Chapter 5: Golden Jade Good Words Are Like Child's Play

  "Old Master Shi, don't get angry. I've been coming here for over four years now, and I'm almost a half-member of the Shi family village. If I had any ill intentions, I would have done something long ago. Who knows, maybe you would have driven me away already. Wait until I finish speaking, if you want to drive me away, I definitely won't turn back."

  Shan Yong faced Old Shi's copper bell-like donkey eyes, without any fear, and talked freely. He glanced at Shi Bao Ying, who then pulled out a map from his horse pants pocket, which seemed to have been prepared in advance. When he spread it out in front of the astonished Old Shi, the latter's anger was temporarily suppressed. The dense and intricate map was instantly recognizable as the topography of the entire donkey farm, with clear markings of elevation, pastures, rivers, and feeding sheds. Every place on this map was familiar to Shi Bao Ying, and he seemed to like it a bit. With such meticulous work, he must be a careful person.

  "Oh... you're taking charge for me. Well, go ahead and tell me, how do you plan on being in charge?" Shi Baoquan looked at him, his anger suppressed.

  "I've calculated it precisely, within a breeding period, the grazing area of the donkey farm plus the maximum carrying capacity of the slope land does not exceed 4,000 heads, but now every year the donkey farm has an output of over 11,000 heads, and more than 6,000 heads are naturally grazed. Even with artificial fattening, the villagers rush to cut natural pasture grass to reduce costs... On the map, I've marked it out, here, here, and this piece behind Longgang Mountain, the soil's hardening and desertification is severe. If there's a natural disaster, the entire grassland of Longgang will be destroyed..."

  Shan Yong carefully pointed to the symbols on the map, because he had wasted a lot of class time in college and had been thinking about it for so long that everything was already clear in his mind. He had discussed these things with Shi Baoying before, and it was precisely because of this idea that he and Shi Baoying were on the same page. However, the old Shi in front of him didn't seem to buy it, pulling out the map and saying, "I know all about this, it's not your concern."

  "Alright, let's just talk about sales then. I think your product is basically unsellable." said Dan Yong, changing his tone.

  "What does it mean?" Old Shi didn't understand.

  "It means we don't have to blindly expand breeding, but can think of ways from deep processing."

  Shan Yongdao said, and the old man frowned, probably meaning that rough people can't do this delicate work. Shan Yong carefully explained: "The slaughter in Shijia Village is famous for its skills, from peeling donkey skin to making gelatin. The slaughter in the city doesn't dare say it can surpass the level of Lu Yuan. With slaughter, sauce workshop, and labor, as long as there is a sales channel, not only naturally raised donkey meat, but also fattened donkey meat and skin-removed donkey meat are higher than most stalls in the city. From deep processing, not only can it increase unit profits, but also solve the problem of surplus labor in the village."

  "Weren't you always wondering why I only sold 100-200 catties of meat every month for the past four years? Now I can tell you, I used the semi-finished food materials provided by Donkey Garden to increase the reputation of Yangma Village. Now most people in the city know that Yangma Village's donkey meat is authentic because of the materials. Because of this, I got to know more than 200 cooked food stalls in the city, and about half of them would order from me every now and then, with a third becoming my long-term clients. Apart from Donkey Garden's old clients and hotels and restaurants that have their own slaughterhouses and supply channels, I also do business with over 20 households... Although the sales volume is not large, with some selling only 3-5 catties per day and others selling 10-20 catties, when added up, the quantity becomes considerable. If there were five, ten or even more people like me running around doing wholesale door-to-door sales, then it would only take one breeding cycle per year to reach our current income level, and we could also solve some labor force problems without having to expand our breeding volume."

  The foundation has been laid, although there is no chance to become a great chef, but there are plenty of opportunities to sell food. It seems that good things have been used as channels, and once done, it's been years. This meticulousness stunned Shi Baoquan, knowing that Shan Yong was a careful person, but didn't expect this care to be so thorough, running back and forth 80 kilometers, and it took four years to reveal itself.

  "So you mean I'll be doing the processing here and you'll be in charge of selling?" Shi Baoquan understood, to put it briefly.

  "Yes, with abundant materials, local advantages and more relaxed labor force, I alone can double the sales in a few months. With only three to five cars and a sales team of ten people, it's no problem to cover the market in Pingdu City. We can completely establish our own sales channel. That way, we won't be restricted by distributors anymore."

