"Mr. Li, to tell you the truth, this is indeed why I came to you today."
"My son is a very tall boss. He went to the hardware factory. He heard about your deeds at the hardware factory. When he came home, he made a fuss and said that he would no longer work in the hardware factory and would follow you."
Li Xiucheng turned to look at Zhou Tong and saw some characteristics in this young man that were different from those of people of this era.
"Why do you want to follow me?"
"The people at the hardware factory told me about you, and I thought you were the one doing the big things, so I wanted to follow you!"
"What did the people at the hardware factory say about me?"
"Anyway, they all praise you. The workers say you are a living Bodhisattva. Director Chen also praises you every day. You have a good mind, can talk and make money."
Li Xiucheng suddenly became interested.
Zhou Tong looks young, probably in his early twenties at most. He is tall and fair-looking. You can tell at a glance that he is a child who has never suffered hardship.
In that era when everyone hoped to have an iron rice bowl, going into business was usually the only way to go after being forced to have no other choice.
This week, Zhou Tong's father is the director of the Shipping Department. Although the hardware factory is not a very good unit, it is still good in Tao County. Moreover, he is not an ordinary worker. He is the secretary to the factory director, which is a good job. Very good!
Zhou Tong actually wanted to give up and follow him, which surprised Li Xiucheng.
"Do you want to make money with me?"
Zhou Tong nodded.
"What? Director Zhou, is your family encountering any difficulties? The hardware factory is now very profitable. The combined salary of the two of you can be as much as that of an ordinary family for several months!"
Li Xiucheng smiled half-heartedly, picked up the tea in front of him and took a sip.
"No, no, the money I make is indeed enough. It's just that my useless son wants to do big things all day long, so he wants to see the world with Mr. Li."
Zhou Yimin rubbed his hands in embarrassment.
"This little money is nothing. Didn't you already say that the market will determine production in the future? I don't want to stay in the hardware factory and wait for retirement. I want to experience the real market."
These words made Li Xiucheng a little impressed. It was really rare for people in this era to have such courage and vision.
Li Xiucheng looked directly into Zhou Tong's eyes and asked again, "Do you really think so?"
Zhou Tong nodded affirmatively.
Li Xiucheng was a little worried because he didn't know Zhou Tong well.
I had only heard it from other people before.
Whether these words were sincere or directed at something else, he couldn't say.
Although he does lack available people now, he wants people who are truly capable, not just talkative people.
If Zhou Tong is really what he said, then it is naturally good. Even for him, the eldest son of the company, it is an extremely useful card.
Moreover, Li Xiucheng is currently thinking about a business, and what he needs is a capable person.
This business is Gastrodia!
Gastrodia elata is a good thing.
It is both a medicinal material and a tonic. In coastal cities, Gastrodia elata is the favorite to make soup.
Before Li Xiucheng was reborn, he liked to eat ham and gastrodia chicken the most. It was called a fresh dish.
He wanted to look for it in the market before, but he searched all over Xingrong and found no trace of Gastrodia elata.
Thinking about it carefully, I remembered that Gastrodia elata was very delicate in this era and could not be raised artificially. It basically relied on wild harvesting, so the output was very small. The price was naturally very expensive, and not many people could afford it.
Although the local economy of Xingrong is still good, there are still few people willing to buy this food, so it is normal that there are basically no sales.
However, Gastrodia elata is a hot-selling product in those really wealthy cities along the coast. It sells extremely well and can weigh up to 20 to 31 pounds in good quality!
And the demand is high, basically you can eat as much as you send!
The first large-scale artificial cultivation was in Tong County, a neighboring province.
It was created by an agricultural professor who specially studied the geology, soil and climate, and selected Tong County as a geomantic treasure land.
Unfortunately, due to the times, Gastrodia elata in Tong County is still monopolized by the local forestry bureau.
Gastrodia elata grown by ordinary Baoshan households can only be sold and purchased to units under the Forestry Bureau at low prices.
It’s not like ordinary people haven’t thought about sending them outside.
However, the Forestry Bureau is very strict in investigating, and there is basically no chance whether it is a road or a railway.
But Li Xiucheng is different.
When I first contacted the shipping department, I had already thought about it. He wants to take the water route!
Zhou Yimin has cooperated with him several times, so he can handle it well.
But if the Gastrodia elata business is really to be done, this fetter of interest will definitely not be enough. If Zhou Tong is also involved, the nature will be different.
This shipping company will truly become one of its own.
Li Xiucheng thought for a while, calculated in his mind, and said: "Well, Zhou Tong, if you can trust me, you can stay in Xingrong for a few days. I will take you around and take a look first. Then we’ll talk.”
When Zhou Tong heard what Li Xiucheng said, a smile appeared on his face and he readily agreed.
"Okay! Thank you, brother!"
Li Xiucheng suddenly remembered something and continued.
"I'll say hello to you at the hardware factory and tell you that I have something to ask you for help. I'll ask you to do it here in Xingrong."
Zhou Yimin felt relieved when he saw that although Li Xiucheng didn't fully agree, he seemed to have a good impression of Zhou Tong.
"You brat, don't be too big or too young, call people well, learn from Mr. Li these days, look good, and see how they can be so steady and down-to-earth at such a young age."
"I know! Master, if you repeat it again, the tight spell on my head will break!"
Zhou Tong was flirting with Zhou Yimin again. Just when Zhou Yimin was about to curse a few more words, Li Xiucheng spoke.
"It's okay, I'm just taking Zhou Tong around to look around, just like playing."
Li Xiucheng had his own considerations about this matter. He needed to use this time to inquire about Zhou Tong's work in the hardware factory, and he also needed to test Zhou Tong's abilities on his own.
After Zhou Tong's matter was settled, Zhou Yimin took out the bag he had just brought from behind his chair, took out an envelope from it, put it on the table, and turned it to Li Xiucheng.
"Mr. Li, this is the money I should have given you from the last batch of timber sold. I never had time to give it to you. Today, apart from the Quanzi matter, I just want to bring this to you."
Li Xiucheng smiled slightly and transferred the money back.
"That's not necessary. You pay the money and deliver the goods. You deserve this."
Zhou Yimin was unwilling to give in and turned the glass turntable again, saying, "Without Mr. Li's help, I wouldn't be able to make this money. This little money is just a token of my gratitude."
Li Xiucheng was thinking that he might not be able to take the money.
Although Shen Youliang's thirty carts of wood were smuggled, it was against the rules for Zhou Yimin to seize and sell them himself.
The money was not very clean to begin with, and it wasn't much, so he couldn't accept it.
Furthermore, if you take out the money at this juncture, if you accept it, you may be accepting Zhou Tong. If you find something wrong with Zhou Tong, it will be difficult to refuse.
It's better to give the money directly to the shipping company as a favor. If you really do business with gastrodia in the future, you can have multiple guarantees.
