Chapter 108 Early Preparation

Chapter 108 Early Preparation

Eight cents a pound for snails is considered a high price.

But state-run restaurants have long-term contracts, which are signed for a year at a time!

Furthermore, everyone has witnessed Zhang Wenshan's abilities.

By any measure, it's more reliable than following Li Dong, who cheats at cards!

Without saying a word, the group immediately bent down and got to work.

"Uncle Ergui, you were one of the first to follow me."

Zhang Wenshan turned his head, his face cold, and spoke in a deep voice.

"If you're put in charge, you have to take responsibility."

"If there's a problem, solve it. If you can't solve it, come to me. What kind of person just stands there watching the show?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Ergui immediately straightened his back and loudly assured, "Don't worry, team leader. If there's any trouble in the future, I'll be the first to step up and I won't hold back."

He knew perfectly well what was going on.

These words, though seemingly critical, actually granted him the authority to handle the affairs of the fishing and hunting group, and publicly endorsed him.

"Big sister, you stay here and keep watch, I'm going home for a bit."

"good!"

After giving his instructions, Zhang Wenshan turned and walked out.

Li Dong's series of actions meant that the popularity of snails in the town was growing faster than expected, and some things needed to be prepared in advance.

Tao Jun watched Zhang Wenshan's composed departure, but ultimately didn't dare to stop him. He frowned and looked at Li Dong.

"What's going on? Didn't you say you'd deal with him easily?"

Before coming, Li Dong patted his chest and assured everyone that Chishongtun was just like his backyard.

Is that all?

Li Dong glared at him, annoyed: "Don't talk nonsense!"

If it weren't for the fact that you're the captain's son, with your IQ, you would have been beaten to death long ago.

"So what do we do now?"

"What else can we do? Collect snails!"

Li Dong gritted his teeth: "I refuse to believe that anyone wouldn't be tempted by such a large sum of money!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone stepped forward and asked, "Dongzi, are snails really only eight cents a pound?"

Li Dong smiled smugly at Tao Jun, beaming, and said, "Of course, just send it to my house as soon as you get it, we'll all accept it."

"Then you need to be clear: how big? What quality?"

"Is it cash?"

"Do you even know how much you're taking? Don't send it to you; you said you bought it—"

One question after another came from the crowd, each one hitting the nail on the head.

Tao Jun panicked on the spot, and his legs even went weak.

What happened?

They had originally planned to first trick people into frantically catching snails, and then put on a show together.

He found fault with the quality himself, and Li Dong persuaded him, which not only helped him lower the price, but also allowed Li Dong to gain a reputation.

There are also reports that the number of acquisitions is limited.

Everyone who caught the snails couldn't keep them alive and was obviously eager to sell them. So they pretended to have no other choice, offering to buy them at a low price, and then said they didn't have enough cash on hand, leaving them in debt.

A combination of moves guarantees a profit.

But now, everything has been blocked in advance.

"Don't worry everyone, there won't be any problems—"

Li Dong was also confused, unable to understand why the villagers who were usually easy to fool had suddenly become shrewd, so he could only bite the bullet and agree.

Unlimited quantity, cash payment, any quality is acceptable.

Little did he know that his father, Li Yuegang, had caused a scene last time, forcing the brigade leader to publicize the fishing and hunting team's contract.

To avoid any disputes, Zhang Wenshan wrote the terms in such detail that they couldn't be more so. The villagers had never seen such a clear document before, and every household discussed it meticulously. Today, all of this was applied to Li Dong.

Before long, the crowd dispersed, and Tao Jun couldn't wait to ask, "According to you, how much money would it cost? I don't have that much."

"No need for you to dig them out. Go to my house first and collect the snails."

Li Dong waved his hand irritably, unable to understand why the village had changed so much after he had been away for only a few days.

Those people definitely have a problem with their attitude towards me.

And then there's Zhang Wenshan. After he stopped gambling, he became so slippery that he was impossible to control.

Zhang Wenshan went home and immediately went to find his mother.

"Make some space in our vegetable garden."

"What are you doing!"

"Let's dig a pond and raise snails."

"What? You can raise that thing?" Xu Xiulian stopped what she was doing and asked incredulously.

"Yes, you can raise them. Just dig a shallow pit, line it with silt, and put the snails in."

"Okay, I'll get started once the vegetables are harvested."

"There's no time, let's get it done now, just pull up the vegetables." Seeing his mother's wide eyes, Zhang Wenshan said directly, "I'll make up for the difference."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Why would your mother care about that?" Xu Xiulian lightly patted her son's shoulder. "What happened?"

"Li Dong is back to collect snails—" Zhang Wenshan briefly recounted what had happened, "The snail craze in town is happening faster than expected. Before long, everyone will be catching snails."

"What does that have to do with raising snails?" Xu Xiulian was even more confused.

"If everyone goes to catch them, the snails in the river will soon be extinct."

"How could that be?" Hsu Hsiu-lien shook her head frantically.

She had lived most of her life and had never heard of snails being caught.

"Mother, think about it." Zhang Wenshan gave a wry smile, "If grass could be sold for money, the land would be stripped bare."

o

People in the 1980s were limited by their knowledge and information; they didn't know what could be sold for money, and they couldn't make things that were technically difficult.

Once they find out what can make money, they'll go crazy and be more ruthless than anyone else.

Xu Xiulian understood immediately and nodded, saying, "When autumn mushrooms and vegetables are in season, everyone goes crazy. If you arrive late, you can't get a spot at all."

She thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "According to you, shouldn't snails become even less valuable in the future?"

Anything becomes worthless when there's too much of it.

If you don't lower your prices, plenty of others will. If you don't follow suit, you'll just end up with nothing but stuck with bad prices.

Moreover, once the novelty wears off, nobody cares about food anymore.

"This thing is just a snack to go with drinks. As long as people drink, it will sell. Once the hype dies down, it'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll get started in a bit."

"Mother, this must be kept a secret. Let's take our time."

"Don't worry, if anyone asks, I'll just say the weather is bad, so I'm digging a pond to store water."

"Old ginger is spicier."

Zhang Wenshan gave a thumbs-up and made an exaggerated expression, which his little nephew next to him imitated, making Xu Xiulian laugh out loud.

Just as things were getting lively, footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

Lang Qiuping strode in, carrying two pheasants: "Brother Shanzi, I heard Li Dong is back causing trouble?"

"Okay. Behave yourself and don't be impulsive." Zhang Wenshan glanced at the axe tucked into his waistband and gave him a worried warning.

They were afraid that this kid would suddenly attack Li Dong halfway through.

It may feel good to vent your anger, but what about the rest of your life?

"I'll listen to Brother Shanzi!" Lang Qiuping quickly hid the axe behind his back.

"Oh, right." Zhang Wenshan took out five yuan from his pocket and handed it over. "I've been thinking about it. From now on, you'll work for me, and we'll pay you by the day."

"If a situation like yesterday were to occur again, we could receive extra money."

His original idea was to have Lang Qiuping stay with the fishing and hunting group, since as time went on, his and his older sister's focus would shift.

We need to leave someone trustworthy there.

But after yesterday, he felt it was better to keep Lang Qiuping by his side.