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

During dinner, Pan Lianhua also brought up the issue of raw materials. Due to the surge in sales of high-end furniture by the furniture company, the demand for certain rare woods has increased significantly.

These rare woods are hard to find substitutes for, and bamboo ware factories have been much quieter lately.

"The development of furniture companies cannot rely solely on raw materials. The growth of raw materials certainly cannot keep up with the growth of market demand. We must also focus on ordinary furniture."

Fang Wei shook his head, intending to talk to his older brother later and change their development strategy.

Pan Lianhua also believes that high-end furniture cannot be sold in large quantities. If supply falls short of demand, prices will rise. The total supply must be controlled.

The next day.

Fang Wei had just arrived at the office when Cai Tong called.

"Secretary, the telephone at home hasn't been installed yet?"

"No, but it will be soon, in the next day or two. Mr. Cai, you called about more than just this, didn't you?"

"Of course, I was just asking casually. Secretary, the furniture company is having problems with its raw material supply. Manager Fang came to me, wanting the company to increase some of the illegal logging quotas."

I've already agreed to this, but the increased logging volume still won't make up for the furniture company's raw material shortage. We've discussed it and decided to strictly control sales of high-end furniture. What do you think?

Cai Tong is the executor of the company's operations and is responsible for the company's daily management.

He was capable of making decisions regarding matters like the furniture company. The reason he called Fang Wei was because Fang Ping was involved, so he felt it was better to report to Fang Wei first.

"You guys handle this. I think you're right. Relying solely on scarce resources can't sustain long-term development. We need to change our thinking. For example, we could significantly increase the price of high-end furniture."

Fang Wei didn't say much. This was actually a minor matter in business operations, something that management could handle.

Cai Tong understood what he meant and then ended the call.

Fang Wei thought about it and decided to call his older brother. There were some things he couldn't say to others, and he needed to explain them to his brother.

"Third brother, I was just about to call you. We can't get our raw materials sorted out, and head office wants us to control our shipments. Isn't this like they're preventing us from making money even when we have the chance?"

Fang Ping's tone was somewhat agitated, likely indicating his dissatisfaction with Cai Tong and the others' decision.

In fact, Cai Tong did not want to interfere with the furniture company's operations, but since the matter involved the forestry brigade, he could not remain silent.

"Brother, limiting the shipment of high-end furniture is also my idea. The supply of rare wood is not endless. Even if our forestry cultivation is better than others, the growth rate of the trees cannot keep up with the rate of logging."

You can't treat high-end furniture like a cash cow; that's unrealistic. Besides, since high-end furniture is in short supply, you should raise prices—even doubling them wouldn't be too much.”

There was no need for Fang Wei to hide anything from his older brother, so he spoke his mind in one breath.

Fang Ping fell silent on the other end of the phone. He thought his third brother would support him, but the other party's attitude was the same as Cai Tong's.

However, compared to his rebellious attitude towards Cai Tong and the others, Fang Ping was able to carefully consider his third brother's words. Over the years, he had always trusted his third brother, and the other party had never let him down.

"Third brother, many of the customers who buy high-end furniture are regular customers. Is it a good idea to raise prices significantly?"

After a long while, Fang Ping finally spoke.

"Brother, don't overthink it. A customer is a customer. We should offer discounts when necessary and raise prices when appropriate. These are basic operations. You can only control the shipment volume through pricing, instead of fantasizing about a continuous supply of rare timber."

Fang Wei was very direct; Fang Ping had no choice but to accept it.

"Okay, I understand. We will adjust our business strategy."

After the two brothers ended the call, Fang Wei stared blankly for a while before calming down to look at the documents.

A few days passed quickly.

As expected, the furniture company adjusted its operations, significantly raising prices for high-end furniture, which led to a decline in sales. This is normal; the previous booming situation couldn't last. A steady, long-term approach is the key.

After Fang Ping, Lin Hanyang, and others did the math, they found that the actual profit had not decreased, and had even increased slightly. They then realized that Fang Wei, Cai Tong, and the others were right.

Fang Wei had no time to follow up on this matter, because New Kaiqi suddenly made a big announcement, saying that the company had broken through the technical bottleneck of corn breeding and would soon have a new corn variety with the highest yield per mu in China on the market.

