Chapter 55 of 100

Chapter 55: Planning (Part 2)

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In the countryside, people are poor and life is hard. If there was a way to help the villagers become wealthy, Hou Lihua would never let it slip away. The process of making tofu is not complicated, and many people can produce it at home. Moreover, the soybean yield in Shumu Ridge Township is indeed very high. Currently, the villagers generally keep enough for their own use and sell the rest to the grain station, where the purchase price for one pound of soybeans is only three to four cents. However, one pound of tofu can also be sold for three to four cents. It's important to know that thirty pounds of soybeans can make one hundred to one hundred and ten pounds of tofu. This means that after processing, the value of soybeans immediately increases three to four times.

"Does that mean there's no problem with selling the tofu?" Hou Lihua looked at Zhu Daodong with eager eyes. It was Zhu Daodong who had recommended the tofu factory to him, but now the situation had quietly reversed, and Hou Lihua was pulling Zhu Daodong to help him set up the tofu factory.

"If Secretary Hou doesn't believe me, we can go to the city on Sunday. You can make some dried tofu at home, and we can sell it together. Then you'll have a more direct experience," Zhu Daodong smiled. He was very confident that if Hou Lihua really went to the city's farmers' market, he would definitely be interested.

"Alright, Chairman Mao also said that without investigation, there is no right to speak. Let's go this Sunday then," Hou Lihua's dark face lit up with a smile. Zhu Daodong's willingness to go to the city with him and even sell dried tofu made him more certain that this young man was not just a talker.

"Dad, this tofu factory will cost about forty to fifty thousand yuan. Don't get too excited too soon," Hou Yong, seeing his father's eyes light up, kindly reminded him.

"Without investment, there can be no output. As long as it can make money, the village can raise the forty to fifty thousand yuan!" Hou Lihua glared at his son and huffed.

"Daodong, can we start with a smaller investment and expand production after we see some returns?" Hou Gan interjected. He didn't talk much at the dinner table, but that didn't mean he lacked initiative. In fact, he was quite smart. Most importantly, he had perseverance; otherwise, their house wouldn't have been built. Although Zhu Daodong had only just met him, he had a good impression of him. Now, seeing him raise this question, he was even more pleased. Smart, persistent, and cautious—these qualities made Hou Gan a good leader for the village's tofu factory.

"That's possible. We can start with a family workshop model, where the village uniformly purchases and sells the tofu. However, this will increase the cost," Zhu Daodong thought for a moment. If the villagers had concerns, this was a compromise. The only significant investment might be the wooden boxes and boards for the tofu, which not every household would have. Uniform sales would require standardized specifications.

"Higher costs are fine as long as we can sell it. Even if we don't make a profit at first, it's okay," Hou Lihua nodded. They could start with a trial run. As long as there was a market, he wouldn't have to do much persuading to get the villagers to contribute funds. Otherwise, raising forty to fifty thousand yuan, though he had high credibility in the village, wouldn't be easy.

"But there is one thing we must buy first: the soy milk grinder. We can't have the villagers use stone mills, which would take too much time. Besides, there aren't enough stone mills in the village," Zhu Daodong added.

"Alright, we'll buy the soy milk grinder with our own money first. If the factory is established, it will be counted as part of the factory's assets," Hou Lihua decided on the spot, and the matter was settled.

After the meal, Hou Lihua immediately convened a meeting of the village cadres to unify their thoughts. He needed to convince them first before he could convince the villagers. Since Zhu Daodong was the de facto initiator, Hou Lihua also invited him to attend the village committee meeting.

"Let me introduce you to this young man. He is the secretary of the township government, Xiao Zhu, Zhu Daodong. According to the township's notification, Xiao Zhu has been promoted to the director of the enterprise office. He came to our village today to discuss the establishment of a village collective enterprise," Hou Lihua introduced Zhu Daodong to everyone.

The Houjiatang Village Committee had five members, including Hou Lihua. The other four were the village chief Hou Manyi, the accountant Hou Feng, the militia captain and deputy village chief Hou Jianguo, and the women's committee chief Liu Dan. Upon hearing that this young man was a township official and even a director, their eyes filled with respect, and they all clapped to welcome him.

Zhu Daodong quickly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with everyone, but he soon stepped back. This was a meeting of the Houjiatang Village Committee, not an inspection report by Zhu Daodong. The main character was Hou Lihua.

Next, Hou Lihua gave a detailed introduction. His credibility in Houjiatang was already at its peak, and with Zhu Daodong's support, the other committee members did not raise any objections. Hou Lihua's high credibility stemmed from his always thinking of the villagers' interests first, his fair and clean handling of affairs, and the fact that he had never been criticized in decades.

This time was no different. He would personally go to the city with Director Zhu to investigate the market, even selling some dried tofu. Then he would organize the villagers to produce tofu at home, and only after seeing results would they formally raise funds to establish the factory. The risk for the villagers would be limited to a few dozen pounds of soybeans and a dozen or so wooden boxes and boards. For the villagers, this was an acceptable risk. If the tofu didn't sell, they could eat it themselves. The wooden boxes and boards would also be useful for making tofu at home, saving them from borrowing from others.

The biggest investment would be the soy milk grinder, but Secretary Hou would buy it with his own money. If the factory wasn't established, it would be his personal property. If the factory was established, it would be counted as part of the factory's assets. This arrangement left no room for objections.

The next day, Hou Lihua prepared to hold a village meeting. Zhu Daodong had to go to work, so he returned with Hou Yong. After the village committee meeting the previous night, Zhu Daodong knew that in Houjiatang, as long as Hou Lihua agreed, the matter was almost certain. Now, he needed to help Hou Lihua contact the sales department for the soy milk grinder. Thinking about going to the city on Sunday, Zhu Daodong focused on contacting several machinery sales departments in the city.

In the morning, Zhu Daodong "heard" Liu Wei's voice at the township government. Zhu Daodong had drunk more than five bottles of premium old white spirit the previous night. He felt the wine was worth the price. One evening, a whole box of wine was gone. He wanted to buy a few more boxes from Liu Wei. These wines were not available on the market, and their taste was almost as good as Wuliangye. If he had more money, he would have bought all the premium old white spirit in the factory's inventory.

Zhu Daodong was about to go find Liu Wei when he suddenly "heard" his footsteps heading towards Yuan Ping's office. Zhu Daodong, who had already reached the door, stopped. He needed to buy wine, but he should wait for Liu Wei to finish his business first.

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