Chapter 180 Beautiful Things
President Gu's face immediately sank. He thought that Song Yuanchao's request was too much and he could not bear the responsibility if something went wrong.
President Gu refused immediately. Yue Lao Er on the side hurried to smooth things over and winked at Song Yuanchao, asking him to give in a little.
For this matter, Song Yuanchao refused to give in at first, but as Yue Laoer kept maneuvering on the side, Song Yuanchao considered it and reluctantly said that he could partially make concessions. However, the result of the concession still made President Gu very dissatisfied. If it weren't for the fact that he had just received the electronic watch, the angry President Gu might have stood up and sent him away.
After talking for about twenty minutes, seeing that the situation was almost heated, Song Yuanchao finally put forward his last request.
He came here today to discuss cooperation, not to really find fault. In fact, after taking over this yard, it would not be a problem for Song Yuanchao if the newspaper office moved out within two months, not to mention within a month. Song Yuanchao was determined to get such a yard, not to mention that he made up his mind to take it over after the first sight he came over.
The reason why Song Yuanchao has been arguing with President Gu until now and has repeatedly made demands on the handover process is that he did it on purpose. The key reason for him to do so is to let President Gu know his determination and at the same time use this method to remind the other party that he will not give up if he does not keep his promise.
If he continues to not give in to the bottom line that President Gu can accept, I'm afraid this deal will be ruined. Song Yuanchao doesn't want to see such a result.
So after a moment of silence, Song Yuanchao handed a cigarette to President Gu and Yue Laoer, then lit up and said, "President Gu, we have come to this point, and our attitudes are clear. In this case, I will make the final concession for Old Yue's sake. If it works, then I am ready to trade. If it doesn't work, then forget it."
As he spoke, Song Yuanchao paid attention to President Gu's expression. The two of them had just discussed for a long time, and President Gu also felt that Song Yuanchao was a bit difficult to deal with. Since he said so, President Gu had no objection.
"I have only two final requests. Please see if they are acceptable to you." Song Yuanchao said, "The first request is that the contract clearly states the date of relocation, and that it is stamped with the official seal of the commune and signed by you."
"That's no problem." Upon hearing this, President Gu breathed a sigh of relief. Originally, a transaction required a contract, and the property rights of the yard belonged to the cooperative. Stamping and signing the contract were normal procedures. It was just that Song Yuanchao asked to add a relocation period, which was acceptable to President Gu.
Then Song Yuanchao continued: "As for the remaining 9,000 yuan, I think it is inappropriate to pay it privately..."
Before he could finish his words, President Gu's face changed. This money was income for his slush fund, and he had already figured out what to do with it. If there were any changes, he would rather not make the deal.
"Don't worry, I'm not saying that I won't pay the fee, nor am I saying that the money should be directly included in the contract. I just feel that this way of paying is not appropriate for you ." Song Yuanchao said sincerely, as if he was thinking for President Gu.
President Gu was stunned and looked at Song Yuanchao with some confusion.
Song Yuanchao didn't say anything, but just glanced at Yue Laoer. Yue Laoer understood what he meant, stood up with a smile and said that he had drunk too much tea and wanted to go to the toilet or something.
After Yue Lao Er left, Song Yuanchao leaned slightly towards President Gu and whispered, "We know that you are doing this, and of course we understand your good intentions. You are thinking about the comrades in the society. This money will not go into your personal pocket, but can you guarantee what people who don't know will think? You should know that this amount of money is not a small amount. If I give it to you without knowing it, it's fine for me, but what about you? If this matter gets out in the future, who knows what it will be like? Wouldn't it cause trouble for you?"
President Gu frowned slightly. What Song Yuanchao said made sense, but he could not guarantee it.
Although slush funds exist in almost every unit, a newspaper is not a business, and its sources of income cannot be compared with those of a business. Funds are allocated by superiors, and there is not much output in this era. The only source of income, apart from newspaper sales, is from things like posting missing person notices, and they can barely maintain a balance every month.
Therefore, President Gu knew very well how much money was in the newspaper's small treasury. This money was not even enough to pay an extra month's salary to the employees, and could only barely subsidize some of the entertainment expenses.
Selling this courtyard this time can be considered an opportunity. The cooperative had originally planned to move to a new location, and that was why President Gu had his eyes on this courtyard. However, the courtyard was too big and the asking price was too high, so most people simply couldn't afford it. Plus, at this time, there were only a handful of people like Song Yuanchao who started buying courtyard houses at such an early stage, because even if ordinary people wanted to solve the housing problem, they wouldn't spend real money.
The first choice to solve the housing problem in this era is to wait for the unit to allocate a house. If it is not your turn to be allocated, you have to rent a house.
Firstly, the housing allocated by the unit is free, and secondly, the rent is very cheap nowadays. Generally, the rent of a house of 20 to 30 square meters is only a little over one yuan from the housing management office. Even if you rent a private house, the rent will usually not exceed three yuan.
Although people's income is low, if they have a normal job, their monthly salary plus bonuses and subsidies will be at least 30 or 40 yuan. Those with long service or skilled workers can earn as much as 50 or 60 yuan. Spending a little over one yuan a month to rent a house is still very cost-effective in comparison.
