Chapter 157 Water Tower
In fact, Xu Qiang has always wanted to produce some high value-added chemical products. Although fertilizers and soaps are very profitable now, the technical threshold is low after all, and there is no problem in making money in the short term. However, with the opening of national policies and more and more people entering this industry, Xu Qiang's fertilizers and daily chemical products will sooner or later face an increasingly harsh competitive environment, and the products will become less and less profitable.

So Xu Qiang wanted to make high-end chemical products. He mastered the formulas and processes of many advanced fine chemical products from his previous life, but he had always lacked the corresponding funds, technology and sales channels. As a result, he had a lot of skills but no opportunity to display them.

But now, Xu Qiang seems to have finally found an opportunity. With the increasing amount of his first pot of gold from selling fertilizers and soaps, he has a tractor generator and the corresponding site, as well as the procedures for legal operation. This time, Erhu also provided him with important business information. Xu Qiang can finally upgrade his industry to a certain extent.

According to different synthesis processes, indigo dyes can be divided into two categories: natural indigo dyes and synthetic indigo dyes. Natural indigo dyes are mainly extracted from the leaves of the genus Sophora. The output of natural indigo dyes is low, which is not enough to meet the growing market demand. In addition, there are no plants for making dyes in the area where Xu Qiang lives, so he can only choose to use chemical synthesis methods to make indigo powder. In this way, the raw materials are relatively easy to obtain and the output will be high.

In fact, the raw materials for making indigo powder are not complicated. They mainly include aniline, aniline acetonitrile, chloroacetic acid, ferrous sulfate, potassium hydroxide, etc., and some of these chemicals can be directly extracted from active substances such as peat.

However, the production process of indigo powder is somewhat complicated, and the requirements for each process are relatively strict. If there is a problem in any link, the indigo powder produced will be impure in color and texture and have poor adhesion. Therefore, if Xu Qiang wants to produce this kind of chemical product, he must have professional equipment.

"Uncle, what equipment do you want to buy?" Erhu asked.

"I need two temperature-controlled reactors, a set of water filtering equipment, and some other equipment... I estimate that this whole set will cost 20,000 to 30,000 yuan..." Xu Qiang said after thinking for a while.

Previously, when Xu Qiang was drinking with chemical expert Cao Liansheng in the provincial capital, he asked about the current prices of some chemical instruments and equipment. Although there are some fluctuations in prices due to differences in manufacturers and equipment, generally speaking, the deviation is not large.

"Twenty or thirty thousand yuan!?" Erhu was shocked when he heard the number Xu Qiang reported.

You know, these days, there are probably not many people with an annual income of over 10,000 yuan in the whole county. Such a huge sum of money is an astronomical figure in his eyes!
"This is still a conservative estimate. You need to go to the manufacturer to consult for the specific price." Xu Qiang paused and continued, "If we want to achieve industrial upgrading and make more money in our peat farm, these equipment are indispensable. And if we have more money in the future, we will need to buy better equipment."

"But where do we get so much money?"

Although Erhu didn't know how much money Xu Qiang could make, he was a veteran of this peat field after all. He knew how much humic acid could be produced every day and how much one ton of this fertilizer cost. Moreover, Xu Qiang had bought a lot of machines some time ago, including tractors, generators, pumps, etc. Although some of them were second-hand, he did not spend less money.

If it was just a few thousand dollars, Erhu estimated that Xu Qiang could afford it, but asking him to pay 20,000 or 30,000 yuan was absolutely impossible!

In fact, Erhu's estimation was correct. Xu Qiang really couldn't come up with so much money now. Some time ago, Wang Yongsheng placed an order with him and gave him 6,000 yuan at a time. Together with the cash he had on hand and the income from these days, the total amount was only 9,000 yuan. This amount was already quite astonishing in those days, but if he wanted to buy chemical equipment to produce industrial dyes, it was obviously still a long way off.

"I will find a way to deal with the money issue. You just need to go to these manufacturers according to the address I provided and inquire about the price of the equipment in person." Xu Qiang said.

Although the equipment is expensive, Xu Qiang still has to buy it, because now that the peat field has obtained legal operating rights, the increase in manpower and taxes will be a lot of money. Xu Qiang is no longer satisfied with a business that can only make two or three hundred yuan a day. He has long wanted to do a business with greater profits, so even if the investment is huge, he will find a way.

"Okay, I'll leave the day after tomorrow!" Erhu nodded.

"Let's go to the county town tomorrow and buy some nice clothes. See if there are any suits for sale. If there are, get one. After all, you'll be out there and you'll be the face of our factory. No matter what, you must pay attention to your image." Xu Qiang said with a smile.

"Okay!" Erhu's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard that.

Although the average income of residents in the local county is still very low, suits are indeed available, but they need to be customized by a tailor. Some tailor shops have ready-made suit samples, but the samples may not be so close-fitting.

Before becoming a salesman, Erhu had always been wearing his urea pants. Now he can actually wear a suit, which naturally makes him very happy.

