"Dad, couldn't you have just called if there was anything? Why did you have to come all the way here in person?"
Zhuang Rui poured his father-in-law a cup of hot tea. December in Beijing was already bitterly cold, and Qin Haoran was clearly not used to the weather here. After sitting down, he breathed on his hands to warm them.
"I just happened to come and see Bing'er, and I also wanted to tell you something..."
Qin Haoran took a sip of tea and continued, "Originally, I didn't want you to go because Bing'er is pregnant, but the third son just had an accident, and the second son is disappointing. Your mother is a woman, and it's not good for her to show her face in public. The old man hasn't been involved in company management for many years, so I really have to make you come here..."
Hearing his father-in-law's words, Zhuang Rui seemed to have something he needed to handle, so he quickly said, "Dad, what is it? Just tell me..."
It's only natural to help your father-in-law when someone else has married their daughter to you.
Fang Yi seemed unaware of Qin Haoran's purpose beforehand, but after hearing his words, she seemed to understand and interrupted Zhuang Rui, saying, "Haoran, can't we let the second son go? Look at Xuanbing's belly, she'll be due in two months at most. How can she manage without Xiao Rui by her side? Even if the second son is disappointing, he's still your own brother. If you don't let him do anything, he might start to have some reservations..."
Qin Haoran sighed and said, "Sigh, the second son went to Macau a while ago and lost nearly 100 million Hong Kong dollars. Our dad has grounded him. Even if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him go. Who knows if he'll take the money and gamble it away again?"
Zhuang Rui listened in astonishment. This second son of the Qin family was really a spendthrift. He lost a hundred million yuan in one go. No wonder his father-in-law would rather come to Beijing to find him than let his own brother do business.
"That's right. This year, the mainland abolished the import tax on diamonds, so many domestic diamond merchants went directly to South Africa to purchase diamonds. Because they offered slightly higher prices, our share has decreased significantly..."
After listening to Qin Haoran's explanation, Zhuang Rui understood. It turned out that after the mainland abolished the diamond tax, those businessmen who were originally affiliated with Hong Kong companies set up their own businesses and directly contacted those international diamond suppliers.
Chinese businessmen have a bad habit of driving up prices among themselves, and international diamond suppliers naturally supply whoever offers the highest price.
Diamonds are produced in only a few places each year, and the quantity produced is also limited. As a result, the opening up of diamond import and export in China has caused great trouble for the diamond supply of many long-established jewelry companies in Hong Kong.
It's important to know that diamonds sell slightly better than jade and gemstone jewelry in jewelry stores, especially in recent years in China where the exchange of diamond rings is a must for weddings, influenced by foreign trends.
This foreign custom has directly eliminated the older generation's tradition of wearing gold jewelry when getting married, making young people, whether rich or poor, always buy two diamond rings when they get married.
As a result, the annual sales of diamond jewelry in China alone reached as much as 50 billion RMB, accounting for more than 40% of the total sales of jewelry stores.
Therefore, if Qin's Jewelry is unable to purchase enough diamonds for a year next year, it will lose a significant portion of its market share in this area. While this may not be a fatal blow to Qin's Jewelry, it will still severely damage its vitality.
As for the Qin family, although they have made some gains in business over the past year or so, and have gained a foothold in the domestic jade and gemstone market thanks to Zhuang Rui, some problems have arisen within the Qin family itself.
Qin Haoran has two brothers. He is the eldest and the head of the Qin family in this generation. The other two brothers work in the family business. However, the second brother is a complete playboy who only knows how to gamble and play with women.
Especially recently, Qin Lao Er went to Macau to gamble, gambling for five days and five nights, losing 100 million Hong Kong dollars. In the end, he was detained by the casino, and Qin Haoran personally delivered money to ransom him.
After Qin Lao Er returned to Hong Kong, the old man was so angry that he broke his leg with his cane. He was completely unreliable when it came to Qin Lao Er's work.
The third son of the Qin family is quite capable; he manages half of the family's business. However, the third uncle of the Qin family, who is only eight or nine years older than Zhuang Rui, loves cars the most. Two months ago, he was involved in a car accident while racing and suffered multiple fractures all over his body. He is still lying in the hospital bed.
