"If that's the case, we have to make plans early. We can't let things get delayed because of this."
"What Guoan's wife said makes sense. We have to be on guard. I'll go to Zhaojia Village again and see what they have to say."
"Uncle Degen, if they still agree, you should sign a contract with them. It should clearly state the delivery time and that the quality must meet the requirements. These must be written in the contract, not just spoken."
"What if they don't agree?" Zhang Degen had a premonition that things would definitely not go so smoothly this time. He knew who the captain of Zhaojia Village was.
"Don't force it if they don't agree. We're not sure about the tiles. We can't expand our soap workshop without the tiles from Zhaojia Village. Instead of being controlled by Zhaojia Village, we'd better find another buyer as soon as possible. Otherwise, Uncle Degen, do you plan to agree to Zhaojia Village's unreasonable demands?"
"Of course not. I didn't want to get too involved with those grandsons from Zhaojia Village, but this matter keeps getting more and more outrageous."
"That's right. I don't think your trip will go smoothly this time. I've gotten to know Captain Zhao a bit, and he might be planning to rip our village off."
"I'll go there tomorrow and see what they say. If they refuse to sign the contract, we'll quickly find another buyer. Actually, there are other villages nearby that make bricks and tiles, but they're not as good as Zhaojia Village."
"Let's do it this way. We'd better make sure of this sooner so that we can feel at ease. Otherwise, we can go together tomorrow."
Accountant Wu pondered for a moment and said that although he still disliked the old man Zhang Degen, this was a village matter. Zhang Degen was a hypocritical person. The team leader of Zhaojia Village said one thing to one person and another thing to another. He was afraid that Zhang Degen would be fooled.
"Okay, it would be even better if you could come with me. You're smarter than me about some things, and you're more willing to sacrifice your reputation."
Zhang Degen was very willing to have Accountant Wu go with him. He knew his own shortcomings. With Accountant Wu around, he would be better at scheming and plotting behind the scenes. Even the captain of Zhaojia Village was no match for Accountant Wu.
The two of them agreed to go to Zhaojia Village early the next morning, and they both came back in a huff.
Seeing them like this, Li Miaomiao knew that the deal was definitely not done.
"Looks like it didn't work out?"
"Just as you expected, Zhao Qingmin was very accommodating when we went there. He promised us that the bricks and tiles would be fired as soon as possible. But when we talked about signing a contract, he turned hostile and said that since we didn't trust Zhaojia Village, why bother with them? I think they clearly wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to trick us at the last critical moment."
Accountant Wu was not as angry as Zhang Degen. He understood some things clearly.
"Originally, when we went there, we wanted to have a good talk with them. If we could reach an agreement and sign a contract, we would not change our minds. After all, the bricks and tiles made in Zhaojia Village are of better quality, and the factory building is no different from others. We can't compromise. But when we mentioned the contract, seeing Zhao Qingmin's tough attitude, we knew there was no need to talk about it." Accountant Wu said calmly.
"In that case, let's look for another one. I heard there's a village nearby that also makes bricks and tiles. Why don't we go check it out?"
Zhaojia Village
"Captain, we're being so stubborn and refusing to sign the contract. I'm afraid the people in Fanglin Village have seen through our intentions. What if they really stop ordering bricks and tiles from us? They're building a big factory this time, so it's a big deal. We were thinking that if we took the deal, we could all get a bigger share during the New Year dividend distribution."
"Don't worry. Even if they figured it out, our Zhaojia Village is the only one in the surrounding villages that makes the best bricks and tiles. If Fanglin Village was just building an ordinary house, it would be fine as they could use earth bricks, but this time they're building a factory, so bricks are essential."
"But we're not the only one making bricks and tiles in these villages. The one in Niujia Village is just a smaller one."
"Niujia Village also makes bricks and tiles. Their tiles are barely usable, not much different from ours, but their bricks are not durable, not even half as good as ours. If we use their bricks, I'm afraid the houses we build won't be as solid as those made with mud bricks. Otherwise, why is our village so prosperous? Niujia Village is not much better than other villages."
"If that's the case, they'll have to come looking for us in the end."
"Come back when the time comes. I won't be so kind. Just wait and see how dejected they become after hitting a wall. They won't be able to hold their heads high in front of us anymore."
"Captain, you're really smart. The people of Fanglin Village have been too complacent recently, but they're still going to run into some obstacles!"
Zhang Degen and Accountant Wu are both very proactive people, especially as the time to the end of the year is getting shorter and shorter. They don't intend to waste even a day. However, the expressions on their faces when they returned from Niujia Village were even worse than when they returned from Zhaojia Village.
"Uncle Degen, Uncle Wu, I see you look worried. What's going on? Didn't things go well in Niujia Village? Can they make the bricks and tiles we want?"
Li Miaomiao didn't know much about the situation in Niujia Village. She didn't even know that Niujia Village could make bricks and tiles.
"Oh, forget it. The people in Niujia Village were quite happy to sell us bricks and tiles, and their attitude was extremely enthusiastic. They agreed to sign a contract immediately. But when we went to see the bricks and tiles they made in their village, the tiles were fine, but the bricks they made in their village were so brittle. If you hit them casually, they would fall apart without much effort. How can such bricks be used to build factories? They are not as solid as our earthen bricks."
Accountant Wu felt that he had miscalculated this time. He originally thought that the factory could still be built even without Zhaojia Village. But now he thought about it, he finally understood why Zhao Qingmin's grandson was so tough. Most likely, he knew the situation in Niujia Village clearly, so he was fearless and waited for them to come back again.
Even Accountant Wu couldn't help showing worry on his face when he thought about having to go to Zhao Qingmin and lower his posture.
After listening to them, Li Miaomiao understood everything and knew why they were so worried.
"Let's be clear and see what the conditions are in Zhaojia Village. If that's not possible, we can have someone bring bricks in from somewhere else by truck. Even without Zhaojia Village, we can still build our factory."
Although Pei Guoan did not go to Zhaojia Village, seeing how worried Zhang Degen and Accountant Wu were, he knew that Zhaojia Village was probably unreliable. But there were other ways. In addition to Niujia Village, there were other options, but the cost was higher and it was more troublesome. This matter was not a big deal for him.
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