Rebirth of the Age of Wealth

Chapter 199 Full of passion is not worth half a piece of bread

The glory of the Heihe (Hai) Shipyard is gone. It is hard to imagine that this shipyard, which has produced more than a thousand ships of various types, has not started serious work for a long time. The last job they did was to

Ship 107, which was 30% completed, was dismembered and sold for scrap.

In the planned economy, state-owned enterprises naturally have to assume some social responsibilities and provide more jobs. The same is naturally true for Heihe Shipyard. There are many employees. They could have enough to eat before, but now there is a problem.

Moreover, they had never worked in the civilian sector before and had only relied on military products to survive. They had not had many orders to begin with, but now they are suddenly separated. Ukraine does not need so many ships, so naturally they are unemployed in disguise.

Now the system has changed, and companies are responsible for their own profits and losses, but their hematopoietic ability is so poor that the workers are about to starve to death. For such a good thing, it is natural to kill them severely.

Looking at Li Weidong's expectant eyes, he cleared his throat and said: "Two hundred million, US dollars!"

Bell didn't know what Li Weidong's budget was, but he also felt that he would be crazy to buy a half-finished broken ship at this price.

Soviet Russia was definitely not crazy. After hearing the offer, they went back and put it on hold without any movement at all.

When Li Weidong heard this number, his brows knitted into a knot. This was much more than he expected!

Although he wanted to do this, he didn't have much idea of ​​the price of the ship. He just made a rough estimate. It was said that he bought it for 20 million US dollars in his previous life, four or five years later.

However, many of the equipment in the ship have been dismantled, and it is said that only an empty shell is left. But it is different now, there is still a lot of equipment, so the price is naturally higher than in the previous life.

He was mentally prepared for this, but he was still shocked by Bell's quotation.

"Which country does the property rights of this ship belong to? It's not the Soviet Union, right?" Li Weidong was a little stunned. This shelving has such a meaning. If this is the case, Li Weidong is really afraid to move.

"No, even though the Soviet Union said so, it is actually a bargaining chip in negotiations. Only some parts and components belong to them, but these are all allocated, and at most they are just liabilities!"

"Furthermore, after declaring independence, everyone was busy splitting up their families. Naturally, the things belonging to one's family belong to the other's family. The Ukrainian side will definitely deal with this, otherwise it will be of no benefit to them!"

Li Weidong nodded and agreed with Bell's words!

"Moreover, they dare to ask for such a price, which may not be without the hint of threat. There is only one cruiser like Soviet Russia, which does not match his identity and status!"

If a big country doesn't have such a thing, how can it be powerful?

"What do you think, sir?" Li Weidong asked about his future itinerary.

Old Bell said: "If there is nothing else, I will leave for Nikolayev early tomorrow morning and go to the shipyard to find Makarov!"

Li Weidong nodded and said: "That's it, everyone go back and rest early!"

A group of people drove five off-road vehicles on the 600-kilometer journey from Kiev to Nikolayev. Fortunately, the quality of the vehicles was good. Road construction was better during the Soviet period, so people didn't suffer so much!

There was light rain in the sky, accompanied by fallen leaves, and the wet ground looked a bit messy. The shipyard in the distance also looked rusty and unusually dilapidated in the rainy day. This was Li Weidong's first impression of the shipyard.

On a cloudy and rainy day, it would get dark earlier. When they arrived at the shipyard at around three o'clock, they already felt that it was getting dark.

At the door, Old Bell dialed a number on his mobile phone, and soon the door was opened to let the convoy in. It was hard to imagine that such an important department was not inspected.

Makarov is an old man with gray hair. He looks older than Old Bell, but is actually two years younger. This shows that he is not living a comfortable life.

Maybe he knew in advance what the intentions of Old Bell and his group were, but Makarov didn't show too much enthusiasm. He just greeted them at the door and gave Old Bell a polite hug.

As for the people following him, no one could catch his eye, which was exactly what Li Weidong wanted.

After a brief polite greeting, we got down to business.

Makarov went straight to the point and said: "Bell, I'm afraid your goal this time will be difficult to achieve. You must be more familiar with this thing than me. You signed it when it was built!"

"Makarov, it is true that 106 has my signature, but it is floating in the dock now and has not started construction for two years. Do you think there is still hope for him to sail on the ocean?"

"It's no longer possible. You know the difficulty of this better than I do. There are no supporting manufacturers anymore and there is no hope!"

"This is the fact. Now neither Ukraine nor the Soviet Union has the ability to let him sail again. It will be in everyone's interest to deal with him now!"

"How many people are still in the factory now, and how many of them no longer have access to bread? I just came over there just now, and all the shipyards have stopped working. How do you feed them?"

Makarov stopped talking. He was full of enthusiasm, but he could not afford the half slice of bread that the employees needed. He was not qualified to let everyone starve with him.

He also felt tired. Two consecutive unlucky events made him grow old quickly. Now he no longer had much experience in managing the shipyard, but he had worked hard here and he was not willing to give up.

The money from selling scrap metal for the 107 ship has long been spent, and government funding has not yet been received. Now the shipyard has reached the end of its rope.

If the news is released and someone is willing to give them money, the employees will definitely go crazy. If he blocks it, he will definitely change from an old factory director respected by thousands of people to a selfish person despised by everyone.

Old Bell continued: "According to the budget, another 250 million U.S. dollars are needed. Do you think Ukraine or the Soviet Union currently has this capability? This is no longer a question of money. The basic industry is gone, and no amount of money is useless!"

"They all make a living by selling property. Please wake up. This is no longer the Soviet Russia we had at that time. It no longer exists. Even if you have these 250 million, you won't be able to finish the construction!"

Li Weidong quietly asked Bell next to him, what did the two hundred and fifty million mean?

"According to the original plan, at this point, the project still has about 30%, but the later investment will still be 250 million, but this does not mean that 400 to 500 million have been invested in the early stage!"

"The cost of the main equipment in the early stage is not high, but some equipment and various systems installed after the installation are very expensive. The main equipment in the early stage is just a carrier, these are the main ones!"

Li Weidong understood that, similar to a house, the cost of building a building and removing the land is actually not high, but the decoration of the home is more valuable, and the more elaborate ones are even more expensive.

The cost of decorating the courtyard house where Li Weidong lives now is more than the cost of buying a house. Such a big ship is even more valuable.

Li Weidong said softly: "Can you ask if I can go up and have a look someday?"

Li Weidong felt itchy in his heart. It is estimated that most people have never seen this thing in their lives, let alone gone up to see it. It is quite tempting to think about it.

Bell whispered: "Okay, let me ask!"

(End of chapter)