The Black Workshop

In the early morning, before the sun had risen, Li Zhi was awakened by Dong Xiaorou.

Pointing to the bald man beside her, she calmly said, "This is my younger brother, Feng Liang. You can just call him Heizi."

Li Zhi assessed the man, estimating that he was at least 1.89 meters tall. His dark skin suggested a life spent by the sea, and his muscular physique resembled that of a bodybuilder.

He seemed honest and not the type to deceive or manipulate, at least based on his outward appearance.

Li Zhi nodded, smiling, and asked, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four!" His deep voice was quite resonant.

"What did you do before?" Li Zhi inquired.

"I served in the army for a few years, and then I went fishing with the villagers after returning." Sister Dong asked me to come and help you with your factory," Heizi replied succinctly, providing all the information Li Zhi wanted to know.

"Still, being a fisherman must have earned you a good amount of money." "Why did you come here?" Li Zhi began to ask, but Dong Xiaorou interrupted him, her expression stern and emotionless. "Fishing at sea may earn more than working with you, but it's also more unpredictable." While you may earn less here, it's more stable. Boss, I've brought him here. "Do you want to have a word with him?"

It was clear that she was implying that Li Zhi was asking too many unnecessary questions, but she didn't express it explicitly in front of her younger brother, preserving Li Zhi's dignity.

Li Zhi chuckled and said, "Of course, Manager Dong brought him here." How could I not use him? You can stay in the factory from now on. We've just started the factory, and there are only three of us. Let's start with a monthly salary of data-idx="2-4-0",000, and we can discuss bonuses later. Is that okay?

The latter part of his statement was directed at Heizi.

"No problem," Heizi replied.

It seemed that Dong Xiaorou had already briefed him on everything before he came, as they had discussed it the night before.

Glancing at the time, Li Zhi saw that it was still early in the morning, around 4:30. The docks were already bustling with people, and it was the busiest time of the day.

"Let's go to the docks to purchase goods!" Li Zhi declared. They had pre-sold a lot of fish balls the day before, and they needed to process them before noon, or it would be a problem.

They stayed at the docks until 6 o'clock, purchasing 600 kilograms of fresh fish, with Dong Xiaorou and Heizi helping to select the types.

"Fish is more expensive today, at 2.8 yuan per pound," Dong Xiaorou informed Li Zhi upon returning to the factory.

The difference in raw material costs was negligible compared to the tenfold profit margin of the fish balls. Additionally, Heizi's performance that day impressed Li Zhi, as he was strong and efficient, quickly earning Li Zhi's favor.

After a busy morning, the three of them packed the fish balls ordered by customers and delivered them to the village entrance, ready for collection. Li Zhi didn't bother counting the money; it was a matter of settling the accounts.

"Let's take a break and have some water!" Li Zhi suggested that since most of the pre-ordered fish balls had already been taken.

In the morning, while Heizi stayed in the factory, Li Zhi and Dong Xiaorou waited at the village entrance for customers to collect their orders. Dong Xiaorou had intended to bring the gas cylinders over, but Li Zhi declined, as he already looked down on the meager profits from retail sales. Bulk sales were the way to go!

"What are your plans next?" Dong Xiaorou asked while sitting next to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi could sense that this woman didn't actually dislike him. Although he didn't know what had happened to her, the fact that she had ended up in his hands today was also a kind of fate, wasn't it?

"What's next?" Selling fish balls, of course. Let's make our factory's fish balls popular nationwide and expand our factory! Li Zhi replied with a smile.

Dong Xiaorou furrowed her brow and calmly said, "Have you not noticed anything missing in our factory?"

"Missing something?" Li Zhi was puzzled for a moment, then tentatively suggested, "Are you talking about transportation?" We do need it. "I'll take Heizi to the city this afternoon to buy a pickup truck."

The factory indeed lacked transportation, which was very inconvenient, and Li Zhi had already noticed this. They needed not only a truck but also a few electric tricycles for short-distance transportation.

Dong Xiaorou shook her head. "No, we lack transportation, but it's not urgent." However, there is something else that requires your immediate attention and is absolutely essential.

"What is it?" Li Zhi asked.

Dong Xiaorou retorted, "You really don't know?"

Shaking his head, Li Zhi said with a bitter smile, "I have no idea." You're confusing me. Just tell me what it is!"

Dong Xiaorou rolled her eyes and said impatiently, "My dear boss, when you run a factory and produce fish balls, don't you need to register for a license, a production permit, a hygiene permit, and a fire permit?" "Maybe you can get away with trial production, but if you want to mass-produce, do you want to run an illegal operation?"

Slap!

Li Zhi slapped himself on the forehead. How could he forget such an important matter? The factory had not even been registered yet, and the fish balls they were producing were essentially unlicensed products. Even if he claimed that the quality and hygiene of the products were well-maintained, would anyone believe him? Even if they did, would the relevant authorities allow him to continue?

This "black workshop" was illegal, and it could be shut down at any moment.

Li Zhi was stunned. How could he have overlooked such a crucial issue?

"I'll go take care of it this afternoon. No, I'll do it now." "I'll have Heizi shut down the machines in the factory first," Li Zhi said, standing up and preparing to leave.

Dong Xiaorou reached out and pulled him back. "Why are you in such a hurry?" I haven't finished speaking. "Don't worry, we can afford to wait a little while."

Li Zhi was truly anxious. What if someone reported his factory and it got shut down? This was his only asset, and he was counting on the factory to turn his life around.

"In addition to registering the factory, we also need to establish a brand." The fish balls produced by the factory are positioned as high-end products, so we need to focus on both product quality and packaging. If we are going to sell in bulk, we will need our own packaging. Can we continue using plastic bags? "It's not classy enough," Dong Xiaorou explained, pausing briefly before continuing, "Let's have an important development discussion right here on the beach."