Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"All right." Yang Li smiled faintly. It had been days since she had seen her father so excited and agitated—it seemed her little brother really did have what it took. She agreed at once and went downstairs to brew tea.

"Daming, Lili has told you about what's happened these past days, hasn't she?" Yang Dashan needed no pleasantries with his nephew and came straight to the point.

"Yes, I've got a pretty good picture. It's just that the local engineering machinery company in Fenghuang City won't allow us to sell our machinery there, right?" Yang Ce nodded to show he understood the course of events.

"Exactly. According to your father, we'd lose nothing by giving up this deal." Yang Dashan said, "But I don't want to just give it up. This is our first deal, and as the saying goes, the first step is the hardest. So I want to start things off on the right foot—one stumble at the outset, and every step after will stumble too."

"I think the same way," Yang Ce said in agreement. "It's just a local machinery company in Fenghuang City—it can't amount to much. Still, we do need to think carefully about how to deal with it."

"Right. At first I wondered whether to have Brother Bao take some men over to watch over things, but then I thought it over and decided that wouldn't do either. After all, it's their turf—a strong dragon does not crush a local snake. And if they have connections in official circles, our men might get detained the moment they arrive," Yang Dashan analyzed carefully.

Yang Ce agreed wholeheartedly. It seemed his uncle had considered the problem quite thoroughly. Ever since the failure at Yaoguang City, he had begun to act more cautiously, no longer as impulsive as before—and that was a good thing.

"Uncle, you're right. Sending men over in a big show of force won't solve the problem in the end—it treats the symptoms, not the root. Even if we could escort one shipment, we couldn't escort every single one," Yang Ce said with a nod.

"Exactly, that's how I see it too. If we're going to do this business, we have to do it for the long haul," Yang Dashan said. "If we're always carefully escorting shipments, one slip at some point and we'll fall into their trap again."

"By the way, how strong is the company that ordered machinery from us? Given the circumstances, they still dared to buy from us?" A matter of importance suddenly occurred to Yang Ce.

"Of course. That company is an engineering firm under the Fenghuang City Investment Promotion Bureau. That machinery company, no matter how formidable, wouldn't dare cross them—they can only vent their resentment on us," Yang Dashan said.

"Then can't the investment promotion bureau step in on this?" Yang Xutang asked in turn.

"The key problem is that the engineering company has deep connections too. Over a trifle like this, neither side is willing to fall out with the other," Yang Dashan said with a bitter smile.

Yang Xutang gave a helpless sigh. He understood well enough now: both company bosses likely wielded no small influence, yet neither would give an inch to the other—and Yang Dashan had become the sacrificial lamb caught between them.

"This matter—I think I'd better go to Phoenix City myself," Yang Yanzhou said. "It has to be settled sooner or later. Leave that machinery company's boss to me."

"You go?" Yang Dashan was taken aback. "How can I let you go somewhere so dangerous?"

"Me going is precisely what's least dangerous," Yang Hengye said. "Don't forget who saved you and Sister Yang Li. Sending you two—that's what would be truly dangerous. If this is to be settled once and for all, it really has to be me."

"This—" Yang Dashan still wanted to talk Yang Ce out of it, but seeing how confident he was, and knowing his nephew's abilities, he hesitated and could only give in. "All right then. You must be careful. Don't force things."

"Of course I know what to do," Yang Hengye said. "By the way, what's the name of that machinery company in Phoenix City? Do you have any materials on it? I'll study them first—know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat."

"I do. I'll print them out for you in a bit. I've been fretting over this for days—I even wondered whether we should have the provincial leaders here have a word with the leaders over in their province," Yang Dashan said with a sigh.

"No need for that. Making such a big show of it would only complicate matters." Yang Ce waved a hand. "Leave everything to me."

Just then Yang Li came in carrying tea. Yang Dashan instructed her, "Lili, go print out the materials on Phoenix City's Sankun Machinery Company and give them to Daming to take back and look over."

"All right." She set the tea on the table and went over to the computer to print the materials.

Yang Ce and Yang Dashan chatted idly for a while about some problems in Mingyang Heavy Industries' engineering machinery division. Yang Minlan did not understand much of it; Yang Dashan did the talking, and Yang Xutang simply listened.

"By the way, Daming, has your father mentioned it to you? Our Mingyang Heavy Industries' factory buildings may no longer be enough. We want to pick a site and build a new plant. Do you think it's better for us to set up our own real estate company, or to find a developer to build it for us? We can produce all that machinery ourselves anyway, and with the connections we have now, the approvals and qualifications won't be a problem."

"Set up a real estate company?" Yang Puqi was startled. When the Wang family's Century Xiongfeng Group had been merged in, it had included a real estate development arm, which had later been handed over to Hou Lin to run. He did not know how it was doing now—whether it had been split off and sold, or kept.

"Uncle, hold on—let me ask. A friend of mine seems to have a real estate arm," Yang Yanzhou said.

"It's in Brother Bao's hands—my original company. That company has now been merged into Century Xiongfeng Group," Yang Dashan said.

"Oh." Only then did Yang Cenbin recall that his uncle had once owned a real estate company. But since it had been merged into Century Xiongfeng Group, that meant the real estate arm still existed, so there was no need to set up a new one. These companies were all Yang Juehuan's anyway; setting up another one would be redundant.

Yang Ce called Hou Lin and confirmed that the real estate business had indeed been retained and had already begun developing residential projects. Only then did Yang Ce hang up in surprise.

"Uncle, my friend has the development qualifications. We can just go to him when the time comes," Yang Yanzhou said.

"Oh? Is he reliable? He won't squeeze a lot of money out of us, will he?" Yang Dashan said.

"Of course not," Yang Hengye said. "Actually, it's Mingyang Company's investor—President Hou Lin. You know him too."

What Yang Ce had told Yang Dashan back then was that Mingyang Heavy Industries was funded by Hou Lin.

"It's him? That's even better—we're all one family then!" Yang Dashan said delightedly upon hearing this.

"As for the details, I mentioned it to him just now. You two can discuss it in full." Yang Yanzhou said, "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. After all, I just got back from Macau and haven't been home to take a look yet."

"That's right. A few days ago your father said he hadn't seen you for days. Hurry back and see him," Yang Dashan said repeatedly.

Clutching the materials on Sankun Machinery Company, Yang Ce walked out of his uncle's house. Bao Lin had already driven Yang Ce's BMW X5 over and was waiting near the villa. Seeing Yang Ce come out, he hurried to meet him.

"Brother Yang, here are the car keys." Bao Lin handed the keys to Yang Ce.

"Thanks." Yang Ce patted Bao Lin on the shoulder and took the keys.

"Don't mention it." Bao Lin was naturally pleased to be praised by Yang Ce.