Faced with the sudden shortage of goods, Qian Yu acted decisively.

Buy machines and hire people!

There were many people idle at that time, and Qian Yu didn't bother to haggle over the price of one or two yuan. After discussing with Liu Ertao, he directly quoted a price of 20 yuan, from the fifth day of December to the twenty-eighth day of December.

People from Liujia Village immediately rushed to the vermicelli factory, and people from nearby towns also came, a total of forty or fifty people.

Qian Yu was unfamiliar with the place, so he asked Liu Ertao to check things out. Liu Ertao had been around for a long time, and knew a lot of people in the town, not to mention Liujia Village. He had countless relatives.

Those who don’t work hard on the farm and just hang around all day are not welcome, those who are idle and come here to get paid are not welcome, those who are mean-spirited and don’t know what they are doing are not welcome...

In the end, we urgently recruited twenty people.

Zhou Hao went to the farm machinery factory to help Qian Yu pick out three machines. Three large pots were built in the compound to make vermicelli, and the starch pool was expanded. Since the vermicelli drying area was not enough, they simply rented two acres of vacant farmland nearby, found a tractor to flatten it, and assigned a group of people to watch over the vermicelli at night while freezing and drying.

Liu Ertao was even crazier, collecting sweet potatoes outside. Qian Yu was very strict with the raw materials. If she found too many rotten sweet potatoes, she would not buy the whole batch. Huang Laoer was busy with freezing and drying the powder, while Qian Yu had to take care of the powder sales and watch over the workers. Liu Ertao had to do it herself.

But Liu Ertao was happy in her heart!

Qian Yu is an open businessman. He settled all the accounts with the couple at the end of last month.

In December alone, they made more than 5,000 yuan from selling vermicelli for about half a month! According to the agreement between them and Qian Yu, they would keep half of the money!

Qian Yu then proposed an idea, asking them if they were willing to hold shares. If they were willing, then he would give them both 20% of the shares, and this money would be considered their capital injection. If they were not willing, then he would just give them 2,500 yuan, and they would be settled monthly in the future.

When Huang Laoer saw the 2,500 yuan, he got so angry that he dared not spend any money. After his ecstasy, Liu Ertao managed to calm himself down.

The final decision is to buy shares!

She finally understood that Qian Yu would be very capable in the future. The profit model of this vermicelli factory would not last long. In a strict sense, they took advantage of Qian Yu this year. After all, such a large investment in a machine site is impossible for anyone else to do, and not everyone can dare to borrow 8,000 yuan from the bank like Qian Yu.

They were responsible for the raw materials and labor costs of sweet potatoes, which were nothing compared to the machines. The sweet potatoes were all obtained by Liu Ertao's mother's family. Five kilograms of sweet potatoes cost less than a dime, and they could still make a profit. Not to mention the labor costs, they were all family members, and Liu Ertao was going to pay them all at once before the Chinese New Year. It was equivalent to the couple's investment being almost zero, and the fifty-fifty split in this case was basically like money rain doing charity. If they were optimistic about the development of the vermicelli factory, then naturally a long-term stake was better than a one-time income.

After getting the stake, Huang Laoer and his wife worked even harder. Huang Laoer slept in a makeshift shed made of corn stalks almost every night, and got up several times in the middle of the night to see if anyone came to steal vermicelli. Liu Ertao was even more sharp-eyed, fearing that his relatives would do something dishonest.

Qian Yu was very satisfied. It was Qian Qing who suggested her to use shares to tie up Huang Laoer and his wife.

Although her household registration was transferred to Liujia Village, she was still an outsider. Why did so many village-run factories fail? It was because the villagers colluded with the factory workers to set traps.

At the least, they may steal your goods, or at the worst, they may be set up by someone with bad intentions. Country people are very straightforward in their feelings, and sometimes it is their straightforwardness that makes people feel helpless.

Why do you earn more than me? Why do you live better than me? We were all equally poor before, so what gives you the right to leave us behind and live a good life?

