"Then I suggest you buy bonds! The federation and our country are in a relationship where both prosper and suffer losses. They will not fall so easily."
"Okay, then I'll buy bonds."
Fang Zhigang said simply.
Zhang Hao nodded and asked casually: "By the way, Lao Fang, does your family have enough food?"
"Don't worry, Director Zhang. Our company pays very well, and we provide benefits every year and festival. In addition, Aunt Li gives me some dried vegetables and pickles from time to time. I have hundreds of kilograms of food stored at home, so I won't be hungry for the time being."
Fang Zhigang couldn't help but feel happy.
At this critical moment, he can still have such a good job. He is really lucky. The treatment is better than that of ordinary official employees.
If you replace him with a section chief, he won't even want to replace him.
"If you have the chance, try to stock up as much as possible! I'm afraid the days to come won't be so easy."
Zhang Hao warned carefully.
Fang Zhigang quickly asked: "Director Zhang, is there going to be a big war in the Middle East?"
"Well, war is only one of the factors. Even if there is no war, life in the future may not be much better. The billions of people in the federation are definitely not that easy to feed." Zhang Hao explained.
The consequences of ecological collapse are beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Unless key technologies are broken through, with the current productivity, we can only tighten our belts to get by, and even having enough to eat is a luxury.
"When will these days end?" Fang Zhigang couldn't help but sigh, "I heard from my mother-in-law that this month's food stamps are less than last month. Although it is only a few dozen grams less, it is still
It's getting less and less every month, just like cutting flesh with a dull knife, it's so uncomfortable."
"Can I eat enough with the monthly food stamps now?"
Zhang Hao took the opportunity to ask.
"It's difficult, but if you are willing to go to the black market to exchange for more coarse grains, you will barely need to go hungry, but it just doesn't have much nutrition and is just a trick.
Our next-door neighbor has a very fat daughter, weighing almost over 200 pounds. They used to worry about losing weight every day, but now they have done nothing and the good girl has dropped to over 120 pounds."
Fang Zhigang replied.
Zhang Hao smiled and then asked: "Whole grains? What kind of whole grains are there on the market?"
"Mainly soybean meal and sweet potato residue."
“What is sweet potato residue?”
Zhang Hao couldn't help but be curious.
Soybean meal is understandable, after all, the breeding industry has collapsed, and the government still has a lot of stock in hand; but what the hell is this sweet potato residue? Aren’t sweet potatoes eaten directly?
Fang Zhigang quickly explained: "Dr. Zhang, sweet potatoes are perishable and extremely difficult to store. A considerable part of them will be made into sweet potato flour.
Sweet potato residue is a by-product of making sweet potato flour. It has no nutrition. It used to be fed to pigs, but the price is very affordable. Usually one pound of rice can be exchanged for six or seven pounds of sweet potato residue. It is quite good to use it to make porridge."
Zhang Hao suddenly realized that this stuff has the same properties as rice bran and wheat bran. It can fill the stomach, and is better than platycodon and sawdust, but it can only go so far.
"Lao Fang, I think you can stock up on more of this sweet potato dregs. If you encounter a famine one day, you can respond. Even if you don't eat it, you can still make a profit."
"Director Zhang, are you saying that the price of sweet potato residue will increase in the future?" Fang Zhigang's eyes lit up.
Everyone else in the car also looked sideways.
Zhang Hao nodded: "That's for sure. You guys have never encountered a real famine. On that day, if you exchange three pounds for one pound, there will be people rushing to get it."
This was the daily routine he had personally experienced in his dreams.
Fang Zhigang glanced at Zhang Hao in surprise, why did the big boss's words sound a bit awkward? It made him seem as if he had experienced the Great Famine?
This is obviously impossible.
Since the end of the Civil War, there has been no famine in the mainland for half a century.
"Ahem..." Zhang Hao saw a few people with doubts on their faces and casually made up a reason: "I have been in Africa for a while and have seen many similar situations."
Fang Zhigang knew that the big boss had traveled all over the world before starting his own business, so he did not have any doubts.
"Director Zhang, then I will go shopping on the black market when I get back. I'm afraid that even the sweet potato residue will be robbed now."
"There's no rush. After waiting for a while, it won't be too late to stock up slowly." Zhang Hao waved his hand.
…
More than an hour later, Zhang Hao and his group finally arrived at the gate of Nantan Primary School before school ended.
