I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 90 A Gold Mountain

The two sat down at the stone table in the backyard, and Liu Jianguo eagerly took out several pages of densely written material from his briefcase.

"Comrade Zhang, good news! I've spoken with the worker representatives in our factory about the plan you suggested. Although they're still unsure, they have no other choice right now, so they've basically agreed."

He paused, took the water Zhang Beichuan handed him, took a sip, and continued.

"The key is the Second Light Industry Bureau. Section Chief Chen, specifically Chen Mingyuan, the head of the Enterprise Reform Section, listened to your proposal and looked at the lighter; he was very interested!"

Zhang Beichuan took the materials, but instead of looking at them immediately, he asked a question.

"What exactly did Section Chief Chen say?"

"He said this is a possible avenue and he's willing to help us report it to higher authorities!" Liu Jianguo leaned forward and lowered his voice. "He asked me to prepare the detailed plan and your situation, and submit all the necessary materials."

"Section Chief Chen specifically instructed that the materials should be thorough, especially your personal information, source of funding, and market prospects for the lighter project; the more detailed, the better."

Zhang Beichuan nodded, quickly making plans in his mind.

Chen Mingyuan's attitude was as expected; what the Second Light Industry Bureau needed most right now was someone who could truly solve the problem.

"Okay, let me take a look at your proposal first, and then I'll add some details about my personal situation."

"Yes, that would be perfect."

Liu Jianguo's face was filled with barely suppressed excitement. Publicly, he didn't want the factory to go bankrupt in his hands; privately, he wanted to contract out the factory as soon as possible so that the burden on his shoulders would be lifted.

They no longer have to live in fear and anxiety, unable to return home.

Over the next hour, Zhang Beichuan first added some of his personal ideas about the establishment of the lighter assembly plant, and then added information about his funding sources.

Liu Jianguo was a skilled writer, describing him as a smart, enterprising young man with tangible business results, emphasizing the stable customer flow and revenue of Beichuan Department Store.

"Well written," Zhang Beichuan affirmed.

Things had finally made significant progress. Liu Jianguo smiled, and seeing that it was getting late, he got up to say goodbye.

"Comrade Zhang, I'll go back tonight and refine the plan and materials again, and try to submit them first thing tomorrow morning. The bureau still needs to submit them to the city, so we can't delay."

"Director Liu, in your estimation, how long will it take to resolve this matter?" Zhang Beichuan also stood up and saw him out.

The two walked and talked, and Liu Jianguo thought for a moment.

"It depends on what the vice mayor in charge of industry thinks. If things go smoothly, we'll get a response in two or three days. If things go slowly, it could take a week or longer. However, a promise isn't enough; we still have to go through some procedures, and those are just for show."

Zhang Beichuan felt more confident and nodded.

"Okay, then I'll wait."

After seeing Liu Jianguo off, Zhang Beichuan had just returned to the shop when Lan Baojun approached him with curiosity on his face.

"Xiao Chuan, what does Director Liu from Dongfeng Injection Molding Factory want with you? Could it be... he wants to buy some goods from you?"

Zhang Beichuan shook his head, looking at him with a half-smile.

"It's not about buying goods; I'm planning to take over that factory."

"What?!"

Lan Baojun's eyes widened instantly, and his voice involuntarily rose, causing Lan Baoqiang, who was focused on the matter, to turn his head and look over.

He quickly lowered his voice, but the shock on his face did not diminish at all.

"Contract...contract the factory? Xiao Chuan, you...you're not kidding, are you? That's a state-owned factory!"

"I know it's a state-owned factory." Zhang Beichuan found it somewhat amusing to see him almost jump up. "It's just that it couldn't continue operating and the factory owed the workers a mountain of debt. The factory and the Second Light Industry Bureau wanted to find someone to take over, and I thought it was an opportunity, so I tried to make contact."

Lan Baojun's mouth was agape, unable to close for a long time, his mind buzzing.

