amaotonovel Chapter 1309 Getting to the bottom of things
Chapter 1309 Getting to the bottom of things
Chapter 1309 Getting to the bottom of things
After Qin Hao decisively refused and left, a suffocating silence fell over the Xiao Lei family team headquarters.
The fire in the stove seemed to have died down, leaving only a faint red glow and unbearable heat.
Lei Sibao broke the silence first. He glanced at the documents on the table, clicked his tongue, and said, "If you ask me, Dongbao, let's not bother with raising cattle! What's the point of all that effort? Let's just go back to raising pigs! It's so much easier. We can build a sturdy shed, get a few healthy piglets, feed them, and by the end of the year, they'll be plump and ready to be sold for money! Isn't that better than cattle? We don't even know as many words as there are on this paper. We don't understand how to manage it, and we can't afford to take care of it!"
Shi Hongwei and Lei Shigen exchanged a glance, their eyes both showing interest. Shi Hongwei hesitated, rubbing his hands, and chimed in, "Yes, Dongbao. Sibao's words, though rough, make a lot of sense. Pig farming is something we're familiar with; the old Party Secretary used to run the team's pig farm, so he has some experience. But cattle farming… who among us roughnecks knows anything about that? If we mess it up, not only will we lose everything, but it'll also cause delays. We won't be able to explain it to the cannery, and if County Chief Xu blames us, we'll be in deep trouble!"
Lei Shigen added worriedly, "It's not just that we can't understand the documents. Haozi just said that those foreigners have a lot of rules; they even have regulations about what the cattle eat and drink. Our brick factory's bookkeeping is often a mess, so we really can't handle this kind of sophisticated stuff. Besides, raising cattle is not like raising pigs; it takes a long time and requires a lot of investment. If something goes wrong in the middle, all the money will be lost, and even the money we wanted to raise from the village will be gone. How are we going to explain that to the villagers then?"
Seeing that Lei Dongbao was just keeping his head down, his eyes fixed on the corner of the table, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, yet he remained silent, Lei Sibao grew even bolder. He was convinced that Lei Dongbao had lost his nerve after Haozi's rejection, so he straightened his back a bit more and said sarcastically, "I originally thought Haozi would genuinely care about our shared hometown and lend a hand, but look what happened! Asking him to find a knowledgeable master to give directions… it's clearly just an excuse, a way to stall! He's unwilling to lend a hand!"
“I’ve finally figured it out! Haozi is all that now, he’s made it big, and he doesn’t care about our Xiaolei Village anymore! What hometown? What fellow villagers? In his eyes, our little village isn’t even a burden! He’s only thinking about getting rid of us, afraid of getting tainted by our poverty and hindering his foreign exchange earnings! In his heart, he doesn’t consider our Xiaolei Village his own home at all!”
"shut up!"
Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, and Lei Dongbao, who had just been sitting on the stool, suddenly sprang up like a raging tiger and kicked the unsuspecting Lei Sibao hard in the chest!
"Ahhh!!!" Lei Sibao didn't have time to react. He felt as if his chest had been hit by a sledgehammer. The intense pain and the feeling of suffocation came instantly. He was kicked off the ground by the huge force and flew backward. He crashed heavily into the mud wall covered with old newspapers with a "thud". He slid to the ground like a lump of mud, curled up on the ground, clutching his chest. His face turned a purplish-red, and tears and snot came out.
The kick was so powerful and fast that Shi Hongwei and Lei Shigen were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they didn't dare to step forward to pull him away.
The old Party Secretary was so startled that he jumped up from his stool, almost dropping his pipe.
"Why...why did you hit me?!" Lei Sibao curled up on the ground, feeling pain, shame, and anger. He struggled to get up, but the movement aggravated his pain, causing him to grimace and yell.
"I'll beat you up, you son of a bitch!!" Lei Dongbao's bloodshot eyes were wide open like copper bells, his chest heaving violently. He took two steps to Lei Sibao's side, and with a large, iron-like hand, he grabbed Lei Sibao's patched old military uniform and lifted him off the ground like a chick.
Lei Sibao kicked wildly with his feet dangling in the air, his face turning even more purple, staring in terror at Lei Dongbao, who looked like a ferocious god.
"Why should I? Because of your loose tongue! You're utterly useless, all you do is spread rumors, stir up trouble, and make sarcastic remarks behind people's backs! You fucking ask yourself honestly, Haozi! Since the day he left Xiaolei Village, has he ever taken a single penny from our village?! His parents are long gone, did he get his share of farmland? What has he ever wronged Xiaolei Village?! You, Lei Sibao, besides being crooked, malicious, and nitpicky, what else can you say?! How dare you say they didn't help? How dare you complain that they don't value you? What right do you have to demand that they give up a multi-million dollar business deal to come back and serve this mess we have?! Huh?!"
