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

Now that the hardware factory has completed product iteration, its revenue and profits are poised to take a significant leap forward, which makes everyone very happy.

The Autumn Trade Fair is just around the corner next month, and Fang Wei plans to bring Fan Zhipeng along this time to see if they can secure some orders for their new type of locks.

Zhao Jinsheng sat in the office for a while, then got up and left.

Fang Wei called the comrade in charge of the autumn trade fair in the province and said that he wanted to bring the hardware factory to participate in the fair this year.

After clarifying the details of the hardware factory's products and learning that they were new types of locks, the other party finally agreed to Fang Wei's request and decided to let the hardware factory participate in this year's Autumn Trade Fair.

Fang Wei turned around and told Fan Zhipeng to prepare early and try to make some gains at the Autumn Trade Fair.

this day.

Fang Wei was quite surprised when Jiang Yufen, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, suddenly showed up at his door.

She left the purchasing station a few years ago, initially working at a department store in the county, and later at an agricultural machinery company. She has hardly seen Fang Wei in recent years.

"Sister Yufen, you're a rare guest! How have you been these past few years?"

Fang Wei quickly got up to greet him and then made him a cup of tea.

He is a sentimental person and did not neglect the other party despite the estrangement they had experienced over the years.

"Secretary Fang, you're still the same as ever, hardly changed. I've come to ask for your help. The company has put a lot of pressure on us lately, and I simply can't finish it. I wonder if your cooperative needs to purchase agricultural machinery recently?"

Jiang Yufen felt a little embarrassed, as she rarely visited people's homes, yet she immediately made demands upon arrival.

However, she had no choice. Competition in the distribution sector was becoming increasingly fierce, and the company's performance was getting worse and worse, so the company put the burden of tasks on everyone.

She wasn't in this industry before, so she didn't have many clients and only earned a basic salary each month, which, to put it bluntly, wasn't even enough to eat.

That's why she gritted her teeth and came to Fang Wei, hoping he could help her.

“The cooperative has already passed the stage of large-scale purchase of agricultural machinery. Now we only make a small amount of replenishment every year. Sister Yufen, please have a seat. I'll call someone over to ask.”

Fang Wei spoke the truth, but did not reject the other party.

Later, he called one of the directors in charge of the matter into his office to learn about the specifics.

“Secretary Fang, we happen to need to buy a few farm machines recently. Since it’s your friend’s task, I’ll buy them from her. But the price must be reasonable, at least not more expensive than others.”

This director was very adept at handling things. After hearing Fang Wei's story about Jiang Yufen, he immediately promised to give her a portion of the orders.

The amount isn't large, but it's enough to help the other party complete a few months' worth of tasks.

Jiang Yufen immediately thanked the two of them. She had no right to be picky; she would just do what she could to complete.

After Jiang Yufen left, Fang Wei couldn't help but sigh.

Working in a government department or public institution is fine, but working in a local enterprise in the county brings a lot of trouble. Many enterprises in the county are already declining and have no competitiveness, and they often can't even pay their employees' wages.

For example, county department stores, hardware companies, agricultural machinery companies, etc., it's only a matter of time before they collapse.

Those with talent might be able to transfer to another unit, but most people will probably have to find another way to make a living.

in the afternoon.

Fang Wei went to the breeding institute to learn about the progress of the chestnut pumpkin project.

"The chestnut pumpkin has already been trial-planted in the vegetable greenhouse, and we will be able to see the actual product next month. According to our analysis, the localization of chestnut pumpkin cultivation is very close to success, and we will then carry out large-scale breeding work."

Fang Tao accompanied Fang Wei to look around, and seemed to be in a very good mood.

The project is almost complete, and the next steps are publishing papers, applying for awards, and so on. He feels that leaving the Academy of Agricultural Sciences for the time being was the right thing to do.

The research institute had better conditions than the academy, and there were many research projects available. He was very glad that he had made the right choice.

"Good, then you should speed things up. Once this project is completed, you'll have new tasks assigned to you."

Fang Wei nodded, feeling very satisfied.

This project is practically a freebie. If the other party still drags their feet and can't complete it, it just means they're not suited for this line of work.

Fortunately, Fang Tao's performance did not disappoint him.

Fang Tao and the others were delighted to hear this, especially the people from the agricultural technology station. They had followed Fang Tao's instructions to work on this chestnut pumpkin project and succeeded very easily.

