The flower hall of the Lu family residence in Sansha Town.
Sitting on the chair below Lu Ming was a middle-aged fat white man. He was Guo Youdong, the eldest son of Liu Jingtang’s old boss.
I heard from Liu Jingtang that the daughter-in-law who was in charge of the coal mine affairs said that she would not agree to sell the coal mine, saying that someone would take advantage of the situation and rob it.
This made Boss Guo furious. He dismissed his daughter-in-law from her position as assistant manager and sent his eldest son to negotiate cooperation with him.
After all, selling a mine is much easier than maintaining a coal mine.
Now Guo Youdong is talking excitedly, describing the Jingyang Mine as a gold mine.
But in fact, it is true that with today's technological conditions, open-pit coal mines are indeed a gold mine, with low mining costs, high efficiency, and much higher safety than deep coal mines.
As Guo Youdong spoke, he glanced at the booklet in his hand from time to time, and it was obvious that he had done his homework.
According to his calculations, the Jingyang Mine can produce one million tons of coal a year, and several million tons of other ores. It is simply a sea of mines.
What? The coal seam is 60 meters thick. Once you dig a shovel, it’s all coal.
All coal lumps are long flame coal and gas coal, and the quality is very high.
etc.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Youdong, your mine now produces one million tons a year?"
Guo Youdong paused and said, "Boss Lu, after introducing some mining equipment from Donghai, one million tons a year is completely achievable."
"Then we can't calculate it that way. As far as I know, the annual output of your Jingyang Mine is only about 100,000 tons, right?"
"Based on this year's prices, your Jingyang coal is indeed of good quality when it arrives at Longgang Freight Station. It costs about 4 yuan per ton, which means you get about 400,000 yuan per year."
"Then, go to the county government office and pay 100,000 yuan in mining fees."
"Workers' wages, various expenses, depreciation, etc., cost hundreds of thousands a year."
"Oh, now, we have to pay 100,000 yuan a year in security fees to Hei Laoliu and other gangs."
"So, this year's net profit is only a few tens of thousands of yuan, and we have to keep our mouths shut. If something goes wrong, I think we'll have to pay for it."
Listening to Lu Ming's explanation, Guo Youdong forced a smile, beads of sweat appearing on his white forehead.
Lu Ming looked at his booklet again, "Who helped you do this homework? You don't have any sincerity at all! It makes me, the buyer, very disgusted! You deliberately don't want us to cooperate?"
Guo Youdong gritted his teeth and closed the booklet, "I knew this little bitch wasn't that kind! She was against it all along, and now she's giving me advice when I want to talk to her!"
Lu Ming nodded: "How about this, if Boss Guo wants to transfer the mining rights as a whole, there are still more than 30 years of mining rights, right? I can pay 200,000."
Guo Youdong was stunned for a moment, and could not help but open the booklet again, muttering: "Even if our net profit is 50,000 a year, in 30 years, it will be 1.5 million. Moreover, after the introduction of new technology..."
Obviously, after the "little bitch" he mentioned opened her mouth wide, he had a plan on how to deal with it.
Lu Ming waved his hand to interrupt him, "I told you, that booklet is a trap for you. How can you settle accounts like this? Apart from other things, don't you know that sometimes this mining rights contract is just a piece of waste paper? Under normal circumstances, it can only be calculated based on five years. Not to mention, the governor has been in office for five years. According to convention, there has never been a governor who has served for more than ten years. I am quite conservative when I calculate it based on five years! What if the governor leaves next year? Everything will have to be reshuffled. By then, a new major shareholder will come, and the new governor's people, what do you think I should do then?"
"Yes, so let's not talk about it! It's really meaningless after all this calculation. Two hundred thousand, I may not be able to make back my investment in five years. If there is any change in five years, I will lose money."
Lu Ming picked up the teacup.
Sun Bo took two steps forward and gestured to the door, "Mr. Guo, I'll take you out."
"No, no!" Guo Youdong panicked and said hastily, "Boss Lu, my father told me clearly when he came here that the minimum is one million. If it's less than one million, I won't agree to it no matter what!"
Liu Jingtang, who had been silent all the time, was stunned, then shook his head and smiled bitterly. No wonder a woman was needed to be in charge.