"Wait...wait, let me catch my breath." He swallowed hard. "Xiao Chuan, you...you're doing so well in business right now, the department store, the eel business, making so much money every day, isn't that enough? Why do you suddenly...suddenly want to lease a factory?"

The thought that this factory might be a disaster, and that if it really fell into Zhang Beichuan's hands, it wouldn't be as simple as just losing everything, made him increasingly anxious.

"The Second Light Industry Bureau and the factory are in a hurry to find someone to take over. It's obvious this is a huge pit of fire, so why are you still jumping in?"

Zhang Beichuan knew he was worried about him, so he reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Baojun, don't rush. I'm not acting rashly; I've thought this through carefully. The factory is facing difficulties right now, but we have the factory buildings, equipment, and skilled workers. Going forward, it will only benefit us, not harm us."

"Only benefits, no drawbacks?" Lan Baojun looked at him with disbelief. "Xiao Chuan, don't get carried away. Where are you going to get the money to pay the workers?"

Zhang Beichuan had no choice but to explain the installment payment plan.

After listening, Lan Baojun became more and more convinced that the Second Light Industry Bureau and Liu Jianguo were definitely up to no good and wanted to get rid of this hot potato.

Once the deal is finalized, Zhang Beichuan will be like a cat's paw cake, unable to escape its grasp.

"Even if your installment payment plan is feasible for the store's finances and the workers can accept it, what are you going to do with it?"

Zhang Beichuan glanced at him with a smile and picked up the lighter used for demonstration from the counter.

"We'll manufacture lighter bodies and set up a lighter assembly plant."

"Huh? Set up a lighter assembly plant?"

Zhang Beichuan looked at the astonished Lan Baojun and lowered his voice to explain.

"I've already secured all the necessary channels for producing the main core components of lighters. We can manufacture them ourselves and reduce the cost of piezoelectric lighters to around two yuan!"

Lan Baojun's eyes widened, his mouth was half open, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"You...you said how much? Around two yuan?" He seemed not to have heard clearly, and leaned forward again. "Xiao Chuan, don't scare me! This piezoelectric lighter, we sell it for 15 yuan, but that clunky metal thing at the supply and marketing cooperative costs 18! Two yuan...two yuan, you can't even make a shell for that, can you?"

Zhang Beichuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw the "you're kidding me" expression on his face.

"Baojun, why would I lie to you? Think about it, if we could really make lighters that cost around two yuan each, and then drive the price up to three or four yuan each, what would that be like?"

Lan Baojun quickly calculated in his mind that the piezoelectric lighters in the store were selling for 15 yuan each, and about ten were sold a day.

If it can really be priced at three or four yuan, it would be enough to completely rewrite the existing lighter market!

"But..." He still felt like he was dreaming, "Will this... work? It's so cheap, won't it break down in two days?"

"That's not the case. In fact, my purpose in taking over this factory is to develop disposable lighters. I want people all over the country to be able to easily buy cheap and easy-to-use lighters, and not feel bad if they lose them."

Upon hearing this, Lan Baojun gasped, as if he could see countless lighters flowing out of the factory like water, turning into stacks of banknotes.

His heart was pounding, and his hands were sweating.

"My God..." he muttered, plopping down on a nearby stool, his eyes glazed over. "If that's really the case, then... then this factory isn't a pit of fire, it's... it's a gold mine!"

Zhang Beichuan looked at him with a smile, "Alright, just keep this to yourself for now, don't tell anyone else. Whether it will be successful is still uncertain!"

However, he estimated that there shouldn't be any major problems.

Given the current situation at Dongfeng Injection Molding Plant, there are people even more eager to get rid of it than he is.

"Okay, okay..." Lan Baojun nodded.

"Oh, right..." Zhang Beichuan suddenly remembered something, "These past few days, take some time to give free services to the police station and the county bureau in my name... Also, if anyone wants to buy something for their home, they can buy it at cost price..."

After listening, Lan Baoquan thought about it and realized that it was necessary to win people's hearts.

"Okay, I'll take care of it when I have time."