"Chairman, Xin Kaiqi has not released specific yield data per mu for the new corn variety. I heard that the yield per mu is exaggerated and far exceeds that of our [Yuxiang 083]."

He called Cai Tong to verify, and Cai Tong, who knew more, seemed a little worried.

"President Cai, you need to find out the data on New Cage's new corn variety, but don't be fooled by them. I'm certain that their new variety will not be on the market this year, at least not until next summer."

Fang Wei secretly rejoiced that he also had an ace up his sleeve. The mutated variety of [Yu Xiang 083] was kept secret precisely to deal with this situation.

However, he did not know the data on New Cage's new corn product, so he could not make a comparison. Therefore, he asked Cai Tong and others to inquire about it.

Since the other party has already started to promote the new product in a big way, they probably won't hide these data too well.

"Okay, I understand. The company will develop corresponding countermeasures."

Cai Tong immediately hung up the phone and then sent someone to inquire about the core data of the new Cage product.

Fang Wei then went to the Yao village, where the [Yu Xiang 083] mutant variety being cultivated was about to mature. He estimated that the yield per mu would reach about 2100 jin, and it was ready for finalization.

Just to be on the safe side, he plans to have Yangshan Farm cultivate another season's worth of this corn seed.

With the Yao village's existing stock plus the increased production from Yangshan Farm, they are definitely ready to compete with New Cage's new products.

Fang Wei then made emergency arrangements, with all departments of the company working closely together to quickly cultivate a season of [Yu Xiang 083] corn seeds at Yangshan Farm.

The variant remains unnamed to prevent information leaks.

Fang Wei has kept it from everyone. He will explain this to the board of directors in the end, so he can't let it slip now.

Time flies.

Binbin and Xiaojie are both going back to school.

Fang Weiyi's family, including her elder sister and Sun Daoren, went on another trip. First, they sent Binbin back to Beijing, where the family spent a few days traveling. Then, they sent Xiaojie back to the provincial capital.

"Third brother, the yard you bought is all set up. Here are the keys, go and take a look yourself."

Fang Ping immediately gave the key to the courtyard to Fang Wei. He had been so busy lately that he didn't have time to accompany them to the house.

Fang Wei didn't need his older brother to accompany him, as he knew the place well. He then arranged for a van from the company, and the whole family headed straight for the courtyard.

"Dad, Mom, the new house looks so beautiful."

Upon arriving at the destination, Fang Wei opened the courtyard gate, and Xiao Jie was the first to walk in, exclaiming in surprise.

The courtyard was beautifully maintained, with flowers and plants growing around it, and the ground was clean and level. Inside, the decor was among the best for its time, with all the furniture and household items readily available. Even the kitchen was equipped with a gas cylinder and a gas stove.

Everyone was very happy, after all, this was Fang Wei's second home. Actually, calling it a second home isn't entirely accurate, as there's also a house left by her grandfather in the Yao village, making this her third residence.

"Third Brother, shall we stay here tonight?"

“Great, we have everything here, even pots and pans.”

The entire set of furniture in the room is the company's highest-end model, made entirely of wood, and all the materials used are rare and precious timbers. The total price of all the furniture is considerable, and that's based on the old prices; under the current prices, it would be double.

The bedding and pillows were all personally selected by Tian Guihua, and each room had them, so it was naturally habitable.

After being ventilated for so long, there was no longer any odor in the room, so Fang Wei decided that everyone would stay here. His luggage was in the van, so he went to retrieve it and brought it in.

Then he parked the car in the yard.

in the afternoon.

Pan Lianhua and her sister went to the market to buy groceries and cooked a feast that evening to celebrate moving into their new house.

Master Sun liked this courtyard very much, and so did his elder sister.

After dinner, the older sister called Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua into the house and said, "I want to stay and keep Xiaojie company. It's okay if she lives at school during the week, at least I can cook something nice for her when she comes back on weekends."

“Xiaojie and the others aren’t forced to live at school. Those who live in the city can go home at night. Sister, think it over. You’re all alone here. The kids have to go to school during the week, and you don’t even have anyone to talk to.”

Pan Lianhua was somewhat tempted, but there were some things she needed to clarify with her older sister beforehand.

Nowadays, schools do not require all students to live on campus; only students from other places live on campus, while children from the city can commute.

It would be best if my older sister could stay and take care of Xiao Jie, but she would be very lonely.

