"Ideals and Youth" - It turns out I also had a youth (Seventeen...)
Compared to the feed brands of large corporations, Ye Xiqing was a late starter. She didn't even start; at most, she opened a feed processing workshop with no brand whatsoever.
Fortunately, the big corporations haven't invaded their area yet. She doesn't want to compete with them; she wants to establish herself in this small territory first, and the first targets will naturally be the local pig farmers.
During the period when pig farming was not on a large scale, there were the most pig farmers, since pork was the most consumed food by residents.
Pigs eat almost anything—swill, bran, wild grass, you name it.
But just like chives, if you raise a small amount, you don't have to worry about anything, but if you raise a lot, the food consumption for feeding them is not a small matter.
The purpose of a feed mill is similar to that of a dedicated production line in industry; by making this line independent, it becomes more specialized and efficient.
Specializing in bulk grains reduces grain procurement costs, and dedicated research into feed formulations makes them more energy-efficient and effective.
Pigs need a balanced diet; if they eat nutritious feed, they will be ready for market quickly.
A fast market entry rate is definitely a key indicator for pig farmers. The feed is really made by grinding all the nutrients into feed. I don't know if the pigs like it, but they definitely like to gain weight.
Although Ye Xiqing doesn't have the complete supplementary feed of later generations at this stage, adding some grains is definitely better than the original pig feed. The only problem is that it's very difficult to change the pig farmers' mindset from scratch.
Pig farmers don't buy feed for no reason, so what do they do? They drive their newly bought four-wheeled cart, load it with pig feed, install a recording speaker, play some cool background music, and go door-to-door selling feed.
Before she even started selling, Ye Xiqing had already decided on the name for her feed brand: Kang Kang Feed.
KangKang feed, your pigs will eat it and become healthy and strong.
They casually fabricated a few paragraphs about the amazing effects of the feed, launched a passionate and fiery promotional campaign, and ended with a few pig squeals.
Ye Xiqing's loudspeaker recording was both rustic and catchy. It grew louder and quieter as her car approached or moved away, and as soon as it started, everyone knew that the feed seller was back.
In the days before television was widespread and before we heard of such brainwashing advertisements, it was truly laughable.
Children are at the age when they love to imitate others the most. Every time they play house, they take turns imitating others, and after imitating, they add two pig squeals, which makes their friends laugh out loud.
But no matter how corny or funny this recording is, it's really memorable. Even people who don't raise pigs can tell the feed seller is coming just by looking at the car. It's a living advertisement.
Once they start raising pigs, they'll be able to see for themselves what KangKang feed is.
Ye Xiqing drove the car into the pig farmer's yard, turned off the radio, jumped out of the car, and checked on the pigs: "How are they? Are they gaining weight quickly with my feed?"
The moment she entered, the pig farmer greeted her with beaming joy, which told him that the results must have been quite good.
She went to the pig pen with the pig farmer to check on the pigs. The pig farmer gave her a full report on the recent progress of the breeding and asked her many questions.
Ye Xiqing answered them one by one. She was not a professional veterinarian, but those who sell feed must know something about animal husbandry, which is an added value for those who pay for feed.
By compiling information on the growth status and problems of all pig farmers, and accumulating enough data, she can gain valuable experience that she can then share with other farmers, making her appear more professional.
People in rural areas have low risk tolerance and like to do business with no initial investment.
Once raising livestock requires upfront investment, such as buying feed and grain, it exceeds the farmers' psychological safety margin.
After all, for farmers, buying piglets is the only cost they acknowledge. Without piglets, there are no pigs, so it's unacceptable to disregard costs.
But why should pig feed be considered a cost? Everyone has grain, why do we need to buy feed?
This problem is easy to solve; she sells feed on credit.
Ye Xiqing personally visited nearby large-scale pig farmers, offering to feed them the pigs without asking for payment.
She'll bring the feed first, and we'll settle the payment for the feed once the pigs are ready for market.
Feed is definitely more effective in large-scale farming. Even if pigs raised by large-scale farmers don't eat feed, they still need to eat grain, and the grain they grow on their own land may not be enough, so they have to go out and collect grain.
