Chapter 309: Deng Yunheng Graduates, the Start of His Career

Chapter 309: Deng Yunheng Graduates, the Start of His Career

Upon returning from Nanning, Deng Shirong had been stationed at the Sufeng Hotel.

While the second and third floors of the Sufeng Hotel were being renovated, Deng Shirong had already explained the concept of a supermarket to his children and daughter-in-law.

During this period, Deng Yuntai had been busy contacting various manufacturers to arrange for the purchase of goods. Fortunately, most of these manufacturers had telephones, so he could simply call them to negotiate, avoiding the need to visit each one in person, which would have worn out his shoes many times over.

After about half a month, Deng Yuntai had negotiated the purchase prices for various goods and was just waiting for the renovation of the second floor to be completed before he could start buying the goods.

After making these preparations, Deng Yuntai and his wife went to discuss with his father how many employees they should hire for the supermarket.

"Father, how many employees do you think we should hire for the supermarket?" Deng Yuntai asked.

Deng Shirong had already thought about this issue, but he did not give a direct answer. Instead, he asked, "What do you think is the appropriate number of employees?"

Deng Yuntai and Zhang Xiuping exchanged glances and replied, "I think we need a few people to handle the cash register, a few to arrange the goods, a few to watch over the goods and prevent theft, and a few to maintain order. Altogether, I estimate we need about fifteen to sixteen employees."

Deng Shirong shook his head. "Not enough!"

Zhang Xiuping followed up, "Father, which areas do you think are understaffed?"

Deng Shirong said, "Every area is understaffed. We need at least ten people to handle the cash registers, and we also need people to manage the goods, maintain order, clean, weigh items, and so on. In total, we need at least forty employees to barely manage."

Deng Yuntai and Zhang Xiuping were both shocked. To them, fifteen to sixteen employees already seemed like a lot, especially considering how many employees their hotel had. They never expected their father to suggest forty employees, which seemed incredible.

Deng Yuntai could not help but ask, "Father, if we hire forty employees, the monthly wages alone will amount to more than a thousand yuan. Isn't that a bit too high a cost?"

Deng Shirong replied, "If the supermarket is managed properly, it will be even more profitable than the hotel. The thousand yuan in employee wages is not a big deal. If it is not managed well, even if the employee wages are only a hundred yuan, we won't make much money."

In the future, supermarkets won't need so many employees, but this era is different from the future.

For one, the speed of checkout is vastly different. In the future, a cashier can quickly scan the barcodes of items with a scanner, and customers can pay with WeChat or Alipay, making the process very fast.

However, in this era, even computers are not widely available, and many merchants still use traditional abacuses, which are much slower. Additionally, since cash is used, the process of receiving and giving change takes a lot of time, making it much slower compared to the future.

Another aspect is theft prevention. No matter the era, there will always be troublemakers. Expecting all customers to have high moral standards is unrealistic. Even with surveillance cameras in the future, theft cannot be completely prevented, so in this era, it can only be managed by having people watch over the goods to minimize theft.

Furthermore, weighing items is another issue. In the future, medium-sized supermarkets only need one or two weighing stations, but in this era, without sealing equipment, items that need to be weighed must be taken to the cash register to be weighed and calculated on the spot.

Given these factors, it is normal to have more employees than in the future.

This is also one of the main reasons why Deng Shirong delayed opening the supermarket until now. Hiring so many employees was a risky move, and if he had opened the supermarket a couple of years earlier, a single misstep could have landed him in prison, which was no laughing matter.

Now, there is no need to worry, as the venerable Mr. Deng made a crucial speech at an important meeting last year regarding the employment issue. His advice was to hold off for a few years before reassessing the situation.

After this speech, hiring workers was no longer as risky as it used to be.

Deng Yuntai and Zhang Xiuping knew that their father considered issues more comprehensively than they did. If he said the supermarket needed so many employees, there must be a reason. They would understand once the supermarket opened, so they did not dwell on the matter.

"Father, should we recruit these employees from our clan or hire them from the outside?"

"Let's recruit them from our clan."

Deng Shirong explained, "This year, our clan's Deng neighborhood will be built. When clan members want to move to the city, they will need jobs. Just living without working is not acceptable. I want to lead the clan to prosperity, but I don't want to create a group of lazy people who just eat and wait to die."

Deng Yuntai nodded. "Alright, I'll think about it and recruit a batch of diligent clan members."

Deng Shirong hummed in agreement and then hinted to his son and daughter-in-law, "Once the supermarket opens, the hotel will be left to Ahzhen to manage. After she gets married next year, the hotel will be her dowry."

