Chapter 28

“Boss Zhao, leaving work so early today?”

“Ran out of flour, going to the supermarket to buy some.”

…

At 7 p.m. on January 18th, Zhao Xuan pushed a small cart to the Xijiale Supermarket. Luohua Cake Shop and Xijiale Supermarket are separated by a street, and she comes to the supermarket every Sunday to buy flour and eggs.

Zhao Xuan, familiar with the place, went straight to the grain and oil section, only to find it crowded with customers. There were both men and women, all arguing with the weighing staff about something.

Zhao Xuan squeezed through, “What’s going on?”

A sixty-year-old woman said, “The public account said there was a flour lottery, we’ve been waiting all day, but it’s not for sale.”

“What flour?”

“Fengshan No.1.”

Zhao Xuan: ???

Since the end of “Longxia Broadcast,” she had been following Fengshan No.1. However, Fengshan No.1 had no sales channels, and after following it for a while, she gradually forgot about it. And now… is the flour being sold?

“Comrade, is there any flour today?” Zhao Xuan grabbed a weighing staff member to ask.

The staff member, a bit overwhelmed, said, “The goods are being fetched, they’ll be here soon.”

Zhao Xuan queued up at the back of the line. During the wait, she found the Xijiale public account: 【Xijiale Surprise Deals! Buy Fengshan No.1 now and participate in the cash lottery…】

The public account posted this yesterday afternoon, with two key pieces of information: 1. Fengshan No.1 will be launched nationwide on January 18th. 2. Purchase Fengshan products worth 88 yuan or more to enter the supermarket lottery, with the top prize being an electric bike.

“I saw Fengshan’s ad on TV, it seems pretty popular.”

“‘Voice of Song and Dance’ even aired it…”

Several customers discussed the Fengshan advertisement. But as they talked, the topic shifted to the supermarket lottery: “Spend 88 to enter the lottery, how much is the flour per pound?”

“Ten yuan, maybe.”

Fengshan No.1 has appeared on the market twice, first on Nuomi Live, and second as a welfare benefit in southeastern provinces. As for how much it costs per pound… there’s no information online.

“Anything under thirty is acceptable,” a customer said.

Currently, flour prices range from 2 to 10 yuan per pound, with discounts during promotions. Although Fengshan flour is an internet sensation, if priced too high, it wouldn’t be feasible to buy.

“It’s here!”

Amidst the chatter, the warehouse door in the grain and oil section opened, and a staff member pushed a large cart of flour over.

The staff unloaded the flour onto the shelves. This time, Fengshan has three products on the shelves, with specific prices—

Flour: 5 yuan per pound.

Corn flour: 5 yuan per pound.

Potato flour: 5 yuan per pound.

…

Fengshan flour comes in 10KG large packages, totaling one hundred yuan per bag.

“Is the price tag wrong?”

A middle-aged man was a bit confused. He had previously bought a bag on Xianmao for two hundred and thirty, which was pricey, but the noodles made from it were chewy. When Xijiale’s public account updated, he rushed over. The bag at home wasn’t even finished yet, so… has the price dropped?

“National unified price.”

The staff arranged the flour and indicated that everyone could start purchasing.

…

An hour later, Zhao Xuan returned to the store, panting, with ten bags of flour stacked on the cart and a rice cooker won from the supermarket lottery beside it.

Sun Yunxuan was doing the accounts and was startled when he saw her, “Bought so much?”

“The supermarket was crazy.”

After saying this, Zhao Xuan pushed the flour straight to the back kitchen.

After the supermarket announced the price, the customers at the front rushed to buy. A bag of flour isn’t worth such a fuss, but with Fengshan flour’s hot promotion, the highest online purchase price was previously 650 yuan. Considering this, 5 yuan per pound is definitely a real bargain!

She squeezed her way through and managed to grab ten bags.

Sun Yunxuan, with a stiff neck, asked, “It’s almost closing time, are you still using the oven?”

“I’m making a cake.”

In the back kitchen, Zhao Xuan excitedly boiled water and kneaded dough. Since the end of Nuomi Live, she had been looking forward to making a cake with Fengshan flour, and now it was finally happening!

