1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Crane Flavor Food Processing Plant.

Looking at the factory, now deserted again, Wu Qianzhu couldn't help but sigh:

"Brother Jianguo, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault for being useless. I spent two days running around Harbin with you, eating a lot of meals, but we didn't close a single deal."

Dong Jianguo chuckled dismissively, "What are you saying? Aside from that hundred-box order from the railway bureau, I didn't manage to secure anything else when I went to Harbin!"

Although the trip to Harbin got off to a good start, the subsequent developments did not go smoothly.

Dong Jianguo initially thought he could promote his braised eggs in major shopping malls in Harbin.

The people of Kehacheng were not fond of these sealed-packaged braised eggs.

"By the afternoon, the vendors selling tea eggs from carts outside the mall are so busy that the Industry and Commerce Bureau can't keep up with chasing them away. Who would buy your pre-packaged kind when fresh eggs are available?"

"Your braised eggs may taste good, but who knows what's in them? Besides, small out-of-town factories like yours can go bankrupt so easily. If something goes wrong, our shopping mall will have to pay for it ourselves."

"I'd like to buy from you. Does your factory have an office in Harbin? Do you have a warehouse? If I order a small amount, can you ship it from Hecheng?"

The shopping mall's purchasing managers' numerous concerns completely nipped their hopes in the bud.

But you can't blame them for this.

After all, there was no personal relationship between me and them from the railway bureau, and their concerns were not unfounded; they were based on real considerations.

So after visiting six or seven shopping malls, Dong Jianguo finally had no choice but to give up completely and return home with Erzhuzi. Back at the Hecheng factory, he first rushed out the 100 boxes of goods from the railway bureau.

In order to meet the deadline, the two went straight back to the factory after getting off the train and worked hard to deliver 100 boxes of braised eggs to the passenger transport section in Hecheng before National Day.

With the approval slip from Director Zhang of the Harbin General Section, the 100 boxes of braised eggs were paid for in cash, allowing Dong Jianguo to receive 2500 yuan directly.

However, this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the initial expenses of starting the factory.

The cost is far from enough to purchase the machines, not to mention the cost of site and labor.

In order to rush the production of this batch of goods, Dong Jianguo has even suspended the relatively profitable egg retail business in the past few days, and only retained the wholesale egg and fresh egg retail business. The other time, the four of them stay at the factory except when they go home to rest.

Even the farm's delivery points and the distribution points for vendors were transformed from old bungalows into food factories.

Unfortunately, the returns fell far short of expectations.

Seeing that Erzhuzi was in low spirits, Dong Jianguo patted him on the shoulder to comfort him:

"It's okay, this is how small factories start, there's no rush."

"When I first went to restaurants to sell eggs, they all initially said they didn't want any!"

"As long as you analyze the problems and change your mindset, you can always get things done step by step!"

"So... what do we do now?"

"There's no news from the railway bureau yet, so let's leave it for now. We'll just make another hundred or so boxes to keep on hand."

"The first thing is that the factory needs to recruit people; we definitely won't have enough people on our own."

Xiuyun's belly is getting bigger every day, so it's not suitable for her to come and help out at the factory. Go back to the bungalow and tell Hongmei that if she's free later, she should take a taxi home to rest.

"Sister Hongmei, go back to the old bungalow area and ask around. See if there are any female workers from our factory who you know well and are willing to work here. We'll recruit three female workers first. I need them to be healthy and able to get a health certificate. They shouldn't be too old either, preferably around 30 years old. Let's set the salary at 300 yuan a month for now."

"The second thing is that we need to change our marketing strategy. Actually, some of the reasons given by the purchasing managers in Harbin are quite reasonable. No matter how well our products are sealed, they can't compare to those freshly baked tea eggs sold from carts."

Therefore, we need to leverage our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and we have indeed taken a bit too big a step in developing in other cities.

Therefore, for subsequent product promotion, we will prioritize small shops in Hecheng community. In general, no one sells tea eggs from carts in residential areas; braised eggs will definitely sell better if displayed in a shop, and delivery will be more convenient for us. We can establish a foothold in the local market first, and then consider Harbin later.

When people feel lost and helpless, they often fall into confusion and despair.

But having a backbone who can provide direction at crucial moments makes all the difference.

Dong Jianguo's words were like a reassuring pill, calming the anxious people in the factory.

Hearing Dong Jianguo's well-organized arrangements, Zhao Hongmei and Wu Qianzhu nodded repeatedly, and their momentary dejection vanished.

Xiuyun simply tugged at Dong Jianguo's sleeve and pulled him outside the workshop:

"I don't want to go back..."

"Huh? There are so many people here, what if you get hurt? Wouldn't it be better to go home and rest?"

"What do you mean 'okay'? I'm so bored being home alone. Jianguo, don't try to make me rest just because I'm pregnant. We've barely started! I'm not that fragile! My mom was still working before she gave birth to me..."

Dong Jianguo smiled helplessly: "My mother gave birth to me at home! She didn't even have time to go to the hospital. How can you compare? Things are better now, so getting more rest is for your own good!"

"I don't want to!" Xiuyun shook her head, her brows furrowed with anxiety.

Dong Jianguo sighed, realizing that his wife was getting anxious and upset because business was bad.

He raised his hand and touched Xiuyun's cheek:

"It's alright. Although the retail egg business has stopped, the most profitable wholesale egg business is still operating, so we're still making money, just a little less than before."

"But the rent is all paid off, I'm debt-free and can do whatever I want now!"

Xiuyun shook her head, a hint of sadness in her eyes: "Is it because my braised eggs aren't good enough that they're not selling..."

"Nonsense! My wife makes the best eggs in the world! Even the railway bureau leaders told me that your eggs are much better than Sister Hongmei's spiced eggs!"

"Then why did they buy so little...?"

"Exactly! They call themselves leaders, but they're so stingy I don't even want to talk about it! Next time we meet, honey, you have to give the railway bureau leaders a good scolding for me!"

Dong Jianguo's joke made Xiuyun blush, and she couldn't help but reach out and pinch him.

However, since she could make a joke, Xiuyun wasn't too worried about her husband's mental state.

Despite her reassurance, Xiuyun refused to go home no matter what.

Seeing her like this, Dong Jianguo had an idea:

"Honey, if you really want to make something, you can braise some other things at the factory. Anyway, I bought several braising pots back then, and they're just sitting there doing nothing."

"What flavor do you want me to braise?" Zhou Xiuyun blinked, wondering what kind of mischievous idea her husband was coming up with this time.

Dong Jianguo smiled mysteriously:

"Honey, have you ever tried pickled chicken feet?"