Afterwards, the two chatted for a few more words and went to the next room to eat...

……

At the same time, Liu Biao, who had just finished the afternoon staff representative meeting, had already returned home from get off work.

"Dad, you came home early today." Seeing her father Liu Biao coming home, Liu Siying, who was helping her mother cook, said with a smile. "There's nothing to do at the factory today, so I came home a little early." Liu Biao hung his briefcase and coat on the hanger at the door and asked his wife in the kitchen, "Is the meal ready?"

"You ask this question every time you come home." His wife Zhao Xiufang's tone was a little complaining, but she still took the cooked food out of the pot and placed it on the dining table in the living room.

"Xiufang, thank you for your hard work." Liu Biao said to his wife with a smile.

"I'm not tired, I just have a hard life." Zhao Xiufang also smiled and continued, "By the way, how was the meeting this afternoon? Did our school's nominated teacher Zhu pass this year?"

As the saying goes, those who are close to water get the moon first. Since her husband is the factory director, Zhao Xiufang can just help their colleagues at school to get some information.

"Most of the model worker candidates nominated this year passed the vote of the staff congress, except for a worker in the stamping workshop who had just joined the factory for three years. He did not get more than half of the votes and was rejected," said Liu Biao.

"I guess he is a person with connections. But so many people in our factory are eyeing the model worker selection. He wants to be selected as a model worker after only working for three years. How can he be fooled?" said Zhao Xiufang.

"No matter whether he has connections or not, he has reported it through formal procedures. In this case, we can only go through the procedures. If he fails, it means that he cannot convince the public, and no one can help him." Liu Biao said.

In fact, as the factory director, Liu Biao was well aware of some of the corrupt practices in the factory.

However, as the saying goes, too clear water will attract no fish. Liu Biao cannot be 100% fair and selfless in these situations. After all, this is a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, and Liu Biao cannot manage it even if he wants to. So he can only consider the overall situation, weigh the pros and cons to deal with things, and try to be relatively fair.

Moreover, since the past two years, Liu Biao seemed to be getting older, and his physical strength and energy were getting worse and worse. Due to long-term irregular diet and overtime work, his stomach pain became more and more serious. Although he went to the hospital for a physical examination and took medicine, there was no significant improvement.

"Speaking of which, our Xiaoying is qualified to be an advanced worker. Last year, she helped the factory develop new projects and won an award at the provincial level. This is a big deal. Even Mr. Li nominated her, but you stopped her..." Zhao Xiufang said with some complaint at this time.

“Xiaoying had just been in the factory for less than half a year at that time, so she didn’t meet the candidate’s work qualification requirements. If she wanted to be selected as a model worker, she needed to have worked in the factory for at least one year…” At this time, Liu Biao had already taken the bowl and chopsticks handed to him by his daughter and started eating his meal in big mouthfuls.

"It's okay. I'm still young and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Liu Siying also sat at the dinner table at this time and said lightly.

As a daughter, Liu Siying naturally knew her father's character, temper and way of doing things. He was always the one working at the forefront and leaving honors to others. As a result, as a factory director, he had never been a model worker in the factory, even though he had the prestige that was expected by everyone.

In addition, according to Liu Biao, model workers are selected first from front-line workers. However, despite this, chief engineer Li Cunzhu has won the title of new worker in the factory several times. When the model worker building was first built, he was one of the first residents.

But when it comes to his own family, Liu Biao is very strict. Not only did he reject his daughter Liu Siying's nomination by the Technical Department last year, but in the early years, he also rejected his wife Zhao Xiufang's nomination as an advanced worker by the factory middle school. This level of selflessness is certainly not something that ordinary people can achieve.

"But today Xu Qiang passed the vote for model worker candidate..." After a moment, Liu Biao suddenly said this when he put down his bowl and picked up some food.

"Ok?"

Hearing Liu Biao say this, Zhao Xiufang and Liu Siying, mother and daughter, were stunned and looked at Liu Biao.

"How can Xu Qiang be a model worker? Hasn't he just been in the factory for more than a month? Besides, he hasn't even been hired as a regular employee yet? How can someone like him be nominated?" Zhao Xiufang couldn't help asking.

Zhao Xiufang naturally knew Xu Qiang. Some time ago, Liu Biao often talked about Xu Qiang's things, including that his proposal won an award in the factory, and that he and her husband went to the provincial capital to deal with the expert review. A few days ago, he came to her house to borrow her daughter's high school study materials, so she was not unfamiliar with this young man.

But even so, she couldn't help but be surprised to hear that Xu Qiang had actually passed the model worker voting procedure of the staff congress. You know, the selection of model workers in the factory is very strict. Many people have worked hard all their lives and have never been a model worker. The competition is very fierce. In addition to excelling in their job, they also need to deal with some interpersonal relationships, which is extremely difficult!
Moreover, once elected as a model worker, you can get a salary increase, a promotion, and live in a nice house that everyone envies. It can be said to be a major event that can affect a person's entire life!
(End of this chapter)