Since Qian Yu started running the vermicelli factory, he has been increasingly leaning towards Qian Qing's way of thinking. He believes that one should not rely too much on a person's character, but should use interests to bind and check the other party.

With her vermicelli factory as a pioneer this year, there will definitely be many vermicelli manufacturers in the surrounding villages next year. It will be a tough battle then. If she doesn't recruit Liu Ertao now, and wait until Liu Ertao and his wife open their own workshop next year, then the partner will become a competitor, which will be a tricky problem.

So Qian Yu gave a lot of vermicelli to the village chief of Liujia Village. Liujia Village said that it would repair the ancestral hall next year, and Qian Yu also told Liu Ertao that he would contribute a few dozen yuan.

She didn't ask for much help from them, she just hoped they wouldn't do anything bad to her vermicelli factory.

Once the additional equipment was in place, the factory became even busier. Qian Yu asked Ding Jie to work at the vermicelli factory to monitor shipments and calculate revenue. Six large pots were used to make vermicelli at the same time, and the vermicelli shipped out of the factory every day could be piled high.

Qian Qing also took Qian Yu's vermicelli and visited several families with whom she had a good relationship, including Chen Xinran, Fang Gong, Li Hongmei, Zheng Xian, the director of the General Administration Department Chen Yan, the principal of the First Primary School, and the security guard...

Qian's mother also gave gifts to all the families in the tube-shaped building who had a good relationship with her.

As soon as the month of twelfth month came, many people came to Qian's mother and Qian Qing to ask for goods. Chen Xinran's fiancé Zhao Nan asked for five bundles, saying that he wanted to give them to his relatives and also to use them at the wedding banquet. Li Hongmei's family also had many relatives, so she asked for three bundles. Someone in the same building came to ask why Qian's mother was out of stock.

Qian Qing took a look and decided to go to the vermicelli factory again.

Qianqian was on winter vacation, and Zhou Hao had just finished a major overhaul and had three days off. Qian's mother asked Qian's father to ask for leave as well, and the whole family went to Qian Yu's vermicelli factory.

Zhou Hao rode a tricycle with Qian's mother and Qian Qian sitting on it. Qian Qing and Qian's father rode a bicycle not far away. The weather was too cold, so they all wore thick cotton jackets and covered their heads and faces with large fleece scarves. Qian Qing also asked Bai Ping to give her a batch of leather gloves. Now everyone had a pair so that they wouldn't get their hands frozen while riding.

Father Qian was worried about his eldest daughter, but he refused to give in. "She is a woman who only makes vermicelli. She doesn't care about her children's schooling and she also runs a factory. She owes the bank so much money. What will she do if she can't pay it back? She runs a factory and even messes with the Huang family. Isn't she afraid that the Huang family will smash her factory..."

Mother Qian held Qianqian in her arms and covered her face with a scarf. She looked at Father Qian with contempt when she heard what he said.

He didn't know how prosperous Qian Yu's vermicelli factory was now. Even after adding more machines, they still couldn't keep up with the supply. Now I heard that there are still small vendors waiting for vermicelli until midnight. In this case, can they not repay the bank loan?

After leaving Meihua Town, there were more and more people and cars on the road to Liujia Village. There were quite a few tractors and tricycles heading in the same direction as Qian's father and his friends.

Father Qian was a little confused: "Disbanded? Not possible, it's so early."

Qianqian's crisp voice rang out: "Grandma, those who are going in the opposite direction from us are carrying vermicelli!"

Father Qian looked carefully and saw that it was true. The back of the bicycle could hold three bundles of vermicelli tightly. The tricycle was loaded almost to the height of a person's chin, and one had to half-stand to pedal. There was also a tractor, which was fully loaded and covered with a tarpaulin.

Father Qian's heart sank, but he felt it was impossible. How could it be possible that the eldest daughter was not as smart as the younger daughter, and how could she be more successful in business than the younger daughter?

