Chapter 260 Everything is difficult at the beginning.

She paused, her voice unconsciously softening.

"Furthermore, we need someone to sign contracts with them, clearly listing each clause. More importantly, we need someone to keep an eye on them. They can't just slap on Zhou's Vegetables' labels and claim they're our vegetables, they can't secretly use our name to hang their own signs, and they certainly can't ship inferior vegetables as our brand. We can't let others use the brand we've worked so hard to build as a fig leaf."

“We need to divide the work clearly: I’ll be in charge of the greenhouse, you’ll handle transportation, route planning, and vehicle dispatch to ensure the goods are delivered to customers safely; my second brother will oversee the daily necessities factory in Yuxin. Although the profit margin is thin, it’s stable and can help supplement our household income; my eldest brother and sister-in-law will be in charge of the supermarket, which is both a sales channel and our window to the market.”

"As for the younger generation, Miaoling and Shuli are quite hardworking and reliable, but they lack experience and are not yet skilled enough. They need more training. Lijuan and Changyu are still studying and will not graduate for another two years, so we can't rely on them right now. Qigang and Rongkai are still young and can't even tell which way the greenhouse door faces. As for Liya, she is just a toddler who has just learned to walk and can't even recognize all the vegetable names."

"Tell me, with such a large family, with elderly parents and young children, and so many things to worry about inside and outside the home, where would we find the time to deal with all those trivial matters? Where would we find the energy to make sure every basket of vegetables is delivered on time?"

He recalled the scene of delivering goods to the port city.

The fog had not yet lifted that morning.

He drove his truck through the back alleys of the port city and parked it at the back door of a restaurant.

The restaurant manager, a middle-aged man in his fifties, personally came out to greet us.

He took Zhou Yujie's hand and said with a smile, "Boss Zhou, I've heard that you grow pesticide-free, purely organic vegetables. I've been wanting to cooperate with you for a long time."

The terms offered by the other party were very tempting.

Willing to pay double the price for long-term orders, five times a week, each time over 300 jin (150 kg).

The additional requirements are also extremely demanding.

The food must be delivered on time before 7:00 AM every morning, with an error margin of no more than ten minutes.

Each batch of vegetables must be accompanied by detailed records, including the sowing date, type of fertilizer, harvest time, and even temperature and humidity monitoring data.

If any false records or delayed delivery are discovered, the partnership will be terminated immediately.

He readily agreed, his face beaming with smiles.

"No problem, don't worry, we will definitely deliver on time and with high quality!"

But once I got back to the greenhouse and calmed down, I started to panic.

No one is specifically responsible for recording planting data. The workers are busy with their work every day, so they don't have the time or inclination to fill out forms.

Not to mention temperature and humidity monitoring.

In the end, he could only make up a reason to cancel the order.

"The recent bad weather has led to unstable production, and we may not be able to guarantee supply."

As he spoke, he smiled, but his heart felt heavy, as if something was blocking it, making it hard to breathe.

"Then let's start training people now."

Zhou Yujie suddenly straightened his back, and his previously unfocused eyes regained their light.

"You can't always carry this burden alone. No matter how difficult it is, you have to build the framework first. Start with the people you can rely on, and take it one step at a time."

“Look at Aunt Pan, she’s been growing vegetables for twenty years, and her experience is so rich it could fill a book. She can tell at a glance which vegetable leaves are yellowing because of nitrogen deficiency, and which vegetable stems are soft because of waterlogging. She can even deduce the soil moisture from the path of ants crawling in the ground. Someone like her is perfect for leading a harvesting team.”

"And then there's Xiao Yang, who helps us with the delivery. That young man is reliable and methodical. Every time he loads the truck, the vegetable baskets are neatly arranged, perfectly straight, as if they've been measured with a ruler, making no waste of space. If we put him in charge of transportation, and pair him with two hardworking young men to train him step by step, we can build a reliable fleet in less than six months."

As Zhou Shufen listened, she nodded in agreement, finding it increasingly feasible.

"We need someone on the sales side too."

Zhou Shufen added a sentence.

“We can’t just rely on ourselves to negotiate. Zhou Yamei from Miaoling Supermarket would be a good fit. That woman is sweet-talking and meticulous. She can chat with customers and compare our vegetables with other vegetables in the supermarket one by one.”

"If we really let her go to the port city to talk to clients, with her silver tongue and enthusiasm, she might be able to close deals even better than us bosses."

Zhou Yujie slapped his thigh, the movement swift and decisive.

“Okay! It’s settled then. I’ll go see Aunt Pan and Xiao Yang first thing tomorrow morning to get things arranged. You go and tell Miaoling to take some time to teach Yamei how to read contracts and how to record clients’ specific needs. These details can’t be taken lightly; every single thing has to be done properly.”

“We’re not aiming for too much or too fast right now. We’ll start with three to five truly hardworking and dedicated individuals, mentoring them one by one. Once they can do it on their own, then we’ll let them mentor newcomers. This way, the skills will be passed down layer by layer, ensuring the team’s stability and the longevity of our business.”

As they were talking, the door hinges clicked softly, and Zhou Miaoling walked in carrying a white porcelain teacup.

The tea was freshly brewed, and steam rose gently from it.

She pushed open the door, her steps light and slow, and overheard the second half of the conversation, which made her smile.

“I was just chatting with Yamei in the kitchen, and I casually mentioned that next time she calls the purchasing agents of those restaurants in Gangcheng, she should write down in a notebook how many kilograms of vegetables they want and when they want to be delivered, instead of just relying on her memory.”

She placed the teacup on the table, her voice gentle.

"Guess what she did? She immediately ran to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a new notebook. She even used a pencil to divide it into pages by date, wrote labels, and said that each day should be a separate page, and that they should never be mixed up. Although this child has not been to school for many years, she is very meticulous and serious about her work."

Zhou Miaoling looked at the two of them with a smile in her eyes.

“If you really dare to use her and put her in a position with responsibilities, I guarantee that she will do a great job and will not let you down.”

Zhou Shufen sat on the bamboo chair and, upon hearing this, slowly reached out and picked up her teacup.

The porcelain surface is warm and smooth, and the heat spreads from your fingertips to your palm.

He lowered his head, blew on the tea leaves floating on the water, and then took a small sip.

That feeling had been suffocating in his heart for a long time.

“Don’t rush,” he put down his teacup. “Everything is difficult at the beginning, but we must take it one step at a time. Right now, the most important thing is to get the three most basic links of picking, transporting, and selling vegetables firmly in place, to train the people, and to streamline the process.”

His gaze swept over the two people in the room, and his tone grew stronger.

"Once these areas are stable and the team is taking shape, it's not too late to expand further. Organic vegetables, premium vegetables, and pre-packaged vegetables can all be done later. But the foundation must be solid."

"When that day comes, we will not only establish ourselves in the kitchens of major restaurants in the port city, but also head south and penetrate the Southeast Asian market! Let the people there taste it and know that these are vegetables from the Zhou family in Ningcheng—fresh, clean, trustworthy, and top-notch!"