow the price given by the other party, then their company will basically be working in vain, which is too bullying.
"Our company is willing to sign a long-term contract with no limit." Manager Yuan drew the big picture.
Father Xu shook his head and said: "Manager Yuan, the price is really bad. You eat meat, but at least let us drink soup!"
"The price is set by the above, I have no right to change it, but you can think of your own ways to reduce the cost as much as possible. After all, we want a large quantity, so there is still a lot of room for manipulation."
Manager Yuan always refused to give in.
Father Xu and Ma Jun discussed it privately, but still couldn't make up their minds.
Ma Jun thought for a while and asked: "Director Yuan, you said before that your company received a big order from the city. Can I ask what the order is?"
"It's okay to tell you this. The city is building a number of plant factories in the eastern suburbs, with a total area of 100,000 acres. All electronic equipment inside will be provided by our company."
"What does this plant factory produce?" This is the first time Father Xu has heard of this kind of factory.
Manager Yuan specially introduced: "The so-called plant factory is to move the farm indoors. After all, the current climate is characterized by drought, water shortage, and large temperature difference between day and night. Outdoors are no longer suitable for growing crops."
"Isn't that just a vegetable greenhouse?" Father Xu said with enlightenment.
Manager Yuan nodded:
"It should be said that it is an upgraded version of the vegetable greenhouse.
The plant factory uses artificial light sources and soilless cultivation technology, and the production process is all intelligently controlled by computers, which is much more advanced than vegetable greenhouses."
"Is farming so advanced now?" Father Xu asked in surprise.
I’ve always heard that agriculture on the other side of the ocean is very developed, but I didn’t expect that China wouldn’t show off too much!
"It is very advanced, but its shortcomings are also huge. Its cultivation cost is too high. If it were not forced by the situation, it would probably take many years to be popularized." Director Yuan sighed.
Ma Jun tentatively asked, "This project shouldn't be small, right?"
"It's not small. Although the plant factory only has 100,000 acres, it has a multi-layer structure and high planting density. It can grow at least one million acres of crops.
Think about it, how much electronic equipment is needed for such a large area?"
Ma Jun swallowed unconsciously.
It is indeed a big project. One million acres is equivalent to more than 600 square kilometers, which is only slightly smaller than the area within the fifth ring road of the capital.
"Director Yuan, when will this 100,000-acre project be completed?" Father Xu asked.
The project is of great use, but if time is tight, even with the size of our company, we won’t be able to secure many orders.
As for signing a long-term contract, just listen. This is a big company, and if necessary, you can find a hundred reasons for breaking the contract.
"The entire project lasts for 18 months. Construction started in June this year and will probably not be completed until the end of next year."
After thinking for a while, Manager Yuan added:
"Don't worry, there are many similar projects in other cities. Our company will have no shortage of orders for at least two to three years."
Father Xu was finally moved. This was a blue ocean, and anyone who saw it would feel excited.
"I have brought all the contracts. If we sign the contract today, you can supply goods to our company tomorrow. We will pay in cash and we will never delay the payment." Supervisor Yuan said seductively.
Father Xu took the contract and looked through it. The contract period was three years. It was not as exaggerated as the other party said, but the content was similar to what the other party said.
Without Ma Jun's reminder, Xu's father consciously suppressed the idea of signing the contract immediately: "Director Yuan, this is a big matter. We need to go back and discuss it."
"No problem, but I hope you can reply to me as soon as possible. Our company has other purchasing channels. If the order is full, then I can only say sorry."