He Siyao had her head down, fiddling with her phone and swiping up and down the screen.
"This company mainly makes beef products, and they have some export business too. Last year, they invested in two ready-to-eat meal companies, so it seems they’re planning to enter that industry."
"Looks like our competitor is pretty tough," Yang Tao said.
"Brother Jiang, shouldn’t we be more cautious about this?"
"This is the result of careful consideration," Lin Jiang said.
"Let’s head over and take a look first. We’ll scout out the place."
The fifty-kilometer drive took over an hour, as it wasn’t too far from Zhonghai.
Red Star Town’s development wasn’t bad at all; there were plenty of buildings in town.
As they drove, they spotted the Mu Xing factory before even entering the town proper.
The outer walls were rusted, and weeds over a meter tall grew thick at their base.
The buildings and workshops inside were covered in long, rectangular tiles.
In Lin Jiang’s memory, that style of decoration was a relic of a bygone era.
The factory grounds were deserted. The only signs of life were two big yellow dogs tied up inside.
Combined with He Xuelu’s assessment, it seemed the place really wouldn’t last much longer.
"Give me your opinions. What are your thoughts after seeing it?" Lin Jiang said.
"Black pigs, yellow dogs... that stuff is delicious," Yang Tao remarked wistfully.
"Jiachun knows how to cook it. Brother Jiang, want some?"
"I fucking told you to look at the factory."
"I don’t know how to evaluate this kind of thing. It feels pretty old. If you really want to buy it, it probably won’t cost much."
Yang Tao said, looking at the factory’s condition,
"Let’s wait for Uncle He to finish talking with the owner, then we can go in for a look. If the equipment inside is obsolete, we might have to spend more money on replacements. That’ll probably be another big expense."
"If the equipment’s no good, we’ll push the price down. I’m definitely not going to be a sucker."
Lin Jiang already had a plan for that.
’Acquiring Mu Xing will get me the reward from Tongzi. I definitely won’t lose money in the long run, so I don’t need to worry too much about that.’
’So, there’s no rush. I’ll take it slow.’
Afterwards, Lin Jiang drove to the Yong’an Meat Processing Plant.
The two processing plants were located in the north and south of the area, respectively, about a dozen kilometers apart.
Between the two, they also saw a few tiny processing plants, or rather, small workshops, that were far from being a proper operation.
Compared to Mu Xing, Yong’an was in much better shape. Both its main building and its workshops had the look of a modern factory.
A dozen or so refrigerated transport trucks were parked in the courtyard. The operation was at least three times the size of Mu Xing’s.
Although both factories were legal and compliant, they gave off completely different vibes.
Yong’an looked like a proper factory, while Mu Xing seemed like a shady operation that could go under at any moment.
"This factory used to be pretty average. Its performance only took off after it got an investment from Xiangrong," He Siyao said.
"My dad also said that Yong’an has an edge in both price and quality. Mu Xing can’t compete at all."
"That’s the power of capital," Lin Jiang said. "First, they use low prices to capture the market. Once they’ve driven their competitors out of business, they raise the prices, and all the profit they sacrificed comes right back."
Yang Tao sat beside him. ’Brother Jiang seems to know everything,’ he thought, ’but I just can’t figure out why he wants to do this.’
’It’s a total money-losing venture.’
"Come on, let’s get out and check the place out."
The three of them got out of the car and started wandering around the factory grounds.
Besides the refrigerated transport trucks, they also saw a stream of other trucks hauling cattle into the compound.
"They probably buy them from the surrounding villages," Yang Tao said.
Lin Jiang nodded in agreement.
After a quick look around, Lin Jiang had a general understanding of the two factories’ situations.
It also further confirmed He Xuelu’s assessment: Mu Xing probably wouldn’t last much longer.
"Yaoyao?"
Just as the three of them were about to get in the car, they suddenly heard a voice call out.
A young man was getting out of a Porsche Panamera.
The man was dressed fashionably, his hair meticulously styled. His eyes swept back and forth between Lin Jiang and He Siyao.
"You’re Lin Jiang?"
Lin Jiang took a closer look at him.
"Liu Renming?"
Liu Renming had been their classmate in college. They were in the same school, but different departments.
He had pursued He Siyao for a long time back then but never succeeded, acting as her simp for over three years.
Lin Jiang never expected to run into him here.
"It really is you two."
Liu Renming walked over and stood in front of He Siyao.
But He Siyao took two steps back, moving to stand behind Lin Jiang.
Liu Renming’s expression turned a little awkward.
"I never thought you two would get together after graduation."
"I’m Lin Jiang’s employee. It’s not what you think."
"Heh, so you have employees now?"
"Yeah," Lin Jiang said. "Made a little money, so I bought a new Maybach."
"That car is yours?!"
"It’s the top-spec Maybach. Cost over three million all-in."
Liu Renming: ???
’Did I ask you how much the car cost?!’
"Did you spend your life savings on it? You shouldn’t be spending beyond your means like that."
"Now I remember!" Lin Jiang said, looking at Liu Renming with a serious expression.
"The first time I beat you up, I knocked out two of your teeth. The second time, I think I broke your arm. Has it healed up yet? I can send you some money for the medical bills."
"Lin Jiang, can you fucking stop changing the subject?"
"We’re old classmates catching up. Why are you getting so bent out of shape?" Lin Jiang said with a chuckle.
"Next time I won’t drive such a nice car. I’ll make sure to let you show off in your Panamera. For old time’s sake, I’ll give you that much."

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