“It’s okay. I don’t like to chat with others all day long in the village. We bought a TV here, right? I can watch TV and do housework when I have nothing to do, and the day will pass by.”

The older sister was very determined, and after discussing it with her husband, they agreed that she should stay.

The older sister has many personal belongings at her home in the village. Pan Lianhua asked her what she needed, saying she could have someone bring them over later.

The company headquarters is in the provincial capital, where there are many people coming and going; anyone can be asked to bring them over.

"That's great! Thank you, Dad, thank you, Mom!"

The happiest person is Xiaojie, because she can come back after school and doesn't have to squeeze into the dormitory anymore.

School conditions are not as good as they are in later years. Who would want to live in a dormitory if they could live at home?

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua spent two days with their daughter. When school started, the two of them even made a special trip to handle the procedures for Xiao Jie to become a day student.

Before leaving, Xiaojie invited two female classmates to her house to play. Pan Lianhua prepared a lot of delicious snacks for them and also invited them to stay for a meal.

Children cannot be without friends, and they must not be looked down upon.

Before the start of the school year, Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua bought Xiao Jie a lot of clothes and doubled her allowance, just because they didn't want their child to be isolated at school.

After finishing these tasks, the couple and Master Sun were driven home by a company car.

After resting at home for a day, Fang Wei went to the office that morning.

Shortly after they sat down, several directors of the cooperative came in. Zheng Bao had gone to the provincial capital, and Zhao Jinsheng had become the deputy head of the company's agricultural production department; both of them had resigned from their positions as directors.

These directors are relatively close to Fang Wei, but not to the same extent as Zheng Bao and others.

Fortunately, they are all obedient and do not contradict Fang Wei, and their work abilities are also quite good.

"Secretary, the cooperative has completed a number of projects that benefit the people. Here is a detailed report. Shall we give an oral presentation?"

"There's no need for a verbal report; I'll just look at the report later. Thank you for your hard work these past few days; I'll treat you to dinner later."

They chatted in the office for a while before leaving quickly.

Fang Wei then inspected several projects, and they were all progressing very well. The appearance of each village was gradually changing, and they were getting closer to the beautiful countryside he envisioned.

The change in the village's appearance is inevitable. Everyone loves beauty, and everyone hopes that their village can become more beautiful.

But there's a condition: you have to invest money.

"It's great, everyone is becoming more and more comfortable living in the village."

Fang Wei was very satisfied. If so many members were tied together, the living environment would still be chaotic and lacking in everything. Even if the dividends were high, it would be meaningless.

This is exactly what he wanted to see: beautiful scenery, birdsong and fragrant flowers, wide and tidy roads, excellent infrastructure, and everyone wearing a happy smile.

Back in his office, he received a call from Cai Tong.

“Secretary, I’ve found out some data about the new Xin Xin Kaiqi corn variety. It’s said that the yield per mu can reach about 1700 jin, and the kernels are plump and look very appealing.”

Cai Tong's words relieved Fang Wei.

He hadn't believed before that the new variety of Xin Kaiqi could produce 2000 jin per mu, after all, this leap was too big for Xin Kaiqi.

"Okay, I understand. Mr. Cai, you still need to keep a close eye on New Cage. Although I estimate that their new product will probably be launched next year, there's always an unexpected situation, isn't there?"

"Understood, I'll have someone keep a close eye on things."

"That's settled then, I'll contact you again later."

Fang Wei then hung up the phone and reviewed the information the company had recently collected.

He discovered that quite a few global agricultural giants have entered the Chinese market in the past two years, and while New Cage is a representative of them, it is not the strongest one.

Upon careful recollection, it became clear that in his previous life, global giants had not conquered the seeds of domestic staple crops, except for corn. However, in other cash crops, international giants were virtually invincible, with soybeans being a prime example.

Soybeans are closely related to people's living standards, and so is corn.

However, it is unrealistic for NewCage to think it can defeat the domestic corn breeding industry with new technologies. At least Yaoling Agriculture is a formidable obstacle for them.

The next day.

Fang Wei went to the Yao village.

Hidden here is her secret weapon against New Cage: the mutated variety [Jade Fragrance 083]. This corn variety has undergone a complete transformation, achieving an astonishing yield of approximately 2100 jin per mu (about 1400 catties per hectare). Once revealed, it will surely shock the world. (End of Chapter)