As a result, the further we walked, the clearer the situation ahead became. There was a big iron gate in front of a row of high courtyard walls, and cars were lined up in front of the big iron gate. If you were in line, you would drive your car in, load up your noodles, and then exit from another gate. If you were not in line, you would squeeze in at the back and park your car side by side. Some people were impatient and just left their cars behind and ran to the front to ask what was going on.

The person standing at the door registering shipments and collecting payments was none other than Ding Jie, who had just gained some weight but was then completely exhausted.

Ding Jie, with a confused look on his face, argued with a street vendor with an accent.

"I told you to wait a little longer. The vermicelli is not dry. Wouldn't it be a loss for you if I sold it to you? Wet vermicelli is much heavier than dry vermicelli. You won't be able to sell it even if you buy it back!"

The vendor said stubbornly: "What's the big deal if it's a little wet? I'll just hang it up in a room with a kang to dry it out and it'll be fine!"

Ding Jie waved his hands impatiently: "There is no such rule. If we sell wet vermicelli, what will our reputation be? What if you find fault with us if it gets bad again? Just wait a little longer. Our factory has already checked it. We will sell the ones that have been dried well first."

Father Qian: ????

Is this still the same kid who was beaten up and down by his brother-in-law? Is this really Ding Jie, the positive character who speaks righteously?

Qianqian frowned when she saw Ding Jie from a distance: "Uncle!"

Ding Jie was also having a headache at the moment and thought he was hallucinating. He listened to the voices for several times before he looked up to look for them. When he saw Qian's father, Qian's mother, Qianqian, and Qian Qing and his wife all came, he immediately ran over with the delivery order.

"Aunt, uncle, second sister, second brother-in-law, why are you here? It's so cold."

Qian Qing was happy for her uncle when she saw Ding Jie doing a good job: "Aren't you here to buy some goods? You can help me out while you're at it. Where's my sister?"

Ding Jie pointed to the factory and said, "They are checking the vermicelli inside."

Qianqian jumped up and down on the tricycle: "Uncle, cousin!"

Ding Jie picked up Qian Qian and said, "Come on, don't queue up. Go through the field over there. I'll open the small door at the back for you."

Some people around were listening to Ding Jie's words. They originally thought that it was not fair for this family to cut in line, but then they heard the little girl yelling that she wanted to find her mother. Well, this family's connections are really strong, so they should just queue up honestly.

When they entered the factory, not only Qian's father, but also Qian's mother and Qian Qing were all shocked.

Time was too tight, so Qian Yu only built two big houses. In the 800-square-meter courtyard, the most common buildings were straw sheds. Under the straw sheds were large pots with hot fires burning underneath. Some people were even cooking vermicelli in short sleeves. People stood by the pots with bamboo poles waiting. When the vermicelli in the pots were ready, they would string them up with thin bamboo poles. There were racks built next to each large pot, and the wet vermicelli was placed on them, waiting for workers to come and take the vermicelli away and distribute them to the fields outside to dry.

Under the largest thatched shed on the other side were two starch pools, and under the eaves were dozens of cloth bags, each with a washbasin to collect the starch water that leaked from above.

The activity in the yard was just as busy as outside, with workers coming and going in rubber shoes.

Ding Jie continued, "We can produce several thousand kilograms of vermicelli every day, but it is too troublesome to dry them out. After the vermicelli is produced, it needs to be dried in the sun and frozen for several days to be completely dry before it can be sold."

Through a door, Qian Qing could also see that in the field on the other side, a long clothesline-like thing had been set up. Once the wet vermicelli poles were tied on both sides, they could be hung securely in the middle.

Just when the family was astonished by the factory, Qian Yu came jogging over.

Qianqian saw Qianyu from a distance and rushed over. Qianyu hugged his daughter with a smile on his face.

"Mom and Dad, why are you here too?"

Father Qian coughed twice. He felt he didn't have the confidence to pursue his eldest daughter's divorce. After all, it was such a big factory with so many products.

"I... I just came to see if you need any help..."