An hour later, Zhao Xuan made twenty cakes. The cakes only contained egg whites and water, with even the sugar being the most basic three parts sugar. After finishing, she brought the cakes out.

“Done?” Sun Yunxuan was organizing cash, feeling a fragrant aroma wafting around his nose.

“Try it.”

Zhao Xuan cut a piece for him.

Sun Yunxuan, not in the mood for accounting, started eating directly. The cake in front of him was soft and fluffy, melting like a sponge in his mouth.

“How is it?”

“Delicious!”

Sun Yunxuan gave a thumbs up. He had been running a cake shop for ten years, and it was the first time he had tasted such a delicious cake.

Zhao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. While making the cake, she was worried it might flop, but when it came out of the oven, she knew it was a success!

The two were eating the cake when a woman in her thirties walked in, “What smells so good?”

“Just steamed cake,” Zhao Xuan quickly greeted. The woman was a local resident who often came to buy discounted cakes.

“Is this a new product?”

The woman looked at the cake plate on the table. Now, twenty cakes had been reduced to sixteen, and the remaining ones were very delicate and small.

“Yes, it’s new,” Zhao Xuan replied.

“How much per pound?”

Zhao Xuan hesitated for a moment, “Sixteen.”

Previously, cakes were ten yuan per pound, but with the higher cost of flour, the price naturally went up.

“So expensive,” the woman complained about the price, unsurprisingly.

Zhao Xuan thought she would buy some discounted pastries as usual, but the woman circled the cake stand, “I’ll take a pound first.”

“Alright!” Zhao Xuan weighed out a pound for her.

After the woman left, Zhao Xuan and Sun Yunxuan cleaned up, taking the remaining cakes home.

“Boss Zhao, do you have any of yesterday’s cake left?”

Early the next morning, as Zhao Xuan and Sun Yunxuan arrived at the door, they saw the woman from yesterday waiting.

“Not steamed yet,” Zhao Xuan said while opening the door.

“How long will it take?”

“At least an hour.”

The woman didn’t leave, sitting on a bench in the store to wait. Through chatting, it was revealed that her son was transitioning to high school and his diet had been irregular. That morning, he surprisingly ate three pieces of cake. She planned to buy some weekly to adjust her son’s diet.

After chatting for a while, the woman asked, “Can you make sugar-free ones?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take two pounds of sugar-free ones.” The woman’s elders had high blood sugar, and she planned to buy some for them to enjoy.

While the woman was thinking about these miscellaneous things, Zhao Xuan looked at the Fengshan cakes, feeling a surge of ambition: there’s a new product!

…

“Fengshan flour is now available online.”

“Longbao flour welfare giveaway: Buy Fengshan flour and receive Longbao online vouchers.”

“TreeCat live broadcast: Three million flour grabs nonstop!”

…

While Zhao Xuan was diligently making cakes, news related to Fengshan flour hit the trending topics.

Fengshan flour came in various forms, and besides extensive sales channels, this launch had a major feature: buying flour came with benefits! For example: supermarket flour lottery, Longbao shopping vouchers, live broadcast flour giveaways…

Previously, many customers found Fengshan flour promotions annoying, but after calculating the prices, they stopped complaining and went directly to major supermarkets to wait. With platform promotions and user feedback, Fengshan’s sales volume kept rising.

…

On January 20th, Qin Yun opened the System Interface.

Host Name: Qin Yun.

Current Task: Individual Starlight Points not less than 10 million.

Task Progress: 58%

…

Through national operations and close cooperation with various departments, the supermarket and Longbao channels have now completed 10 million Starlight Points. According to the progress, the remaining is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

“This event was well planned!” Liu Wensheng praised the Longxia operations department while looking at the data from various channels.

According to the rules, the sales price of farm products cannot be lower than the system’s set price.

Currently, farm products are priced at 5 yuan per pound. If Qin Yun were to operate independently, he could only sell to partners at the price of 5 yuan, and the partners would then sell to customers at a higher price. This way, all parties wouldn’t suffer losses.

But while the system’s rules are rigid, the Longxia Team is flexible.