Compared to small-scale farmers, they are definitely more likely to accept feed as a cost than individual farmers.
Large-scale pig farmers in a region often serve as role models, and their influence is far more effective than any loudspeaker's announcements.
The large-scale pig farmers were delighted when she said she wouldn't charge them money on credit.
If you end up not getting your money back on credit, that's your problem; do they even dare to extend credit?
Ye Xiqing nodded in agreement as if she wasn't worried at all.
She didn't use all the costs of the loan for the factory, but for credit sales, betting that the funds she had advanced upfront would be recovered.
The pig farmer initially thought it was a fool not to take advantage of a good deal, so he used her feed. After one course of treatment, he found that it was quite effective.
It's expensive, but the pigs are ready for market quickly, and they love the food. The labor saved is the most valuable thing. Otherwise, raising them for an extra day means feeding them an extra day of feed and bearing an extra day of risk. Pig farmers need to quickly recover their funds.
Seeing the tangible benefits, when Ye Xiqing asked again, this time whether she wanted to renew the contract, the pig farmer's attitude changed, and he started negotiating with her.
It's possible to continue feeding, but your feed is too expensive; who can afford it?
Let's both compromise. I'll buy materials from you, so can you give me a discount?
The price war was the most important battleground for selling feed, and Ye Xiqing and the whole family of pig farmers spent a long time discussing it.
Finally, he sighed and said, "Alright, alright, since you want so much, 30 it is. But let me tell you, the price of pig feed is non-negotiable."
“Those piglets eat very carefully. I also have costs for producing feed. You can’t let me not make a single penny.”
"It's more worthwhile to let the pigs grow up healthy and be ready for market quickly than to spend more money on feed."
"You pig sellers must be making a lot of money. Pork prices have gone up again recently, you're about to make another fortune."
When pig farmers heard that pork prices were going up, they grinned and were about to laugh, but they quickly shook their heads.
What money can I make? I won't make any, I won't make any.
The price of pork goes up, but meat sellers make money. What can they possibly earn? They can't. It's you, the one running a big business, who makes money.
Ye Xiqing shook her head urgently, "How could that be? We can't make any money!"
Now that food prices have gone up, how much money can she make? Not at all.
Both sides shook their heads for a long time, complaining about how they weren't making money, as if there was no one more miserable in the world, and then the deal was completed.
Ye Xiqing unloaded the feed the family wanted, settled the previous bills, and then said, "Don't pay me yet. I'll settle it next time I deliver the feed. You guys should sell this batch of pigs first."
"If the pigs eat feed, they'll eat less grain. If you have any leftover grain at home, just come to me to collect it."
“I not only sell feed, but I also buy grain. Now I buy all kinds of grain. No matter what the grain station’s price is, I always get five cents more than the grain station.”
"Given the relationship between our two families, you can sell your grain here from now on."
Upon hearing this, the pig farmers were overjoyed, as it would be wonderful to receive payment only after the pigs were ready for market.
Those who can afford to raise pigs must be wealthy families; if they can afford to raise pigs, they can afford to farm.
If you sell a pound of grain for five cents more, you can sell ten thousand pounds for five hundred more. Even a mosquito is still a piece of meat, so you certainly won't throw it away for an extra five cents.
With such back-and-forth exchanges, their business ties suddenly deepened.
...
When Ye Xiqing used to run greenhouses, he would buy several kilograms of meat for the New Year. After he started the feed mill, he almost couldn't afford pork.
Of course, if she almost couldn't afford it, then she could still afford it. The market needed her, a big pork consumer, so she couldn't refuse to eat it.
I bought half a pig, not only to eat it myself, but also to share it with everyone, and incidentally to generate revenue for my business partners.
She manages the feed mill more and the greenhouses less; everyone helps her with those, and we're very grateful.
Wu Guiyun worked as a vegetable vendor for a year and not only did she not encounter any major problems, but she also gradually mastered the tricks of the trade. People would come to her as if she were their leader whenever they needed something, and that feeling was just too good.
I felt so much better, and in my excitement, I bought a washing machine.
Although housework hasn't been completely eliminated, at least there are machines that can replace it, so nobody says, "Why buy one?"
