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

"Secretary Fang, the factory's food is pretty good. Is it always like this?"

Before the leaders arrived, they demanded that no special treatment be given and that banquets be strictly prohibited, but in reality, they didn't have any expectations for the food in the canteen.

But after sitting down and eating, I felt that the food was of good quality, but I suspected that they might have pulled some tricks to entertain me.

“This is how it always is. Yaoling Group has strict requirements for its subsidiaries, including ensuring that the canteens are well-run. We have relevant standards and a supervision mechanism.”

Fang Wei laughed heartily, clearing up everyone's doubts.

He wasn't just making things up; it was the truth. It's a long-standing company tradition: we don't skimp on food; we always make sure everyone is well-fed.

"Haha, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. You're a collective enterprise, right? It's truly admirable that you can make communal meals like this."

The leader couldn't help but smile. He believed Fang Wei was telling the truth, which was consistent with her usual style.

Currently, some companies don't treat their employees like human beings at all; the living conditions are terrible, and the food is comparable to pig swill. But Fang Wei insists on following the path of collective economy and is very friendly to the members and employees.

This is also an important reason why they chose to come here for inspection: to see if the collective economy is still competitive in the current situation.

Although what they saw was only the tip of the iceberg, it was enough to shock them.

in the afternoon.

The group then visited the coal mine, the Xiangyang Supermarket in the county, and inspected the resettlement housing.

To be honest, the Yaoling Group's share in the county's economy was much larger than they had anticipated.

Overall, everyone maintained a positive attitude, since Yaoling Group offered its employees relatively high salaries and good benefits, which had a positive effect on promoting the local economy.

After the visit, everyone held a discussion in the conference room of Yaoling Hotel.

The leaders all felt that they had gained a lot from this trip to Xinlin County, and they shared their thoughts and expressed some expectations.

Tomorrow they will visit the breeding center and Xinlin Farm, and then leave.

Tonight, everyone will stay at the Yaoling Hotel, and dinner will be at the Linhe Hotel, which is nearby. As per the leadership's request, dinner will be a standard working meal; it seems the leadership pays attention to these details.

Huang Zhigang did not have dinner with everyone. He made an excuse that he had to visit an old friend, and had dinner at Fang Wei's house instead.

"Congratulations on your move to the provincial government, Leader Huang!"

"Secretary Fang, why are you being so polite with me? We've been partners for a long time. Come on, let's have a drink together."

To be honest, even Fang Wei didn't expect Huang Zhigang to reach this level today.

Over the years, the leadership of Xinlin County has changed batch after batch. Huang Zhigang was neither the most powerful nor the most capable. But he was incredibly lucky, climbing the ranks step by step, even more so than Wu Yaoyang back then.

The two then drank and reminisced about the past, both sighing with emotion as they spoke of what had happened back then.

After the meal, Huang Zhigang said goodbye and left. After all, it was a group activity, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to stay out for too long.

"Third Brother, life is truly unpredictable."

After the guests left, Pan Lianhua felt like it was all unreal.

Fang Wei smiled and nodded. He understood the other party's purpose in coming today, which precisely showed that the other party was a smart person.

A week later.

Fang Wei took Pan Lianhua and her older sister to the provincial capital.

It's been a long time since we all came to the provincial capital together. The house is empty here and someone is looking after it, otherwise the weeds in the yard would have grown really tall.

Pan Lianhua's purpose in coming this time was to report to the furniture company, while Fang Weize inspected several units.

After three days, he finally received a call from Huang Zhigang, who arranged to have dinner together on the weekend and asked him to bring a few friends along.

It's the weekend.

Wang Lin made a special trip from the county to have a meal with Huang Zhigang, along with Lao Pang and a few others.

Lao Pang and his colleagues had been in the province for a long time and were very familiar with the situation there.

While everyone was eating and drinking, they chatted amongst themselves, and Huang Zhigang was indeed very interested in these matters.

However, he only stayed for an hour before having to leave in a hurry due to unforeseen circumstances. But it didn't matter; everyone had officially met, and they would have many more interactions in the future, so there was no rush.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they left one after another, leaving only Fang Wei, Lao Pang, and Wang Lin in the private room.

"Secretary Fang, I need to go back tonight, what about you?"

Wang Lin was indeed very busy, so after meeting Huang Zhigang, he had to rush back to the county.

"I'm not in a hurry, I'll leave tomorrow morning."

Fang Wei didn't want to walk at night and planned to set off the next morning.

Old Pang asked Huang Zhigang about his personality and temperament, and then the three of them left the private room together.

The next day.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua took their older sister to the airport. She would be flying from the provincial capital to Guangzhou, and Binbin would pick her up upon arrival. The couple then drove back to the village.

Fang Wei was quite satisfied with the trip to the provincial capital. Huang Zhigang, Lao Pang, and the others also achieved their goals, and everything went smoothly.

morning.

Fang Wei was handling official business in his office when Hu Linwei knocked on the door and came in.

