"Thank you for the reminder, Director Dong."
Zhou Feiyu thanked him gratefully, then ran from department to department to file applications for tax exemptions, subsidies, and the like. He also specifically asked whether there were any other preferential policies available.
By the time he had made the rounds, most of the day had nearly passed.
Only then did Zhou Feiyu realize that errands might seem like nothing more than running around, but once he did them himself, he understood just how time-consuming they were. And that was with all the departments gathered in the same Citizen's Home building. If they had been scattered around, he would not have finished in two or three days.
With that in mind, he quickened his pace.
The loan had not come through yet, and for now, his only startup capital was the savings he had accumulated over the years.
Over five years, including his salary and bonuses and subtracting his expenses, Zhou Feiyu had lived quite frugally. Even so, he had only saved three hundred thousand yuan, nowhere near enough to set up a factory.
His parents were in poor health. They had spent their entire lives toiling in the fields, and it had already been remarkable that they had supported him and his younger sister through college. Savings were simply out of the question.
As for friends, Zhou Feiyu would not ask to borrow money. For one thing, he could not bring himself to lose face; for another, there was no need to create trouble for the future.
Only relatives were people he could discuss borrowing money with, but he would not be able to borrow much from them either, so he gave up on the idea.
People often said that family ties changed, that relatives became snobbish and calculating. But most relatives still had close relationships. After all, they were connected by blood, and none of them had fortunes worth billions or a throne to inherit.
Zhou Feiyu had two paternal aunts, two paternal uncles, two maternal aunts, and two maternal uncles—a total of eight elder relatives still alive. His maternal and paternal grandparents had all passed away long ago.
They had raised their own children to adulthood, seen them marry and have children, and like his parents, had spent their whole lives giving everything they had. They had no savings to speak of and could not afford to get sick.
As for his younger sister, cousins, and other relatives of his generation, they were either still studying or had left school early to work. They were even less able to help.
So he desperately needed an entrepreneurship loan, and the more, the better.
Company registration, patent applications, treating people to meals, and so on had already cost him nearly fifty thousand yuan. Yet he had not hired anyone or bought the equipment needed to get the company running.
So hiring people was the first priority.
As for factory space, the county offered incentives. There were plenty of vacant factory buildings waiting for entrepreneurs to rent, with rent waived entirely for the first five years.
Inspired by an old classmate, Zhou Feiyu planned to acquire a small factory and get started that way.
At the very least, the company framework, production equipment, and workforce would already be there. At most, he would only need to make some adjustments.
Affected by the broader economic climate, along with reasons everyone understood, small businesses had grown increasingly difficult to run over the past year or two. Manufacturing businesses in particular had been hit even harder. Many well-known listed companies with tens of thousands of employees made less profit in a year than a top livestreamer could earn in a single day of selling goods.
The same was true in his county town. Many small companies had gone bankrupt and shut down, while others were robbing Peter to pay Paul, gritting their teeth and holding on by burning through their old savings, hoping that one day they might recover.
During the remaining half day, Zhou Feiyu found several factories in the county industrial park. He called each one, visited in person, looked around, and talked with them for a while.
There was one factory called Risheng Materials that Zhou Feiyu liked quite a bit. The factory covered over a thousand square meters and had fairly complete staffing and equipment. It employed more than twenty workers and had six film production lines, all seventy to eighty percent new. The asking price was relatively low at one million yuan, but there was an additional condition: the factory had roughly one million yuan in debt, along with worker placement issues, and he would have to take responsibility for those matters.
"President Zhou, I've really had rotten luck. I dozed off while driving and killed someone, and I had to pay over a million in compensation. Over here, some clients went bankrupt, others ran off. I couldn't collect payment myself, and I had to pay out of pocket for the materials I bought and the finished products I made. All the money I earned in earlier years has been lost. I'm down five or six million yuan and simply can't hold on anymore, so I'm thinking of selling. Otherwise, with this equipment and these brothers of mine, I definitely wouldn't let it go. Look at this equipment—it's been less than four years since I bought it..."
Chen Risheng, the owner of Risheng Materials, explained helplessly to Zhou Feiyu.
Zhou Feiyu said sympathetically, "That is rather unlucky. But President Chen, you really do have deep pockets. If it were anyone else, they probably would have collapsed long ago."
