Reborn in '77, I have a job panel!

Chapter 112 Going to Yingkou

Qian Cheng held her hand: "I know, things will get better after this busy period. Once things are back on track in Yingkou, I'll be able to stay home a few more days."

Zhang Mingxi laughed and said, "You always say that. Every time you finish one thing, another one comes up."

Qian Cheng smiled but didn't reply.

He knew she was telling the truth, but some things can't be stopped just because you want to.

The company has over a hundred employees waiting for food, hundreds of villages are counting on selling vegetables to make money, and Director Liu still has tasks to complete; he can't stop.

The next morning, when Qian Cheng arrived at the company, Lao Li was already waiting for him in the office.

"Xiao Qian, I've already contacted everyone in Yingkou. Old Zhou from the Commerce Bureau, whom I met last time, said he'd take us down there to see things. The county has also put in a good word, and several brigade leaders are willing to talk."

Qian Cheng nodded: "Okay, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Let's arrange things in the provincial capital today and make sure everything that needs to be explained is clear."

He called Lao Wang and Xiao Liu over and divided up the work for the past few days.

Old Wang is in charge of finances, and Xiao Liu is in charge of the warehouse and transportation. The newly signed contracts in the provincial capital are not urgent; we'll deal with them when he gets back.

"Uncle Wang, could you keep an eye on that warehouse in the west of the city for Xiao Liu and rent it as soon as possible? There will be a lot of vegetables coming in the spring, and the current warehouse won't be able to hold them all."

""

Old Wang said, "Don't worry, I'll go with him to see it this afternoon."

After arranging these things, Qian Cheng went to the Commerce Department to see Director Liu.

Director Liu was reading documents in his office when he saw him come in, so he put down what he was holding.

"Little Qian is here? How are the preparations in Yingkou going?"

"We'll leave tomorrow. First, we'll go to the city to find someone from the Commerce Bureau, then we'll go to the county to look at land."

"I'll need your help with the car issue."

Director Liu took a slip of paper out of his drawer and handed it to him: "Take this. Go to the transportation company and pick up two trucks. I've already spoken to them. You can use these for now. If you need more, we can talk about it later."

""

Qian Cheng accepted it, feeling much more at ease: "Director Liu, thank you."

Director Liu waved his hand: "No need to thank me. If you do a good job, that's my thanks. If we can expand to Yingkou, we won't have to worry about the vegetable supply in the provincial capital next year. Do a good job, and come to me anytime if you encounter any difficulties."

After leaving the Commerce Department, Qian Cheng rode his bicycle home. When he passed the vegetable market, he stopped and bought some pork ribs and radishes, thinking of making a soup for Zhang Mingxi and Nian'en that evening.

When I got home, Nian'en was sitting on a small stool in the yard, holding a twig and drawing on the ground.

Seeing him come in, she looked up and called out "Baba," then lowered her head and went back to drawing.

Qian Cheng walked over and squatted down to see what she was drawing. It was crooked and twisted on the ground, like a circle with two dots and a curved arc inside.

"Nian'en, what did you draw?"

"Cat," she said earnestly, pointing to the drawing on the ground.

Qian Cheng looked at it for a long time, but couldn't see how it resembled a cat. However, he nodded and said, "It's really well drawn, it looks just like one."

Nian'en was happy and drew another one, still a circle, two dots, and an arc: "Baba, cat."

Qian Cheng smiled and picked her up: "Nian'en, Daddy is going out tomorrow for a few days. You stay home and listen to Mommy."

Nian'en was stunned for a moment, the smile on her little face disappeared, and her mouth twitched as if she was about to cry.

"Dad's gone to run some errands, he'll be back when he's done." Qian Cheng hugged her tighter, "I'll bring you something delicious when I get back."

Xin Nian'en hugged his neck without saying a word, tears welling up in her eyes but not falling.

Zhang Mingxi came out of the house and saw the situation. She sighed, "She makes a scene every time you go out. She'll be fine once you leave."

