Yicheng.
Tan Lihua and his wife had been busy since the morning today.
The couple had a quick lunch and spent the whole day preparing dinner.
Today, their good son was coming home for Chinese New Year.
The couple had already moved into their new home next to Linghu Park, a three-bedroom, two-living room layout.
Even if the grandparents from the countryside came, their son wouldn't have to sleep in the living room anymore.
One-and-a-half-year-old Tan Jinyue was already very cute.
She could play independently in the living room, only needing someone to watch over her.
Tan Lihua and his wife also had a clear division of labor.
During the day, Tan Lihua would buy groceries while Zhang Suzhi stayed home to look after the child.
Once everything was prepared, Tan Lihua would take over childcare, and Zhang Suzhi would cook.
This elaborate preparation wasn't entirely for their good son's return.
Zhang Qingliang and his wife, along with his younger brother and sister-in-law, were also coming back together.
They had to prepare regardless.
Moreover, it was already late to return to the countryside today, so Zhang Qingliang and his wife would also stay here tonight.
"Why aren't they back yet? It's past seven, they didn't go to the old house, did they?"
Zhang Suzhi asked anxiously.
Tan Lihua was sitting on the sofa cracking melon seeds at the moment, and casually said,
"No, I told him to come to the new house. He probably didn't dare to drive too fast at night. They should be home soon."
"I wonder what happened when that kid detoured to Yiwu to meet his girlfriend's family."
"What could happen? It's not a formal meeting. Don't worry, that kid often meets big leaders, so he won't have any problems in this kind of situation."
"How can that be the same? One is about business, if it doesn't work out, so be it. The other is a lifelong matter."
Zhang Suzhi rolled her eyes.
Tan Lihua said helplessly,
"It's a bit early to talk about a lifelong matter. The girl is still studying. Even if they were to get married, they'd have to wait until she graduates, right? It's just a simple meeting."
That kid hasn't even reached the legal age for marriage, he's just dating a girlfriend, what are you so anxious about?
In fact, Tan Lihua was more anxious about another matter.
Ever since Shan Chi and Feng Chi sold well in Yicheng and advertised nationwide, and rumors spread online that the owner of Shan Chi Technology was from Yicheng, some people in the city finally took notice.
Recently, many people had come to the factory to inquire.
Tan Lihua's leaders had spoken with him several times about this, but Tan Lihua could handle these for now, so he hadn't told his wife.
The factory leaders, in any case, couldn't fire him.
A simple "that's his own company, I can't make decisions" would suffice.
But what if it was a higher-level person? What should he do then?
Fortunately, it's Chinese New Year.
He'll tell Jincheng about these troublesome matters then and let him handle it himself.
Approaching eight o'clock, the doorbell rang.
Tan Lihua put down his melon seeds and got up to open the door.
"Dad, I'm back."
Tan Jincheng said with a smile, dragging his suitcase.
Zhang Qingliang and his wife, following behind him, also called out "brother-in-law."
Zhang Qingliang also dragged a suitcase, but most of their luggage was still in the Audi's trunk.
"Come in quickly, it's cold outside. Hurry up and eat, the food will be cold if you don't come back soon."
Zhang Suzhi, inside the house, quickly called out.
With that, she went into the kitchen to get busy.
Most of the dishes prepared for dinner were kept warm, but indeed some had already cooled down and needed reheating.
Wu Lamei quickly followed in to help.
"No need to help, it'll be ready in a moment. Just heat up a few dishes. You've been traveling all day, so you must be tired. Go rest in the living room for a bit."
"It's fine, not tired. I even rested for a while at noon. It was a car ride all the way, much more comfortable than going home in the Northeast."
Zhang Suzhi smiled at her words.
Although not a "brother-helping demon," Zhang Suzhi was very concerned about her younger brothers in her maternal family.
Among the three brothers, only Zhang Qingliang hadn't built a house yet, and his family was considered the most difficult.
Now that her son had relieved her of this worry, finding them a stable job, she felt at ease.
"What are your plans for next year? Are you going to build a house?"
The sisters-in-law chatted while reheating dishes.
"We plan to build, but Jincheng told us not to rush. He suggested buying a house in Beicang first and bringing Wen Zuo over to study there, as the environment is better."
"Then listen to his advice. Although he's young, he's quite experienced. There must be a reason for such an arrangement. If you're short on money to buy a house, I still have some I can lend you."
"Okay, we'll think about it. Jincheng has helped us a lot this year, we don't know how to thank him."
"Family, no need for thanks. Besides, you're helping him work, and Qingliang even got into a car accident because of it. I feel bad about it too."
"You can't blame Jincheng for this, only himself for not being careful. Jincheng told him every day to be safe, yet he still broke his leg. One can only say it was his fate to have this tribulation."
"How's the recovery now? Any after-effects?"
"Recovered well, no after-effects. Jincheng found the best orthopedic surgeon in Beicang to treat him, so you can rest assured, Eldest Sister."
The two chattered on, and soon the meal was ready.
"Dinner's ready, Lao Tan, come help carry the dishes."
Zhang Suzhi called out to the living room.
The three people chatting in the living room immediately stopped.
Tan Lihua hurried to the kitchen to help, and Zhang Qingliang followed him.
Only Tan Jincheng was too lazy to move, still teasing little Jinyue in the living room.
