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

Fang Wei pointed out the problems and demanded that Zhang Wenyuan and others complete the rectification within three months.

He then returned to the office.

"Third Brother, why are you back so soon? Didn't you say it would take ten days or half a month?"

Pan Lianhua was a little surprised to see the man. He said he would be back in ten days or half a month, but he returned in just one week.

"This matter went relatively smoothly. Next, the teams sent by both sides will conduct negotiations. Since it's not my business, I should come back as soon as possible."

Fang Wei smiled and pulled his wife into the house to rest.

The next day.

Fang Wei convened a council meeting and informed everyone of the several principles reached with Jiang Shiyue.

“We need to improve our technology and introduce world-class production lines. This problem can only be solved with external help. Zhenglong Holdings happens to have this capability, which is why I agreed to negotiate with them.”

“Secretary Fang, we want advanced technology and advanced production lines, but what is Fang after? Is he just after making money? Actually, there are many projects we can invest in, and we can even make more money.”

The board members were no fools; they immediately realized a crucial question: What was Jiang Shiyue after?

In reality, the return on investment in home appliances is only average; there are many businesses that are more profitable than this right now. No wonder it raises suspicions.

"I've investigated Cheng Loong Holdings' background, and the company has decent financial strength. They used to run a TV factory in Hong Kong, but later moved it to the mainland and sold it to a local state-owned enterprise."

Jiang Shiyue was guaranteed to make a profit on this deal, and it had given him a taste of success. I think what the other party cared about wasn't the return on investment, but rather their intention to push the company to list in Hong Kong. If that happened, his investment returns would be immeasurable.

After Fang Wei's explanation, the directors finally understood Jiang Shiyue's purpose.

However, they had no concept of going public; they only knew that after the IPO, the other party could cash out at any time, and perhaps double their money.

"It seems that doing business also requires culture. Look at their approach, I could never have imagined it."

The capital market was too far removed from the lives of these board members, so they chatted and laughed for a while before letting the issue drop.

Fang Wei didn't say much. Since the council had authorized him to take full responsibility, he would. In his mind, it wasn't necessarily necessary to have a joint venture in name only; the shares he could give Jiang Shiyue wouldn't exceed 20%.

Back in the office, a staff member came in and told him that a truckload of chestnut pumpkins had been delivered from the vegetable greenhouse, and that the relevant staff in the company should have a taste.

"These guys!"

Fang Wei then instructed his staff to count the quantities, based on the principle of voluntariness. Anyone who needed a certain amount could register first, and would have to pay at the wholesale price later.

In this way, there will be no issue of cost reimbursement, and the members will not have any objections.

The staff did a survey and found that almost everyone was willing to buy. Buying a few chestnut pumpkins to take home for the family wouldn't cost much, especially with the discount.

Fang Wei also bought some chestnut pumpkins and took them back to give to her older sister.

night.

My sister steamed some pumpkin, and my grandfather and Sun Daoren both loved it, praising how delicious it was.

"Of course it's delicious. Chestnut pumpkin is now only supplied to big cities. In hotels, this dish is very expensive. Grandpa, Taoist priest, you should eat more. It's good for your health."

Pan Lianhua said with a smile, "The chestnut pumpkin is currently in short supply. The seeds we cultivate are not yet fully mature, so there is only one supplier on the market at present."

Exclusive businesses are easy to run. Even though it's only the early stage of reform and opening up, there are still plenty of wealthy people.

Even a dish like this, as long as it's associated with health and wellness, will sell for a high price and still have plenty of customers. It's like the saying "foreign monks chant better sutras"—people nowadays view imported goods with a filter, assuming anything foreign is superior.

In fact, chestnut pumpkins have been successfully cultivated locally and cannot be considered a truly imported product.

"Third brother, the greenhouse-grown fruit cucumbers are also quite delicious. I'll buy some to eat as fruit later."

When her older sister spoke, Fang Wei quickly agreed.

Fang Wei dared not anger her older sister, who was a very special person in the family; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was practically half the family.

Over the years, thanks to my older sister's management of the household, Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua have been able to focus on their work. The two children are not afraid of Fang Wei at all, and Pan Lianhua is all bark and no bite, but as long as my older sister glares at them, the two children will obediently listen to her.

“There will be a new variety soon. I plan to cultivate a mini honeydew melon. If I can successfully cultivate it, you will definitely love to eat it.”

After dinner, the family sat in the main room chatting. To be honest, the Fang family had a good atmosphere, and there were very few arguments.

