Wild 1979: From Fishing and Hunting to Becoming a Literary Master

Chapter 128 Soren Merchant Guild

Having finalized the transportation method, Chen Tuo didn't let his guard down and instead went over the details.

"Section Chief Xiao, this can be done, but in the end, it will be Shui Lianzhu and the old Buick that get exchanged. What I mean is that we also need to make proper registrations."

"we?"

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Xiao Kai wanted to run away again upon hearing this.

Anything involving guns is never a small matter.

By allowing Su Dao passage, the responsibility for the rest of the journey falls entirely on the hunters in the mountains.

Even if one is not primarily responsible for being deeply involved, one may still bear joint liability.

"Yes! It's us! We're taking risks doing this, so the income must be used where it's needed, and the whereabouts of the guns must be clearly documented."

After saying that, Chen Tuo added that Su Dao had mentioned the flow direction on the mountain.

"Uncle Su Dao wants to use the grassland to exchange horses outside. We just need to know this ourselves, there's no need to remember it."

The scope of Su Dao's business, as described by Chen Tuo, is getting bigger and bigger.

Xiao Kai, whose mind was constantly preoccupied with the words "speculation and profiteering," wore a bitter smile.

Some things can be done conveniently.

But some things can't be done easily.

Treating Su Dao's transactions as legitimate business is not as simple as just saying "take some risks".

"Chen Zhiqing, I think this kind of business is fine to do once or twice occasionally, but to treat it as a career is not a good idea!"

Xiao Kai voiced his concerns, and Chen Tuo could only smile and explain:

"Section Chief Xiao, that's exactly what I was thinking! We should make as few guns as possible, but you should have connections with horses, hides, brick tea, and tuocha, right?"

For Chen Tuo, money was his source of confidence, whether it was in the late 1970s after the great upheaval, or in the 1980s and 1990s.

He plagiarized articles for money, and now he's getting involved in Su Dao's business for the same reason.

The longer the time frame, the greater the impact of money becomes, even to the point of affecting a person's life, death, honor, and disgrace.

Being poor not only lowers one's personal abilities but also one's ability to survive.

Being able to earn money outside of writing can also indirectly improve the quality of his work.

With his livelihood secured, he could write according to his own ideas, instead of writing just to get published.

"Chen, tea, like tobacco and alcohol, is a scarce commodity!"

Chen Tuo's words were simple, but Xiao Kai, who was listening, was stumped.

Fabrics, cotton, tobacco, alcohol, sugar, and tea were definitely the most sought-after commodities besides grains.

Although the supply is much more relaxed now, tea from the south is still the most sought-after commodity in the three northeastern provinces, simply because it is not produced locally.

"Section Chief Xiao, I'm talking about brick tea and tuocha, the kind of tea that can be fermented and pressed using coarse leaves. We're building up our inventory this year so we can place orders next year."

"Besides tea, I also want alcohol from the sugar factory; it's a valuable commodity there!"

When Su Dao mentioned border trade, Chen Tuo already had a series of ideas.

For light industrial products, the hunters and border residents of Sudao do not yet have the corresponding transportation capacity.

For small-volume foreign trade, brick tea, tuocha, and pu-erh tea, which can supplement vitamins, prevent sepsis, and aid digestion, are the best!

Besides that, it should be cigarettes and alcohol.

Chen Tuo didn't know much about cigarettes, so he didn't say anything.

But alcohol is definitely one of the best-selling commodities in the frigid Far East.

"Oh? We need to place an order? That requires a lot of capital!"

Hearing that Chen Tuo was going to go big, Xiao Kai's previous worries disappeared.

He worked in logistics, so he was most sensitive to scarce goods like tobacco, alcohol, sugar, and tea.

He can usually get an order for coarse tea done with just a phone call.

Alcohol is simpler; there's a Hongguang Sugar Factory in Nenjiang that produces 800 tons of sugar a day.

Further afield are the Heping Sugar Factory, Songha Sugar Factory, Acheng Sugar Factory, and Fanjiatun Sugar Factory.