Qian Yu smiled happily: "Everything is fine. We were short of staff some time ago so we hired some new people. Now we are fully capable of handling the situation."

Mr. Qian was a little frustrated. He felt that he was the one who made the least money in the family. Not to mention his little daughter, who was born to be a businessman. His wife was making a lot of money selling chili sauce and running a small shop. It was obvious that she didn't say a word to him about giving his salary to his mother. She obviously looked down on the few dozen yuan of filial piety money he gave her.

The eldest daughter is even more outrageous. How come she has become a female factory manager in such a short time since her divorce?

Mother Qian came over and frowned, "Where is your kitchen? How do so many people eat?"

Qian Yu was a little embarrassed: "I'm too busy, so I won't cook for myself. I'll ask Sister Er Tao to prepare it and send it to me."

"Don't you have a big pot here? Take some time at noon to cook some vermicelli and steam some rice. It's not a hassle!"

Ding Jie interrupted: "Don't say anything, there are only a few women here, and their cooking skills are terrible. I cooked twice at the beginning, and it was so unpalatable!"

Qian's mother rolled up her sleeves and said, "Then don't ask the Liu family to send it at noon. Go buy some ingredients and I'll make it."

The eldest daughter watched as the weight she had gained before the divorce was lost again, and it made her, as a mother, feel heartbroken.

Qian Yu was also happy. Compared to the past when her mother would cook for her as soon as she saw her, she always felt guilty and that she had let her parents down. Now that she had her own career, she could calmly accept her parents' love and care.

"Okay, I'll ask Sister Er Tao to come over."

Huang Laoer had just seen Qian's mother and Qian's father, and was so scared that he quickly ran to the powder field.

Shame on you!

Although it is not the fault of the second wife and their husband for what the third son did, but think about it, they have not been very good to the third son's wife over the years. When meeting the Qian family again, Huang Laoer is afraid that Qian's mother will say something unpleasant.

However, Liu Ertao came over very openly, and even faced Qian's mother's obviously stiff face, he held his temper, and smiled as he talked to her about the vermicelli factory. He counted the number of people, and then actively rode his tricycle home to get a big bag of rice, half a bag of flour, a few cabbages, half a bucket of oil, potatoes and carrots, and also caught two chickens, which he killed and cleaned at home and brought all together.

People sing their own songs. She had never bullied Qian Yu in the past. At most, she looked down on the foolishness of the third brother and his wife. Now that they are no longer foolish, she naturally has nothing to say. However, the third brother Huang is indeed not decent, and her mother-in-law is also a nobody. Since Liu Ertao had the bad luck to marry into the Huang family and become the third brother's sister-in-law, she should make compensation and express her apology.

Father Qian couldn't sit still, and seeing that the powder pool was too busy, he went to find a pair of clean rubber shoes and went to work.

Ding Jie went to the door to guard the shipment again, Qian's mother was processing the ingredients, and Qian Qing dragged Zhou Hao and followed Qian Yu around.

"After I finish this period of work, I plan to build a circle of houses around the perimeter and put up a kang inside. In winter, when the weather is bad, the vermicelli that is frozen and not dried can be moved over to dry it."

"We need to expand the site a little bit more. I have already made an agreement with the family next door to take over their farmland before the New Year. In the spring and summer, we will let them grow sweet potatoes, and we can also solve some of the raw materials in the winter."

…

The truck unloading sweet potatoes had just passed by, and a small mountain of sweet potatoes was piled in a corner of the yard.

Qian Yu pulled out a few red-hearted sweet potatoes from the middle and handed them to Qian Qian: "There's a big stove over there. Bury the sweet potatoes in it and you can eat them roasted in a while."

Qianqian went away skipping and jumping.

Qian Qing had a clear understanding of her sister's courage: "Sister, you are so amazing."

Qian Yu smiled and said, "I have to thank you. Besides, you also have shares in this factory."

