Chapter 12

Returning to the private room, everyone was waiting. Some tea and snacks were placed on the table, and a few people were chatting intermittently, the topic still being Yang Yuanzhao. The young man had already established an image in the minds of the two major landowners. Even they would find it difficult to come up with tens of thousands of dollars at once, but Yang Yuanzhao, a young man, had managed to do so single-handedly. Clearly, Yang Yuanzhao and his family were not simple.

Wei Ming and Yang Yuanzhao walked in, and Liu Shu invited them to sit down, then smiled and said, "I didn't know when you would return, so I had a few dishes prepared. Just in time, I'll have them bring the food."

The dishes were already prepared, and soon, the table was filled with various large and small plates, all featuring Shanxi flavors and a generous amount of game.

Yang Yuanzhao noticed that Wu Guangren's attitude had clearly changed. In this world, money was respected above all else. The strength of one's capital largely determined one's status. They owned about 500 hectares of land, and their assets were likely no less than a million. However, land and liquid capital were two different things. Liu Shu was able to persuade them because the profits from growing cotton were extremely high. Their initial hesitation was due to not knowing Yang Yuanzhao's wealth. The ability to casually come up with tens of thousands of silver dollars was not something a simple person could do. Even Yang Yue and Wei Ming, as direct descendants of the Taiping Four Major Families, probably couldn't mobilize as much capital as Yang Yuanzhao.

"Yuanzhao, I know I'm a bit late, and the Wei family's share is relatively low. Is it possible to increase it a bit?"

The room fell silent. Everyone knew that Yang Yuanzhao held 40% of the shares, the largest stake. If the Wei family wanted to increase their share, it would definitely reduce Yang Yuanzhao's stake. This was common in companies, but usually due to insufficient capital. Now, Yang Yuanzhao's own funds were sufficient to purchase more shares. Moreover, as the leader of this company, Yang Yuanzhao had a certain pride. Wu and Zhao's faces changed, but Liu Shu and Yang Yue remained calm.

Having interacted with Yang Yuanzhao for a short time, they had some understanding of him. Yang Yuanzhao was likely someone who had succeeded abroad. His goal was not just to make money, but to realize his own value. Growing cotton was just a starting point; the key was what came after. This was why they had introduced the Wei family. To be honest, the only families that could compete with the Liu and Yang families were the other major families.

"No problem, I'll give up 10%."

Wei Ming had only suggested it as a thought, not expecting Yang Yuanzhao to agree. Giving up 10% meant 3,000 yuan. If the production increased as much as they said, this 3,000 yuan could bring in over 2,000 yuan in profit. This was a significant concession.

"Thank you, Yuanzhao!" Wei Ming was genuinely grateful. As a direct descendant of the Wei family, he had some authority, but the funds he could directly mobilize were limited, only a few thousand. Being able to invest in this clearly profitable project was very satisfying.

"Don't be so formal, let's eat."

The meal was enjoyable, and by the end, the relationships among the group had grown closer. The younger ones called each other brothers, and Wu and Zhao kept calling each other "worthy nephew."

After clearing the table and serving fresh tea, the night was late, but the conversation continued. No one wanted to leave. Yang Yuanzhao looked at everyone, especially Wei Ming, and took out two stacks of paper. "I have two more plans. I wonder if anyone is interested."

Wei Ming's eyes lit up, and he took one stack first. His face changed as he read it and exclaimed, "Brick kilns!"

Yang Yue's interest was piqued, and he picked up the other stack. Indeed, it was a cement plant.

Wu Guangren, who had also picked up a stack, said with a slight change in expression, "Brick kilns and a cement plant!"

These might seem unremarkable, but they were essential for building factories and structures. Traditional construction methods were time-consuming, but with brick kilns and cement, a factory could be built in one or two months with enough manpower. Finished products were available in Taiyuan and Suiyuan, but if they were just ordinary investments, they could buy from there.

Zhao Shuming was slightly moved and looked deeply at Yang Yuanzhao. "Nephew, this is Baotou. Will there be enough demand for cement and bricks?"

Cement and bricks were relatively heavy and used in large quantities. With the transportation of the late Qing dynasty, they couldn't be transported far and were mostly consumed locally. Only the Qixin cement from Tianjin was sold both domestically and internationally, a rare highlight of China's industrial sector.

