Chapter 162: Fleeing from Bangye

During this period, Liu Weihai had been busy with various organizational discussions and reviews, and he hadn't paid much attention to Bangye. The wager with Li Xian had slipped his mind as well. Now, hearing that Li Xian's Xiao Zhu liquor had become so famous in just over twenty days, he was genuinely astonished.

On the way, Liu Weihai meticulously inquired about Lao Zhu's Xiao Zhu liquor. Upon learning about the use of catchy slogans and nursery rhymes in the promotion, and how it had rapidly captured the entire Bangye liquor market, achieving a practical monopoly, he couldn't help but marvel. He gained a deeper understanding of Li Xian's business acumen.

Liu Weihai had originally planned to contact Li Xian after handling his official duties in Bangye. However, at the county government's banquet that evening, upon seeing Lao Zhu's Xiao Zhu liquor on the table, he immediately called Li Xian and rushed to the grand residence that, while still under renovation, had regained much of its former grandeur.

Li Xian had already gone to bed, and upon seeing the drunken Liu Weihai arriving, wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk, he really felt like kicking him out. However, the substantial profit from Lao Zhu's Xiao Zhu liquor over the past twenty days made him keenly aware of the irresistible allure of this traditional industry.

In less than a month, a small liquor workshop with just a few dilapidated rooms and primitive production equipment, where bottling and sealing were done manually, had generated over fifty thousand yuan in profit, with a staggering gross profit margin of seventy percent. It was indeed a lucrative business!

He finally understood why TV advertisements in the early 1990s were dominated by brands like Kongfu and Jian Nan.

The profit was simply too high!

So in his mind, Li Xian had come to regard this sudden venture to help the Lao Zhu family create wealth as another major business opportunity, alongside his sanitary paper business.

Seeing Liu Weihai's enthusiasm, despite being exhausted and barely keeping his eyes open, Li Xian persevered and explained the significance of the liquor industry to the local economy. 

According to his observations, Bangye's agriculture primarily focused on soybeans, corn, rice, and sorghum. Among these crops, soybeans had a low oil yield due to the area's average low temperature, and the grain storage prices were outrageously low. Corn was in a similar situation.

Currently, the only valuable crops in Bangye were rice and sorghum. With the Nomin River, Bangye's rice had a unique advantage: it was long-grained, fragrant, and white. However, due to outdated rice paddy cultivation techniques, rice production in the county was very low.

In contrast, sorghum, which didn't require good land and was less sensitive to temperature, had significant advantages.

The problem was that in a society where people had just started seeing being able to eat rice and white flour as a sign of a well-off life, coarse grains like sorghum were being phased out. Sorghum could not generate much income for farmers except for personal consumption.

However, if the liquor industry could be expanded, the advantages of Bangye's sorghum could be maximized!

This was the driving force for local agriculture.

The liquor industry is a labor-intensive sector that requires a large workforce and generates significant secondary value in areas like design, packaging, transportation, and distribution—far more than the sanitary paper industry.

Hearing these analyses, Liu Weihai's drunkenness gradually wore off. He unknowingly took out his notebook, recording Li Xian's analysis and jotting down his own insights.

...

The officials of Bangye County were surprised. The first major initiative of the new county head was not directed at the current government personnel structure but directly aimed at the "national-level poverty-stricken county" status, launching a poverty alleviation plan and attacking the loss-making local liquor factory.

Under his direct leadership, the restructuring of the liquor factory was completed in two days. Following the example of the New Bei Paper Industry's operations, the liquor factory, which had five distillation production lines and three bottling lines, was valued at 1.2 million yuan. Half of the valuation was used as capital to hold a 20% stake in a newly established company called Bangye Liquor Co., Ltd. in partnership with an individual named Li Xian.

This decisive approach left the Bangye government in confusion.

Inside the Bangye Liquor Factory.

Factory director Feng Xifeng finally understood who the "big shot" was who had warned him that day.

Under the gaze of the seemingly influential young man, he chose to yield, willingly cooperating with the factory's restructuring and stepping down from his position as director to become the company's production deputy manager.

From this moment on, the Bangye Liquor Factory, which had existed for twenty-five years, became history. The weather-beaten sign of the factory was removed and discarded by the roadside.

In the factory's office, watching the workers clean up the workshop and organize the production equipment, Li Xian smiled slightly and beckoned to Lao Zhu and his son, who were completely unaware of what was happening.

"Uncle Zhu, there shouldn't be any problem using the production line for your Xiao Zhu liquor, right?"

"Hmm!" Lao Zhu snapped out of his daze, clicked his tongue, and said, "Actually, it's all distilled liquor. There's no big difference between using traditional methods and modern distillation equipment. It should be fine!"

"Alright then, you're in charge of production from now on. Starting today, you are the production manager of our company."

Under Lao Zhu's astonished gaze, Li Xian patted Zhu Feng on the shoulder, "As for the company's business, it's up to you."

At this moment, Zhu Feng's eyes were already misty. He grabbed Li Xian's arm, "Xianzi, don't worry! I... I will definitely cherish this opportunity!"

Li Xian knew Zhu Feng well. Although he had spent a few years in prison, he was still full of fiery ambition. Moreover, he was smart, quick to learn, and very adept.

Though he lacked experience at the moment, as long as he had this drive, Li Xian believed he would do well.

After discussing his requirements for the factory and his thoughts on the products with Lao Zhu and his son, Li Xian broached the topic of compensation. In addition to a fixed salary, he promised that if the company's profit exceeded two million yuan in the first year, he would give them ten percent of his shares as additional compensation.

This made Lao Zhu and his son extremely excited.

What's the current status of the company?

With government support, financial backing from Li Xian, and the introduction of the popular Xiao Zhu liquor currently expanding outside Bangye, and with plans to launch high and mid-tier premium liquors after the factory's integration, the company's prospects were evident to everyone. Even ordinary employees could see a bright future ahead. Furthermore, after more than twenty days of interaction, Lao Zhu and his son had become thoroughly convinced of Li Xian's business strategies.

After sorting out the company's affairs, Li Xian hurried back to his residence to pack up and prepare to leave Bangye for a while.

Although he should ideally stay to oversee the company's establishment, he had to leave...

The newly appointed Liu Weihai had also heard rumors about the Cat Face Old Lady and specifically called a government meeting to demand a thorough investigation into the source of the rumors. He instructed the education committee and various community organizations to promote the correct scientific outlook and suppress rumors harmful to social security.

Li Xian feared being implicated.

"Hey, have you heard? A child went missing in Hailin Pig Kidney Village yesterday. They say the Cat Face Old Lady grabbed and ate them!"

"Yeah, I heard. It scared me to death. They say the Cat Face Old Lady not only eats children but also bites adults, turning them into half-human, half-cat monsters!"

"Oh my God, is it true or not? I don't even dare to go out after dark now. Last night, there was a cat meowing all night by our house. It was really creepy! Do you think the cat saw something?"

Walking down the street and overhearing the gossip from the local women, Li Xian couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Damn, it's late March and spring is here; it's just cats meowing in the spring!

The Cat Face Old Lady won't take the blame for this!