NOVPUB"Sir, you can’t park here!" on the way back to Chuxi Village, Xu Qingfan saw a tricycle overturned by the roadside ditch and got out of the car to kindly advise.
"What did you say?" The old man was stunned for two seconds, doubting his own ears.
"I said, parking is not allowed here, how did you park your vehicle down there!"
"Screw you, do you think I parked it there on purpose? Are you blind!" the old man scolded, scowling.
"Hahaha, only you could say that. I apologize, sir, let us help you lift the car back up." Xu Aiguo got out of the car and nodded in apology.
A small interlude later, everyone got back into the car.
It was already nearing December, and after more than half a year of aggressive growth, the Good Flavor Duck Necks now had sixty-four direct stores and seventy-three franchises in Hong Kong.
Just as everything was going smoothly, a year-end notice from the customs disrupted Zhong Wenqing’s next expansion plans.
Starting from the next year, 2005, customs would ban the importation of all kinds of offal including poultry and livestock from abroad.
Because Westerners have a simple diet, tricky parts like pig trotters and duck necks are generally discarded. The price of importing a ton of duck necks from abroad was even cheaper than cabbage.
A slight increase in the price of materials like duck necks and duck gizzards was inevitable, and if they waited until the policy was officially implemented next year, there might be a significant price surge.
Without long-term consideration, there would be immediate worries. To allow Good Flavor Duck Necks to expand beyond Hong Kong, Zhong Wenqing had to find new suppliers before the arrival of 2005.
If she wanted to develop into a giant like McDonald’s, full control over all channels was an inevitable path.
After discussing with Zhang Chunxue, they decided to invest in or acquire a medium-to-large scale farm.
However, during the early years post-2000, farms were still mostly family-run businesses: firstly, they were not large in scale, and secondly, their management systems were extremely chaotic.
After reviewing several farms, Zhong Wenqing gave up on the original idea. Instead of acquiring a farm that was extremely troublesome to manage, it was better to start from scratch.
When Xu Qingfan heard about this, his first thought was of Chuxi Village. It was truly unethical not to consider his own hometown for such low-pollution, zero-emission investment attraction projects.
Instead of letting Chuxi Village suffer from the environmental deterioration caused by dyeing factories like in the past, it was better to use the village’s thousands of acres of wasteland to build farms. The duck’s manure could be used to make organic fertilizers, realizing true zero pollution and zero emissions.
Since his grandfather Yao Shulun was the head of Chuxi Village, the concern of local strongmen that worried the investors was not a problem.
After Xu Qingfan explained to Zhong Wenqing, she immediately put down her current work and brought professionals to visit Chuxi Village.
"Miss Zhong, I don’t know if you are satisfied with this environment. If not, Sanhe Town has many similar plots. You don’t need to worry about transportation or utilities. As soon as the cooperation is finalized, I will immediately dispatch skilled personnel to begin construction!" The mayor of Sanhe Town also rushed over after hearing the news.
In those years in Huaxia, GDP meant everything. Nowadays, Good Flavor Duck Necks had gained significant popularity in Hong Kong, especially recently with the double boost from Hilarious Daily comics and Liu Xiang. Any resident of Hong Kong who hadn’t tried Good Flavor Duck Necks was considered out of the loop.
It was inevitable for the local mayor to be alerted when such a promising enterprise planned to invest in Sanhe Town. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
After quietly consulting the professionals who had come for the survey and receiving affirmative replies, Zhong Wenqing smiled and said, "Mayor Qiu, you truly care for the villagers like a parental official. I wish us a successful collaboration."
"We are very willing to have more outstanding enterprises like Miss Zhong’s to take root in Sanhe Town. I believe that in the near future, Good Flavor Duck Necks will become a signature feature of the area."
After a detailed inspection, both parties tentatively reached a preliminary intention to cooperate, with specific details to be discussed slowly in further meetings.
The contract was officially finalized a few days later. The newly established Good Taste Breeding Co. Ltd. would invest three million to build the farm and import modern breeding equipment from abroad. Chuxi Village would provide three hundred acres of land for a twenty-year use period at no cost. In return, Chuxi Village Committee would hold a 5% stake in the newly established subsidiary.
After promising the local government that the investment scale would expand to twenty million within three years and provide more than a thousand local jobs, Mayor Qiu guaranteed that the infrastructure problems would be properly resolved by the end of the year.
It is worth mentioning that, because Zhong Wenqing could not manage the daily construction work of the farm, ultimately, at Xu Qingfan’s instigation, his uncle Yao Jianjun stepped forward to become the factory director and legal person, also investing 300,000 for a 10% share.
The money was naturally borrowed from Xu Qingfan’s family who had some left over after winning a lottery in 2002, with over eight hundred thousand remaining. Five hundred thousand was put in a three-year fixed deposit, and the remaining three hundred thousand, along with annual interest and the couple’s income, had grown to nearly five hundred thousand in two years.
With a brand-new career to strive for, Uncle Yao Jianjun seemed to have come back to life, no longer reserved and reticent but returned to the most confident times of his life at seventeen or eighteen. He completely emerged from the shadow of being abandoned by his wife.
Yao Shulun became a much-sought-after guest in many circles, gaining considerable face wherever he went.
Suddenly, the grandfather’s family became famous throughout the neighboring villages, all knowing that they were about to prosper. Those who once mocked Yao Jianjun for failing to keep his wife, now frequently sent matchmakers to inquire if the uncle had any plans for a second marriage.