Ever since she threw a tantrum and refused to do laundry, no one has objected to buying a washing machine anymore.
It's clear that people who love washing clothes are ranked after machines.
Han Fuzhen is Ye Xiqing's sister-in-law who helps manage the greenhouses. Now she would rather help Ye Xiqing manage the greenhouses than go home.
There's no other reason than that my husband is too infuriating; if I don't keep an eye on him, he'll go work in my second son's shed.
The Bao and Cheng families have large sheds and need a lot of manpower; everyone who works in the sheds receives a wage.
Zhou Lao Er's family built their own small shed and did everything themselves. All the money they earned was theirs, and not a single penny went to anyone else.
But when he was working, he would go to the boss every day, and the boss would actually go.
The second son ostracized their family, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them enemies, but the eldest son seemed oblivious to it.
Han Fuzhen gets furious every time she sees him, and is on the verge of going insane from the torment; she's about to explode at the slightest provocation.
Over time, she stopped talking to Zhou Laoda at home, and the two of them lived like strangers under the same roof.
Although it was a tough time, Ye Xiqing was very pleased to have gained such a capable employee.
The profits from the greenhouses hadn't run out yet; off-season vegetables could still be sold as pork. The booming sales of real pork during the Lunar New Year also brought Ye Xiqing a large sum of money back, refilling her empty cash pool.
However, the newly received money wouldn't stay in the pool for long. It was almost time to harvest the new year's grain. She wasn't lying; she bought grain from the nearby area for five cents more than the grain station, and no one could outbid her.
Those two extra acres of land were definitely worth it; we just planted corn and now we have another place to use it.
...
The scalper market was supposed to be under construction, but it took more than four years to build. We almost thought it wouldn't be completed, but thankfully it was finally finished.
With the completion of the largest cattle market in the surrounding area, Ye Xiqing immediately went to find her loan officer.
Ye Xiqing has helped boost her business performance over the years. Upon seeing her, he immediately welcomed her in, beaming with joy.
"You've come at just the right time. Your feed mill is on the list of supported projects, so you can get a special loan with a much lower interest rate."
Ye Xiqing picked up the support list and read through it item by item, then couldn't help but smile. There was such a good thing.
Since there is a special loan available, it's not unreasonable for her to borrow 300,000 yuan.
...
The cattle market was built slowly, but the pig farms were built very quickly, without any government support.
People are getting richer, pork supply is increasing, meat prices are soaring, and naturally more and more people are raising pigs.
As a result, Ye Xiqing made a fortune; the 10,000 yuan in his household account was enough to get him into a company.
Once the scalper market opens, there's no need for small-scale operations anymore.
Hurry up and go to the newly designated industrial park to lease a piece of land. The factory construction project has officially begun, and this time we're really going to operate on a large scale.
On the day her very spacious feed mill was completed and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, pig farmers from the surrounding area came to congratulate her and warmly celebrate the new heights in the Pig King's business.
Ye Xiqing expressed her deep gratitude, saying that her achievements today are inseparable from the support of every pig.
Enjoy your meal and drinks! We're having a grand opening sale, and we're giving away 1,000 bags of pig feed at half price!
Ye Xiqing was enjoying a grand banquet with people from all walks of life, and was even handing out animal feed when an uninvited guest arrived at her door.
Zhou Wenyan hesitated for a long time at the door of Ye Xiqing's house before finally going in. As soon as he entered, the dog that Ye Xiqing kept barked wildly at him, which startled him.
Hearing the noise, a strange woman and an old lady came out of the house, called to the dog, and looked at him curiously: "Who are you looking for?"
Zhou Wenyan has changed a lot over the years, but Old Lady Wang hasn't changed much. Zhou Wenyan recognized her as Bao Xiangqiao's mother at a glance.
He started to ask for Bao Xiangqiao, but then realized it wasn't right and changed his words to, "Is Xiaoya home? I want to see her. I'm her father."
Upon hearing this, the two looked at him in shock, then fell silent.
It's fine that you're her father, but don't you think that your daughter is already in college at her age...?
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Author's note: Qingqing: Sorry, I've raised her to adulthood.
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