Mo Yuan laid out his thoughts: "Uncle, building a factory is easy; there's plenty of stone and wood behind the mountain, as much as we need. But what we're lacking now are bricks! These days, those things are hard to buy. So I was thinking, isn't there a brick kiln behind our village?"
What do you think? Could we organize some people to start firing it again? This would solve our problem and benefit the village as well. Our village already has many skilled kiln operators who can start production right away.
Once the bricks are fired, they will not only meet our needs for building houses, but can also be sold. This will greatly improve the village's economic situation. Moreover, it won't affect the villagers' farming schedule; they can simply stop farming during busy seasons.
After hearing this, Mo Youxian finally understood Mo Yuan's intentions. He couldn't help but exclaim, "So you wanted to take advantage of everyone, making them do the hard labor of making bricks for you for free, so you could have bricks ready to use. You've got quite the clever plan!"
Mo Yuan's ulterior motives were seen through by Mo Youxian at a glance, but he remained calm and composed, pretending to be nonchalant, and said righteously, "Uncle, please don't wrong me! Didn't you tell me before to think of more ways to help the villagers get rid of poverty and achieve prosperity?"
While I was using bricks, a thought suddenly struck me. I remembered that our brick kiln had been idle for a long time. Now that we had this opportunity, why not let it put it to good use? Besides, even if you produce bricks, I won't ask for them for free; I'll definitely pay for them. How could I possibly take advantage of you?
Mo Youxian naturally wouldn't easily believe Mo Yuan's high-sounding explanation. He knew very well that no matter how eloquent Mo Yuan was, he ultimately didn't want to buy bricks from outside; he was instead targeting his own family. However, upon closer reflection, this matter didn't seem entirely without benefit. As Mo Yuan said, even if they produced bricks, anyone who needed them would have to buy them at a price. In this way, they could try it out during the two-month off-season. Since they didn't plan to sell to outsiders in the short term, there was basically no risk. But there were still some things he needed to clarify with Mo Yuan.
Hearing this, Mo Youxian nodded, though he didn't entirely believe it. He felt there was potential, but he still needed to discuss it with the men in the village who worked in the kilns.
After all, getting a kiln fired again is no easy task. And even if the kiln could be reignited, how to sell the bricks produced would be another problem.
These days, everyone is strapped for cash, and not many people are willing to spend money to buy bricks to build a house. In contrast, they prefer to hire a few people to help make some adobe bricks and then build an adobe house themselves, which is both cheaper and more convenient.
However, Mo Youxian also knew that although large-scale production was not realistic at the moment, as long as the villagers had money in their pockets, the demand for brick and tile houses would definitely increase. At that time, the bricks would naturally find a market.
Their village had its own kilns, so they didn't need to buy bricks from other places, which was undoubtedly an advantage. So, Mo Youxian decided to test whether the kilns were still usable, and if so, to try firing some bricks.
But he also made it clear beforehand that he would have to pay for these kilns of bricks no matter what.
Hearing Mo Youxian's theories, Mo Yuan was quite surprised. He had thought he knew Mo Youxian well enough, but he hadn't expected the old Party Secretary to have such profound insights. Mo Yuan realized that he might have been a bit too confident and overlooked some important factors.
Mo Youxian's ability to remain firmly in the position of village party secretary in Xiaomozhuang for decades, weathering countless storms, must stem from his exceptional qualities. His analysis of the situation and future prospects is indeed remarkably accurate, earning him undeniable admiration.
Over the years, Mo Youxian frequently traveled to townships and counties to attend meetings and listen to various reports, and it seems that his efforts were not in vain. Although Mo Yuan had once looked down on this, it now appears that these experiences have indeed given Mo Youxian a broader perspective and greater knowledge.
Putting aside everything else, his remarks about adobe houses and brick houses, and the current lack of market for bricks, show that our old Party Secretary still understands some economics and the market. His views are no longer limited to immediate interests, but take into account future development trends.
However, Mo Yuan didn't have much time to delve into these issues. He knew Mo Youxian was right; if they rushed to open the kilns now, they would not only need to check if the old kilns were still usable, but also consider the uncertainty of market demand. Even if everyone worked day and night, the bricks produced might not find buyers immediately. They would have to wait at least a year or two, until a new wave of house-building swept through the rural areas, before Xiao Mo Village could seize the opportunity.
Therefore, the most important thing right now is to ensure that they have a sufficient supply of bricks. Mo Yuan understands that Xiao Mo Zhuang has the first-mover advantage in brick kilns and technology, and as long as they seize the opportunity, they can reap rich rewards in this wave. Therefore, there is no need to blindly pursue large-scale production now, but rather to wait for the right opportunity.
"Alright, Uncle, we'll do it your way. As long as it's not too much, I'll buy all the bricks you produce this time! My dad's been thinking about building a house, so as his son, I have to fulfill his little wish, right? Use the extra bricks from the factory to build my new house! Sooner or later, our whole village will have big brick and tile houses. I'll start by setting an example for everyone!"
Mo Yuan patted his chest and assured Mo Youxian that he would cover all the bricks they fired this time! Mo Youxian was overjoyed to hear this reply. With Mo Yuan backing him up, he could give the villagers an explanation. Not to mention, firing a kiln was hard work, but at least the pay was good. When things got busy, it wasn't less than working in a state-owned factory. So what if it was hard and tiring? They were all men making a living from the soil; who was afraid of hardship?
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