amaotonovel Chapter 1339 Lei Dongbao's Pillar
Chapter 1339 Lei Dongbao's Pillar
Chapter 1339 Lei Dongbao's Pillar
As the two were talking, Lei Dongbao's mother came out to greet them. She was wearing a brand-new floral shirt, her hair was neatly combed, and her face was full of smiles.
"Haozi's here! Come on in!" Dongbao's mother greeted him warmly, but her eyes kept glancing at the gift bag Qin Hao was carrying. "I was wondering why Dongbao made me kill a chicken and buy meat when it's not a holiday."
Qin Hao smiled and handed over the gift: "Auntie, it's been a long time. I brought you a small gift."
"Oh, come on over, why bring anything?" Dongbao's mother said, but her hand was already outstretched.
Lei Dongbao couldn't stand it anymore and shoved the gift into her hands: "Alright, Haozi's not an outsider, why are you making all this useless stuff?"
"This child..." Dongbao's mother glared at her son, feigning anger, then turned to Qin Hao and said, "Haozi, don't listen to Dongbao's nonsense. I'm just..."
"Auntie, I think Dongbao is right. We're not strangers, so please don't stand on ceremony." Qin Hao chuckled inwardly. Lei Dongbao's mother was notorious in the village for being vain and always trying to take advantage of others. Others might not know, but Qin Hao, who grew up in Xiao Lei's family, certainly did.
"Then I'll shamelessly accept it." Dongbao's mother happily took the gift bag, her eyes narrowing into slits. "The things Haozi brought back must be expensive. Could they have been brought back from America?"
Lei Dongbao said impatiently, "Mom, Haozi just got back and he's starving. Can't you wait until he's full before you start talking about this nonsense?"
Dongbao's mother then seemed to realize something: "Right, right, look at my memory, I was so busy talking. Please sit down, I'll go get the dishes."
As soon as Dongbao's mother entered the house, Lei Dongbao lowered his voice and said, "Don't mind my mom. This old lady is just showing off. She probably wants to flaunt your things to others."
"Hey, you brat, how dare you talk about your mother like that?" Dongbao's mother, with her sharp ears, came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of vegetables, feigning anger, and said, "It wasn't easy for me, a widow, to raise you, and you treat me like this?"
Qin Hao quickly interrupted, "Auntie, Dongbao didn't mean that. Let me tell you what all this is. This is American ginseng, it's good for replenishing qi. Cut a small piece every day, soak it in water, and I guarantee you'll have plenty of energy, and your voice will be several decibels louder when you argue with someone."
Dongbao's mother's eyes lit up: "Wow, this is great stuff!"
"And this too." Qin Hao took out another small box: "It's the latest skincare product from America. Applying it to your face will make you look ten years younger."
"Really?" Dongbao's mother eagerly took the box and looked at it over and over. Although she couldn't understand the English on it, it didn't dampen her enthusiasm at all.
"Of course it's true, would I lie to you?" Qin Hao laughed. "If you don't believe me, you can try it now."
Dongbao's mother waved her hands repeatedly, "No way, these are such precious things, I have to save them for the village meeting." Then, satisfied, she put the things away. "You all eat first, I'll go to the kitchen and get Haozi a couple more dishes."
Watching his mother's elated figure disappear into the distance, Lei Dongbao sighed helplessly, "See? This old lady just loves all this superficial stuff."
"Isn't it because she has a respected village secretary like you to make her proud? Otherwise, what would she have to show off?" Qin Hao joked.
Lei Dongbao waved his hands repeatedly: "Haozi, don't belittle me. What are my achievements compared to yours?"
The table was already laden with dishes: braised chicken pieces, steamed fish, stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, and cucumber salad. Although it couldn't compare to the finer dishes of a big restaurant, the ingredients were fresh and the aroma was irresistible.
Lei Dongbao poured each of them a glass of baijiu: "Come on, Haozi, let's have a drink first!"
With a clink, their glasses met, and the two downed their drinks in one gulp. The baijiu burned as it went down their throats, the sensation traveling all the way to their stomachs, causing Qin Hao to frown slightly.
"What's wrong? You've been in America for too long and you can't get used to the taste of your hometown liquor anymore?" Lei Dongbao joked.
Qin Hao shook his head: "It's good wine, but it's a bit too strong."
"That's right, this is raw liquor I bought directly from the best winery in the county, it's over 60 proof!" Lei Dongbao said proudly. "I wouldn't normally give it out to just anyone."
The two chatted and drank, and after a few drinks, Lei Dongbao's dark face flushed red.
"Haozi, honestly," Lei Dongbao's voice trembled slightly, "Whenever I feel like I've done a good job and want to take a break and relax, I think of you. Really, every time I think about your achievements, I feel like I have inexhaustible energy."
