Chapter 135 - 110: Inspecting the Company
Chapter 135: Chapter 110: Inspecting the Company
Ning He noted that in the new trays, the spacing between seedlings was much wider, clearly to allow room for growth.
"The lights here seem different?"
Unlike the high-intensity white incandescent light she might have expected, the light strips close to the plants on each shelf were fitted with small, round bulbs that emitted a multicolored, spectrum-like glow.
"That’s right. We use the most expensive adjustable-spectrum LED lights on the market. They can provide different light sources based on the plant’s needs at various growth stages and effectively shorten maturation time. Take lettuce, for example. In a natural environment, it needs at least 70 days to grow. Here, we can harvest it in just 28. However, this type of lighting requires purchasing expensive spectrum programs, and the one we have is only suitable for lettuce and other leafy greens. Leafy greens have the lowest profit margins and the fiercest competition on the market, which is why our production line has always been on the brink of unprofitability."
’This information was obviously a core company secret. For him to share it with me, he must be holding nothing back.’
"Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind."
Li Ou smiled. "Our company is actually pretty good. All our food is produced according to standards; it’s completely non-toxic and harmless. The problem is that the Beiluo City Food Chamber of Commerce has a protectionist policy for local industries, so our utility costs are significantly higher, making it impossible for us to compete. If you take over, that probably won’t be an issue for you. But, as I said before, leafy greens have the lowest profit margins, so it’s hard to make a fortune. Additionally, when accidents happen, our company is given low priority, which means a higher risk of losses. As for the reasons why..."
Li Ou paused. "I should probably let Julie explain that part."
Julie looked at Ning He. "I’ll explain it to you later."
Ning He nodded with understanding.
’There’s definitely some shady business going on that’s hard to talk about openly.’
After touring the nursery room, they took a walk through the main production floor.
It wasn’t that large, but the yield per unit of area was incredibly high. The 300-square-meter facility could produce over one hundred tons of vegetables a year.
Just as Julie had said, this world’s hydroponic technology was already highly advanced.
Compared to traditional agriculture, that figure was dozens of times higher.
However, according to Li Ou, their company also had to turn over twenty tons of "security grain" to the authorities each year as a tax, which was used to produce ration powder.
’Add in all the other costs and the high price of utilities, and there really isn’t much left over.’
’No wonder they’re trying to sell the place.’
As they were leaving, Ning He gave Li Ou a few coupons for her restaurant to thank him for his hospitality.
When he saw the three words "Heqi Chinese Restaurant" on the coupons, Li Ou’s face lit up with pleasant surprise.
"So you’re the owner of Heqi Chinese Restaurant! I can’t believe I’m meeting you like this. I took my wife and daughter there once—your cuisine is absolutely fantastic!"
"Haha, you’re too kind!" Ning He said, scratching her head with a wide grin.
"Well, in that case, I sincerely hope you become this factory’s next owner. To be honest, other potential buyers have already toured the facility and made offers, but they were trying to lowball us pretty hard, so corporate headquarters never accepted. If you like the place, I can find out what their low offer was. As long as you bid slightly higher, I’m confident you can seal the deal."
"Li Ou, that’s insider trading!" Julie couldn’t help but exclaim, reminding him in a hushed voice.
Li Ou, however, wasn’t nervous at all.
"There’s no one else here. Besides, I was the one who gave those other people their tours. It’s perfectly plausible I ’accidentally’ let something slip. They won’t be able to trace it back to me."
Julie breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that’s good. Thank you, Li Ou. We’ll give it some serious thought."
After taking the elevator back to ground level, Julie asked for Ning He’s opinion.
"It looks pretty good. If I take it over, it seems like it wouldn’t require too much of my attention. But what did Supervisor Li Ou mean about ’priority’?"
Julie checked the time.
"Let’s head to the next location. I’ll explain on the way."
The three of them got into the car, and Julie began her explanation.
"Among Beiluo City’s natural disasters are extreme temperature events. Even a meter-thick concrete wall can’t withstand such drastic temperature swings, so nearly all food production facilities are built underground. They’re also all connected to the shelters. That way, even in an extreme scenario, we could continue to survive in the shelters for a long time."
"But this also means all production is highly dependent on the stability of water and power. This is the biggest drawback of hydroponics. If there’s a power or water outage that lasts for more than a few hours, all the plants will die from root rot caused by a lack of oxygen. Consequently, if a severe natural disaster causes a utility failure and the authorities can’t make timely repairs, the food companies face catastrophic losses."