OBS Chapter 1308 Lei Dongbao's Business Acumen
Chapter 1308 Lei Dongbao's Business Acumen
Chapter 1308 Lei Dongbao's Business Acumen
Two days later, a black Crown sedan slowly drove into the Shanbei Brigade of Jinling County.
As soon as the car stopped in front of the Song family compound, Song Yunhui jumped out impatiently and shouted into the house, "Dad! Mom! We're back!"
Hearing the noise, Mr. and Mrs. Song rushed out of the kitchen. Mrs. Song was still holding a spatula. Seeing her children and Qin Hao return together, she beamed, "Oh, you're finally back! Come in quickly, the food is ready!"
Song Yunping got out of the car, carrying several exquisite gift boxes: "Mom, these are health supplements that Hao brought back from Hong Kong. He said they're good for your and Dad's health."
Mother Song took the gift box and scolded, "This child, you're wasting money again!"
He said that, but his face was beaming with joy.
Qin Hao took the luggage out of the trunk and said with a smile, "Auntie, it's nothing valuable, you and Uncle Song don't have to be stingy with it."
Mr. Song quickly took the luggage: "Come inside and rest, you must be tired from the journey."
The family entered the house in a lively atmosphere. In the main room, a round table was already laden with dishes: braised fish, stewed chicken, and stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, all emitting a fragrant aroma.
Mother Song gestured for everyone to sit down: "Come, come, eat while it's hot!"
She deliberately arranged for Qin Hao to sit next to her, constantly piling food onto his plate: "Haozi, try this fish. It was just caught from the river this morning, it's very fresh!"
Qin Hao smiled and accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Auntie. You should have some too."
Song Yunhui wolfed down his rice, mumbling, "Mom, your cooking is the best!"
Song Yunping gently patted him: "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
The family was enjoying their meal when they suddenly heard the sound of a door opening in the yard.
Song Yunhui put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll go take a look."
As Song Yunhui reached the door, his face immediately darkened: "What, it's you again?"
Lei Dongbao stood at the courtyard gate, carrying two bottles of wine and a piece of pork. He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Xiao Hui, I'm not here to see your sister, I'm here to see Haozi."
Song Yunhui looked him over suspiciously: "Really?"
"Really, really!" Lei Dongbao nodded repeatedly. "I heard Haozi is back, and I have something important to discuss with him."
Song Yunhui reluctantly stepped aside: "Come in."
As soon as Lei Dongbao entered the house, Mr. and Mrs. Song warmly greeted him: "Secretary Lei is here? Please have a seat!"
Song's mother got up and went to the kitchen to get a set of bowls and chopsticks: "It's just in time for dinner, let's eat together."
Under Song Yunhui's wary gaze, Lei Dongbao brazenly sat down, his eyes fixed on Qin Hao: "Haozi, I heard the county's cannery is about to go online, and they're going to export canned beef to earn foreign exchange?"
Qin Hao picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and teased, "What? You want to make some too?"
Lei Dongbao gave a wry smile: "Haozi, don't be so modest. Even if we squeezed every last drop of blood from our family, we couldn't scrape together enough money to buy a beef canning production line."
He paused, then lowered his voice, "I was thinking, since the county is going to produce canned beef, they'll definitely need beef. I was just wondering if our Xiaolei family could build a cattle farm and sell the beef to the cannery."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao put down his chopsticks and looked Lei Dongbao over again.
Having such business acumen in the 1980s was already quite remarkable.
"You mean you want me to act as a go-between?"
Lei Dongbao rubbed his hands together and smiled sheepishly, "Haozi, you know our Lei family runs a brigade-run enterprise, we can't talk to the state-owned factories in the county. I'm worried that once we raise these cattle, the state-owned factories won't buy them. You know beef doesn't sell as well as pork, and the cost of raising it is higher. If I don't secure a sales channel in advance, I might as well raise pigs."
It's understandable that Lei Dongbao had such concerns. In the 1980s, beef was not as popular as pork.
In an era when most people lacked oil and fat, pork had a high fat content, which alone was enough to make it far superior to beef.
Even if the price difference between a pound of beef and a pound of pork is only two or three cents, an ordinary family would absolutely not buy beef.
Qin Hao didn't agree immediately, but instead asked, "How do you plan to raise this cow?"
Lei Dongbao was puzzled: "Isn't it just building a cowshed, getting some calves, and feeding them feed? What else could it be?"
Before Qin Hao could speak, Song Yunhui retorted, "It's not as simple as you think! Although I've never raised cattle, I've raised pigs. Even pigs, which are so dirty, require their pens to be cleaned every day. Cattle are even cleaner than pigs, and they eat and produce more. Just dealing with their waste is a huge problem. Not only do we have to build the pens downwind to avoid the smell affecting nearby residents, but we also have to consider waste and sewage treatment; otherwise, it can easily cause ecological pollution."