  Shan Yongdao looked at Lao Shi and added, "Although Shijia Village has been touted by sales merchants, I know that your business is not easy to do. Shopkeepers cheat customers, and customers cheat shopkeepers are all common sense. Moreover, there are now three breeding bases in Guangdong Province alone, and more in neighboring provinces such as Hebei, Shandong, and Shaanxi. Even if long-distance transportation is organized, it's not a big problem. The sales profit of each donkey is compressed into a small space, and the pure profit per head is less than 300 yuan. It's simple, sales merchants are taking advantage of breeders having no channels."

  This is clear enough, with multiple breeding bases and the possibility of long-distance transportation. The more suppliers to choose from, the higher the degree of price transparency. Although donkey meat is a seller's market, it has little to do with the relationship between breeders. The final decision-making power and discourse power still lie with those processing enterprises that invest tens of millions of dollars and those sales merchants who can reach the terminal directly.

  From a small perspective, Shanyong is finding a way out in the gap; but standing at a certain height, places like Lü Garden and Shi Family Village, such rough breeding bases, are also surviving in the gap between processing enterprises and sales merchants. This is the opportunity that Shanyong saw, in this city of Luzhou where donkey meat consumption is astonishing, being able to find such a golden rice bowl is much stronger than taking the civil service exam or graduate school exams by hundreds or thousands of times.

  As for the sales, Shi Bao Ying had a deep understanding. Looking at her father who was silent, she also advised: "Dad, this year our order quantity is over 8,000 heads, and the breeding period has been extended, so the profit is much less than in previous years. If we make more money, everyone will be happy, but if we make less, I'm afraid everyone will have to pull a long face... Recently, the slaughterhouses have chosen to raise their own animals from the village, which can earn more than just buying back and selling them. Everyone is also happy... Now that technology has advanced, some restaurants think it's too much trouble to deal with live donkeys, so many of them choose frozen meat from Northeast China or Shaanxi Province. Our donkey farm is in this state, and it's really unknown how long we can keep doing this."

  The girl spoke in a low tone, Shi Baoquan listened with a hint of disdain, seemingly displeased with the girl's outgoing demeanor. He tapped his fingers on the table and asked: "So you guys secretly made a development plan? Is this your development strategy?"

  "Mr. Shi, I think this is feasible, as long as transportation is not delayed and delivery is timely, it can completely avoid losses in the process. Compared to vacuum packaging and frozen food, as well as meat processing plants' electric heat treatment, manual production still has advantages, especially for a place like Luoyuan, I think the traditional method of making sauce meat has even greater advantages, rather than breeding." Shanyong said, confidently depicting the future.

  However, the old man didn't take in these words and let out a disdainful snort.

  "My daughter added: 'Dad, I think we can also consider expanding our breeding business to the surrounding areas. We can provide young donkeys and collect adult ones from nearby towns like Zhuoma, Wuyi, Nanguo, and Dongming. Free-range farming is easier than intensive farming, and this way, we can also let the grasslands in the donkey farm rest for a few years.'"

  "Hmm, my daughter's method is feasible." The old man was a bit biased, only praising his daughter and not praising Shan Yong.

  It's embarrassing, this old man didn't even acknowledge Shanyong, and was rolling his own cigarettes, Shanyong's ideal that he had been planning for years was shattered in an instant in front of the old man. He had thought about it for a long time, relying on his connections with the merchants in the city and the strong alliance with Luyuan, making the first pot of gold would be a piece of cake, and Shi Baoying had agreed to it with both hands. But unexpectedly, at Old Man Shi's place, it seemed like child's play, and he didn't even bother to acknowledge him.

  He didn't, the old man puffed away a moment later, his eyes staring straight out the window, occasionally sniffling and making Single Yong feel uneasy all over. Shi Baoying couldn't bear to look at him anymore and asked impatiently: "Dad, can you say something, okay?"

  "Whatever... just do what you want for now, we'll settle everything properly next spring. It's not something that can be done in a short time anyway. Daughter, help me see off Dan Yong."

  Shi Baoquan waved his hand vaguely, drove the guest away, and looked unwelcoming. Dan Yong felt a bit embarrassed, got up, and saw Shi Baoquan's silent expression, wanting to speak but hesitating. He walked two steps before turning back and asking: "Old Master Shi, can I ask you something?"

  "What else can this old scoundrel help you with?" Old Shi's tone was no longer polite.

  "Tomorrow, you ask him to help me with something. Let him help me out a bit. If you don't give the order, he won't dare go. I'll pay him by the day and it won't interfere with the work at the sauce workshop." Dan Yong said, a very unexpected request, even Shi Bao Ying was surprised. That big fool can do a lot of things, but he also eats a lot. Apart from the village's sauce workshop, there really isn't anywhere else that can support him.

