At Huang Dongliang's home, he cooked three bowls of noodles, simply adding fried garlic, chopped green onions and lard. It was fragrant and even more delicious than the big meal he had at Zhang Jun's house.
Huang Dongliang squatted under the eaves, still excited about the feat of tonight.
"We are like righteous knights from ancient times tonight! It's so cool! Big sister, your skills are amazing!"
Aunt Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly: "When I was young, I could beat four or five people like him with one hand!"
"Great! Great! Damn it, people like Chen Lianfa deserve to be punished. He only dares to attack his wife and children. Let him go outside and see if he can't be beaten to death!"
Aunt Qiao and Ye Zhao sat on small stools at the door, eating noodles with bowls in hand. Aunt Qiao smiled and said to Ye Zhao, "You imitated the voice just now quite well."
Ye Zhao smiled: "It's just a trifle."
"I don't think he'll dare to drive to the countryside alone any time soon."
Ye Zhao thought to himself that if he had the chance, he would give him another good beating and make him die clearly.
Aunt Qiao turned around and asked Huang Dongliang: "Why are you the only one at home?"
Huang Dongliang slurped his noodles and said, "My wife and children have also returned to their parents' home."
Ye Zhao laughed: "You won't beat your wife and children too, right?"
"A good man doesn't hit a woman! Do you think I'm the type who hits a woman? The child is spending the summer vacation at his grandmother's house. School is about to start. My wife went to pick him up and brought him back for school."
Aunt Qiao asked again: "Where is your wife from?"
"Not far, in Dongshan Town."
Ye Zhao remembered that Dongshan Town produced radishes. She smiled and said, "We passed by Dongshan Town when we came here."
Huang Dongliang looked at them and asked, "Do you still want some ginger?"
Aunt Qiao didn't say anything, Ye Zhao nodded quickly: "Yes, I want as much as you can get. I said that before."
"My wife's family is in Xiangxi Village, and many people in their village also grow turmeric."
Ye Zhao was puzzled: "Isn't your wife's family in Dongshan Town?"
"Yes, it's in Dongshan Town, but her village is right next to our Xishan, and the soil quality is similar to our Xishan." Huang Dongliang put the bowl he had just finished eating on the ground, "To be honest, the small yellow ginger grown here is much better than Zhangjia Village. Just because they are from Dongshan Town, the people here don't recognize their ginger for their own benefit, and the ginger dealers don't accept their ginger when they buy in large quantities."
Ye Zhao became interested: "If the quality of small yellow ginger is the same, then there is no problem."
Huang Dongliang stood up and went to the firewood room to take out a piece of small yellow ginger from Xiangxi Village. Ye Zhao took a look and found that the quality was indeed better than that of Zhangjia Village. She immediately felt hopeful.
"I used to buy them secretly and mix them with goods from other villages to sell to big merchants. No one has ever said that there are problems with the goods I bought. You can use them, don't worry."
“Do they have a large output there?”
"The output is not that large, but Xiangxi Village is a big village with more than 100 households. Every household grows it, but not much. No one dared to buy in large quantities before, and they didn't dare to grow more."
"Can you give us an estimate of how many kilograms the output is?"
"It should be at least 40,000 to 50,000 kilograms in total."
The goods from Xiangxi Village and Zhangjia Village combined are about 70,000 to 80,000 kilograms. Even if we can't buy 100,000 kilograms, we can still make a lot of money.
Huang Dongliang: "It's easier to buy during the harvest season. It's very troublesome to place an order. You have to go from house to house. People in Xiangxi Village are hard to talk to."
“Why is it so hard to talk?”
"Because I'm poor. When people are poor, everything they say seems like an argument."
Ye Zhao understood, but she believed that there was nothing that money couldn't solve, even though she had no money now.
We discussed it immediately and decided to go to Xicun the next day.
They stayed in a small hotel in the town. Aunt Qiao was very worried about such a large order of goods.
