Entrepreneurship is Difficult

"Thank you for the reminder, Director Dong."

Zhou Feiyu expressed his gratitude and then hurried to various departments to apply for tax exemptions, subsidies, and other benefits. He also specifically inquired if there were any other preferential policies available.

By the time he finished running around, most of the day was already gone.

Only then did Zhou Feiyu realize that while running errands might seem simple, actually doing it himself showed him how time-consuming it was. And this was with all the departments concentrated in one Citizen's Home building; otherwise, with departments scattered, it would take at least two or three days to finish.

With that thought, he quickened his pace.

The loan hadn't come through yet, and his current startup capital was only his savings from recent years.

Over five years, including salary and bonuses, and after deducting expenses, Zhou Feiyu had been very frugal, but he had only saved 300,000 yuan, which was far from enough to start a factory.

His parents were in poor health and had spent their lives toiling in the fields. It was already remarkable that they had managed to support him and his sister through college. They had no savings whatsoever.

As for friends, Zhou Feiyu wouldn't ask to borrow money. Firstly, he was too proud, and secondly, there was no need to create future trouble.

Only relatives were an option for borrowing money, but he couldn't borrow much from them anyway, so he decided against it.

It's often said that relatives can be calculating and snobbish, but the vast majority of relationships between relatives are still very close. After all, they are connected by blood, and they aren't billionaires or have a throne to inherit.

Zhou Feiyu had two paternal aunts, two paternal uncles, two maternal aunts, and two maternal uncles, a total of eight living elders. His maternal grandparents and paternal grandparents had long passed away.

They had supported their children until they grew up, got married, and had children, exhausting their lives just like his parents. They had no savings to speak of and couldn't afford to get sick.

As for his sister, cousins, and other relatives, they were either still studying or had dropped out early to work, so they couldn't offer much help either.

Therefore, he urgently needed to secure a startup loan, the more the better.

Company registration, patent applications, entertaining clients, and so on had already cost him nearly 50,000 yuan, but he hadn't hired anyone or acquired equipment to get the company running.

So, hiring people was the top priority.

As for the factory premises, the county offered preferential policies, with a large number of vacant factory buildings waiting for entrepreneurs to rent. The rent was completely free for the first five years.

Inspired by an old classmate, Zhou Feiyu was now planning to acquire a small factory to get started first.

At least the company structure, production equipment, and personnel would be roughly in place, requiring only minor adjustments.

Affected by the overall economic environment, coupled with factors everyone understood, small businesses had become increasingly difficult in the past year or two, especially those in manufacturing, which faced even greater challenges. Many well-known listed companies, with tens of thousands of employees, had annual profits less than what a top streamer earned from one day of live-streaming sales.

It was the same in his county town. Many small companies had closed down, or were just barely getting by, gritting their teeth and holding on, using their past savings to stay afloat, hoping to recover one day.

In the remaining half of the day, Zhou Feiyu found several companies in the county's industrial park, called each one, visited the sites, and had discussions.

There was a factory called Risheng Materials that Zhou Feiyu was quite interested in. The factory area was over a thousand square meters, and the personnel and equipment were relatively complete. There were more than twenty employees, and six film production lines, all in 70-80% new condition. The transfer price was also relatively low, quoted at one million yuan, but there was an additional condition: the factory had debts of around one million yuan and issues with employee placement, which he would need to take on.

"Mr. Zhou, I've also had terrible luck. I fell asleep while driving and hit someone, costing me over a million in compensation. Here, customers have either gone bankrupt or run off. I can't collect payments myself, and I've had to pay out of pocket for the materials I bought and the finished products I made. The money I earned in earlier years has all been lost, a loss of five or six million. I really can't hold on anymore, which is why I'm thinking of transferring it. Otherwise, with this equipment and my brothers here, I definitely wouldn't let go. Look at this equipment, I only bought it less than four years ago..."

Chen Risheng, the owner of Risheng Materials, explained to Zhou Feiyu with a helpless expression.

Zhou Feiyu said sympathetically, "That is a bit unlucky, but Mr. Chen, you are truly wealthy. Anyone else would have probably collapsed long ago."

