Free Web NovelChapter 420: Chapter 420: On Starting a Factory
"We came early, the dishes are complete, of course we have to try them. It’s my first time in East Province, not trying them would be imperfect." Xu Ancheng smiled as he paid.
"It’s your first time here, no wonder. Do you know how big an order of Baozi is?" Ji Yongdiao said.
"No problem, if we can’t finish, we can pack it."
Ji Yongdiao fell silent upon hearing this.
The Baozi came up quickly, the bamboo steamer they were in was as wide as the side of a square Baxian table, so the staff simply placed them on the adjacent empty table.
A steamer had eighteen Baozi, big in size, filled with pork and green onion stuffing which overflowed with juice when bitten. Ji Yongdiao and his five younger brothers each had one to fill their stomachs.
They were all young men in their twenties, at the prime of their eating capability, but they each only ate one, thinking they could take the rest home for their families to taste.
The meals came forth one after another, everyone was focused on eating hard; Xu Ancheng didn’t interrupt them and elegantly ate himself, still not forgetting to invite them, saying to eat freely, and order more if needed.
Among them, Ji Yongdiao had the best family condition, but meat was something they ate only every few days, and no one dared to eat so well at a state-run restaurant, so he indulged himself more.
When most of the dishes on the table were gone and the big dishes like pot-roasted meat only had broth left, everyone’s pace slowed down, Ji Yongdiao looked up at Xu Ancheng, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"You’ve spent a lot." Ji Yongdiao grinned sheepishly.
"I said I would treat you, seeing you enjoy it makes me happy." Xu Ancheng was not bothered at all.
"What kind of business did you mention?" Ji Yongdiao started asking about the business.
"Planning to open a shop." Xu Ancheng smiled and said.
"A shop?" Ji Yongdiao was a bit puzzled, "Where can you open a shop now? Are you crazy?"
"Soon, next year at the latest, but any shop needs preparation beforehand, I want you to start preparing, learn what you need to learn, make connections." Xu Ancheng said, "Since I’ve chosen you, the first thing you need to do is to change your image in others’ minds."
"Apart from the household you ran into yesterday, are there any more debtors you need to collect from?" Xu Ancheng asked straightforwardly.
Ji Yongdiao shook his head, "Our interest rate isn’t high, but we don’t have much money ourselves. Once we finish collecting from Wang Manling, no one will owe us anymore." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"Do you still visit the black market?"
"Occasionally..." As soon as Ji Yongdiao spoke, he covered his mouth angrily, looking at Xu Ancheng, realizing he had been tricked into revealing.
Yes, they not only collected interest but also went to village markets to swap for grains and dry goods, then sold them on the black market to earn some money. Pure interest alone could never make them rich.
"We certainly don’t do anything illegal." Ji Yongdiao’s younger brother A immediately interjected, "We don’t go to any black or white market."
"Exactly, exactly, you treat us to dinner with bad intentions." Ji Yongdiao’s younger brother B agreed repeatedly.
"Can you drive?" Xu Ancheng asked.
"What a joke, if we could drive, we would have been recruited to the transport team long ago."
"Any culinary skills?" Xu Ancheng asked again.
"What exactly do you want? We’re all men, we don’t cook." Ji Yongdiao frowned and said.
"Do you want to work with me?" Xu Ancheng asked, "If willing, I can arrange for people to teach you the skills, whether in cooking or driving, and most importantly, teach you how to interact and conduct business."
Ji Yongdiao frowned deeper, "Where is there business to do now."
"Dongji City’s urban area has nearly all kinds of factories, the Dongji city’s counties, communes, even production brigades, mostly have branches or life-centered factories like rice milling plants."
"Alright, let’s try this first." Xu Ancheng took out a jar from his bag, a transparent fruit jar container, but inside it was reddish-brown, not clear what exactly it was.
Xu Ancheng twisted the lid open, like a sealed fruit jar, it made a "pop" sound, and a rich sweet and sour fruit fragrance permeated out when the lid was removed.
Xu Ancheng picked one to eat himself, and let Ji Yongdiao and others taste it too.
"Is this an apple?" Ji Yongdiao carefully tasted and was surprised, "But apples aren’t in season yet here."
"This was made last year." Xu Ancheng smiled and said.
Ji Yongdiao’s eyes were full of surprise.
"Some things aren’t worth much in season, local specialties aren’t worth much either, but once there’s a change, they become valuable."
"I’ve heard, East Province’s apples are transported nationwide by train every harvest, priced differently according to quality and size, but no food factory in East Province produces this kind of jam." Xu Ancheng said confidently.
"Of course, for convenience, I could sell the recipe and preservation method directly to a food factory, but I met you guys and plan to process and sell it myself." Xu Ancheng emphasized pointedly.
"Of course, this is just one of them; I have other food production recipes too." Xu Ancheng asked, "Are you willing to follow me in this?"
"Though the shop opens next year, the factory can start now, as long as the government approves, we can open a factory first in one of the communes in the apple-producing area, waiting for national policy to loosen, we’ll expand."
"I learned about you yesterday." Xu Ancheng pointed at Ji Yongdiao’s younger brother A sitting next to him, "Xu Kaisheng from Baiqiao Commune in Pingyang County, Dongji City. Your commune grows half of East Province’s apple production, opening a factory in Baiqiao Commune is most suitable."
Xu Kaisheng looked at Xu Ancheng, slack-jawed, truly not expecting him to call out his name and know so much.
"You investigated after meeting us yesterday?" Ji Yongdiao was incredulous, "How did you find out?"
"That’s my business." Xu Ancheng didn’t intend to say, "Once the factory opens, you’ll all become responsible, having recruitment decision rights, and your image will undergo an overwhelming change, but let me say first, if you don’t follow rules or principles, I’ll make you leave at any time; you’re chosen because of him."
Suddenly, Ji Yongdiao felt all eyes at the table turn to him.
"As long as you continue working well now, there shouldn’t be any problem."
