Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

Five hundred jin!

This number made Luo Xinde's mind go blank.

Before he came, he had imagined the best outcome: that Wang Defa and his group would taste it and think it was good, and might consider cooperating in the future.

He never expected that the other party would not only want to cooperate on the spot, but also place a large order for 500 kilograms right away!

"Five...five hundred jin?" Luo Xinde stammered, thinking he had misheard.

"Yes, 500 jin. This is just the first batch." Wang Defa looked at him and said with a smile, "Old Luo, do you think it's a bit much? Let me tell you, 500 jin is a small amount. Our hotel sells thousands of New Year's gift packages every year. Your sausages are of such good quality, and they're a local specialty of Qinghe County, they're definitely in high demand. I estimate that these 500 jin won't even last a week."

"No, no, no, not much, not much." Luo Xinde came to his senses and quickly waved his hand.

He quickly did the math in his head. One pound of sausage requires about one and a half pounds of fresh meat, and with all the other costs, the cost price per pound is about twenty yuan.

So what would be a suitable price?

He subconsciously wanted to quote thirty yuan, thinking that earning ten yuan per kilogram was already quite remarkable.

But before he could speak, Chef Li, who was standing next to him, spoke up.

"Old Wang, these sausages are of such good quality. I think we can't offer Boss Luo a lower purchase price." He looked at Luo Xinde and said sincerely, "Boss Luo, name your price. As long as it's reasonable, we won't haggle."

Luo Xinde was at a loss for words when asked this question. He looked at Wang Defa for help.

Wang Defa smiled. He knew that Luo Xinde was honest but not good at negotiating prices.

"Here's what we'll do, Lao Luo," Wang Defa said, coming to his rescue. "I have a suggestion for you. Your sausage is positioned as a high-end gift. In upscale supermarkets in the city, similar Cantonese sausages can sell for eighty or ninety yuan per pound. We have a long-term partnership and purchase in large quantities, so I won't let you lose out."

He held up five fingers: "Fifty yuan per jin (500g). What do you think?"

Fifty yuan per jin!

Luo Xinde's mind went blank again.

The cost is 20 yuan, the selling price is 50 yuan, and you can make 30 yuan per kilogram!

Five hundred catties, that's a net profit of fifteen thousand yuan!

This...this is even more profitable than selling pork!

"Great! Absolutely!" Luo Xinde's face flushed red as he grasped Wang Defa's hand, repeatedly saying, "Manager Wang, you're truly a great benefactor to our family! Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me, Lao Luo. It's because your products are good; this is a win-win situation for us." Wang Defa patted his hand. "I'll have my assistant draft the contract right away. But, can your production capacity keep up? Five hundred kilograms—when can you deliver?"

"One week! I guarantee it will be delivered to you within a week!" Luo Xinde patted his chest and assured him.

He knew that Master Sun Dahai's drying room could process a maximum of 100 jin (50 kg) at a time.

Five hundred pounds, which needs to be done in five batches, is indeed a bit tight on time.

But with such a large order, even if we don't sleep, we have to finish it for them.

As Luo Xinde drove out of the Golden Bay Hotel, he felt dizzy and his foot was trembling as he pressed the accelerator.

As soon as he got home, he told his family the wonderful news.

"What? Five hundred catties? Fifty yuan per catty?" Upon hearing this, Li Minxia dropped the knitting needles in her hand to the ground.

She picked up the knitting needles, but frowned. "Five hundred pounds, in a week... is that even possible?"

"We absolutely have to make it!" Luo Xinde was now full of confidence. "I'll talk to Master Sun tonight and ask him to hire a couple more helpers! If we don't have enough manpower, I'll go help too! It's just making sausages, right? I'll learn!"

"Dad, don't worry." Luo Xiyuan said calmly, "This can't be done by hand. Our production capacity must keep up."

She looked at her father: "Dad, I suggest we immediately order another large meat grinder, a fully automatic sausage stuffer, and build two more larger drying rooms! Our sausage processing plant needs to be expanded!"

"Another expansion?" Li Minxia was overwhelmed when she heard this.

"Mom, think about it, the orders from Jin Haiwan are just the beginning. Once our reputation is established, more and more people will want to cooperate with us. If our production capacity can't keep up, won't we just be watching the money slip through our fingers?" Luo Xiyuan said. "If we don't expand now, it will be too late when orders pile up!"

"Xi Yuan is right!" Master Liu nodded in agreement. "To do a good job, one must first have the right tools. Small workshops can't build a large industry. We must get the necessary equipment!"

Luo Xinde also felt that what his daughter and Grandpa Liu said made sense.

"Okay! Let's expand it then! I'll find a construction team tomorrow!"

"Where's the money? How much money do we have left in the account?" Li Minxia asked the most crucial question again.

"Mom, don't worry. The initial investment in the organic fertilizer plant is almost complete. We still have over 200,000 yuan in working capital. Expanding the processing workshop and buying a few pieces of equipment will cost 100,000 yuan. There's no problem with funding." Luo Xiyuan had already calculated everything clearly.

Thus, spurred by the first large order, the Luo family's sausage processing workshop began its first expansion before it even officially started selling to the public.

Upon hearing the news, Sun Dahai rubbed his hands together and paced around the room several times. He hadn't expected that this craft could cause such a stir in the hands of the Luo family's young lady.

He volunteered to serve as the technical director of the expansion project. He personally oversaw the selection of equipment and the design of the drying room.

"If we're going to do it, we'll do it the best in the country!" The old man was now full of energy.

A week later, the Luo family rushed to deliver the first batch of 500 jin of sausages to the Golden Bay Hotel on time.

Wang Defa immediately had someone inspect the goods and then readily transferred the 25,000 yuan payment to Luo's Farm's account.

Holding this money, the Luo family was even happier than when they made hundreds of thousands from selling pigs last time.

Because they knew that this meant the Luo family was no longer just raising pigs, but also processing food.

Their business empire has expanded once again.

And the "Luo's-Sun Master" brand sausages, through the New Year's gift package of the Golden Bay Hotel, officially entered the vision of the city's middle and high-end consumers for the first time.

Word of mouth has started to spread.

"Hey Lao Li, what kind of New Year's gifts did your company give you this year?"

"Don't even mention it, it's the same old story: rice, flour, and oil. What about you?"

"My wife's company gave us this New Year's gift box from Jin Hai Wan, and it even had two packs of sausages inside! You wouldn't believe how good they were! My son could eat a whole pack by himself!"

"Really? Is it that delicious? What's the brand?"

"I think it was called something like 'Luo's' or 'Master Sun's,' I can't quite remember. Anyway, the packaging was quite old-fashioned, and it looked high-end."

Such conversations are happening in many offices and homes throughout the city.

People began to show great interest in this unfamiliar sausage brand.

Meanwhile, Luo Xiyuan was in her specialty store in the county town, planning another major event.

"Sister Li Yan," she said to Li Yan, "starting tomorrow, our shop will only supply a limited quantity of ten jin of 'Master Sun' brand sausages each day. Remember, it's a limited quantity."

"Limited edition? Why, Mr. Luo? Aren't we able to produce them now?" Li Yan asked, puzzled.

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Luo Xiyuan smiled. "The fire's already burning in the city. Now, we need to figure out how to bring that fire back to our county. Let everyone know that buying the best sausages in the whole county isn't so easy."