Chapter 1670 Experimental Seeds
After Qiao Mei heard what Xia Wen said, she smiled happily. He could even get such a complicated thing done. It looked like Xia Wen had been thinking about a solution for a long while. He had probably been looking into it since she started selling seeds.
"Eldest Brother, do you think I'm able to do this? What if I don't do a good job and end up embarrassing the Xia family?" Qiao Mei asked with a slight frown.
"If anyone says that your seeds are unpalatable, then there really isn't anything better that we can find. Don't worry, no one has ever said the seeds are not nice after eating them. You just need to be in charge of production and packaging. As for sales, I'll find a way for you. We can buy as much as you can produce," Xia Wen said.
"Since you say so, then I'll do it! Don't worry, I'll definitely do it exceptionally well! I promise that I won't disappoint you!" Qiao Mei said confidently.
Xia Wen stopped to think for a moment and then said to Qiao Mei, "Is there any possibility of the seeds turning out to be empty inside? Or related to the quality of the seeds."
After all, the incident at the Zhao family village was a perfect example. He could not be careless about any detail. There could not be a situation where a portion of the seeds handed over to his superior ended up to be just empty shells. Since these were meant for export, it would be very embarrassing if such a thing happened!
It was a small matter for the Xia family to be embarrassed, but they could not cause the country to be embarrassed like this!
The quality control process for the seeds had to be strictly reviewed to ensure that nothing went wrong. There were many merchants who had indicated their interest to participate in this exercise, so it was already a violation of the rules for Xia Wen to appoint Qiao Mei directly. Fortunately, Qiao Mei's products were of very high quality, so it was something that he could justify.
"Of course not! Um… the thing is that I have some experimental seeds on hand. As you know, I like to cultivate flowers and plants and I do cross-breeding to create hybrids. The batch of seeds given to the Zhao family is the second generation seeds. By now, the current batch of seeds is already several generations post that batch and the nature of the seeds are more or less stabilized. However, I'm not a professional botanist after all, so it's still better to find some experts to specially cultivate them," Qiao Mei explained.
Qiao Mei could not be keeping an eye on the seeds planted in the capital all the time. She would ultimately be spending most of her time in the military family compound. The only seeds available now were those cultivated from the original seeds and the quality would only deteriorate with every harvest. Qiao Mei had to tell Xia Wen about these difficult issues. She would leave it to the botany experts to find a solution.
"As for the price, how much do you want? We might not be able to pay much, but we can consider giving you other benefits," Xia Wen said.
After all, he was negotiating with Qiao Mei on behalf of the government. He could not negotiate this business deal with Qiao Mei as her eldest brother in the Xia family. Everything had to be done professionally. He would definitely fight for the maximum amount of benefits for Qiao Mei, but there were many other principles which he could not compromise on.
Qiao Mei understood his difficulties as well. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, we can do it at the lowest price possible. I have to at least cover the labor fees and other costs. The price is something we can discuss."
"I'm relieved to hear that! I'll definitely apply for a reward for you! If there's anything you want, just let me know. I'll help you put up the request," Xia Wen said.
"Really? Then I want a house!" Qiao Mei widened her eyes and said expectantly.
Xia Wen shook his head resignedly and said, "Is that the only thing you can think of?"
"Actually, money doesn't matter. Money is at the bottom of my list at this time. What I want is actually the rights to operate the factory," Qiao Mei said as she looked at Xia Wen seriously.
What she said just now was only a test to see where Xia Wen drew the line. At the same time, she also wanted to know if Xia Wen was on her side.
Xia Wen looked at Qiao Mei appreciatively. Smart people could always grasp the key issue very fast. They could make as much money as they wanted in the future, but the rights to do business was not something that could be obtained so easily.
Qiao Mei's factory was still a private enterprise now, so the market for her to sell her products was relatively small. If she wanted to make more money, she had to work with the government. They could only do business over the long term by obtaining the government's support and becoming an enterprise that was highly regarded by the country. That way, they would become a national brand.
"Let me think about it. As long as you can do an outstanding job on this project, I believe the higher-ups will consider your request. Do up a proposal and I'll hand it over to them when the time comes," Xia Wen said.
"No problem! I'll give it to you soon!" Qiao Mei said.