At night, when they went to bed, Aunt Qiao was lying on the bed and advising Ye Zhao: "Why don't you think about it again? What if Song Rongji doesn't want so much ginger at that time? What will you do with the batch of goods you ordered?"
Ye Zhao had thought about this problem a long time ago: "Then I will sell the goods to a middleman."
"If you sell it to a middleman, you will lose money. Otherwise, you won't be able to sell it."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Then I'll open a ginger candy factory and compete with Song Rongji!"
Aunt Qiao was amused by her: "Okay, you are ambitious."
The next morning, they followed Huang Dongliang to Xiangxi Village. The people in Xiangxi Village were indeed very stubborn despite their poverty. It was rare for a merchant to come, so they were afraid that the merchant would run away, and asked for a very high deposit.
The goods here are good, but because they are not authentic, the unit price is the same as Zhangjia Village. However, they require a deposit per mu. After a simple calculation, the deposit is more than 20,000 yuan.
Ye Zhao didn't have that much money, so she promised to give Huang Dongliang 2% of the profits, asked him to sign all the contracts, and gave her a week to go back and raise the money.
On the way, Aunt Qiao couldn't help but advise her to be cautious. This business is too risky and it is not something that an 18-year-old girl like her can operate. The goods from Zhangjia Village are of poor quality and the middlemen may not buy them. The goods from Xiangxi Village are too scattered and it is difficult for poor people to talk...
"I'm afraid you'll be eaten by someone, without even a bone to spit out."
Ye Zhao understood Aunt Qiao’s concerns, because she knew the development of the plot from a God’s perspective, but Aunt Qiao didn’t know. From another perspective, she would also be worried.
Ye Zhao could only follow her wishes and said, "Okay, I'll think about it."
"I've already paid the deposit for the goods from Zhangjia Village, so you have to take some of it. Otherwise, you'll be at a disadvantage." Aunt Qiao sighed deeply, "I don't think I'll be able to play mahjong in the second half of the year. I'll have to set up a stall with you to sell ginger."
Ye Zhao couldn't help laughing, "Not really. I will make a lot of money."
"You're still laughing. Is it because your father is rich? Aren't you afraid of losing money?"
"What does it have to do with my dad? If I lose money, he won't care whether I live or die." Ye Zhao said, muttering, "I won't lose money."
"Okay, okay, we won't lose money. We will make a lot of money." After saying that, Aunt Qiao said, "Ask Fatty Ying and the mute to set up stalls, so that they can also practice."
After returning to Shenzhen, Ye Zhao had no time to rest and went straight to the rental house to find Li Ruixiang's parents.
They rented a small one-bedroom house outside the Irene Toy Factory. It was on the first floor and was a bit damp and poorly ventilated.
Aunt Qin was just settling accounts. She opened the door and saw Ye Zhao, so she let her in. "Oh, Xiao Zhao, you're finally back. Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten." Ye Zhao put the ginger candy in his hand on the table, "I brought you some local specialties, I'll put it here."
"You're still thinking about us when you go out." Aunt Qin poured Ye Zhao a glass of boiled water. "We're going to take over here soon. I told Xiaoxiang that I'm uneasy without you."
Ye Zhao drank half a glass of water in one breath and said with a smile: "After you take it down, I won't be able to help much. The operation still depends on you. You have worked hard."
"Why should we work so hard? You are the one who pays us wages and dividends. You are our backbone. Even if you do nothing, you are the pillar that stabilizes the sea."
"Aunt Qin, you are really good at talking. Where is Uncle Li? Is he out?"
"He went to the train station to pick up some people. They were all old friends he used to work with. They all cooked delicious food."
Ye Zhao said: "Running a canteen is hard work, we need to find young people."
"I've found ten people. They are either old fellows or they have been working in this business for some years. They are all young and strong! They will do a good job. Don't worry. It's hot, right? I see you are sweating profusely." Aunt Qin took out a fan from the inner room and turned it on to blow towards Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao casually flipped through the account that Aunt Qin had made. It was all about the things she was going to buy. There was quite a lot to buy, so she asked, "Where are they going to stay when they come?"
