1282 I Cannot Shortchange My Brothers
“I can give you this,” Qiao Mei said as she held up two fingers.

“You…” Before Director Qiao could finish speaking, Qiao Mei continued, “I know you definitely have a way to give me half, but I won’t make things difficult for you. I won’t ask for much, how about one quarter? I still offer the same price. It’s much more suitable for you to work with me than those people.

One quarter was still too much. His biggest concession was to give Qiao Mei pig offal from 20 pigs a day. He could not give her any more than that.

Qiao Mei considered for a moment and then agreed. An amount of 20 pigs was not a small number and it would guarantee a supply of fresh offal if she sent someone to pick it up every day. She would feel much more at ease with using fresh ingredients. It just meant that if she wanted to expand this business, she would still have to wait another year or two!

They needed some form of agreement to seal the deal. However, they did not sign a written agreement. Instead, they took Director Qiao’s name stamp with them. They would return it tomorrow when they came to collect the pork.

After the first deal was done, everything else could be easily resolved. They would be in the same boat and bound together.

On the way back, Qiao Mei sat in the front passenger seat and hummed a tune. It had been a long time since Xia Zhe had seen Qiao Mei so happy. It seemed that this little girl was really addicted to doing business.

“What do you plan to do with these things when you get them? Are you going to process them yourself?” Xia Zhe asked.
“My mother knows how to make the sauce now, so I’ll just leave it to her. Didn’t you say Elder Brother Chi knows how to drive? I plan to get Eldest Brother to get me a small van. Elder Brother Chi can then go to Director Qiao’s factory every day to get the supply and then we’ll process it every night so that it can be ready for sale early the next morning,” Qiao Mei said.

“Shouldn’t we sell it on the same day? When the weather gets hotter, the food products won’t keep well,” Xia Zhe said.

Qiao Mei had not thought about this issue. Actually, she could use her ability to keep the temperature in a room at a constant level, but that would be too obvious. Their refrigerator and freezer were too small to hold everything they had. Moreover, if they really make use of electronic equipment, their costs would also increase.

What Xia Zhe said made sense and she did not have an immediate solution for it.

“I… I don’t know. Why don’t we try it out first and then talk about it later,” Qiao Mei said.

“The workers at Director Qiao’s place go to work very early. The people we saw are those who pack up the items. In fact, the people who process the meat work through the night. We just need to drive over to pick up the supply in the wee hours of the morning,” Xia Zhe said.

It was not as if he did not do anything during this trip. After taking a look around just now, he basically understood the general production process of the slaughterhouse. He knew very well how much meat could be produced every day and how much the workers were paid on average.

Even though Director Qiao secretly sold pig offal on the side, no one in the factory had reported him for such a long time. Everyone looked very content and it was obvious that Director Qiao had also allowed the workers to bring some of the pig offal home.

Qiao Mei also felt that this was a good idea, but it would then be tough on Chi Ze and the rest. They would have to clean up these pig offal in the morning and stir-fry seeds in the afternoon. In that case, their salaries would need to be adjusted.

“Wow! How do you know that! Why didn’t I notice anything?” Qiao Mei asked in surprise.

“It’s written on the noticeboard. You were so busy with Director Qiao that you didn’t see me chatting with the workers in the factory, so of course you don’t know,” Xia Zhe said.

“Your idea is a good one, but your three friends will have it tough. I wonder if they’ll be able to handle it.” Qiao Mei was a little worried about their health. She did not know if anything would happen to them if the work was so packed and intense.

“Why don’t I get a few more brothers to come over? Besides, you can set working hours for them. Their wives are all from the countryside and they’re all very nice people. Why don’t we get them to deal with these pig offal?” Xia Zhe suggested.

Qiao Mei’s eyes lit up. Xia Zhe’s idea was definitely more comprehensive. This way, not only could he ensure that his friends earned good income, he would also be able to ensure that they had enough time to rest.

In that case, the previous salary structure would not work anymore. Otherwise, it could cause big trouble. It was better to make sure that everyone was earning about the same amount. It would not be good if conflicts arose because one person earned more and another person earned less.

Qiao Mei wanted to take an impartial approach and not shortchange any of them.