Chapter 34: How to Talk Big

“Everyone in Cao Family Village, listen up! Cao Shujie is hiring. The work is mainly leveling land, weeding, and planting seedlings up on the mountain. Anyone interested can come register with him at the village committee office before 9 a.m.” Cao Jiangang shouted over the loudspeaker.

After repeating the announcement, he set down the black microphone and turned to Cao Shujie sitting next to him. “Shujie, you’re already hiring people to work?”

He added, “Isn’t it a bit late to be planting seedlings now?”

Cao Shujie shook his head. “Uncle, I just made it in time before the end of April. It’s not too late. I’ll just use a bit more fertilizer.”

Hearing that he had it under control, Cao Jiangang felt reassured.

“Shujie, tell me straight, how much are you paying each person?” Cao Jiangang was curious.

Cao Shujie smiled and didn’t hide it. “Not much—eight hours a day, thirty-five yuan.”

“Hey, that’s not bad. If someone works the whole month, they’d make 1,050 yuan. That’s nearly like having a job.” Cao Jiangang commented.

Cao Shujie replied modestly, “There’s still a difference. A real job gives you four days off a month, insurance too. Take-home pay would be a bit more than this.”

“A few yuan doesn’t matter,” Cao Jiangang scoffed. “Had breakfast yet? If not, join me for some instant noodles. I’ll throw in two sausages and two eggs—it’ll be delicious.”

Cao Shujie didn’t stand on ceremony. “Uncle, I’ll eat at your place today, and another day you’ll come eat at my place.”

“Something good happening?” asked Cao Jiangang.

Cao Shujie nodded. “My house is about to be finished. I’m planning to treat Grandpa Zhenggang and the others to a meal. You’ve got to come for a drink too.”

That was good news, and Cao Jiangang agreed right away.

After all, Cao Shujie was capable and ambitious—everyone wanted to stay on good terms with someone like that.

Before they’d even finished the instant noodles, someone came over asking about the job.

Cao Shujie straightforwardly told them the pay. Thirty-five yuan for eight hours a day—while not high, was decent by rural standards. By 9 a.m., twelve people had signed up. Cao Shujie said goodbye to Cao Jiangang and led the villagers up the mountain.

Once they arrived, he gave them detailed instructions on the work.

“Shujie, is this just for today, or are you hiring for more days?” asked Gao Fengting, whom Shujie had to call “auntie.”

“Auntie, this won’t be finished in a day or two. If you all want to keep working tomorrow, that’s fine,” he said. “I’m heading to the bank in town now to get some money. I’ll pay you after the work’s done this afternoon.”

Just as he was about to leave, Gao Fengting stopped him. “No rush on today’s pay. We’ll be back tomorrow. Just pay us then.”

“Yeah, Shujie, I watched you grow up. You think we don’t trust you for 35 yuan? Tomorrow’s fine,” chimed in another auntie, Li Xiumei.

Before he could reply, his phone rang. It was Ma Changrong calling. Shujie wondered if it was news about the loan.

“Hello, Manager Ma! I’ve been waiting for your call,” he answered cheerfully.

Sure enough, Ma Changrong had coordinated with a third-party appraisal company. They were coming that day to inspect the mountain land Shujie had leased, assess his initial investment, and review expected profits, so they could make a more “reasonable” valuation.

“Alright, Manager Ma, just bring them here. I’m tied up right now, otherwise I’d come pick you up.”

“No need—we’ve got cars,” Ma said with a laugh.

After the call, Gao Fengting asked, “Shujie, you’ve got something going on today? Want us to head back?”

Worried she might be in the way, but Shujie said, “Auntie, just keep working. It’s no problem.”

He added, “Uncles and aunties, in a bit, some folks from the town bank will be coming for an inspection. Just go about your work as usual—no need to worry.”

“Got it. We don’t know much anyway. We’ll do whatever you tell us,” said a middle-aged man named Cao Jianfang.

They were all from the same village, and at a moment like this, they naturally supported him.

…

About half an hour later, two cars arrived.

Ma Changrong, the credit manager from the town’s rural commercial bank, got out first. Three others stepped out of the second vehicle.

“Mr. Cao,” Ma greeted him as Shujie walked up.

“Manager Ma, I’ve been hoping and waiting for you all,” Shujie said, shaking his hand.

“Oh dear, sorry about that—it’s all my fault,” Ma replied, smooth-talking as usual.

He introduced the three others. They were from the third-party appraisal firm. The leader was Song Zhichao. The taller assistant was Guo Kun, and the shorter one was Wang Guolei.

“Manager Ma, Manager Song, let me show you around,” Shujie offered.

“Let’s go,” said Ma and Song, walking side by side up the mountain.

Guo Kun and Wang Guolei followed behind, occasionally snapping photos of the area.

“Mr. Cao, this is quite a large plot,” Song commented.

Shujie began explaining. “This area is 85 mu of mountain farmland. Seven mu were already leased before, and seventy-eight mu are newly leased.”

“The 30-year lease cost a little over 430,000 yuan—we’ve already signed the contract.”

Both Song and Ma nodded—they’d read the application materials and seen the letters from the village committee and township office.

“I plan to use half of the land to continue planting kiwi and apples. Half of the remaining land will be used for seasonal fruit crops, for cash flow. The last quarter is set aside for livestock farming,” Shujie explained thoroughly.

He led them to the field, where 12 people were hard at work. Song and Ma were surprised.

“These are my first batch of workers—12 in total—all local villagers who can’t travel far for work.”

“Oh? That’s impressive,” said Song, surprised by how professional the setup seemed. Hiring 12 people here essentially created 12 local jobs.

He said, “Mr. Cao, you’re remarkable—developing your business while caring for the local community.”

“Well…” Shujie paused deliberately before continuing. “These uncles and aunties watched me grow up. Now that I have the means, offering some jobs is the least I can do. Manager Song, you’re giving me too much credit.”

Ma Changrong noticed how calm and steady this young man was. He wondered—who exactly is this guy? So young, yet so capable. What will he become in the future?

But that wasn’t the point now. He asked, “Mr. Cao, have you calculated the potential wealth this land can generate?”

“That’s hard to say—it depends on the market,” Shujie replied. “For example, my original 7-mu orchard yields over 5,000 jin of kiwi per mu, sometimes as much as 8,000. Let’s take the low end. At 8 yuan per kilo, that’s 20,000 yuan per mu—140,000 yuan from 7 mu.”

“If I use all 78 newly leased mu for kiwi, and ignore the lower yields in the first five years, from year six onward I could make at least 1.5 million yuan a year.”

“Assuming costs of 4,000 yuan per mu annually, my conservative yearly profit would exceed 1 million yuan…”

“Over the remaining 25 years of the lease, after the initial five-year ramp-up, I could potentially earn over 25 million yuan in total profit.”

The more he talked, the more exaggerated it became. Song Zhichao and Ma Changrong both knew that what Cao Shujie said were just a bunch of cold, hard numbers—possibly even made-up nonsense, with a fair bit of bragging mixed in.

But the very loan approval they were about to give to Cao Shujie required exactly the kind of ideal scenario data he had just laid out as support…

(End of chapter)