Training the Heavens

Chapter 222 Prepare for a rainy day
A few months later, at the weekly meeting, Haisheng's wife reported on the recent changes at the quail farm. "Now, most of the quail eggs we produce are used to hatch and sell as quail chicks. The quail eggs we supply to the local product company are almost all collected from the local residents."

"It was fine a while ago. The quail chicks and feed we sold matched the quail eggs we collected. But things have been a little worse lately. Fewer people are sending quail eggs to us. I asked around and found out some people are also buying quail eggs. They give 6.7 cents each, so many people take advantage of the 2 cents discount and sell to them."

Xu Lingjun nodded slightly. "Not bad, you can find the problem in time and find the cause of the problem. Comrade Fenglan, have you made great progress recently? Haisheng has taught you a lot, right?"

Is it true that Peixian and Huaixi were able to produce so many founding fathers? Is it really because of their good feng shui that talents are born? Talents are forged through hard work. Xu Lingjun is very pleased to see Haisheng's wife making such rapid progress. He hopes there will be more people like her.

"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter rang out in the room. Everyone looked at Haisheng, but Haisheng's face was full of pride. He was the director of the feed factory, and his wife was the director of the quail farm. When the dividends were distributed at the end of the year, he would definitely not get less money.

"Everyone should learn from Haisheng and Fenglan. Our team will definitely get better and better in the future, and the scope will become bigger and bigger. Just working won't be enough, so we must study hard." When Xu Lingjun spoke, he deliberately looked at the young people behind him.

Given the age of Dong Kuan and Guo Chenzi, it would be difficult for them to make further progress. Fortunately, the production team has successors. These people returned to the team after failing to get into university. They have a certain cultural foundation and their thinking has not formed a fixed pattern. As long as they are willing to learn, Xu Lingjun will give them opportunities.

Haisheng's wife blushed slightly. She felt a little embarrassed to be praised in front of so many people.

Her blush only lasted a short time, and she immediately got down to business. "Captain, what should we do? Should we raise the price as well? Even if we send it to the county at 6.7 cents per piece, we can still make a profit."

"Hey, there's no need to go through so much trouble. I'll go talk to Manager Niu of the local products company and ask him not to take the eggs from these people." Guo Zizi gave his own solution from another direction.

This is also the way many people think about problems nowadays. When encountering a problem, their first reaction is to complain. Anyway, what those people do is not very legal, and if you look into it further, they will definitely be accused of speculation.

They were able to think of solutions to the problem. Even though their answers were different from Xu Lingjun's, he was very happy to hear them. At least they knew how to think proactively, right?
He praised them a few more times, then rejected their plan. "What if they raise the price to 6.8%? What if they also know Manager Niu? Our profit margin from selling quail eggs isn't high to begin with, so there's no need to compete with them."

"They can steal our quail eggs, but they can't take our quail chicks and feed, which are the main sources of our income. If they want to earn some hard-earned money, then let them do it! If the people benefit, more people will want to raise quails. When the accounts are settled, we will definitely make more money."

"When doing business, you can't make all the money. You have to leave some opportunities for others so that you can make money for a long time." Even Li Huanggua said that he would not make the last coin. Xu Lingjun couldn't be worse than him.

"Yes, I heard from Yougen that these people came to collect quail eggs and persuaded others to raise them as well. Many people believed them, but Yougen didn't sell them to them. He sent all the quail eggs he collected to us." Dong Kuan interrupted.

"If he wants to buy it, don't stop him. It's not a small amount to make an extra two cents." Xu Lingjun would not refuse to accept it if others gave it to him, and he would not stop them from selling it to others. No matter what they chose, it would be good for Xu Lingjun.

"There's been a lot more people buying quail feed lately." Haisheng's words indirectly confirmed Xu Lingjun's speculation that the presence of middlemen was actually beneficial to the quail farm. "See, I told you so. If they wanted to buy more quail eggs, they'd definitely advertise it everywhere. And since we're the only ones in the county who can supply quail feed and chicks, we're still the ones getting the most benefit."

Collecting quail eggs only requires working capital, connections, and a bit of courage. Preparing feed and breeding quails are technical jobs with a certain threshold, and not just anyone can do it.

As an upstream enterprise, it naturally hopes to have as many downstream partners as possible. The rising water level in the downstream will flow back to the upstream, allowing Xu Lingjun to earn more.

"Captain, if more people are raising quail, isn't that good for us?" Haisheng asked, raising his hand. "When I went to visit Teacher Li during the Lunar New Year, he told me about this: last year, a neighboring county suddenly called for garlic planting. Because garlic was in a good market and could be sold at a high price, many communes followed their leader's lead and planted garlic instead of grain. As a result, when the harvest came, no one wanted the garlic, and many people didn't have a good year."

"Quail eggs are so expensive, it's obvious they're not for ordinary people like us. What if too many people raise quails and can't sell the eggs? The county's local product company only has so much funding each year, and they can't afford to consume too many."

Xu Lingjun clapped his hands happily. "The market is so good right now. You can resist being deceived by your current success and realize the hidden dangers. That's what a true factory manager should be like!"

"Hahaha." Everyone started to applaud, and Haisheng grinned happily.

When the applause subsided, Haisheng quickly asked, "So what should we do? Limit the amount of feed and quail chicks?"

Xu Lingjun shook his head. "Quail farming is a remarkable technology here, and it's nothing compared to the rest of the country. Even if we don't raise them, there are plenty of people who will, and there will always be more. It's good to plan ahead, but we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We should continue to expand our production while we can still get a good price."

"As for the local product company you mentioned, that's indeed a problem. We can't hand over all sales channels to one company at any time. We have to give the quail eggs to Manager Niu, but we also have to find a few more channels in advance to ensure he doesn't run out of money in the future."

These words were reasonable and everyone nodded in agreement.

After explaining the problem, Xu Lingjun offered a solution. "Haisheng, this matter still depends on you. Go out and ask around in a few places to see if you can find new partners."

"Oh, by the way, take Guo Lei with you when you go." Xu Lingjun mentioned the name of a young man, and the training of talents must start early.

(End of this chapter)