"But there's a problem now. If I supply fish to the supply and marketing cooperative, I can only do so under the name of the Lijiapo Brigade collective. And the current quantity isn't large. Here's what I'm thinking: I'll do this business myself first, and give 30% of the income to the brigade as management fees. Do you two brigade leaders think this is feasible?"

Li Xiangdong revealed his newly conceived idea to the two of them.

Li Jin and Wang Zhenbo exchanged a glance. Paying 30% management fee was practically free money.

That way, even if the villagers find out, they won't have anything to say.

"However, just like Aunt Lan said, the villagers catch their own fish. The fish from the supply and marketing cooperative are mainly supplied to the oil refinery workers and some wage earners in the county town. The quantity is not very large. It's a small business, like meat on a fly's leg, not very profitable. If you want to make money, you still have to get involved with the aquatic products company."

"You're really arrogant! You call this a small business? Do you know that the money you make in one day is more than what we farmers earn in ten days? You're all talk and no action. I don't think your business will last long!"

Li Jin's words were a veiled criticism, and even though Wang Zhenbo was a close confidant, he was afraid that Li Xiangdong would have reservations about making money in the name of the brigade.

Wang Zhenbo smiled slightly, knowing what the captain meant.

"What are you saying, Captain! Xiang Dong brought this business to us himself, worked hard fishing, and still has to pay 30% management fee to the brigade. That's more than enough. Even if Xiang Dong only pays 10%, or none at all, no one can say anything. If anyone is envious, they can go find this kind of business themselves, and the brigade will endorse them. Anyway, our brigade will make 30% of the profits for free!"

To reassure Li Jin, Wang Zhenbo then asked Li Xiangdong, "Xiangdong, you just said that if you want to make big money, you have to get involved with the seafood company?"

What Li Xiangdong said was interesting.

"right!"

Li Xiangdong began to talk about his plan with great enthusiasm, "I asked Aunt Lan, and now the aquatic products company collects fish from various brigades every day. Basically, whatever fish are in the rivers of Huichuan County, we collect them."

"Of course, you can go and find out more to see if what Aunt Lan said is accurate."

"I reckon it's probably accurate. After all, the water quality in Huichuan County is so good that the fish produced here are loved not only in the city but also in other places."

"Dad, Uncle Bo, the current policy encourages collective enterprises. Why don't our brigade set up an aquaculture company, dig fish ponds and raise fish? That way we can produce large quantities of high-quality fish to supply the aquaculture company. I bet they'll want them!"

"At that time, we can raise not only grass carp, crucian carp, common carp, snakehead, silver carp, bighead carp, three-scaled carp, topmouth culter, and small whitebait, but also the Baiyang River west of our village, which connects to the sea. The water there is salty and has a high salinity, so we can raise prawns there!"

“Shrimp won’t work; they have to be raised in the sea. The salinity of our Baiyang River isn’t high enough.”

Li Jin served in the army near the sea.

"Then we can dig holes to raise giant freshwater prawns. Giant freshwater prawns are large and meaty, and everyone will definitely love to eat them!"

"good!"

Wang Zhenbo applauded Li Xiangdong!

Li Jin didn't bother asking Li Xiangdong why he knew so much; his mind was preoccupied with the feasibility of this matter.

But can farmers do that much now?

"Aquaculture and setting up factories are good things, but the county and commune don't encourage them!"

Li Jin lit a cigarette. "Now the person in charge of the commune is Hu Shusong, and the person in charge of the county is Deputy Director Zhang. Hu Shusong is just Deputy Director Zhang's lackey!"

Whatever instructions or orders Deputy Director Zhang gave, Wudaohe Commune always carried them out most thoroughly.

He also knew that the current policies encouraged the brigade to run collective enterprises, increase collective assets, and improve the lives of commune members.

But where there are policies, there are countermeasures. The county doesn't encourage it, and the commune doesn't agree. What can the production brigade do?

"Dad, the current head of the county is Deputy Director Zhang. What if an even higher-ranking official came and offered encouragement and support?"

Li Xiangdong blinked.

"Of course! As the saying goes, 'a higher-ranking official can crush you.' If there's a Party Secretary in the county, his word will definitely carry weight."

Li Jin paused suddenly as he spoke, wondering if his son knew something inside.

But how could his fourteen-year-old son know the inside story that even the team leader didn't know?

"Hehe, at the latest, it will be no more than three months, and maybe Huichuan County will have a new look and a fresh start!" Li Xiangdong said mysteriously.

“I warned you beforehand that if you’re going to do something, you have to plan ahead so that you can get started as soon as the new leader arrives! If you hesitate and then decide to do it, other brigades might have already started doing it.”

"When it comes to doing business, what matters is seizing the opportunity first—having what others don't have, and excelling at what others have!"

"Who taught you all this?"

Li Jin knew the teaching level of his son's junior high school; no one could possibly say such a thing.

"Uh, Uncle Yan, Uncle Yan knows a lot!"

Since Li Xiangdong couldn't reveal his true identity, he had to use Uncle Yan's pseudonym.

However, he wasn't just making things up. He only found out about Liu Donglai's appointment as the secretary of the Huichuan County Party Committee because of Uncle Yan!

I've already met the future county party secretary a few times, so getting things done shouldn't be too difficult in the future.

What's more, Uncle Liu still owes me three thousand yuan!

"Dad, Uncle Bo, you should think it over carefully. When you have time, take a look at where it would be good to dig a fishpond."

Li Xiangdong gave a brief instruction and then took the money out; he needed to hurry up and collect the fish.

There are many fish in the three rivers recently, and many people are catching them, but very few families in the village eat them. It is estimated that it will not cost much to catch 100 catties.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!