Lei Dongbao grew angrier as he spoke, the veins on his arms bulging. Lei Sibao was being squeezed by his collar until his eyes rolled back, his hands futilely trying to pry open the iron hand, making strange hoarse noises, and he looked like he was about to pass out.
"Dongbao! Dongbao! That's enough! Let go! You'll strangle him to death! He's a rascal, he deserves to be beaten! But you can't really hurt him! Let go! Let's talk this out!"
Shi Hongwei and Lei Shigen also realized what was happening and quickly stepped forward, trying to pry Lei Dongbao's hands off, saying, "Brother Dongbao, calm down! Calm down! You know how sharp-tongued Si Bao is! It's not worth getting angry over this!"
"Cough cough cough... Hehe..." Lei Sibao was finally pushed to the ground by Lei Dongbao with a "pui" sound. He lay on the ground, breathing heavily and coughing so hard that his face was covered with snot and tears. He dared not say another word, for fear that Lei Dongbao would be angry and give him another beating.
Lei Dongbao's chest heaved violently as he roared with a resounding voice:
"I, Lei Dongbao, am putting this out there today! I'm going to raise this ox! Don't talk to me about how difficult it is, or how impossible it is! Difficult? If you're afraid of difficulties, go home, hug your wife and kids, and wait to die! Roads are made by walking! Solutions are found by thinking of them!"
"Nobody in Xiaolei Village knows how to raise cattle, so we'll go to the county to ask! If we can't find anyone in the county, I'll go to the city! If we can't find anyone in the city, I'll risk all my pride and go to the province! I refuse to believe that a living person can be killed by holding their pee!"
"We, the people of Xiaolei, have toiled in the fields for generations, but we're no less intelligent than others! We're no less strong than others! And we're no lazier than others! Why should we be poor generation after generation, looked down upon by others?! Why should others be rich while we just watch and wait?! As the old saying goes, 'A man fights for his pride, and even Buddha receives incense.' I refuse to believe in this evil! Can't the men of Xiaolei earn their own living with their own hands?! No matter how difficult the path of raising cattle is, I will make it smooth!"
This roar, like a violent storm, fiercely washed over every corner of the dilapidated team headquarters and into the hearts of everyone present.
The old Party Secretary's cloudy old eyes gleamed with an unusual light—a mixture of shock, relief, and a touch of shame.
The hesitation and uncertainty on Shi Hongwei and Lei Shigen's faces were gradually replaced by a burning passion. Looking at Lei Dongbao, who seemed to be about to tear a hole in the sky, they felt for the first time the crazy determination in his chest to transform the entire Xiaolei family. A burning passion of "not giving up" began to ignite in their hearts.
"Okay, Dongbao, we support you, let's raise cattle!"
……
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Qin Hao had already packed up and was ready to set off for Shanghai.
Song Yunping and her family waited at the door to see him off. Song's mother held Qin Hao's hand, repeatedly reminding him to take care of his health and safety while traveling.
Mr. Song didn't say much, but his eyes were full of reluctance. He hesitated several times before finally patting Qin Hao's shoulder heavily: "Haozi, everything is fine at home, don't worry. As a grown man, your career is the most important thing. If you should dare to take risks, then go for it!"
Song Yunhui quietly helped put the luggage into the car trunk.
Song Yunping stood in front of Qin Hao, her eyes filled with undisguised longing. Sunlight fell on her slightly thin shoulders, casting a soft halo around them.
She tried to maintain a calm smile and said softly, "Be careful on the road."
Qin Hao's gaze fell on her delicate face, and he said in a low voice, "Study hard, take good care of yourself, and I'll come to see you in Jingzhou when I have time."
After a brief farewell, the black Crown sedan, with a low roar of its engine, drove away from the dirt road of Shanbei Brigade, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Song Yunping stood at the door of her house until the car completely disappeared from sight before silently turning around, her eyes misting over.
At the same time, the prosperity and vitality of Shanghai were palpable. This pearl of the Far East, despite weathering the storms of time, still possessed an inherent modernity and ambition that surged like the Huangpu River. There were many more skyscrapers than in Jinling County, the streets were wide, and the pedestrians were dressed more fashionably.
Qin Hao arrived without stopping for a moment, as Yang Xun had already been waiting at the hotel with the prepared documents.
"Brother Hao, as per your request, this is a preliminary list of potential partner factories. They mainly focus on light industry, hardware, and small electromechanical products. These factories have consistently provided relatively stable quality products in the past, and their leaders are also quite innovative and willing to accept suggestions for improvement."
