dognovel Chapter 117 Everything costs money
Chapter 117 Everything costs money
He patiently explained, “Mom, I know what you’re worried about. But think about it, how much profit do we make from the corn and sweet potatoes we’re growing now? We don’t earn much money at the end of the year. But growing blueberries, although it requires some initial investment, once they’re planted, the profit is much higher than that of corn and sweet potatoes.”
"Besides, this blueberry juice already has a market, so we don't need to worry about not being able to sell it. Mom, please trust me this time, it will definitely work this time."
Looking into Li Mu's determined eyes, Jiang Xuefen began to waver.
"Alright, alright! I'll give it a try for you, but let's make it clear first, if it doesn't grow or you don't make any money, don't blame me."
“Your fourth uncle just gave us the land he used to have. We haven’t planted any seeds yet. Go and prepare it yourself, and plant the blueberries on that land.”
The piece of land at the edge of the village that Li Siming had seized had no time to be cultivated, and it returned to the hands of Li Mu's family.
Li Mu was a man of action, but planting blueberries was a first for him, and he didn't know where to begin. Blueberry seedlings weren't something you could just buy anywhere.
Now Li Mu looked at him and suddenly thought of someone—Young Master Zhao Dakai. Aren't his parents in the city? Maybe they know where to buy blueberry seedlings.
Li Mu pondered this in his mind and decided to go and ask Zhao Dakai.
Although Zhao Dakai is usually a bit of a playboy, he can still come in handy at crucial moments.
Moreover, Li Mu and Zhao Dakai have some connection, so it shouldn't be too difficult to ask him for help.
After making up his mind, Li Mu hurriedly ate lunch and headed to the city under the scorching sun.
Upon arriving in the city, Li Mu found Zhao Dakai's house according to the address he remembered. It was a three-story villa, decorated quite grandly, and in a very advantageous location in the bustling city center.
He deliberately parked his tricycle under the shade of a tree not far away, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then stepped forward to knock on the door.
"Who?!"
A slightly impatient voice came from behind the door.
Li Mu cleared his throat and politely replied, "Excuse me, is this Zhao Dakai's house? I am his friend, Li Mu."
The door creaked open as soon as he finished speaking, and Zhao Dakai looked at Li Mu with surprise: "Oh, isn't this Mu Zi? What brings you to the city? Come in and have a seat!"
Zhao Dakai welcomed Li Mu into the house, pouring him water as he asked, "Mu Zi, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
The interior was decorated in a simple yet elegant style, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls, exuding a refined cultural atmosphere. The sofa was soft and comfortable, and after Li Mu sat down, he felt much of his fatigue dissipate.
How are you considering what I told you before?
Li Mu was taken aback when he heard this, but then realized that Zhao Dakai was referring to the restaurant they had mentioned earlier.
At the time, he thought Zhao Dakai had just mentioned it casually, but he didn't expect him to remember it and even seem to care about it.
Li Mu smiled and said, "Brother Zhao, I've thought this through, and I think we can cooperate. However, I've come to you today because I need your help with something else."
Zhao Dakai raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What's up? Tell me."
Li Mu told Zhao Dakai about his desire to grow blueberries but his lack of knowledge about where to buy blueberry seedlings.
Zhao Dakai laughed and said, "That's easy! My parents have some friends in the city, they'll definitely know where to buy blueberry seedlings. Don't worry, leave it to me, I'll go and inquire for you tomorrow."
Li Mu was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Thank you so much, Brother Zhao! If this works out, I will definitely thank you properly!"
Zhao Dakai waved his hand: "Hey, what's our relationship? No need to be so polite. When your blueberries are grown, don't forget to save some blueberry juice for me to try!"
Zhao Dakai had eaten blueberries and strawberries before, but selling blueberries and strawberries was nothing new. However, growing blueberries and making blueberry juice to sell was a novel idea.
Although Zhao Dakai usually indulged in all sorts of pleasures, he was quite interested in this novel business.
