pjbooks Chapter 99: Zhang Gui Mine
Chapter 99: Zhang Gui Mine
On the return flight, Jason couldn't help but look through the contract and burst out laughing.
Six percent of the shares, in a dozen years, would be enough to bring him a profit of three or four hundred billion, while his investment was only a mere ten million US dollars.
This investment hit him like a ton of bricks, making it hard for him not to be happy.
Charlie, standing to the side, couldn't understand what his boss was laughing about.
In his view, this investment was absolutely terrible, like throwing money into the ocean without even making a splash.
However, he was very worried about his salary after all the company's funds were withdrawn at once.
Charlie asked with a distressed expression, "Boss, the company is completely out of money. What are we going to do about our salaries?"
Jason waved his hand dismissively, saying, "It's fine, I'll just add another two million meters."
I spent $250 million to buy a mining farm, $1000 million to invest in Tesla, and with other miscellaneous expenses, I currently have about $700 million on hand.
Besides cash, all that's left is gold that hasn't been converted into cash.
Total gold harvest during the Bering Sea gold rush season: 2488.05 ounces.
Old Ridge mine harvest: 67.4 ounces.
Own mine harvest: 1027.9 ounces.
I currently have 3583.35 ounces of gold on hand!
Jason had checked the gold price recently; it was $520 per ounce, and the gold he had on hand amounted to about $180 million.
Therefore, transferring another 200 million US dollars to the company account is within Jason's means.
Jason also had his own reasons for not investing all of his liquid assets in Tesla.
First, there's the issue of cash flow at the mine; some reserve funds must always be set aside to prevent unforeseen circumstances.
Secondly, gold is a hard currency with huge potential for future appreciation, so selling it now would be a loss.
Secondly, Jason didn't want to invest too much at once. After all, his core business was gold mining, and investing in other industries was just a precaution for the future.
Charlie then asked, "Boss, what are we going to do next?"
Two million US dollars seems like a lot, but in the capital market, it's not even a small fry. After deducting a year's operating costs, there's almost no room for maneuver left for him.
But since everyone is paid, it's not right to expect them to just play around at work every day. Although he would be happy to do so, it still feels somewhat unethical.
Jason thought for a moment and said, "After we get back, we'll contact the law firms and take over their work. Secondly, we'll investigate the companies. I'll give you some company names; you can take people to investigate and see if there are any investment opportunities."
Charlie's face also turned serious. As for Dolino, it was none of his business; his only concern was protecting Jason's safety.
The plane flew directly to Sini, and after a short rest, Jason headed straight for the mine.
When the familiar roar sounded, Jason instantly relaxed.
After sending Dolino back to rest, Jason wandered around the mine.
Little Hart waved to Jason from afar, "Hey Jason, when did you get back!"
He stepped forward, punched Little Hart in the chest, and laughed, "Just got back? How's the mine going?"
"It's nothing special," he said, nudging Jason with his elbow and lowering his voice with a wicked grin. "You haven't been around the mine lately, have you been having some romantic encounters?"
Jason laughed and cursed, "What nonsense about a romantic encounter! I'm here to take care of serious business, okay?"
Little Hart gave Jason a "guess if I believe you" look, which prompted Jason to kick him and say irritably, "Alright, you're busy now. If you don't do a good job, I'll dock your pay."
"Tch~" A middle finger was raised behind Jason.
After strolling around and finding nothing wrong, Jason then went to the residential area.
In the separation workshop, Albert was smoking a cigar and using a spoon to separate the gold, spoonful by spoonful.
Seeing that it was Jason who came in, he waved him over and said, "Hurry up and get to work. You don't even care about your own mine."
Albert didn't ask Jason what he had been doing during this time. There was no need, and even if he had asked, it wouldn't have stopped him, so it was better not to ask.
Jason took the spoon directly, plopped down on the stool, and began the separation process.
"Dad, how much gold have you made lately?" Jason asked Albert, who was sitting next to him smoking a cigar, as he separated the gold.
Albert took a puff of his cigar and said, "The gold harvest hasn't been great lately, only 276.2 ounces in total. This is probably because the washing time has been reduced after the timing was adjusted."
"Hmm," Jason nodded.
Working five hours less each day adds up to thirty-five hours less per week.
Based on the yield ratio, there is about two ounces of harvest per hour. Although the total amount is much different from the last harvest, the hourly output is not much different.
"By the way, Dad, I'm planning to open a new mine," Jason suddenly said, almost making Albert choke on his cigarette.
"You handle it yourself. Just don't ask me for more money if you don't have enough."
From the Bering Sea to the Australian mines, and even the recent establishment of an investment company, Jason's business is expanding rapidly, and he still says something.
Jason confidently stated, "Don't worry, I have five million US dollars on hand, plus over 3500 ounces of gold. That's more than enough."
He spoke with great confidence, but it made Albert's expression change drastically.
"Twenty million US dollars down to five million US dollars?!" Albert's voice changed. He had never seen Jason spend much money before, so how come there was so little left?
