At Zhou Guozheng's courtyard, a number of small stools were arranged around a low farmhouse table. On the table were two thermoses and a dozen glass tea cups, with Ding Yuanying's cigarettes and lighter placed at one corner. Those attending the meeting were all present: Ouyang Xue, Feng Shijie, Li Tiejun, Wu Zhiming, Grandpa Liu, and a refined, modestly dressed local girl. At the moment, Zhou Guozheng and Grandpa Liu were discussing something with Ding Yuanying while the others listened.
Zhou Guozheng gestured as he spoke, "We need to cut down this tree and dismantle the bird's nest, then set up a shed here. The furnace can go over there, and we'll stack the coke and iron ingots against the east wall. There's a half-ton old furnace in Liujiatun that they're willing to sell for 900 yuan. I've checked it out, and with some insulation work, it'll be good to go for producing speaker stands, cabinet feet, and connecting plates. We can make a furnace support ourselves—it's no big deal."
Grandpa Liu added, "With our own foundry and lathe processing, costs will drop significantly. We don't need new lathes; as long as they meet our quality requirements, they'll do fine and save us a lot of money."
Ding Yuanying asked, "How many people do we need for the foundry and lathe work?"
Zhou Guozheng answered, "Normally, just my wife and me, and my father can help out. But when we fire up the furnace, we'll need extra hands. We can get some folks to help, then treat them to a meal—this is the common practice in rural family foundries. Foundry work doesn't require as many people as painting does. Hand polishing takes more labor."
Grandpa Liu said, "For the lathe work, besides me, we need at least three more people. The processes—cutting, drilling, etc.—need to be done simultaneously. Also, I'm getting old and need to train some apprentices."
At this moment, Ye Xiaoming and Liu Bing arrived. Everyone greeted each other.
Feng Shijie asked, "Why are you so late?"
Liu Bing explained, "We dropped Xiaodan off at work, then familiarized ourselves with the car a bit, so we got delayed."
Ding Yuanying said, "Everyone's here. Let's start the meeting."
They all found seats around the table. The refined village girl chose a discreet spot, took out a pen, and opened a folder on her lap.
Ding Yuanying began, "We have too many people, and the courtyard at Auntie's place is too small, so we're meeting here. Over the past few days, we've gathered and reviewed various scattered conditions. From everyone's analysis, there's potential to do something significant. Hence, this meeting is called the preliminary expanded shareholders' meeting for the establishment of Beijing Gelüshi Audio Co., Ltd. Why is it expanded? Because the relationship between the company and the farmers needs to be transparent. Today's meeting is a decisive one. What's said in the meeting counts; what's said outside doesn't. Decisions made here are binding. We've invited Zhao Lijing, a teacher from Wangmiao Village Primary School, to take minutes. After the meeting, everyone will review and sign the minutes, which will form the basis for drafting the company's articles of association and work plans."
Zhao Lijing stood up shyly, nodded to everyone, and sat back down to prepare for note-taking.
Ding Yuanying continued, "Given the background and conditions for creating this company, it will not solely focus on profit. The company aims to alleviate poverty in Wangmiao Village, linking its development to the village's economic upliftment. However, this cannot be written into the company's articles of association. Instead, it will be established as the company's first resolution. Using poverty alleviation for commercial purposes is prohibited, as societal goodwill towards the company is also a commercial benefit."
Liu Bing muttered, "Heavens, doing good deeds has to be done secretly, can't even get credit for it."
Ding Yuanying explained, "This isn't about moral high ground; it's about survival in the market. This goodwill isn't just about imposing values or eroding our competitiveness. It shows we're not conquering the market with our products but relying on appearances, which ultimately destroys the company."
Wu Zhiming raised his hand, signaling he wanted to speak. Standing up, he smiled warmly at everyone and said, "Since anything can be said during the meeting and nothing outside counts, I have a question. The company lends money to farmers to buy equipment, which we appreciate. But we're in different conditions than city folks—technology, equipment, talent, funds. If we can't sell the products, how do we repay the loans? We'd end up poorer."
Ding Yuanying responded, "If farmers can't make money, they can't repay loans—that's a fact. The company chose this risk and shareholders still have a chance to opt out if they can't bear it."
Ye Xiaoming asked, "Brother Ding, I have to ask, what's in it for the shareholders?"
Ding Yuanying said, "For this company, your future lies here, in Wangmiao Village."