Lu Ming sighed, "If I had asked you for half the price before the bandits started, 500,000 would be fair. In five years, I might have made a small profit. But now? What if Hei Laoliu and his gang raise the price next year? A protection fee of 150,000? 200,000? Can we still mine this mine?"
"The day before yesterday, Hei Laoliu came to me to collect protection money. Tomorrow is the deadline, I have to give him a reply!"
Guo Youdong was startled. "I came to your place?"
Lu Ming nodded: "Think about it, my mine is smaller than your Guo family's, and it's far away. I'm asking for 50,000 a year. Don't you think the price won't go up? These bandits have a bigger and bigger appetite!"
Guo Youdong murmured, "They all came to you..."
"Mr. Guo, please go in. My master still has a lot of things to do!" Uncle Sun reminded.
"Okay, okay, Mr. Lu, I'll come again tomorrow!" Guo Youdong nodded and stood up.
Looking at Guo Youdong's back, Lu Ming said to Liu Jingtang: "Let's talk business."
Liu Jingtang nodded slightly. In fact, except for the exaggeration of the protection fee offered by Hei Laoliu for the Sansha Mine, everything else was true.
The appetites of the bandits will indeed grow bigger and bigger. If the current trend continues, my old friend will end up working for the bandits for free.
If something goes wrong, it might bring about some huge disaster. Who knows, the entire Guo family might be destroyed.
…
The next afternoon, still in the flower hall of the Lu family mansion, Lu Ming met Hei Laoliu's messenger.
He was a thin boy, with half an ear missing, and his face was covered with scars. He looked hideous. He pointed at his ears and face after saying a few words, "Master Lu, please don't be surprised. Don't be scared by your brother. Brothers are the most loyal. The scar on my face was caused by the attacks by enemies. I don't know how many times I got stabbed on my face, and one of my ears was chopped off. But I am lucky and I am not dead. Those bastards who attacked me are now dead! I will remember who treats me well for the rest of my life, and who treats me badly for only a few years. After a few years, I won't have to remember them anymore. Master Lu, don't you agree?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Little Ear, you are blessed with a good fate. You will have good luck in the future."
The thin guy's face darkened slightly. After half of his ear was chopped off, his nickname gradually changed to Li Xiao'erduo, but that was also behind his back.
Who wouldn't respectfully call him Master Li Ba in person? Among the leaders of the Hei Laoliu gang, he was ranked eighth.
Lu Ming considered and said, "How about this, Xiao Erduo, go back and tell Lao Liu that I want to meet him. We all have to make a living, and I don't want to do anything too extreme. Listen to you guys, you are different from the old jackal group, you are not so evil."
Li Ba's face immediately turned pale, "Master Lu, from the tone of your words, I can't take my money today, right? Thousands of dollars, I, Li Ba, don't have the face to do this?" After a pause, "Master Lu, are you still threatening our brother?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Wait for Lao Liu to come, then we'll talk!"
Li Ba snorted, stared at Lu Ming for a while, then suddenly stood up and walked out.
Walking out of the flower hall, he saw a large water tank next to it. He pulled out his box firecracker, and with a "bang", two more holes appeared in the water tank, and water gushed out. Then, cracks appeared in the water tank and slowly split open.
He turned his head to look into the hall and strode away.
Lu Ming nodded to the frightened Wei Sao standing beside him, "Keep a record of this, and ask Hei Laoliu to pay you tenfold later."
In the east wing outside, Guo Youdong, who was waiting there, heard that Boss Lu was meeting Li Xiaoerduo. He saw Li Xiaoerduo draw his gun and smash the water tank, then left angrily.
Guo Youdong's expression changed again and again, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Sun Bo arrived at the door, "Mr. Guo, please follow me!"
Guo Youdong followed him into the flower hall, and Mrs. Wei replaced the tea for everyone.
"Boss Lu, didn't you reach an agreement with Mr. Li?" Guo Youdong looked at Lu Ming's expression cautiously.
Lu Ming sighed, "It seems difficult to mine coal here. No wonder. Tell me, there are so many rich people in Donghai, but none of them came? Finally, here comes a half-witted person like me!" He then said to Guo Youdong, "So, your father probably hasn't replied yet? That's great. Let's wait. I still have to think about whether the city government can send a security team to suppress the bandits. Otherwise, even my Sansha Mine will be in trouble."