Deng Yuntai and his six siblings had a good relationship. As the eldest, he had already received the most care from his father. Now that his father was leaving the hotel to Ahzhen as her dowry, he had no objections and agreed, "Father, this arrangement is good. With this dowry, Ahzhen's status in her in-laws' home will be different."

Zhang Xiuping got along exceptionally well with her sister-in-law, Deng Yunzhen. Her daughter Xiaodong and son Dongzi had spent more time with their aunt Deng Yunzhen than with her. When she heard her father-in-law mention leaving the hotel to her sister-in-law as a dowry, she wholeheartedly agreed, "That's right. With this hotel, Ahzhen's status in her in-laws' home will definitely be high. And she will only need to manage the hotel without having to do other chores, which is quite good."

Deng Shirong smiled, "Don't tell her yet. I'll give her a surprise after she gets married."

After his eldest daughter got married, he would leave the hotel to her as a dowry, but he would keep the Beijing quadrangle house a secret for now. He didn't plan to tell any of his children about it until it truly became valuable. It was his trump card for the family.

Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "Alright, we'll keep it a secret."

Deng Yuntai chuckled, "Dad, since you've prepared such a good dowry for Ahzhen, what about Ahzhu? She's nineteen this year and will probably get married in a few years."

Deng Shirong confidently replied, "Don't worry about that. I've already prepared a dowry for Ahzhu as well."

The building in Nanning's Chaoyang Square, once completed, would have one floor reserved for his youngest daughter.

As for his eldest daughter, Deng Shirong wouldn't neglect her either. In ten years, when the internet cafe era arrived, the third floor of the Sufeng Hotel would be left to her to run an internet cafe. This way, the hotel and the internet cafe together would be just as good as the building in Nanning.

Deng Yuntai had just been joking, but he was surprised to hear that his father had even prepared a dowry for his younger sister. He asked, "Dad, what dowry have you prepared for Ahzhu?"

Zhang Xiuping was equally curious. She knew her father-in-law well; he treated all seven of his children equally. Since he had given the Sufeng Hotel to Ahzhen, the dowry for Ahzhu would definitely be no less impressive.

Hearing that he had already prepared it, Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but be curious.

"For now, it's a secret. You'll know in a couple of years."

...

Deng Changyuan and his three companions stayed in Guangzhou for three whole days before each of them returned to Bobai, carrying a bag of clothes.

After returning, the four of them, following the example of clothing stores in Guangzhou, hung the sample clothes on hangers, officially opening their clothing store.

Many of the styles they had chosen were not available in Bobai, quickly attracting customers. Additionally, their prices were relatively reasonable, and after a few days, their business started to pick up.

In less than half a month, the first batch of clothes was sold out, and the business was so good that the Ou sisters' eyes were almost squinting from smiling.

The first batch of clothes was a test, costing only a few hundred yuan. After deducting the cost of the goods and the travel expenses to and from Guangzhou, they made a profit of over five hundred yuan. Such a high income made the sisters extremely happy!

When the first batch of goods was almost sold out, the sisters sent the two men back to Guangzhou to restock.

By the time the first batch was sold, the second batch arrived just in time.

Within a month, the Ou sisters' clothing store had a profit of over twelve hundred yuan. This was still in the first month when their sales techniques were relatively inexperienced. After a month of practice, the sisters felt like they had undergone a transformation.

The increasing profits were foreseeable.

One day, the sisters closed the store early and shared the good news with Sister Ping.

Seeing that the young sisters had truly earned money, Zhang Xiuping was very happy and said with a smile, "Congratulations to the two of you. Keep up the good work. Not only focus on the customers in the county but also think about expanding to the townships. As my father-in-law suggested, you can supply clothes to township clothing stores or stalls, both retail and wholesale. Your income will definitely increase even more."

Ou Guohua nodded and smiled, "Sister Ping, we need to take it step by step. We'll consider expanding to the townships after we stabilize our customer base in the county."

Zhang Xiuping agreed, "I just mentioned it. You need to decide when to make the move."

"Who would have thought a few years ago, when we were still at our parents' house, that we would have such a life today!"

Ou Guofang looked at Zhang Xiuping with a sense of gratitude, "Sister Ping, both Ahhua and I owe you a lot. If it weren't for your good marriage and the help you gave us, we would have ended up in some remote mountain village, living a life of toil."

Ou Guohua echoed, "Yes, if it weren't for you, Sister Ping, I wouldn't dare to imagine what my life would be like now."

