Chapter 504
, Section 1: Lin Xiaohe, the Midas Touch
Chapter 504, Node 1: Lin Xiaohe, the Midas Touch
"Mr. Lin, this is it!"
The family that Wei Dapao knew was also laid-off workers, but because they were among the first to be laid off, the government provided them with some assistance.
So the family rented a hilltop and switched from industrial work to farming.
Back when his family was building their house on the hilltop, Wei Dapao even went to help.
Since this hill is located on the outskirts of Anning County, and it was snowing heavily, Lin Aiguo was worried about Lin Xiaohe going alone, so he simply drove the three of them over himself.
The car turned off the dirt road and bumped along the potholed farm road for about 20 minutes before finally seeing the snow-covered mountain peaks.
This mountain was originally called Bare-Butt Mountain, meaning that there was nothing on the mountain, just like a naked bottom.
Wisps of smoke rising from the mountainside proved that this was not an uninhabited mountain.
The road up the mountain was inconvenient for driving, so the four of them got out of the car and climbed up, one step at a time, with uneven gait.
On the mountainside stands a large tiled house, surrounded by wooden planks, with only the tiled roof visible.
A rough-looking man who appeared to be in his forties, with dark skin, was standing at the gate of the courtyard, looking down the mountain.
"Brother Wei!"
"Little Yuan!"
The two men embraced, their laughter causing the snow on the trees by the door to flutter down.
Wei Dapao didn't reveal Lin Aiguo's identity, only saying that he was bringing a big boss to inspect the market and they were just passing by.
The middle-aged man, called Xiao Yuan, was exceptionally generous: "Come in, come in! The stewed goose in the iron pot is ready at home, and I've also made cornbread. There's plenty of it, eat as much as you like!"
This familiar scene reminded Lin Xiaohe of Blue Star.
The Central Agricultural School of Blue Star was located on the outskirts of the city. The farmers near the school were just as enthusiastic, often bringing their own chickens, ducks and geese, cooking them, and feeding them to the teachers and students of the school.
Xiao Yuan warmly pulled everyone into the house.
You walk through a large courtyard with chicken and duck sheds, and you can hear the sounds of chickens and ducks.
Further inside, pushing open the door, you'll see a large stove with a steaming pot of stewed goose emitting an enticing aroma.
Sister Yuan was wearing a small floral apron and making flatbread.
Further inside, a large round table is placed in the center, with several kinds of cucumber salad, peanuts, and cold potato salad on it.
After everyone took their seats, Xiao Yuan offered everyone a cigarette, the most popular brand on the market, Hongtashan.
Lin Xiaohe neither smokes nor drinks, but she watched as the men quickly became acquainted through drinking.
With red eyes, Wei Dapao said enviously, "Brother, you're finally living a good life, much better than me!"
Xiao Yuan put down his chopsticks, which were holding a handful of peanuts, and sighed, "What's so good about it! It's barely enough to make a living. You see, I have everything here—chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, a simple vegetable greenhouse—but I can't sell anything, I can't find a market!"
“Especially fresh fruits and vegetables, the people in the town can’t consume them all, so they can only sell them to middlemen. But the middlemen offer prices that are like giving money to beggars. I’m really unwilling to sell them to them, but if I don’t sell them, these vegetables will just rot in the fields.”
It's fair to say that this money was earned in a rather frustrating way. Xiao Yuan felt that the quality of his vegetables was quite good, much better than that of ordinary vegetable farmers, but he couldn't make much money selling them to middlemen.
Xiao Yuan's brothers all staked their family business on the mountain and the orchard with him.
There doesn't seem to be any cost pressure, because labor costs haven't been factored in at all.
Wei Dapao and Xiao Yuan were close friends, so he was naturally aware of Xiao Yuan's predicament. The reason he brought Lin Xiaohe here this time was partly to fulfill Lin Xiaohe's request, and partly because he knew Lin Xiaohe's identity and wanted to see if Lin Xiaohe had any solutions to help Xiao Yuan.
"Xiao Yuan, Lin Xiaohe is a top student from university. Do you want to listen to her ideas? If there is a solution, we are not stingy and can give her a share of the profits."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan understood the implied meaning and immediately picked up his wine glass, humbly seeking advice from Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe originally wanted to find a test subject to help the person get rich and prove her abilities to the old factory director.
Xiao Yuan's request for advice was exactly what she wanted.
"The most important thing for you is to change your mindset and think of yourself as a businessman. A businessman treats something that costs one dollar as a loss if he sells it for two dollars, breaks even if he sells it for three dollars, and only makes a small profit if he sells it for four dollars."
Uh……
Isn't this a bit too much?
Xiao Yuan said guiltily, "My fruits and vegetables have set prices at the market. If I try to sell them at a higher price, no one will buy them."
Lin Xiaohe clicked her tongue in disapproval, and Sister Yuan immediately brought out a fruit platter and canned yellow peaches.
The fruit platter only contained apples, which keep well.
Lin Xiaohe picked up a piece of apple with a toothpick, put it in her mouth, and continued, "This involves product positioning and sales channels. If you target ordinary people as your customers, you naturally won't earn double the price. Think carefully, when would you disregard costs? Or be less price-sensitive, or even prefer things to be as expensive as possible?"
Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up. This question was easy; it was obviously about giving gifts!
During holidays and festivals, when visiting patients, and especially when giving gifts to superiors, the more expensive the gifts, the better.
Xiao Yuan rubbed his hands together, his face flushed, and his attitude became even more respectful: "Comrade Lin, please continue. Don't worry, I'm not an ignorant person."
As long as things get done, at least 10% of the shares should be given to Comrade Lin.
Lin Xiaohe: "Since you are so confident in your own fruits and vegetables, you can pick some big and beautiful fruits and put them in high-end gift boxes! Sell them at the entrance of the hospital or the entrance of the government compound, and I guarantee that people will buy them."
Especially with the Lunar New Year approaching, if you act quickly, you can make a quick buck.
Xiao Yuan slapped his thigh excitedly, "That makes sense!"
"However, this fruit is not resistant to freezing. If it is left outside for a long time, its appearance will be affected."
Lin Xiaohe: "That depends on how determined you are. If you have the guts, then take over a shop near the hospital or the family compound. The shop has heating, so the fruit won't freeze."
"Yes! You have the guts!" The food is practically in your mouth; if you don't open your mouth and eat it, you'll be struck by lightning.
Lin Aiguo glared angrily at Lin Xiaohe, who was completely oblivious and continued, "Since you're planning to open a store, why not go all the way? Have you heard of supermarket chains abroad? They're like a market, selling everything—rice, oil, salt, daily necessities, even appliances."
"Of course, we don't have that much capital, so we can start with a fruit and vegetable store. Luckily, everything is produced on our own—vegetables, fruits, beef, and mutton. If we need more, we can buy from the surrounding areas! However, the word 'high-quality' is what distinguishes us from small vendors, which requires us to be extremely strict in controlling the quality of our products. If there are any defective products, it will easily damage our reputation and we won't be able to sell them at a good price."
Xiao Yuan listened with a sigh, and finally picked up a pen and paper to write down Lin Xiaohe's words, word by word.
One-tenth of the shares is too little; it should be at least twenty percent.
If Lin Xiaohe is willing to invest her money, that would be even better!