Chapter Sixty-Eight: Business Model

The installers were busy at work, with one person directing the process. Zhong Di carefully observed the storefront. Indeed, once it was put up, the feeling changed entirely. Where before something seemed missing, now that sense of absence was finally filled; it looked pleasing and comfortable.

"Sis, it's getting late, you should head home soon. I'll keep an eye on things here," he suggested.

"No rush, it's only seven o'clock. Why go home so early? Later, I'll show you some forms—see if they're suitable. If they are, we'll proceed with these forms," Zhong Hui replied, glancing at her phone amidst her busyness. Seven o'clock was hardly late enough to warrant heading home; she had no intention of leaving yet.

Seeing that his sister wasn’t going to pay him any mind, Zhong Di decided to wander around. The orchard was running smoothly now, with everything proceeding in an orderly fashion. Nowadays, all sorts of miscellaneous matters were handled by his sister, which had made things much easier.

Ordinary chores were taken care of by Shao Hong, and the smaller tasks went to his sister, including finances, which Zhong Di had also delegated. Even if there was a big job, hiring a few hands would solve it. Apart from major decisions that required his input, he was almost entirely free.

The chickens in the coop were lively. In the rabbit enclosure, the air was often thick with the scent of love. According to rabbits’ breeding habits, theoretically, there should be twelve litters a year—one lost to winter’s cold, one lost to summer’s heat.

In the sheep pen, Shao Hong had set up an isolation area at one side, reserved for ewes giving birth, and had created several passages at the bottom for lambs to go through. In this regard, Shao Hong had done plenty of research, organizing everything meticulously.

Anywhere there was something unsuitable, Shao Hong had sorted it out smoothly, his attention to detail remarkable.

It wasn’t until after eight o’clock that the installers finally left. Payments and such were handled by his sister—Zhong Di didn’t need to involve himself.

"Zhong Di, take a look. These are forms I made, along with some regulations," Zhong Hui said, handing him a summary sheet and several forms. That morning, after finalizing the signage, she had begun thinking about these matters, and it wasn’t until the afternoon that she had a rough idea. During the wait for installation, she had written out some plans and created a few common forms.

Zhong Di hadn’t intended to look—after all, they were family; his sister could handle it. But on second thought, he decided to at least familiarize himself with the business model.

Zhong Hui had simply divided the orchard into several departments: production, logistics, finance, promotion, and reception.

Production was responsible for various tasks and overall management, which Zhong Hui assigned to Shao Hong. Decisions were made by Zhong Di, while Shao Hong managed the daily operations.

Logistics, finance, and promotion were all handled by Zhong Hui. Finance involved little, just incidental matters. Logistics was similar—buying tools when needed, purchasing supplies when they ran out.

Promotion was flexible, depending on how much time was available—more time meant more promotion, less time meant less.

Reception was placed under Zhong Di’s responsibility, though it depended on circumstances; if he wasn’t around, whoever was present would handle it.

The forms included a payroll sheet, a goods purchase request, a leave application, a summary of financial income and expenses, and an asset inventory.

The payroll sheet was straightforward. Currently, it mainly applied to Zhong Hui and the occasional hired laborers. Zhong Hui would tally up the days and issue monthly wages. For example, if Zhang Xiaohua worked five days in July, she would be paid for five days.

The goods purchase request required an application for buying items, divided into two levels: under a thousand yuan, Zhong Hui could decide herself, just needed to complete the paperwork; over a thousand, Zhong Di’s signature was required.

The leave application was, in principle, always approved—just needed to apply a day in advance.

The monthly summary of financial income and expenses was compiled at the end of each month to check the accounts.

The asset inventory was similar, also compiled at month’s end. For example, at the beginning of July, there were three hundred chicks; by the end of July, two hundred remained, fifty were sold to Dongyang, thirty were sold retail, twenty were lost or given away.

Looking over these materials, Zhong Di’s eyes lit up. His sister really had some skill—everything was neatly organized.

"Sis, I think the four thousand I’m paying you is a bit low," he remarked.

"Don’t talk nonsense. Four thousand isn’t low at all. The average wage in Shache County is barely two thousand; mine is twice the average, plus year-end bonuses," Zhong Hui replied, quite satisfied with the wage. She didn’t even need the year-end bonus—it wasn’t as if she was working in the fields every day.

"That leave application, though—let’s change it. No need to apply in advance; it’s not so strict. If there’s something important, just go handle it," Zhong Di said, generally satisfied, though he found the leave policy too rigid.

"Fine, you’re the boss," Zhong Hui agreed without objection.

It wasn’t until nine o’clock that his sister finally left. There was nowhere to stay here, which was inconvenient—she had to commute with her little scooter. Once funds were sufficient, they’d buy a couple of cars, cheap ones for getting around.

"Shao Hong, it’s time to water the trees. Check on them tomorrow. I’m going to source materials—I’ve figured out the formula for our organic liquid fertilizer," Zhong Di said.

Within the orchard, it was clear at a glance that the jujube trees were thirsty, though not severely so—like the difference between someone thirsty for three days and someone thirsty for half a day. If they weren’t watered, it wouldn’t be a big problem, just might affect fruit setting—like being thirsty for half a day, it’s uncomfortable but not serious.

"Alright, don’t worry about watering. Just find a good supplier," Shao Hong replied.

After discussing a bit more, they got to work on miscellaneous chores and started making dinner.

For dinner, they planned to have some fried small fish. The crayfish and shrimp were almost finished, only a few frozen fish remained in the fridge. Ever since they’d caught that big haul, they’d eaten fish almost every meal. Shao Hong, trying to save money, would cook fish for the workers too, which meant the supply dwindled quickly.

"The texture isn’t as good anymore—not nearly as tasty as when freshly caught," Zhong Di remarked.

"Of course. It’s been sitting in the freezer. How could it compare to freshly caught?" Shao Hong retorted, unable to resist.

"Maybe we should hire someone with an excavator to dig a fishpond. That way, we can eat fresh fish whenever we want," Zhong Di mused after a moment’s thought, finally voicing an idea he’d long had but hadn’t found the right opportunity for.

"You want to dig a fishpond just to eat fresh fish?" Shao Hong replied. He’d heard this suggestion before, but it had never been decided. It was perfectly reasonable if it was for entertaining guests, but if it was just for their own convenience, it seemed a bit much.

"Oh, come on. Besides, it could help attract customers," Zhong Di countered.

Shao Hong: ...

Why did it feel like the idea of attracting customers was just an excuse? Eating fresh fish was clearly the real motive.