Rebirth 1990: The beginning is sweet and cool Bai Yueguang

"Uncle, what are you doing..."

"Xiao Zhou, look at this scene. I am both happy and distressed." Cao Yuan took a deep puff of cigarette and continued, "The villagers have a hard life. They rely on their small fields to make a living. They work hard all year round, but they can't sell much cotton. Now it's good. You come to collect cotton and cloth. It's a great thing for the village."

"But I don't know how long you can keep doing this. Can you tell me your plan?"

"The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment may be. I'm afraid that my fellow villagers... Uncle must be mentally prepared..." There was both expectation and worry in Cao Yuan's eyes.

Zhou Qi understood what he meant and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Cao Yuan was a good cadre who was very concerned about the livelihood of his fellow villagers. He was a hundred times better than those cadres who only talked big.

Therefore……

Zhou Qi didn't want to lie to him, so after a moment of silence he said, "Uncle, I know you want to help the villagers find a way out, but this is not a long-term solution. My collection of cotton cloth does give them hope, and they feel they have a way to make a living, so they rush to weave cloth. But to be honest, hand-weaving is inefficient and the quality is unstable. We are taking advantage of a gap in the market, and it will soon be filled."

"To be honest, this might be my last time to collect the goods, unless I have to make another trip because the quantity is not enough, but this is almost the case."

Cao Yuan was not surprised by this. Just as he was worried, this business would not last long. He nodded: "In fact, since you came in person today and made such a big fuss, I knew it was almost done. In any case, I still want to thank you. I am very satisfied to be able to sell so much."

"Then what are your plans next?"

Zhou Qi nodded slightly: "Let's start with wholesale, and then we may consider building a factory."

After all, the entity is the mainstream of the market. To gain a firm foothold, you must have your own entity. But building a factory requires capital accumulation, so you should do it step by step and not in a hurry.

"Oh!" Cao Yuan nodded, "Have you chosen the place?"

"We're still looking. I heard there's a bankrupt lumber mill in the eastern suburbs. The site is quite large, but I haven't had time to investigate it yet," Zhou Qi revealed.

"The lumber mill in the eastern suburbs? Uncle Cao also knows that place?" Zhou Qi asked curiously.

"Well, the sawmill was originally a state-owned unit, but later tried the shareholding cooperative system. Unfortunately, it collapsed within two years. The location is indeed good, with convenient transportation and close to the city, so it is quite suitable for doing business there." Cao Yuan gave an introduction.

These words made Zhou Qi feel nervous. The shareholding cooperative system meant that the factory was not privately owned.

In this era, most factories involve public-private partnerships, and if you want to take them over individually, it is not as simple as just paying money and signing a contract.

Simply put, if you don’t have some connections, there’s no way you can rent this land.

"So which department is in charge of this factory now?" Zhou Qi asked.

Cao Yuan understood what he meant, and after taking the last puff of his cigarette, he said, "Xiao Zhou, I have been a village official for many years, so I still have some connections. If you really like that place, I can help you with the negotiations."

When Zhou Qi heard this, his eyes lit up. This was an unexpected gain.

"Uncle, I haven't visited that factory yet. I have to see if it's suitable. If it is, it won't be too late for you to inquire about it. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, thank you in advance!" Zhou Qi said with a smile.

Cao Yuan waved his hand and said, "Why are you being polite? You have helped the villagers so much, and this is what I should do. Besides, the factory is idle anyway. You can do something about it, and it is a great thing to make this happen."

As soon as these words came out, an idea flashed through Zhou Qi's mind.

"Uncle, whether I am doing wholesale or opening a factory in the future, I will need to recruit people. If possible, I hope you can recommend some hard-working and trustworthy people." Zhou Qi made a request.

Cao Yuan was stunned. He had never thought about this at all.

If we can really recruit workers near home and solve the livelihood problems of some poor families, it would be a great act of kindness.

"Okay, okay!" Cao Yuan said excitedly, "Xiao Zhou, if you like that factory, I will risk my reputation and help you get it even if I have to run myself ragged."

Whether you are doing wholesale or opening a factory, you cannot avoid dealing with the authorities.

Many times, even if there is a stepping stone, there may not be a door to knock on.

Just like the timber factory, although Zhang Gongzheng found the location, he had no way to learn more about it. If he really wanted to find it, he would have to go through all the formalities, which would take a long time, and it might not be successful.

Although Cao Yuan is only a deputy village chief, don't underestimate him because he is still an official. He can at least have some connections with the higher-ups and say a few useful words.

It's not that I'm trying to take advantage of anyone. If I can succeed, I can recruit people from the village to work, and the lives of the poor households will be brighter. My fellow villagers will become richer, so it's like helping me a lot. It's mutually beneficial, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about asking for it.

Besides, the person recommended by Cao Yuan must have good character, which is better than blind tricks. It’s a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.

After more than two hours, the rice they brought was all gone, and the little cash Ma Yuancai and Zhang Gongzheng had was gone. At this time, many people chose to put the money on hold, but even so, they could not collect it.

A large truck, a van, three half-trucks and eight ox carts were all filled to the brim with cotton and cloth. It was beyond their ability to collect more.

Ma Yuancai was covered in dust and sweat, his face was sticky like mud, and his clothes were wrinkled by the enthusiastic villagers, making him look extremely miserable.

"Zhou Qi, can't you lend a hand?" Ma Yuan felt that he had been badly cheated, and he wanted to give Zhou Qi a good beating.

"Master Ma, your vision has shrunk again!" Zhou Qi put his arm around his shoulders and pointed at the convoy, "Look at these goods. You paid the most money and received so many treasures. Are you at ease if you don't check the quality? If you don't do this job, who will? Besides, we are brothers. What's wrong with putting in more effort? Look, the work is justified and there is no complaint. We are all brothers, why should we care about it?"

Zhang Gong's forehand was almost dislocated from exhaustion, and the pain would probably take a few days to heal, but thinking that at least he was getting paid, he didn't complain too much.

Ma Yuancai curled his lips, and for a moment he really couldn't find any words to refute. But he always felt that something was wrong. This time, Zhou Qi was obviously the biggest winner.

All the goods that were exchanged for that truckload of rice were his, even the part that was sold on credit was counted in his account. In the final analysis, more than half of the goods were Zhou Qi's credit.

Before Ma Yuancai could complain again, Zhou Qi patted him on the shoulder and waved to everyone, "Get in the car, let's go!"

Ma Yuancai glared at him unhappily, opened the truck door and was about to sit inside.

"Master Ma, are you going to the front line to fight?" Zhou Qi teased.

Ma Yuan was stunned for a moment, and didn't react, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's okay!" Zhou Qi smiled and turned to Liu Yuan, "Liu Yuan, if anything happens later, you have to protect our Master Ma."

Ma Yuancai was so busy that he almost forgot about the gang. Seeing Zhou Qi walking back, he quickly grabbed him and asked, "Where are you going?"