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

After the couple finished their meal, they went for a walk.

This has been a lifestyle the couple has maintained for many years. They used to bring their two little ones along, but now that the siblings live in other cities, it's just the two of them going.

The two hadn't gone far when they encountered Zhao Jinsheng.

"Secretary of the Party Committee, are you two out for a walk?"

"Yeah, I just came out for a walk after dinner. Old Zhao, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the office to make a phone call. I've been running around all day, and this is the first time I've had a little free time."

They exchanged a few casual words and then parted ways.

Pan Lianhua looked at Zhao Jinsheng's back and said, "Third Brother, Old Zhao is really dedicated."

"Old Zhao is an absolute expert in agricultural production. He is hardworking and can endure hardship, but he is often not clear-headed and his abilities in other areas are somewhat lacking."

Fang Wei smiled and commented on Zhao Jinsheng, saying that he was very similar to Zheng Hu, except that he did a great job in rural work, but was terrible in other aspects.

Therefore, Cai Tong could become the general manager of the agricultural company, while Zhao Jinsheng could only become the deputy head of the company's agricultural production department.

"That's because your expectations are too high. Old Zhao is actually a pretty good person."

"Indeed, Lao Zhao is a trustworthy person."

after a few days.

Pan Lianhua went to the provincial capital.

There's a lot going on at the end of the year, with many meetings, so she took advantage of her business trip to the provincial capital to see her daughter.

Fang Wei did not go with his wife, but instead began his final inspection of the year.

He first went to Xiangshan, and the electrical appliance group company then convened a shareholders' meeting to review this year's profit distribution plan.

Fang Wei and Jiang Shiyue both attended the meeting. This was the first formal dividend distribution in the company's history, and the amount of the dividends was huge.

"As of now, the company has 23 billion yuan in undistributed profits. Apart from the portion allocated to bonus shares, we plan to distribute 13 billion yuan of these profits."

The undistributed profits Zhang Wenyuan mentioned are the cumulative net profit over the years minus various provisions, and then after being converted into shares, the final 13 billion yuan can be distributed as cash dividends.

Jiang Shiyue first expressed no objection, and Fang Wei also expressed his agreement.

Currently, Yaoling Agriculture is the largest shareholder of the electrical appliance group, holding 80% of the shares. This means that Yaoling Agriculture can receive 10.4 billion yuan.

In this way, Fang Wei can explain things to everyone.

The electrical appliance group company had never turned over any profits, and even after introducing new shareholders, it never distributed cash dividends.

This was the first time ever, but Zhang Wenyuan's heart was bleeding.

After all, this is real money, more than a billion yuan. Businesses are always short of funds, and the company will have to take out a loan from the bank after the new year.

Fang Wei's idea was different from his; how could any business not owe money?
However, this incident further solidified Zhang Wenyuan's determination to carry out shareholding reform.

After the meeting, Jiang Shiyue invited Fang Wei to dinner, with Zhang Wenyuan accompanying them.

“Secretary Fang, the electrical appliance group is developing very well, but its scale is still a bit small due to funding constraints. I think the company should introduce new strategic investors and carry out shareholding reform to prepare for listing in Hong Kong.”

Jiang Shiyue has provided a lot of assistance to the company's development over the years, but has never interfered with the company's operation and management.

However, he has always hoped that the company could be listed in Hong Kong, believing that listing and financing is a shortcut for enterprise development.

On this issue, Zhang Wenyuan and he were in complete agreement, but Zhang Wenyuan couldn't make the decision himself, so he hoped to persuade Fang Wei.

“Chairman Jiang, I’m not against going public and raising funds, but it’s a bit too early now. How about this, let Mr. Zhang gradually make contact with the outside world first, and talk to suitable investors when he comes across them. After all, shareholding reform also takes time.”

Fang Wei pondered for a while and agreed in principle to carry out the shareholding system reform.

However, this involves many complex issues, and besides, this matter requires a meeting and discussion at Yaoling Agriculture; it cannot be decided by him with just a few words.

"Secretary Fang, your words are enough. Come, let me toast you!"

Jiang Shiyue was quite satisfied. As long as the other party didn't strongly oppose it, he was confident he could make it happen.

the next day.

Jiang Shiyue then left Xiangshan, while Fang Wei began inspecting the electric fan factory, refrigeration equipment factory, group company, and other units.