Guo Youdong was stunned and thought to himself, Boss Lu, you are too naive. Soldiers and bandits are one family. Soldiers and bandits are one family. You are from Donghai, so you probably have never heard of this saying.
His mind raced as he said with a smile, "Boss Lu, I heard that when doing business in the East China Sea, verbal promises are also legally binding, right? You promised yesterday to buy the Jingyang Mine." In his heart, he admired his own quick wit, but he only knew this from what that little bitch said a few days ago.
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment, showing an embarrassment, then smiled and said: "But Youdong, you didn't agree to sell it to me, right? You can't make the decision, and your father won't agree either."
Guo Youdong immediately smiled triumphantly and patted the briefcase beside him. "Boss Lu, I have brought the original mining authorization contract for the Jingyang Mine issued by the county government, as well as my father's signature and seal. I can make the full decision today."
Lu Ming frowned slightly, "I didn't agree to offer one million yesterday."
"No, let's put it this way, Boss Lu. Five hundred thousand is enough. Your family is big, powerful and influential. Go to the city and do some work. As long as the security team shows up, the bandits won't dare to harass you!"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Youdong, I now feel that you are trying to trick me. Are you treating me like a three-year-old child?"
Guo Youdong wanted to say something, but Lu Ming waved his hand and said, "How about this, I'll think about it and we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"
Guo Youdong gritted his teeth and suddenly said, "Two hundred thousand is two hundred thousand, Boss Lu, you said two hundred thousand yesterday, right? Let's sign the contract now, but I have a condition, I want cash."
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment, and looked at him. "If it's cash, you have to go to the county bank to withdraw it. 200,000 is not enough, 150,000 is enough."
Guo Youdong's face turned pale, and he finally said, "Okay, 150,000 is 150,000!"
Lu Ming nodded: "Then let's sign the agreement now. Later, Heitou will drive you to the bank to withdraw the money." He glanced at Liu Jingtang and said, "Uncle Liu, you should go with us and write a receipt."
Liu Jingtang sighed in his heart and nodded slightly.
…
It was a green convertible off-road jeep, Heitou was the driver and Liu Jingtang sat in the passenger seat.
Guo Youdong came with a family of five who hired a horse carriage. They included a wife, a concubine, and two children, who barely squeezed into the back seat with the children sitting on the adults' laps.
Several more bamboo and rattan suitcases were stuffed under the back seats of the jeep.
The jeep was rented from a trading company in Montenegro. Although this "Yellow River Trading Company" was indeed engaged in business, it was also a contact point and intelligence station for the "Freedom Force" organization.
Today, the Montenegro branch of the Freedom Force Club is about to register as a legal organization in Montenegro. It seems that apart from the need to pay tribute to some key figures, the process is not difficult.
Watching the jeep leaving with a cloud of black sand, Lu Ming turned around and went back to the courtyard.
In this area, it's sometimes pitch black when it rains, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Back in the flower hall, Lu Ming picked up the copy of the agreement that still smelled of ink and read it slowly.
Beside her, Mrs. Wei replaced the tea with new ones. Lu Ming smiled and said, "150,000. If you think in your way, does this count as robbing the coal mine?"
Mrs. Wei was stunned. This was the first time that Boss Lu had a conversation with her. She immediately shook her head and said, "No, I'm afraid that you will lose all the money. The bandits over there are very fierce. You don't even want to pay the protection fee at the Sansha Mine. If they knew that the coal mine in Jingyang is also yours, they would definitely raise the price. It's right next to the mountainous area..."
This Boss Lu is really rich. He spent a huge amount of 150,000 in cash without even blinking an eye.
Completely different from Brigade Commander Hu, Mr. Lu is a real businessman. Since he came, the workers have received salary increases and schools have been built.
Even if it is to win people's hearts, they are doing it in a real business way, and the villagers of Sansha can all benefit from it.
However, the civilized people who come from the legendary giant city that is like a particularly civilized paradise, where everything is governed by the law, may not know that in the bandits' territory, the bandits are the kings and there is no room for reason.
