12dz Chapter 487 Obtaining the Venue
Chapter 487 Obtaining the Venue
Just as the couple were discussing expanding their business, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Wang Ergou rushed in.
"Brother Xiangyang!" Wang Ergou exclaimed excitedly, "I ran into Boss Liu at the village entrance just now. He said there really are wild ginseng in Daqinggou! Someone has already dug up a few and sold them for a good price!"
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Really? Then we'd better hurry."
“That’s what I thought too,” Wang Ergou said, rubbing his hands together. “But where to find ginseng is another problem. The mountains are so vast; we can’t possibly search the entire mountain, can we?”
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered someone: "Old Master Zheng should have experience. He's spent his whole life hunting in the mountains and knows the terrain of Daqinggou like the back of his hand. He might even know a few wild ginseng growing spots."
"That's right!" Wang Ergou slapped his thigh. "Should I go find Old Zheng and ask him now?"
“There’s no rush,” Li Xiangyang waved his hand. “Sit down first, I have something important to discuss with you.”
The three sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and Li Xiangyang told Wang Ergou about his idea of expanding the mountain products business.
"That's a great idea!" Wang Ergou clapped his hands. "Our village isn't far from the county town, and the roads have been repaired, making transportation much more convenient. We can collect all the local mountain produce and sell it to buyers in the city; the price difference can be substantial!"
"Are you willing to work with me?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"Of course!" Wang Ergou patted his chest and assured him, "Brother Xiangyang, don't worry, I've got this covered!"
Li Xiangyang smiled: "Alright, let's get started on the preparations. First, we need to find a place, big enough to store all sorts of mountain produce, and also convenient for vehicles to get in and out."
Wang Ergou thought for a moment and said, "How about that open space at the west end of the village? It's near the old threshing ground; it's spacious and close to the highway."
“That land belongs to the production team, so we have to discuss it with the village,” Li Xiangyang said thoughtfully. “But now that the household responsibility system has been implemented, it should be easier to talk to them. I’ll go talk to Team Leader Zheng tomorrow.”
Li Xiaoyun stood up and said, "You guys discuss it, I'll go prepare dinner."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou continued discussing the distribution center for mountain products, planning every detail from site selection and decoration to staff recruitment.
As dusk fell, after seeing Wang Ergou off, Li Xiangyang stood in the courtyard, gazing at the distant mountains, his heart filled with anticipation for the future.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang went to the village committee to find Captain Zheng.
"Xiangyang, what's up so early in the morning?" Captain Zheng was chopping firewood in the village committee courtyard when he saw Li Xiangyang and stopped what he was doing to ask.
Li Xiangyang cut to the chase: "Captain Zheng, I'd like to rent that threshing ground at the west end of the village to set up a distribution center for mountain products. We'll buy mountain products from the surrounding villages and then sell them to buyers in the city."
Captain Zheng put down his axe and wiped the sweat from his brow: "That's a good idea! You've got a good head on your shoulders. But this land belongs to the village collective, so we need to have a meeting to discuss it."
"Then I'll trouble Captain Zheng to make the arrangements as soon as possible," Li Xiangyang said sincerely. "I want things settled quickly so I can start preparations."
Captain Zheng nodded: "Alright, I'll call a meeting with the village cadres in the next few days. But there's one issue you need to think about. This mountain produce distribution center can't be run by just you and Wang Ergou. What are your plans?"
Li Xiangyang laughed and said, "I've already thought it through. I plan to recruit a few young men from the village and teach them how to identify and process various mountain products. Wang Ergou and I will take turns watching over them, and we'll all work together in case of emergencies."
"I see," Captain Zheng nodded with satisfaction. "It's a good thing that this can create some job opportunities for the village. Where will we source the mountain products?"
"I mainly buy from hunters and herb gatherers in the surrounding villages," Li Xiangyang explained. "I've become familiar with quite a few people, and as long as the price is fair, they're willing to sell to me."
Captain Zheng chuckled and patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder: "Good lad, you've got some big plans! Okay, I'll arrange a meeting as soon as possible and try to give you an answer in the next couple of days."
……
A few days later, Captain Zheng came to Li Xiangyang's house with good news: "The village committee has agreed that you can rent that threshing ground to use as a distribution center for mountain products. Regarding the rent, considering that you're creating employment opportunities for the village, we've decided to offer it free for the first year, and then charge a certain amount of rent each year starting from the second year. The specific amount will be discussed later."
Li Xiangyang was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, Captain Zheng! This is a great help to us."
"No need to thank me, this is a unanimous decision by the village committee," Captain Zheng said with a smile. "You have a good reputation in the village, and everyone is willing to support you."
After obtaining the site, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou immediately began preparations. They first cleared the weeds and garbage around the threshing ground, and then planned to build a simple shed on the site to store and process various mountain products.
At the same time, Li Xiangyang also began looking for suitable candidates to help.
He first approached Zhang Weiping and got straight to the point, saying, "Weiping, I'm planning to set up a distribution center for mountain products at the threshing ground on the west side of the village, buying and selling various mountain goods. I'd like to ask you to help me out; I'll pay you a monthly salary. Are you interested?"
Zhang Weiping asked in surprise, "Really? How much is the salary?"
"The starting salary might not be very high, but it will definitely increase as the business grows," Li Xiangyang said frankly. "Most importantly, you'll learn a lot, and you'll have experience running your own business in the future."
Zhang Weiping thought for a moment and readily agreed: "Okay! I'll work with you! Anyway, farming doesn't require being in the fields every day; I can help out whenever I have free time."
Next, Li Xiangyang went to see Li Daqiang and received the same positive response.
With manpower secured, the most important issue next is funding.
Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun tallied up their savings, and with the income from selling game and Chinese medicinal herbs, they barely had enough to buy a small truck and cover the operating costs for the first few months.
“We need to be careful with this money,” Li Xiangyang said to Li Xiaoyun. “I want to lay a solid foundation first, and then consider expanding once we have a stable income.”
Li Xiaoyun nodded: "I understand. I'll try to be as frugal as possible with household expenses. Most of the vegetables are grown by ourselves now; the main expense is Chen'er's school fees."
“Chen’er’s tuition fees cannot be skimped on,” Li Xiangyang said firmly. “I hope he can study hard and make something of himself.”
Li Xiaoyun smiled: "We think the same way. As long as the family business does well, Chen'er's university expenses won't be a problem."
Li Xiangyang held his wife's hand: "Thank you for everything, Xiaoyun. You've supported me and taken care of the family all these years."
Li Xiaoyun leaned gently on her husband's shoulder: "Silly boy, what's so hard about this? Seeing our family getting better and better makes me happy."
On a warm spring afternoon, Li Xiangyang stood in the center of the threshing ground, watching the workers busily assembling the framework of a makeshift shed. The timber was neatly stacked according to the design, and several villagers were working diligently on the construction.
Wang Ergou walked over excitedly and said, "Brother Xiangyang, I just came back from the county and found a used Jiefang brand truck. The price isn't high, and the condition is pretty good. Do you want to go take a look?"
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Really? Then let's hurry up and go take a look."