In truth, he did not believe Chen Risheng's words at all, but there was no need to dwell on them.
What he valued were those six film material production lines. Each line had four key machines, and they were not too different from the production equipment needed to manufacture FY-01. If he spent some time and hired people to modify them, they could begin trial production of FY-01 in less than a month.
A brand-new production line like that would probably cost four to five hundred thousand yuan.
At seventy to eighty percent new, the price would be reduced, but each line would still be worth two to three hundred thousand yuan. Six production lines were no small amount.
"I'll take another look around."
Zhou Feiyu did not immediately decide to buy it. He simply did not have the financial means yet.
"Sure. President Zhou, if you decide, call me anytime. But please try to make it quick. If you wait too long, I'm afraid I'll sell it to someone else," Chen Risheng said.
That kind of line went in one of Zhou Feiyu's ears and out the other.
That evening, a phone call from his parents summoned Zhou Feiyu back to the countryside, where he went with them to have dinner at his youngest maternal uncle's house.
Zhou Feiyu had been extremely busy these past few days and had not wanted to go back. But when he thought about how he would likely be even busier after starting his business, he agreed to make the trip.
When he arrived, his other two maternal aunts, one maternal uncle, and several families were already there. There was also one family he barely recognized. He had never seen them before and had no idea which relatives of his youngest maternal uncle they were.
To his surprise, the moment she saw him, his youngest maternal aunt's wife introduced the unfamiliar family. "Feiyu, come meet them. These are Li Shihan's Parents. I call them older brother and older sister-in-law. They're both older than your parents, so just call them Uncle and Auntie. This is Li Shihan's second aunt's husband. You can call him Second Uncle too."
Zhou Feiyu was instantly dumbfounded.
Good grief, he did not even know what was going on, and he was already meeting the parents?
But his youngest maternal aunt's wife could not stand his reaction. She patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Why are you standing there? If you ask me, you should just call them Mom and Dad right now."
The room immediately erupted in laughter.
Li Shihan's Parents looked somewhat helpless. Clearly embarrassed by his youngest maternal aunt's wife's words, they hurriedly said, "Li Lanmei, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"..."
As the person directly involved, Zhou Feiyu was completely speechless.
Still, courtesy was required, so he quickly greeted them. "Hello, Uncle and Auntie."
Li Shihan's Parents nodded in response at the same time, then looked him over from head to toe.
Li Shihan's mother smiled. "He's quite a fine young man."
Li Shihan's father said nothing. He seemed rather quiet, and Zhou Feiyu wondered whether all the authority in the household rested with Li Shihan's mother.
At dinner, Zhou Feiyu's youngest maternal aunt's wife directly arranged for him to sit at the same table as Li Shihan's Parents.
Like a mother-in-law inspecting a prospective son-in-law, Li Shihan's mother could not help questioning him over dinner, asking about his life, relationships, and work. "...I heard from your youngest aunt that you work for a company in the county town. The factory's business is doing all right these days, isn't it?"
"I've already resigned. I'm preparing to start something of my own."
Zhou Feiyu hesitated before answering.
This was the first time he had mentioned starting a business in front of his relatives. Until then, they had all believed he worked for a company in the county town, with a high and stable salary.
Li Shihan's mother was visibly stunned for a moment, then said with a smile, "Young people should venture out and give things a try."
His youngest maternal aunt's wife, Li Lanmei, echoed with a smile, "My nephew is capable. He dares to take risks and work hard, so he'll definitely have a bright future. Sister-in-law, if your Shihan marries him, she'll definitely be happy in the future. You'll get to enjoy the good life too."
Before Li Shihan's Parents could say anything, Li Shihan's second aunt's husband, who had been eating nearby, suddenly remarked, "The economy is declining right now. No industry is easy to work in, and many people who start businesses end up losing money. You should think it over carefully."
Zhou Feiyu raised an eyebrow. What kind of relation was this, pouring cold water on him already?
He noticed that Li Lanmei's expression darkened, and Li Shihan's mother's expression changed as well, as though she felt somewhat helpless. Li Shihan's father, however, remained expressionless and looked rather serious.
"Are you joking? My nephew is a top student who graduated from a key university. He'll definitely succeed."
Li Lanmei was the one who stepped in to smooth things over, and the atmosphere soon became lively again.
Before you continue