Alcohol is a byproduct of sugar factories, not counting factories that import molasses from sugar factories and specialize in producing alcohol.

As long as Chen Tuo can come up with the money, he can make a phone call down the mountain and get a whole trainload of alcohol.

The biggest problem right now is that Chen Tuo and Su Dao don't have any money!

"Section Chief Xiao, money is not a problem. We can go to the grasslands, get guns, and trade them for horses. Then we'll have the money, right?"

After hearing Chen Tuo's story of getting something for nothing, Xiao Kai perked up.

"Chen, I can't guarantee the quality of the tea, but getting several thousand catties shouldn't be a problem! As for alcohol, there are plenty of sugar factories down there; we can produce as much as you need!"

Xiao Kai boasted, and Chen Tuo seized on his words.

He knew about sugar production from sugar beets in Northeast China, and he also knew that sugar factories produced alcohol.

In addition to sugar and alcohol, sugar factories also produce two byproducts: molasses and sugar residue.

He knew a little about the fact that these two byproducts could be used as animal feed.

Thinking of these two byproducts that could be used as animal feed, he also saw an opportunity to expand the hunter settlement.

"Does Section Chief Xiao have a good relationship with the sugar factory?"

"That's right! The deputy head of the materials department at the Hongguang Sugar Factory down the mountain, he's from Songling, he's my best buddy!"

No sooner had Xiao Kai finished praising Chen Tuo than his smile turned unkind.

"Section Chief Xiao, can you get your hands on some beet pulp from the sugar factory?"

"We can definitely get it! Most of the beet pulp from our five sugar factories here is sent to the state farms for composting. There are special train cars for transporting beet pulp."

Upon hearing that the sugar factory's beet pulp had been used as fertilizer, Chen Tuo raised an eyebrow and revealed an expression of "I knew it."

"Can't the sugar mills use this beet pulp?"

"We tried using pectin and cellulose before, but the yield wasn't good, so we put it on hold. Hey, Chen Zhiqing, do you have the formula?"

Chen Tuo specifically mentioned beet pulp, and Xiao Kai, not to be outdone, immediately grasped the key point.

"There's no way to extract pectin and cellulose, but there is a way to make animal feed, it's just..."

"Chen, the educated youth, we're all brothers, it's easy to talk to each other!"

"Is that so easy to say?"

"That should be easy to arrange!"

"Then let me talk about it. Compressed pellet feed can be used to feed pigs, cattle, sheep, and reindeer."

After Chen Tuo frankly revealed the compressed granular material, he then began to discuss how his situation was easily resolved.

"Section Chief Xiao, I plan to establish a Soren Chamber of Commerce. I want to exchange our compressed pellet feed technology for free reindeer feed!"

Finally, Chen Tuo mentioned the Soren Chamber of Commerce and also asked for free pellets. Only then did Xiao Kai realize that his "details were easy to discuss" had been said too soon.

"Chen Zhiqing, compressing pellets doesn't require much technology. If beet pulp feed is really going to sell, we'll have to provide a certain quantity..."

Government agencies are most afraid of these kinds of unsubstantiated promises; nobody knows how many reindeer there are in the Xingan Mountains.

A few hundred is fine, but what about a few thousand or tens of thousands?

The question remains about how to increase the number of animals to be raised.

"How about 10%? With the method of compression and dehydration, the sugar mill's beet pulp has two destinations: one is the state farms, and the other is the grasslands. This is a promising future!"

When it came to actually discussing the deal, Chen Tuo remained remarkably calm and objective.

Xiao Kai's friend is a deputy section chief down the mountain. If he really promotes the beet pulp pellet technology well, it shouldn't be difficult for him to be promoted to factory manager!

Moreover, Chen Tuo didn't need a long-term commitment; a short-term commitment would suffice.

Even during trial production and trial periods, it would be sufficient for the hunters' settlements in the mountains.

The reindeer population on the mountain needs time to reproduce; it cannot be achieved overnight.

With his Soren Merchant Guild, they had a year or two of free feed.

The reindeer herds on the mountain can then thrive in a positive cycle...