Chapter 439: Poor Kid Li Gang!
Qingshan County!
On the cobblestone road leading from the sugar factory to the city center, two Jeeps were speeding along.
Inside one of the Jeeps, Li Yi’s brother-in-law, Yang Wenguang, looked at Li Yi in the driver’s seat, his brow furrowed and his expression suggesting he wanted to say something but held back.
Li Yi noticed his brother-in-law’s unease and asked immediately, “Brother-in-law, if there’s something on your mind, just say it. Seeing you like this is really upsetting for me!”
“Xiao Yi, I don’t think you should have said those things to Director Liang just now. The situation at the sugar factory is far more complicated than you imagine!” Yang Wenguang said.
Just moments ago, Liang Yukuai had successfully resolved the issue of the farmers’ sugar beet payments using the method Li Yi had taught him.
Just as Li Yi had predicted, the villagers were delighted to hear that the sugar factory was willing to settle their debts with sugar at a price of six mao per jin.
After all, sugar is a hot commodity in the countryside, and if no sugar coupons are required, it’s easy to sell.
A profit of 30 cents per pound on the resale—who wouldn’t be tempted by that!
After entrusting the matter to Deputy Plant Manager Xu Huasheng and Finance Section Chief Liu Daming, Liang Yukui took Li Yi’s brother-in-law, Yang Wenguang, back to his office and discussed the sugar factory’s restructuring with Li Yi.
In response to Liang Yukui’s inquiries, Li Yi didn’t hold back, explaining his ideas in detail.
Li Yi spoke at length, but his core message was that the sugar factory must abandon its previous “planning-first” mindset, proactively adjust its product range and styles, and take the initiative to compete with other sugar companies for market share.
At the same time, Li Yi elaborated on how the sugar factory should adjust its products and capture market share, even touching on how to manage the enterprise using modern management concepts.
Perhaps these ideas were too forward-thinking, causing a hint of concern to arise in his brother-in-law’s mind.
“Brother-in-law, are you worried that I might get in trouble for what I said?”
“Well, although the situation has stabilized in recent years, don’t forget what happened a few years ago…”
“Brother-in-law, your intentions are good, but times have changed. Whether for a company or an individual, if we keep clinging to that old cautious mindset, it’ll be hard to achieve anything significant!” Li Yi said.
“I agree with that, but the sugar factory situation is complicated. Even if we resolve all the current issues, it’ll be hard for the factory to return to its former glory. What you’re suggesting is bound to be futile!”
“Why is that?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.
“Actually, the sugar factory wasn’t short on money before the New Year. Even though the capital owed the factory over 1.2 million, there was still a surplus of over 800,000 on the books—enough for us to live comfortably for a year or two!”
“What happened to that money?” Li Yi asked.
“It was siphoned off by the county!”
“The county?”
“Yes. The situation at other factories in the county is much worse—especially the textile and glass factories. Thousands of workers haven’t been paid for over half a year and desperately need a cash infusion from the county.”
Yang Wenguang continued, “The county has no money, so they had no choice but to set their sights on our factory. That’s how the money on our books was siphoned off!”
“Did the workers and management at your factory agree to that?” Li Yi asked again.
Yang Wenguang shook his head and said, “Of course not—they’re not made of iron. Director Liang has argued with the county leaders about this several times, but it hasn’t made a bit of difference!”
“What’s more, to force the factory to hand over the funds, the higher-ups specifically transferred two deputy factory directors here to keep Director Liang in check.”
Li Yi fell silent. It was a common ailment of state-owned enterprises—internal strife was everywhere!
Even a small state-owned sugar factory in such a remote county town couldn’t escape it.
No wonder his sister’s husband was worried about him. Once internal strife was involved, what he’d said would indeed harm the interests of some people, so it made sense that he’d ruffled a few feathers.
“Brother-in-law, you don’t need to worry too much. I’m just exchanging ideas with Director Liang. As for the rest, it’s up to him!” Li Yi said.
“Hmm, let’s try not to get mixed up in their internal power struggles!”
“I understand!”
To be honest, the reason Li Yi was helping Liang Yuke was, on the one hand, because Liang Yuke was a decent guy—someone he could get along with!
