NOVEL NEXT Chapter 122: Iron Mine
After exchanging WeChat contacts with Ignacio, Qi Yun left first.
The other party agreed to try to decipher the coordinates but needed to go back and look up some information about Jose Echegaray.
This kind of thing can't be rushed. Even if he knew the precise coordinates now, Qi Yun couldn't retrieve the treasure from the sunken ship at the bottom of the sea, so he was very patient.
Driving back to Vanke Mansion, he happened to pick up Zhao Qing and their daughter from school, and the three of them headed straight to Old Feng's hot pot restaurant.
In the back seat of the Golf, Zhao Qing stuck her head out and stared at Qi Yun: "Why did your car break down? Did you run into some danger on the road you haven't told me about?"
"No, it's just a problem with the engine. There are no parts available in Kashi, so I have to have it shipped back for repairs." Qi Yun lied without batting an eye.
Zhao Qing nodded skeptically, "Alright, whether you're working or driving outside, be careful. Otherwise, Nuannuan and I will worry."
"Right, Nuannuan?"
Nuannuan also leaned over, mimicking a child's voice, "Daddy, you have to be careful, otherwise Nuannuan will cry." As she spoke, she pretended to wipe her eyes.
Qi Yun looked at the two of them through the rearview mirror, feeling a warmth in his heart, and promised with a smile, "Okay, you two don't worry. I'll be careful."
The car soon stopped in front of the hot pot restaurant, and the three of them went inside.
Old Feng, upon seeing the little girl, was overjoyed. He immediately came out from behind the counter with a big smile and casually grabbed a piece of candy from the nearby fruit tray.
"Oh my, my dear girl, haven't seen you in ages. Have you missed uncle?"
The little girl blinked her big eyes, showing a sweet smile, and replied crisply, "Yes, Uncle Feng, I've missed you." She reached out to take the candy Old Feng handed her, clutching it happily in her hand.
Since an incident in the past, Old Feng treated Nuannuan like his own daughter. Sometimes even when Qi Yun wasn't around, he would buy clothes for the little girl and send them to Shen Wanting's place.
Old Feng was amused by Nuannuan and laughed heartily, gently patting her head. Then he stood up, glanced at Zhao Qing, and turned to Qi Yun to ask, "Who is this?"
"My girlfriend, Zhao Qing." Qi Yun said, deliberately holding Zhao Qing's hand.
Old Feng, upon hearing this, laughed even more warmly, "So it's the sister-in-law! Old Qi always talks about you, saying you're beautiful and kind, taking good care of him and Nuannuan. Meeting you today, it's just as he said."
Zhao Qing blushed a little from the compliment and said with a smile, "Brother Feng, you're flattering me. Thank you for taking care of Qi Yun all the time."
Old Feng waved his hands quickly, "No need to mention it between family. With my relationship with Old Qi, there's no need for thanks. Come, sit down, I've saved a spot for you guys."
With that, he led the three of them to a table in the corner. After everyone was seated, he turned around to get the menu.
"Usually when the few of us eat, we just order directly. I don't know what you like, sister-in-law, so you can order yourself. This is Old Qi's place, so don't be shy."
"Thank you, Brother Feng." Zhao Qing said with a smile as she took the menu and looked through it with Nuannuan.
Just then, Qi Yun's phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was Peng calling.
He guessed it was about some progress on the mine issue Peng had mentioned in the morning.
"Hey, Old Qi, where are you?"
"I'm at Old Feng's, what's up?" Qi Yun asked.
After a pause, Peng asked someone next to him, "Is hot pot okay?"
Then he replied, "Wait there, I'm bringing a friend over to find you."
"Sure, come on over."
After hanging up, Qi Yun looked up at Old Feng and said, "Peng and a friend of his will be coming over later."
Old Feng nodded, "Alright, want some drinks? I can get a couple of bottles."
Qi Yun glanced at Zhao Qing and their daughter beside him, and waved with a smile, "Nah, not today."
Old Feng didn't insist, motioning someone to watch the bar before he joined the little girl to play with her.
Before long, the hot pot and dishes were on the table, but no one rushed to eat, waiting for Peng and his friend.
After about ten minutes, the door of the hot pot restaurant was pushed open, and Peng and another middle-aged man in his forties walked in.
Peng came over, his eyes lighting up when he saw the little girl, and gave her a couple of kisses, "Nuannuan, did you miss me?"
The little girl giggled from Peng's kisses, her eyes squinting into slits, and replied crisply, "Yes! Uncle Peng, why didn't you bring Peng Sixin?"
"Haha, you want to play with Peng Sixin? Uncle Peng will take you home to find her later, okay?"
"Okay!" The little girl agreed without hesitation.
Qi Yun watched the scene from the side, laughing as he said, "Stop teasing her, or she'll really insist on going to your house later."
