Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"What's wrong? You look so flustered." I turned to look at Lin Xiao, who still had the joy of opening a business on his face. "What happened?"

"Jinli, our supply of raw materials is a bit tight, especially honeysuckle and bupleurum. They are out of stock in the market now, and the price has doubled than before!" Lin Xiao said in a hurried tone, his face full of anxiety.

My heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition came over me. During this period, with the commissioning of the flower processing factory, the demand for medicinal flowers has been increasing day by day. Although I have made some preparations in advance, the market changes too quickly, and there is still a problem of insufficient supply of raw materials.

"I understand. Don't worry. I will contact the supplier right away to check the situation." I tried to stay calm and comfort Lin Xiao.

After Lin Xiao left, I immediately called several familiar suppliers, but the answers I got were all similar: honeysuckle and bupleurum were in serious shortage, the price had risen to two or three times that of previous years, and was still rising.

After hanging up the phone, I frowned, with a lot of thoughts in my mind. The problem of tight supply of raw materials must be solved as soon as possible, otherwise it will not only affect the production plan of the processing plant, but also the reputation of the planting base.

At this time, Bai Hanchuan came over and asked with concern: "What's wrong? Why do you look so bad?"

I told him about the tight supply of raw materials. After listening, Bai Hanchuan pondered for a moment and said, "The price fluctuation of raw materials is a market law. We cannot control it, but we can find ways to expand the purchase channels and reduce procurement costs."

"I have contacted several suppliers, but there is no good news." I said a little frustrated, "Now the market is very tight on honeysuckle and radix bupleuri. Many merchants are rushing to buy them, and it is difficult for us to get the goods."

Bai Hanchuan patted my shoulder and comforted me: "Don't worry, I will find a way."

In the next few days, Bai Hanchuan ran around and contacted many people, hoping to find new suppliers of raw materials. At the same time, I was not idle either. I began to try to contact some farmers who planted honeysuckle and bupleurum, hoping to purchase directly from them.

Hard work pays off. After several days of hard work, we finally found a new supply channel. A medicinal herb planting cooperative located in a remote mountainous area was willing to provide us with honeysuckle and bupleurum at a reasonable price.

Just when I thought the problem was solved, Lin Xiao brought another piece of bad news: "Jinli, a batch of low-priced and low-quality essential oils and scented teas appeared on the market, which seriously impacted our product sales..."

I took a deep breath, tried to keep myself calm, and said slowly: "It seems that these peaceful days will not last long..."

Lin Xiao's words were like a cold shower on my head, instantly sobering me up. Low-price competition is a problem that many industries will encounter, and I should have expected that it would happen to me.

"Jinli, I've done some research. Those low-priced products are of poor quality, but their prices are nearly half of ours. Many customers are attracted to them..." Lin Xiao's tone was filled with worry. "If this continues, our market share will definitely be greatly affected."

I nodded, frowning. Although low-price competition is hateful, it is also a market strategy, and I can't stop others from doing it. The only thing I can do is to continuously improve product quality, strengthen brand building, and make customers believe that you get what you pay for.

"I know about this matter. I will find a way to solve it." I comforted Lin Xiao, but my heart was full of pressure.

In addition to market competition, the pressure of technological innovation is also increasing. I have always regarded technological innovation as the core competitiveness of the planting base, but innovation requires a lot of money and manpower. During this period, I have been busy solving raw material and market problems, and the investment in technological research and development has been reduced.

I realized that I couldn't focus on one thing and lose the other, and I had to do both. I decided to personally lead the technical team to conduct research and development from tomorrow, and strive to develop new varieties in the shortest possible time to improve product competitiveness.

Just when I was worrying about the future of the planting base, Lin Xiao brought me another shocking news.

"Jinli, I've discovered a very serious problem..." Lin Xiao's expression was solemn and his tone was low, "I suspect that someone wants to maliciously acquire our planting base."

I was shocked and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to my heart.

"How do you know?" I asked in a low voice, my heart full of confusion and anxiety.

"When I was doing market research recently, I found that several companies were inquiring about our planting base, and the conditions they offered were very generous..." Lin Xiao paused and continued, "I suspect that these companies have the same boss behind them, and their goal is to swallow us up!"

My heart sank, and an unprecedented sense of crisis came over me.

"Who is it? Who is behind this?" I muttered to myself. Countless suspects flashed through my mind, but I still couldn't be sure.

Lin Xiao held my hand and said firmly: "Jinli, don't worry, I will find out everything and I will protect our hard work!"

I looked at Lin Xiao's determined eyes, and a glimmer of hope rose in my heart. At this time, there was a knock on the office door, and a familiar voice came from outside the door: "Jinli, are you there? I have something important to tell you..." "Come in." I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

Bai Hanchuan pushed the door open and saw the expressions on Lin Xiao and me, and realized what had happened. He walked quickly to my side and asked with concern, "What's wrong? What happened?"

I told Bai Hanchuan about Lin Xiao's discovery, and his face became serious. "It seems that our opponent is more powerful and cunning than we imagined." He said in a deep voice, "We must take measures as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Just then, my cell phone rang. I looked at the number and saw it was the retired gardening guru calling.

"Jinli, I heard that some people have been asking about the situation at your planting base recently. Have you encountered any trouble?" The old man's voice was full of worry.

My heart warmed, and I said gratefully: "Thank you for your concern. We did encounter some problems, but don't worry, we will handle them properly."

The old man was silent for a moment, then said, "Jinli, I know you are a capable child, but sometimes, relying on yourself is not enough. If you need help, just ask, and my old friends and I will do our best to help you."

I was touched and said, "Thank you, old man. I appreciate your kindness. If I need anything, I will definitely ask you for help."

After I hung up the phone, I received another call from the botanical expert, who expressed the same concerns and offered to provide us with technical support free of charge.

I am filled with gratitude. In this critical moment, it is the support and help of these friends that gave me the courage and confidence to overcome difficulties.

We took immediate action, and with the help of mysterious allies and new allies, we strengthened internal management, improved confidentiality systems, and encrypted key technologies. At the same time, we also stepped up market research and paid close attention to the movements of competitors.

In the evening, the meeting room of the planting base was brightly lit. Bai Hanchuan and I sat at the two ends of the conference table, while Lin Xiao and other management staff sat on both sides. Everyone's face was full of solemnity.

"The situation is urgent now, and we must come up with a response strategy as soon as possible." Bai Hanchuan looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Everyone can speak freely about whatever ideas you have."

There was a lot of discussion in the conference room. Some people suggested reducing prices to promote sales and seize market share; some people suggested increasing publicity to enhance brand awareness; and some people suggested developing new varieties to enhance product competitiveness...

I listened carefully to everyone's speech, constantly analyzing the feasibility and risks of various plans in my mind.

"Jinli, what do you think?" Bai Hanchuan asked when he saw that I was silent.

I took a deep breath and said slowly, "I think we can't let our opponents lead us by the nose. We must take the initiative and disrupt their rhythm..."

Before I finished speaking, the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open, and a figure hurriedly walked in and said anxiously: "Oh no, something happened..."