Zhou Guozheng's wife started giggling, drawing curious looks. Zhou Guozheng glared at her, whispering, "This is a meeting. What are you doing?"
She laughed openly, "I know it's a meeting, but I can't help laughing. Our poor village doesn't know its own future, how can city folks find theirs here?"
Li Tiejun, who had been silent, added, "Exactly, what does Wangmiao Village have?"
All eyes turned to Ding Yuanying. The multitude of gazes converged into a giant question mark, not just seeking answers but also confidence and hope. This was precisely the core question Ding Yuanying anticipated and why this meeting was "expanded." The meeting proceeded according to his plan and rhythm.
Ding Yuanying habitually lit a cigarette and said, "Every household in Wangmiao Village has a house, a courtyard, and surplus labor. Let's set aside intangible concepts like mindset changes. We only lack one thing, and the company dares to commit to Wangmiao Village because it believes the village has this."
Everyone asked in unison, "What thing?"
Ding Yuanying said, "The willingness to endure hardship."
Wu Zhiming dismissed it, "What kind of thing is that? If farmers feared hardship, we'd starve. City folks do hard and dirty work because we take it on."
Ding Yuanying placed the thermos on the ground and moved the cups aside. Using four cigarettes, he laid out a visual: two parallel cigarettes about ten centimeters apart. "Survival rules are simple: endure what others can't, achieve what others can't. One line is endurance; the other is capability. The gap between them is survival opportunity." He placed two more cigarettes outside the original ones, expanding the gap. "Endure more, achieve more, and you have more survival opportunities. Market competition is brutal; victory often hinges on small margins. Surviving a bit longer makes you the winner."
Zhou Guozheng interjected, "Enduring, we can do, but capability? We're farmers. What we can make, advanced tech can make better. How do we compete?"
Ding Yuanying said, "Given our conditions, we can't directly compete with modern production. We must leverage strengths and avoid weaknesses, finding niches. Our products need certain characteristics: high-quality, targeting high-consumption segments with limited market demand, unsuitable for mass production. Labor-intensive, deterring large-scale investments. Easy to learn and teach, relying on effort, not advanced skills. And divisible into home-based production tasks. This niche is narrow but sufficient for Wangmiao Village and our audiophiles."
Grandpa Liu nodded, "Sounds plausible."
Zhou Guozheng seemed to grasp it too, "Makes sense."
Ding Yuanying continued, "We'll integrate farming and home-based production, maximizing the use of homes, courtyards, and idle labor without infrastructure or land investments. Production can ramp up quickly during peak seasons and scale down in slow periods, avoiding typical enterprise burdens. We need competitive product quality and price, and a resilient production system to withstand market fluctuations. This gives us a survival edge."
Wu Zhiming slapped his thigh, "Right! We rely on farming. Even if production slows, we won't starve."
Liu Bing said, "Others might go under first, letting us survive. It's about survival of the fittest."
Feng Shijie, who had been silent, remarked, "The key to our products is the finish—mainly polishing. We can succeed with hard work."
The atmosphere lightened, and confidence grew. Feng Shijie poured water for everyone, starting with Grandpa Liu, Ding Yuanying, and Ouyang Xue, then the others.
Zhou Guozheng's wife asked, "If we make a lot of money, will we keep working like this?"
Ding Yuanying sipped his water, "With better conditions, you'll find better methods. That's for later."
Li Tiejun asked, "What about the company during off-seasons?"
Ding Yuanying explained, "The company and farmers aren't in a hierarchical relationship but a debt-credit relationship. They cooperate as equal partners. Legally, farmers aren't required to sell to the company, and the company isn't required to market their products. This mutual benefit and background ensure the company's risk exceeds the farmers'. The company must constantly explore markets and improve services to mitigate risk."
Li Tiejun sighed with relief, "So, no forced obligations."
Everyone laughed. Feng Shijie joked, "Forced obligations have made us neurotic."
Ding Yuanying laughed with them. "With the company and farmers aligned, let's discuss shareholder contributions."
The four shareholders exchanged looks. Feng Shijie spoke first, "I'm from Wangmiao Village and initiated this. I'll put in all I have—17,000 yuan, including my car valued at 50,000."
A hush fell over the meeting.