After team trials, Qin Yun sold the products to partners at 5 yuan (compliant with system rules).

Partners sold the products to customers at a price lower than 5 yuan (illogical, suspected of collusion).

Partners sold the products to customers at 5 yuan or more, while conducting commercial benefit activities (compliant with system rules).

After understanding the system rules, Longxia directly formulated the sales strategy. Although this time buying flour and giving away benefits seems like a loss, the process—

Longxia procures grain for 600 million, Longxia’s balance is -600 million, and the farm’s balance is 600 million.

Longxia sells it to residents in the form of a 400 million discount benefit, Longxia’s balance is -200 million, and the farm’s balance is 600 million.

Qin Yun donates 600 million in a complex form to Longxia, Longxia’s balance is 400 million, and the farm’s balance is 0.

After this maneuver, Longxia not only acquires system grain worth 600 million but also earns 400 million from selling the grain. Even if there are costs such as logistics and distribution, it is still a profitable business.

“After the end of the month, we can’t do such large-scale promotions anymore,” Qin Yun said with some regret after chatting for a while.

Since New Year’s Day, Fengshan Flour has been conducting carpet-style promotions. Although these promotions have enhanced the farm’s reputation, since becoming [famous], the Starlight Points gained from advertisements have decreased, and now only the sale of agricultural products can earn Starlight Points.

“Saturated,” Liu Wensheng sighed. The domestic advertising market is now saturated, and they can only advertise internationally. However, international relations are complex, and although the farm has blocked international satellite signals, there’s no guarantee against any international forces…

Without absolute strength, Longxia must ensure the protection of the farm, which is a responsibility to Qin Yun and to the people of Longxia.

Liu Wensheng changed the topic: “When are you going back?”

This year, the Lunar New Year falls on January 25th, and the farm will have a week off, resuming full operations at the end of the month.

“The day after tomorrow,” Qin Yun thought for a moment. The day after tomorrow is the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, and he has already arranged to pay respects to Gao Hongwei.

“Let Xiao Zhang go back with you,” Liu Wensheng instructed. Xiao Zhang’s full name is Zhang Hu, one of the farm’s old employees.

“Isn’t Brother Zhang going back?” Qin Yun was a bit surprised.

“Xiao Zhang’s parents were martyrs, they sacrificed during flood rescue efforts, and now he spends the holidays with the troops,” Liu Wensheng said.

The atmosphere was a bit silent, and Qin Yun asked, “Aren’t you going back?”

Liu Wensheng waved his hand: “There are difficulties in agricultural planting now, I have to go to the southwest to take a look.”

……

“Mayor Wang, now that the agricultural policies are better, our Pingshui Town should take the lead…”

Agricultural planting indeed encountered difficulties. While Qin Yun and Liu Wensheng were discussing agricultural policies, in Pingshui Town, Changlong County, Liu Yuming looked gloomily at the elderly man in front of him. This was an ordinary rural courtyard, the elderly man was in his early seventies, wearing a brown cotton-padded jacket, leisurely feeding chickens.

Seeing the elderly man not speaking, Liu Yuming helped feed the chickens: “Our Su Province has received 13 billion in agricultural support funds this time. The state provides comprehensive agricultural subsidies, direct grain subsidies, and agricultural machinery purchase subsidies… As long as we farm, we can earn money. If we farm well, there is a 300 yuan subsidy per mu.”

The elderly man, annoyed by Liu Yuming’s chatter, directly asked, “Are you done?”

“Done.”

“I can’t help with this,” the old man got up and went back inside.

“Mayor Wang!”

“Don’t call me that, I’m no longer Mayor Wang.”

……

Half an hour later, Liu Yuming left the courtyard and wound his way to a Zhongda car.

“How did it go?” His colleague, Lao Zhang, was sitting inside.

“No progress.”

“Same here…”

Liu Yuming and Lao Zhang sighed simultaneously.

On the 30th of last month, after the county’s agricultural conference, the entire county began focusing on agricultural planting. Changlong County is located in the southern part of Huainan City, Su Province, where the temperature is relatively stable. After an inspection by the agricultural technology department, the entire county is now suitable for wheat sowing.

