Chapter 93: The Teleconference

The twenty-six village party secretaries of Shulin Ridge Township all received an urgent notice from the township government, asking them to arrive at the township government office by four o'clock in the afternoon for a meeting about the feed mill. Upon hearing that the meeting was about the feed mill, none of the village party secretaries were absent, and they all arrived on time at the township government's conference room. Today, the conference room was a bit different from usual, with a telephone placed on the podium.

After everyone had gathered, they were first organized to learn about stocks and stock subscription certificates, as required by Zhu Daodong. If these village party secretaries didn't even know what stocks were, how could they discuss stock subscription certificates with them? It would be like talking to a cow about the moon.

At the back of the conference room, Hou Lihua, the village party secretary of Houjiatang Village, and Hu Fenqiang, the village party secretary of Jinsha Village, were quietly discussing. The accountants from their villages had already gone to Shanghai, so they had received the news earlier than the other village party secretaries.

"Hou, what do you think about this? Four ten-thousand yuan is not a small amount," Hu Fenqiang glanced at Chen Shuli, who was introducing stocks on the podium, and then whispered to Hou Lihua.

"What, are you scared?" Hou Lihua gave him a sidelong glance and said disdainfully. After receiving a call from Hou Feng, he had urgently convened a village committee meeting, where everyone unanimously decided to firmly support Zhu Daodong's actions.

"Who's scared?! I'm just worried if Township Chief Zhu has a good grasp of the situation," Hu Fenqiang argued, though he was indeed a bit afraid. Spending four ten-thousand yuan on a bunch of papers, who knew if this was a reliable plan?

Many people shared Hu Fenqiang's thoughts. Chen Shuli had just finished explaining the knowledge about stocks and stock subscription certificates, which he himself had only recently understood. Immediately, the conference room was filled with buzzing sounds. Stocks had value, but stock subscription certificates did not. Now, Zhu Daodong wanted to use four ten-thousand yuan from the feed mill to buy stock subscription certificates, which had no actual value, just to increase the chances of buying more stocks later.

However, buying stock subscription certificates did not guarantee the right to buy stocks. There was still a lottery involved. Currently, nearly two million stock subscription certificates, each costing thirty yuan, had been sold in Shanghai. Four ten-thousand yuan could only buy about one thousand three hundred certificates. Most of the village party secretaries in the conference room had low educational levels, but they understood the huge gap between one thousand three hundred and nearly two million.

"Secretary Chen, after buying the stock subscription certificates, will we still need to pay money to buy stocks?" Ma Mingyi from Dashan Village was the first to ask.

"Yes, according to Comrade Daodong's estimate, if we win the lottery, we will need about one hundred thousand yuan to buy stocks. This will take about half a year, and once the equipment at the feed mill is installed and tested, we will sell the stocks and recover the cash," Chen Shuli nodded. If this money belonged to the township, Chen Shuli would have made the decision immediately after receiving Zhu Daodong's call, asking him to return. However, this money was a collective fund from the entire township, and it had been clearly stipulated that Zhu Daodong would manage it. If the use of funds had not exceeded the scope of the feed mill and the farm, Zhu Daodong would not have needed to report to him, the party secretary, and could have acted first and reported later in Shanghai.

"How likely is it to win the lottery?" Ma Mingyi's Dashan Village was poor, but he was known for his shrewdness throughout the township. Although he only had a junior high school education, he understood the basics of stocks and stock subscription certificates.

"This depends on the ratio of the number of certificates issued to the number of new shares, and the winning rate is not announced. This means that even if you spend the money, it might still be wasted," Chen Shuli was inclined to be cautious. This money was a collective fund from the entire township, and if there were any losses, who could bear the responsibility?

Chen Shuli's words caused a commotion in the room. The phrase "wasted money" deeply hurt their hearts. This time, the township's fundraising would not have been so smooth if it weren't for Zhu Daodong's success with the tofu factory in Houjiatang Village and Hu Fenqiang's strong support in Jinsha Village. What the villagers were most worried about was whether their money would be wasted. Now, Chen Shuli had clearly pointed out that the four ten-thousand yuan might be wasted, so how could they not be concerned?