Jason said casually as he separated the gold, "I spent a little on buying the mine, ten million on the investment company, and another two million later. With all the miscellaneous expenses, this is all I have left."
"However, buying another mining farm should be enough."
Albert smoked his cigar much faster, and looking at Jason's calm tone, he felt his heart pounding.
After a long while, Albert finally calmed down and said helplessly, "It's up to you to decide. Anyway, let me make this clear first: you've expanded too much right now. If you go bankrupt, I won't be able to pay off your debts."
Jason smiled. Bankruptcy? That's impossible!
"Dad, when the Bering Sea opens for fishing, you'll definitely go back, right?"
"Hmm," Albert nodded, then asked in surprise, "You're not planning to go back to the Bering Sea to pan for gold, are you?"
"No, Dad, you've misunderstood," Jason shook his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "Well, could you leave Ada here to help me?"
Albert's eyes widened at these words, and he said somewhat angrily, "You're asking Ada to help you? Then who's going to help me?!"
He never expected that his son would pull such a stunt as soon as he returned.
"Well, if this doesn't work, you can hire someone else," Jason said with an awkward laugh, but his words were infuriating.
Hearing Jason's shameless words, Albert, with a cigar between his fingers, said irritably, "You make it sound so easy. You think recruiting people is so easy?"
He glanced at the doorway and lowered his voice, saying, "And don't forget the map you gave me!"
He trusted his family more than outsiders, and the matter of that map absolutely could not be revealed!
The gold rush business is unlike any other, especially in the Bering Sea, where ships can sink and no one will even know.
Jason's idea was similar to Albert's. Once a new mine was opened, someone they knew well needed to be in charge. After thinking it over, only his brother Ada met this requirement.
As for Little Hart, although he also grew up from a young age, he is ultimately not a family member.
Brent and Andy, needless to say, although they also came from the Bering Sea, were only slightly closer to each other than the local gold prospectors.
Jason actually thought his own father, Albert, was the best choice, but he didn't even ask.
Having spent most of his life working in the Bering Sea, it was impossible for him to come here just because I said a few words. After all, this was Jason's own business.
After thinking it over, Jason said helplessly, "We'll see when the time comes. If it really doesn't work out, we'll let Little Hart and Swell manage the mine."
If there's really no other way, Jason will have no choice but to take the plunge.
Albert cautioned, "Kid, that's not how you manage things. Don't forget that Swell and Brent are the ones leading the work at the mine right now."
Jason smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll handle it. I have other plans for Brent and Andy."
Seeing Jason's confidence, Albert knew what he was planning. What could he say? "Anyway, I'll be going back in a while. You can decide for yourself."
During their conversation, Jason had already separated the gold.
Dry it, attach it to a magnet, and then weigh it.
158.2 ounces.
When the numbers on the electronic scale stopped ticking, Jason's week's gold harvest came into view.
"Tsk~, this is a bit too little."
Jason was somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that his previous harvests had never been less than 200 ounces. This sudden increase of just over 100 ounces left him somewhat unsatisfied.
Jason has done the math on operating the mine over the years.
There are currently many workers at the mine.
There is one accountant: Liz.
There are two chefs, Xing Ronghua and Li Guoming.
The repair team consists of three people: Hart Jr., Shure, and Dena.
The security team consists of eight people, led by Dolino, Lica, and Nordes.
The remaining staff consisted of sixteen people: Swail, Brent, Andy, Old Hart, Albert, Edda, Kevin, Cage, Lecano, Raul, Augie, Nash, Corinna, Eric, Noan, and Miguel.
The rest were the filming crew. Originally, it was Cass, Kyle, and Schlein, plus Corinna and her crew of three, and then another person who was brought in later, for a total of seven people.
There are currently 37 people working at the entire mine.
Excluding the photography team and Albert, who don't need to be paid, Jason now has 29 people in the entire mine who need to be paid.
Each staff member is paid $4,000 per month, the security team is paid $6,000, the cook is paid the same as the staff, and the accountant is paid $5,000.
Jason's monthly salary alone amounts to 125000 US dollars. Adding in various miscellaneous expenses and equipment fuel costs, his monthly expenses would ideally reach 15 to 17 US dollars.
This doesn't even include equipment damage; once equipment breaks down, repair costs skyrocket.
If calculated based on the amount of gold produced, the mine's monthly operating cost is nearly 300 ounces; only after that is it profitable.
Although a weekly income of over 100 ounces is not small, and it's possible to make a profit, who wouldn't want to earn more?
Albert, annoyed by Jason's sullen attitude, said, "Be content. You know, you can pan for gold year-round here in Australia. The current output is normal."
Everyone who goes gold mining wants to make a fortune, but very few actually succeed.
Having worked in the gold rush industry for so many years, I've seen many nouveau riche, but most of them are just hovering between losing money and making a small profit.
The gold mining industry is extremely lucrative, but the risks are equally enormous!
It would be quite good if we could just break even!