35: Chapter 35 Enthusiastic Shareholders

Some were calculating with glee that once the factory was set up, it would need people to work. If they could get in to work and earn a monthly salary, it would be much better than scratching a living from the dirt.

Others were filled with worry. What if the fundraising wasn't enough? Could the factory really make money? They shouldn't risk losing their entire family savings.

The bolder ones had spent the last two days running around to all their relatives and friends, scraping together money from every source, just waiting to take a gamble!

Li Dakang stepped onto the high platform and took the megaphone handed to him by Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian. The morning sun shone on his young face, making him look exceptionally spirited.

"Greetings, fellow villagers! I am the new Township Head of Guantian Township, Li Dakang!" His voice was loud and powerful.

"I've come today to talk to you all about setting up the factory. If you have any questions, feel free to raise your hands, and I will answer them on the spot!"

"Township Head Li!" A middle-aged man raised his hand.

"If the fundraising isn't enough, can the factory still be set up?"

"That's a good question, fellow villager!" Li Dakang smiled.

"The fundraising is to give all of you a chance to increase your income. If it's not enough, the township will cover the difference. We will definitely get this factory running!"

Someone else shouted, "Township Head Li, can the factory really make money?"

"That is a critical question!"

Li Dakang straightened his back. "I have already signed contracts with several large factories in the city. They are ordering ten thousand jin of tofu every day at a wholesale price of thirty-six cents per jin!"

He counted on his fingers as he calculated for everyone. "One jin of soybeans costs thirteen cents and can make three to four jin of tofu. Including labor and transportation, the cost of one jin of tofu is about fifteen cents, so we can make a profit of twenty cents!"

"Ten thousand jin a day means two thousand yuan! Sixty thousand a month! Seven hundred and twenty thousand a year!"

This figure exploded in the crowd like a bomb.

The villagers widened their eyes and opened their mouths, unable to speak for a long time.

"So much money... is it real?"

"Would the Township Head lie to us? He signed contracts with big city factories!"

Li Dakang looked at the whispering villagers and continued, "However, the most urgent matter right now is to build the road! Tofu is delicate; it will crumble on the current dirt road with just a few bumps. Only after the road is built can the factory start production!"

"How much will it cost to build the road?"

"I will find a way to deal with the money!" Li Dakang said firmly.

"But I need you all to put in the effort to level the roadbed first! The sooner it's built, the sooner we start making money!"

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian immediately declared, "Don't worry, Township Head! The people of Zhengjia Village are not afraid of hard work!"

"Right! Building the road is a good thing, we'll do it!"

"Sign me up!"

"Count me in!"

...

Watching the impassioned villagers below the stage, Li Dakang showed a gratified smile.

He knew that the change in Zhengjia Village began today.

"Fellow villagers, this is just the beginning!"

Li Dakang raised the megaphone, his voice resounding with strength. "As long as the factory is set up, everyone will be able to live in brick houses, wear new clothes, and eat meat at every meal!"

These words were like a fire, instantly igniting the villagers' enthusiasm.

They whispered to each other, their eyes shining with excitement, as if they could already see the good days ahead.

"Township Head Li, where do we pay? I want to invest!" a sturdy man shouted impatiently.

"Don't be anxious, everyone." Li Dakang raised his hand to signal.

"In a moment, someone will be assigned to collect the money and register you. Those who invest will be given priority for jobs in the factory once it's set up. This way, you won't just have a salary, but you'll also get a share of the profits at the end of the year!"

"Those who want to invest, go to Accountant Li and register now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers who had been hesitating suddenly acted as if they had been stung by wasps, sprinting home, afraid that being a step late would mean missing the opportunity.

Old Man Zheng from Zhengjia Village was sixty-three this year, having spent his whole life facing the yellow earth and backing the sky.

Upon hearing the news about being able to invest, he ran home without a second thought, shouting as he ran, "Old woman! Quickly, bring me that cloth bundle from under the kang mat!"

Widow Zhang, who lived at the east end of the village, was even more anxious. She grabbed her son who was about to run home, "Erwa! Go quickly to your uncle's house and borrow twenty yuan! Tell him your mother will pay him back next month after selling the eggs!"

The busiest place was Zheng Laoliu's house. His three sons all pitched in. The eldest son rummaged through boxes and cabinets looking for the bankbook, the second son climbed up to the roof beam to dig into a hidden compartment, and the third son swung a hoe to dig in the courtyard, trying to find the twenty yuan they had buried when the harvest was good last year, but he couldn't for the life of him remember where he had buried it.

Meanwhile, those villagers who hadn't planned to invest at first were filled with regret, slapping their thighs in frustration.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have lent my money out."

Zheng Tiezhu stomped his feet hard. He had just lent the one hundred yuan his family had saved to his brother-in-law to buy an ox yesterday, and now he regretted it so much his guts were turning blue.

A few bold villagers were secretly relieved.

Zheng Shicai squatted in the corner, counting the crumpled banknotes in his hand. A full three hundred yuan—this was what he had gotten from selling his ancestral silver bracelet.

"This time I've bet on the right horse!" he thought happily.

Soon, under the organization of the village cadres, the villagers formed a long line.

The accountant and cashier from the Finance Office sat in front of a table that had been moved there temporarily; one collected the money, and the other registered it, both busy until sweat beaded on their foreheads.

"Party Branch Secretary Zheng." Li Dakang called Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian aside.

"Organize the villagers into teams immediately. Have each village cadre lead a team. Start leveling the roadbed the day after tomorrow; we can't afford to delay even one day!"