His inspection tour wasn't just a formality; he brought along an audit team to conduct a comprehensive audit of each unit.

The audit went very smoothly, and almost no problems were found.

Zhang Wenyuan had been punished several times and had long since learned his lesson; Fang Wei simply couldn't find a single fault with him.

"Secretary, shouldn't you praise me now?"

"Yes, you deserve praise and a reward. So, as a reward, you should treat me to a nice meal."

The two joked around, and then, led by Zhang Wenyuan, drove dozens of kilometers to eat what they called authentic Cantonese cuisine.

This medium-sized, two-story restaurant is said to have a history of several decades.

Everyone found a private room on the second floor and sat down. Zhang Wenyuan didn't even look at the menu and casually ordered some of the restaurant's signature dishes.

"Secretary, will employee shares be issued during the company's shareholding reform?"

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Zhang Wenyuan suddenly asked a question.

"There should be some, including shares held by company executives. However, the percentage won't be high, so as not to harm the interests of the original shareholders."

Fang Wei knew what the other party wanted to ask, so she simply stated her intentions clearly.

Issuing employee shares will facilitate the completion of shareholding reform and also serve as an incentive for everyone. However, the electrical appliance group company will never engage in management buyouts; the collective interests will not be infringed upon.

Fortunately, Zhang Wenyuan didn't have any unrealistic plans, and the company wasn't a monolithic entity; in fact, many key positions were held by Fang Wei's people.

Fang Wei is quite strict in managing overseas companies. Changing jobs is no problem, but it's impossible for him to take over the entire company.

"I'm perfectly satisfied! Come on, Party Secretary, let's have another drink."

Zhang Wenyuan smiled contentedly. He wasn't greedy; owning even a small share of the company meant his life hadn't been in vain.

If Hong Kong capital hadn't been introduced, the company's shareholding reform would have been very troublesome, since there is no company law yet, and the definition of a company is very strict from an institutional perspective.

As long as the ownership structure of enterprises is not reformed, people will continue to be troubled by these issues.

Fang Wei spent a week in Fragrant Hills before settling in Guangzhou.

The furniture company has a flagship store in Guangzhou, and other businesses also have sales departments here. He walked around to get firsthand information and a direct understanding of market trends. By the time he got home, Pan Lianhua was also able to return from the provincial capital.

"Lotus, are Sister and Xiaojie alright?"

"They're doing quite well. The child says she doesn't like boarding school and prefers her current life. It seems we made the right decision to buy a house in the provincial capital."

That little courtyard wasn't far from Xiaojie's school, only three bus stops away.

The older sister bought the child a bicycle, which the child rides to and from school every day, making it very convenient. This way, the child can eat and sleep at home, and the child's mental state is much better than in the first school year.

Even the teacher said that Xiaojie's grades have improved significantly this semester, but the exact extent of the improvement will depend on the final exam.

"That's good! When we retire, we can stay in the provincial capital more often. After all, big cities are convenient in many ways, and the village can't compare."

Fang Wei couldn't help but sigh, "No matter how well rural areas are developed, they are still rural areas."

The gap between us and big cities is multifaceted, including talent, education, expectations, infrastructure, and employment. No matter how much we invest, we still can't compare.

Of course, rural areas have their advantages, which is why he said he could travel between the two places when he has more time in the future.

"It's okay to stay in a big city for a while, but it gets really stifling after a while. By the way, Third Brother, how about you go catch a few rabbits in the mountains to eat sometime? I want to go out for a walk."

"Sure, I'll go for a walk in the mountains in a couple of days."

Fang Wei smiled and agreed to his wife's suggestion.

After a good night's rest, he went to the office early the next morning.

He barely left the house that day, and it wasn't until the afternoon that he finished dealing with the backlog of official business from the past few days.

The next morning.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua took their equipment and went into the mountains. The Dayao Mountains are evergreen all year round. In this season, there are far fewer poisonous insects and snakes on the mountain, but danger still exists.

However, for the two of them, walking in the mountains was just like taking a stroll, and there was no need to be too nervous.

The two walked and stopped, not in a hurry to hunt, but strolled around at their leisure, and then came to a wild forest where they stopped.

"Third Brother, this large patch of wild Phoebe zhennan wood is very valuable."