Therefore, in the past few months, Qin Haoran has not only been busy with his own affairs, but also had to take over the work that Qin Laosan was originally in charge of. He has been extremely busy. Otherwise, he would definitely have gone to the diamond selection event.
"Dad, you want me to go to South Africa to purchase diamonds for Qin's Jewelry?"
After listening to Qin Haoran's words, Zhuang Rui asked, "He is indeed an expert in jade, but he is not very knowledgeable about diamonds."
Chapter 809 South Africa (Part 1)
“Xiao Rui, starting next week, there will be a rough diamond auction in South Africa that will last for about a month. I'd like you to represent Qin's Jewelry at the auction. Of course, you don't need to stay there for a whole month; if all goes well, you should be back in a week…”
Qin Haoran felt a little embarrassed. His daughter was heavily pregnant, and as her father-in-law, he should have let his son-in-law spend more time with her, rather than ordering him around.
However, Qin Haoran really had no other choice. The funds needed to purchase diamonds this time were even greater than the expenses incurred at the jade auction at the beginning of the year.
For this diamond purchase, Qin Haoran prepared a full two hundred million euros. This money had to be entrusted to a trustworthy person, and after much thought, it seemed that Zhuang Rui was the most suitable candidate.
"Haoran, how about I go?"
Fang Yi said from the side that women are generally more vulnerable when they are pregnant, and she wanted Zhuang Rui to stay at home with their daughter.
“You used to be in charge of finances; business matters are best left to men to handle…”
Qin Haoran shook his head, rejecting his wife's suggestion. Besides, Zhuang Rui staying at home was not as good as his mother taking care of him.
"Dad, then I'll go..."
The round trip would take a little over a week, which wouldn't cause too much disruption. Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask for leave from school tomorrow, and I can leave in three to five days..."
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, he looked at his wife. Although Qin Xuanbing did not want her husband to leave her at this time, her father had come to ask for her in person, so she had nothing to say.
"Okay, I'll transfer that money to a Swiss bank. You can make the transfer directly when you make the transaction..."
Qin Haoran breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhuang Rui had agreed.
Qin Haoran had complete confidence in Zhuang Rui's abilities. For one thing, at the beginning of this year, if it weren't for Zhuang Rui, Qin's Jewelry would have definitely failed miserably at the Myanmar jewelry auction.
Zhuang Rui's timing and decisiveness at the public auction were something even Qin Haoran admired. This South African diamond trade fair was also being conducted through auction, and Qin Haoran was confident that Zhuang Rui could handle the matter well. ...
Qin Haoran still had a lot of things to do in Hong Kong. After staying in Beijing for a day, he left in a hurry, leaving Zhuang Rui with a bank draft of 200 million euros.
The next day, Zhuang Rui went to the school to ask Professor Meng for leave. Professor Meng knew that Zhuang Rui had a lot of things to do outside, and since graduate students don't have many classes, he didn't say much at the time, but just told Zhuang Rui to be careful outside.
However, Professor Meng also told Zhuang Rui that theory must ultimately be combined with practice, and that he planned to have Zhuang Rui go with him to do some field archaeology work next spring.
Thinking that his child should have been born by then, and that he didn't need anyone to take care of him at home, Zhuang Rui agreed. After studying for a while, Zhuang Rui also became very interested in ancient tombs. Being able to reconstruct a dynasty from tombs was a very meaningful thing.
Zhuang Rui called Song Jun again, saying that he would talk about the uranium mine investment after he returned from South Africa. Unexpectedly, after making the call in the morning, the two brothers came to the courtyard together in the afternoon.
"Brother Song, Brother Ma, I'll count you two in that business deal you mentioned. But let me make this clear upfront: I'm just investing, not managing. I'll only collect dividends. Don't come to me with any problems..."
After receiving a call from his uncle yesterday, Zhuang Rui knew the purpose of their visit and directly stated his opinion.
