In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Chapter 134 Two apartments in Beijing! Want it or not?

When Zhao Fucai said those words, everyone in the room was stunned.

It's not about how much work there is, but rather that Zhao Fucai's attitude changed too quickly.

It's like performing in an opera.

Zhao Fucai, however, remained calm and sat back down, crossing his legs, the Hongtashan cigarette glowing and dimming in his hand.

"Zhang, Professor Fang, when it comes to connections, I can't compare to the Wei family." He smiled at Wei Shuyun. "But, I, Zhao Fucai, can speak on behalf of all the boiler factories and power plants around Tongxian County."

Zhao Fucai flicked the cigarette ash into the ashtray on the table. "These factories tell me every year that their pipes are old and need repair, and they complain that the price of coal is rising year after year. They come to me crying poor as soon as winter comes."

"I knew that some companies had been planning to modify their pipelines and add air nozzles to save coal, but I couldn't stop them."

"I've been thinking about it for a while now, and there are about twelve companies here that I, Old Zhao, can trust."

He smiled kindly: "If I recommend you there, they can save money by modifying the boiler, I'll gain a favor, and they'll remember my kindness, Old Zhao."

"Besides," he said, his eyes darting around the room, his smile widening, "it's a big piece of fat meat; it wouldn't be good for someone else to eat it."

Qian Zhiyuan and the other graduate students' eyes lit up immediately, their expressions full of joy.

"Boss Zhao, could you elaborate on the twelve factories you mentioned?" Zhang Yong remained relatively calm. He first asked Teacher Fang to sit down, then invited everyone to sit down as well, and took out paper and pen.

"Let's not even talk about Old Meng's Shunda Coal Mine now that it's all settled. I still have twelve coal suppliers left: Tongxian Brick Factory, Dongfeng Flour Factory, Hongqi Chemical, Chaoyang Building Materials —"

He called out each name one by one, and Zhang Yong wrote them down one by one.

"The largest one is the First Pharmaceutical Factory in Beijing. Their boiler is imported, it's from Germany. I heard that just one valve is worth three thousand yuan."

Zhang Yong paused, his pencil still, and looked up at Fang Qiming.

The two looked at each other and immediately understood what the other meant.

German-made high-temperature and high-pressure furnace.

The technical parameters of this furnace are completely different from those of domestically produced ones. The parts are based on DIN standards, and there are almost no domestic alternatives, which makes it difficult to obtain.

Fang Qiming nodded slowly without saying a word.

Zhao Fucai moved closer to Meng Dehou, who hadn't spoken until now.

"I've inspected the boilers at all twelve factories. There are four or five large ones and one or two small ones, totaling over thirty. If you can modify them all, based on the quote you gave Lao Meng—"

"Hehe, don't laugh at me. Your section chief Liu told me all the details of your budget. It turns out the budget was two thousand yuan to repair this boiler."

"I just secretly looked at your materials. One unit was upgraded with an 8-meter steel pipe and nozzles, plus various materials, and transportation and catering for several teachers. I roughly estimated that the cost of one unit for you is at most five hundred!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a lucrative business!"

He held out his hand.

"If you consume these thirty-odd boilers, you'll receive 60,000 yuan. After deducting your costs of 15,000 yuan, you'll each make a profit of 45,000 yuan!"

"Forty-five thousand!" Qian Zhiyuan's voice cracked.

45,000 in 1990.

A two-bedroom apartment in Beijing costs around 20,000 yuan.

That's equivalent to two houses.

Qian Zhiyuan glanced at Zhang Yong, then at Fang Qiming, his Adam's apple bobbing. He was truly moved.

Zhao Fucai chuckled again as he looked at everyone's expressions.

"Of course, this isn't an easy matter to resolve."

He held up two fingers.

"The conditions are clear: all these boilers must be completed within a month and a half. Winter will begin in forty days, and the heating season will start in early December. If any factory's boilers aren't lit, the logistics chief will dig up my ancestors' graves."

"Most importantly," he narrowed his eyes, his smile shrewd, "I brought you business and clients, so you have to calculate my commission."

"Let's be frank, I want 10% of the total sales revenue."

Six thousand yuan.

Zhang Yong didn't haggle. He put down his pen, glanced at Fang Qiming's expression, and noticed that the other party nodded slightly before looking at Zhao Fucai.

"Boss Zhao, I think the terms are acceptable. But we can't agree to them yet; we need to discuss it further."

"And you have to do us a favor first."

"What's up?"

"Give me a list of the boiler models, service life, and last maintenance dates for all twelve factories. I need to review the data first before scheduling the work."

Zhao Fucai smiled and stubbed out his cigarette.

"That's easy! Tomorrow I'll have my men go door-to-door and collect the money for you within a day."

He stood up, wiped his hands on his work pants, and extended his hand to Zhang Yong.

"Zhang Yong, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart."

He lowered his voice.

"Coal prices rise every year, and it's not intentional on my part. My purchase price is just this high, so naturally those boiler factories can't make a profit. If your technology can really save each factory tens of thousands of yuan in coal every year, you'll be a cash cow for these factory managers."

"I don't dare to accept the title of 'God of Wealth.' We've all been doing practical things with Teacher Fang." Zhang Yong folded the paper covered in writing, stuffed it into his pocket, and pulled Zhao Fucai to the front of Fang Qiming so that the two could shake hands.

Fang Qiming shook hands with him and nodded: "We are a university, and we may not be able to approve overseas assignments, but we can look into it first. Just call me when you have the data."

After saying that, he took out a business card, which Zhao Fucai accepted with a smile.

"Teacher Fang is very kind. I'll contact you again tomorrow when I've finished."

When Zhao Fucai left, Meng Dehou saw him off with a dark expression.

The cabin was quiet for a while.

Qian Zhiyuan was the first to speak.

"Teacher, Zhang Yong, can we take on a job worth 45,000 yuan?"

His eyes were bright as he said this, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed back and forth along the seam of his trousers.

The monthly stipend for graduate students is 47.5 yuan.

Forty-five thousand is the subsidy he would receive for seventy-eight years without eating or drinking.

"You still have to deduct that 6,000 yuan referral fee, and whether you can take the job is one thing, whether you're qualified to take it is another," Fang Qiming said.

He looked at Zhang Yong.

"Peking University is a public institution and does not have the qualifications to operate businesses. Your Youth Industrial Literature Society is an academic society approved by the university's Youth League Committee, so you are even less allowed to sign commercial contracts."

He tapped on the table.

"What are we going to use to sign the contract? Your student ID or my teacher's ID?"

Zhang Yong didn't rush to answer.

He had thought about this issue long ago.

"Teacher Fang, let's try a different approach."

Zhang Yong pulled out the registration form for the "Youth Industrial Literature Society" from his pocket.

"This club was approved by Professor Zhao and is affiliated with the Chinese Department. But its full name is the Youth Industrial Literature Society," with the key word being "industry."

Fang Qiming raised an eyebrow.

"What if we added a sign saying 'Kyoto University Industrial Society Technical Service Center' to the club?"

Instead of signing commercial contracts in the name of the school, we went through the approval process of the Department of Social Education of the Ministry of Education under the name of "industry-university-research social practice pilot project".

"And I know someone who has connections."