The thought that this project might win an award in the future fills me with enthusiasm.

Fang Wei then went to the greenhouse in the suburbs to personally check on the growth of the chestnut pumpkins, and only then was he completely relieved.

after a few days.

Jiang Yufen came to the commune again.

“Secretary Fang, thank you for your help. However, the company says that the order from your cooperative cannot be credited to me because the cooperative is a long-term customer of the company.”

She seemed somewhat frustrated, realizing that all her hard work had been in vain.

Fang Wei wasn't surprised; he had a good relationship with the county agricultural machinery company when he was in Xiatang Brigade. The former manager, Liu, had been transferred to the Industry Bureau, and the two sides still occasionally kept in touch.

Later, when the cooperative was established, it continued to purchase agricultural machinery from the agricultural machinery company, as it was indeed a long-time customer of the company.

"Oh, Sister Yufen, don't worry. Let me see if I can help you find a solution from other angles."

Fang Wei had no control over other people's affairs, so he had to think of other ways.

"Thank you, Secretary Fang! I won't trouble you with this matter; I'm too lazy to bother. But there's something else I'd like to ask for your help with. My family has started a wholesale food business in the provincial capital and they want me to join them. Could you let me buy a lot more chili sauce?"

After a series of setbacks, Jiang Yufen had lost all hope in her workplace.

She decided to take a long sick leave to try her luck in the provincial capital. She didn't know much about other things, but she did know how popular Yaoling chili peppers were.

Since her family happened to be in the provincial capital running a wholesale food business, she set her sights on chili sauce. As long as she could guarantee a supply, making money would definitely be no problem.

"I agree to this. Come on, I'll take you to see Director Zhang right now."

Fang Wei agreed and then took Jiang Yufen to the village and found Zhang Chu.

Zhang Chu smiled as soon as he saw Jiang Yufen. He hadn't forgotten Inspector Jiang. In the past, when the team was submitting their pig quotas, the woman with the dark face was the one they feared the most.

"I won't allow others to use connections, but I have to give Inspector Jiang face. Here's the deal: you don't need to wait in line whenever you come to pick up your goods. Just find me, and I'll take care of it for you."

Zhang Chu laughed and agreed. Jiang Yufen was very happy and insisted on treating the two of them to lunch.

The village is quite lively now, with about ten small restaurants already open. The three of them went to one of these restaurants, ordered a few dishes, and happily ate their meal.

Fang Wei and Zhang Chu both had things to do in the afternoon, so they didn't drink.

After the meal, the three went their separate ways. Zhang Chu returned to the factory, Jiang Yufen returned to the county town, and Fang Weize went to the bamboo ware factory.

He toured the bamboo ware factory, and after get off work in the afternoon, he returned home with Pan Lianhua.

"Third Brother, why do so many people prefer to stay in a half-dead workplace rather than find another way to make a living?"

night.

The couple talked about Jiang Yufen again during their conversation, and Pan Lianhua couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her.

"It's nothing more than a matter of mindset. If you're working within the system, you can keep going, but if you're in a struggling company, it's better to go out and do something else as soon as possible."

Fang Wei couldn't say which idea was more correct, but people are more likely to make a living by changing their ways. If one stays in a stagnant job, it's just a waste of time.

Jiang Yufen's choice is excellent; she won't resign for now, but will leave her job to try her luck elsewhere. If she does well, the future will be bright; if not, she can always come back to work.

We are still in the early stages of reform and opening up, and there are many opportunities. As long as you are not too unlucky, you can generally make money.

This is an era where courage is key; if you dare to fight and take risks, there is a way out.

Jiang Yufen acted immediately, quickly purchasing a batch of goods and shipping them to the provincial capital. The wholesale business was owned by her father, and after she joined, the business was considered a joint venture between her and her father.

Yaoling chili sauce has already gained popularity, and most of the people who come to the wholesale department to pick up goods are owners of small shops and convenience stores. They know exactly what sells well.

There was no need for special recommendations; the first batch of chili sauce products sold out very quickly.

Jiang Yufen started purchasing goods more and more frequently, and once her financial strength had grown, she bought a large quantity of goods at once.

Fang Wei learned about the situation from Zhang Chu and was happy for Jiang Yufen. They had been friends for many years and had helped each other a lot, so he naturally hoped she would do well.

This morning.