Qin Hao was secretly surprised. In the original drama, Lei Dongbao's arrogant and conceited personality was already fully revealed at this stage. But thinking about it, it made sense; Lei Dongbao certainly had the right to be arrogant. When he first returned from his military service, Xiaolei Village was dirt poor. It was under his leadership that Xiaolei Village went from nothing to something, from the poorest "bachelor village" in the surrounding area to a well-off village that even city dwellers envied. Coupled with the praise from his subordinates, anyone would become arrogant.
But now it seems Lei Dongbao hasn't become arrogant. Could it really be, as he said, that his own existence gives him a constant goal to strive for?
"Dongbao, you don't need to belittle yourself," Qin Hao said sincerely. "Putting everything else aside, just the fact that you're determined to help the poor families in the village move into new houses before building your own, I'm not as good as you."
He raised his glass: "This glass is a toast to your unwavering commitment to your original aspirations."
Lei Dongbao was overjoyed to receive such high praise from Qin Hao, his hands trembling slightly with delight: "Haozi, with your words, all my years of working from dawn till dusk haven't been in vain."
Lei Dongbao picked up a piece of cured meat with his chopsticks: "Secretary Chen has been quite supportive of our Xiaolei family; otherwise, our Xiaolei family wouldn't have developed so rapidly in the past two years."
Qin Hao frowned upon hearing this: "Dongbao, you don't have any private dealings with this Secretary Chen, do you?"
"Haozi, what are you thinking?" Lei Dongbao put down his chopsticks, his face full of disdain. "The only reason he supports our Xiaolei family is because he's after the tax revenue they contribute to the county. Why would I go out of my way to pay him a price?"
He waved his hand dismissively, a hint of smugness in his voice: "I'm not bragging, but every time I go to a meeting in the county, all those leaders greet me with smiles. We're now a major taxpayer in Jinling County!"
Qin Hao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Lei Dongbao didn't bribe Secretary Chen, he wouldn't face imprisonment. At least judging from Lei Dongbao's current behavior, he was worthy of Qin Hao's help.
After boasting, Lei Dongbao felt a little guilty and chuckled, "Haozi, you came back just in time. I was thinking of calling you to ask for your advice."
Qin Hao joked, "You're such a big taxpayer now, do you really need my advice?"
"Hehe, I was just saying it offhand." Lei Dongbao scratched his head sheepishly. "Compared to your listed company, our Lei family is just a small workshop."
"Alright, tell me what you think." Qin Hao picked up a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. The chicken was stewed until tender and flavorful, with the unique aroma of free-range chicken.
Lei Dongbao's smile faded, and he eagerly explained, "It's like this, the copper factory in the county isn't doing well, and I was thinking about what you said before about how integrating the upstream and downstream supply chains could improve a company's competitiveness. Our wire factory's main raw material is copper, so I thought about acquiring the copper factory to save costs."
"But we've been managing the copper mill for over six months now, and I did as you said: the workers were re-evaluated and put back on the job, and management was recruited from outside. But when we did the accounting last month, the copper mill not only didn't make money, it was losing hundreds of thousands of yuan every month. I started to wonder if someone was embezzling, but no matter how much we investigated, we couldn't find anything."
Qin Hao pondered for a moment upon hearing this: "Do you have a detailed breakdown of the copper factory's purchase and sales prices?"
“Yes, this is what I had Shigen organize last month, it’s all here.” Lei Dongbao got up and went into the house, and a moment later he came out with a notebook.
Qin Hao took the notebook and examined it carefully. The handwriting was neat, and all the data was recorded clearly. He quickly found the problem: "Your copper mill's raw material purchase price is only 10% higher than the finished product price, which means a gross profit of only 10%. With such a small profit, it's no wonder the copper mill is losing money."
Lei Dongbao scratched his head: "But if the ex-factory price is too high, we won't be able to guarantee our wire factory's profits. Right now, the entire Lei family relies on the wire factory's profits to pay their pensions."
Qin Hao immediately shook his head: "Isn't your approach just like the old planned economy? To put it bluntly, the copper factory's losses are entirely subsidizing the wire factory. You're essentially expecting the speed of two legs when you're only walking on one leg—how is that possible? And in the long run, the copper factory will complain. After all, everyone's working incredibly hard, but when it comes to payday, they get so much less than the wire factory workers. Eventually, they'll just stop putting in the work."
"Then, Haozi, what would you do if it were you?" Lei Dongbao asked eagerly.
Qin Hao said seriously, "Either you follow the market price and let the wire factory buy the copper factory's products at market price; or you can simply merge the two factories and split the profits and bonuses equally."
After a moment's thought, Qin Hao added, "However, I still suggest that, in addition to fulfilling the wire factory's orders, the copper factory could consider releasing some of its products to the market. It's always better to have two legs than to put all your eggs in one basket. If the wire factory runs into problems in the future, the copper factory won't be dragged down with it."
