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

As December arrives, the weather gets colder and colder.

The temperature here isn't as low as in the north, but the humidity is much higher, making the damp and cold feeling quite unpleasant.

Fang Wei was not sensitive to changes in temperature, and he began his inspection tour as usual.

Our first stop was the provincial capital, where we met up with Lao Pang and others. We then inspected companies such as Yaoling Agriculture, Property Management, and Furniture Company, acknowledging their achievements while also pointing out the problems in each unit without reservation.

There's nothing to be afraid of if there are problems; just actively rectify them. Fang Wei generally doesn't resort to various punitive measures.

Overall, the management of these enterprises in the provincial capital is very standardized, and even if there are some minor errors, they are all within an acceptable range.

He plans to inspect the route along the provincial capital, Hengzhou, Yangshan, Chenzhou, Yangcheng, and Xiangshan, and finally return to the county to inspect various units within the county, thus concluding this year's inspection work.

Fang Wei has always agreed that "there is no right to speak without investigation and research," and he has benefited greatly from each inspection tour.

By the time he completed his final inspection of the year, it was already the last few days of the year.

The county held a commendation meeting for outstanding enterprises. Since Cai Tong, Hu Linwei and Lin Bingkun were not in the area, Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng went to the meeting together.

After the meeting, a staff member approached Fang Wei and said that Secretary Wang wanted to see him in his office.

"Old Zhao, go eat first. If I'm not finished with my work by the time you finish eating, you can go home by yourself."

Zhao Jinsheng went to the canteen of the government office to eat alone, while Fang Wei followed him to find Wang Lin.

"Secretary Wang, what are your instructions?"

"What instructions can I give? Let's go have lunch together."

Wang Lin didn't mind others knowing that he was close to Fang Wei. Besides, how many people in the county wouldn't want to have a good relationship with each other?
So the two went to a newly opened restaurant. Wang Lin had eaten there twice and thought the food was pretty good.

They sat down in the private room, and various dishes were quickly served.

"Secretary Wang, our oil pressing plant has put another production line into operation, and we can start purchasing rapeseed next year."

Neither Fang Wei nor Wang Lin drank alcohol; they mainly ate and chatted.

He brought up the expansion of the oil pressing plant under the food company, which was actually a response to Wang Lin's previous visit to him.

Yaoling Agriculture cannot possibly control all the arable land in the county, but it can certainly make a significant contribution to the processing of agricultural and sideline products. Rice is not suitable for purchasing raw materials from outside sources, but oilseeds can be sourced; it's simply a matter of production costs.

The rapeseed produced by the company has a high yield, good quality, and high oil extraction rate, while the rapeseed purchased is of lower quality and therefore the price is lower.

Compared to selling their rapeseed to middlemen, the oil mill offered a much more reasonable price.

This is actually an important measure to increase farmers' income.

"This is great news. Your willingness to purchase rapeseed in an open manner is beneficial to the vast number of farmers."

Wang Lin couldn't help but smile. He had originally wanted to persuade Fang Wei to invest more funds in the county, but he didn't expect that Fang Wei's rapeseed oil production capacity had already been expanded.

He has only been here a short time and is unaware of many things.

However, things will gradually improve in the future. The two people he recommended and promoted (Zhao Yong and Liu Fendou) are both very capable, and he should be able to control the situation as time goes by.

"By the way, Secretary Fang, the county's coal mines stopped production years ago. I'm planning a pilot program where the coal mines go through bankruptcy proceedings. Are you interested in taking on the project?"

There used to be a coal mine in the county. Back then, Fang Wei exchanged goods with the mine and solved the coal supply problem.

At the time, coal mines were considered good businesses, but they were forced to go bankrupt due to the impact of the market economy.

They had tried contracting out the mine before, but it quickly fell apart, and the county had to take it back. It's now shut down and production has ceased, and the workers haven't been paid wages for a long time.

"Secretary Wang, what about the original employees?"

Fang Wei's biggest concern is the company's historical baggage, followed by the resettlement of existing employees.

If these two issues are not resolved, then there's no point in even discussing it.

"Since the companies have all gone bankrupt, the county will naturally take over the burden of the board of directors. It is estimated that the retirees will be covered by social security, and the original employees will have their years of service bought out."

Two years ago, the country began to pilot the old-age insurance system, but the situation in different places is different, so the progress is also different.

Wang Lin already had a plan in mind. If he wanted to revive the coal mine, he had to get rid of the burdens; otherwise, no one would be willing to take it over.

As for contracting out, forget about it. Those are all traps. The contractor makes a quick buck and leaves, leaving the county to clean up the mess. It's not worth it.

"That's good. We can hire new employees without having to relocate existing staff, which saves us from having to manage them."

Fang Wei nodded, feeling that the county's plan was quite sincere.

However, whether Yaoling Group will take over the coal mine is a matter that requires careful consideration, and he is hesitant to make a decision in the short term.

Seeing that there was still hope, Wang Lin stopped urging Fang Wei and changed the subject.

The two ate and chatted, and when it was almost time, they parted ways.

