Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Before the Dragon Boat Festival.

Liang Meiqin took the children back to Xiatang Brigade; they had come back to spend the holiday with Yu Hao.

The day after she arrived home, she specially invited Fang Wei's family over for dinner, and while drinking, she made a point of thanking Fang Wei for taking care of her family.

"Xueqin, you've changed so much in the past few years. It seems that doing business outside has really been a good experience for you."

Pan Lianhua was deeply moved by Liang Xueqin's changes.

Although Liang Xueqin wasn't exactly introverted in the past, she was definitely not a talkative person. But look at her now; her speech and behavior are completely different from before.

"There's no other way. Doing business requires dealing with different kinds of people. If you can't talk your way out of customers, you won't be able to attract them."

Liang Xueqin smiled; only she herself knew the joys and sorrows of the past few years.

However, being a self-employed person for these past few years has definitely been a valuable learning experience. After all, you have to rely on yourself for everything, and if business is bad, you can only watch helplessly as you lose money. Anyone would learn something from that, right?

“It’s not good for you two to be living apart all the time, Haozi. Have you ever thought about going back to the city? With your abilities, you and your husband can definitely make something of yourselves by working together.”

Pan Lianhua nodded and then changed the subject to Yu Hao.

Today couldn't be better. There were some things Fang Wei couldn't say, so she simply brought them up directly.

"I'm just thinking of helping others with their feng shui! The old man passed on his mantle to me, and I can't let his reputation be diminished."

Yu Hao revealed the root of his anxiety: he still wanted to follow the path his grandfather had once walked.

The old man is a feng shui master, there's no doubt about that, and he wants to be one of them.

Fang Wei couldn't listen to it anymore, so she raised her glass, clinked it with Yu Hao's, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Then you should just focus on being a feng shui master. Trying to do both will only make you fail at both."

"Third brother, I know you have a problem with me. But I can't leave. If I leave, people will say I'm an ingrate, and you'll be criticized too."

At this point, Yu Hao had no choice but to tell the truth and speak his mind.

Fang Wei rolled her eyes in exasperation; this kid really knew how to make a scene.

"There's no need, really no need. You don't owe anyone anything. Even if you leave the cooperative, you'll still be my good junior brother. If you keep dwelling on this, you'll ruin your reputation, you know?"

Having said all that, Fang Wei had no choice but to offer her honest advice.

Yu Hao did indeed make significant contributions to the development of the bamboo ware factory, but as a business, it's not so indispensable to one person. The current situation is that he has no interest in working at the factory and is solely focused on becoming a feng shui master.

Therefore, leaving the bamboo ware factory is the best option.

Who knew Yu Hao carried such a heavy moral burden? Fang Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Is that so? Then I'll think about it carefully."

Yu Hao suddenly felt a sense of relief, but also a little lost.

In short, he is feeling very complicated right now and needs to calmly think about what to do next.

Fang Wei smiled, didn't continue the topic, and then continued drinking and eating, sharing some of his experiences in Guangdong.

After dinner, Fang Wei, Pan Lianhua, and the others returned home.

Liang Xueqin calmly cleaned up the mess, then looked at Yu Hao with a half-smile and said, "Well, you're not as important as you think, are you? You should just resign. As long as you don't change your household registration, you can stay in the team forever."

"Hehe, it seems I was overthinking it. I'll resign from the factory tomorrow. That way, I can do what I want to do and have more time to spend with you and the kids."

Yu Hao also figured it out and decided to go his own way.

He submitted his resignation the next day, and Pan Lianhua signed it without hesitation and then reported it to the company.

The company also gave the green light and approved Yu Hao's resignation. However, he did not transfer his household registration and remained a member of the Xiatang brigade.

Anyway, there's no salary if you don't work, but you'll still get a year-end bonus, and the house won't be taken back.

morning.

Fang Weiyi went to the commune early in the morning. Today was the day the chili sauce factory building was to be topped out, and he and Zhao Jinsheng came to take a look. They were very satisfied with the progress.

The bottling plant is really not complicated. It consists of two processes: making chili sauce and bottling. It's very simple.

The only challenge is the requirement for the production workshop to meet food-grade hygiene standards. That's definitely not a problem; the chili sauce factory produces according to the strictest food production regulations and strictly controls the use of additives.