Don't let yourself be harmed by the bandits in the end.
Those bandits are not ruffians like Brigade Commander Hu. They cannot be dealt with by just a dozen firearms.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Boss Lu nod his head: "Well, if the villagers all think so, then even if I end up in court, I can't lose."
Mrs. Wei sighed in her heart, she really wanted to go to court for everything, but it was useless here.
Outside, there was a sudden noise.
Sun Bo came in hurriedly, "Master, a woman who calls herself He Mojun wants to see you."
Lu Ming nodded: "Bring her here."
The Guo family discovered it quickly.
Soon, hurried footsteps were heard in the yard. Lu Ming looked into the yard and was suddenly stunned.
On the stone path in the courtyard, a graceful woman was walking towards them. She was about twenty-four or twenty-five. Her slender figure was wrapped in a blue flowered cheongsam. Her oval face had big watery eyes, which made her look very charming. Who else could it be but his ex-sister-in-law
Didn't she marry and move to Lin County? I had said that I would go back to my hometown to see her and help her if she was having a hard time.
Although this sister-in-law was not very nice to me, she looked down on me as a heavy smoker and had a sharp and mean personality.
When I went home during the holidays, I was often ridiculed by her.
But she had a very good relationship with her eldest brother, who was also a very loyal man and treated her very well.
The eldest brother has a kind personality. If he knew about this, he would hope to take care of his eldest sister-in-law if he had the ability.
However, it seems that my sister-in-law married well and has a high status in the Guo family.
So, it doesn’t matter whether you recognize her or not.
While thinking about something, Lu Ming picked up the sunglasses on the table and put them on.
At this time, He Mojun had already walked in quickly and asked anxiously: "Where is my uncle?"
However, Guo Youdong was not in the living room, and they forgot about etiquette for a moment.
When Lu Ming heard her ask "my uncle", he felt a little cold in his heart for some reason. Although he knew that he felt uncomfortable and it was unreasonable, because the uncle had the freedom to marry and was no longer his relative.
"Manager He, please take a seat. Are you looking for Mr. Guo Youdong? He has gone to the county town!"
"Oh..." He Mojun forced a smile at Lu Ming: "Boss Lu, I'm sorry, my uncle took the family's property without permission, and also tricked my father-in-law into signing a few pages of blank paper. I don't know what he wants to do, so I'm in a hurry to find him. Excuse me, do you know what he went to the county town for?"
He Mojun sat down, took the tea handed to him by Mrs. Wei, said thank you, and stared at Lu Ming with some anxious eyes.
Lu Ming did not hide it, "He came to me and sold your family's coal mine. Now he is going to the county town to withdraw cash!"
He Mojun stood up immediately, "That doesn't count! Mr. Lu, find a way to stop him quickly, so that he doesn't cause any losses to you! I knew something was wrong when he brought his whole family with him... Alas..." He sighed and stamped his feet.
Lu Ming shook his head: "There's nothing I can do about it. There's no phone in the jeep. Besides, the agreement he and I signed is real and valid. Here, this is a copy."
Lu Ming pointed at the table, and Mrs. Wei picked up the copy and showed it to He Mojun.
It is the Jingyang Coal Mine Mining Rights Transfer Agreement. The attachment at the back includes the authorization letter from He Mojun's father-in-law Guo Dewang to his eldest son, as well as the mining agreement signed with the county government twenty years ago, etc.
"Fifteen thousand?" He Mojun gritted his teeth, "You might as well just go and rob!"
Lu Ming glanced at Mrs. Wei and said with a smile, "Can you talk to her?"
He really should have an officer with him to deal with the matter of talking to women. If there was any officer in the office, he would not let her interrupt him like this.
Mrs. Wei was stunned for a moment and whispered, "Manager He, if you can find Mr. Guo, bring him back. The coal fields in Jingyang will be taken over by bandits sooner or later. I'm afraid Mr. Lu's investment will be wasted!"
He Mojun paused and glanced at Mrs. Wei, "Nonsense, I still have a way!"
Mrs. Wei said, "What can you do? The bandits are merciless."
