Chapter 67 of 100

Chapter 67: The Tofu Factory is About to Start Production

12 min read2,939 words

The tofu factory in Houjiatang Village was preparing to officially start production. After a week of trial sales, all the villagers who participated were very satisfied with the returns. The only regret was that the production of each household was not high, and the amount of dried tofu that could be delivered to the city for sale was limited. Therefore, the villagers of Houjiatang now had the greatest wish to join together and expand production.

Since they were going to expand production, they had to officially set up a factory and could no longer operate in a small workshop style. According to Zhu Daodong's initial plan, there must be a separate production workshop, and it couldn't just be in someone's living room. It also needed to be close to a water source. Being close to a water source would not only save the trouble of water usage but, more importantly, save costs.

Houjiatang Village had over 400 households and three wells. One of the wells had a history of over a hundred years. According to the village elders, they had been using the water from this ancient well since they were children. The water was sweet and refreshing, and even after 60 or 70 years, it still tasted the same. Moreover, the water level in the ancient well never seemed to decrease, whether in winter or summer. In winter, the well water steamed, and in summer, it was icy cold. The other two wells were dug after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Originally, the ancient well could supply water to the entire village, but as the population of Houjiatang grew and the administrative area of the village expanded, one well was no longer enough. Especially for those living on the outskirts, they had to walk for ten minutes every day to fetch water, so they dug a well in the east and another in the west of the village.

Although the village was inclined to place the tofu factory's production workshop next to the ancient well, Hou Lihua did not rush to make a decision this time. The tofu factory plan was proposed by Zhu Daodong, so Hou Lihua wanted to first ask for Zhu Daodong's opinion. The other members of the village committee also felt it was necessary. Although Zhu Daodong was young, he was a very capable young man. At his age, he had become the director of the enterprise office, and almost every household in Houjiatang Village, and even in the entire Shumu Ridge Township, had made tofu themselves, but who had thought of selling tofu to the city?

No one, only Zhu Daodong!

Regardless of his position, just for this reason, they had to listen to his advice!

Hou Lihua asked his son to ride a heavy-duty bicycle to take him to the township government to find Zhu Daodong, but when they arrived at the office, they found that Zhu Daodong was not there. Hou Lihua was familiar with the township government, so he asked Old Wan, who worked in the canteen, and learned that Zhu Daodong had gone to the distillery.

"Old Hou, what do you need from Director Zhu?" Wan Jianhua was one of the township government's information gatherers.

"There's something in the village that needs him," Hou Lihua said casually. "Old Wan, what is Director Zhu doing at the distillery?"

"Director Hou, have you been holed up at home these past few days? How come you don't know anything? Do you know about the party committee's decision regarding Director Zhu? As the village party secretary, you should have been informed of the party committee's decision, right?" Wan Jianhua looked at him as if he were an alien. The event that had shaken the entire township over the past few days was that Zhu Daodong had managed to sell all 500 boxes of accumulated wine in just three days. No one understood how he did it, but they knew he had delivered the wine directly to a hotel in the county, and the money had been deposited in the finance office immediately. This year's task for the enterprise office was almost complete.

"Did he really sell the wine so quickly?" Hou Lihua asked. He had heard Zhu Daodong mention it on the train when they went to the city, but it hadn't been a month yet, so how could it be sold so quickly?

"Not just quickly, he delivered all the wine to the county three days ago, and a hotel bought it all." Wan Jianhua said with a sigh. Although no one in the township said it outright, everyone knew that Township Chief Yuan had shot himself in the foot. He had tried to force Zhu Daodong into a corner and indirectly challenge Secretary Chen, but Zhu Daodong had handled the matter so efficiently that Township Chief Yuan was left with a blackened face.

"That's good, that's good. Since the annual management fees have been collected, why is he still going to the distillery?" Hou Lihua asked.

"He's trying to get the distillery to continue producing that premium old white wine, but Liu Wei hasn't dared to agree. These days, Director Zhu has been trying to persuade him whenever he has the chance." Wan Jianhua sighed. He could see that Zhu Daodong was a man who wanted to do something and could get things done, but unfortunately, there was little he could do now, and the things he wanted to do were beyond his reach. Seeing the state of the distillery, he could only feel frustrated.

"Without Township Chief Yuan's approval, even if Liu Wei had three lives, he wouldn't dare to agree!" Hou Lihua had always looked down on Liu Wei, who was just a dog for Yuan Ping.

"Unfortunately, Director Zhu hasn't seen through this. He goes to persuade Liu Wei every day, and now Liu Wei is even starting to avoid him, hehe." Wan Jianhua laughed.

"Son, take me to the distillery." Hou Lihua didn't want to waste time at the township government. It wasn't far from there to the distillery, so he decided to go directly there to find Zhu Daodong.

On the way, Hou Lihua and his son ran into Zhu Daodong. Today, Zhu Daodong seemed a bit dejected, clearly having failed to persuade Liu Wei again, and not even managing to see him. Seeing Hou Lihua, a smile appeared on Zhu Daodong's face: "Secretary Hou, are you here to handle some village affairs?"

"I came specifically to find you. The village is preparing to officially set up a tofu factory, and we want to hear your opinion on the location." Hou Lihua introduced the situation of the three wells, "Please help us make a decision."

"Really? That's great!" Zhu Daodong said with surprise, "The trial sales in the city should have gone well, right?"

"Very well. No matter how much we send, it always sells out." Hou Gan said. He had been there every time, while Hou Lihua and Zhu Daodong had only gone once and never returned.

"I knew it. The market for tofu should be very good," Zhu Daodong said with a smile. "Secretary Hou, about the location for the tofu factory, I think we shouldn't rush to make a decision. Tofu is food, and safety is paramount. I suggest the village take water samples from the three wells to the county for testing. If all three wells' water is qualified, then we should use the water from the ancient well."

"The water from these three wells has been tested before, and all are qualified, especially the ancient well. The county says it is rich in minerals, and it was tested just two years ago," Hou Lihua said immediately.

"Then we can choose the location next to the ancient well. The principle of choosing a location is to ensure the cleanliness, hygiene, and safety of the tofu, while also not affecting the existing water quality of the ancient well. If building the tofu factory affects the water quality of the ancient well, it would be a loss," Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"I think we should invite Director Zhu to come and see the village. Without you, I always feel uneasy," Hou Gan said.

"Right, Daodong, you go to persuade Liu Wei every day, but it would be better to come and guide our tofu factory. Is our collective enterprise a stepchild that you, as the director of the enterprise office, don't care about?" Hou Lihua said in mock anger.

"Alright, I just feel that Liu Wei is missing a great opportunity, and the Shumu Ridge Distillery is losing a chance for development, and even our entire Shumu Ridge Township is missing out." Zhu Daodong sighed. "I'll take a leave of absence. There's nothing much happening in the township these days, so I'll stay in your village. By the way, Secretary Hou, I have a few boxes of wine in my office. I'll bring a few boxes back with me."

---