The flavor of Yaoling Chili Sauce is closer to that of homemade pickles. Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng tried it at lunch and found the chili sauce made in the factory to be very good.

"Has the flavor been finalized?"

Fang Wei then looked at Zhang Chu and asked him a question.

"The design has been finalized. We'll see how it performs during trial production. There might be some minor adjustments, and then we can start mass production."

Zhang Chu gave Fang Wei a positive answer: now they just need to wait for the equipment to be installed and debugged before they can start production.

The chili sauce factory has been set up, workers are being trained, and a sales network is being established.

Fang Wei gained a new understanding of Zhang Chu's work ability, and the other party brought him great surprises. He hoped that the factory could develop well.

After lunch, Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng left the commune and returned to their village.

"Old Zhao, there's been less rain this year, and we haven't been getting enough water for irrigation lately."

Afterwards, Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng did not go to the office, but instead went to visit several brigades.

The water level in the canal was low, so he reminded Zhao Jinsheng.

"It's not a big problem. I already talked to the brigade a couple of days ago and told them to prepare to pump water for irrigation."

Zhao Jinsheng said he had already made arrangements. Each brigade has a number of wells, and pumping operations will begin based on the current situation.

Fang Wei nodded. With the continuous improvement of the management system, he no longer needed to worry about many things.

A few days passed quickly.

Chili growers in other communes began harvesting their chilies, and the cooperative sent specialists to provide guidance to ensure that losses were minimized during the purchasing process and that the agreed-upon quality was achieved.

The cooperative does not want substandard products; we cannot tarnish the reputation of [Yaoling Chili].

After being purchased and sorted, the chilies are distributed in all directions. A significant portion of these chilies are used as raw materials in factories to be made into chili sauce.

The sales department staff were even busier, inviting potential customers to visit and constantly developing new clients. Even the best wine needs advertising, and Fang Wei, who had always prioritized his work, had cultivated a highly capable sales team. While individual members might not yet surpass Yu Hao's abilities, their overall sales force was formidable.

From that day on, a large number of transport trucks shuttled back and forth between Yaoling Cooperative and various places, and a large amount of high-quality chili peppers entered the distribution process, thus making their way onto the tables of thousands of households.

“Secretary, our chili peppers are not only of good quality but also reasonably priced, which is why they sell so well.”

Zhao Jinsheng felt more confident, so he was all smiles all day long.

He was the one who spearheaded this project, and he's naturally very happy with the current strong sales performance.

"Now it all depends on the chili sauce situation. Old Zhao, ride faster, let's go and come back as soon as possible."

Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng rode their bicycles to the commune. Today was the day the first batch of products from the chili sauce factory was being bottled, and the two of them had to go and check it out.

Upon arriving at the factory, we found that chili sauce products were being produced in large quantities, and workers were busy packing and sealing them.

"The first batch of chili sauce will be shipped out this afternoon. It's just a small-batch trial production right now, and there aren't many places that need it yet. Hopefully, it will gradually gain everyone's recognition."

The chili sauce didn't sell so well, since the product had just been released and needed time to mature.

This is just an attempt to enter the market; there is still a long way to go.

Fang Wei told Zhang Chu not to worry, that the sales team would gradually open up the market. Chili sauce is just a very ordinary product with countless alternatives, and winning customers' praise is not easy.

"Okay, maybe I was too impatient."

Zhang Chu smiled helplessly and then led Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng on a tour of the production process.

When the two returned, they brought back some chili sauce of various kinds, which they could give away or keep for themselves.

During dinner that evening, Fang Wei asked her older sister to open a bottle of chili sauce so that everyone in the family could try it. After all, no one in the family dislikes spicy food; even the two little ones can handle it.

"It really tastes delicious. I think it has a unique flavor and it's very fragrant."

Pan Lianhua and her sister both spoke highly of the chili sauce, and Grandpa also gave it a thumbs up.

Overall, the raw materials and seasonings used in the product were very successful, and hopefully it will be able to enter the market soon.

at night.

Fang Wei upgraded the chili sauce factory.

