novelraw Chapter 790: I Want to Go to Saudi Arabia... To Stock Up
Chapter 790: I Want to Go to Saudi Arabia... To Stock Up
Jing Shu, inspecting the work nearby, thought, Ah, this is so tragic!
Zhao Yu coughed. The surrounding people immediately quieted down upon seeing him. Zhao Yu then announced loudly, "Last time, it was my fault for not knowing everyone had such voracious appetites, so this time there’s only one large basin per person. Eating until you’re about seventy percent full should suffice. There’s plenty of egg soup to go around! Alright, chow time!"
As the whistle sounded, a canteen lady with steady hands began serving the pineapple sweet and sour rice. Using a face-sized ladle, she filled each basin with three heaping scoops. Then, she pressed down the rice and added some broth until it nearly overflowed before stopping.
After getting their food, people either found a spot to eat or went straight to the egg soup vat to queue. Once they finished their main dish, it would be their turn for a basin of egg soup. They could drink their soup and then queue again. By the time it was their turn once more, they could get another helping of egg soup, this time with plenty of eggs from the bottom of the vat.
Simply perfect!
"SLURP! SLURP!"
"CHOMP! CHOMP..."
For a while, the only sounds in the cafeteria were those of people eating.
"These lads finished unloading today, helped transport all the materials to the construction site, and finally cleaned up around the Cigarette Factory. They’ve basically done all the work they can. What should they do tomorrow?"
They can’t be left idle; think of how much food that would waste in a single day! Even a wealthy household would go bankrupt with such expenses.
Jing Shu strongly agreed.
"Let’s start preparing stock tomorrow. We’ll set up a simple processing plant aboard the Blue Moon ferry and convert all the raw materials into cigarettes. We’ll produce and ship out as much as we can. Then, by the time the next batch of raw materials arrives from Sichuan, the higher-ups should also be back."
The original plan was to wait until the Cigarette Factory was operational before starting production. This was because raw materials are ’alive,’ while finished products are ’dead’ and attract rotten corpse insects. But... it’s also not feasible to leave these energetic young men with nothing to do.
When they’re made, the finished products can be stored in Hulk’s belly, which will serve as a warehouse. That’s guaranteed to be safer.
Most importantly, renting out Hulk can also bring in a nice sum of money to soothe Jing Shu’s wounded heart.
What? You ask how Jing Shu’s heart got wounded?
Wasn’t it because she had only found out that afternoon why the Cigarette Factory was called the pillar industry of Wu City? After more than a month of hustle, the dividend statements from the various Cigarette Factories had finally arrived. She and Jun Bao had each received a copy that afternoon.
The statements were densely packed with various accounts. Jing Shu ignored all the details about expenditures and cash flow, scrolling straight down to the last few lines.
Jing Shu then saw the total profit:
126,668,000 Virtual Coins!
Holy moly, over 120 million!
And this was the profit generated while the factories weren’t even fully operational!
Keep in mind that in these times, a pound of expensive sugar only cost 800 Virtual Coins, and a satisfying meal could be had for just 10 Virtual Coins.
With over a hundred million in monthly revenue, Jing Shu’s mind was already racing, thinking about what she could buy next.
She continued to look further down.
Hmm?
A combined value-added tax and consumption tax of 56%? That steep? Seriously?
Jing Shu finally understood the saying: "If you don’t smoke and I don’t smoke, who will build the aircraft carriers?" It turned out a huge chunk went to taxes.
She scrolled further down and finally saw her dividends. After splitting it fifty-fifty with the Wucheng Town Government and then deducting over 8.31 million in personal income tax, she was left with 19.4 million Virtual Coins.
Alright, so a profit of over a hundred million, and she ended up with nearly twenty million Virtual Coins. It wasn’t that Jing Shu was unwilling to pay taxes, it was just... the difference was, shall we say, a tad enormous.
In the future, she decided it was better not to look at the statements and just listen for the deposit notification.
