Chapter 483: Chapter 483

Jing Shu laughed irreverently, saying, "That settles it then. From now on, please convert my monthly profit share from Stone Garden into ordinary food and various living supplies, to be shipped directly to the Red Worm Factory for the people there to consume. As for the 1% share of profits you give me, please go to the trouble of calculating it separately and settling it in gasoline for me. I’m really short on energy lately."

She doesn’t need anything else? Qian Duoduo was surprised. Stone Garden’s output was already quite abundant, and the goods provided to shareholders during each dividend distribution were of the highest quality. Take Su Malie, for instance; she consumes the array of fresh vegetables she receives each month herself. There were also some eggs and milk—albeit in small quantities—yet still enough for a family to have a little each day. To put it simply, just the 1% monthly profit share from Stone Garden could allow a family to live a relatively happy life, even better than before the apocalypse. Yet Jing Shu wanted to exchange it for gasoline?

Jing Shu smiled and said, "My mother is the Director of the Agricultural Farm and is about to be promoted to Minister. My father is the head of the Breeding Farm. I’m the vice president of the Medicine Association. We’re also growing a variety of things at home and can’t even consume them all. We truly lack nothing."

Truth be told, while Stone Garden’s vegetables and domestic poultry were good, they couldn’t compare to the produce from her Magic Cube Space. Besides, gasoline was what Jing Shu really needed. With her large household and extensive operations, she had already used up a third of the gasoline and diesel she stockpiled before the apocalypse and later acquired from Qian Duoduo. Before the apocalypse, she used to drive around daily, filling up cars, and had managed to ’swallow’ (absorb into her Magic Cube Space) over ten cubic meters of fuel.

This was especially true for the unexpected gas-guzzler, the German MAN motorhome. To save fuel, she had specifically equipped it with four batteries and eight extra-large natural gas tanks. But now, living in the motorhome meant constantly needing heating, starting the vehicle for its electrical power, and so on. Her home also required electricity generation. It was foreseeable that her family would consume more and more gasoline in the coming years, while the world’s energy sources would become increasingly scarce. Naturally, she had to find ways to acquire more gasoline and diesel. Dıscover more novels at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱

"Hahaha! I had forgotten about that!"

"What about the synthetic meat...?" Jing Shu asked, narrowing her eyes.

Qian Duoduo fell back into thought and after a long pause said, "How about this: synthetic meat is indeed a breakthrough for Stone Garden, as domestic poultry is still too rare. Even if breeding is expanded, the vast majority of people still won’t have access to it. Currently, an ordinary meal in Stone Garden consists of aged rice and red earthworms. Of course, I have to consider the cost. I’ll research it first. If there’s a way to reduce costs, we can partner directly, instead of discussing selling the formula."

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "Partnership? You mean a profit split?"

Qian Duoduo nodded. "Yes, whether for domestic or international sales, it’ll be a seventy-thirty split; I’ll take seventy, you’ll take thirty. I’ll handle all the raw materials and sales channels, and you won’t need to worry about anything—just provide the formula and wait for your share of the profits. However... there’s also a risk. If the research succeeds, we’ll split the profits. But if it doesn’t and the costs are too high, I’ll have to abandon the synthetic meat project. If this were before, I might have been able to spare some attention for this synthetic meat you mentioned, but now... I’m afraid I don’t have the time."

Now it was Jing Shu’s turn to contemplate. Unsurprisingly, Qian Duoduo’s seventy-thirty split was quite generous. Normally, if he held the initiative, the split would be eighty-twenty, focusing on small but steady, long-term profits. But now, with Qian Duoduo offering a seventy-thirty profit margin, she would get a share of the profits as long as synthetic meat was sold, whether for one year or ten. And Qian Duoduo had to cover the costs; it wasn’t certain he would even earn his thirty percent after operations and material expenses.

"Deal. I’ll give you the formula," Jing Shu said. "However, I recommend two people collaborate on the research. Our success in creating the Red Worm Factory this time wasn’t a fluke; it’s undeniably connected to these two individuals. Both are highly capable and talented."

"Oh? Who are they?" Qian Duoduo inquired.

Jing Shu smiled. "My cousin, Wu You’ai, and her mentor, Chu Zhuohua."

"Fine. As long as they are capable, I’ll bring them on board. I’ll have Old Wang handle this," Qian Duoduo said.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you. Please convert all my dividends from the past six months into ordinary supplies and send them with the stones to the Red Worm Factory, starting tomorrow," Jing Shu requested.

The conversation with Qian Duoduo finally concluded. Qian Duoduo was very satisfied, and so was Jing Shu. The greatest accomplishment today was resolving the welfare and benefits issue for the factory workers. How much were Stone Garden’s 5% dividends worth? Calculated precisely, it was quite a lot. A person of Jing Shu’s status could receive hundreds of kilograms of fresh vegetables, dozens of kilograms of rice or flour, a couple of fish, enough milk for a family of three to drink daily, hundreds of eggs, as well as new clothing and bedding produced by Stone Garden, various pre-apocalypse seasonings, and other assorted living supplies. If these valuable goods were converted into more common ones, she could obtain even more, allowing some of the factory’s workers to taste the most precious food available in the apocalypse. To someone like Jing Shu, who lacked nothing, these items held little attraction—even less than the products from her Magic Cube Space or the live seafood brought back from the United States. But what kind of impact would these goods have on factory workers who could hardly find enough food to eat? It would surely motivate them to work desperately, even to the point of risking their lives!

So why was Jing Shu’s gain from this venture considered substantial?

First, she would use the 5% dividend to motivate the factory workers to take their jobs seriously; allowing a select few to enjoy these benefits would incentivize many others to scramble and work even harder for the same.

Secondly, Jing Shu planned to divide the factory’s profits into several parts. One part of the harvested red earthworms would be used to feed the remaining people.

Another part would be used to repay the loans with red earthworms. That was a stroke of genius! Repaying with grain would put Jing Shu at a disadvantage. The Government needed to feed more people, and a small amount of grain was insufficient. Repaying the loan with red earthworms, however, was different. It provided a stable food source that would significantly reduce the Government’s pressure. For Jing Shu, red earthworms were like free resources, so she wouldn’t feel the loss at all.

A portion of the red earthworms would be exchanged with Qian Duoduo for energy, solving the factory’s power shortage.

Another portion of red earthworms would be stored. This was to cope with the severe famine anticipated after the fourth year of the apocalypse. Exchanging them with the Government for other goods at that time would surely be very profitable.

Finally, the last portion of red earthworms would be sold immediately, not only to replenish the factory’s funds but also to generate income for Jing Shu. After all, Jing Shu just didn’t feel right without some Virtual Coin on hand.

As for sales channels, there was no need to panic. With only about a thousand factory positions available, the remaining people could be divided: some would collect rotten corpse insects and various other insects, while others would become salespeople. They could push small carts for retail or act as distributors to large canteens and even the Government. The key was to create value legitimately in every way possible.