Little Jinyue was no longer as sleepy as when she was younger.
With the considerable noise in the house, she was also wide-eyed, looking at the strangers in the living room.
"Say 'gege'."
Tan Jincheng pinched her little face and said.
"Don't pinch a child's face randomly, they'll drool. Your uncle and aunt are helping, what are you doing just sitting there like a big shot?"
Zhang Suzhi, coming out of the kitchen, quickly scolded him.
"Okay, okay, I won't pinch, but I want a hug, haha."
Tan Jincheng picked up little Jinyue and laughed heartily.
Perhaps it was Tan Jincheng's laughter or the blood relation, little Jinyue wasn't afraid of the unfamiliar Tan Jincheng.
She still looked at the person holding her with wide eyes, and her small hand couldn't help but touch Tan Jincheng's clothes.
"Mom, look, Jinyue isn't shy, she doesn't cry when I hold her."
Tan Jincheng proudly showed off.
"Making a fuss over nothing, Jinyue isn't shy to begin with, anyone can hold her."
Zhang Suzhi rolled her eyes at him, then added,
"Stop playing, come eat quickly."
"Alright."
Tan Jincheng responded.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
Zhang Suzhi asked in confusion,
"Who is it? So late, it's not Peng Ya, is it?"
"Probably not, it might be Lao Lin, he's here to return the car keys."
Tan Jincheng put down little Jinyue and walked towards the door.
When they had just returned, Lin Yumin had followed them to get acquainted with the place, saying he would come back to return the car after dropping off his things at home.
He didn't expect him to be so fast.
"Lao Lin?"
Zhang Suzhi didn't react for a moment.
"It should be Lin Yumin,"
Tan Lihua reminded her, then followed him out.
Opening the door, it was indeed Lin Yumin.
Tan Lihua invited him in to sit, but Lin Yumin refused:
"No, my wife and children are still waiting at home. I'll visit in a couple of days."
Hearing this, Tan Lihua didn't insist, only agreeing with Lin Yumin to gather with Wu Zhenping and Zhang Guolong when they had time.
"Here, I've temporarily opened it for you, so you can show off a bit during the New Year."
Tan Jincheng handed the BMW car keys to Tan Lihua.
"Why did Lao Lin come to return the car keys? Did you two drive back in separate cars?"
Tan Lihua didn't refuse, taking the keys.
"Yes, I bought another A6, and Peng Ya also bought an A6. Now this BMW and the previous Passat are used as factory cars. This time, I let them drive them back, and they'll drive them back after the New Year."
Tan Jincheng nodded.
"Good heavens, an A6 each. I thought you were driving that Passat."
Tan Lihua said in shock.
"Don't make such a fuss, Dad. Your son is worth over a hundred million, driving an A6 is already very low-key."
After dinner, Tan Lihua called Tan Jincheng into the study alone.
"Dad, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Tan Lihua hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"What do you think of automobiles?"
"Automobiles? What do you mean? Do you want me to buy you a car? That's no problem, any car you want."
Tan Jincheng didn't quite understand Tan Lihua's meaning for a moment.
"No, there's a distressed asset in the city, someone pulled strings with our leaders, wanting me to ask if you're interested."
"About automobiles? Yicheng still has this kind of thing?"
Tan Jincheng instantly understood.
Yicheng's industrial sector, to be honest, besides petrochemicals, either had nothing or nothing.
Tan Jincheng really hadn't thought Yicheng had any automobile-related distressed assets.
"You're still young, you don't know. Our Yicheng was ambitious back then. The Andar Automobile produced by Yicheng Automobile Factory sold quite well, but later, due to mistakes in decision-making and financial difficulties, it couldn't continue around 2000."
Tan Jincheng's eyes flickered:
"Oh? There was such a thing? Dad, tell me about it."
"Around 1991, the Yicheng Automobile Factory produced the first car in our Anhui Province, which was the Andar Automobile. There should still be some on the streets today; I'll take a picture for you sometime.
In '93, the city vigorously developed car manufacturing. By '96, over 1,000 units were sold, and production capacity reached 80 million. It was very popular at the time and ranked as the city's third-largest taxpayer."
"Later, due to various reasons, after entering 2000, it didn't do so well. In June 2003, due to cash flow problems, Yicheng Automobile Factory went bankrupt, which was the month before you and Xiao Zhang ran off to the boat."
"Uh, can we not bring that up? Let's talk about cars, talk about cars,"
Tan Jincheng said somewhat awkwardly.
"Although the company went bankrupt, some people in the city seem unwilling to give up, hoping to revive it. In 2004, a local enterprise took over the Andar brand. Now Yicheng Automobile Factory is called Yicheng Andar Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd."
"However, it only lasted for a little over a year and couldn't sustain itself. That company's strength was also mediocre. Some people in the city heard about you from somewhere and asked someone to find me, hoping you would take over."
Tan Jincheng didn't respond immediately but fell into thought.
Seeing this, Tan Lihua also said,
"I couldn't help it. I can't make decisions on this, but I definitely had to pass the message to you. If you don't want to accept this junk-collecting business, just refuse directly. Don't be ambiguous, don't worry about me. Your career isn't in Yicheng anyway."
"Are their car manufacturing qualifications complete? And how much do they want me to pay to take over? What are the requirements after taking over?"
(End of chapter)