"We won't let you down."
"We'll work hard."
"..."
After everyone finished speaking, Zhang Liunian brought up another matter. "As you all know, my pickled vegetables require sauce. I'll trouble everyone to go back and tell your families that I'll buy all the glutinous rice sauce you have. Whether it's from villagers or outsiders, as long as the sauce is well-made, I'll buy it.
I hope everyone can help me spread the word to your friends and relatives. By winter, our factory will be able to operate normally."
After Zhang Liunian finished his instructions, he took Zhang Shan into the office.
"From today onwards, all factory matters will be handed over to you, including handling order calls, weighing sauce, and making payments. You'll be in charge of all these things..."
Zhang Liunian spent the entire day busy at the village factory. Glass bottles and materials were delivered in batches.
The factory began to operate, but the production of pickled vegetables was not substantial.
This was mainly because everyone was still in the familiarization phase, and tomorrow they would be able to adapt to their work better.
The factory currently had only two lines: one for producing ingredients and one for producing three types of pickled vegetables.
Those producing pickled vegetables accounted for the majority, while only about a dozen people were responsible for ingredient production.
Regardless of the type of work, their treatment was the same.
As they finished work and headed home, the village became like a pot of cold water hitting a hot surface, instantly boiling over.
Everyone in Zhangjia Village was exceptionally happy, enthusiastic, and excited today. Upon encountering friends and relatives, they immediately helped Zhang Liunian publicize his need for a large quantity of glutinous rice sauce.
This news quickly spread throughout the brigade and began to expand outwards.
Wang Cuihua's eldest sister, Wang Chunhua, heard about this and specially came over with eggs to ask her sister if this was true.
"Of course it's true. If you have any, you can send them over too. He'll buy as much as you have, so sun it with confidence." Wang Cuihua had been very busy lately, with her entire family helping Zhang Liunian with work, leaving her no time to tell her sisters in her maiden family about this matter.
Now that her eldest sister had come to her personally, she naturally wouldn't hide anything.
"That's truly wonderful. Everyone in our brigade knows how to do this. If the price he mentioned is true, I'll sun ten jars at once when I go back."
"Ten jars? That's not enough! Our family plans to sun fifty jars at once." Although Wang Cuihua didn't have time, she could arrange this task for her elderly in-laws!
"Fifty jars? Where will you find the time? Haven't your entire family become factory workers?" Wang Chunhua was astonished.
"Aren't there still the two elders? They're idle anyway, and this is a perfect job for them to earn money for the New Year."
"That makes sense. I'll have my in-laws specifically sun this when I go back." However, Wang Chunhua still didn't dare to sun too many. It would be fine to sun ten jars and then sun more after they were sold.
"By the way, Cuihua, do you think Zhang Liunian will hire people from our outer villages into the factory?" Compared to sunning sauce, Wang Chunhua was more interested in becoming a factory worker, which was the dream of every rural person.
Wang Cuihua shook her head, "It's definitely not possible now. He'll only consider it after he's recruited all the villagers."
"That's true, he's from your village, so he'll prioritize your villagers. Sigh, if only our village had a Zhang Liunian too."
"That's impossible. A promising comrade like our Liunian isn't like common cabbage; how can every village have one?"
"..."
At the end of Zhangjia Village, an elderly couple was sunning sauce. Although their clothes were tattered, their faces were filled with hope for life.
"We old folks who have no children finally have a chance to live!" The old woman looked at the sauce that was beginning to darken and then walked to the eaves to look at the old man who was grinding rice again.
The old man pushed the small stone mill, sat down to rest, and said, "Yes, as long as that child Liunian keeps buying sauce, we can live a good life too."
They were too old to farm, and they had thought they would starve to death. Unexpectedly, Zhang Liunian started buying sauce, giving them a glimmer of hope for survival.
"Zi Ping next door, whose parents abandoned him, is now working for Liunian. He'll definitely live a good life in the future."
"Indeed, I even smelled him eating meat yesterday."
"Liunian has really helped a lot of unfortunate people! There are still many people in our brigade like us and Zi Ping. It's all because of this world!"
"Yes, tomorrow we'll sell the sauce and can buy half a jin of meat."
"Good days are finally coming."
Similar conversations were occurring in many places.
The people of Shili Brigade quickly learned that Zhang Liunian was purchasing large quantities of sauce, buying as much as was brought to him.
Most importantly, the price he offered was high.
Not making money when it's available is for fools.
Suddenly, the price of glutinous rice in Datang County was driven up by the people of their brigade, and even more people were sunning and selling sauce.
The news of Zhangjia Village establishing a sauce factory spread like wildfire within a radius of dozens of miles.
Zhang Liunian had anticipated these developments, and they were exactly what he welcomed.
Because he knew that spring and winter were not suitable for sunning sauce, he wanted to stock up as much sauce as possible during autumn for any unforeseen needs.
Clearly, his approach was very effective. In just one day and night, the entire brigade was aware of this matter.
Everyone began to sun glutinous rice sauce, all eagerly anticipating earning money to support their families and eat meat.
Of course, that's a story for later. Returning to the present, the advertisements had been broadcast, and more and more individual businesses were coming to pick up goods. Every day, Zhang Liunian had to ship over ten thousand bottles.
And this number continued to increase. The factory staff began to feel the pressure, so Zhang Liunian asked those villagers who had not yet joined the factory to send more people in.
The factory quickly reached two hundred employees, with a daily output of twenty thousand bottles.
The demand for sauce also surged, truly fulfilling the promise of buying as much as was brought. Slowly, everyone's appetite grew.
The villagers, who had initially been hesitant, now went all out to sun sauce.
Sunning sauce also depended on the weather. After autumn, they would no longer be able to sun it, so their earning period would be limited to these two months.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Liunian dared to make the bold promise of buying as much as was brought.
"How's it going?" At four in the afternoon, Zhang Liunian sat in the shop, watching Du Ziteng tally the day's sales.
"We've really hit the jackpot, the jackpot! We sold thirty-six thousand yuan today." After tallying, Du Ziteng brought over a large bag filled with money.
"We haven't reached the peak yet. Tomorrow, I'll have Zi Ping come over to help you, and he'll be your apprentice. He'll learn how to manage the shop." Zhang Liunian took the money, which he would later use to buy sauce back at the village.
"Zi Ping? That kid who pulls the cart?" Du Ziteng had met Zhang Zi Ping a few times. Perhaps it was because their names were similar, but he felt a strange sense of closeness.
"Yes, he's very capable. Take good care of him, and once he can handle things independently, you'll be free from here." Zhang Liunian knew that it was difficult for Du Ziteng to stay here guarding the shop and be unable to leave.
"Really? Then I'll definitely train him well!" Thinking of his own release, Du Ziteng felt so excited that he wished he could train Zhang Zi Ping instantly.