Chapter 346 Military Wives' Welfare: A Heartwarming Canteen!
She paused, then looked at Gu Beichen.
“We at ‘Qiongdao Blue’ use a portion of our profits each month to cover this.”
Looking into her bright eyes, Gu Beichen felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
This woman is sometimes as shrewd as a cunning businesswoman, and sometimes so naive that it's heartbreaking.
"I'll talk to Commander Zheng about the troop subsidies." Gu Beichen held her hand. "The logistics department has some losses at the food supply base, which can be put to use."
"Then it's settled!" Su Yue stood up. "I'll go find Director Wang now."
In the office of the Military Family Committee, Director Wang was so excited after listening to Su Yue's suggestion that he took off his glasses and wiped them.
"Great! This is fantastic news!" Director Wang slammed his hand on the table. "Our compound should have started this a long time ago! Su Yue, how do you think of things? How come you always come up with the right ideas?"
"It was just a coincidence," Su Yue smiled. "Seeing Liu Guifen like that just now made me feel bad. We men are out there protecting our country, and we women can't hold back in the rear. If we take good care of our health and give birth to a big, healthy boy, that's how we contribute to the fighting force."
The height increased dramatically in an instant.
Director Wang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's exactly right! I'll write the report right away and get it approved immediately!"
With Su Yue's financial support and Gu Beichen's behind-the-scenes operations, the "pregnancy nutrition canteen" is thriving.
The location was chosen in an empty room next to the cafeteria, where two large pots were set up. Every noon and evening, a master chef would prepare bone broth and stew meat dishes.
As long as you have a pregnancy certificate from the hospital, you can get food here. The price is only half that of the main cafeteria, but the portions are very generous.
On the opening day, Liu Guifen carried a lunchbox full of braised pork and potatoes, along with two hard-boiled eggs, and cried her eyes out.
Once this news spread, Su Yue's reputation in the military compound skyrocketed.
Those who used to gossip about her now respectfully address her as "Teacher Su" when they meet her.
As a result, the sales of "Qiongzhou Blue" surged again.
The military wives all felt that buying Su Yue's things was doing good deeds and helping their own sisters.
"There's no room left! There's really no room left!"
Huo Wenxuan plopped down at the octagonal table in the main room of the Gu family and slammed the purple clay teapot he was holding onto the table.
The tea splashed out, scalding him and making him wince.
“Su Yue, your room is piled high with bottles and jars. My guys were carrying things and they were having a hard time turning around. They accidentally broke two bottles of face cream. It broke my heart.”
He pointed outside the door.
The racks in the yard that were originally used to dry herbs are now completely piled with cardboard boxes.
Even Gu Ping'an's little wooden horse was squeezed into a corner, standing alone and covered in a layer of dust.
Su Yue was sitting at the counter doing accounts. The abacus beads clicked loudly as she turned them, without even looking up.
"There's nothing we can do about it." Chen Xinyue walked in carrying a stack of orders, her forehead covered in sweat. "The provincial supply and marketing cooperative just called again, urging us to add another 500 bottles. And in Beijing, Young Master Qin said that the department store counters have been empty for three days, and if we don't ship the goods soon, the manager will hang himself."
“It’s not just a matter of not having enough space.” Gu Beixiao pushed up his glasses and opened his notebook. “Our current production relies entirely on manual mixing, which is too inefficient. If we want to take on these orders, we must go to an assembly line.”
Everyone in the room looked at Su Yue.
Su Yue stopped what she was doing and closed the ledger.
"Then let's build a factory."
Two words, light and airy, yet like a thunderclap.
"Build a factory?" Huo Wenxuan's eyes widened instantly. "Where will you build it? Where is there any empty space left in this compound?"
“Not in the compound.” Su Yue stood up and walked to the map of Hainan Island hanging on the wall. She picked up a red pen and drew a circle in a blank space on the east side of the military compound.
"here."
Gu Beichen was peeling an apple for Gu Ping'an when he heard this. He looked up and glanced at him, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"That saline land in Dongtan?"
“Yes.” Su Yue pointed to the red circle with the tip of her pen. “That piece of land has been abandoned for more than ten years. Crops don’t grow well there, and the foundation for building houses is soft. But it’s close to the military region, so water and electricity are readily available. And it’s downwind, so it won’t affect the lives of the residents in the compound.”
“Most importantly,” Su Yue turned around and threw her pen on the table, “the land is cheap. It’s practically free.”
Gu Beixiao pushed up his glasses and quickly went through the policy in his mind: "That piece of land belongs to a buffer zone jointly managed by the local government and the military region. If the application is made in the name of 'military family employment placement base,' I am confident that the approval procedures can be completed within three days."
“Then it’s settled.” Su Yue made the decision. “I’ve already thought of a name: ‘Blue Ocean Daily Chemical Factory.’ We’re not only going to be number one on Hainan Island, but also number one in the whole country.”
"Where's the money?" Huo Wenxuan asked, though excited, but he still got to the point. "Building a factory, buying equipment, and sourcing raw materials—this can't be done with just a few thousand yuan."
Su Yue didn't say anything, but just looked at Huo Wenxuan with a smile.
That smile sent chills down Huo Wenxuan's spine.
"Don't...don't look at me like that. Even though my surname is Huo, my cheapskate father is very strict..."
“Twenty percent of the shares.” Su Yue held up two fingers. “The Huo Group will invest and become our exclusive agent for overseas channels. You won’t lose out on this deal.”
Huo Wenxuan instantly ran through the calculations in his mind.
The current "Qiongdao Blue" is just a goose that lays golden eggs. A 20% stake means they can just sit back and count their money.
"Deal!" Huo Wenxuan slapped his thigh. "I'll pay for it! I'll have the equipment shipped over from Hong Kong tomorrow!"
Things must be done swiftly and decisively.
Gu Beixiao took the application to obtain the necessary approvals, while Huo Wenxuan contacted the construction team and equipment.
Su Yue then took Gu Beichen to Dongtan for an on-site inspection.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching the entire residential compound in just half a day.
"Have you heard? Su Yue is going to build a huge factory in Dongtan!"
"Really? Does that mean we can go work in the factory from now on?"
"Oh, that's great news! My husband's allowance isn't enough, and I'm really worried about finding work!"
The military wives were all talking excitedly, eager to sign up right now.
However, some are happy while others are sad.
The neighbor's yard.
Zhu Cuihua sat on the threshold, holding a handful of melon seeds in her hand, the shells scattered all over the ground.
Hearing the commotion outside, her face grew longer than a donkey's.
"Pah! What are you showing off for!" She spat on the ground. "Building a factory? I think it's a drug den!"
Her eyes darted around, she stuffed the sunflower seeds in her hand into her pocket, and got up to run towards the military dependents' committee.
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