But it’s a different matter if you have to pay thousands of yuan at one time to buy a house. Not to mention whether ordinary people can afford this money, even if they can, everyone will do the math.
The monthly rent for a house is just over one yuan, which is no more than fifteen yuan a year. Ten years is one hundred and fifty yuan, and a hundred years is only one thousand five hundred yuan...
Can a person live to be 100 years old? 99% of people are lucky if they can live past 70 or 80. How can ordinary people expect to live that long? Isn't that immortality?
The rent for a hundred years is fifteen hundred yuan. To buy a house, even an ordinary tube-shaped building will cost nearly a thousand yuan. As for the courtyard house, it is even more expensive. The worst courtyard house cannot be afforded without several thousand yuan.
In addition, bank interest rates are very high nowadays, with the highest fixed deposit interest rate approaching ten points. If you put this money in the bank to earn interest, you will have a lot left after paying the rent. Who can't do the math on this?
It is precisely because of this that buying a house is seen as a fool's act in the eyes of ordinary people. Having money to buy a house is a waste of time. Isn't it nice to earn interest on the money?
Therefore, it is not easy for the company to sell this courtyard. People like Song Yuanchao who can pay in one lump sum are rare. This is also one of the reasons why President Gu has been patiently arguing with Song Yuanchao.
Seeing President Gu frowning and not speaking, Song Yuanchao had a clue in his mind: "Can I watch you fall into this trap? A good thing will become a bad thing, right?"
"Xiao Song, what you said does make sense. So what do you mean...?" After thinking about it, President Gu decided to listen to Song Yuanchao's plan.
Song Yuanchao reached out and pointed at a newspaper on the coffee table, saying, "Our company makes newspapers. Since it's a newspaper, you should make use of it. Have you heard of commercial advertising?"
"Commercial advertisement? You mean...?" President Gu was stunned. As the leader of a newspaper, he certainly knew about commercial advertisements. In fact, on January 4 last year, the Jinmen Daily published a commercial advertisement in its newspaper. This commercial advertisement was published at the bottom of the third page. The Jinmen Daily did not dare to enlarge this commercial advertisement, and if you didn't pay attention, you wouldn't even notice it.
However, the content of this commercial advertisement was about the product of Tianjin Toothpaste Factory. This advertisement completely broke the previous pattern and was also the first commercial advertisement after the media resumed commercial advertising.
Soon after, an article was published in a major national newspaper in Shanghai to rectify the reputation of commercial advertising. Afterwards, some famous companies in Shanghai not only had their commercial advertisements appear in newspapers, radio stations and even on television, but also had outdoor billboards hung on the commercial streets in the city center.
Although the newspaper headed by President Gu is a local tabloid, he is not unfamiliar with the emergence of commercial advertisements. In fact, he has also thought about whether he can gain some benefits for the newspaper through commercial advertisements, but for various reasons, the newspaper has not received many advertisements until now, but has received more ordinary missing person notices.
"Look, since it's a newspaper, we can always put commercial ads in it, right? How about I pay the money to the newspaper in the form of advertising? That way, it won't be considered as the money for buying the yard. You can then report to the higher-ups. As for the rest, I won't be responsible. What do you think?"
"This..." President Gu didn't expect that Song Yuanchao would give him such an idea. At first, President Gu was very surprised, but after thinking about it carefully, this idea is really good. You know, advertising income is different from newspaper sales income. The company can make its own decision. This is a policy. Therefore, after this money arrives at the company, it is no different from the money in the slush fund. In this way, the problems mentioned by Song Yuanchao before can be avoided.
For a moment, President Gu thought about this matter carefully. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Song Yuanchao's idea was perfect. On the surface, everything was regular and there was nothing wrong with it. As for the cost, it was indeed a bit high, but the policy did not specify how much a newspaper should charge for commercial advertising. This was entirely decided by the newspaper itself.
But since it is advertising, it has to be advertised. You can't not advertise after receiving the money. But advertising has costs, so what should you do with these costs?
To be on the safe side, President Gu still raised this question. Song Yuanchao laughed as soon as he heard it.
Song Yuanchao told President that of course the advertisement must be placed, which made President Gu absolutely relieved. Isn't it just 9,000? Song Yuanchao paid an additional 200, a total of 9,200, to buy half a page of the newspaper. This half page was valid for him for one year, starting from next month to next year. Song Yuanchao required three advertisements, and the specific time was uncertain. When the time came, Song Yuanchao would directly notify in advance and provide content requirements. The newspaper only needed to layout and publish according to his requirements.
After hearing this answer, President Gu felt relieved. This was the perfect way to solve the problem. Moreover, this commercial advertisement would also bring results to their newspaper. As the president, it would also be a political achievement. How could he not agree?
In an instant, the two people who had been arguing over those issues just now became harmonious. Looking at the young Song Yuanchao, President Gu's eyes were full of praise. This young man is good, really good, young, rich and smart. It's a pity that his daughter got married too early and even had a child. Otherwise, introducing him to each other might make a good thing.