On the other hand, the sugar factory couldn’t afford any setbacks right now, as its success was crucial to Li Yi’s next phase of development.
After testing the waters over the past few months, the village was indeed well-suited for developing the livestock industry, and this was the only way to quickly lift the villagers out of poverty.
But the problem was that large-scale livestock farming required a sufficient supply of feed.
Relying solely on crop straw and natural grazing would result in a growth cycle that’s simply too long.
So Li Yi plans to have the villagers grow more sugar beets this year. The beets will be sold to the sugar factory, and the beet leaves will be used as fodder for cattle and sheep.
At the same time, they would purchase large quantities of beet pulp from the sugar factory to use as feed.
This way, the village could engage in large-scale cattle and sheep farming.
If the sugar factory were to go under, his plan would be jeopardized—something Li Yi was determined to avoid.
Before they knew it, the car had arrived at the state-run restaurant and came to a smooth stop right in front of the entrance!
……….
Inside the restaurant, Li Gang had already arrived!
Hearing the sound of the car engine outside, he knew Li Yi and his group had arrived.
He immediately stood up and walked toward the entrance to greet Li Yi and the others.
“Oh my, why are you so late? I’ve been waiting for almost an hour!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “We got caught up chatting with Brother Liang for a while. Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“It’s okay. Come on in and take a seat—I’m starving!”
Saying this, he took Li Yi and the others by the hand and led them to a table in the corner by the wall.
As they passed the serving window, Li Gang specifically told the staff that they could start serving the food.
However, once they reached their table, Liang Yukuai glanced at Li Gang and asked, “Why are you here alone? Didn’t your girlfriend come?”
“She didn’t make it. She has a performance today and couldn’t come!” Li Gang said with a smile.
Hearing this, Li Yi asked in surprise, “Huh, you’re dating someone?”
“I guess so!”
“What do you mean, ‘sort of’?”
“It’s just that my parents saw I was getting on in years and still didn’t have a girlfriend, so they got a little anxious. They found someone to set me up!” Li Gang explained.
“Did it work out?”
“We met once. She seemed okay, so we’re just seeing each other for now. If we get along, we’ll get married!”
“What does she do? How did she manage to catch the eye of a good-for-nothing like you?” Li Yi asked curiously.
“Heh, she’s from around here too. Her dad is the deputy director of the county Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau, her mom is the director of the county Song and Dance Troupe, and she’s a dancer in the troupe herself. The whole family has steady jobs!”
Clearly, Li Gang was very satisfied with the girl’s family background.
However, after hearing this, Li Yi asked cautiously, “What’s the girl’s name?”
“Zhang Yanru!”
Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and a hint of pity flashed in his eyes as he looked at Li Gang. What kind of misfortune had befallen this poor kid?
If there wasn’t another Zhang Yanru in the county dance troupe, this poor kid would be in deep trouble. That woman was no pushover—you could say anyone who crossed her was asking for trouble.
Seeing the look in Li Yi’s eyes, Li Gang was immediately overcome by a sense of foreboding.
He was all too familiar with that look in Li Yi’s eyes; he’d seen it before. And every time Li Yi gave him that look, Li Gang knew he was in for trouble.
“Um… Brother Li Yi, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve read anyone’s fortune. When I heard you’d found a partner, I thought I’d take a look at your love life—but I never expected… I never expected this!”
“What didn’t you expect? Come on, Brother Li Yi, just spit it out!” Li Gang said, sounding a bit nervous.
“You haven’t really looked into that girl, have you?”
“We’ve only met once. She’s pretty and seems to have a good personality—I haven’t had a chance to look into her yet!” Li Gang replied.
“If you trust me, you’d better look into that girl’s background thoroughly—make sure you check everything carefully!” Li Yi said.
“Alright, I’ll look into her thoroughly. After all, you can’t be careless when looking for a partner!”
“Right…”
Seeing that Li Gang had really taken his advice to heart, Li Yi felt reassured.
Just then, a staff member walked over carrying a large copper pot.
Immediately afterward, sliced beef, lamb, and various vegetables were served.
The group sat down around the pot and began to eat…
……..