Zhao Yu, on the other hand, couldn’t comprehend the turmoil in Jing Shu’s heart. Earning only a few hundred Virtual Coins a month, he hadn’t even reached the tax threshold. He simply said, "Okay, got it!"
After speaking, he hurried off with his food basin to get his meal.
Jing Shu nodded. Just as she was about to return to her private territory on the sixth floor, she received a phone call.
It was Yang Yang!
Hmm?
Something else was about to happen, Jing Shu had a premonition.
As soon as she answered the phone, Yang Yang’s characteristically flamboyant and unrestrained voice came through on the line, "Do you remember Qiao Bu Sibusi?"
Qiao Bu Sibusi!
Of course, she remembered!
She’d remember him even if she were ground to dust!
Never mind the ten cubic meters of fountain chocolate from his company—she’d only managed to eat one ton of it, even eating with all her might.
The wall of rainbow candies had only shrunk by a few hundred pounds...
Tens of cubic meters of fine wines and spirits mostly sat in her space, while a small portion gathered dust in Hulk’s belly because her family couldn’t acquire a taste for them...
The decadent blueberry cheese was made only once at home before being scorned and permanently banished from the Jing family’s dining table...
The world’s entire annual production of top-grade Saffron was now treated by Grandma Jing like common safflower tea, brewed only occasionally. (This was because the family, not recognizing its true value, found it unpalatable. Otherwise, with Mr. Jing’s personality, he definitely would have said: "Hmm, expensive things really are different! Such a unique taste, I love it!")
On the other hand, Mr. Jing often took out the American ginseng from the cabinet to brew tea. He’d pair it with a few goji berries and some cigarettes, listening to Peking opera while lounging in his rocking chair, enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea... provided, of course, Grandma Jing didn’t call him to do chores.
Then there were those top-quality ribeyes and steaks that Jing Shu frequently used for hot pot.
Even the luxurious crystal furniture she had ’liberated’ from his place was something Jing Shu would occasionally take out to admire. She was planning to move some of it to her villa in the South Sea this time.
It could be said that Qiao Bu Sibusi’s shadow permeated every aspect of her life.
The above could be considered relatively minor uses;
Now, let’s talk about that trip to Miguo when she infiltrated his Rhein Manor. She obtained the meteorite that could be used to refine synthetic meat, as well as cutting-edge technology like synthetic meat cells. How many of their countrymen had that fed? How much money had it brought Jing Shu?
Of course, the most unforgettable thing was how Qiao Bu Sibusi had set them up as scapegoats, trapping them in that high tower and nearly costing them their lives!
"Hmm, what about him?" Jing Shu asked, trying her best to suppress her excitement and keep her voice calm.
Calm down, Jing Shu!
Don’t get worked up!
Don’t daydream!
Don’t start thinking about fleecing the fat sheep the moment you hear his name!
"Those robot chips you turned in after returning from Miguo last time have shown some activity recently. The signal source is emanating from the Middle East...
We’ve conducted reconnaissance and confirmed he’s in Saudi Arabia. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be an issue. After all, we took a considerable amount of his things, and it all happened so long ago...
We’re not the vengeful type, after all."
COUGH, COUGH.
At this, never mind Jing Shu not believing such nonsense, even Yang Yang himself felt he was laying it on a bit thick. So, he dropped the pretense and said directly, "But recently, several factions over there have been at war over food. I heard oil prices have plummeted—it’s like it’s free for the taking, ahem, practically free. The higher-ups are thinking... of going to Saudi Arabia to... ’restock’."
A price crash isn’t the same as ’free for the taking.’ A crash means there’s still value, and costs are still involved. ’Free’ means no money changes hands. Yet, sometimes the outcome can be similar. The key is ’free for the taking.’ But even ’free for the taking’ requires manpower and resources to haul things, not to mention time. Aren’t those costs too?
"Of course, we’re not ones to kick them when they’re down. We’re simply adhering to the principle of reciprocity. After all, they had quite a few mercenaries causing trouble on our territory not long ago."