Lei Dongbao was completely bewildered: "What pollution? You intellectuals are just being pretentious! I see plenty of families raising pigs, and they're all doing just fine!"
Song Yunhui was utterly speechless at this rough-around-the-edges man: "Large-scale farming is completely different from home-based farming! If you don't pay attention to hygiene, livestock are very susceptible to disease, especially infectious diseases. Then you'll have nowhere to turn for help!"
Qin Hao patted Lei Dongbao on the shoulder: "Did you hear that? Whether you're raising pigs or cattle, the pollution problem must be addressed first. And let me make it clear to you, countries in Europe and America have very strict regulations on food, even tracing the source of what the cattle ate before they died."
He paused, then continued, "If you really want to get the cannery's order, there's a ceremony tomorrow for the opening of their beef canning production line. You'll come with me. I'll have the cannery send you their requirements for the beef. Whether you can meet their requirements depends on your abilities."
Upon hearing this, Lei Dongbao immediately filled Qin Hao's glass to the brim: "Hehe, then on behalf of all the villagers of Xiaolei Village, I'll toast you!"
Having achieved his goal, Lei Dongbao couldn't sit still any longer. He politely declined Song's parents' offer to stay and ran back to Xiao Lei's house in a flash.
In the Xiaoleijia team headquarters, Shi Hongwei, Lei Shigen, Lei Sibao and several others were playing cards, while the old Party Secretary was smoking a pipe on the side.
Seeing Lei Dongbao rush in, the old Party Secretary put down his pipe: "Dongbao, what's the rush?"
Lei Dongbao excitedly recounted the situation. But unlike his excitement, the old Party Secretary and Shi Hongwei remained silent.
Lei Dongbao was displeased upon seeing this: "What do you mean? I went through so much trouble to secure this opportunity for our Xiaolei family, and you haven't said a word? What's the meaning of this?"
Shi Hongwei and Lei Shigen exchanged a glance: "Dongbao, I know you sincerely want the best for our Xiaolei family, but isn't this risk too great?"
Lei Sibao muttered to himself, "They agreed on raising pigs before, but then they turned around and raised cattle. Can beef be as good as pork?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Dongbao flew into a rage, pointing his finger at Lei Sibao and yelling, "What do you know besides eating? Someone like you wouldn't even be able to eat hot shit!"
Then, turning to Shi Hongwei and Lei Shigen, he said, "That's right, we don't lack a market for pigs. But even if we raise a thousand pigs, our Xiaolei family is just a brigade-run enterprise; the county leaders won't even give us a second glance."
He slammed his fist on the table excitedly: "Haozi said that the new production line coming off the cannery tomorrow is specifically for export. The county is even holding a launch ceremony, and all the bigwigs will be there. If we can secure this order from the cannery, we'll become suppliers for export-oriented companies! Then the Lei family will have a lot more confidence, and those who used to look down on us will have to think twice. Getting loans and securing government assistance will definitely be much easier! Don't you agree?"
Lei Dongbao's words truly stunned the old Party Secretary and the others. Who wants to be inferior to others and have to be subservient to them?
Finally, the old Party Secretary made the decision: "Alright, then we'll raise cattle! Dongbao, didn't you say Haozi would take you to the cannery tomorrow? Go and find out everything, see how much it will cost to build a cattle farm. We have to tighten our belts and build this cattle farm!"
Before dawn the next day, Lei Dongbao couldn't wait to knock on Qin Hao's door, looking as if he was afraid Qin Hao would change his mind.
Qin Hao, still half-asleep, opened the door: "What time is it?"
Lei Dongbao rubbed his hands together: "Hehe, let's go early, it shows we value it."
Helpless, Qin Hao had no choice but to quickly wash up and then drive him to the county.
Along the way, Lei Dongbao developed a strong interest in the Crown car, touching and looking at it from all angles: "Haozi, how much does this car cost?"
"Three or four hundred thousand, I guess," Qin Hao replied casually.
"What?!" Lei Dongbao nearly jumped up from his seat. "Three or four hundred thousand? My goodness, how many cows would you have to raise to afford that?"
Qin Hao smiled but didn't say anything.
Upon arriving at the cannery, Qin Hao had just parked the car when County Chief Xu and his entourage arrived.
Upon seeing Qin Hao, County Head Xu waved and greeted him warmly: "President Lei, welcome back to China!"
“County Chief Xu’s words are really hurtful. I’m a native of Jinling County, after all.”
County Chief Xu noticed Lei Dongbao next to Qin Hao and was somewhat puzzled.
