Chapter 143: Expansion Looms, Greater Challenges Ahead

In the early morning at Shanwan Village, the chimneys of the three factories were already billowing white smoke. Lu Qingshan stood in his own courtyard, watching the bustling scene in the distance, and felt a surge of satisfaction.

Two months had passed since the opening ceremony, and the three factories were like three untamed wild horses, with production capacity growing day by day and orders increasing each day.

"Dad, big trucks are coming over there again!" Xiao Xue shouted excitedly, pointing at the distance.

Sure enough, large trucks were queuing to be loaded. Dingxiang Food's jerky and smoked meat, Yuanqi astragalus oral liquid, as well as the mineral water and orange soda, had endless cargo to ship each day.

Lin Yue'e stepped out of the house, holding a thick ledger in her hand, her face showing unmistakable joy.

"Qingshan, guess how much money we earned in these two months?"

Lu Qingshan turned around, looking at his wife's rosy face, and felt a stir in his heart: "Tell me."

"1.85 million!" Lin Yue'e's voice trembled slightly, "In August and September, the three factories' revenue was 1.85 million!"

"1.85 million! The figure made Lu Qingshan pause in surprise. In his previous life, he could never have imagined that three factories in a tiny mountain village could generate such income in just two months."

"What about the net profit?" Lu Qingshan forced his excitement down and asked.

"After deducting loan repayments, workers' wages, raw material costs, and equipment depreciation, the net profit is 680,000!" Lin Yue'e said, her eyes brimming with tears, "Qingshan, adding our previous 650,000 of liquid capital, we now have over 1.3 million in the account!"

"1.3 million! The number silenced the air in the courtyard for a few seconds."

"\"Mom, is 1.3 million a lot of money? \" Xiao Xue asked, looking up with her little face."

Lin Yue'e crouched down, gently stroking her daughter's hair: "Xiao Xue, this money is enough for every household in our village to build a new house."

Xiao Xue blinked, nodding as if she partly understood.

Just then, Qian Jin rushed over in a hurry.

"\"Qingshan, good news! The pharmaceutical factory in Beijing placed another huge order, demanding our Jingyi Chinese Medicinal Materials Factory's astragalus, dangshen, and ginseng slices, worth 200,000 each month! \"

Lu Qingshan's eyes flashed with a spark: "It seems Old Yao's processing technique is indeed impressive."

"Not just impressive!" Qian Jin exclaimed, dancing with excitement, "The purchasing manager of the Jinan pharmaceutical factory said our processed Chinese medicinal materials are 30% more effective than market products!"

As soon as the words finished, Li Jianqiang also walked over from the direction of the factories.

"Qingshan, the situation at Dingxiang Food is even better!" Li Jianqiang said with a beaming smile, "Dealers in Shenyang, Changchun, and Harbin are all urging shipments, saying our jerky can't stay on the shelves in malls; as soon as it's stocked, it's snapped up."

"Snapped up?" Lin Yue'e said, somewhat incredulous.

"They really were snapped up!" Li Jianqiang grinned broadly, "Especially our beef jerky and pork jerky; city folks say they've never tasted such fragrant jerky. A dealer from Shenyang said he can sell 500 kilograms in a day!"

Lu Qingshan listened to these reports, and a surge of pride rose in his heart. Memories from his past life told him that good products never lack market, the key is to produce quality.

"How's Wang Ming's side?" Lu Qingshan asked.

"Don't even mention it!" Qian Jin waved his hand, "Yuanqi mineral water and orange soda are now the hottest products among the three factories. A dealer in Changchun says our mineral water tastes better than imported water, and the orange soda fills a market gap, being fragrant, sweet, and tasty."

"Can daily production keep up?" Lu Qingshan's biggest worry was this question.

"Now three production lines are running simultaneously; mineral water daily output is 10,000 bottles, orange soda daily output is 8,000 bottles, which basically meets order demand," Qian Jin counted on his fingers, "But if orders increase further, we'll have to consider expanding production."

"Expand production!" Those two words stirred Lu Qingshan's heart.

Just then, Zhao Yongnian hurried over, a hint of nervousness on his face.

"Qingshan, a few people arrived at the village entrance, saying they're a provincial inspection team to check our production situation."

Inspection team? Lu Qingshan furrowed his brows. Would an inspection at this time bring any problems?

"What kind of inspection team?" Lu Qingshan asked.

"Not sure, the leader is a middle‑aged man wearing glasses, looking very serious," Zhao Yongnian said with some worry, "They said they will check our production license, health license, and financial status."

Lu Qingshan felt a weight in his chest. With the three factories developing so quickly, it was bound to attract higher‑level attention.

"Yue E, prepare all the certificates and ledgers," Lu Qingshan said to his wife, "Qian Jin, go notify the three factories to keep production normal, don't be nervous."

"Qingshan, could there be any problems?" Lin Yue'e asked anxiously.

