Chapter 169: Raising The Price
Gu Yansheng was in a good mood. When he got home, Zhou Ma had already prepared the clean vegetables, just waiting to be put in the pot.
Gu Yansheng asked and saw there were four dishes and one soup, all his favorite little dishes. Good, he sat on the sofa to read the newspaper for a while and wait.
The benefit of having a chef at home is this: eat whatever you want, clean and hygienic.
After reading the newspaper for a while, honk honk, the sound of a car horn came from the door.
There aren’t many people who can honk the horn here.
Soon his subordinate came in to report, “Mr., it’s Mayor Fu.”
“What a rare guest.” Gu Yansheng put down the newspaper, thought for a moment and smiled. What did Fu Xiao’an want with him?
He went out to welcome him, “Mayor Fu, forgive me for not welcoming you from afar.”
“No need to be so polite with me.” Fu Xiao’an took out a bottle of red wine as a gift, “I came to mooch a meal. Got any food?”
“Even if there isn’t, there will be.” Gu Yansheng waved his hand: “Come in, sit, wait a moment. Zhou Ma, add two more dishes.”
“Okay okay.” Zhou Ma trotted out from the kitchen.
Gu Yansheng handed the wine over, “Put it away, open our own wine.”
Zhou Ma nodded, “Okay.”
Gu Yansheng didn’t hide any of his actions from Fu Xiao’an. Smiling on the surface, he said, “I’ll save Mayor Fu’s wine for collection. Since you came to my house, drink my wine.”
Fu Xiao’an looked displeased, “What? Afraid I’ll poison you? I have to drink it too.”
“Hahahaha.” Gu Yansheng smiled and sat down, saying: “Mayor Fu, I’m not afraid of you harming me. I’m afraid of someone harming you.
Everything I put in my mouth now, I don’t easily change people. You know? Chen Lu in Nanjing died, died at home.”
“I heard.” Speaking of this, Fu Xiao’an’s face also darkened, “The Military Statistics Bureau’s actions are getting more and more rampant. Before, they killed on the road, at most an ambush. Now they dare to rush into people’s homes to kill. In a few more days, I think they’ll dare to storm into the city government and turn it upside down.”
“That’s why.” Gu Yansheng said earnestly: “No way around it. Who knows who the Military Statistics Bureau’s next target is? If you search your conscience, I might be possible, but isn’t Mayor Fu even more likely?
Who bought your wine? Where from? Won’t the procurement channels be too fixed and targeted by the Military Statistics Bureau? Then through your hand, it reaches my home?
The Military Statistics Bureau poisoning wine has precedent. Forgot?”
Arsenic, forget my ass. Fu Xiao’an lay in the hospital for a month because of it.
Now he understood Gu Yansheng, “You’re cautious enough. Being careful isn’t wrong, but that bottle is my stored wine, brought from my home. What poison would the Military Statistics Bureau put in it?
Would I buy wine for you right on the main street?”
Gu Yansheng said indifferently, “Is that so? Honestly, if you casually bought from a shop on the way home from work, I’d really think it’s quite safe.”
“.” Fu Xiao’an found himself speechless.
This was truly irrefutable.
“Sigh, the Military Statistics Bureau scoundrels have disturbed our home peace. Fine, drink your wine. Next time I won’t bring wine. You might as well give it back to me, I’ll take it home and drink it myself. Anyway, you definitely won’t drink it. Giving it to you is a waste.”
Gu Yansheng smiled: “That won’t do. Whether I drink it is my business, whether you give it is yours. Speak, what do you want with me?”
Getting to business, Fu Xiao’an said gravely: “The Greater East Asia Ministry’s commission of three percent taxation thing. You know I handle trade with the concession. It’s already difficult, and now the Military Statistics Bureau keeps sabotaging. Completing it will be very difficult.
Not just me, others think the same.
Reasonably, developing the economy means opening more factories and doing more trade. But look at Shanghai now: factories can’t open, trade is a mess. How to do it? Can’t do it at all. Not to mention increasing by three percent, not decreasing by three percent would be good.
So I came to ask you, any good ideas? I heard Wang Rusong say you’ve recruited several factories there.”
This big mouth. Here to learn from me, huh? Gu Yansheng smiled: “Then you didn’t hear Wang Rusong say these are all from my connections?