Xiaojie started junior high school, and Binbin was admitted to high school. The house was much quieter than before.

Pan Lianhua often felt uncomfortable, and would suddenly feel compelled to complain, "Third Brother, it's all your fault! Why did you agree to let Xiaojie go to junior high school in the county? Isn't it better to go to junior high school in the village?"

“Who said the village school is bad? If it were bad, why would the commune invest so much money every year? It’s just that Xiaojie is envious of her brother studying in the county. We can’t let the child down.”

Fang Wei spoils her daughter, but apart from being a little spoiled, her daughter has no other problems.

He was extremely worried about his child's schooling.

Now it's the same as a few years ago; junior high schools are all located nearby, since junior high schools have been established in various towns and villages, which is completely different from when Binbin first entered junior high school.

In order to get Xiaojie to go to school in the county, Fang Wei sought out Shen Yu.

Shen Yu is now the principal of No. 1 Middle School. She not only helped Xiao Jie with her schooling, but also let Xiao Jie stay at her home.

"You have so many reasons, I can't argue with you, do whatever you want."

Pan Lianhua was too lazy to say anything more. Anyway, it was only three years, and she could live on campus once she got to high school. Although the school's conditions were a bit poor, it was still better than constantly bothering them.

The next day was approaching noon.

Fang Wei picked up Pan Lianhua at the bamboo ware factory, and the two went to the county town.

Having contacted Shen Yu beforehand, the two of them waited outside the school gate at lunchtime. Shortly after the bell rang, Shen Yu, Binbin, and Xiaojie came out.

Then everyone got on the bus and went straight to the restaurant where we often ate.

Fang Wei made a reservation for a private room by phone in advance, and Guo Yongqing arrived later. They all had a meal together.

"Uncle Guo, are you busy right now?"

“What’s there to be busy about? A new Party Secretary has arrived, so I’ll just stay in the elderly care department and retire when the time comes.”

Fang Wei had a couple of drinks with Guo Yongqing, figuring that Pan Lianhua could drive them back anyway.

The two children were only focused on eating. These days, the school food is really bad. It's heartbreaking to see the lotus flower on the plate.

Shen Yu will be retired in a few more years. By then, Xiao Jie will be in high school, and Binbin will be at college somewhere.

Fang Wei and Guo Yongqing toasted each other, while Pan Lianhua and Shen Yu chatted for a few minutes before inquiring about the child's studies.

"Binbin entered high school with the highest score in the entire grade. Xiaojie is not bad either. With her grades, she is definitely in the top ten of the entire grade."

Shen Yu responded with a smile, but inwardly she was filled with emotion. She wondered if it was because the Fang family's ancestral graves were so well-preserved, but all the Fang family's children were academic achievers. Fang Wei's nephews and nieces were all university students, especially Fang Tingting, who was the first person in the entire county to be admitted to a top university in Beijing after the resumption of the college entrance examination.

But she favored Fang Hongbin the most. This boy had strong self-discipline and found studying effortless. It was said that he was also learning medicine from Master Sun, multitasking yet still maintaining his position as the top student in the entire grade.

That's really incredible.

Because they had to go to work in the afternoon, Fang Wei and Guo Yongqing didn't drink much and quickly finished their meal.

Pan Lianhua first sent the two children and Guo Yongqing and his wife to school and workplace, then turned back to the restaurant to pick up Fang Wei before returning home.

"Third Brother, the villagers came to the factory again today to urge everyone to hand over their guns. What do you think, should we hand them over?"

The two of them took a short nap at noon, and after waking up, Pan Lianhua suddenly remembered something.

There's no official ban yet, but people are occasionally encouraged to voluntarily hand them over. Of course, it's okay not to hand them over, as long as you don't flaunt them in public.

Another thing is to avoid making a mess, because if something goes wrong, the trouble will be huge.

"It's alright. We'll just take it with us when we go into the mountains. We'll just make sure to keep it safe and not let anyone see it."

You should bring at least a hunting rifle when going into the mountains, otherwise it's not safe.

There are some things that are not yet explicitly prohibited, so there's nothing to worry about, but you must be careful to prevent accidents.

After Fang Wei finished speaking, Pan Lianhua nodded and stopped worrying about the matter.

"Third Brother, I'm free tomorrow morning. How about we go into the mountains and hunt some rabbits?"

"Okay, I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

The two then went out. Fang Wei first took his wife to the factory before going to his office.

the next day.