"These two factories, I can invest 50% in each. The rest, we can discuss. Anyone who wants to invest is welcome!" Yang Yuanzhao tapped the table lightly and said calmly, "I can guarantee that the profits from these will not be lower than those from growing cotton."

With the success of cotton as a precedent, even if others didn't fully believe it, they weighed the possibilities and exchanged glances, but no one spoke first.

Seeing their hesitation, Yang Yuanzhao added, "The investment for the brick kilns is not large. I plan to build three large kilns with a monthly production of 300,000 bricks. The investment is not significant, just 5,000 yuan."

"5,000, are you sure it's 5,000?" Wei Ming was moved and exclaimed.

"Yes, 5,000 yuan," Yang Yuanzhao said. He had been in Taiyuan for some time and had a basic understanding of the purchasing power of silver dollars. In his view, the main cost was the brick-making machine; the rest was labor, which was not expensive in inland China.

Wei Ming took a deep breath. The largest brick kiln in Taiyuan, in which his family had shares, had an investment of 20,000 yuan and produced 100,000 bricks per month. This was already a good investment, with a monthly profit of 600 yuan and a payback period of just over three years. According to Yang Yuanzhao's calculations, 20,000 yuan could produce 1.2 million bricks, which meant a 12-fold increase in profit. High profits would become even higher, jumping from high to extremely high.

"This is the latest British technology!" Yang Yuanzhao said, though he was exaggerating. Brick-making was a simple process, and even rural areas in the future could do it. The key was the brick-making machine and the kiln. After seeing existing brick factories and making some improvements, achieving the desired production should not be a problem. In the future, a small brick factory on a few acres of land could produce a million bricks per month, which was very common. Producing 100,000 bricks per kiln just required better design and refractory materials.

"I'm in!" Wei Ming said decisively. "I'll take the remaining shares, but Yuanzhao, I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"After the brick factory is operational, I want to send a group of people to learn the technology and introduce the products." Wei Ming said seriously.

"No problem, send them over. They can even participate in the construction."

During the construction, Yang Yuanzhao was worried about the lack of skilled workers and had intended to mention it to everyone. He was pleasantly surprised that the Wei family had offered to solve the problem.

The brick factory was quickly agreed upon. Because of Wei Ming's decisiveness, everyone was also enthusiastic about the cement plant. Everyone knew the benefits of cement. The Ma brand cement from Tianjin dominated the market, but the investment in a cement plant was much larger.

Wei Ming finished reading the plan first and hesitated. The plan was well-written, with a high production capacity, but the investment was substantial, 100,000 yuan.

100,000 yuan was not a small amount, but the Wei family's trading company dealt in cement, and they knew that the Qixin cement factory in Tianjin had an investment of 1 million yuan, producing 700 barrels per day and 210,000 barrels per year. With an investment of 100,000 yuan, producing 300 tons of cement per day, it might seem small, but compared to Qixin, it was astonishing. One ton of cement was equivalent to about 3.5 barrels, so this plant would produce over 900 barrels per day, surpassing Qixin and becoming the largest cement plant in China.

Seeing everyone's hesitation, Yang Yuanzhao understood that some things couldn't be rushed. A 100,000 yuan investment in a cement plant was already making them hesitant, let alone the massive investment in a cotton textile factory, which would require at least a million yuan. He took the cement plant's proposal and said calmly, "This is a large investment. Let's put it aside for now and focus on the brick factory. Are you not interested?"

Liu Shu and Yang Yue had already invested their funds in the Baotou Reclamation Company and had no more money. Wu and Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "We'll take 30%."

"Good, no problem. You take 30%, and I'll split the rest with Brother Wenju." Yang Yuanzhao nodded. He was not as interested in the brick kilns as he was in the cement plant. Since he still had funds, he agreed immediately. Wei Ming also agreed happily. This was a business worth over 1,000 silver dollars, and he would send people to oversee it, increasing its security. Although it was Yang Yuanzhao's first time seeing it, he was very generous, and the 12,000 yuan in cash showed his considerable wealth. As a person with such a strong background, building a good relationship with him was essential, especially since the brick kilns were also a profitable business.