He didn't actually believe Chen Risheng's words at all, but there was no need to dwell on it.

What he valued were the six film material production lines. Each line had four key pieces of equipment, and the difference from the production equipment needed for FY-01 was not significant. He could spend some time and hire people to modify them together, and within a month, he could start trial production of FY-01.

Buying a brand new production line like this would cost around 400,000 to 500,000 yuan.

Seventy to eighty percent new, the price is reduced due to wear and tear, but each line still costs two to three hundred thousand. Six production lines are not a small number.

"I'll take another look."

Zhou Feiyu didn't immediately decide to buy; he didn't have the financial means yet.

"Alright, Mr. Zhou, if you decide, call me anytime. But please try to be quick. If you're late, I'm afraid I might sell them to someone else," Chen Risheng said.

Zhou Feiyu heard this kind of talk but paid no mind to it.

That evening, Zhou Feiyu was called back to the countryside by a phone call from his parents to have dinner at his maternal uncle's house.

Zhou Feiyu had been very busy these past few days and didn't originally want to go back, but thinking that he would probably be even busier after starting his own business, he agreed to go back for a visit.

When he arrived, his other two maternal aunts, one maternal uncle, and several large families were all there. There was also a family he didn't recognize and had never seen before. He didn't know what relatives they were of his maternal uncle's family.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she saw him, his maternal aunt introduced the unfamiliar family, saying, "Feiyu, come over and meet them. These are Li Shihan's parents. I call them brother and sister-in-law. They are older than your parents, so you can just call them uncle and aunt. This is Li Shihan's second maternal uncle by marriage. You can call him second uncle by marriage too."

Zhou Feiyu was instantly bewildered.

Good heavens, I don't even know what's going on, and I'm already meeting the parents?

His maternal aunt, however, couldn't stand his reaction. She patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "What are you spacing out for? As I see it, you should just call them Mom and Dad right now."

The scene immediately erupted in laughter.

Li Shihan's parents looked a bit helpless, clearly embarrassed by his maternal aunt's words. They quickly said, "Li Lanmei, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"..."

Zhou Feiyu, as the person involved, was speechless at this point.

However, he still had to be polite, so he quickly said, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

Li Shihan's parents nodded in response in unison, then looked him up and down.

Li Shihan's mother said with a smile, "He's a good young man."

Li Shihan's father didn't say anything and seemed relatively quiet. He wondered if it was because Li Shihan's mother held most of the power in the family.

During dinner, Zhou Feiyu's maternal aunt directly arranged for him to sit at the same table as Li Shihan's parents.

Li Shihan's mother, like a prospective mother-in-law scrutinizing a potential son-in-law, couldn't help but question him at the dinner table, asking about his life, relationships, and work: "...I heard from your maternal aunt that you work at a company in the county town. Is the factory's performance still good now?"

"I've already resigned and am preparing to start something on my own."

Zhou Feiyu hesitated for a moment before answering.

This was the first time he had mentioned starting a business in front of his relatives. Before this, his relatives all thought he was working at a company in the county town with a high and stable salary.

Li Shihan's mother was clearly taken aback for a moment, then said with a smile, "Young people should go out and try."

His maternal aunt, Li Lanmei, echoed with a smile, "My nephew is capable, daring to venture and work hard. He will definitely achieve great things in the future. Sister-in-law, if your Shihan marries him, she will definitely be very happy in the future, and you will also enjoy the blessings."

Li Shihan's parents hadn't said anything yet when Li Shihan's second maternal uncle by marriage, who was eating, suddenly said, "The current social economy is declining, and no industry is easy to do. Many who start businesses lose money. You still need to think carefully."

Zhou Feiyu raised an eyebrow. What kind of relationship is this, and he's already pouring cold water?

He noticed that his maternal aunt Li Lanmei's face fell, and Li Shihan's mother's expression also changed slightly, seeming a bit helpless, but Li Shihan's father remained expressionless, appearing quite serious.

"You're joking. My nephew is a high-achieving student who graduated from a key university. He will definitely succeed."

It was still his maternal aunt Li Lanmei who spoke up to smooth things over, and the atmosphere became lively again.