Siheyuan's Journey Through the Ages

Chapter 137 The first factory visited

"As for what you said about hiring another general manager, we are all adults. I can guess what the new general manager will do. It will definitely be a wave of personnel changes. In that case, wouldn't it be easier for me to just open a new trading company?" Ma Qing mocked Liang Haowen.

Liang Haowen was about to refute when he heard this, but Ma Qing didn't wait for him to speak: "As for the selection of the new cashier, you have to get it done as soon as possible. I'm going to continue looking for a store. Our real estate company's loan has to pay interest every day. It's a waste to just leave it in the account."

Ma Qing raised his hand to hail a rickshaw and drove away, leaving Liang Haowen holding his breath, unable to vent his anger, and could only jump on the street.

Ma Qing lived a fulfilling life in the following days. He attended classes at the university while looking for shops in Kowloon and the main island. Under such circumstances, Ma Qing finally decided to buy a car for transportation. Time was really tight for him because it was already the end of 67. By the second half of next year, the real estate market in Hong Kong would stabilize, and by then it would be impossible to buy cheap properties.

Ma Qing didn't know much about cars, so in order to save money he simply bought a second-hand Volkswagen. This car was a perfect match for him as a small boss.

Volkswagen is actually Volkswagen, but Hong Kong people have been calling it that way until now, just like Lexus is called Lingzhi by Hong Kong people, Mercedes-Benz is called Mercedes-Benz in Hong Kong, and Mazda is called Mazda by people in Hong Kong. This is just the difference in transliteration culture between mainland China and Hong Kong.

Speaking of this car, it is actually no different from a new one. Ordinary people in Hong Kong have had a hard time in the past two years, especially the middle class and small business owners whose lives have fallen apart the most. The owner of this car lost money in real estate speculation, stocks, and business, and in the end, Ma Qing benefited from it.

Quan Ping'an, a novice driver who had just learned to drive, bought this Volkswagen with two rows of seats but only a single door at half price, 5000 yuan. He was promoted to Ma Qing's full-time bodyguard and driver.

Quan Ping'an is indeed a martial artist, he has a good talent for hand-eye coordination. Since he signed up for lessons at a driving school two months ago, he got his driver's license in a month, and could drive well in two months.

"Boss, where are we going next?" Quan Ping'an asked in the driver's seat after Ma Qing finished looking at the last shop.

"Let's go to Dumei Tea Restaurant for lunch first." Ma Qing sat in the co-pilot seat and closed his eyes. He has been really busy recently. He finally spent the 1.2 million yuan loan from Rongheng Real Estate. Ma Qing never thought that one day he would feel tired because of spending money.

Dumei Tea Restaurant is only two streets away from Building 22, Xintiandi Street, where Ma Qing lives. Ma Qing likes the milk tea and pineapple buns in this tea restaurant the most. In fact, the main purpose of coming here is not the food, but the people here are of complex composition, all of them are talented and speak well.

The main reason why Ma Qing came here today was to meet someone, a well-informed freelance introducer, or in the old words, a real estate broker.

As soon as Ma Qingcai entered the store, he saw a man in his thirties waving at him. He was dressed in flashy clothes and had a thick gold necklace on his neck that he couldn't tell whether it was real or not, which was sparkling.

"Boss Ma, here, here." The man waved his hands enthusiastically.

Ma Qing walked forward, and Quan Ping'an followed him. "Brother Wang, I'm sorry, I'm late. This meal is on my table."

Wang Cheng waved his hand. "It's okay. I came too early. Let's eat first and then go to see the factory. I have an appointment with the other boss."

Ma Qing nodded. Originally, Wang Cheng was also a factory owner. He registered a name in the Hong Kong Industrial Association. As a result, his factory did not develop, but he was able to maneuver well in the association and became a professional broker. He made a name for himself in the area by buying and selling.

This is when Ma Qing met this person while eating here and exchanging information with others. Recently, Ma Qing was anxious to find a suitable factory, so he contacted this person with a try-it attitude, and unexpectedly, this person agreed without hesitation.

Everyone ordered food and chatted while eating. "Let me tell you, brother, the factory we're going to is not bad. It's located in Kwun Tong. It's a plastic toy factory. The factory is about 6000 square feet and has nearly a hundred workers. The boss is in urgent need of money, so the price won't be too high."

Ma Qing frowned after hearing this, feeling that Wang Cheng underestimated him and did not look for a factory according to his requirements. It seemed that Wang Cheng took his true words as bragging.

But Ma Qing didn't say anything. Now that things had come to this, he might as well just wait and see. It wouldn't cost him anything anyway, and it would be nice if there was really a bargain to be found.

After the three of them finished their meal, Wang Cheng rushed to pay the bill, which was only about ten yuan, and Ma Qing didn't say anything.

"Is this your car?" Wang Cheng asked, standing next to Ma Qing's car.

Ma Qing nodded. "Just bought it. Come on, Brother Wang. Let's get to the factory quickly so that others won't have to wait anxiously."

The three of them got into the car, started the car safely, and drove towards Kwun Tong. Wang Cheng, who was usually talkative, may have realized that he had made the mistake of empiricism and lost interest in speaking.

When he got off the bus in Kwun Tong, Ma Qing felt as if the sky had darkened and his nose was filled with the smell of cheap industrial products.

In the 1960s, the Kwun Tong Industrial Zone was full of chimneys and machinery. The sky was covered with thick smoke and dust, and the sun could not penetrate the grayness, only casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

The street is not wide, and there are mostly 6 to 8-story industrial buildings on both sides. The huge workshop doors on the first floor are open, revealing the busy workers and non-stop running machines inside.

The air was filled with the smell of motor oil, metal, and plastic, and the streets were filled with tricycles and small trucks loaded with goods, constantly loading and unloading on the ground floor of the building.

Led by Wang Cheng, Ma Qing walked into a building. On the walls of the lobby were hung the names of many companies and floor plans.

"4th floor, Building A, let's take the elevator." Wang Cheng said lacking confidence.

The industrial elevator in this building can be described as rusty. Every time it opens and closes, it is accompanied by a dull and sharp squeak that makes Ma Qing's ears hurt.

Arriving at Building A on the 4th floor, they saw the words "Haisheng Toy Factory" hung in large letters on the door. After entering the workshop, Ma Qing saw many female workers crowded around large tables. They were dressed in shabby clothes, without hoods, work clothes or masks.

Several male workers kept putting toys from the previous process into large frames and pouring them onto the table.

Ma Qing continued to walk inside. The number of workers began to decrease, the number of machines began to increase, and the manufacturing process of a toy began to unfold in reverse before Ma Qing's eyes.

The innermost room of the factory should be the factory owner's office. Through the glass of the office, you can see a bald middle-aged man arguing with someone.

(End of this chapter)