Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 318 Limin Biscuit Factory

Xiao Wei asked, "How long is this contract? What happens if it's terminated in the future?"

Factory Director Yu nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and said to Han San, "Pour your own water." He pointed to the thermos and then said to Xiao Wei, "The contract is for five years, and only half a year has passed, so there are still four and a half years left. That place is poor, and we provided them with their industrial foundation. They basically purchase all their light industrial products from us. They have a lot of miscellaneous items, and they have at least ten million people."

Han San said, "That side is pure socialism, just like we were in the 1950s and 60s, talking about collective ownership. It followed the Soviet Union's path. The country focused on military development and heavily favored important industries, while light industry lagged far behind. We basically supported it all."

"Haven't you seen those special trains coming to our side several times a year? Those are for audiences, to ask for goods and industry, to sign procurement contracts—those are the big ones. The smaller ones are basically handled here in Andong and Fengtian. There are quite a few businesses from there operating in Fengtian."

Factory Director Yu asked Han San, "What kind of machine did Xiao Wei install?"

Han San said, "The small ones only weigh about 60 jin per hour. I don't have any large ones, so who am I supposed to sell them to?"

Factory Director Yu said to Xiao Wei, "If you want to work somewhere, I can help you get a few sets of equipment, just like mine. They can produce about 200 kilograms per hour. You could work on three or four of them and that should be enough."

Han San looked up, thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I can't fit it in. His room is less than 30 meters long and about 10 meters wide. It would be good if he could fit two tables." He then looked back at Xiao Wei carefully.

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant and said with a smile, "My main products right now are cakes and bread. I bought a cookie machine because I didn't know much about them at first. Well, Uncle Yu, if you're going to order regularly, I'll get two machines like you suggested. I don't have room for more. How much does the machine cost?"

Factory Director Yu closed the reports he was looking at and put them aside. He took off his reading glasses, stood up from behind the table, stretched, and said, "Let me take you to see it. This thing can bake more than just old-fashioned biscuits; it can bake quite a lot of things. It costs a little over 30,000 yuan a unit, not expensive."

A few people left the office and walked into the factory. The smell of the old-fashioned baked biscuits wasn't very pleasant, and the corridor was filled with a faint ammonia smell.

Han San pulled Xiao Wei along, keeping his pace behind, and whispered, "Don't agree too readily. Besides, your place isn't worth investing in big equipment. Profits depend entirely on output. Where are you going to sell it? Aren't you just relying on picking up contracts?" Xiao Wei nodded.

Han San said, "We still need to focus more on cakes and bread."

Xiao Wei said, "I understand. And I plan to buy two recipes for new biscuits to try. We still have to rely on the market."

Han San put his arm around Xiao Wei's shoulder and patted him, saying, "Don't you treat me like a brother? You don't need to buy a few cookie recipes? I have plenty. I'll get them for you when we get back. Did Lao Li's two apprentices try to fool you? Don't listen to their nonsense. Recipes are common stuff, they're everywhere."

Factory Director Yu had already reached the workshop door and turned to look at the two of them.

Han San said, "This place smells awful. Can't you teach people to clean it up regularly? Look at all this dust and dirt." The biscuit factory was covered in flour dust and grease.

Several people entered the workshop, where five machines were neatly arranged. Xiao Wei's cookie machine was 80 centimeters wide and about five meters long, while this machine was 1.2 meters wide and nearly 11 meters long.

Xiao Wei looked up and surveyed the entire workshop. There were about ten people working there. At the other end of the machine was a packaging workbench, where about ten people were packing boxes, stacking loose biscuits into cardboard boxes one stack at a time, separated by paper sheets. There were more than thirty people in the entire workshop.

Factory Manager Yu said to Xiaowei, "I have two workshops like this. This one produces this kind, and over there they're baking sesame cakes." He led a few people through the workshop and into the back workshop. The smell was much better there; the air was filled with a sweet and sesame aroma. Xiaowei had eaten these biscuits before; they were very fragrant, a bit hard to chew, but delicious.

Factory manager Yu said, "There's another bakery next door; the factory is only this big."

Han San whispered in Xiao Wei's ear, "This factory is quite profitable. His biscuits and bread sell very well in Fengtian. He's just trying to get people to help him fulfill old orders so he can produce these other profitable ones, understand?"

Xiao Wei nodded and smiled, saying, "I understand." Han San said, "I brought you here to broaden your horizons and show you how other food factories operate. Yours isn't even a factory yet; it's just a workshop at best. You have to do things this way: don't produce too many products, focus on quality, and just open up sales channels."

Xiao Wei nodded and slowly looked around, while Chen Hui went to talk to the female worker who was packing the food.

After watching for a while, Director Yu didn't mention going to the bread workshop. He talked to a few workers on the side. After a while, Director Yu walked over and said, "Let's go, it's time to eat. Try our canteen."

It's almost 4:30 or 5:00 now, and the sky is already getting dark.

After calling Xiao Hong and Chen Xiao, Director Yu led a few people out of the workshop, through the corridor connecting several workshops, and to the back of the factory. There was an open space there, where a three-story building was being built. Next to it was a small river with willow trees planted along the riverbank, and flower beds were also being built on the open space.

The first and second floors of the two-story building are the dining hall, and the third floor is the guesthouse.

The first floor was used for workers' meals. Director Yu led a few people up to the second floor. The room was simply furnished, with several private rooms at one end and a large hall at the other, furnished with several tables.

Factory Director Yu led a few people into a private room and said, "The first floor is a free canteen, the second floor costs a little money, you can order à la carte. It's all for internal use, so don't complain too much about the food. We can't afford to hire a good chef." He then laughed, and the others laughed along.

Not long after they sat down, the prepared food was served, and Director Yu urged everyone to start eating.

The dishes were all common and decently prepared. They weren't particularly exquisite, but they weren't as bad as Director Yu had described. Han San and Director Yu drank some Fengcheng Laojiao liquor, which was considered a famous brand in the 80s and 90s. It was made from pure grains, was mellow, and didn't cause headaches.

Xiao Hong said, "The scenery here is quite nice, and the air is much better than in Fengtian."

Factory Director Yu laughed and said, "There's no comparison. People here actually hope for better air quality. Better air quality means industry is booming, and that's when people can make money. Here, the air and scenery are better, but can that be used as money?"

Xiao Hong said, "There must be quite a few tourists here, right?" Although the domestic tourism industry was just starting out at that time, tourism in Andong was already quite popular due to its unique geographical location.

Factory Director Yu clinked glasses with Han San, took a sip of wine, and said, "There are quite a few people coming, but the money doesn't end up in the pockets of ordinary people. The railway makes money, the shopping malls make money, the restaurants make money, the tourism bureau makes money, but what does it have to do with ordinary people? Ordinary people don't even get the entrance fees."

Tourism and the tourism industry are two different things. Once it becomes an industry, more people will benefit from it, which will increase people's income and drive local economic development. At that time, tourism had not yet become an industry and was controlled by the government, so it really had nothing to do with ordinary people.

(End of this chapter)