Thinking about it, Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but feel grateful, "It's also our good fortune that we chose to eat at that noodle stall on that market day five years ago and met my father-in-law. If not for that encounter, our fates might have been very different."

Ou Guofang and Ou Guohua nodded in agreement. It was that casual encounter at the noodle stall that had completely changed the fate of the three sisters.

Moreover, it was fortunate that the three sisters had a deep bond. After Pingjie married into the Naye Village, they had done everything in their power to also marry into the same village, hoping that the three of them could stay together forever.

If they had not made such a choice, the distance and lack of communication would have gradually eroded even the strongest of bonds.

It would be uncertain whether Pingjie, after rising to prominence, would still be willing to help them as she does now!

...

Before they knew it, it was already the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

In the countryside of Bobai, every household had a taro field, which farmers referred to as a "treasure garden."

This was because farmers would interplant various vegetables and grains in the taro fields, such as cucumbers, loofahs, stone melons, green beans, soybeans, black beans, amaranth, leeks, mustard greens, celery, chicory, kale, mung beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, cooling herbs, cowpeas, scallions, and garlic.

In short, almost all the vegetables and grains that farmers consumed could be grown in the taro fields.

In Bobai, the planting area and yield of taro were second only to sweet potatoes among all the miscellaneous grains.

Every year in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, farmers across the county would start cutting taro shoots to make one of the most famous pickled vegetables in Bobai.

There are two methods of pickling taro shoots in Bobai: with the skin on or with the skin off.

The more common method is to peel the taro shoots. These can be cooked with fermented black beans and chili peppers, making a very delicious pickled dish, as shown in the following image:

This image is just for reference to give you an idea.

In addition to cooking with chili peppers and fermented black beans, taro shoots can also be used to cook small fish caught from the river, which can be very tasty if done well.

Taro shoots with the skin on are usually pickled with a sweet and sour or sweet and sour spicy flavor, as shown in the following image:

Regardless of the method, well-prepared taro shoots are very refreshing, perfect for serving with congee and can be considered one of the two most famous pickled vegetables alongside pickled mustard greens.

Deng Shirong used to make these pickled vegetables, but since he was reborn, he no longer tilled the fields or planted crops.

However, even though Deng Shirong no longer farmed, his family's supply of miscellaneous grains and pickled vegetables was more abundant than ever, as relatives and clan members were eager to send him various grains and pickled vegetables.

Once everyone had pickled their taro shoots, the lychees and watermelons also began to ripen.

Now, most of the Naye Deng clan had planted lychee trees, but only the Naye Village had started to harvest. The other villages' clansmen, who had planted their trees later, were not yet ready to harvest this year, and their main source of income from the hills was the cultivation of watermelons.

Currently, both lychees and watermelons were still being purchased by the supply and marketing cooperatives. Although the rise of individual businesses had somewhat impacted the cooperatives, in the 1980s, the supply and marketing cooperatives were still an unshakable giant. Their sales channels were even better than those of department stores, let alone other entities.

Therefore, the large yield of watermelons from the entire Bangjie area could be easily absorbed by the supply and marketing cooperatives.

As lychees and watermelons started to be sold, the sweet potatoes planted in the paddy fields also yielded a bountiful harvest, and the entire Naye Deng clan was filled with joy.

In contrast, farmers in other areas were frowning so deeply that they could crush flies.

This year, the early rice they planted had suffered severe pest and disease damage. In previous years, the golden rice fields at this time of year would bring a sense of security. However, this year, the barren fields filled them with a heavy heart.

Grain has always been the foundation of farmers.

It was 1985, and the Naye Deng clan, led by Deng Shirong, had undergone significant changes compared to the previous life. However, farmers in areas farther from Bangjie Village still lived similarly to the past, with relatively tough lives.

In such a situation, a severe reduction or even complete failure of the early rice harvest was a disaster on top of a disaster.

But what could they do in the face of such a natural disaster!

The Naye Deng clan, with over three thousand members, had intermarried with various towns and villages across the county. Initially, everyone thought it was just a localized phenomenon, so they did not discuss it much, as such things had happened before.

However, as more and more Naye Deng clan wives talked to their families, they realized the situation was more serious than they thought.

"This year, I don't know what's going on, but the rice in my hometown has been completely eaten by bugs!"

"Really? The same thing happened in my hometown too. The early rice in the village got sick, and there were a lot of bugs. When I went back to my hometown, everyone was sighing and very worried."