Qian Cheng patted Nian En's back, and she leaned on his shoulder, whispering, "Baba won't leave."

He looked at her, and felt a pang in his heart.

But there was no other way; the matter in Yingkou couldn't be delayed.

He held his daughter in his arms and walked around the yard several times before she slowly stopped crying. She nestled on his shoulder, her little hands clutching his clothes, quiet and still.

During dinner, Nian'en sat next to him, eating with her own spoon, getting rice grains all over her face. Qian Cheng wiped her face, and she glanced up at him before lowering her head to eat again, as if afraid he would run away.

After dinner, he played with building blocks with her for a while and told her a story before she finally agreed to go to sleep. Lying in bed, her little hand was still gripping his finger, refusing to let go.

Zhang Mingxi said from the side, "You can leave now. She's asleep, so we won't look for her anymore."

Qian Cheng gently withdrew his finger. Nian En stirred, but did not wake up.

He bent down and kissed her forehead, then turned off the light.

Standing at the doorway, he looked back one last time.

On the small bed, Nian'en curled up in a ball, the blanket covering her chin, her hand still clutching the comic book.

Zhang Mingxi saw him to the door: "Leave early tomorrow, don't let her see you, or she'll cry again."

""

Qian Cheng nodded, said nothing, and turned to leave.

The jujube tree in the yard cast swaying shadows in the moonlight. He pushed his bicycle out the door and glanced back at the window.

The light was still on, and Zhang Mingxi stood by the window, waving at him.

He got on his bike and rode into the night. He was going to Yingkou the next day, and he had a lot to do.

Things in Yingkou went more smoothly than Qian Cheng had expected, but they were also more difficult than he had anticipated.

It's in accordance with the policy.

The province issued a document requiring all localities to strengthen the construction of vegetable bases to ensure urban supply.

The people from the YK City Bureau of Commerce took this matter very seriously and specially assigned a section chief surnamed Zhou to accompany them on their trip to the countryside.

Section Chief Zhou was in his early forties and had worked in the Commerce Bureau for over a decade, so he knew the situation in every commune under him like the back of his hand.

"Manager Qian, I've heard about what happened at your company."

The provincial capital is doing a good job, and we in Yingkou want to learn from them.

Section Chief Zhou, sitting in the passenger seat of the jeep, turned to Qian Cheng and said, "The problem is that the farmers here aren't very enthusiastic about growing vegetables. The supply and marketing cooperatives are offering low prices, so they're unwilling to sell. They'd rather eat them themselves or give them away."

Qian Cheng asked, "What about the free market?"

Section Chief Zhou shook his head: "The free market can indeed fetch high prices, but it's unstable. You might have some today, but not tomorrow. Farmers can't rely on that to make a living."

Qian Cheng nodded, understanding the situation.

The key issues here are price and stability.

If prices are high, farmers are willing to plant; if prices are stable, farmers dare to plant. If both conditions are met, the business will succeed.

They stayed in Yingkou for three days, visiting two counties, six communes, and more than a dozen villages.

Old Li was in charge of keeping records: how much land each village had, what vegetables were grown, what the yield was, and how far it was from the highway—all of this was written in his notebook.

Qian Cheng was in charge of negotiating—he talked to the commune secretary, the brigade leader, and the experienced workers.

The village we visited the first day was called Liujiawopeng. It was not far from the county town and the land was fertile, but few people grew vegetables there. Most of the land was planted with corn and sorghum.

The brigade leader's surname was Liu. He was in his fifties, with a dark red face and a loud voice.

"Manager Qian, is the price you mentioned really higher than the supply and marketing cooperative's?"

Qian Cheng said, "Twenty percent higher. The supply and marketing cooperative takes eight cents for the spinach, and I get one cent."

The supply and marketing cooperative buys leeks for one cent each, and I get one cent and two cents each.

Do the math, how much more can you earn per acre?

Captain Liu counted on his fingers and his eyes lit up: "That acre of land can earn an extra twenty or thirty yuan."

,,