The two are from the agricultural technology department, mainly responsible for agricultural planting technology and ideological mobilization, and they were assigned to Pingshui Town. Pingshui Town is a well-known coal town in the county, with a total arable area of 70,000 mu, but less than 10,000 mu is being farmed.

“If I were from Pingshui Town, I wouldn’t want to farm either,” Lao Zhang said, lighting a cigarette.

Pingshui Town has 23 villages. The county used to support the development of heavy coal industries, with each village mining and quarrying, opening many mines on the mountains, and villagers holding shares in the mines. In the past, year-end dividends made Pingshui Town the envy of the surrounding areas.

Living off the mountains, with so many coal resources to mine, who would think of farming?

“Wasn’t that more than ten years ago?” Liu Yuming said.

Pingshui Town indeed prospered for a while due to coal resources, but that was two decades ago. Now, with the country’s focus on environmental protection and the previous unrestrained mining, Pingshui Town’s situation is no longer as good, and the younger generation has gone out to work.

“A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse,” Lao Zhang remained pessimistic.

The two chatted for a while, and Lao Zhang looked towards the courtyard: “Are you coming back tomorrow?”

“I’ll come back to do some more ideological work.”

The person he visited earlier was named Wang Xuecai, 72 years old, who had served as the mayor of Pingshui Town for twenty years. Although retired now, he still has extensive connections in the town. Liu Yuming plans to use Wang Xuecai’s influence to mobilize the villagers to farm.

“I think it’s hopeless,” Lao Zhang said without much hope.

“Even if it’s hopeless, we have to try.”

Liu Yuming turned the steering wheel, with no progress from the old mayor, he decided to try the new mayor.

As Lao Zhang and Liu Yuming left, in the rural courtyard, Wang Xuecai closed the gate.

“Have those two left?” Wang Xuecai’s wife, Zhao Fengxia, asked inside the courtyard.

“They’ve left.”

Wang Xuecai lay directly on the rocking chair in the courtyard.

“You’ve always cared about the town’s crops. Now that the state is providing support, it’s a good thing. If you can help, you should…” Zhao Fengxia advised.

“Help, how can I help? I don’t have the face for it!”

“It’s been twenty years, no one in the town blames you.”

“They don’t blame me, but I can’t rely on my old age to act superior!”

“Sigh…” Zhao Fengxia went to the kitchen to cook.

Wang Xuecai looked at the little chickens in the courtyard, his thoughts drifting back twenty years.

Pingshui Town is located in the southeast of Changlong Town, mainly consisting of mountainous and hilly areas, with 80% of the town being mountainous. The economic conditions here were very backward. At that time, he was the mayor of Pingshui Town, and to develop the town’s economy, he went to the city to learn and later encouraged the entire town to plant peanuts and walnuts.

The villagers’ living standards improved slightly, but they were still representatives of poverty and backwardness. At that time, someone proposed mining coal, digging up all the land with mines and coal.

He was a farmer by birth, having been a farmer all his life, and mining coal felt like digging a hole in his own body. Moreover, if all the mountains were mined, where would they farm in the future? What would happen if the village had no grain in the future?

Many people tried to persuade him, but he stubbornly refused.

Later, during the mayoral election, after a vote by all the villages in the town, he was voted out.

The new mayor had new ideas, thoroughly investigated the town’s resources, and began bold reforms. In less than a year, the town’s economy surpassed that of the previous five years. In less than ten years, Pingshui Town became a model town in the entire city.

It was then that he realized he was outdated.

In the new era, mining coal was promising, working outside was promising, and leaving the mountains was promising.

The mountainous area was no longer suitable for young people, and young people shouldn’t be stuck in the mountains suffering.

Now the state supports planting. How should he mobilize? Ask the young people outside to come back? Have this group of old folks go to the fields with hoes?

He had spent his whole life in Pingshui Town, but he had to admit, he was left behind by the times.

Farming was left behind by the times.

He made a wrong decision twenty years ago, and he couldn’t make the same mistake twenty years later, letting people criticize him.