As soon as it was light, the couple, fully armed, went into the mountains.

By noon, the two of them returned home, having not only hunted several rabbits but also brought back a basket of swan mushrooms. Pan Lianhua was going to the factory in the afternoon, but Fang Wei was too lazy to move. After eating, she took a nap and then stayed home to drink tea with her grandfather.

"Third brother, we're back."

The two were chatting when the elder brother, Fang Ping, and his wife, Tian Guihua, walked in from outside.

"Brother, sister-in-law, why did you suddenly come back? You didn't even call ahead to let us know."

Fang Wei smiled and stood up, taking the things her older brother was carrying.

Fang Ping brought some local specialties from the provincial capital for his third brother. He then sat down with Tian Guihua, and Fang Wei poured them each a cup of tea.

"I'm coming back to report on my work, and I estimate I'll be staying for a few days. After that, I'll be going to Guangzhou."

Fang Ping didn't make the call because he didn't want to disturb his third brother's work.

When I return to report for duty, the two of us will definitely meet; it doesn't matter whether we greet each other or not.

Fang Wei didn't dwell on the matter. He immediately asked his sister to go to the team's vegetable market to buy more vegetables so he could have a few drinks with his older brother that evening.

Mr. and Mrs. Fang sat for a while and then went home. They needed to tidy up the house, and they would come back for dinner.

evening.

The two brothers sat together drinking; Fang Wei and his older brother nowadays only see each other a few times a year.

Fang Tao also came over. He had been living in Xinlin County for the past two years, rarely seeing his parents, wife, or children. However, during the summer vacation, Xiaoya took the children to stay in the village for almost two months before returning home before the start of the new school term.

"Third brother, what do you mean by this good thing? Your eldest brother and I finally went to the provincial capital, but Tao Tao was reassigned here by his work unit, and we still only see each other a few times a year."

During the meal, Tian Guihua muttered a few words.

She actually wanted to ask Fang Wei for help to see if she could get her son back to the provincial capital.

“Sister-in-law, Tao Tao’s going back home isn’t a big problem, but there are always people at his workplace making things difficult for him, and his career is going to suffer. Here, he’s making great progress, and his second project is about to be successful. From now on, no one will be able to stop him from moving forward.”

Fang Wei knew that reasoning with his sister-in-law was useless, so he tried to persuade her by talking about Tao Tao's future.

Sure enough, as soon as the other party heard that it would be beneficial for Tao Tao's future to stay in the county, they immediately shut up and stopped complaining.

Fang Ping glared at his wife. Over the years, he had served as a factory director and then a company manager, and his demeanor had changed noticeably. However, Tian Guihua was not afraid of him, though she had become much more restrained than before.

"Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine here, so don't worry. I'll come back in the next couple of years when I find a suitable opportunity."

Fang Tao quickly comforted his parents, and they then changed the subject.

the next day.

Fang Ping reported to the council, which was attended by Fang Wei and others. Everyone recognized his work achievements and encouraged him to continue his efforts.

“It’s rare for Manager Fang to come back, so we think we should give you a 10-day vacation so you can rest well before going back to the provincial capital.”

After finishing their business, Zhao Jinsheng and the others discussed it and decided to give Fang Ping a 10-day leave.

Fang Ping rarely comes back, but this time he brought his wife back to the village, so he'll stay for a few more days.

"Okay, thank you, board members."

Fang Ping wasn't being coy; he had originally planned to stay a few more days.

Fang Wei remained silent. It would be better to leave these matters to Zhao Jinsheng; there was no need for him to get involved.

night.

After the two brothers finished eating, they sat on the rooftop and talked alone.

"Third brother, the company currently has two main profit-generating segments. One is high-end furniture, but that's limited by raw material availability. The other is bamboo ware, but that mainly relies on volume sales; ordinary furniture isn't doing so well."

"The market for ordinary furniture is the largest. Does this mean our product design needs improvement?"

"Yes, I've seen that problem too. The company is actively attracting talent while also strengthening the training of independent talent."

The two chatted about company matters for a while, then shifted the topic to household chores.

Fang Ping and Tian Guihua were both very worried about Tingting, since their daughter lived so far away and her family couldn't take care of her at all.

"Actually, there's no need to worry. I went to Beijing for a meeting before and made a special trip to see Tingting. Tingting's work performance is excellent, she is highly valued by her superiors, and she should have a bright future."

The two sat for a while longer before Fang Ping went home. (End of Chapter)