Chapter 108 - Harvesting Lingzhi
Tang Hao met Liu Yan in the manager’s office.
Liu Yan was in the middle of a phone call. She ended the call quickly and smiled drily at Tang Hao, “It’s another order. If the orders keep on coming in at this rate, the waitlist will be a few years long.”
“Sorry for the trouble, Sis Yan,” Tang Hao said while smiling.
“It’s nothing. The company has just started. It’s normal to be busy,” Liu Yan said, “To be honest though, I didn’t expect the product to move so fast. I’ve thought of aiming for stability first, but with so many orders coming in, it’s probably better to increase our scale of production.
“We’ll have to increase the acquisition of raw materials, production lines, and personnel so that we can increase our productivity.
“I’ve tried the weight-loss potion too. The results are amazing, so we don’t have to worry that the product won’t sell. The weight-loss segment of the healthcare industry is a big one, worth tens of billions. As long as we can establish a reputation, we’re projected to make a profit of several hundred million this year. If the supply can catch up with the demand, there’s no problem with hitting several billion.”
Liu Yan looked excited as she spoke.
Tang Hao nodded. “We’ll definitely have to increase our scale of production. I remember that there are several old factories next to ours. We’ll just buy all of them and expand our production lines!
Don’t worry about the paperwork; I know the town mayor.”
Liu Yan was slightly taken aback.
Soon, she understood what he was saying. She remembered Liu Dajun saying that President Tang was acquainted with Secretary Lin, and the formation of the company had received a lot of support from the provincial government.
“Alright, we’ll do that!” Liu Yan said, then continued as if she had just remembered something, “Right, now that our weight-loss potion has gained some popularity within the industry, we’ll have to protect the recipe. I won’t be surprised if some people are planning to steal our trade secrets.”
“Don’t worry about that. The scenario won’t happen. Even if other people manage to steal our recipe, they won’t be able to produce weight-loss potions of such potency. This product is unique to our company,” Tang Hao said calmly.
“Really?” Liu Yan was doubtful.
“Of course!” Tang Hao said confidently.
Liu Yan did not ask for further elaboration since Tang Hao did not provide it. She understood that Tang Hao had his own secrets.
Tang Hao prepared to leave after he exited the manager’s office.
“Hey, President Tang! Wait for me!” Han Yutong chased up to him.
“What are you following me for?” Tang Hao stopped walking, turned around, and looked cluelessly at her.
“I’m your personal assistant. Of course I’m following you.”
“There’s no need! You’ll just have to stay at the company. I’ll be heading deep into the mountains. Are you sure you want to follow me there? You can contact me in the afternoon if there’s anything.”
Tang Hao turned around and left after he finished speaking.
Han Yutong stood there dumbfoundedly with her mouth slightly agape.
It was the first time that she doubted her charm. Any other man who saw her would try to be acquainted with her. This guy, however, seemed to ignore her most of the time.
“Is this guy… still a man?” Han Yutong grumbled. She stamped her feet angrily when she saw Tang Hao leaving, then turned around and went back to her office.
Once at Dragonrock Village, Tang Hao went to the village council.
“Here’s the list of applicants, Lil Hao. Look at them, they’re all young people with a drive to succeed. What do you think?” Shi Xuenong, the village elder, handed Tang Hao a list of names.
On the list were villagers who were willing to work in the factory. Most of them were young people, though there were a few who were in their thirties and forties.
Tang Hao browsed through the list. He was familiar with many of the names. That made him at ease because he would rather work with people he knew.
“Alright. You can gather these people and send them over to the factory. Tell the guys at the factory that I recommended them,” Tang Hao said.
“Thank you!” Shi Xuenong breathed a sigh of relief and smiled heartily.
After that, Tang Hao went deep into the mountains to visit his ginseng garden and lingzhi plantation.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
The factory had been continuously expanding in scale and rate of production. The first batch of commercial products was soon ready for distribution across the country.
Advertisements campaigns for the Bizhi brand were launched across all forms of media.
In that period, Tang Hao also improved upon the formula of the aphrodisiac potion, which would become the second product of the company.
Tang Hao was not in a rush though, as the popularity of the company had not reached a peak yet.
After those five days, the first batch of ginseng and lingzhi had reached maturity. They had achieved a potency equivalent to a decades-old plant grown in the wild.
After harvesting the ginseng and lingzhi, Tang Hao planted a new batch.
On that day, he received a call from Master Wu. After more than a month of meticulous carving, the set of jade ornaments was finally complete.
Master Wu sounded very excited over the phone. In his words, the set of jewelry was his most outstanding piece of work thus far.
That afternoon, Tang Hao met with Master Wu at a café near the train station.
Master Wu looked extremely excited. “Come here quickly, Lil Bro Tang, you’ll definitely be satisfied,” he said as soon as he saw Tang Hao.
As he spoke, he indicated to Tang Hao the wooden box next to him.
After Tang Hao sat down, Master Wu opened the box. A ray of green light shone from within.
In the middle of the box was a necklace, surrounded by a ring, a pair of pendant earrings, and a bracelet. The reflected rays of green light were dazzling.
Tang Hao gasped when he saw that.
“You’re amazing! No wonder they call you Master Wu!” Tang Hao exclaimed, “This set of ornaments is simply perfect.”
Master Wu laughed heartily at the flattery. “A lot of the finished product depends on the quality of the jade. Right, here’s the remaining raw material. This set didn’t require much material, so you can still use the remaining jade to make more ornaments.”
As he spoke, Master Wu opened another wooden box. Inside it was a big piece of jade that had been cut.
“Remember to come to look for me if you want any custom-made jewelry,” Master Wu said while smiling.
“Of course, of course!”
Tang Hao paid the remaining fee, then they chatted for a while before they parted ways.
At night, Tang Hao had dinner with Sis Xiangyi as usual.
Sis Xiangyi seemed to have something on her mind. She was somewhat inattentive.
“Um… Lil Tang, are you free tomorrow?” She finally opened her mouth after hesitating for a while.
“I’m free! What’s up?” Tang Hao was a little surprised.
“It’s like this. My older brother is visiting me tomorrow.”
“Oh!” Tang Hao nodded.
Sis Xiangyi had mentioned her older brother before. He was a property developer in the Provincial City and had a company of his own.
“He… is bringing someone along with him. He says he wants to match me with another person.”
“Pfft!” Tang Hao nearly spat out the rice in his mouth. “Matchmaking?”
“Yeah! This brother of mine likes to make decisions for other people. He’s always on the lookout for a potential brother-in-law. He’s been talking about it, but I didn’t expect him to actually bring someone. I know that person too; I’ve met him before.
“I told my brother that I already have a boyfriend but he doesn’t believe me. You should come along tomorrow!”
“Alright!” Tang Hao agreed without hesitation.
He had an obligation to go to that meeting. He wanted to meet his future brother-in-law too.