Although there is a war outside and panic buying inside, everything in the school remains as before and has not been affected.
Seeing their car, the Big Pudding brothers immediately rushed over: "Dad, dad..."
Zhang Hao heard the shout and quickly opened the car door.
After little Pudding got in the car, he didn't see grandpa, so he quickly asked: "Dad, where is grandpa?"
Zhang Hao casually helped his sons unload their schoolbags:
"Grandpa has to work overtime tonight and won't be back until later."
"Oh, Dad, I want to call grandpa."
Little Pudding stretched out his right hand.
Zhang Hao pinched his youngest son's cheek, shook his head and explained: "There is no signal on the mobile phone, so you can't make calls."
"Okay then! Dad, our school is holding a football match next week, and my eldest brother and I have both signed up."
Although there is a war in the Middle East, it has not affected the progress of the World Cup at all. The group stage has come to an end and the local team has successfully advanced as expected.
However, the level of attention has obviously dropped a lot.
"Really, it's great! When you get home, dad will practice your football skills with you. Let's try to score a few more goals in the game, okay?"
The two little guys have been a little overweight recently, and Zhang Hao wanted to take the opportunity to take the brothers to exercise more.
Little Pudding nodded excitedly: "Okay, Dad, you will be the goalkeeper. I will score a hundred goals."
"I'm going to score a hundred."
Big Pudding followed suit.
"Okay, you two can kick a hundred each."
Zhang Hao touched the heads of his sons one by one.
As soon as they got home, the twins couldn't wait to change their football uniforms. Zhang Hao went into the kitchen and told him about his father working overtime, and Li Dajuan subconsciously babbled a few words.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Hao took his sons to the football field in the yard. The football field was built just a few days ago. It is an empty field with a football goal.
There is no lawn and no markings on the ground.
Yang Huaqing stood on the sidelines of the court, cheering for the father and son.
Halfway through the kick, Zhang Jiayi came over.
Zhang Hao asked his sons to rest for ten minutes, while he took his second sister aside.
"Second sister, what do you want from me?"
"It's about the feed factory. The situation in the Middle East is unclear. Many raw material suppliers have cut off contact. The feed factory may not be able to continue operating. What are your plans?"
Zhang Jiayi got straight to the point.
Even without this war, the feed factory would not have been able to survive for long. On the one hand, the supply of goods is getting smaller and smaller; on the other hand, there are many more competitors, and most of them have official backgrounds, so they cannot compete at all.
"Currently, how much stock does the feed factory have in total?"
"About 23 million tons."
The original planned output was more than 60 million tons, but unfortunately the plan could not keep up with the changes. Now only one-third has been completed, which is somewhat regrettable.
But having said that, if we continue to produce at this rate, the factory will soon be unable to store more space, and we must build a branch factory.
Zhang Hao nodded: "It's not too little. Use it sparingly. It will be enough for decades."
"How many more decades? It will be completely ruined in just a few years." Zhang Jiayi shook her head.
"Don't worry, the climate will get colder and colder in the future. If you don't worry about rot, if it doesn't work, you can have someone dig a few big holes and bury them all underground. The humus soil can also support earthworms."
Zhang Hao said indifferently.
This is better, in case of a major famine, it also avoids the need for indiscriminate medical treatment for official diseases.
It is best not to eat these dead fish and shrimps, so as to avoid all kinds of troubles.
Zhang Jiayi rolled her eyes and said angrily: "This is more than 20 million tons, not two thousand tons. Do you know what 20 million tons is? Where can we dig such a big hole?"
"If it doesn't work, forget it. Then continue to pile it in the open air! But you must pay attention to fire safety. Don't let me burn it. I will be heartbroken."
Zhang Hao took the opportunity to remind.
"I understand." Zhang Jiayi nodded, "Don't worry, the factory is next door to Nantan Port. There is a special fire station. Even if there is a fire, it will be put out immediately."
"Don't take it lightly." Zhang Hao paused and then ordered: "Since the factory has stopped production, transfer all the redundant employees to the security department and give me 24-hour patrols to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"Is it necessary? There are thousands of people?"
Zhang Jiayi was shocked.
"I think it's necessary. Let me do some calculations for you. These 23 million tons of feed are worth at least 200 billion. How much is the labor salary? In a year, it's at most 100 million, not even a fraction.