Investing is fine, but Zhuang Rui doesn't want to get involved. He hasn't paid attention to his own business, let alone his investments in Africa. If it weren't for putting his two grandfathers at ease, Zhuang Rui would rather keep the money in the bank and earn interest.
"You little brat, you know I'm looking for you?"
Song Jun was somewhat frustrated. It seemed like the best thing that others would beg for was happening to Zhuang Rui, as if he himself was begging Zhuang Rui to invest.
It's important to know that from the 1950s and 60s onwards, regardless of which country you were doing business in, the energy and arms trades were definitely the two most profitable businesses in the world.
Especially with oil and strategic energy reserves of various countries, anyone who has even a slight connection to these two things can sit back and wait to get rich. Don't you see how the sheikhs of those Arab countries are rolling in money?
The so-called world's richest people are nowhere near as rich as the sheikhs and princes of Arab countries, and the so-called Fortune 500 companies are not even in the same league as those arms companies.
However, some things are not suitable for the government to handle directly, so it is necessary to find an agent. This is true for the arms business and the energy business. Otherwise, with Ma's meager wealth, he would not be qualified to participate in this kind of game at all.
"Hehe, of course I don't understand. The capable should do more work..."
Zhuang Rui laughed when he heard this. These days, those who get paid don't do any work, while those who do work don't get much money. The old man who pulls a cart earns less in a month than the Song family spends on a single meal.
"This matter has been delayed for quite some time due to shareholding issues. Zhuang Rui, will your money arrive in the next couple of days?"
Song Jun never expected Zhuang Rui to be involved in the company. In his view, letting Zhuang Rui invest was a sign of an alliance between the old man and the Ouyang family, and it was more of a political consideration.
To Song Jun and his relatives, Zhuang Rui's treatment of the two elderly people was simply a display of filial piety. Apart from the people in Zhuang Rui's courtyard who had great confidence in his acupuncture skills, no one else knew the intricacies of the treatment.
Ouyang Jun vaguely guessed something, but he didn't dare to say much, as this matter was too important. However, during this period, Ouyang Jun held his son every day and let Zhuang Rui give him acupuncture, which made the little guy open his hands to grab the silver needles whenever he saw them. Once, he even pricked his little hand.
"The money is available anytime, but shouldn't this be handled more carefully?"
Zhuang Rui knew that because of this business, a new joint-stock company needed to be registered to clarify the shares of their shareholders. In Zhuang Rui's opinion, such a thing would not be completed in less than three to five months.
"How can you call it hasty? This matter has been underway for almost half a year, just waiting for the capital injection and share allocation. Alright, there's no point in telling you all this. Here's the deal: Zhuang Rui, you put up 2 billion, which will count as 10% of the shares. Old Ma, you put up 5 billion, which will be 12% of the shares. The state will take 51%, and the remaining 27% will be shared among the other three parties..."
Originally, Zhuang Rui's 10% stake also belonged to the Song family. For projects like this, the Song family should have held at least 20% of the shares. However, Old Master Song made the offer, which was equivalent to giving Zhuang Rui a 10% stake for free. Didn't you see that Fatty Ma only got 2% more shares than Zhuang Rui after putting up 5 billion yuan?
Of course, Fatty Ma had no complaints. He invested 5 billion, and in two or three years, the return would probably be 10 billion.
Fatty Ma was quite shrewd. With the Song family as his backing, he wasn't afraid of being swallowed whole. Moreover, by attaching himself to this powerful family, Fatty Ma's business in China would go much more smoothly.
"Okay, Brother Song, you can arrange it. I'll have someone transfer the money tomorrow. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. We can sign the equity agreement when I get back..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. He had no idea how much profit this 10% stake would bring him in the future. The amount of money made Fatty Ma uneasy, and in the end, he donated most of it before he could sleep soundly.
Song Jun was very efficient, or rather, the matter was delayed because of Zhuang Rui. Before Zhuang Rui left Beijing, Song Jun brought all kinds of documents to Zhuang Rui's home and signed them one by one. The company had already started operating, and various mining equipment was also loaded onto ships and shipped to Africa.
