Kong Wenhui was genuinely anxious; the quality of the products in the factory couldn’t be improved, and after other provincial products entered the county, the price of the vice-food factory’s items plummeted further.
Outside gossip praised them as rare and precious goods, but the pastries people ended up buying were tough as bricks. The mooncakes made last year were even harder than stones; one couldn’t find a better weapon for a fight, those mooncakes could directly be used as lethal weapons.
The factory also wanted to improve the quality of their items, so that when visiting relatives and friends, when asked where such awful tasting things were bought, one wouldn’t even be able to open their mouth to respond.
The instructions from above were strict, and the factory manager also tried sourcing materials from other places, so there were a few production lines in the factory whose products were very popular.
These things were known tacitly among everyone, so after Kong Wenhui asked the factory director, the latter simply let her inquire, stating that if the products were good, the price could be discussed.
"Sister Kong, I came today to answer you back. My sister-in-law recently made some delicious snacks called spicy strips. Try these; they are simple to make and tasty. Try them first."
"I’ll refrain from eating for now, even if you offered me dragon meat right now I... Hmm, what’s this smell? Just the scent is so spicy and freshly delicious. What did your sister-in-law used to do? She’s so skillful, everything she makes is so fragrant!"
"My sister-in-law is just a typical rural woman with a passion for exploring food. Recently I got some high-quality grain, so she experimented and prepared some delicious food to thank me. How about it, Sister Kong, tasty, right?"
Kong Wenhui looked at the three kinds of spicy strips on the table. Although she wanted to be a bit reserved, considering her age, it wouldn’t be elegant to indulge herself like she might in front of Shen Meng.
Yet the taste of the spicy strips was too enticing; she hadn’t even started eating and was already drooling. She had seen many good things, but this fragrant, she hadn’t encountered similar before. She pinched one that was spicy, and the moment it reached her mouth, she felt an overwhelming sense of bliss, with a rich flavor of spiciness and freshness.
"Delicious, these are really delicious. These two spicier ones really suit my taste. This one must be five-spiced; I can tell the moment I bite into it. It sizzles with oil. Your sister-in-law is so generous with oil in her cooking!"
Shen Meng: "......"
Indeed, to make these, the oil jug at home was emptied. Just this morning, Lu Zhenping had gone to the oil mill. But the main purpose of today’s visit wasn’t the spicy strips. The real purpose was what was inside the pocket.
Shen Meng laid out the three kinds of spicy strips on the table for Kong Wenhui to try. Small bags of rice, sorghum, red and white wheat, glutinous rice... various kinds of grains, all laid out on the table.
"Sister Kong, I came today to bring you good news. Look at these, I had to cajole and plead to get these from people. I don’t even know what specialty food factory needs, so I asked for some of each as samples. You and the leaders can take a look, and if you decide, I can reply to them."
As Kong Wenhui was enjoying the spicy strips, she suddenly saw Shen Meng pulling out so many items from the bag, as though it wasn’t just a cloth bag but a treasure chest.
"Xiao Meng, are these all sourced from others? So much good grain and mixed grain, are these from the north? The folks in the north can eat this well?"
"Sister Kong, some things shouldn’t be asked, but the origin of the grain is legitimate, it’s just not suitable to sell openly in the market. Take a look and see what you need, write me a list, and the prices are marked on this sheet."
Kong Wenhui, being from the procurement department, kept a mental note of both the prices of grains entering the factory and the products going out. The moment Shen Meng handed her the list, her eyes widened in shock, even more so than seeing the grains themselves.
"Xiao Meng, these prices, these prices are really too high; if it’s these prices, the factory might have to reconsider."
Unfazed, as soon as Kong Wenhui voiced her concerns, Shen Meng started to put all the grain samples from the table back into the bag.
"Sister Kong, then this deal probably won’t work out. People brought these from far away, you can’t imagine how much human and financial resources this involved, I’m not speaking for others, but really they don’t lack this bit, so the price is non-negotiable."
"Xiao Meng, look at the prices on this order, even higher than the black market by two cents. This isn’t just a pound or two, if the factory confirms, it’s a few hundred, a few thousand, tens of thousands of pounds each time, that’s a lot of money. This is government money; isn’t this cutting off the tail of socialism? Aren’t they afraid of getting reported...?"
"Sister Kong, be mindful of your words. The money they used to buy from people is also high-priced grain. If you think the price is high, don’t buy. We can’t force a deal, and if it doesn’t suit you, just forget it. Besides, these grains aren’t even something they necessarily want to sell, consider my trip today a waste, I’m heading back now."
After Shen Meng finished speaking, she walked out. Kong Wenhui blinked, watching Shen Meng’s retreating figure, then followed her.
"Xiao Meng, Xiao Meng, look at how hurried you are, Sister isn’t saying that there’s no room for discussion. Spending money is decided by the factory, I’m just from the procurement department. As long as the goods are appropriate and the prices are reasonable, then it’s a deal. Now tell me, what’s their lowest price? If they sent you to negotiate, there must be some room. Tell me, and I’ll go talk to the factory director. Once the deal is settled, you’d have solved a big problem for the factory, and if something good comes up in the future, Sister will surely remember you!"
Shen Meng looked at Kong Wenhui for a while, an old hand indeed, almost fell right into her trap.
"Sister, no need to talk about the future. Last time I mentioned the pastry from the vice-food factory, and these spicy strips you could have your factory manager taste. If deemed appropriate, you could start a workshop like the textile factory did, affiliated with your vice-food factory. We will only ask for the handcraft fee, ensuring top quality of products."
Kong Wenhui: "....."
Aren’t you just a cunning monkey, always looking to climb up the ladder!!!
"This can’t work. Products made in the countryside, if our vice-food factory were to purchase them, we can’t control the quality or the hygiene. If someone gets sick from them, then our factory would be the one to blame!"
Shen Meng chuckled and added, "Sister, you could perhaps ask the leaders first. If they agree, you could assign someone to specifically handle our workshop. I think Dr. Cheng’s daughter, Cheng Ying, would be suitable for this. Of course, it would be an additional job for her, and if the workshop’s products make substantial profits, she should naturally receive extra rewards."
People are always motivated by personal gain. Although Shen Meng had already given many concessions to the Kong family, the prospect of even greater benefits still enticed people to take the risk.