After a pause, Qian Yu talked about his plans for next year: "We can only make vermicelli for half a month after the New Year. If the weather gets hotter, we won't be able to freeze it. But I can't leave such a big factory empty until the end of next year, so I'm thinking of opening another factory."

Qian Qing: ???

Seeing the girl's confused face, Qian Yu explained: "Isn't it because there are a lot of sweet potato residues when the flour is added? I have a lot of these things, I can't just leave them there taking up space."

"I asked someone and they said that pigs grow faster by eating sweet potato residue, so I plan to build a pig farm to use up the sweet potato residue. The land I rented can be used to grow sweet potatoes, and the sweet potato vines can be used to feed pigs."

Zhou Hao reads a lot of books, and this is his home turf: "This is also a method. Nowadays, most people still raise pigs at home, but the market is so big and life is getting better and better. Raising pigs is okay, but you'd better find a technician. You can raise a few pigs at home, but there are many differences when you run a pig farm. Living things are different from dead things. You have to consider many issues, such as disease prevention and control, hygiene issues, and how to feed and castrate pigs. These all need to be monitored by professionals."

Qian Yu nodded and said, "I plan to hire a technician from the farm, but I'm afraid they won't think highly of my small factory."

Zhou Hao thought for a moment and said, "Let me ask my teacher for you. Although it is a technical secondary school, it also has related majors. Let's see if anyone is willing to come."

Qian Yu himself did not receive much education, so he valued educated people very much: "Okay, then please tell me that as long as you can do this job, I will pay you 100 yuan a month."

One hundred yuan is not a low salary compared to factory wages. Qian Yu also provides food and accommodation here, so there should be people willing to come.

Qian Qing hesitated for a while before asking her sister, "Sister, are you planning to open a pig farm in Liujia Village as well?"

Qian Yu curled his lips and said, "Of course not."

In fact, she had already picked a place. There was a section of road between Liujia Village and Meihua Town, where there was a small earthen slope. This small earthen slope was stuck right in the middle of Liujia Village and Meihua Town. Part of it belonged to Meihua Town, and part of it belonged to Liujia Village. But generally speaking, the part belonging to Meihua Town was larger, and Liujia Village occupied less than ten mu of land.

She plans to contract this sloping land to raise pigs.

The vermicelli business in Liujia Village is still viable because of Liu Ertao. The pig farming business is more troublesome than vermicelli business, as people can drug a living animal without even seeing it.

She was worried about being too close to the village, so she put the land on the slope and contracted both sides, so that she could share some of the attention from Liujia Village. Moreover, the place was far from the village, and there were no people living around, so even if the pigs smelled, it would not bother anyone. There was a small river on the other side of the small slope, so it was not a problem to get water.

By the time the time comes, we'll have built a large yard and constructed the pigpens, and all we have to do is have the workers pay attention.

Qian Qing now looks at her sister with new eyes. Perhaps this is how big changes in life make people grow. Even when Qian's mother was in the oil field, she heard a few unpleasant words about her daughter's divorce. Qian Yu must be under a lot of pressure.

Some people take out their anger on themselves when they feel pressure, while others take it out on the outside world. Qian Yu is obviously the latter, and her way of dealing with this kind of pressure is to fight back.

You said my divorce was dishonorable, so I must live a better life than any of you!

You said that I, a woman, can’t run a good factory, so I must open one after another!

You said I am just arrogant because I have some money, so why should I be arrogant? Well, I will be arrogant in front of everyone!

Qian Qing was impressed and asked her sister, "Do you have enough money to start a pig farm?"

Qian Yu didn't care at all: "I can just go to the bank to get a loan. It won't be a big deal."

This loan made her realize that the bank’s interest rates for farmers are very low and the loan terms are also high, generally more than one year.

She borrowed 8,000 yuan for her vermicelli factory, and by the end of this month, the profit of the factory will not be less than 20,000 yuan.