"I think it's best to have Township Chief Zhu and the others return immediately."

"Yes, yes, it's almost the New Year, it's better for them to come back early."

"..."

"Ma Mingyi, what's your opinion?" Chen Shuli called out the name of Dashan Village.

"Secretary Chen, we are all thinking about the worst-case scenario. Has Township Chief Zhu not considered this? I think we should hear what Township Chief Zhu has to say first," Ma Mingyi was not one to take the lead, especially since Dashan Village's contribution to the fund was the smallest, and his influence was limited.

"What about Jinsha Village and Houjiatang Village?" Chen Shuli then turned to Hu Fenqiang and Hou Lihua, who were sitting at the back.

"Houjiatang Village firmly supports Township Chief Zhu's actions. Without Township Chief Zhu, there would be no Houjiatang Village today. When Township Chief Zhu proposed the tofu factory, some people doubted the risks and were hesitant, but look at the results now; some people regret it so much that they beat their chests in frustration," Hou Lihua glanced at Hu Fenqiang beside him, smiled, and then sat down.

Hou Lihua had a fiery temper, and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. Hu Fenqiang, on the other hand, was more cautious. He also wanted to strongly support Zhu Daodong, but the village committee meeting he convened did not reach a consensus. Out of the five committee members, two did not support Zhu Daodong's actions. Including Hu Zhengqing in Shanghai, that made three. And these three included Hu Fenqiang himself.

"Jinsha Village respects everyone's opinions," Hu Fenqiang stood up and said calmly.

"Aren't you afraid of regretting this so much that you'll spit blood?" Hou Lihua asked Hu Fenqiang softly after he sat down.

"This is not like the tofu factory. At least with the tofu factory, we knew where the money was going. But stocks, oh, these intangible things, are beyond our control," Hu Fenqiang sighed. The risk this time was much greater than with the tofu factory. The four ten-thousand yuan was just to buy the right to buy stocks. Even if they won the lottery, they would need to put up more money to buy the stocks, which would mean investing all the money from the farm. The risk was too high, and he could not bear it.

At five o'clock, Zhu Daodong called from Shanghai on time. Chen Shuli raised his right hand, and the conference room immediately quieted down. Chen Shuli pressed the speaker button, and Zhu Daodong's voice came through clearly.

"Is that Secretary? This is Zhu Daodong."

"Comrade Daodong, all the village party secretaries are here, waiting to speak with you," Chen Shuli's loud voice echoed through the phone.

"Hello, everyone. You should all know about the stock subscription certificates, right? Tomorrow is the last day for the sale of stock subscription certificates, and I hope we can reach a decision today," Zhu Daodong was also on speakerphone, sitting with Hou Feng and Hu Zhengqing.

"Township Chief Zhu, can the stock subscription certificates make money?" Ma Mingyi pushed to the front of the podium and asked loudly.

"Stock subscription certificates themselves do not make money, but stocks can. People in Shanghai are almost trampling each other to buy stocks. This year, Shanghai will issue over a dozen new stocks, and to prevent accidents, this method was adopted," Zhu Daodong explained.

"Does that mean the subscription certificates that don't win the lottery will become waste paper?" someone asked.

"Theoretically, yes," Zhu Daodong said, "But with the rapid development of our economy, more and more companies will go public. Perhaps more than a dozen stocks will be issued this year."

"What does that mean?" Ma Mingyi sensed something.

"It means our winning rate will increase. If there are enough stocks, all the subscription certificates might win," Zhu Daodong said confidently.

"But even if all of them win, we still need to put up money to buy the stocks," Hu Fenqiang joined in, and now over twenty people were gathered around the podium, listening quietly to Zhu Daodong's words.

"Secretary Hu, we can take advantage of the time difference. The feed mill will not be operational for another six months. If we keep the twenty-odd ten-thousand yuan in the bank, it will only earn interest. But if we invest it, the returns could be forty, eighty, or even one hundred ten-thousand yuan..." Zhu Daodong was not exaggerating. As long as they could buy the stocks, such returns were normal. The old eight stocks in Shanghai had risen several thousand times, with the highest rising several ten-thousand times. Even for new stocks, a few-fold increase should not be a problem.