Yang Xun respectfully handed over a thick stack of documents, which detailed the factory's name, address, main products, production capacity, factory manager's name, current technological level, and analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. There was even an assessment of the "corporate atmosphere" that Qin Hao had specially marked.
Qin Hao took the documents and quickly and meticulously reviewed them, without the slightest hint of polite small talk. This trip to Shanghai was of paramount importance; it was not merely a simple supplier inspection, but a crucial strategic move to lay the foundation for Haoran International's development strategy for the next few years and beyond.
"The schedule is a bit tight." Qin Hao closed the documents and cut straight to the point: "We don't have much time, we'll start tomorrow. We need to visit each factory in person, not only to see the equipment, the factory buildings, and the production samples, but more importantly, to talk to the factory managers, key technical personnel, and even frontline workers to understand their true thoughts, management capabilities, and willingness to accept new things. We need to thoroughly understand the details of accounts, production efficiency, defect rate, and cost structure. In particular, the reserve and potential for improvement of technical strength are the most important aspects of our assessment."
"Understood, Brother Hao." Yang Xun replied immediately, "The car is ready. We've also made arrangements with the factory, but... with all this fuss, I've heard that some people in the city have already started asking about it."
“As expected.” Qin Hao calmly took a sip of water. “Ignore it. Just reply with the same line we agreed on: Our core overseas clients have raised higher requirements for the suppliers’ processing capabilities and quality stability, and require on-site assessments to meet their global procurement standards. We are just conducting preliminary due diligence.”
Yang Xun nodded solemnly.
For the next two weeks, Qin Hao and Yang Xun practically spun around like tops, leaving early and returning late, shuttling between factories of all sizes in various districts and counties of Shanghai.
Qin Hao didn't say much, but every word he uttered hit the nail on the head.
"Director Li, how worn are the core components of this equipment? What is the replacement cycle for spare parts? Can we buy original parts?"
"Why is the loss rate in this stage consistently so high? Have you analyzed the main reasons? Have you conducted process improvement experiments?"
"Do the factory's existing technical staff have the opportunity and willingness to pursue further education at professional institutions? Is the salary structure sufficient to retain key personnel?"
He doesn't ask about output value, profits, or even the order fulfillment capacity of specific products.
His focus has always revolved around "technical barriers," "production process improvement," "personnel quality enhancement," and "quality control system"—issues that are both distant and unfamiliar to most state-owned factories accustomed to a planned economy and extensive management, yet which they vaguely sense are pain points they will have to face in the future.
Just as Qin Hao's inspection trip was drawing to a close, an invitation was delivered to his hotel—to Wang Zhengqing, the full-time deputy secretary of the municipal party committee in charge of industry.
The location was chosen to be a quiet and unassuming private room in a Huaiyang cuisine restaurant on the banks of the Huangpu River.
Outside the window flows the Huangpu River slowly, with boats shuttling back and forth, and the faint sound of ship horns can be heard.
Secretary Wang Zhengqing is a veteran industrialist in his fifties. He is in good shape, and his sharp eyes reveal a calmness honed by the years. He wears a pair of reading glasses.
His words were gentle, yet impeccable; after the pleasantries, he naturally transitioned to the main topic:
"Mr. Lei, welcome to Shanghai. You must have had a tough time these past few days. You've visited so many factories. Many of these old factories in Shanghai are getting on in years, and their management can't keep up with the times. I'm sorry to have made you laugh at many things."
"We highly value the visit of such a dynamic and capable entrepreneur as Mr. Lei to Shanghai to discuss cooperation. However, recently, many old colleagues have reported to me that Mr. Lei, your inspection this time was very thorough, and you even brought engineers with you? Some of these doubts have reached me. Of course, I told my subordinates that companies have their own trade secrets, and we shouldn't ask questions that shouldn't be asked. But personally, as a veteran industrialist in charge of this area, I'm still a bit curious and want to hear Mr. Lei's 'real insights.' Are there any aspects in which our factories in Shanghai are still far from meeting the high requirements of your international orders? Or, in other words, did Mr. Lei discover something during this trip that we haven't seen?"
Wang Zhengqing's words were a mix of soft and firm, expressing both welcome and importance while subtly applying pressure and highlighting the city's concerns and doubts.
Instead of demanding an explanation, they adopted a posture of "sincere communication," even implying a sense of "humbly seeking advice," making it impossible for anyone to avoid them.
Qin Hao put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and knew in his heart that the moment of truth had arrived.
The core of his plan for this trip was to gain the understanding and support of local high-level officials, especially this powerful figure in charge of industry, in order to overcome numerous obstacles.
"Secretary Wang, you flatter me. My visit this time is not a simple inspection, but a preliminary assessment of each factory."