She paid back the bank's money, and when she got the land, she used the vermicelli factory's equipment as collateral for a loan, which meant that the principal was given by the bank, and she used the bank's money to do business. Zhou Hao called this leveraged funds, and Qian Yu thought it was right, it was leverage, spending a small amount of money to leverage a large amount of money.

With just a few words, they decided to open another factory. Qian Yu didn't feel any psychological pressure at all. After walking around for a while, they went to help Qian's mother cook.

With Qianmu around, lunch is quite nice.

There were too many people, so Qian's mother simply steamed a basket of steamed buns and cooked a pot of rice in a large bowl.

Chop up two little roosters, stew with seasonings, then add potatoes, cabbage and carrots. When they are half cooked, throw in a handful of vermicelli.

The aroma wafts into people's noses and tempts them.

The workers brought their own lunch boxes, which they received a bowl of vegetables and steamed buns or rice, and they all ate with relish.

There was no such good thing in previous years. Farmers could earn money in their spare time and eat and drink for free.

A group of people squatted in the yard to eat. Qian's mother cooked porridge with rice and sweet potatoes in another pot. There were not many rice grains and sweet potatoes. Whoever choked while eating could get a bowl.

The group stayed in the vermicelli factory for two or three days and felt more deeply how difficult it was for Qian Yu.

They had to get up at two or three in the middle of the night to spread the vermicelli flat and freeze it, and at four o'clock they had to turn it over. Finally, they had to put the vermicelli away before six in the morning to prevent it from getting wet with dew.

Several people helped and were exhausted. Qianqian was probably the only one who was happy. The dried vermicelli turned white and fluffy when put on the fire, making a popping sound. It tasted a little sweet in the mouth. Qianqian had a lot of fun.

Until the last day before leaving, Father Qian stroked his hair a few times and his heart was shaken for the first time.

My eldest daughter is too busy here, and my wife is also busy running the grocery store. My youngest daughter seems to be free now, but I guess she will not be idle after the store opens.

Is he going to continue to spend his days in the match factory?

He is in good shape and can do manual labor. His wife is usually in poor health and helps the daughters run the stall and develops her own business. The monthly salary from selling chili sauce alone is much higher than his salary. Is he just going to sit there and watch?

Before leaving, Qian Yu quietly asked Qian Qing: "What's wrong with our dad? It seems like he has something to say."

Qian Qing has been keeping an eye on Qian's father these past few days. Now the whole family is busy making money, and Qian's father is the only "backward element". God knows how much Qian Qing wants to wake her father up.

"I am still hesitating."

But don't worry, her father knows himself, everything else is fine, but he can't stand it when his grandmother cries to him. It's also because the three of them, mother and daughter, are not crybaby, and her father doesn't know this kind of crying, making a fuss, and then hanging himself.

"Let's talk about it after the New Year."

If nothing unexpected happens, this year's New Year will be another farce. Every year, her grandmother will make trouble. This year, with her sister becoming the factory manager, it is impossible for her grandmother not to make trouble.

"Don't you know what kind of person our father is? He just can't stand our grandmother's tears. When he realizes that our grandmother is only thinking about our uncle's family, we can talk about raising our father. If he can't figure it out, just ignore him and let him use his own salary of several dozen yuan to support his nephew as much as he wants."

Qian Yu gets a headache just thinking about the Chinese New Year: "I'm annoyed when I think about being surrounded by people asking about my divorce and about the situation at the vermicelli factory. Can I not go back home for the Chinese New Year this year?"

Qian Qing patted her sister's hand. Everyone knew about her sister's vermicelli factory. Although she had more money than her sister, the matter of the five storefronts was still on hold, so she could temporarily escape this year.

"Why not? I'll give you a dress to wear. It's so pretty! Let's get our hair permed before the New Year. We must let them know you're rich during the New Year!"

Qian Yu had an expression that said, "What should I do if my sister goes crazy?"

Qian Qing held her sister's ear and whispered a few words, and Qian Yu's eyes lit up.

"Whether we can make our dad see our grandma's true face depends on the New Year. Your goal is to show off. The more extravagant, the better."