This is not an artificially planted forest, but a naturally grown one. The golden nanmu trees are tall and straight, but their actual growth period is not very long.

This is a precious forest belt that Fang Wei naturally cultivated by adjusting attribute values. It contains not only Phoebe zhennan trees, but also some other precious trees.

Fortunately, due to the terrain and the extreme danger in the mountains, they were not discovered.

Since no one knows there are so many precious trees here, there is naturally no illegal logging. The exploration craze of yesteryear has long passed, and now even professionals are unwilling to enter the Dayao Mountains.

Of course, if this forest were exposed, I estimate that many people who are not afraid of danger would still come to investigate it in person.

"Even if it's valuable, we can't sell it. If we get caught, we'll be in jail for years. Let's go, let's head that way and see if we can hunt some prey."

Fang Wei wasn't that greedy to have designs on these precious wild trees.

Even if he wanted to create high-end furniture, didn't the forestry brigade still have various precious trees that had been artificially planted?

The couple's income is not low now, and he earns a lot of extra money every year by picking wild herbs, and he is so obsessed with money.

"Okay, let's go."

Pan Lianhua was just saying that casually, and then she and Fang Wei left the forest together.

The couple didn't emerge from the mountains until the afternoon.

Today's haul was good; we not only caught a few rabbits but also brought back a muntjac. Since the environment in the mountains has improved, the number of plants and animals has increased significantly compared to before.

Aside from the fact that no one has ever seen a South China tiger or a leopard, some other uncommon animals are frequently spotted.

Fang Wei had plenty of meat at home and was thinking of changing things up. However, his days of hunting for leisure were numbered. After the Wildlife Protection Law was enacted, the types of prey he could hunt became increasingly scarce, to the point that eventually even wild boars were no longer allowed to be hunted.

Another one is a complete ban on guns.

Fang Wei's attitude was to wait until the ban was lifted before making any decisions. Neither he nor Pan Lianhua were professional hunters, so banning hunting wouldn't affect them much.

"Auntie, prepare this muntjac in a bit, we'll cook it for dinner tonight."

Fang Wei handed over all the prey to the aunt. Although the aunt's cooking skills were not as good as her older sister's, they were still quite good.

At least Pan Lianhua's cooking skills are not as good as others.

night.

Besides Sun Daoren, Zheng Bao, Zhao Jinsheng, and others also came to the house for a meal and drinks. It had been a long time since they had eaten deer meat.

Zheng Bao had only been back from the provincial capital for a few days when he came across such a delicious wild game.

“Secretary, there have been a lot of rumors lately, and they are all related to Xin Kaiqi. They say that our [Yuxiang 183] is just a showpiece that's been hyped up, and that it will be exposed as a fake next year. People who buy our corn seeds will lose a lot of money.”

Zheng Bao now spends most of his time in the provincial capital. He is good at gathering information and is well-informed.

After having a few drinks, he started talking about the little tricks that the new Cage had been up to behind the scenes.

Xin Kaiqi was unwilling to accept defeat, so he has been spreading rumors and slandering the [Yuxiang 183] corn seeds.

While this tactic may not be decisive, it's quite disgusting, and those with weak judgment might be influenced. After all, the real effects won't be seen until next year, and nobody knows for sure if it's true or not.

"Let them be. This kind of behavior doesn't affect us much, so we can ignore it. After the first corn harvest next year, their rumors will fall apart on their own, and then they will suffer the consequences."

It's very difficult to get justice in this kind of situation; collecting evidence is not easy, and the current legal system is still not sound.

Therefore, Fang Wei does not intend to pursue legal action, but instead plans to retaliate with irrefutable facts. He hasn't been idle for so long; he can also spread rumors detrimental to the new Cage.

The current propaganda war is that simple and brutal.

"In rice breeding, we are undoubtedly the leader in the country, but in other crops, we have many strong competitors besides New Cage."

Zheng Bao gathered a lot of information and told it all while drinking.

Everyone present listened attentively. We must know ourselves and our opponents; we can't always develop blindly.

Fang Wei memorized several representative company names. These companies had one thing in common: they were all tentacles of international giants extending into the domestic market.

China is now gradually paying more attention to the security of staple foods, and efforts are being made to ensure self-reliance and control over all aspects of the process, from breeding to production.

However, the breeding of many cash crops, such as soybean seeds, is facing pressure from imported seeds. (End of Chapter)