Chapter 22: Man and Big Waves

Five days later, it was a weekend.

Yin Zhaotang brought the egg tarts and Ah Lok to the Liang You Printing Factory in Kwun Tong Industrial Area, found the factory owner Xian Liang You, and handed him a freshly-made sample.

In the noisy workshop, the three people's faces were filled with excitement, especially Ale. His father used to work in a printing factory, so he was an old acquaintance of Xian Youliang.

Even if he just came to place an order, he felt proud. He gave a red box of Marlboro that he bought specially to Boss Xian and said in a mature manner, "Mr. Xian, an order of 10,000 copies is not small. We are all family. I will give you the order. The price should be fair."

Boss Xian took the cigarette with a smile, put it to his ear, asked everyone to sit on the guest sofa in the office, and then boiled water to make tea for the three of them.

He completed the businessman's formalities first, then sat aside, put on his glasses, and began to look through the manuscript carefully.

"Ah Le, you're just one of us, are you afraid that Uncle will raise your price?"

"The printing industry has been in a downturn in recent years. The reason why Youliang Factory has been able to survive is because of the integrity accumulated over the years. Wow, young people are full of ideas. The postures they use to seduce women are all novel, and the angles they use to take photos are even more tricky!"

"One cent per page, twenty-three pages, the cost price is two dollars and thirty dollars per copy, how about it?" Boss Xian put down the manuscript, still with an expression of being unsatisfied.

Last week, I heard Ale say that he wanted to order 10,000 copies and paid a deposit of 2,000 yuan.

This was not the first time that he and Yin Zhaotang had worked together. The small magazines that were previously distributed for free were printed at the Youliang Factory. However, the free magazines only had twelve pages, the paper used was of poor quality, and the size was small, and the cost was only fifty cents.

Formal publication of magazines requires professional pigments, high-grade paper and more pages, which will immediately increase the cost price.

Yin Zhaotang lit a cigarette, crossed his legs, sat on the chair with a dignified manner, and said, "Boss Xian, the business will last for a long time."

"I know the cost of printing. It's 2.3 yuan per copy, and you make 50 cents. That's a bit too much."

Boss Xian raised his eyebrows and looked at him with burning eyes: "Ah Tang, you also said that business can only last for a long time, but don't the dozen or so workers under me want to eat?"

"Machines, electricity, labor. After all the calculations, is 50 cents a lot?"

"Today, I call you Boss Yin, not because I want to make a profit, but because I can tell at a glance that 91 Men will be a hit!"

"In the future, when you become a big boss and earn hundreds of thousands or even millions, you can't let the workers in the printing factory continue to starve, right?"

"If I don't negotiate the profit now, you'd better not do business with me. Wait until I sell the printing factory to you."

Xian Youliang has worked in a printing factory for more than 20 years. He has seen all kinds of magazines and newspapers. Back then, Oriental Daily was able to get started with the "Horse Racing Classics". Today, this guy named Yin can also make a name for himself with the "Horse Racing Classics".

Although one is betting on horses and the other is riding horses, both pornography and gambling are good businesses to make money!
Ah Le was somewhat persuaded, and looked at the boss and said, "Brother Tang, Boss Xian never delays paying workers' wages."

"I know, so what?"

Yin Zhaotang said: "Salaries are earned by workers. It does not affect Boss Xian from driving a Mercedes or living in a villa. But Boss Xian is right about one thing. 91 Men will definitely sell well."

"Two dollars and twenty cents a copy is fine, but the factory must use the best paper and paint on the market. I want 91 Men to be no worse than the British magazines. Boss Xian, is that OK?"

After Yin Zhaotang finished speaking, he took a deep puff of cigarette and gave Boss Xian time to think.

Xian Youliang didn't hesitate too much, and immediately smiled and praised: "Boss Yin is very graceful, he opened his mouth and wanted to fight the British. For this reason, Liangyou Factory will definitely follow him to the end!"

"As long as all orders from men are given to me first, what does it matter if I earn less?" "Using the best paint and the best paper is like earning benefits for the men of Hong Kong Island."

Although he spoke beautifully, the fundamental reason was that Hong Kong's printing industry had already declined in the 1980s.

First, the decline of Hong Kong's print media has led citizens to turn to wireless television and radio for information. Second, Hong Kong has issued a logging ban, and pulp raw materials have to be imported from Southeast Asia, with costs rising every year.

It is no longer the 1950s when print media flourished and hundreds of media companies were competing against each other. To make a living in the printing industry, you have to bow your head to your clients when you should.

The pornographic magazines from the 1980s are probably the last batch of quick money in the printing industry.

"Then it's settled. Delivery will be within a week. Now it's the 28th, and my magazine will be on the shelves on the 10th. From now on, it will be a 10-day publication. The goods must be ready the day before the 10th, 20th, and 30th."

"As long as Mr. Yin can deliver the manuscript three days in advance, every issue will be shipped on time." Xian Youliang said confidently.

"This is the prepaid material fee." Yin Zhaotang followed the rules of the printing industry and paid half of the payment in the form of a check.

Boss Xian took the check and found it was from a HSBC account. He pushed his glasses, checked the security strip, folded the check and put it in his pocket. He asked, "Boss Yin, why do you have to add a 91 in front of the magazine?"

“It’s so nonsensical, but it looks very memorable and iconic!”

Yin Zhaotang smiled mysteriously: "Just a little bit of sentimentality, come on!"

"Tiao, you're really wet."

Xian Youliang cursed jokingly, took the cigarette from his ear, lowered his head to light it, and exhaled, "Two days ago, a friend of mine's printing factory was taken away by gangsters for 50,000 yuan. He said that they were also printing pornographic magazines."

"The name of the magazine seems to be 'Big Wave'? I don't quite understand, but I heard that they invited the famous porn star Jenny Liang to be the cover girl of the first issue."

"As soon as I saw 'Man's Man', I knew that Boss Yin had a business plan to develop pornographic magazines since the free magazines. I don't know who is behind 'Big Wave'. Be careful that someone might steal your business."

Xian Youliang's tone was warning, and he seemed to hope that Yin Zhaotang could kill "The Big Wave" with one blow.

After all, the two had already agreed on future cooperation. If every extra copy of "Manly" was sold, he could also make more money, so he deliberately passed the inside information of the industry to Yin Zhaotang.

Ah Le couldn't hold back for even a second, and stood up and yelled as if he had dug up someone's ancestral grave, "Fuck him, it must be Jixiang who is behind this, copying our magazine!"

"Ah Le, sit down!" Yin Zhaotang glared at him fiercely and said in a serious tone: "You must respect your uncle when he mentions him."

"Brother Tang, that old ghost is looking for death."

Ah Le gritted his teeth, his heart filled with murderous intent.

Yin Zhaotang said, "Don't talk nonsense before you find out the truth. Besides, we are discussing business with Boss Xian, so we should only talk about business matters. Do you understand?"

Xian Youliang stood up and said, "What I admire most about Boss Yin is that, despite his young age, he knows how to distinguish occasions. Every occasion has its own etiquette, and every industry has its own rules."

"There are not many people in the underworld who know how to do business in a business sense. Most people only know how to use coercion, inducement, violence and ruthlessness, and they won't get far."

"The person who robbed my friend's printing factory was Dong'an She La Jiang. He took away machines worth more than 200,000 yuan for 50,000 yuan. Now the entire printing industry wants to kill him."

(End of this chapter)

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