Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 292 The Pig Farm Can Be Started

Xiao Wei opened the main gate, Liu Hongliang drove the car out of the hospital, Xiao Wei closed the main gate, came out through the side gate, got into the car, and the two walked towards the central market.

Xiao Wei said, "We were just talking about washing lunchboxes. We hadn't thought of this before. With more people, there's always more work. Sister Shang said they should wash the lunchboxes at the old building's chef internship area, and then put them here. Do you think that's feasible?"

And look, you come here to get food, then walk back to find a place to eat, and then walk back to wash up. Do you think that's sustainable in the long run? I doubt it. And just you wait and see, every few days the trash cans and toilets will be filled with food, and those water dispensers will become dumping grounds for food containers—it'll be everywhere."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and nodded. Indeed, Liu Hongliang said that this was 100% likely to happen.

"Let's get started then. Let's go to the lumberyard and find Old Xu first. Tell them to go over there this afternoon and turn it into a restaurant. After that, we'll go buy some supplies." Xiao Wei pointed in the direction of the lumberyard. Liu Hongliang started his motorcycle and drove towards the lumberyard, saying, "Maybe I should go this afternoon and see if I can find a few workers. It has to taste good, otherwise even a dog wouldn't eat what they come up with."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "That would be terrible, those hundred or so people would rebel. But cooking in a big pot is easy, my mom will handle the seasoning and everything, so it should be fine."

Liu Hongliang peeked at the car behind him, then abruptly turned the steering wheel and said, "It's alright now in winter, we can stew everything. But what about when it gets warmer? Are you still going to stew every day? What about stir-fries? What about cold dishes? Right?"

The lumberyard is in Tiexi District, not too far away. Just walk west from the yard, cross the railway and make a few turns, and you'll arrive.

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and felt that Liu Hongliang's words made sense. He said, "Okay, then go ahead and look for them. The wages will be the same as the three older women from before." The car drove into the pit lumberyard and stopped in front of a row of red brick bungalows. Xiao Wei pushed open the door and got out of the car.

"Brother Xu, Brother Xu." Xiao Wei called out as he walked. The door of the middle room of the bungalow opened, and Old Xu poked his head out. Seeing that it was Xiao Wei, he smiled and asked, "What? What brings you here?" Chen Hui's carpentry work in Fengtian had already finished on the 30th, and Old Xu had only been back for a day. He didn't need to stay there to watch over the subsequent painting and decoration.

Once inside, Lao Xu offered cigarettes to the two men, and the three of them sat down with cigarettes lit. Xiao Wei said, "I'm planning to convert the first floor of the old building into a cafeteria. Could you go over and help me with that this afternoon? Do you still have those big wooden boards? The kind with the gloss varnish?"

Old Xu said, "I've never been inside your building before. How big is it? How many people eat there?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's about 160 or 170 square meters. The whole floor costs 500 yuan, and it's divided into four large rooms, two large and two small. The other three rooms are all in use now, so this one is left. There are about 100 people eating here. The fare is about 150 yuan for lunch, and around 110 yuan for breakfast and dinner. Is that okay?"

Old Xu thought for a moment and said, "It's just a large, square room, right? No corners or partitions or anything?"

Xiao Wei said, "No, it's just an empty room, all neat and tidy."

Old Xu said, "Okay, I'll bring some people to get it done for you this afternoon. Make sure it's done tightly, okay?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's just about eating in the cafeteria. As long as there's a place to sit, that's all that matters. The table doesn't need to be too wide either; we all use lunchboxes."

Old Xu said, "Okay, no problem, I'll get it done for you this afternoon. It's just a matter of using DingTalk, simple. Xiao Wei, I've asked around, and there are two options. One is a contract fee of 70,000 yuan a year, and we don't need to hire workers. The other is no contract fee, but we have to pay the wages of about twenty people, twenty-six people in total. What do you think?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Brother Xu, do you have twenty-six people here?"

Old Xu shook his head and said, "There are only about ten people working normally, and a few more at the forest farm, so it's less than twenty in total."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back and discuss it. I can't make this decision on my own."

Old Xu nodded, and Xiao Wei stood up and said, "Then I'll be going now, I still need to go to the central market to buy some things."

Old Xu saw them to the door, and Xiao Wei and Liu Hongliang got into the car and headed back to the large food and beverage center market.

After the truck left the lumberyard, Liu Hongliang asked, "Boss, you guys still want to lease this lumberyard? What are you going to do with it?"

Xiao Wei said, "I just thought the wood business was alright and had some market potential, so I mentioned it briefly. I didn't necessarily intend to get involved."

Liu Hongliang said, "If you just want to play with wood and sell wood products, you don't need to contract this. All those machines and equipment don't cost much. The key is the workers. If they are skilled and can produce high-quality work, they can do it. You can buy wood anywhere. Contracting a forest farm is more troublesome. You have to replant seedlings, ensure their survival rate, and prevent fires. If you don't do it right, you might end up spending money on afforestation."

Xiao Wei turned to look at Liu Hongliang and said, "Really? How do you know about this?"

Liu Hongliang said, "I've heard my dad and uncle talk about this before. I don't understand it, but my uncle doesn't either. He didn't dare to get involved. Now most forest farms are in trouble because they won't let you log anymore. There are quotas every year. Ugh, it's such a hassle."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "If we find a place ourselves, how will we solve the problem of finding timber? The amount we need over a year is quite substantial."

Liu Hongliang said, "If you want to buy, wood is everywhere, so it's much more convenient. Besides, this stuff isn't afraid of price increases. First, it's available everywhere, so it's impossible for everyone to be so united. Second, prices rise with the tide; if raw materials become expensive, the prices of other products will also go up. Just buy what you need, and make sure the products are well made."

Xiao Wei nodded. This was something he really needed to think about carefully and discuss with Xia Maosheng and Chen Hui.

Upon arriving at the central market, the two browsed around, bought their purchases, had someone help them carry them to the car, and exchanged contact information with the wholesaler of condiments before heading back with their goods.

"Boss, when are we starting to set up the pig farm? The weather's warming up now, so once we finish everything and tidy up, we should be able to get to work." Liu Hongliang asked Xiaowei. Xiaowei replied, "Isn't it a bit early? The snow has just melted; it'll probably be another month before it warms up."

Liu Hongliang said, "We can work during the day now, it's fine now. If we wait another month, it will be harder to catch piglets. Now is the time to release them from the pen, and you need so many at once."

Xiao Wei asked, "You know about this?"

Liu Hongliang said, "My family isn't from the countryside. My grandparents are still in the countryside. Well, no, we call it the suburbs now. Anyway, they farm on the outskirts of the city. They won't come to the city because they think it's too noisy."

Xiao Wei said, "If we're going to set up a pig farm, we should buy the land too. Renting it out won't work; if something changes, we'll have nowhere to turn. Why don't you go ask your uncle if he's selling it? It's the place where the bed sheet factory is, including the land. There'll be a reward if this goes through."

(End of this chapter)