sbdcsierra Chapter 486 Expanding the Scale
Chapter 486 Expanding the Scale
The morning sun shone on the forest path as Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou, carrying their heavy prey, embarked on the final leg of their journey home.
After a night's rest, the two had recovered much of their strength, but the weight of the wild boar still required them to stop from time to time to adjust the position of their shoulders.
The village of Xiaoliang at the foot of the mountain has awakened, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of each tiled house, spreading in the morning light and shrouding the entire village in a hazy veil.
"Hey, you two are back from hunting again?" Uncle Liu, who was sweeping in front of his house at the village entrance, greeted them with a smile when he saw the two carrying their prey.
"Yes, Uncle Liu, we were lucky yesterday. Once it's all processed, I'll bring you some pork to try."
"Alright, alright, then I'll wait." Uncle Liu nodded repeatedly, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out.
The two continued walking forward and arrived at Li Xiangyang's house. They carefully placed the wild boar and other prey on the stone slabs in the yard.
"Hey! Dad's home!" Li Wangchen heard the noise and ran out of the house. Upon seeing the large wild boar in the yard, he jumped up excitedly, "What a big boar!"
Li Xiaoyun followed closely behind, and seeing her husband return laden with game, a smile spread across her face: "It's good to see you back. Chen'er, don't get too close, your father and Uncle Wang need to process the game. Go play with your little rocking horse."
Although Li Wangchen was reluctant to leave, he obediently returned to the house.
After processing the prey, it was already noon. After eating, both of them were a little sleepy, since they hadn't rested enough in the cave the night before.
Wang Ergou waved goodbye, and Li Xiangyang returned to the house, lay down on the bed, and prepared to take a nap.
I had barely closed my eyes when there was a knock on the door.
"Xiangyang, someone's looking for you!" Li Daqiang's voice came from the courtyard.
Li Xiangyang rubbed his eyes, struggled to his feet, and walked to the door: "Who is it?"
“It’s Boss Liu. He said he’s here to buy mountain produce,” Li Daqiang replied.
Li Xiangyang immediately regained some of his senses.
Mr. Liu is a buyer in the county town who specializes in buying all kinds of mountain products. He travels to various villages all year round and has business dealings with many hunters.
"Let him in," Li Xiangyang said, straightening his clothes as he did so.
A short while later, a slightly overweight middle-aged man in his forties walked into the courtyard.
"Brother Li, it's been a long time!" Boss Liu warmly extended his hand.
Li Xiangyang shook hands with him: "Brother Liu, what brings you here?"
"I heard that there are a lot of mountain products in Xiaoliang Village recently, so I came here to take a look," said Boss Liu with a smile, but his eyes kept glancing at the wild boar hides and other game pelts hanging in the yard.
Li Xiangyang smiled and gestured for him to sit down: "You've come at the perfect time. Wang Ergou and I just came back from hunting in the mountains yesterday; the game is still fresh."
Li Xiaoyun brought over two cups of hot tea, placed them in front of the two of them, and then quietly stepped aside.
Mr. Liu took a sip of tea and then got straight to the point, "I'm here mainly to buy some medicinal herbs like deer antler, deer penis, and bear bile, as well as fox and badger pelts. These things are doing well in the market lately."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "I have some stock here, all made in the last month or two, and the quality is good."
As he spoke, he got up and walked to a wooden box inside the house. He took out several properly processed fox and badger pelts, as well as some dried medicinal herbs, and placed them on the table.
Mr. Liu carefully examined each item, occasionally touching the texture of the fur or smelling the medicinal herbs.
"Brother Li's goods are as good as ever," Boss Liu exclaimed. "Especially this red fox pelt, the fur is full and flawless, it would fetch a good price in the city."
The two began to haggle. Li Xiangyang was not in a hurry. He knew the quality of the goods he had and was also aware that his cooperation with Boss Liu over the years had been very pleasant, with both parties benefiting.
After some discussion, both parties reached an agreement. Boss Liu not only purchased all the mountain products displayed by Li Xiangyang, but also pre-ordered the wild boar hides and other game pelts brought back today.
After the transaction was completed, Boss Liu took out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to Li Xiangyang: "Brother Li, this is the deposit. I'll bring you the rest after I've sorted out the accounts."
Li Xiangyang took the money, counted it roughly, and after confirming that it was correct, handed it over to Li Xiaoyun for safekeeping.
"By the way, Brother Li," Boss Liu said, standing up to leave, then suddenly remembered something, "I've heard there's a lot of wild ginseng in Daqinggou recently. You could go check it out sometime. Ginseng is much more expensive now than last year."
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Really? Then I'll have to go scout it out when I have time. Ginseng is a valuable commodity; finding just one is worth a fortune."
Mr. Liu smiled and nodded: "I knew you'd be interested. If you really find it, remember to contact me first."
After seeing Boss Liu off, Li Xiangyang returned to the house and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in deep thought.
Since he started collecting various mountain products a few years ago, many hunters and herb gatherers in the surrounding villages have known about his "collection point".
Many of the animal hides they hunted and the medicinal herbs they collected were sold through Li Xiangyang to buyers like Boss Liu.
Over the years, Li Xiangyang has built a considerable reputation around Xiaoliang Village, thanks to his experience from his previous life and his efforts in this one.
Both their hunting techniques and the fair prices they offered for mountain products won over the hunters and herb gatherers in the surrounding villages.
From occasional purchases at the beginning to a stable supply of goods and sales channels, Li Xiangyang's mountain products business has grown to a considerable scale.
He not only established long-term cooperative relationships with several major buyers in the county, but also began to try to directly contact some traditional Chinese medicine shops and fur dealers in the city.
Li Xiangyang knew that as policies were gradually relaxed, individual businesses would be increasingly encouraged.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Xiaoyun walked over and gently patted his shoulder.
Li Xiangyang snapped out of his reverie and took his wife's hand: "I was thinking, this mountain produce business is getting bigger and bigger, we should expand the scale a bit."
Li Xiaoyun sat down next to Li Xiangyang and asked softly, "What do you want to do?"
Li Xiangyang gazed out the window, pondering his future plans: "I want to rent a larger space, hire a few reliable people, and buy a vehicle to transport mountain produce."
Li Xiaoyun's eyes lit up: "Are you really going to expand?"
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang squeezed his wife’s hand. “Over the years, we’ve always been very careful, afraid of ‘getting too cocky.’ But things are different now. People’s lives are getting better and better, and self-employment is no longer prohibited.”
Li Xiangyang stood up, gazing at the newly paved, smooth roads in the village and the hot spring project under construction halfway up the mountain in the distance, and continued, "This is just the beginning, Xiaoyun. There will be even bigger changes in the next few years. We can't just look at the present; we have to look further ahead."
“I support you,” Li Xiaoyun said firmly, “but it must cost a lot of money, right?”
Li Xiangyang smiled: "Our savings over the years, plus the income from hunting and growing medicinal herbs, will definitely be enough as long as the scale isn't too large."
Li Xiaoyun nodded, then asked worriedly, "But can you manage all the time? You have to hunt, grow medicinal herbs, and now you also have to manage this distribution center?"
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Li Xiangyang said confidently. “I plan to hire a few young people to do the work. Wang Ergou will help keep an eye on things, and I’ll mainly be responsible for contacting buyers and arranging supplies. Once we’ve established ourselves, we can gradually expand the scale.”