Fang Wei had designated the chili sauce factory for operation when it first went into production. However, things got a bit hectic at the time, and the upgrade was delayed until now.

Temporary facilities → Production facilities → Chili sauce factory

[Facility Level: (Level 15, 0/1 billion points)]

[Facility attributes: Optimized production environment, optimized processes, optimized flavor, optimized management, optimized production efficiency.]

[Working within this building grants an additional 75% to all attributes, and +1 to "Unforgettable".]

Total points: 678997680.

Fang Wei spent 66666660 points to upgrade the [Chili Sauce Factory] to level 15.

This upgrade yielded a generous gift pack: "Unforgettable +1". This gift pack is simple and unpretentious; it simply means that anyone who eats the "Yaoling Chili General" will find it unforgettable and crave it again and again.

He was quite happy, confident in the quality of his factory's products. With the added bonus of "unforgettable +1", sales would gradually increase over time and eventually become a huge hit.

Moreover, once the factory becomes successful, it can help more farmers.

In the past two years, more and more people have been planting soybeans and peanuts. Because of the land being distributed to individual households, people don't have a concept of production planning. This has led to everyone planting whatever sells well or makes money.

The prices of peanuts and soybeans have fallen this year, and the purchase volume has also decreased because the sudden increase in production is something that various parties cannot absorb in the short term.

Avoiding the crowded market, chili pepper farming can actually be quite profitable. Cooperatives essentially act as the production planners, binding growers through agreements and then handling sales.

This is definitely a great thing for farmers who are operating independently.

The advantage of growing cash crops lies in their high returns, but they also face problems such as unstable demand and large price fluctuations. Growing staple crops is still the main focus, since most people first need to solve their own food needs and deliver grain to the state before they can talk about other things.

Now that the cooperative provides a safety net, farmers feel more secure, and their enthusiasm for production is at an all-time high.

the next day.

Fang Wei visited farmers in other communes to find out if there had been any instances of deliberately lowering the grade or harming farmers during the purchasing process.

Fortunately, Zhao Jinsheng implemented the system very well and also sent out inspectors, so no one dared to tamper with this matter.

Currently, the cooperative has not cultivated a large number of high-yield chili seeds, which can basically meet the planting needs of contracted growers, and there is no spare capacity for external sales at the moment.

The cooperative also has a stockpile of chili seeds, which has been stored in the seed bank for unforeseen circumstances.

Chili pepper factory.

Zhang Chu discovered something very strange that day: the factory had encountered some minor problems during the production process, but it seemed that solutions had been found overnight.

He found it amazing, thinking it might be a sign from heaven that the factory would soon prosper.

In fact, these are all manifestations of attribute bonuses. Whether they can guarantee the factory's prosperity is unknown, but production will definitely be smooth and the product quality will be impeccable.

Throughout the trial production process, the flavor of the chili sauce was constantly being fine-tuned until it reached perfection.

At least that's what Zhang Chu thinks.

Shortly after the first batch of goods was shipped, the factory received new orders. 【Yaoling Chili Sauce】received rave reviews upon its release, with many repeat customers, and its reputation spread rapidly.

The entire factory sprang into action, entering the mass production phase, and the flavor of the chili sauce was completely finalized.

Fang Wei had no time to worry about these things. The summer harvest and planting work was urgent. He had held several mobilization meetings in the past few days, demanding that the council and all the teams devote all their energy to doing a good job in the "double harvest" work.

The agricultural machinery team had inspected and repaired all the agricultural machinery in advance, and early that morning they roared into the rice fields to begin harvesting.

This season, the cooperative cultivated two types of rice: Nanguang No. 3 and Nongyou 76.

The market for hybrid rice varieties is now becoming increasingly competitive. Although the Nanguang No. 3 rice variety has clear advantages, its sales have actually declined due to local protection policies.

Under these circumstances, Fang Weicai decided to divide the cooperative's paddy fields in two: 40,000 mu of paddy fields were used to cultivate "Nanguang No. 3", and the other 40,000 mu of paddy fields were used to cultivate "Nongyou 76".

【Nongyou 76】 is the only high-yielding hybrid japonica rice variety in China and even the world.

Therefore, there were no competitors, and many customers had been eagerly anticipating increased production. (End of Chapter)