Hearing about such high returns, the village party secretaries in the conference room fell silent. Yes, buying stock subscription certificates was risky, but the potential returns were also high.

"Township Chief Zhu, can you guarantee that we will make forty or even eighty ten-thousand yuan?" Ma Mingyi asked solemnly.

"Secretary Ma, I cannot guarantee that. The stock market is risky, and caution is needed. If I had a hundred percent certainty, we wouldn't need this teleconference. But I have a sixty to seventy percent confidence. Even if we don't double our money, we should be able to break even," Zhu Daodong said with a smile. Although he was in Shanghai, he could immediately recognize who was speaking and even judge their positions in the room based on their breathing sounds. It was a strange feeling, but a clear picture formed in his mind.

"Little Zhu, we in Houjiatang Village support you. If the feed mill doesn't provide the money, we will!" Hou Lihua was angry at the doubts about Zhu Daodong. When there was money to be made, everyone jumped in, but now, with risks, they all became hesitant. They were truly a bunch of backward farmers. He glanced mockingly at Hu Fenqiang, as if to say, "Your true colors show in critical moments."

"Thank you, Secretary Hou. I think it's best if all the village party secretaries here today vote on this matter," Zhu Daodong knew it was impossible to convince everyone over the phone, and the best way was to vote.

"Alright, I'll speak first. We in Houjiatang support buying stock subscription certificates. Even Township Chief Zhu himself bought three thousand yuan worth, so I have no reason not to trust him!" Hou Lihua said loudly.

"Township Chief Zhu, did you buy them yourself?" Hu Fenqiang, who had not heard about this from Hu Zhengqing, asked loudly.

"Yes, I brought ten thousand yuan to Shanghai, originally to buy some appliances for my family, but after learning about this, I bought three thousand yuan worth, and I've decided to buy another six thousand yuan tomorrow," Zhu Daodong said. In Shulin Ridge, he sometimes felt proud of being a ten-thousand yuan household, but when it came to real expenses, he realized his money was not enough.

"Since Township Chief Zhu dares to spend nine thousand yuan, we in Jinsha Village also support it!" Hu Fenqiang finally changed his stance. Originally, the village committee had three votes against, but with his "defection," the opposition became ineffective.

"Dashan Village also supports it!" Ma Mingyi added.

Hearing the support from three villages, Zhu Daodong, far away in Shanghai, was deeply moved. If Shulin Ridge could seize this opportunity, it would be great. However, the conference room then fell silent, with no one else supporting, clearly indicating opposition.

"Comrade Daodong, it's almost the New Year. You should return early to avoid worrying everyone," Chen Shuli scanned the room. Although he was surprised that Zhu Daodong dared to bet nine thousand yuan, personal money and collective money were different. The safety of collective funds was paramount, and it seemed most village party secretaries understood this.

"Alright, we'll return tomorrow evening," Zhu Daodong said with a hint of disappointment.

"No, Township Chief Zhu, we in Houjiatang firmly support you. Hou Feng, how much money does the village have now, including the tofu factory?" Hou Lihua suddenly shouted loudly.

"Secretary Hou, we should have about fifteen thousand yuan," Hou Feng said. He held four positions: accountant for the beverage factory, the farm, Houjiatang Village, and the tofu factory. When he left, the tofu factory and the village had about fourteen thousand yuan, and now, after some time, it should be over fifteen thousand. This was because the farm's fundraising did not require additional contributions from the villagers, and the tofu factory paid over four ten-thousand yuan, otherwise, the tofu factory could have contributed more.

"Good, Secretary Chen, Township Chief Zhu, how about this: we in Houjiatang will contribute fifteen thousand yuan to buy stock subscription certificates. The money will come from the tofu factory, and once Township Chief Zhu returns, we will immediately replenish the funds," Hou Lihua was bold and decisive. Since he supported Zhu Daodong, even if this time it was a loss, Houjiatang would stand firmly behind Zhu Daodong.

"I have no problem with that, it's up to Secretary Chen," Zhu Daodong laughed. He was not happy about the money but about Hou Lihua's attitude. As long as Hou Lihua had this pioneering spirit, Houjiatang Village would surely change its fate first!