"There should be no problem," Lu Qingshan reassured his wife, "We have all the required certificates, and the finances are clear; what's there to fear?"

Even so, Lu Qingshan still felt a bit uneasy. After all, in these times, privately running factories remains a sensitive matter.

A few people arrived at the village entrance and indeed saw three vehicles bearing provincial government plates. Six or seven people stepped down, and the leader was indeed a middle‑aged man wearing glasses, looking very serious.

"May I ask which one is Comrade Lu Qingshan?" the man approached, his tone neither cold nor warm.

"I am," Lu Qingshan stepped forward.

"I am Deputy Director Li of the Provincial Administration of Industry and Commerce, this is Director Wang of the Provincial Health Department, and here is Section Chief Zhang of the Provincial Finance Department," the man introduced each, "We are here today for a routine inspection of your enterprises."

Routine inspection? Lu Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it didn't seem like a major issue.

"Leaders, please follow me," Lu Qingshan called warmly.

The inspection team first arrived at Dingxiang Food Processing Factory. Seeing the tidy production floor, modern equipment, and standardized procedures, the officials' expressions visibly softened.

"The hygiene standards are good," Director Wang of the Provincial Health Department nodded, "The production process is also well regulated."

"The production license is complete," Deputy Director Li checked the relevant documents, "There is no problem."

Next was the Jingyi Chinese Medicinal Materials Factory. Yao Bai'nian personally accompanied the tour, and the various processing techniques had the experts raving.

"The processing level is very high," Director Wang said in surprise, "Higher than many large pharmaceutical factories."

"Master Yao is the chief physician at the Provincial Chinese Medicine Hospital; his technique is unquestionably solid," Lu Qingshan introduced from the side.

Finally they arrived at Yuanqi Herbal Drink Processing Factory. Wang Ming gave a detailed introduction of the production process and formulas, especially the water source for the mineral water and the ingredient ratios for the orange soda.

"The mining permit and water source test reports are here," Wang Ming produced a thick stack of documents, "All indicators meet national standards, and even exceed many of them."

The inspection team members examined the documents carefully, their faces showing satisfied expressions.

"What about the finances?" Section Chief Zhang of the Provincial Finance Department asked.

"Lin Yue'e took out the ledger and gave a detailed report of the two‑month financial situation. Revenue was 1.85 million, expenses 1.17 million, net profit 680,000; every entry was crystal clear."

"How are the tax payments?" Section Chief Zhang continued.

"\"We pay taxes to the county on time each month; here are the tax receipts, \" Lin Yue'e produced a stack of invoices, \"We paid a total of 120,000 in taxes over the two months. \""

"120,000 in tax revenue! The figure made several members of the inspection team's eyes light up."

"Not bad, very good!" Deputy Director Li's attitude clearly became more enthusiastic, "A village‑run enterprise generating such tax revenue in two months is rare throughout the province."

"All leaders, let's have a simple lunch in our village at noon," Lu Qingshan invited, striking while the iron was hot.

"...," the few people hesitated.

At that moment, another vehicle arrived at the village entrance. The person who got off was Zhang Zhidong.

"Secretary Zhang!" Deputy Bureau Chief Li walked over with delight, "What brings you here as well?"

"I've recently decided to settle in your Shanwan Village, and I heard the provincial inspection team arrived, so I came to see the situation," Zhang Zhidong said with a smile, "How did the inspection turn out?"

"Very good, excellent!" Deputy Bureau Chief Li gave a thumbs‑up, "Comrade Qingshan's three factories are not only fully documented, but also well managed, with robust product quality, making them among the best village‑run enterprises we've seen."

Zhang Zhidong nodded satisfactorily, looking at Lu Qingshan, "Qingshan, it seems your efforts have not been in vain."

"This is the result of support from leaders at all levels," Lu Qingshan said modestly.

"By the way, Qingshan," Zhang Zhidong suddenly recalled something, "the province has a message for you."

"What message?" Lu Qingshan felt something stir in his heart.

"The provincial government has decided to designate Shanwan Village as a model for rural enterprise development across the province, and to promote your experience province‑wide," Zhang Zhidong said, excitement flashing in his eyes, "Moreover, the province is preparing to allocate a support fund to each of your three factories."

Support fund! The news made everyone excited.

"How much?" Lin Yue'e couldn't help asking.

"\"Each factory gets 500,000, so three factories total 1.5 million! \" Zhang Zhidong said with a smile."

"1.5 million of support fund! Adding the 1.3 million on the account makes 2.8 million of liquid capital!"

Lu Qingshan gazed at the three factories in the distance, his heart swelling with ambition. It seems Shanwan Village's development has only just begun.

But at that moment, Zhao Tiezhu rushed over in a hurry.

"Brother Qingshan, it's not good! A group from the city arrived, saying they will investigate our source of funds and even seal the accounts!"