  "Go ahead, do whatever you want... but Shijia Village won't let you be in charge." The old man seemed impatient, waving his hand to dismiss him. Shan Yong sighed and looked very disappointed as he went downstairs.

  Shi Bao Ying chased down the stairs, and Dan Yong quickly walked away. This made Shi Bao's sister very angry, and she stomped her feet and went back upstairs. She sat in front of her father, about to scold him, but Shi Bao suddenly burst out laughing. His daughter was taken aback and said displeasedly, "Dad, you're doing this on purpose?"

  "Ah, you guys are allowed to fool around in private, but I'm not allowed to do it on purpose?" Shi Baquan sneered, wiping his big beard with a sly smile.

  "What's the point of that, I think Shanyong is right, if we really have a sales channel, we won't be worried." Shi Baoying said, this is a heart disease in Shijia Village.

  "Hehe, I didn't say what he said was unreasonable?" Shi Baquan said with a smile.

  "So you are... because he doesn't have the surname Shi?" Shi Bao Ying was confused.

  After a while, Shi Baoquan shook his head and said in a tone that was not very pleasant: "Girl, your dad has been out there for decades, and I've experienced more things than donkey hair. This thing, it's not necessarily what you think it is, and it's not necessarily something you can do just because you want to. Listen to me, I'm right. That donkey knows how to eat grass, but what it doesn't know is that some donkeys eat people too. It's better to stay in our own territory and be safe. The city isn't our domain, and it's not something that Yan Rong can handle alone."

  "What's the big deal? What are you afraid of? I don't believe anyone can eat more than me." Shi Baoying was not convinced.

  The old man smiled and said, "What's the point of arguing with your dad? I haven't said anything yet. Let's just do it this way... If you can keep doing things like this for another three months, then this whole thing will be up to you and Danyong to handle, how about that?"

  This remark was a bit underestimating the ladies, Shi Bao Ying unhappily hummed and stood up to leave without looking back. Behind her, Shi Bao Quan chuckled with an air of watching his little daughter play house, but when his eyes fell on the map that his daughter had torn down, there was a hint of worry in his smile. The things they were worried about were the same, but the solution wasn't so easy.

  It was also very difficult for Dan Yong, who had suffered a huge blow of distrust and his confidence had been severely damaged. He had thought about it for three or four years before coming up with a solution, but unexpectedly, the old man neither confirmed nor denied it and sent him away. After leaving the Shi family's mansion, he bought some meat dishes, politely declined the enthusiastic invitations from several masters at the braised abalone restaurant, and returned to the city with Shi Genwa. Genwa was delighted when she heard that the head of the Shi family had agreed, and happily carried large pieces of sauce meat. With this fierce helper by his side, Dan Yong felt slightly comforted.

  As he drove, he glanced back at the Shi family's large courtyard and estimated that Shi Baoying was probably unable to persuade her old father. Angrily, Shan Yong started the car and drove out of the village, but unexpectedly, a loud screeching sound came from the brakes, and in anger, he slammed his fist on the steering wheel, almost having the urge to hit someone. It wasn't for anything else, but that cheap nephew Shi Baoguang had ridden his motorcycle out from under the road and blocked the way, nearly causing a collision. The kid smiled at Shan Yong, who stuck his head out and shouted: "Brother-in-law, you really aren't very considerate! You only bring my sister's son, but not me? If you don't take me, then you can't go!"

  "It's precious, your dad doesn't let you go." Dan Yong lied.

  "Nonsense! Did you tell this to my dad?" Shi Baoguo didn't believe it.

  "He said nothing in response." Yun Rong muttered vaguely.

  "What are you going to do then? You won't take me with you, and you can't leave either." Shi Baogui became stubborn, and Shan Yong glanced at the small building of the Shi family, intentionally provoking Xiao Baogui: "There's a way, it depends on whether you dare to do it. Otherwise, I'm afraid your dad and sister will whip you, so go ahead."

  "Let's go." Shi Bao Gui tossed the motorcycle to the side of the road, and with a cheerful expression, he opened the door and got in. Dan Yong also had a rebellious attitude, carrying this live treasure, and drove off onto the road...

  They're not one, but two treasures. Young Master Bao cut a big piece of meat from the back compartment and handed it to Genwa. The two were chewing while saying that drinking without wine is not enjoyable. They didn't consider Dan Yong an outsider at all. Dan Yong was helplessly carrying these two treasures, heading straight back to the city...