"The factory has allocated several dormitories for us to use, and we can move in today."
"So fast?"
"You were not here yesterday, so Lao Yao in the office called us in to sign the contract. We can move in after we sign it. Now the guys in the kitchen have to work until the day after tomorrow, so we will hand over to them the day after tomorrow, and we will be the ones serving the food the day after tomorrow."
"Isn't the day after tomorrow the 31st?" Ye Zhao remembered that the factory's bidding notice stated that it would start on September 1st.
"They can give us a day's advantage, but they said the meat and vegetables in the warehouse can be used for another day or two, which means we have to work one more day. After thinking about it, I decided to forget it and just use it as a way to familiarize ourselves with the environment in advance. When your uncle and I signed the contract yesterday, we went to the cafeteria to see that the cooking equipment is complete. We mainly need to buy consumables. I plan to go there this afternoon and tomorrow."
"Aunt Qin, show me the contract."
Aunt Qin went into the room and took out the contract: "I'd better leave this contract with you. It's a mess here and I'm afraid I'll lose it."
Aunt Qin handed the contract to Ye Zhao, who opened it and took a closer look. She glanced over the front part and focused on the payment method at the back. It would have been fine if she hadn't read it, but she was shocked when she saw it.
"Monthly meal payment?"
Aunt Qin came over and took a look: "Yes, the meal expenses are settled before the 5th of each month. It's good to settle before the 5th. Some are delayed until the middle of the month."
"The meal expenses for last month are to be paid on the 5th of this month, which is equivalent to a delay of 35 days. Aunt Qin, we have to advance the meal expenses for the first 35 days for 4,000 people in this factory, which is not a small amount."
Aunt Qin finally understood. She clapped her hands anxiously, "Oh my God! Your uncle and I are really stupid. We can't figure this out. What should we do? The cost of meat and vegetables is at least 1,000 yuan a day..."
Ye Zhao did a quick calculation: "The daily expenditure is at least 1,400 yuan, which is 49,000 yuan for 35 days."
49,000 yuan is a huge sum of money in this era!
This was a trap set by the finance department of Irene Toy Factory for the new canteen contractor, a warning shot.
The factory does not pay a penny for the meals of more than 4,000 people for a month. Most outsourcing companies cannot afford this cost.
This means that Li Zhengxin and Qin Yue'e will give up when they see the difficulty.
Aunt Qin's hands were shaking with nervousness. "What should I do? Yesterday, your uncle and I went to sign the contract. Lao Yao urged us to sign. There was also a sister Zhong who looked smiling but said harsh words. I thought such a big factory would not cheat us. We just saw that the price was 0.49 cents and the contract period was 2 years. This was correct. We didn't look at the other details..."
There is no point in regretting it. What is more important now is to find a solution to the problem as soon as possible.
Ye Zhao turned up the fan speed and drank the remaining half cup of water in one breath. There is a solution to any problem or crisis, but there are different levels of solutions.
They have to come up with a reasonable and effective solution.
She thought about it and decided that since the factory put the pressure on them, they could also transfer the pressure away.
“Can we pass the pressure on to the suppliers?”
Aunt Qin: "Looking for suppliers to buy on credit?"
"Yes, we need to find a large supplier who can buy on credit. We need to ask the supplier to provide rice, flour, oil, meat, vegetables, dry goods, and seasonings."
Aunt Qin said worriedly, "We originally wanted to purchase the meat and vegetable ingredients ourselves, which is cheaper. If we find a supplier who can buy on credit, the price will definitely be much higher. I'm afraid the cost will go up all of a sudden."
Ye Zhao supported his forehead with his hand and decided to learn from the Irene Toy Factory and hold an open bidding, and the lowest bidder wins.