Mayor Fu, for others this might be difficult, but for you, finding some connections to pull some businessmen over shouldn’t be hard, right? Open a few more factories, and the taxation issue is solved?”
Even Du Yuesheng in Chongqing could be contacted, help Du Yuesheng open two factories, ship goods to Chongqing, then borrow some money from Du Yuesheng’s bank to develop his own trade. Perfect for both, each gets what they need. Gu Yansheng thought a bit and figured out the path for Fu Xiao’an.
Of course, he couldn’t say it. Fu Xiao’an had to figure it out himself.
Fu Xiao’an rolled his eyes, “You’re one area, I’m all trade in Chinese Territory and concession. A few factories? By your logic, to increase three percent I’d need to open three percent of all Shanghai’s factories. Easy to say.
Besides, opening factories needs to make money. I can invite people, but how to guarantee profit?”
Gu Yansheng understood. Turns out he came to inquire why he could convince businessmen to open factories, thinking they could make money. The real point of learning was here.
“Come, eat, talk while eating. Please.”
Gu Yansheng raised his hand to signal, inviting Fu Xiao’an to the dining table. There were already four dishes, ready to eat.
Pour wine, eat dishes.
Gu Yansheng picked up a piece of crab.
“Red paste steamed crab. My chef is from Ningbo, authentic Ningbo style. Come, try it.”
Fu Xiao’an’s appetite was hooked, no mood for steamed crab. Besides, steamed crab always had a fishy taste. In his view, Japanese sashimi was better.
Seeing Gu Yansheng just eating without talking, Fu Xiao’an took a small bite and asked: “Director Gu, don’t keep me in suspense. It’s urgent now.”
Gu Yansheng smiled, finished the crab and wiped his mouth with a towel, “To increase taxation, just two ways: either more factories, or same factories but more sales. Mayor Fu, since you know I pulled people to open factories, do you know what factories the businessmen I found are opening?”
“Cotton mills, flour mills.” After Fu Xiao’an said it, he somewhat understood, “You want to raise prices or expand sales channels?”
Flour mills obviously didn’t need sales channels. Only one option left.
“You want to raise prices?”
“Yes.” Gu Yansheng nodded.
Then Fu Xiao’an didn’t understand, frowning: “Raising prices is easy, but how do you guarantee it sells? You sell expensive, he buys from others. What can you do?”
Prices rise, buyers decrease. Eternal truth.
Gu Yansheng smiled faintly: “A businessman comes to a cotton mill in Shanghai for procurement, first one sells 200 per piece, he thinks expensive, last year only 50. He goes to second, sells 300, even more expensive.
If all Shanghai’s cotton mills are in my hands, he can buy or not.”
“You want to take all Shanghai’s cotton mills?” Fu Xiao’an suddenly understood. Shanghai is the distribution center for Central China cotton, controlling 85% of Central China Region cotton.
If by Gu Yansheng’s words, if he really took them, not even all, just majority, Gu Yansheng could really operate the market for all Central China’s cotton yarn prices, even influence national cotton yarn market trend.
Fu Xiao’an was so shocked he almost stood up, but slightly lifted his butt and sat back.
Cotton mills are really cheap now, but there’s a reason. Businessmen aren’t fools.
“No, even if Director Gu you help businessmen take most cotton mills, who to sell so much cotton yarn to?”
“Sell to Shanghai’s businessmen.”
“They can’t absorb it.”
“They can sell to all Japanese Occupied Area.”
“But land has Japanese Army patrols, river has Navy inspection boats. Getting out is full of difficulty. Even if out, little profit, costs high, still need to grease military on the road.”
“If I handle customs clearance for them?”
Fu Xiao’an narrowed his eyes, “You have a way with Army and Navy?”
Gu Yansheng shook his wine glass and smiled, “Just make good use of resources? Mayor Fu, you have connections too. Greater East Asia Ministry, isn’t it led by Navy Vice Admiral?”
Knowing isn’t friendship. Fu Xiao’an’s connections are in Army. He still frowned, “So confident you can handle it?”
Gu Yansheng nodded, “Of course.”
Fu Xiao’an just couldn’t believe it.
“Director Gu, I have quite a few factories too. If you have a way, let’s do it together, how about?”
If this business really works, he can make money too. No reason not to join.