He arrived last night. He came here partly to inspect the subordinate units and partly to discuss something with Fang Wei.

"You want to continue expanding your presence in the department store retail industry?"

Fang Wei was a little surprised after hearing Hu Linwei's words.

The other party has reached an agreement with Cai Tong and plans to replicate the success of Xiangyang Supermarket in several surrounding counties.

"Mr. Hu, it's best to reconsider this matter. After all, our main business isn't in this area, and the success of companies like Xiangyang Supermarket is difficult to replicate."

In his previous life, Fang Wei admired a supermarket whose owner had a strong sense of social responsibility, treated his employees well, and offered wages that most people envied. However, the supermarket did not expand nationwide; it remained confined to a very small region.

There are many reasons, but one of the most important is that success is not replicable and is difficult to replicate.

Take Xiangyang Supermarket as an example. Its products are priced very low, profit margins are low, and employee benefits are excellent. If it were to compete in other regions, it would absolutely crush everyone. However, the most likely scenario is that it will be surrounded by competitors.

Because you've threatened their profits and broken the rules of the game, it's no wonder they're trying to destroy you if you don't let them make money.

In Xinlin County, Yaoling Group can set the rules, but in other counties and cities, the difficulties and obstacles it encounters are unimaginable.

"How about we raise our profits to the industry average?"

Hu Linwei was still not giving up and asked another question.

Fang Wei gave the other person a strange look and replied, "Is this still Xiangyang Supermarket? Don't forget why Xiangyang Supermarket is so popular—it's because the goods are both good and cheap, my dear Mr. Hu."

Hu Linwei wasn't blind to the true nature of things; he was simply eager to make a name for himself, which is why he made a momentary lapse in judgment.

By this point, he had figured it out. For example, establishing Xiangyang Supermarkets in Chenzhou and Yangshan wouldn't be a big problem, since the company had already established a firm foothold in those places and had a solid foundation.

Even Hengzhou is not an option, since the supermarket is not deeply rooted and could go out of business if there is any disturbance.

He is certainly not afraid of normal business competition, but underhanded tactics are hard to guard against, and he might end up suffering a big setback.

“I understand. I will go to Chenzhou and Yangshan County to investigate. If it is feasible, I will open a supermarket in each of these two places.”

Hu Linwei sat for more than an hour before taking his leave.

He still needs to discuss the supermarket layout with Cai Tong, and then write a project plan to submit to the board of directors.

Fang Wei wasn't particularly interested in opening a supermarket, but he wouldn't stop the group company from expanding its business normally. If there were any problems, the board of directors would be the first hurdle, so he had nothing to worry about.

No sooner had Hu Linwei left than Lin Bingkun arrived the next day.

This period is the off-season for farming, and major rice-growing bases are taking advantage of this downtime to strengthen the construction of farmland irrigation facilities. On the other hand, the Yaoling Cooperative doesn't need to make major changes; its irrigation facilities were already quite complete during the commune era.

“Secretary Fang, many counties and cities have approached us this year to discuss cooperation, each offering very favorable terms, hoping that our company can contract land from their areas.”

Lin Bingkun came to discuss the expansion of agriculture in Yaoling. Some cooperative projects have been discussed for one or two years, but the board of directors has yet to approve the expansion of rice production area.

He was anxious, as it seemed he hadn't made much progress since taking over Yaoling Agriculture, so he was focused on persuading Fang Wei.

"I'm not against expansion, but I hope you can slow down the pace and not launch projects just for the sake of launching projects. Mr. Lin, tell me, do you have a suitable partner in mind?"

Fang Wei opposes blind expansion, not stagnation.

Since Lin Bingkun had already put it this way, he might as well have a proper discussion with him.

"I still intend to cooperate with Qinghe County. Firstly, because Qinghe County has excellent natural conditions, abundant water resources, and flat terrain. Secondly, because Qinghe County has a strong agricultural foundation."

Lin Bingkun then shared his thoughts: he wanted to cooperate with Qinghe County, and the county agreed to provide 30 mu of high-quality paddy fields.

Fang Wei pondered for a moment. He had a deep connection with Qinghe County, and he had even helped them cultivate a type of rice.

Later, for various reasons, he rarely went to Qinghe County, until the rescue of Yu Hao, which completely severed his ties with Qinghe County. To be honest, Qinghe County is indeed a good place, but the situation there is also quite complicated.

Who is in charge of Qinghe County now?

Instead of making preconceived notions, he inquired in detail about the current situation in Qinghe County.

"It's Xie Changfu in charge. Don't you know him? It's said that he has a very good relationship with our county's former Party Secretary Luo."

Lin Bingkun was surprised that Fang Wei didn't know who the leaders of the neighboring county were, but he still introduced Xie Changfu.

It is said that Xie Changfu and Luo Zhimin are good friends, and it was Xie Changfu's idea to introduce Yaoling Agriculture this time.

"You contact them first, and I'll go there myself later."

Fang Wei neither agreed nor disagreed, and planned to take some time to visit Qinghe County. (End of Chapter)