Yang Jian and his uncle-in-law, after discussion, decided to register a company with Jing Yongli as the legal representative. The company name would be Lijian Wood Industry Co., Ltd.
This procedure needed to be handled in the county seat and required a vehicle, so Yang Jian informed Song Jianhao again that he would be staying home for a few more days.
After submitting the relevant documents to the Administration for Industry and Commerce, Yang Jian also asked Yu Feng to pull some strings through her connections, hoping to expedite the process.
Meanwhile, Yang Shuanglin was at home organizing about ten villagers to level the land. Bricks and tiles arrived, and preparations began for the construction of the factory building.
A week later, most of the matters at home were sorted out. With his father, Jing Yongli, and Liu Chao managing the factory construction, Yang Jian planned to head to Hancheng.
Unexpectedly, Yu Feng called to say she wanted to visit, so he had to postpone his departure by another day.
Yu Feng was accompanied by her nephew, Yu Jiangang. Yang Jian accompanied them to the site to inspect the factory construction.
"Er Jian, when you're building the factory now, have you planned for the future finished product factory? Don't duplicate construction," Yu Feng suggested as soon as she got out of the car.
"It's already planned. The factory we're building now will also serve the future finished product factory, so I intend to build it all at once. Anyway, the bricks and tiles are on credit, and we'll pay at the end of the year."
"Are you short on money? How about I lend you 200,000 yuan first?"
"Not yet. After the factory is built, we'll start with semi-finished products. I plan to purchase equipment for the finished product factory in the second half of the year and then apply for a loan. If the money isn't enough, you can invest more."
"That's fine. My financial situation will improve in the second half of the year, so a loan might not be necessary."
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Sister Feng, there's something else I need to tell you in advance. If I don't earn 1.5 million yuan by the end of the year, you'll have to lend it to me. We can't keep delaying the wages of the migrant workers. If my reputation is ruined, I probably won't even be able to get married."
Yu Feng burst into laughter, "You're worried about not being able to get married? Don't worry, I'll prepare this money for you in advance. Do you want me to introduce you to a girlfriend?"
"No, no. I can't even think about that with outstanding debts. Let's go, I'll take you to see the processing plants around Xinqiao."
Yang Jian quickly changed the subject and drove them to Xinqiao Town.
North of Xinqiao Town, vast tracts of farmland had been transformed into sites for drying wood bark, a sea of white stretching as far as the eye could see.
As they drove along, they found thirty to forty semi-finished product processing plants. This area had already formed an industrial scale.
Vehicles transporting timber were constantly coming and going, and many trucks with out-of-province license plates were hauling away loads of dried semi-finished products.
It was a scene of bustling activity.
"Er Jian, I've decided. As soon as my funds turn over, I'll immediately start the construction of the finished product factory for templates. The raw materials here are so abundant, and even outside merchants come to buy goods. Then, our local finished product manufacturers will have a greater advantage, and the cost will be lower."
Yu Feng was stunned by the scene before her. She predicted that it wouldn't be long before this place became the largest timber processing base and board production base in the eastern part of Hancheng. She had to enter the market as soon as possible to seize the opportunity.
Yang Jian smiled, "Sister Feng, we can't rush this. I still need to arrange for someone to go to Dongshan to learn the technique of boiling glue. The quality of the templates depends entirely on the use of glue. If this technique isn't mastered, no matter how much money you invest, it will be wasted."
"Then arrange for someone to learn as soon as possible. Start early, and strive for next year, all of our company's construction sites will use templates produced by ourselves."
"Don't worry, after the factory is built, my cousin will personally go to Dongshan to learn."
Yang Jian knew that Yu Feng was very optimistic about this project. This time, by clinging to her, they could develop rapidly.
As for the rumors about their affair, let them go to hell. The more than one million yuan of debt wouldn't disappear just because he distanced himself from her. No matter how formidable people's words were, they were all虚无 (xūwú - illusory/vain); what mattered was real money.
In this society, money made you a master, and without it, you were nothing.
"Manager Yu, Xiao Yang, follow my car."
While Yang Jian was still reflecting, Wu Wangchun suddenly appeared in his black Camry.
"Uncle Wu, why are you here?" Yang Jian was somewhat puzzled.
Wu Wangchun smiled and said, "I'm here to pick you up. Get in the car and let's go."
Seeing Yu Feng's car following behind him, Yang Jian had no choice but to follow.
The three cars arrived at the edge of a forest about three kilometers from the town.
After getting out of the car, Yang Jian realized there were lookouts at the entrance. These were clearly casino sentries. He immediately understood that this was where Wu Wangchun's casino was located.
"Sister Feng, what's going on? Are you here to gamble today?" Yang Jian quietly asked Yu Feng as they walked deeper into the woods.
Yu Feng smiled, "I'm mainly here to visit today. However, Manager Wu invited me to take a look through Jiangang, and also to arrange for Jiangang to work as a marker."
Yang Jian suddenly understood. No wonder Yu Jiangang was carrying a bulging backpack, which likely contained about 200,000 yuan in cash.
"Sister Feng, I have a very strange question I've always wanted to ask you. You're such a big boss, why do you always like to gamble? And no matter how big or small the casino is, don't you feel it's beneath you?"
"There's no way around it, gambling is addictive. I only come to play at small casinos; I don't go to the big ones. My father lost the company almost to ruin playing at big casinos. No matter how much I play at small ones, I won't lose too much. Moreover, I also have income from marking. I come to the casino just to relax; I don't aim to win too much, nor do I want to lose too much."
With that explanation, Yang Jian understood. Gambling was like drug addiction; once you were hooked, it was hard to quit. You wanted to win back what you lost, and when you won, you wanted to win more. Yu Feng, on the other hand, enjoyed the feeling of playing with money; winning or losing wasn't that important.
After walking more than three hundred meters into the woods, they saw the casino. It was a temporary casino set up with colored tarps. There were about a hundred people present, and it was quite lively.
From this location, it was indeed very hidden. It would be very difficult to discover the casino in the woods from the outside.
"Xiao Zhou, Xiao Li, give up your seats. Big bosses are coming." As they approached the casino, Wu Wangchun arranged for Yu Feng and Yang Jian to sit by the gambling table and gave each of them a pack of cigarettes.
"Uncle Wu, what are you doing? I didn't bring any money." Yang Jian was stunned. This was clearly asking him to gamble.
"Slap." Yu Feng threw ten thousand yuan in crisp bills in front of him, "Today, we're here to support Manager Wu's bank. If you win, it's yours; if you lose, it's mine."
"No, no, no, Sister Feng. I've set a rule for myself: as long as I'm in the casino, I absolutely won't gamble."
"Rules are dead, people are alive. Since we're here today, we have to support Manager Wu's bank. You even call him Uncle."
"Alright then, I'll play with this ten thousand yuan. If I lose, I'll stop." Yang Jian finally compromised, unable to refuse.
"Okay, I won't play for too long either. This place isn't safe, and we shouldn't stay too long." Although Yu Feng liked gambling, she also had to consider her image. In the middle of nowhere, if the police showed up, she wouldn't be able to escape.