"I'm going to the Lakeside Hotel for lunch tomorrow. Come find me there at noon and we can talk about this matter again, and also talk about the blueberry juice, to see if we can expand our sales channels."
Li Mu responded, feeling extremely grateful for Zhao Dakai's promptness. He knew that with Zhao Dakai's help, the matter of buying blueberry seedlings was settled.
Moreover, it would also be a good opportunity to discuss the sales of blueberry juice with Zhao Dakai, which would be killing two birds with one stone.
It was already dark when they returned to Lijia Village. Tao Qingshan told everyone in the village about the situation. The news he brought wasn't too bad. The people of Lijia Village didn't oppose the project; most of them were taking a wait-and-see approach. However, quite a few people were very interested in picking blueberries, thinking that it would be both a way to earn money and a way to pass the time.
After all, picking blueberries is much easier than growing them, and there's no need to worry about the sales of blueberry juice, so everyone is willing to give it a try.
Only young and strong villagers are willing to put in the physical effort to pick blueberries; the older villagers are busy in the fields and can't spare the time. However, they can do some light work, such as helping to select and wash blueberries.
Li Mu thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he said, "Okay, then Uncle Tao, you can arrange it as you see fit. As long as everyone is willing to participate, we'll try to distribute the work more evenly so that everyone can earn money."
Tao Qingshan nodded in agreement: "Then how do you think we should calculate the money?"
The cost is a major expense; it can't be too much or too little, and everyone has to feel it's reasonable.
"How about this: the wages for picking blueberries will be calculated based on the weight of blueberries picked each day, at 50 cents per pound. What do you all think?"
Upon hearing this, Tao Qingshan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Hmm, this calculation method is fair and reasonable. Five cents per pound is acceptable to everyone. But what about the people who make the blueberry juice? How will their wages be calculated?"
Li Mu thought for a moment: "Making blueberry juice is a bit of hard work. How about this, we'll pay you two yuan a day? What do you all think?"
Selling a bottle of blueberry juice only earns five yuan. If the labor cost for boiling the blueberry juice is too high, the profit will be less.
But if you offer too low a price, people won't want to do it, which is a real headache.
Seeing Li Mu frowning and remaining silent, Tao Qingshan said, "Muzi, don't worry too much about this. The people in our village are all honest people, and you are an honest kid. You won't treat everyone unfairly. How about this: we'll pay you one yuan and fifty cents a day for making blueberry juice. Everyone should be able to accept that."
"After all, although this job is hard work, it doesn't involve being exposed to the wind and sun like picking blueberries."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt somewhat relieved. He knew Tao Qingshan's prestige in the village, and with him mediating, things would surely go much more smoothly.
“Uncle Tao, you’re right. Let’s agree on this for now. You’ll get 1.5 yuan a day for making blueberry juice. Once the blueberry juice is sold, we’ll give everyone a bonus based on the profits, as an extra reward,” Li Mu suggested with a smile.
Tao Qingshan laughed heartily: "Haha, Mu Zi, you're such a sensible kid. Okay, it's settled then. I'll go to the village now and tell everyone about the wages so they can all rest assured."
After saying that, Tao Qingshan turned and went out to deliver the message to the village.
Li Mu stayed at home and began preparing for the production of blueberry juice.
"This bottle is also a big issue, and selling the bottles is also a problem; we need to think about it carefully."
Li Mu rummaged through his house and found several glass jars that used to hold pickles. They weren't very nice, but they were still usable.
He thought that once the blueberry juice was made, he would go to town to see if he could buy a suitable bottle.
In addition, you also need to prepare some seasonings such as sugar and citric acid to flavor the food.
Li Mu listed all the necessary items on a piece of paper and then began to calculate the costs.
"We need to buy blueberry seedlings, prepare baskets, build a big pot for boiling blueberry juice, and also buy bottles and seasonings. Everything costs money."