He Mojun said: "I am preparing to go to the city and spend more money, even if it means paying tens of thousands more in mining fees a year. I hope the security team can intervene."
Listening to the conversation between the two, He Mojun did not scold Mrs. Wei for her status as a servant and what qualifications she had to talk to her.
Instead, he really started debating with Mrs. Wei.
Lu Ming vaguely recalled some past events. Yes, this sister-in-law was a real new woman. She had always been promoting the idea of equality at home, which made the old man dislike her very much.
He often ridiculed himself and couldn't stand his own opium smoking. He also acted like a master at home and often bullied his servants.
"Mr. Lu, no matter what, this agreement is definitely invalid. But if my uncle is really not found, our Guo family can pay some of the 150,000 yuan at our discretion, but you have to give us time to raise the money. Moreover, when the coal mine situation improves, I will pay you all the 150,000 yuan sooner or later."
Lu Ming waved his hand and said, "Whether it is valid or not depends on whether the court recognizes it. Manager He, you can go to the city to find a lawyer and sue me, but this agreement is definitely not invalid just because you say it is invalid." He added, "Tomorrow, my people will officially take over the Jingyang Mine."
He Mojun sneered at Lu Ming, "I'm afraid Hei Laoliu and the others won't agree."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "I'm not afraid of them. What are they for? Do a bunch of wild men in the mountains have the power to judge a dispute over mining rights?" He paused and said, "Oh, look, I asked my shopkeeper to take the original copies of the agreement and related annexes to the county for registration. When he comes back, the document from the county government that officially declares the mining rights of Jingyang Coal Mine to belong to me must have arrived!"
He Mojun's face turned slightly pale, and he nodded: "I know that the new county magistrate has a history with you."
Lu Ming didn't comment and picked up the teacup to drink tea.
He Mojun was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "No matter what, you can't take over Well No. 4 tomorrow. It belongs to me personally! The father-in-law gave it to me!"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Well, Well No. 4 is a coal seam discovered by the Guo family ten years ago. It is separated from other coal seams by a fault. However, according to local mining exploration regulations, Well No. 4 also belongs to the main body of the Jingyang Mine. If the Guo family discovered a new coal seam, then the coal mine belongs to the Guo family. Don't you think so?"
He Mojun stared at Lu Ming and finally realized that this guy came prepared and knew the situation of Jingyang Mine very well.
Compared with bandits, this kind of foreign capital is sometimes more terrifying, as they may have already planned how to embezzle us.
Lu Ming coughed again, "However, I don't want to do anything too extreme. The mining rights of Well No. 4 can be handed over to your Guo family. It can be regarded as a contract from me. Every year, half of the coal will be given to me. Well No. 4 produces about 20,000 tons of coal a year. If you give me 10,000 tons of coal a year, it will be about 40,000 yuan. Well, the annual contract fee is 40,000 yuan! The specific agreement will be signed when my people go there tomorrow."
"After deducting the wages and the shared protection fees, there is not much money left. Mr. Lu, you are going too far!" He Mojun said with a cold face.
Lu Ming spread his hands and said nothing.
In fact, what kind of protection fee will there be in the future? After introducing some technologies from Donghai, it is no problem for Jingyang Mine to double its output. I think the Guo family will definitely earn more than it does now, and they don’t have to worry about anything.
From a certain perspective, I have saved the Guo family. As for this former sister-in-law, it doesn't matter whether she understands it or not in the future.
Watching her leave with gritted teeth, it was obvious that in her mind, I was a demon who came to crush the bones and suck the marrow of her Guo family.
But it doesn't matter.
She came to Longgang by herself, but used the name "Lu Ming", but she didn't seem to be worried at all. She must have forgotten everything about the Lu family.
According to Liu Jingtang, she married into the Guo family four years ago.
That is, she married into the Guo family a few days after leaving the Lu family. I don’t know how her family spread the news that she went to Lin County.
Moreover, Liu Jingtang said that she was the third child of the Guo family and a classmate of Guo Younan.
I didn't think much about it at the time, but I didn't expect that she was really my sister-in-law. That means she has been in contact with this old classmate
Forget it, it has nothing to do with me.
My elder brother, if you are still alive in heaven, there is no need to delve into this matter. Many things are hard to explain.