Lei Dongbao slapped his thigh: "I knew Haozi, you'd have a solution!" He excitedly poured Qin Hao a full glass of wine: "Then I'll do as you said, have the wire factory buy the copper factory's products at market price, and then give the copper factory more autonomy, allowing them to use their extra capacity to expand into new markets."
"Come on, Haozi, on behalf of all the villagers of Xiaolei, I'd like to offer you a toast."
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Dongbao's mother brought out a plate of freshly cooked stir-fried eggs with chives. The golden egg flowers wrapped around the bright green chives, and the aroma was irresistible.
"Auntie, your cooking skills are getting better and better," Qin Hao exclaimed sincerely.
Dongbao's mom beamed, "Eat as much as you like, there's more in the pot!"
Lei Dongbao's face was flushed from drinking, and he was slurring his words: "Haozi, let me tell you, the Lei family's success today is all thanks to the ideas you gave me back then."
"Dongbao, you've had too much to drink." Qin Hao shook his head with a smile.
"I'm not drunk! I'm serious! If it weren't for you, I might be like the old Party Secretary, just stuck with that little plot of land all day. I would never have thought of starting a factory or raising livestock!"
Qin Hao knew Lei Dongbao was speaking from the heart. In the original drama, although Lei Dongbao also had a knack for business, he was limited by the times and his limited perspective, leading him down many wrong paths. But now, with Qin Hao's guidance, the development of Xiaolei Village was indeed much smoother than in the original drama.
"Dongbao, you don't need to thank me." Qin Hao raised his glass. "Xiaolei Village's success today is mainly due to your leadership and the hard work of the villagers."
“No, Haozi, listen to me,” Lei Dongbao stubbornly shook his head. “You don’t know, whenever I encounter difficulties, I think of how you worked hard in America. Such a big company, so many foreigners, and you managed it all. What are my little difficulties?”
Qin Hao was surprised that he had become Lei Dongbao's pillar of support, and couldn't help but find it a little funny.
The two drank until very late that day. Lei Dongbao was so drunk he could barely stand. His mother scolded him for drinking too much while helping him lie down in the inner room.
"Haozi, stay here tonight, I'll tidy up a room for you," Dongbao's mother said warmly.
Qin Hao shook his head: "No, Auntie, I have things to do back home. Please take good care of Dongbao."
Walking back to the village, the night breeze caressed his face, carrying the unique fragrance of the fields. Qin Hao looked up and saw a sky full of twinkling stars, much brighter than those seen in the city.
The next day, Qin Hao had just gotten up when the phone rang. This was a phone Qin Hao had specifically asked County Magistrate Xu to install. Neighbors would also call this number when they were away on long trips, and Song's parents, being quite helpful, had always let them use it for free.
"Hello," Qin Hao answered the phone.
Song Yunhui's voice came through the phone: "Brother-in-law? You went back to your hometown?"
"Xiao Hui," Qin Hao said with a smile, "what brings you here today to call?"
"Yes, Mom and Dad must have gone out. I just got up. Is there anything I can help you with?" Qin Hao asked.
Song Yunhui remained silent for half a minute before slowly speaking, "Brother-in-law, the organization spoke with me today, wanting to transfer me to the East China Sea project department."
At first, Qin Hao thought that after Secretary Shui retired, someone was making things difficult for Song Yunhui again. But after listening to Song Yunhui's explanation, he realized that wasn't the case.
The Donghai project is a project that the ministry attaches great importance to. This is also due to the fact that Haoran International's high-tech industrial park has enhanced Donghai's overall competitiveness. Considering Donghai's existing deep-sea port advantages, the ministry plans to build a large-scale chemical plant with state-of-the-art equipment in Donghai.
The reason they approached Song Yunhui, besides valuing his skills, was probably because they were short of funds in foreign exchange and wanted to take advantage of Qin Hao.
After listening to Song Yunhui's explanation, Qin Hao fell into deep thought. Although Jingzhou Chemical had introduced new equipment, its outdated technology remained a fatal weakness. Moreover, given Song Yunhui's qualifications, without Secretary Shui's protection, it would be difficult for him to be promoted in a short period of time.
The Donghai project is completely different. It's a large-scale chemical enterprise starting from scratch, without many senior figures. Furthermore, given Qin Hao's influence in Donghai, he could easily push Song Yunhui to the top.
"Xiaohui, I think this is a great opportunity," Qin Hao finally said. "Go for it, I'll fully support you."
Qin Hao's unwavering support for Song Yunhui stemmed not only from personal relationships but also from some self-interest. In mainland China, government and business have historically been intertwined, and the influence of executives in large state-owned enterprises is considerable. Perhaps in the future, this support will benefit Haoran International.
On the other end of the phone, Song Yunhui visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, brother-in-law. With your support, I have confidence."
"We're family, no need for formalities," Qin Hao said with a smile. "By the way, when are you free to come back for a visit? Your parents miss you."
"I'll ask for leave and go back after I finish handing over my work here."