Chapter 4 — The Snow Melts, The Sun Shines On The Green Mountains

There's nothing mysterious about the job, it's just sourcing goods, negotiating prices, monitoring quality, and then solving a series of unexpected problems that appear. I have been to many places and have seen honey of almost the same quality, just by changing the packaging, it can be sold at a completely different price. Packaging, shipping, stable supply, just one thing is missing and the price will drop. But what Thanh Thach Ao lacks is not just one way. During the second year of Tet, I used my phone to record some short videos about the village. Luong Quoc Dong didn't know what to say when filming the walnut harvesting scene. As soon as he faced the camera, his whole body immediately stiffened. I stood next to him and asked:

“What is good about this walnut?”

“Grows on the mountain.”

“What happens after that?”

“It's cooked and then knocked down.”

“What else?”

He panicked.

"How can walnuts grow? Can they be dug from the ground?"

Video posted. When I woke up the next morning, the comments continued to increase. Everyone laughed at him, but some also asked how to buy it. We collected a batch of walnuts and sold them all within a few days. But the second batch had a problem. Some people mixed old walnuts in, the buyer received the goods, tried it and found it bitter. The number of refunds was not much, but the village chat group exploded first.

“We're all family, no need to be too serious.”

“Can people on the internet make money?”

That evening, I opened an online meeting and projected each photo of returned goods on the wall.

“Whoever mixed the goods, say it yourself.”

No one spoke up. I open the payment history.

"Uncle Trieu, this year your family did not harvest walnuts. Where did this shipment come from?"

Trieu Khanh Phat's face turned red.

“It's from last year. It's not broken.”

“Have you eaten yourself yet?”

“I…”

"Starting tomorrow, we will temporarily stop purchasing your goods. You will be responsible for all refunds and shipping fees."

He pounded the table.

“Hua Chieu Tinh, when I was little, I used to eat at your house!”

"I ate it once. I remember that bowl of rice for the rest of my life."

I looked at him.

“But I will remember the story of you taking the prestige of the whole village in exchange for money selling old walnuts.”

Luong Quoc Dong sat next to me and didn't say anything for me. After the meeting ended, he spoke up:

"Someone will scold you for being ungrateful."

“Let them scold you.”

“Aren't you afraid?”

“Scared.”

I closed the computer.

"But I'm afraid I still have to do it. Remember that bowl of rice, the refund must also be calculated clearly."

The next day, Trieu Khanh Phat brought money and stood in front of everyone to break a new walnut.

“In the future, whoever mixes old goods again, I will be the first to scold that person.”

This person has a hot temper and thick skin. The advantage is that you dare to admit your mistakes, and after admitting them, you are truly willing to correct them. Since then, we have set the simplest purchasing standards. Humidity, fruit spoilage rate, production date, all are written on an A4 piece of paper taped to the door of the village headquarters. The first year, the online store did not earn much. But for Thanh Thach Ao, it was like opening a window on a closed wall. At the end of the year, the district began implementing a project to support rural industrial development. Eligible villages can apply for support to build cold storage, processing points and improve roads. I read and re-read the registration conditions several times, wrote a resignation letter and then deleted it, taking it until almost morning before pressing save. Rent It's very expensive in the provincial capital, but my work is on track. If I try for a few more years, maybe I'll get promoted and move to a room with a balcony, without having to lean between the drying rack and the dining table. Returning to Thanh Thach Ao means not having a stable salary, no one can guarantee whether the project will be approved or not. I sat in the rented room until the breakfast restaurant outside opened. The soy milk blender hummed, someone downstairs urged my child to wear a school bag, and I remembered the air-vented tricycle of my childhood. The road is still the same road. The next day at work, I submitted my resignation letter. Leader asked:

“How much salary can you get back there?”

“Not currently available.”

“So what did you do it for?”

I took three and a half coins out of my wallet and placed them on the table.

“Investment project since I was eight years old, it's time to return home and complete it.”

Chapter 4 ### 6 The day I returned to the village, Thanh Thach Ao hung a banner at the beginning of the road.

“Warmly welcome General Director Hua Brocade to the village.”

The word "Total" is written crookedly, looking like a crab flipping on its belly. I stood under the banner laughing for five minutes. Luong Tranh carried his luggage and got out of the car.

“Have you laughed enough, General Director Hua?”

“Who wrote that?”

“Eldest father.”

People in the village do not call Luong Quoc Dong "uncle", but rather call Luong Tranh "eldest father". I've been calling it like that since I was a kid, I keep calling it and can't fix it anymore. Luong Quoc Dong squeezed out from the back of the crowd.

“The words are wrong, but the heart is right.”

“My words are about to break my heart.”

He raised his hand to knock me, I immediately hid behind Tuong Tu Lan. The villagers set up a long table, the dishes were so crowded that there was no place to put chopsticks. Halfway through my meal, I placed the project on the table.

“This time I will stay longer.”

The whole yard immediately became quiet.

"I want to establish a cooperative, ask for capital to support development, and unify the purchasing, packaging and consumption of walnuts, honey and mushrooms. The road repair project will also be registered at the same time."

Trieu Khanh Phat was the first to ask:

“Who is the boss?”

"There is no boss. Everyone joins the cooperative, goods are paid according to quantity. At the end of the year, profits continue to be divided according to regulations. The books are public."

“How much do you get?”

"In the beginning, you will receive a fixed salary. Once stable, you will be the same as everyone else, based on position and contribution level."

“What if there is a loss?”

“The cooperative bears the business risks. No one is allowed to put their family's private debt into a common ledger.”

Some people understand, some people don't understand. I talked continuously until late at night, my throat was dry.