"My goodness, the same thing happened in my hometown too. I thought it was a special case, but hearing you say this, it seems the situation is quite severe!"

"..."

As the Naye Deng clan wives mentioned this during their chats, they discovered that their hometowns had all suffered severe pest and disease damage, leading to a significant reduction in rice yields, with some areas experiencing a complete failure.

If it had only been one or two villages, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but after exchanging information, they realized that all the villages were experiencing the same issue. This confirmed that the pest and disease damage to the early rice crops had spread throughout the entire county.

Such a significant event naturally spread quickly throughout the Naye Deng clan.

"My goodness, we're so lucky we followed the clan leader's advice and planted sweet potatoes instead of rice this year, or we would have worked in vain!"

"Indeed, having a clan leader like Ninth Uncle is truly a blessing from our ancestors!"

"To be able to avoid such a widespread disaster, it seems our Naye Deng clan is truly starting to have good fortune!"

"Ultimately, it's because we have a good clan leader. In the past, the clan leader, based on the wisdom passed down by our ancestors, knew that there was a high possibility of extremely cold weather in a certain year, so he gave us early warnings, ensuring that not a single cow in Bangjie froze to death.

Now, thanks to the clan leader's advice, we have successfully avoided this disaster.

We can say that the life we live today is all thanks to the clan leader."

"Indeed, people of other surnames are now very envious of us for having a clan leader like Ninth Uncle!"

"..."

In their discussions, the Naye Deng clan members inevitably mentioned Deng Shirong, their clan leader, which further elevated his already high prestige.

While the lychees and watermelons were being harvested, Deng Shirong also traveled to the Lingjiao region to start receiving the pineapples from Ding Qiang.

The fruiting period of pineapples is relatively long, starting from May and lasting for several months.

Since Deng Shirong always leaves for Beijing in July after the longan harvest, he planned to continue acquiring pineapples until July.

From the fifth month of the lunar calendar to July, over a period of nearly three months, Deng Shirong acquired a total of 836 tons of pineapples, 1209 tons of ground pineapples, and 274 tons of Shixia longans.

The acquisition price for pineapples was 0.16 yuan per pound, with a total cost of 267,520 yuan for 836 tons.

The acquisition price for ground pineapples was 0.1 yuan per pound, with a total cost of 241,800 yuan for 1209 tons.

The acquisition price for longans was 0.3 yuan per pound, with a total cost of 164,400 yuan for 274 tons.

The total expenditure was 673,720 yuan.

This acquisition left Deng Shirong with only a little over 1.08 million yuan in cash.

...

Beijing.

Deng Yunheng, who had just graduated from university, arrived at a central department with great excitement.

This department, composed of eight units including national planning, economy, labor, materials, and statistics, is known in the future as the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

After a conversation with his father and consultations with his mentor and influential alumni like Li Haibo (1981-1984 Peking University Student Union Chairman), he ultimately chose this department. This was the starting point of his career, and how far he could go in the future would depend on his abilities and luck.

...

On the train from Nanning to Beijing, Deng Shirong was thinking about his second son's career.

Among his seven children, his eldest son had a well-planned route for operating a chain of supermarkets. With his eldest son's mature and steady personality, as long as he didn't rush and operated honestly and methodically, he should have a successful future with a net worth of over a billion yuan.

His eldest daughter would have the Sufeng Hotel and an internet cafe, and he would continue to support her as needed, ensuring she could live a wealthy life.

His youngest daughter also had a good plan, and her future would be comfortable.

His third son, in his previous life, pursued a political career. Despite only having a vocational school education and no background, he managed to enjoy a full-level administrative position by the time he retired, demonstrating his political acumen.

In this life, influenced by his family and his second son, his third son's academic performance was much better than in his previous life. With a higher degree, he would enter the political field and would definitely not fare worse than in his previous life.

In other words, his third son would at least reach a full-level administrative position, and if he seized opportunities, his future prospects were limitless.

His fourth and youngest sons also had well-planned paths, ensuring they would have very good development in the future.

In short, these children didn't need Deng Shirong to worry about them.

The only one who made it difficult for Deng Shirong not to worry was his second son, who had chosen a political career.

After all, in his previous life, his second son was a genuine professional gambler.

Fortunately, the only consolation for Deng Shirong was that, while his second son had taken the path of gambling, he was a professional gambler, fundamentally different from a degenerate gambler like Deng Changqi (the neighbor who cut off his finger).

The specific details are not elaborated here, but in essence, there is a fundamental difference between the two.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end