Chapter 62: What Is Needed is a Steady Stream

This account is not difficult to calculate.

Lu Hongliang can sell one or two hundred pounds of pork a day, earning around 8 to 10 cents per pound, though this is not fixed.

Even with the maximum possible sales, Lu Hongliang would only earn about ten yuan a day, which would be considered a lot.

As for the 600 pounds of pig offal, his purchase price is 36 yuan, and today he bought iron pots and basins, spending 18 yuan.

However, the pots and basins are a one-time investment and are not something that needs to be bought every day.

Excluding the kitchenware, today, he made a net profit of 164 yuan.

For his three brothers, he planned to give each of them 25 yuan per day, which adds up to 150 yuan per month.

As for his two sisters-in-law and his mother, he planned to give each of them 50 yuan per month.

After all, in this era, the wages of workers were only about 70 or 80 yuan a month.

They only need to work for three hours a day, and in one month, they would earn the equivalent of two workers’ wages, which is not a small amount.

These arrangements had all been discussed in advance.

The three brothers not only had to help at home with the pig offal, but also assist with selling the goods.

The 150 yuan a month was already the highest possible wage.

Naturally, the three brothers were more than happy to help.

If it weren’t for Lu Hongliang’s business, where else could they earn 150 yuan a month?

150 yuan a month—no one would even dare to dream of such an amount, and if they said it out loud, no one would believe them.

In the current situation, being able to support a family and have meat to eat every few days was something others would envy.

After all these expenses, Lu Hongliang was still making a net profit of over 140 yuan a day.

That’s 140 yuan a day!

Earning in one day what other workers make in half a year, Lu Hongliang couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.

As for meeting Su Niannian, Lu Hongliang felt like his luck had turned in his favor.

Lu Hongliang handed over the 300 yuan he had already prepared to Su Niannian, and Su Niannian counted it in front of him.

“Little Miss, I think the amount we sell every day could be increased a bit,” Lu Hongliang suggested. He felt that 500 pounds wasn’t enough to meet the demand.

There was a sense that the supply wasn’t keeping up with the demand.

“Brother Lu, it’s not that I don’t want to make money, but the amount of braised pig offal is just too much. Your supply is also an issue, and the pig farm’s production of offal probably won’t be too high either.”

“Moreover, considering the wages of the workers in the county, they probably wouldn’t be willing to buy braised pig offal at one yuan per pound every day.”

“Although making money is great, we also need to consider the current environment. If we take too big a step, problems might arise. What do you think?”

Su Niannian wasn’t saying she didn’t want to make money; she was just worried about the market becoming saturated, and at one yuan per half kilogram, not everyone could afford it.

After hearing Su Niannian’s words, Lu Hongliang’s eyes shifted as he realized that she was right.

A single pig could only produce 13 to 18 kilograms of offal. The pig farm in the county wasn’t small, but it still supplied pork to the market.

However, according to Lu Hongliang’s understanding, the farm could only slaughter about ten or so pigs a day.

Even if he wanted to get more pig offal, the pig farm probably wouldn’t have enough to sell.

Moreover, while braised pig offal was delicious, not many families would be willing to buy it every day at one yuan per pound.

Occasionally buying some to satisfy a craving was fine, but if the farm were really expanded, it would soon become saturated.

“You’re right; it’s better to go with the steady, long-term approach like you said,” Lu Hongliang said, realizing the wisdom in Su Niannian’s words.

“You’re really sharp. I was just thinking about making more money,” he added, scratching his head a little embarrassed.

Su Niannian smiled and handed the basket to Lu Hongliang.

Once Lu Hongliang took it, he immediately felt its weight.

He thought to himself, this little girl may look thin and fragile, but she’s strong. This basket must weigh at least forty or fifty pounds.

“Inside, there are thirty bottles of sauce and thirty packets of seasoning. It’s enough for three days.”

“In the future, I’ll come to deliver the seasoning and sauce every three days,” Su Niannian said, planning to stick to that schedule. If the cooperation went smoothly, she planned to deliver the seasoning once every five days or a week.

“Alright, then I’ll settle up with you in three days,” Lu Hongliang said, naturally having no objections.

Su Niannian’s cooperation with him really showed how much trust she had in him.

Moreover, this business was full of enthusiasm and potential.

Every day, the money was flowing in—pure cash.

If things kept going like this, he felt that his family’s good days were just around the corner.

“By the way, little Miss, I’ve already contacted someone to buy the grains and vegetables,” Lu Hongliang said, handing the seasoning to his brother at the meat stall, rubbing his palms together. “If the quality is really good, he said he can offer a bit more money, even above the market price, as long as there’s a large quantity.”

“Yes, we do have enough. We can go check the grains and vegetables right now,” Su Niannian replied.

“That’s great. I’ll call Old Qian over right now.”

Before long, Lu Hongliang brought out a middle-aged man from a narrow alley in the black market.

The middle-aged man appeared somewhat overweight, with a round belly and slightly thinning hair. When he smiled, he had a somewhat naive and endearing expression.

Old Qian was quite a veteran in the black market, with connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles. As a result, his business was on a larger scale. He had quite a few subordinates following him, and he was generous in nature. He was also an old acquaintance of Lu Hongliang.

Lu Hongliang introduced Su Niannian to Old Qian, ensuring a win-win situation for both parties.

Old Qian could afford to pay the price, while Su Niannian would provide a large supply of goods, helping him secure a bigger share of the market.

With Old Qian’s connections, which were not constrained by the limitations of ordinary people, they could definitely grow the business even further.

“Such a young girl,” Old Qian remarked, surprised. He had heard from Lu Hongliang that the one selling grain and vegetables was a young girl, but he hadn’t expected her to be so young.

She looked no older than eighteen or nineteen.

For a moment, Old Qian hesitated. Could such a young girl really have as much goods as she claimed?

“Just call him Old Qian, like I do,” Lu Hongliang said, giving Old Qian a stern look.

“Isn’t that a bit impolite?”

Though Su Niannian had a pleasant voice, Old Qian wasn’t bothered by the question of politeness.

In their line of work, as long as there’s money to be made, he didn’t care about things like formalities.

“Just call me Old Qian, that’s fine.”

“Alright, let’s go see the goods now.” Su Niannian didn’t dwell on the issue, after all, it was just a matter of how to address someone.

She also felt that calling him “Uncle Qian” or something similar would make their relationship seem too familiar.

Although Old Qian thought Su Niannian looked quite young, because of Lu Hongliang’s introduction, he had already prepared a truck in advance.

Being able to bring a truck to a place like the county town showed that Old Qian was indeed a powerful figure in the black market.

Following Su Niannian’s directions, the truck soon stopped outside the house she had rented.