Transmigration: Flirted with My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 591 - 590: It’s About Livelihood, Personal Feelings Aside

Chapter 591: Chapter 590: It’s About Livelihood, Personal Feelings Aside

Last time, Tian Qingyuan was startled by Lin Nianhe’s background and also learned from Zheng Lirong that this young girl is from a prominent compound in Beijing.

Finally regaining his composure, Lin Nianhe returned with even more daunting news.

"Factory Director Tian, hello. I’m truly sorry for not visiting you sooner, but the textile factory has been incredibly busy. Then I was in Sui City for the Spring Trade Fair and that delayed things further. I hope you won’t take offense."

"It’s alright, no worries," Tian Qingyuan’s forehead was streaked with familiar cold sweat, he couldn’t help but ask, "Comrade Xiao Lin, are you staying at the railway guesthouse this time again?"

"Oh, no, I’m staying in the military compound."

"...!"

Lin Nianhe smiled with a hint of helplessness, complaining casually: "They insisted that it isn’t safe outside, and they’re not comfortable with me staying elsewhere... I’m not a child anymore, where could there be danger?"

Tian Qingyuan smiled reluctantly and awkwardly, "That, that’s right. The provincial city has been restless these days; being cautious is a good thing."

"Hmm." Lin Nianhe timely curtailed the conversation, smiling, "Factory Director Tian, I am here to convey Ten Miles Team’s opinion regarding the establishment of a subsidiary at the match factory, sorry for taking your time."

"That’s fine. It should have been me visiting, but the match factory has been busy; you’ve gone through the trouble of coming here." Tian Qingyuan discreetly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trying to exhibit the demeanor expected of a factory director:

"We’ve discussed it. Since Ten Miles Team was a great help when we first started the pilot, we plan to offer fifty worker positions to Ten Miles Team in the new branch, other teams won’t receive such favoritism!"

Lin Nianhe listened patiently, a slight smile lingering on her lips.

See, she thought, if the match factory financed the construction of the new branch, it would end like this.

Fifty worker positions sound quite a lot, but the reality is that at least five hundred people from both Ten Miles Team and Nine-miles Team rely on the match factory for their livelihood.

This isn’t just about disrupting one or two families’ meals.

After Tian Qingyuan finished, he looked at Lin Nianhe and asked, "Comrade Xiao Lin, what do you think?"

"I’m just the messenger, it’s not for me to decide," Lin Nianhe smiled and shook her head, "You better consider our opinion."

"Alright, alright, go ahead."

Tian Qingyuan treated Lin Nianhe very courteously and listened intently as she spoke next.

Lin Nianhe cleared her throat and said: "The factory can be built, but there’s no need for the match factory to finance it, nor for you to bother managing it. We’ll handle our own profits and losses, manage it ourselves."

Tian Qingyuan’s smile faltered.

They are planning to start their own separate operation!

Tian Qingyuan was puzzled—according to reports from Liu Neng and Yuan Hua, although he had never met Li Dahe in person, he knew him to be an honest and straightforward farmer, not one for cunning schemes.

So whose terrible idea was this to start independently?

Lin Nianhe pretended not to notice Tian Qingyuan’s gritted teeth, and continued, "Of course, that Ten Miles Team can be what it is today is also thanks to your willingness to try setting up shipping points initially, we plan to rent a match production line at an annual pure profit of 5% as rent."

Tian Qingyuan paused, his expression improving slightly.

A pack of matches only costs two pennies, but the consumption is enormous, and it’s an essential item. With Lan County as the center, it covers an area that yields yearly sales of 800,000 to 1,000,000, with a pure profit estimated between 200,000 and 300,000.

Renting out a production line would bring in over ten thousand in rent a year, and in seven or eight years, it would be enough to buy a new production line.

Renting it out would definitely not be a loss.

But to him, forsaking 200,000 to 300,000 in pure profits for a mere 10,000-plus seemed inadequate.

"Comrade Xiao Lin, I understand your desire to build up your hometown, but this isn’t something easy to do," Tian Qingyuan rubbed his hands, adopting an official tone, "and shouldn’t the key project in Lan County be the textile factory? Do you really have the spare resources to worry about a match factory?"

"The Lan County Textile Factory is indeed impressive, with 17 million in transactions at the Spring Trade Fair, limited only by insufficient quotas. Not to mention the booming domestic sales of Head Flower, it even made the headlines in Huaxia Daily... Factory Director Tian, you don’t know how many Cooperative Societies are queuing up, begging for quotas from the textile factory."

Lin Nianhe chuckled lightly, her tone relaxed as she unsettlingly said, "Actually, if we rent a production line from another match factory, stick a ’Lan’ label on the matchboxes, and tie the sales with Head Flower quotas, I estimate Beijing and Shanghai would also be using Lan County’s matches."

Since Suirenshi used friction to create fire, fire has become an essential need for humans.

Forms of fire-making have evolved, but what remains constant is humanity’s dependence on it.

With such a "necessity" as a basis, humans cannot do without means to start a fire.

As the most common means of obtaining fire are matches, in a market where the prices are basically uniform, which match to use or sell doesn’t really matter.

If a box of matches can secure a quota for in-demand goods, then why not sell Lan County’s matches?

Tian Qingyuan shuddered fiercely, a scared look crossing his face.

Ten Miles Team was seeking to rent his production line, and he might be annoyed by the yearly rent of over ten thousand due to intending to set up a branch there himself, but what about other match factories? How could they refuse money delivered to their doorstep?

Tian Qingyuan didn’t know whether Lan County’s matches could sell in Beijing and Shanghai, but he was very clear that, should they indeed proceed, the provincial city would definitely be first to switch to Lan County matches.

When that happened, why would he even consider profits of 200,000 against 10,000? The provincial city’s match factory would have to be branded as Lan County’s!

Lin Nianhe observed the changes in Tian Qingyuan’s expression for a long while before abruptly smiling, "We are grateful for the provincial city match factory’s help in the past; if you wish, we certainly won’t interfere with Hei Province’s other match markets."

"We only wish to make a little money, to support our children’s education and care for the elderly. We won’t disturb others’ bread if ours is left intact."

Tian Qingyuan awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Now he only regretted one thing—why did he even start thinking about establishing a subsidiary? Why did he have to remind them? The words just slipped out!

"Factory Director Tian, what do you mean?" Lin Nianhe didn’t give Tian Qingyuan much time to think, pressing him further.

"This, this," Tian Qingyuan wiped his sweat, too nervous to even bother concealing his actions, "this needs to be discussed in a meeting with everyone. I can’t decide immediately."

"Alright then," Lin Nianhe, not really wishing to do so but left with no other choice, reluctantly took out a piece of paper with a phone number on it and gave it to him, "I’ll be leaving on the eight o’clock train tonight. After you’ve discussed it you can call this number, it connects to Commander Su’s residence."

Tian Qingyuan’s hand shook, almost unable to grasp the light piece of paper.