Ouyang Xue, seeing the others hesitate, raised her hand, "I have three reasons for joining: I trust Brother Ding, it's a charitable cause, and I can afford the investment. I'll contribute one million yuan but can't manage daily operations due to my lack of expertise and time. If everyone agrees, I'm in."
Liu Bing spoke next, looking around, "I have 30,000 yuan—all in."
Ye Xiaoming said, "I don't have much. Including my store inventory, I'll put in 70,000 yuan. The inventory, which I've discussed with Brother Ding and Shijie, includes Lesheng flagship kits and Sleek amplifiers worth 20,000 yuan."
Ding Yuanying said, "Contributions are settled. Next, we'll discuss shares and roles. Who's leading?"
Feng Shijie read from a notebook, "We've discussed shares and roles. Ouyang Xue gets 51%, Ye Xiaoming 20%, Liu Bing 13%, and I get 16%. Ouyang Xue will cover 184,000 yuan for Ye Xiaoming, 135,100 yuan for Liu Bing, and 33,200 yuan for me. Ouyang Xue is chairman, responsible for financing and decisions, without daily management. Ye Xiaoming is general manager, overseeing operations. Liu Bing and I won't be vice presidents; we'll handle tasks assigned by Ye Xiaoming."
Zhou Guozheng's wife joked, "If everyone's a boss, who'll do the work?"
Ding Yuanying said, "As of now, Gelüshi Audio is a reality. Two firm targets: register the company and apply for speaker patents by March next year, and ship ten top-quality speaker sets to Europe by June. These are non-negotiable. Prepare patent materials and place orders with farmers accordingly. Farmers must register as individual businesses by March, complete products for Europe by April, and have batch products in Beijing by June. Equip and train farmers now. This winter will be grueling."
Li Tiejun enthusiastically said, "Let's do it! It's now or never!"
Zhou Guozheng agreed, "Even if it kills us, it's better than a half-dead existence."
However, Liu Bing asked, "Brother Ding, we appreciate Miss Ouyang's investment, but why don't you invest directly? We'd feel more secure."
Ding Yuanying smiled, "Regardless of my financial status or future presence in this city, does it matter whose money it is—mine or Miss Ouyang's?"
Everyone understood but remained silent, smiling. Zhou Guozheng kept a close watch on his wife to avoid any faux pas.
Ye Xiaoming noted, "Liu Bing means that Brother Ding's effort without direct investment makes us uneasy."
Liu Bing quickly agreed, "Yes, that's it."
Ding Yuanying, casually like talking to old friends, said, "Your invitation allows me to speak. My role is to bring you together and suggest a market survival concept. As for my motives, consider me a fraud and check your pockets—if there's nothing worth stealing, you're safe. It's your people and capital doing the work, not me. If you find my advice useful, I've shown off my skills."
Everyone laughed at "shown off my skills."
Ding Yuanying continued, "If there are no further questions, we'll adjourn. Review the minutes, and if accurate, sign your names and dates. We'll draft the bylaws based on this."
Zhao Lijing handed three pages to Ding Yuanying, apologizing, "I wrote quickly, so it's a bit messy. I've noted the key points, but it's not comprehensive. My name is signed; please review."
Ding Yuanying glanced at it, "It's good. Thank you." He handed the minutes to Grandpa Liu, "You're the eldest. Please review first."
Grandpa Liu said, "No need to check. Is there anything fake?" He signed his name and date at the bottom.
Others followed, some reading, others not, filling the blank space with their signatures, each witness to the meeting's content.
Ye Xiaoming signed last and handed the minutes to Ding Yuanying, joking, "Brother Ding, with you here, our future is secure."
Wu Zhiming added, "And so is Wangmiao Village's future."
Ding Yuanying, the only one not signing, handed the minutes to Ouyang Xue, frowning slightly, "Thinking like that, you're already lost."
Ye Xiaoming and Wu Zhiming didn't understand the issue, thinking it was a compliment. They looked awkwardly at Ding Yuanying.
He stood up, "Before we adjourn, let's discuss this 'secure future' concept. History shows no saviors. Those helped become helpers. If there's a savior, it's culture representing objective laws. Specifically, it means recognizing the market, enduring hardships, achieving what others can't, and excelling in cost and quality. That's your savior. Poverty alleviation means standing up. If you don't intend to stand, even divine intervention won't help. That's all. Meeting adjourned."
The preliminary shareholders' meeting of Gelüshi Audio concluded.