OBS Chapter 621 Business is increasing
Chapter 621 Business is increasing
Li Xiangyang took the fax and read it carefully. Jinghua Chain Stores truly lived up to its reputation as a major client; not only were the order volumes large, but the required product range was also comprehensive. It included dried wild blueberries, mountain produce, and some newly developed processed agricultural products.
"It seems our transport capacity really can't keep up," Wang Ergou leaned over to look at the fax. "These two large orders together will require at least forty train trips."
Li Xiangyang nodded, already having made up his mind. Previously, due to concerns about risks, they hadn't significantly expanded their fleet. But now that orders had stabilized, it was time to consider purchasing more vehicles.
"Accountant Chen, how much money do we have in the account right now?" Li Xiangyang asked.
Accountant Chen flipped through the ledger: "After deducting daily expenses and raw material purchases, we have approximately 1.2 million yuan in working capital."
“That’s enough,” Li Xiangyang decided. “We’ll buy the car ourselves.”
The next day, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou arrived at the car dealership in the county town. The manager, a young man in his thirties surnamed Zhao, had his eyes light up when he heard that Li Xiangyang wanted to buy five trucks at once.
"Director Li, you're truly a major customer!" Manager Zhao enthusiastically introduced the various vehicle models. "This Jiefang CA141 is our flagship product, with an eight-ton load capacity and powerful engine, making it particularly suitable for long-distance transportation."
Li Xiangyang walked around the car, looked at the engine, and then tried out the driver's seat: "How much does this car cost?"
"The original price is 120,000, but since you want five, I'll give you a discount to 100,000 per car," Manager Zhao said.
Wang Ergou did the math: "Five hundred thousand is within the budget."
After finalizing the car purchase agreement, Li Xiangyang started thinking about the driver issue. Five cars would require at least ten drivers, and he also needed to consider shift work and backups.
"Xiangyang, how about we recruit a few young people from the village?" Wang Ergou suggested. "Haven't Li Daqiang and the others always wanted to work with us?"
Li Xiangyang thought about it and thought it was a good idea, so he immediately went back to the factory and called the village.
In the afternoon, when they arrived at the village committee, Zheng Dehou was already waiting there.
"Xiangyang, you said you needed to hire someone to drive, and I've already thought of a few candidates." Zheng Dehou immediately handed him one of the candidates.
Li Xiangyang took the list and looked at it; it was filled with the names of more than a dozen people.
"Uncle Dehou, you've thought of everything," Li Xiangyang said with a smile. "But driving a big truck is no small matter; it requires a strong sense of responsibility and the ability to endure hardship."
“Of course,” Zheng Dehou nodded. “The men I recommended are all good young men from the village. They just haven’t had the opportunity; otherwise, they would have made something of themselves long ago.”
Just then, Li Daqiang walked in from outside.
"Xiangyang, I heard you're hiring drivers?" Li Daqiang asked excitedly. "I've been wanting to work for you for a long time."
Li Xiangyang patted his cousin on the shoulder: "Brother Daqiang, driving is not like hunting. Sitting in the driver's seat for more than ten hours a day, and then going out for several days at a time, can you handle it?"
"I can handle it!" Li Daqiang said without hesitation. "As long as I can earn money to support my family, I'm not afraid of any hardship or fatigue."
Over the next few days, young people from the village came to Li Xiangyang to sign up. In the end, he selected eight people.
“If we’re going to do it, we should do it well.” Li Xiangyang gathered everyone together. “I’ll figure out how to get the driver’s licenses, but you all need to learn the basics first.”
He contacted a driving school in the county and set up a training course specifically for these people. Considering that most of them only had primary school education, Li Xiangyang also specially found experienced instructors to provide guidance.
"Driving a large truck is different from driving a car," said the experienced driver, surnamed Sun. "The truck is longer, the turning radius is larger, and the braking distance is also longer. Most importantly, you're carrying cargo, so the responsibility is significant."
Li Daqiang and the others listened attentively, each taking notes in their notebooks.
"Master, how do we drive on that mountain road?" Zhang Weiping asked.
"Be extra careful on mountain roads," said Master Sun. "Especially when going downhill, never coast in neutral. Use engine braking and keep in a low gear."
Two weeks later, the first batch of trainees successfully obtained their driver's licenses. Li Xiangyang specially held a small celebration in the village.
"Brother Daqiang, from now on we're real partners." Li Xiangyang raised his glass. "But let me make this clear: I won't show favoritism at work just because we're relatives. Those who deserve punishment will be punished, and those who deserve reward will be rewarded."
“That’s only right,” Li Daqiang said readily. “We’re following you to learn real skills.”
Soon, the five newly purchased trucks arrived. Li Xiangyang paired the village's drivers with experienced drivers from Xingda Transportation Company, using a "mentor-mentee" approach.
For his first long-distance transport mission, Li Xiangyang decided to lead the team himself.
"Xiangyang, you don't need to go," Wang Ergou advised. "There are so many things to do at home."
“No,” Li Xiangyang shook his head. “It’s my first time leading a newbie on a long-distance trip, I have to go. What if something goes wrong?”
After the convoy set off, Li Xiangyang sat in the lead car and occasionally communicated with the vehicles behind him via walkie-talkie.
"Daqiang, be careful to keep your distance."
"Weiping, you're driving a bit too fast, slow down."
Along the way, Li Xiangyang took care of these new drivers like a nanny.
On the first night, the convoy spent the night at a service area. Li Xiangyang called a meeting with all the drivers.
"I drove 600 kilometers today, and overall it went fairly smoothly," Li Xiangyang said. "But I encountered a few problems."
He pointed out the shortcomings of each vehicle one by one, offering both praise and criticism.
Three days later, the convoy arrived in Guangzhou smoothly. The customer was very satisfied with the quality and packaging of the goods and settled the balance on the spot.
"Mr. Li, your service is excellent!" the customer exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up. "Not only are the products great, but the delivery is also incredibly prompt."
On the way back, Li Xiangyang could clearly feel that the drivers' confidence had increased. In particular, the young men from Li Daqiang's village had shown a significant improvement in their driving skills.
"Xiangyang, this trip has really broadened my horizons," Zhang Weiping said excitedly. "The skyscrapers in Guangzhou are much more beautiful than those in our county."
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang said, “we must also work hard to make our hometown even better.”
Upon returning to the factory, Li Xiangyang immediately convened a debriefing meeting.
"This transport mission has been successfully completed. Everyone has worked hard," Li Xiangyang announced. "Each driver will receive a reward of one hundred yuan."
Everyone was very happy, especially the young people in the village, whose eyes were full of gratitude.
In the following months, the transport team's business increased significantly. Orders came not only from Huasheng Trading and Jinghua Chain, but also from other clients who came specifically to them.
Li Xiangyang recruited another batch of drivers, expanding the fleet to twenty vehicles.