Fang Wei received a call from Huang Zhigang in his office, saying that an investment delegation from the province had specifically requested to visit Yaoling Township.

"Secretary Fang, there are representatives from several foreign companies in the inspection team. It doesn't matter whether they agree to cooperate or not, but please try to be polite to them, understand?"

Huang Zhigang knew perfectly well why this so-called investment delegation had come to Xinlin County.

They were clearly after the Yaoling Cooperative, and more specifically, they were after the breeding technology that Fang Wei possessed.

Huang Zhigang knew that Fang Wei would definitely not discuss joint ventures with anyone, but since everyone was a guest, he still hoped that Fang Wei could control his temper.

“Secretary Huang, look at what you’re saying. Do you think I’m the kind of person who’s unreasonable? Please rest assured, I will stick to my principles, but I won’t have any conflicts with them.”

Fang Wei immediately expressed his opinion, and Huang Zhigang then ended the call with satisfaction.

the next day.

A large bus arrived at the cooperative, and more than twenty people got off after the bus stopped.

Fang Wei personally received them. Among them were people from the Department of Agriculture, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the investment promotion department. Also present were representatives from three foreign companies, one of which, Fang Wei had dealt with before, was that international seed giant.

The other two are also agriculture-related companies.

"These international giants plan to invest in the most advanced breeding base in the country in this province, covering the breeding of staple crops such as rice, corn, and wheat, as well as other cash crops."

Everyone entered the conference room and sat down, where staff brought tea and fruit.

The officials from the investment promotion department spoke first, introducing the companies to both sides and emphasizing the status of these international giants in the industry.

Fang Wei lost interest as soon as she heard it. In the end, it was still a joint venture. To put it bluntly, the fate of a cooperative that goes into a joint venture with someone else is to be completely swallowed up.

His seed bank, accumulated over so many years, will be completely destroyed, and the seeds of many crops will be directly or indirectly controlled by these giants.

Next, the representatives from the province gave speeches, explaining from several perspectives the importance the province attached to this matter.

Fang Wei neither confirmed nor denied it. Next, as is customary, he would take everyone to the fields and introduce the cooperative's achievements in breeding.

In reality, it's all superficial; the core concepts are naturally left unmentioned.

After the tour, Fang Wei led the group to the canteen for lunch. To entertain the guests, they served locally produced rice wine.

"Secretary Fang, our colleague Fang Tao participated in the science and technology outreach program in your Yaoling Township, right? Thank you all for taking care of our staff. I'd like to propose a toast to you."

The delegation included people from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. They took the opportunity to toast Fang Wei and specifically mentioned Fang Tao's name.

Fang Wei didn't put on airs at all; he would down his drink in one gulp whenever someone toasted him.

"Fang Tao has done an excellent job here, thanks to the support from the province."

Fang Wei's answer was watertight. Fang Tao and his team's research project was not yet finished, and there were some details that did not need to be revealed for the time being.

He also understood what the other party was trying to remind him of, but unfortunately, he wasn't spineless and wasn't so easily intimidated. In reality, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences wouldn't really do anything to Fang Tao; at most, they'd give him a hard time, but he could completely ignore them.

By the afternoon.

They sat down together again and started talking about the joint venture project.

"First of all, we would like to thank the province for giving us this opportunity, which allows us to communicate directly with the world's most advanced agricultural companies. However, our council had previously discussed this issue and concluded that joint ventures would do more harm than good and would not be considered."

Fang Wei didn't give anyone any illusions and directly cited the council's resolution, rejecting all joint venture proposals.

The comrade who was helping with investment promotion was a little anxious, so he pulled Fang Wei out of the meeting room and talked to her alone for more than ten minutes.

"Secretary Fang, they're willing to invest a huge sum of money, an amount that's hard to imagine. Why are you refusing money that's being offered to you?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. People who have put in the effort will definitely want to get back many times over. I'm not trying to belittle myself, but when it comes to hybrid rice breeding technology, these international giants are simply no match for us."

Besides, our cooperative has a considerable surplus every year and is not short of funds at all. Why should we partner with others? I think they can probably find a more suitable partner and wouldn't need to waste their time on us.

Fang Wei remained unmoved. He was well aware that when foreign capital surged in, some domestic companies embraced it.

The consequence is that some well-known domestic brands gradually disappeared, while joint venture brands flourished. He was unlikely to relinquish control of the company. (End of Chapter)