Chapter 90: Order for One Hundred Thousand Jin of Eggs

Secretary, Luo Pangzi from Shuangliu Village is here looking for you again. Do you want to see him?

What's there to see? You already know his situation. If I could solve it, I would have done so already.

Then what should I tell him?

Just say I went to the county for a meeting?

Secretary, he's been waiting by your garage.

……

Zhou Zhengyang walked to the office window and glanced outside. Sure enough, a chubby guy in a red T-shirt was squatting beside his car. He knew he couldn't avoid him today.

Speaking of this Luo Pangzi, his real name is Luo Hongjun, in his forties, and he was the first household in Shuangliu Village to reach ten‑thousand‑yuan wealth. In the 1990s he worked in the south, earned some money, then returned to support his hometown's development, and set up a chicken farm in Shuangliu Village.

At first, Luo Hongjun's scale wasn't big; he raised a thousand chickens. The meat chickens and eggs sold in the county earned him about eighteen thousand yuan a year.

After Zhou Zhengyang took office, to cultivate a few models of wealth, he persuaded Luo Hongjun to expand the chicken farm's scale. He gave a bunch of policies and subsidies, increasing the farm from one thousand to twenty thousand chickens. He also used his connections in the county to open an additional sales channel for Luo Hongjun.

He had thought the expanded chicken farm would take off, but unexpectedly many officials in Qingshui County who shared Zhou Zhengyang's view were also running large‑scale chicken farms. After Luo Hongjun's eggs hit the market, sales didn't increase at all. The sales channel Zhou Zhengyang had secured was also canceled due to some irresistible circumstances.

Seeing the eggs pile up at home, Luo Hongjun grew anxious, unable to eat or sleep, and could only go to Zhou Zhengyang to ask for a solution.

Zhou Zhengyang tried several leads, but they were all snatched up by other townships closer to the county seat.

Left with no choice, Zhou Yang again approached the relevant leaders for help, but so far there's been no follow‑up.

In this situation, Zhou Zhengyang truly felt ashamed to meet Luo Hongjun. Just as he was at a loss, his phone suddenly rang.

"President Chen, long time no see. When will you come back to Panlong Town for an inspection?"

"I'll be at the town government right away. Secretary Zhou, are you free? Let me treat you to a meal."

"President Chen, as a guest from afar, I ought to play host. How could I let you pay? Today's meal must be on me!"

"Secretary Zhou, you're being formal. I'm also from Panlong Town. Let me treat you!"

"No, no, no. President Chen is a great benefactor of Panlong Town; this meal has to be on me. Here's what we'll do: drive your car to the entrance of the town government's reception hall, and I'll come out to pick you up right away."

After hanging up, Zhou Zhengyang's mood instantly brightened. He had actually thought of asking Chen Yang for help, but felt awkward bringing it up. He knew Chen Yang's agricultural products from Panlong Town were all hauled to Qingshui City and sold at a loss. People were doing their best to help the town solve its product backlog, and he felt bad letting them keep being the sucker.

However, since Chen Yang has come, take him to see Luo Hongjun. Even if no agreement is reached in the end, Luo Hongjun's side will at least have gotten an explanation.

Zhou Zhengyang first called to have the reception hall make arrangements, then tidied his attire and quickly walked out of the town government office building.

He waved at Luo Hongjun by his garage. When the man approached, he said, "Luo Pangzi, a big client is coming shortly. I'll give you a chance to meet him. Whether it works out depends on your ability."

"Thank you, Secretary! Thank you, Secretary!" Luo Hongjun gripped Zhou Zhengyang's hand, his eyes welling with emotion, repeatedly expressing his thanks.

Zhou Zhengyang saw Luo Hongjun's heavy expression and felt a bit guilty himself. But at this point, any comforting words would be useless; the key is to help him solve the sales channel problem.

He brought Luo Hongjun to the reception hall's entrance, and not long after a Range Rover drove up slowly and stopped right in front of them.

"Hello, Secretary Zhou!"

"President Chen, welcome back home!"

Zhou Zhengyang shook hands with Chen Yang, then introduced Luo Hongjun standing behind him: "This is Luo Hongjun, the chicken king of Shuangliu Village."

Chen Yang saw Luo Hongjun's worried face and immediately understood Zhou Zhengyang's intent. This was another attempt to push a seller onto him. Although he had no plans to expand his business into livestock yet, making more friends wasn't a bad thing.

"Hello, Mr. Luo. I'm Chen Yang, and I trade in agricultural products."

"President Chen, you're being too polite. I'm just a chicken farmer; I can't compare to a big boss like you. Just call me Luo Pangzi." Luo Hongjun had long heard of Chen Yang's reputation; all the vegetables and fruits in Panlong Town were sold through him. At this moment, his despairing heart finally glimmered with a hint of hope.

Zhou Zhengyang invited Chen Yang to sit in a private room on the second floor of the reception hall, while ordering the waitstaff to serve dishes and giving Luo Hongjun a meaningful look.

Luo Hongjun certainly understood Zhou Zhengyang's meaning. This was his best, and last, chance at self‑rescue. If he missed it, he'd have to go back south to work for wages.

"President Chen, I don't know if your company is interested in buying and selling eggs?"

Chen Yang had known Zhou Zhengyang and Luo Hongjun's intentions since he got out of the car. He was talkative and went straight to the point, asking Luo Hongjun: "Mr. Luo, are you having any difficulties?"

Luo Hongjun sighed and said, "I raised twenty thousand chickens at the start of the year, and they've already begun laying eggs. But the market's been poor lately, and I haven't found a suitable buyer."

Chen Yang asked, "How many jin of eggs do you have in stock right now? If the amount isn't large, I can help you deal with it first."

Luo Hongjun didn't expect Chen Yang to volunteer to help him; his heavy mood suddenly lifted. He said, "Right now we have twenty thousand jin of eggs in stock, and the farm still produces over two thousand jin per day on average."

Twenty thousand jin is still something Chen Yang can handle. After all, a supermarket in Xingcheng is about to open, and this side of Qingshui also needs restocking. Although eggs aren't very profitable, they're one of the favorite goods of ordinary people, making them a very suitable choice for promotions.

"I'll first order one hundred thousand jin. If sales are good, we can cooperate long‑term."

Luo Hongjun thought he'd misheard, stunned for a long while before reacting. He excitedly grabbed Chen Yang's hand, almost kneeling, and said, "Thank you, President Chen—you truly are my great benefactor!"

Chen Yang laughed, "Don't rush to thank me—I'm in business too. Let's talk price first."

Luo Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "The market wholesale price is 1.85 yuan per jin; I'll offer you 1.5 yuan per jin. How does that sound?"

Currently eggs in Qingshui City sell for 2 yuan per jin, while in Xingcheng they go for 2.5 yuan per jin. A purchase price of 1.5 yuan per jin, after deducting transport, labor, and storage costs, really leaves little profit.

"Fine, but you must guarantee good quality. If you ruin my reputation, there'll be no chance of future cooperation."

"President Chen, rest assured—I guarantee there won't be a single bad egg."