Chapter 88: The Modest Market

Li Fu arrived at the small market with interest. It was immaculate—vendors made every effort to wash their goods clean, and there was not a trace of the filth and chaos typically found in vegetable markets. Employees of Fuyun Technology, as well as their families, could shop here with confidence.

Li Fu had learned from the company forum that colleagues from the research department regularly conducted random inspections at the market. If anyone was found using gutter oil or selling counterfeit products, they would be expelled from the market immediately, and no one would buy from them again.

“Aunt Zhang, how much are the eggs?” Li Fu asked with a smile. The vendors here were all from the nearby villages, and Fuyun Technology followed a policy of prioritizing locals. As Li Fu glanced around, he saw many familiar faces, including Aunt Zhang from the neighboring Zhang Family Village.

“These are free-range eggs, just two yuan each,” Aunt Zhang replied, not recognizing Li Fu. Most customers here were recent university graduates, and Li Fu looked much the same.

“Two yuan each isn’t too expensive,” Li Fu nodded. He knew that free-range eggs at home usually sold for one and a half yuan apiece, so two yuan here was just a fifty-cent markup—not unreasonable for genuine free-range eggs.

Li Fu smiled and moved on, continuing his stroll. The market was strictly divided into several areas—agricultural products could only be sold in their own zone, snacks in another, and so on. There were dozens of stalls, each separated by wooden partitions, preventing disputes over space.

“Second Uncle, how are you?” Li Fu greeted a seventy-year-old man from his own village, who was selling free-range chickens and ducks at his stall. According to family hierarchy, Li Fu called him Second Uncle. The old man was known for raising chickens and ducks and was always hardworking.

“Well, if it isn’t Li Fu! Good, good, everything’s fine. Life is getting better and better. Thanks to you putting the company here in your hometown, all the villages around have benefited,” Second Uncle said, his face breaking into a smile.

“In the past, raising chickens and ducks meant hauling them far to the town to sell, and we could hardly get a decent price. Sometimes we’d take them back home unsold. Now, things are much better—the market is close, prices are good, and there’s never enough to meet demand. The only trouble is the strict hygiene standards—so many rules, so much to keep track of. We’re rural folk, not used to so many requirements. This company is yours, Li Fu, can’t you make things a bit easier for us?” Second Uncle was talkative and happy to share his current situation with Li Fu.

“Second Uncle, management is essential—without it, the place would be dirty and messy, and it would ruin the market’s reputation,” Li Fu said, shaking his head with a smile.

“Second Uncle, we need management. Without it, do you think your free-range chickens would fetch such high prices? Not long ago, Aunt Wang tried to sell some feed-raised chickens as if they were free-range. If Fuyun Technology’s staff hadn’t quickly removed her, competition would have made it hard for you to sell your chickens and ducks,” said Li Jia-liang from the neighboring stall, who was selling pork as he tidied up his stall. He was also from Li Family Village; he used to sell pork in town, but now he brought all his meat to the small market behind Fuyun Technology’s industrial park.

“Uncle Jia-liang, how is business now that you’re selling pork here?” Li Fu greeted him with a smile. It was just around ten o’clock, but Uncle Jia-liang’s stall was already sold out, and the stall was spotless. Li Fu remembered how things used to be in the town market—selling half a pig a day, sometimes not even finishing, and having to sell leftovers cheaply in the village.

“Business is great here—of course I sell pork here. This morning I sold a whole pig, and I’ll slaughter another for the lunch crowd, and another for the evening rush. Three pigs a day,” Uncle Jia-liang said, beaming. Since moving to the market behind Fuyun Technology’s park, life had become comfortable. Selling three pigs daily, he easily earned over a thousand yuan, and now his whole family worked for the business.

The market had only two or three pork vendors, all from neighboring villages. Whether for the company cafeteria or private buyers, people came here for meat, making business brisk and enviable to butchers from town. But they couldn’t get in—the market belonged to Fuyun Technology, built and managed under the policy of prioritizing locals.

“Pork sells well, but it’s trouble. These university students are demanding—no fat allowed, the meat must be cut precisely, and even the pig trotters must be spotless. It’s a hassle,” said Uncle Jia-liang’s wife as she busied herself at the stall. Though she complained, her face was smiling. She used to work at home, farming and gardening, but now she was full-time at the market.

“Exactly, the management is too strict, the hygiene standards too high. It should be relaxed a bit. Selling chickens and ducks means cleaning everything thoroughly, no water on the floor, no blood, and not even a feather blown away. It’s hard to get used to,” Second Uncle chimed in, nodding.

“If you find the management too troublesome, you could always sell in town—there are no requirements there, sell however you like,” Uncle Jia-liang laughed, shaking his head, and shot his wife a stern look. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! The management is for everyone’s benefit. Look at this market—clean and tidy, working here is comfortable.”

“I wouldn’t go to town. It’s far, the prices are bad, and it’s hard to sell anything,” Second Uncle protested, waving his hand with a smile. “It’s true, the management is a bit troublesome, but at least we’re dealing with educated people who don’t take advantage of an old man like me. They’re all university graduates—polite, straightforward, and easy to talk to.”

“That’s right! We do business honestly, follow the rules here, and everyone benefits. We’re happy, they’re happy, everyone’s happy!” Uncle Jia-liang laughed. Life was precious now, and he cherished it, strictly following all the rules. His stall was spotless, his pork thoroughly cleaned before bringing it in, and he never shortchanged anyone—getting expelled would be disastrous.

“Haha, you carry on, I’ll keep looking around,” Li Fu said, smiling all the while. What he saw before him was the very goal of his efforts—not only to change the backward appearance of his hometown, but to gradually transform its spirit as well. Even a small market could do so much.

Li Fu walked on, nodding in satisfaction, greeting familiar faces as he went. Many company employees recognized him and greeted him warmly, and Li Fu responded with a smile.

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