On the night before leaving Beijing, Zhuang Rui drove to Yuquan Mountain and had dinner with the two old men. Of course, the main purpose was to help them take care of their health.
Previously bedridden, Grandpa Song has been able to walk slowly with the help of a cane after this period of treatment. However, Zhuang Rui always conducts acupuncture on them in private, avoiding the doctors. The two old men, true to their wartime background, have mastered the art of secrecy, and not a single word has leaked out. ...
"Mr. Zhuang, why didn't you bring those two Tibetan mastiffs?"
When He Shuang saw that Zhuang Rui got out of the car without Bai Shi following behind, she couldn't help but feel a little strange. The last few times Zhuang Rui went out, he had always taken Bai Shi with him.
"It's inconvenient to take the white lion to the auction house, Lao He. Everything's arranged at home, right? If all goes smoothly, it'll take a week; otherwise, it might take half a month..."
Zhuang Rui was a bit stumped about this trip. December is the mating season for Tibetan mastiffs, so he definitely couldn't bring the white lion. He originally wanted to bring the golden feather instead.
But then Zhuang Rui thought again, South Africa isn't the countryside, and the security isn't very good. Many people have guns. What if Jin Yu gets shot? Zhuang Rui wouldn't know where to turn and cry. In the end, he decided not to bring anyone, except Peng Fei.
"President Zhuang, everything is arranged. I've been idle for most of the year, so going on a mission won't be a problem..."
Hearing Zhuang Rui's words of concern, He Shuang was somewhat moved. With high pay, little work, and a kind boss, He Shuang was very satisfied with this job.
"Tianya, Liuli, your husband won't worry if you don't come home for half a month?"
After entering the cabin, Zhuang Rui joked with the two flight attendants, mentioning that Liu Li's husband had almost forced her to quit her job after hearing that his daughter-in-law's boss was young and handsome.
In the end, Zhuang Rui organized an event, inviting all the crew members to bring their families. Only after seeing Qin Xuanbing did the jealous husband's doubts dissipate.
Chapter 810 South Africa (Part 2)
The flight from Beijing to South Africa takes you across the entire Indian Ocean. Since Zhuang Rui's private jet wasn't a top-of-the-line model, it stopped at the Maldives airport for refueling.
As the plane passed through the clouds, Zhuang Rui looked out the window and saw a vast expanse of blue, the boundless sea shimmering with captivating light under the sun.
Scattered in the azure sea are small green islands, surrounded by a ring of snow-white sand. Beyond the beach is another ring of light blue, and beyond that, a deep blue that looks like a gemstone.
The beautiful scenery left everyone on the plane speechless. The two flight attendants, ignoring their boss on the plane, crowded around the window to watch, occasionally letting out exclamations of amazement.
"The climate here is so much better..."
During a refueling break, Zhuang Rui opened the cabin door and went down for some fresh air. The damp sea breeze felt wonderful on his skin. Compared to the biting cold of Beijing, the average temperature here is above 28°C all year round, making for a pleasant climate.
With the improvement of living standards in China in recent years, many young people like to travel to the Maldives for their weddings. Zhuang Rui had considered the Maldives when he was taking wedding photos, but he was too busy at the time, so he chose Hainan instead.
"Hehe, Mr. Zhuang, the Maldives is a paradise for tourists. This is our first time here too..."
"Yes, the sky is so blue, and the sea is so beautiful..."
The passengers disembarked, and the two flight attendants, Tianya and Liuli, looked particularly fascinated, chattering excitedly. Clearly, the allure of the Maldives was irresistible to all young girls.
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. Flight attendants probably see the blue sky the most and hate the most. Why have I never heard them mention the blue sky before? It's purely psychological.
"Here's what we'll do: we'll add a perk for the crew from now on—they can take their families on one trip abroad each year. You can make the arrangements yourselves. If you want to fly on this plane, then you and your families need to discuss it together. If you'd like to have some time alone as a couple, then I'll reimburse the expenses..."
Zhuang Rui is very generous to his employees. Putting aside everything else, the treatment at the Dingguang Museum is among the best in Beijing, no less than that of the staff at the Palace Museum.