Fang Wei drove back to the company, went into his office, and immediately called Cai Tong and Hu Linwei.

He knew that coal mining wasn't very profitable right now, but he was well aware that in a few years, as the prices of various resources rose, coal would become a scarce resource for gunmen.

In later generations, a group of people who became extremely wealthy were called "coal bosses".

Of course, the county's coal mines are not large-scale mines, but rather medium-to-small-scale mines, which are much better than "small coal mines." Cai Tong and Hu Linwei had similar opinions: if they were to acquire the coal mines, they would have to invest in new machinery and equipment, which would be a huge sum of money, and it would be very difficult for the coal mines to make a profit.

Coal prices are currently low, resulting in a low return on investment.

"Then let's hold a board meeting. I'll go to Guangzhou after New Year's Day."

This matter needs to be discussed in depth, and Fang Wei plans to go to Guangzhou for a meeting after New Year's Day.

Convening a board meeting is within his authority, and he cannot avoid it.

"Third Brother, what are you really thinking?"

During dinner that evening, Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua talked about the coal mine.

Pan Lianhua wasn't very understanding. She felt that Yaoling Group was doing so well, so why would they take over this mess of a coal mine?

Although the historical burden of coal mining has been removed, the mine's equipment is outdated, and this investment would be a huge expense. Why get involved in a business that doesn't make money?

“Lotus, the first consideration in this matter is not economic benefits, but social benefits. I’m not actually that selfless. The higher the proportion of the company in the county’s economy, the more solid the company’s foundation will be.”

Fang Wei had more to consider. If he took over the coal mine, he would be helping Wang Lin on the surface, but wouldn't he also be helping himself?
The greater the influence of Yaoling Group, the more stable its foundation. Pan Lianhua understood this immediately.

"It's not impossible, but if you really take over, you'll probably need to find a reliable management team, both in terms of capital investment and the old guys at the coal mine. You can't count on them at all."

Pan Lianhua has been managing the bamboo ware factory for many years, which has broadened her horizons considerably, and she immediately hit the nail on the head.

The coal mine's previous management team bears most of the responsibility for its eventual bankruptcy.

"Yeah, I'm going to Guangzhou after New Year's Day. Do you want to come with me?"

"I probably can't go. The factory has a heavy production schedule as the year draws to a close, and I estimate we'll be busy until before the Spring Festival."

After they finished eating, they went for a walk together, watched TV for a while after returning home, and then went to bed early.

The next day.

Fang Weiyi had already gone to the research institute to check on the research progress of the new generation of rapeseed.

“Secretary Fang, after extensive screening, we have found suitable varieties for cultivation. These varieties are currently undergoing multiple rounds of cultivation, and we hope that some of them will pass the second round of screening.”

As time went on, progress was made in the cultivation of a new generation of rapeseed.

Although there is still a long way to go before success, we have at least seen hope.

"That's good. We'll give you bonuses after the New Year."

Fang Wei rarely makes empty promises; his motivational methods are simple and direct—basically, he gives money.

The combination of moral encouragement and material rewards motivates everyone to work incredibly hard.

"Thank you, Secretary Fang. We will continue to work hard."

The researchers were all very happy; being able to earn more money after a year of hard work was the greatest happiness for them.

Fang Wei then toured the various departments before leaving the research institute.

The institute has made great strides in all aspects of its work, and has made breakthroughs in traditional breeding, hybridization breeding, and transgenic breeding technologies.

In addition, the institute has top-notch domestic instruments and equipment, which gives it a high status in the industry.

In addition to the tasks assigned by Fang Wei, the research institute has achieved a number of technological breakthroughs in the past two years, making an increasingly significant contribution to the development of agriculture in Yaoling.

This is the outcome Fang Wei wanted to see.

noon.

Fang Wei went to her second sister's house for a meal and had a good chat with Tian Bingyi.

Tian Bingyi is in charge of vegetable breeding, and he has extensive experience in vegetable breeding and cultivation.

"Brother-in-law, Hong Kong needs a lot of vegetables, but those guys have set very high standards. Are you confident you can meet them?"

Jiang Shiyue helped arrange the supply of vegetables to Hong Kong.

He knew that Yaoling Agriculture was one of the top agricultural companies in China, so he wanted to get more orders for Fang Wei.

However, some people in Hong Kong have very strict standards for vegetables, so the vegetables they grow are best to be organic, and they strictly control costs and the amount of pesticides used, avoiding them if possible.

Another issue is the variety, but this is not a problem for the company, since most of the vegetable seeds are cultivated by themselves.

"Whether I'm confident or not depends on how much money I can make. If the profit is indeed considerable, I'm sure I can do it."

Tian Bingyi laughed heartily, appearing very confident.

He's right. As long as the price is right, he can increase his costs to ensure the vegetables are all-natural and pollution-free, and they will also have a good appearance.

"Okay, I'll have the group company send someone to talk to them first, and I'll send you the specific standards later."

Fang Wei smiled too; this matter probably wouldn't be a problem. (End of Chapter)