…”
"Two hundred billion? Do you really dare to think about it?"
"Where did I make a mistake?"
Zhang Jiayi gave a wry smile: "The official has already fixed the price of feed. If we can make a profit of two or three times, it will be good."
"Which private farms are there? They should be willing to pay high prices, right?" Zhang Hao frowned.
Zhang Jiayi shook her head again: "Don't think about it. Starting from the beginning of the year, the government suddenly tightened its policy and directly took away the external sales rights of the feed factory. In the future, all feed can only be sold to the government."
"I do not know how?"
"I remember I wrote a report specifically for you, didn't you read it?"
"Ahem, maybe I forgot."
Zhang Hao touched his nose awkwardly.
Out of trust in his family, when he usually signs, he usually just glances at it casually and skips all official policy documents.
"Okay, it doesn't matter whether you see it or not. We can't object to this matter even if we want to." Zhang Jiayi sighed, and then changed the subject: "I have an idea about the disposal plan for the feed mill."
"What do you think?" Zhang Hao asked.
"I want to merge it into the earthworm breeding company. The policy is changing at any time. I'm afraid that one day we will have to apply to the relevant departments even for our own use."
Although the feed factory and the earthworm breeding factory belong to the Haotian Group, they are independent subsidiaries after all.
"I agree, it's up to you!"
Zhang Hao had no reason to object.
Zhang Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as you agree, I will go through the relevant procedures as soon as possible. Do you have anything else to say this time?"
"I only have one request, and that is not to fire any employees. After all, it is not easy to find a job now, and our family cannot do such immoral things."
"You have to think about it yourself. According to your approach, the merged earthworm breeding company will most likely suffer losses." Zhang Jiayi reminded.
Zhang Hao turned his head and glanced at his wife and children, and said nonchalantly: "It's a loss, just think of it as a reward for my little cotton-padded jacket. Besides, it may not be clear whether the Haotian Group can survive in a few years."
"Who did you listen to?" Zhang Jiayi was shocked.
"I didn't hear anyone say that." Zhang Hao waved his hand, "These are all my own guesses. The civil war has already broken out. Once the wartime economy is fully transformed, no matter what happens, it is possible."
"I was shocked, but don't scare yourself. History has proven that public ownership has advantages and disadvantages. One size fits all cannot be done. It is best to have public and private complementarity."
Zhang Jiayi quickly comforted her.
"I hope so!"
Zhang Hao did not take these words to heart.
Under the general trend, regardless of whether it is reasonable or not, survival is the first choice.
…
At the same time, Professor Chen, who was far away in Europe, not only had no intention of leaving, but instead postponed his return plan and planned to stay for a while.
Although the war broke out, Europa was generally calm, and there was no large-scale rush to buy or flee.
This is mainly due to three major reasons:
First of all, Europa is a bit far away from the Middle East, and the war will not reach here for the time being;
Secondly, the frontline military information has been transmitted back, and as the victorious side, the panic has been greatly offset;
Finally, the climate in Europe is so cold that most families have no choice but to move into basements, which undoubtedly greatly increases their sense of security.
Even if there is a war in the homeland, we are not afraid of being bombed.
On this day, Professor Chen took the train for two whole days and went to the home of a Nobel Prize winner who had once rejected his invitation.
However, with the outbreak of the war, the other party unexpectedly changed their mind.
After leaving the train station, assistant Zhu Tao suggested:
"Professor Chen, should we find a hotel and rest for a day?"
Although the train ride for two days and two nights is a sleeper, it is not something that ordinary people can bear, especially Professor Chen, who is quite old and needs to slow down.
Professor Chen waved his hand, and his tired face could not conceal his excitement: "No, without further ado, let's go to Oxford University! Professor Andre finally changed his mind, and we can't miss this opportunity."
Andre Heimno is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. He has been studying graphene for more than 20 years and is one of the top scientists in the Federation.
Ten minutes later, the two got into a taxi.
Compared to a super metropolis like the foggy city, Oxford is just a small city at best, with a population of less than 100,000. The streets are deserted and there are not many pedestrians at all.
On the way, Professor Chen took the initiative to chat with the driver in order to inquire about the situation here.
The driver's name is Mitch. He used to be a logistics worker at Oxford University. Now he is unemployed and earns a small income by driving a taxi.