Qin Hao introduced, "This is Comrade Lei Dongbao, the deputy secretary of Xiaolei Village. He's very interested in the new production line at the cannery, so I brought him here to broaden his horizons."
County Chief Xu nodded without saying anything more.
The group arrived at the new production workshop in a grand procession. The brand-new production line gleamed under the lights, and the workers, dressed in neat work clothes, were making final adjustments.
County Magistrate Xu jokingly said to the cannery manager, "I've got the new production line set up for you, and General Manager Lei's order is already in place. If you don't produce 500 tons of canned beef this year, I'll hold you responsible!"
The cannery manager first assured him, "Please rest assured, leader, we guarantee the task will be completed!"
He then rubbed his hands together and said, "County Chief Xu, this year's output is definitely not a problem. But General Manager Lei said next year's output needs to be tripled. Everything else is fine, but if we don't solve the raw material issue, I'll be like a skilled cook without rice."
County Chief Xu frowned upon hearing this: "How much beef is needed?"
The cannery manager answered cautiously, "At least a thousand tons."
County Chief Xu was displeased upon hearing this: "So, you're saying you can only meet your export quota of 2,000 tons next year? We don't have enough local beef cattle, can't we buy them from elsewhere?"
The cannery manager gave a wry smile: "County Chief Xu, our province isn't really a cattle-raising region. We've visited all the large beef cattle farms in the province, and only after much pleading and begging did we manage to secure a quota of 2,000 tons. As for other provinces… the transportation costs alone would be a huge sum."
Just as County Chief Xu was about to speak, Lei Dongbao seized the opportunity and stepped out from the crowd: "County Chief Xu, we, the Lei family, will take care of this 1,000-ton beef shortfall!"
Everyone around him looked him up and down; he was an unremarkable-looking, somewhat slovenly-dressed, rough-looking man.
County Chief Xu glanced at Qin Hao subconsciously, and seeing Qin Hao nod slightly, he said seriously, "Comrade Lei Dongbao, raising cattle is no small matter. Are you confident in your abilities?"
Lei Dongbao puffed out his chest: "County Chief Xu, although our Lei family is poor, we keep our word! As long as the cannery can give us a definite guarantee that it will buy our beef, we'll sell everything we own to build the cattle farm!"
County Magistrate Xu pondered for a moment, then turned to the cannery manager and said, "Here's what we'll do: have someone from your technical department compile a list of all the standards and requirements for beef and give it to Comrade Lei Dongbao. If Xiao Lei's family can meet the standards, we'll give them priority in next year's orders."
He then said to Lei Dongbao, "Comrade Lei Dongbao, this is a major issue concerning foreign trade exports, and we cannot afford to be careless. If you can truly accomplish this, the county will provide certain policy support."
Lei Dongbao's face flushed with excitement: "Thank you, County Chief Xu! We will certainly live up to your expectations!"
After the ceremony, Qin Hao took Lei Dongbao to the technical department of the cannery and obtained detailed beef procurement standards and requirements.
Looking at the thick stack of documents, Lei Dongbao felt a little apprehensive: "Haozi, what's written on all this? I can't understand a single word!"
Qin Hao shook his head helplessly: "Let's go back to Xiao Lei's house first, and I'll explain it to you slowly."
Back at Xiao Lei's house, the old Party Secretary and several others were already waiting at the team headquarters. Seeing them return, they immediately surrounded them: "How did it go? Did it work?"
Lei Dongbao slammed the document on the table: "It's done! County Chief Xu said that as long as our beef meets the standards, we'll have priority in purchasing it!"
The old Party Secretary and his colleagues were overjoyed upon hearing this, but when they opened the documents, they were all dumbfounded: "What...what is all this?"
Qin Hao explained, "These are the standards and requirements for beef in Europe and America. From the breed of cattle, feed, and disease prevention to slaughtering and processing, there are strict regulations."
He pointed to one of the pages: "For example, here it requires that cattle must have a certain rest period before slaughter and cannot be slaughtered immediately after long-distance transportation. And here it requires that certain hormones and antibiotics not be added to the feed."
Lei Dongbao was completely baffled: "My goodness, why are these foreigners so particular about eating beef?"
Qin Hao said seriously, "If your beef doesn't meet these standards, it won't be able to enter the canning factory, let alone be exported."
The old Party Secretary and the others looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.
Lei Dongbao gritted his teeth: "Haozi, could you help us find someone knowledgeable to give us some guidance? We'll pay whatever it takes!"
"You'll really have to figure that out yourselves. I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow; there's a project there that I need to approve."
Qin Hao refused without hesitation. He didn't want to be taken advantage of by the Lei family. He had already done a lot of face for Lei Dongbao by helping him to this extent.