Chapter 21: Striving and Not Striving (Part 1) (Request for clicks, recommendations...)

Following the usual procedure, after Liu Qianjin's speech, it was Chen Geng's turn to make a statement. Chen Geng, not at all intimidated, spoke confidently and modestly, expressing his willingness to learn from everyone present and asking for their support. It was all standard formalities.

After the formalities were completed, although everyone felt somewhat strange about the reality that this young man in his early twenties had become their colleague, and was now the deputy factory manager of the East China Military Region's Third Armament Repair Factory, which had over 600 employees and was a regiment-level unit, the appointment letter from the military region's political department was official. Chen Geng, holding the appointment letter, had indeed become a leader in the factory.

"Comrade Chen Geng, what are your thoughts on your future work arrangements?" Liu Qianjin asked kindly.

Chen Geng's calm, confident, and modest statement had left a good impression on Liu Qianjin, who felt more at ease: This young man is quite steady, not hasty, and seems to be a good seedling.

Chen Geng leaned forward slightly and said modestly, "I just graduated from school. Although I studied at Volkswagen for a while with my teacher, I have no practical work experience. To be honest, I am quite anxious and nervous. I hope the organization can place me in a less important position to let me train for a while."

The political department of the military region had only appointed Chen Geng as the deputy factory manager of the Third Armament Repair Factory but did not specify his specific responsibilities. This was partly to avoid interfering with the internal management of the factory and partly to test Chen Geng's work ability. Although Chen Geng was a college graduate, many college graduates were often overambitious and lacked practical skills. They wanted to see if Chen Geng could handle the job. Of course, if Chen Geng performed poorly, it would be a significant loss in the eyes of the military leaders.

What Chen Geng didn't know was that Liu Qianjin and Peng Guangming had been quite troubled about how to arrange his responsibilities. They had held several meetings to discuss this, setting several principles. First, the arrangement had to be good, as the military leaders were paying attention. On the other hand, Chen Geng knew nothing about the work. Could he handle it?

The two had been worried for days, fearing that Chen Geng, being young and impetuous, might cause trouble. However, Chen Geng had now voluntarily suggested being placed in a less important position for training, which was unexpected. The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise.

Peng Guangming immediately asked, "Comrade Chen Geng, are you really thinking this way?"

"Yes, Commissar, I am really thinking this way," Chen Geng said sincerely.

Peng Guangming was the factory's party secretary, but why did Chen Geng call him "Commissar"? This was because the Third Armament Repair Factory was a direct subordinate of the East China Military Region, and everyone from top to bottom was a soldier, operating under military management. They were accustomed to using military titles. Everyone called the party secretary "Commissar."

This was a common practice in all military-affiliated factories nationwide.

"Is that so..."

Peng Guangming's face showed a hint of a smile, but before he could finish, Chen Hongjun suddenly coughed, interrupting him, "Commissar, Factory Manager, I have a situation to report to the organization."

"Hmm?"

Chen Hongjun's sudden interruption made everyone pause: Was Chen Hongjun trying to help his son gain more power?

"Oh? What is it?" Peng Guangming asked, his expression unchanged.

"It's like this. When Chen Geng was in college, he studied at Volkswagen for a while, where he met an expert from Wolfsburg, Germany..."

As Chen Hongjun narrated how his son had met the expert from Wolfsburg and wanted to collaborate with the factory to produce carburetors, the factory manager, party secretary, and deputy factory managers were all stunned, then their faces turned red with excitement!

Although the East China Military Region's Third Armament Repair Factory had been doing well in recent years, things had become difficult after the central leaders shifted the focus to economic development. The military's situation had become tough, and naturally, the situation for military-affiliated factories had become even tougher. Although the Third Armament Repair Factory could repair almost any military equipment, there were the First and Second Armament Repair Factories ahead of it, so the business it could get was limited. The factory leaders had been struggling to expand their business, but with little success. Now, Chen Geng had just arrived and brought such a big surprise?

Supplying carburetors to Volkswagen? That's a huge opportunity!

A carburetor is a core component of a car engine, a highly precise mechanical product with high technical content. If the Third Armament Repair Factory could collaborate with the engineer, Swen-Christian Kindler, to produce carburetors and sell them to Volkswagen, the factory would no longer have to worry about business.