Peng Ge laughed heartily and put Nuannuan down, "Alright, I won't tease her anymore. By the way, who is this?"
"My girlfriend, Zhao Qing." As Qi Yun spoke, he turned to Zhao Qing and introduced her, "This is Peng Ge, just like old Feng, my best friend."
Zhao Qing nodded with a smile and politely greeted, "Hello, Peng Ge, I always hear Qi Yun talking about you."
Peng Ge grinned widely, showing off his white teeth, and said cheerfully, "Hello, sister-in-law. Old Qi is really lucky to have found a girlfriend like you."
Everyone was amused by this.
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is my friend Du Fei. I asked him to help with your matter." Peng Ge patted the arm of the middle-aged man next to him and introduced him to Qi Yun.
Qi Yun quickly stood up, smiling as he extended his hand, "Hello, Brother Du, it's really a lot of trouble for you this time."
Du Fei smiled and shook Qi Yun's hand, saying, "Brother Qi, we're all family here, so no need to be so formal. Besides, this matter isn't much trouble for me; I'm already in the mining industry, so checking it out doesn't take much effort."
"Hahaha, alright, I might need Brother Du's assistance more in the future."
"..."
Seeing that all introductions were finished, old Feng smiled and invited everyone to sit, "Come and have a seat, we can chat while we eat; Nuannuan has been waiting for a long time."
Everyone took their seats. Peng Ge picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said to Du Fei, "You should tell old Qi about today's situation."
"Sure." Du Fei wiped his hands with a disinfectant wipe before saying, "I happened to be free today, so when I got Peng Ge's message this morning, I ran to that iron mine."
"The iron mine isn't small in size. With their current extraction progress, they could still mine for about four to five years. The resource reserves are decent."
"However, there are some issues. The mining equipment is quite outdated, and the efficiency is low. Replacing the equipment would cost a lot, and it's not very cost-effective for just one iron mine."
"Another issue is safety. When I went today, there wasn't anyone in charge onsite. The workers were operating quite casually, which poses a significant risk of accidents."
"..."
Du Fei spoke for nearly five minutes, clearly detailing the overall situation of the mine, showing he was indeed very professional.
After listening, Qi Yun furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before asking, "Brother Du, in your opinion, is this mine worth buying?"
Du Fei put down his teacup, looked serious, and slowly said, "Brother Qi, this matter should be viewed from two perspectives."
"From a resource standpoint, the mine has four to five years of extraction period left, and the reserves are decent. If future exploration discovers new veins, the potential is even greater. Long-term, it has value, but currently, the equipment is outdated, safety management is chaotic, requiring large investment, and poses high risks."
He paused slightly and continued analyzing, "I heard Peng Fei say you're planning to buy it for 3.6 million. If you get it for this price and don't replace the equipment, and find an expert to manage it on site, it could still be profitable."
"However, when I met with old Xu today, they wanted 4.2 million and were quite unwilling to lower the price."
Qi Yun nodded slightly, processing Du Fei's words, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Zhao Qing, although silent all along, was quietly listening too. Hearing that Qi Yun was planning to spend 3.6 million on a mine, she was quite surprised.
She always thought her man was only doing small business, and didn't expect him to make a move involving over three million.
After a while, Qi Yun finally spoke, "Brother Du, not discussing the price for now, if an expert is managing onsite, would the safety risk still be high?"
The mentioned safety risk was something he hadn't considered before. If something really happened at the mine, paying damages was a secondary concern; he wouldn't be able to live with it on his conscience.
Du Fei squinted slightly, thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Brother Qi, finding an expert to manage onsite would certainly greatly reduce the risk of accidents."
"However, completely eliminating risk isn't possible. Mining itself is a high-risk industry, and there are always some hard-to-predict factors."
"But as long as management is up to standard, the risk can be controlled at a relatively low level, so the person you find must have true skills and be responsible." Du Fei added, with a hint of seriousness in his expression.
Qi Yun felt somewhat relieved after hearing this and continued to ask, "Brother Du, if I buy this mine, can you help me find someone in this field?"
Du Fei nodded, "No problem, I can help you find someone knowledgeable in management. But as for accounts and statistics, you'd better find someone you trust to oversee them yourself."
Hearing this, a simple big face automatically popped into Qi Yun's mind.
"Alright, that reassures me. Regarding the price, I believe old Xu will definitely contact you again."
Although his offer was only ten thousand higher than old Xu's 'good buddy,' given the current situation of the other side, not to mention more than ten thousand, even three to five thousand would likely make him consider it first.
Du Fei was slightly surprised, although he didn't understand why Qi Yun was so certain, he didn't pursue it further. Instead, he reminded, "One more thing, when I went today, I asked the workers, their insurance has all expired. If you take this on, you must remember to provide them insurance."
Qi Yun nodded, "Alright, I'll make a note of it."