Lin Wanwan visited Xie Sui's factory for the first time and was utterly amazed. "It's so big!"
Xie Sui: "..."
He gave her a deep look. Although he knew she wasn't talking about his… well, his equipment, he couldn't help but overthink it.
Lin Wanwan knew Xie Sui had rented a place in the county town, but she'd only imagined it to be about the same size as their home. To her surprise, it was five times larger, complete with a basement cold storage. She finally believed Xie Sui could earn five to six hundred yuan a day.
"Brother Xie, you're here! Is this Sister-in-law? She's so beautiful! Hello, Sister-in-law!"
Gu Lei and the others greeted her. Lin Wanwan nodded and replied, "Hello everyone, thank you for your hard work."
Her gentle and refined demeanor surprised them. How did Brother Xie find such a wife? She looked like she came from a distinguished family.
"You all go ahead and work. I'll show Wanwan around. From now on, when I'm not here, Wanwan's word is my word. Anyone who dares to disobey will not be forgiven."
"It's fine if you're casual with me, I won't mind, but you must show respect to Wanwan. I will definitely get angry."
Lin Wanwan said shyly, "What are you talking about? It's not that serious. Ignore him; he loves to make a fuss. Go back to work; I see many people waiting outside."
"Okay, goodbye, Sister-in-law."
As they left, Lin Wanwan gave him a playful glare. "By saying that, you'll make them think I have a bad temper." Su Dan Novel Network
"Don't let their honest appearance fool you; they're all sharp. I'm afraid they'll bully you."
Lin Wanwan: "Am I that incompetent?"
"Indeed, Wanwan is the most capable. Let's go to the room, and I'll show you how to make butter and condensed milk. This is our core technology right now. Besides you, I trust no one else."
Lin Wanwan's heart was touched. Did he trust her this much?
By lunchtime, they had successfully made butter. Lunch was at the factory canteen. Xie Sui also hired two guards for security and cleaning, giving the factory a proper presence.
After a short rest during lunch, Xie Sui went out in the afternoon, carrying a jar, and headed straight for the county government compound.
"Who are you looking for? Don't you know what kind of place this is? Is it somewhere you can just walk into?"
He was stopped by the gatekeeper. He was on a bicycle, his hair greasy, and he didn't look like he belonged to the official system.
"I'm looking for Director Liu. He's my uncle."
The gatekeeper sneered, "Trying to trick us? You've got guts, kid. Everyone knows our secretary is from the south, and his family hasn't joined him. Where would you find a relative with your accent?"
Xie Sui: "..."
A miscalculation. He'd forgotten the secretary was from the south.
"If I say he is, he is. Just inform him. If you get criticized, I won't cause trouble for you. Please, help me out."
Xie Sui slipped him a box of cigarettes, with a ten-yuan note tucked underneath. The gatekeeper's expression changed. "I'll only help you ask. What's your name?"
"Just say it's a young person who can cook hometown dishes and is bringing him some pickles."
Xie Sui gestured to the jar in his hand. This gift would be more effective than money.
This was not like his previous life, where transportation was convenient, and specialties from all over the country flew around. The world had become a global village. It wasn't just within the country; you could buy anything you wanted. Right now, getting a taste of authentic pickles would be a luxury for Director Liu.
As expected, upon hearing this, Director Liu immediately had someone invite him in.
"Hello, I hope I'm not disturbing your work?"
"No, young man, I remember you. So you're not one of our canteen cooks!"
"No, I happened to be helping out, and later I found out you were our county secretary. I was so regretful. I missed such a great opportunity."
"Haha... You're quite honest, kid!"
Xie Sui's directness actually impressed Director Liu. His gaze fell on the jar in his hand.
"I made some pickles. Please try them. The flavor might be a bit off because I didn't have enough time. There's more at home. Give me two months, and the taste will be absolutely authentic."
Director Liu opened it, looked at it, and asked his secretary to bring chopsticks. He tasted it eagerly and nodded with satisfaction, "Good, it's this flavor."
Xie Sui couldn't help but chuckle. That was the same phrase from a pickled vegetable advertisement in his previous life. Unfortunately, it later became infamous and ruined its reputation. He himself had spoiled the brand.
This was absolutely homemade, and he wouldn't dare to skimp on the ingredients.
Director Liu had his secretary put it away. With this, he could eat two more bowls of rice.
Xie Sui stood up. "I won't disturb your work any longer. I'll be going now."
"You, nothing else?"
Director Liu thought he had come to ask for a favor. If it wasn't something illegal or against regulations, he would have helped. He hadn't expected Xie Sui to leave so soon.
"No, I just brought something you like. I'm a farmer, and I don't have anything to trouble you with."
Director Liu thought it made sense and asked his secretary to escort him out.
The secretary's surname was Tang. Xie Sui was very polite to him. Tang was responsible for the secretary's daily life, but the secretary had been losing his appetite lately, especially with the hot weather. He could barely eat anything, which had worried Tang immensely.
Unexpectedly, Xie Sui's jar of pickles had improved the secretary's appetite. He would likely want more in the future, so Tang had to be polite.
"Secretary Tang, if the secretary wants to eat hometown dishes in the future, please feel free to come to me. My name is Xie Sui. I've opened a food processing plant in our county, producing dried peaches and jelly to help fellow villagers with their unsold fruit and to make a living."
Secretary Tang knew the real reason had arrived. "Serving the villagers, that's a good deed."
Xie Sui continued, "It's just that recently we've encountered some trouble. The township supply and marketing cooperative sold a batch of goods, and the payment is hard to collect. Although it's only a little over a thousand yuan, it's related to the factory's survival, so I had to seek connections."
"Secretary Liu is busy with many affairs. I wouldn't want to trouble him for such a small matter. Secretary Tang, could you please help?"
Secretary Tang frowned. "That shouldn't be the case. Once the goods are sold, the accounts should be settled. Do you have the invoices?"
"Yes, here they are."
Xie Sui was prepared. Secretary Tang saw that they were indeed settlement invoices from the supply and marketing cooperative. He said, "Alright, I'll inquire about it later. The accounts that should be settled definitely shouldn't be left unpaid."
"Thank you so much. Your word is all it takes, and I would have to run myself ragged. I'll take my leave. Goodbye."
Xie Sui left the invoices with him and waved goodbye as he left.
Secretary Tang returned and told Director Liu about Xie Sui's matter. Director Liu said, "Go and investigate. Is there any misunderstanding?"
"Okay, that kid has quite a bit of nerve, coming directly to you."
Director Liu smiled and said, "He's bold, and he's also upright and magnanimous. He doesn't seem like an ordinary farmer. Keep an eye on him. Since he can open a factory, perhaps our county's development needs people like him."
The state-owned food factories had rigid thinking. They looked good on the surface and could balance their books, but their profits were very low, and they were always subsidized by the government, bringing in little tax revenue.
Without tax revenue, many things couldn't be done. There were already voices encouraging private enterprises in the country, and Secretary Liu felt he could also start from this aspect to revitalize the county's economy.