"Find a few more suppliers and ask them to come to the site for negotiations. You will all be in the cafeteria the day after tomorrow. Let the suppliers come to the site during lunch time to let them know how many people are eating at the Irene Toy Factory. Also, let them know that there are several suppliers competing for prices at the same time. In order to get this big customer, they will naturally lower their prices."
Aunt Qin thought it made sense: "This is a good idea."
Ye Zhao read the contract again. If there were no other problems, she and Aunt Qin would go out to do market research to find suitable suppliers. Then they would come back and make phone calls to invite them one by one.
After a round of price comparison and price reduction, we finally successfully selected a group of high-quality suppliers.
That is, the cost price may have to increase from the original 35 cents to around 40 cents.
Now is not the time to focus on profits; the key is to run things smoothly.
Everything was going smoothly here, so Li Ruixiang quit her job and came to help in the kitchen. That day, Ye Zhao brought back the engraved official seal, and Li Ruixiang immediately took it and prepared to stamp the meal coupons.
Each employee meal coupon costs 1 cent. Ye Zhao means that on the first two days, August 31 and September 1, workers can get the coupons for free without spending any money.
At the same time, a window is open for collecting meal cards, and employees can use the meal cards to purchase employee discounted meal coupons.
Li Ruixiang didn't understand: "Why do we still need to use meal cards? This is too complicated. Can't we just sell employee meal coupons?"
"Without a meal card, who knows if you are a factory employee? Others who come in also spend 1 cent to buy employee meal coupons to eat, so wouldn't we be at a huge loss?"
Li Ruixiang naively thought, "Let the factory directly issue the coupons, and then deduct the meal expenses from the wages. It's only one cent anyway, so just deduct the meal expenses and give it to us, which will save a lot of trouble."
Ye Zhao shook his head: "We have saved trouble, but the money is small and the workload is large. Do you think the people in the finance department will agree to this?"
Li Ruixiang pouted: "If they knew that you were the boss behind the scenes, they would definitely come to curry favor with you."
"If they knew I was the boss, they would dig more holes in the kitchen. Do you believe it?"
Li Ruixiang raised her head and thought for a while, then nodded innocently: "I think I believe it."
Of course, these are not the main points. The main purpose of Ye Zhao setting up the meal card is to find an appropriate excuse to collect the deposit.
She told Li Ruixiang truthfully: "There is another more important reason for letting all factory workers use meal cards, and that is to collect a deposit."
As he spoke, Ye Zhao took off his backpack and pulled out stacks of meal cards from it.
This is the meal card she personally customized at the electronics market. It is very beautifully made. When workers receive the card, they need to pay a deposit of 10 yuan, which can be refunded when the employee leaves and returns the card.
This is the blood bag that Ye Zhao had imagined before.
Li Ruixiang was suddenly enlightened. "4,000 people, 10 yuan deposit per person? That would mean tens of thousands of yuan in return. Oh my god, Xiao Zhao, you are so smart, aren't you? You are so smart!"
Li Ruixiang said that she wished she could kiss her.
While enjoying Ruixiang's flattery, Ye Zhao pulled his face away: "Just praise! No need to kiss!"
"I'm not a man! What am I afraid of!" Li Ruixiang smiled and kissed her from a distance. "Your trick is really great! If we had known this earlier, we wouldn't have to worry so much about finding suppliers these past two days! My mom felt really guilty because the contract wasn't signed. Before the supplier was decided, my mom and I couldn't sleep because we were afraid that things wouldn't work out and would go wrong. Then we'd really be sorry for you."
"Why feel guilty? As long as the problem is solved, it's good. And of course we still have to find the supplier." She has another use for the money.
4,000 cards can collect a deposit of 40,000 yuan, and with 40,000 yuan, she can purchase 60,000 kilograms of small yellow ginger. The canteen can still make some money this month, and she can find a way to borrow some more. Purchasing 100,000 kilograms of Xishan small yellow ginger is not a dream!
When school officially started, Ye Zhao successfully completed his first capital operation.
(End of this chapter)