Volkswagen needs 10,000 carburetors a year, but that doesn't mean they only need 10,000. Cars need repairs, and dealers need spare parts. This means that even at the minimum, Volkswagen could consume about 15,000 carburetors a year.

And Volkswagen's demand is just the beginning. With Volkswagen as a model, the Third Armament Repair Factory could target other factories. Does Beijing Auto's 2020 Jeep need carburetors? Does Changhe's minivan need carburetors? Does the Yellow River truck need carburetors? Does the Xiaoli car need carburetors? Does the Jialing motorcycle factory need carburetors?

There are many places where carburetors can be sold!

If they could secure this project, the future of the Third Armament Repair Factory would be bright and promising!

"Comrade Chen Geng has found a good job for our Third Armament Repair Factory," Peng Guangming said happily, nodding repeatedly. "With this project, our factory won't have to worry about food for the next 30 years."

Factory Manager Liu Qianjin was also very excited. Looking at Chen Geng, he felt as if his own son had achieved something significant. He nodded in agreement, "That's right. Chen Geng, you've just arrived and have already brought us such a big business. You've done a great job for our factory."

"I am also a part of the factory, and this is what I should do," Chen Geng said calmly, neither overly pleased nor flustered, fitting the image of a young and capable deputy factory manager in everyone's mind.

"Very well, Comrade Chen Geng's awareness is high, which is very good," Liu Qianjin nodded, then changed the topic, "But I have a question. Has the German expert mentioned how the profits will be divided? If the German expert demands too much..."

"Mr. Kindler doesn't ask for much," Chen Geng immediately replied, "He only wants 30% of the net profit."

"Only 30% of the net profit?" Liu Qianjin was surprised. He hadn't expected Kindler to ask for so little.

Not only Liu Qianjin, but everyone else was also surprised. This ratio was far beyond their expectations. The German engineer only wanted 30%? Just a moment ago, they had been speculating that, given the greed of foreigners, it would be good if they left 40% for the Third Armament Repair Factory. Now, they were only asking for 30%.

"Is there any other condition?" Deputy Factory Manager Cao Jun, who was in charge of production, immediately asked.

As soon as Cao Jun spoke, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Geng, filled with tension, unease, and anxiety...

"There is indeed a condition," Chen Geng nodded.

"Having conditions is normal. As long as the conditions are not too excessive, we can negotiate," Liu Qianjin smiled. It was natural for the other party to have some additional requirements if they only wanted 30% of the profit. He didn't find it strange at all. On the contrary, if Kindler had no additional requirements, he would have been more concerned.

"Yes, yes, that's right. As long as Mr. Kindler's requirements are not too excessive, we can negotiate," the deputy factory managers and deputy party secretaries immediately chimed in. They had also been looking for business, but it wasn't easy to find good opportunities. Now, with such a big opportunity, everyone's eyes were green with envy. Even if the other party had conditions, as long as they weren't too excessive, they could negotiate.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, Chen Geng slowly said, "According to Mr. Kindler's calculations, the net profit of these products is at least 25%, so his profit calculation point is 25%..."

"What? 30% of 25%, that's 7.5% of the selling price to him?" Before Chen Geng could finish, the financial director, Xue Fugai, immediately exclaimed, "Our factory's operating costs are high. Giving him 7.5%, will we have anything left?"

Everyone hadn't immediately grasped what 30% of the net profit meant, but when it was put in terms of 7.5% of the selling price, they became agitated. As soon as Xue Fugai finished speaking, others joined in, "Exactly, 7.5% of the selling price, that's just robbery!"

"7.5%, the German is asking for too much..."

Although Chen Hongjun didn't speak, he looked at his son with some concern. Everyone had just praised his son, but now they were criticizing him. He was worried that his son might not be able to handle it.

Chen Hongjun didn't notice, but Peng Guangming and Liu Qianjin were also secretly observing his son.

PS: Brothers, I'm sorry, there's a significant bug in the later part, and I need to rewrite and revise the drafts. It will take about three days, so I can only update once a day during this period. Please bear with me, and I will resume updating twice a day after three days.

I sincerely apologize to everyone for the inconvenience caused by my oversight. I'm very sorry.

Finally, I have a small request. In this situation, if I ask for clicks, recommendations, and collections, will I be beaten? Will you give them to me?

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