Agriculture Maniac

Chapter 536 The Off-the-Beaten-Path, Retail Market

Yu Yang was not surprised by the colorful and unconventional styles.

Because culture is divided into 'mainstream' and 'non-mainstream'.

Mainstream culture, also known as official culture, is a propaganda tool that is advocated by the government and plays an important role in a society or an era.

It includes:
Marxism-Leninism and Mao-Deng Thought promoted by higher authorities.

The higher authorities advocate "study hard and make progress every day" in the field of education.

The superiors proposed patriotism, integrity, friendliness, and dedication at the social level.

The Shiliying Subdistrict Office advocates collectivism, nationalism, and the revival of the East.

The factory encourages employees to eat well, grow strong, not steal car wheels, and not hit people arbitrarily.

It can be said that mainstream culture covers the entire society and directly affects education, civil service exams, employment, job placement, and even marriage.

Otherwise, they might be sent to a juvenile detention center, or be unable to join the army, take civil service exams, find a job, or even find a partner.

The derivatives of mainstream culture are mostly well-known to the public.

For example, Audi official cars, executive jackets, and official office style.

For example, there are bear-themed clothing from Shiliying, products exclusively supplied to the factory, and quotes from Chairman Yu.

on the contrary.

People always go through adolescence and rebellious phases during their growth.

Young people at this stage seek independence, rebel against authority, try new things, experience significant emotional fluctuations, and attempt to gain recognition among their peers.

Although they accept mainstream culture, due to a lack of knowledge and experience, in the process of pursuing individuality, they are influenced by the mentality of admiring the strong and gradually evolve into 'non-mainstream' that is not recognized by the public.

In the 1980s, with the reform and opening up, Western culture flooded in, and people wore bell-bottoms and sunglasses, carrying large cassette players to dance disco in the square.

In the 1990s, Hong Kong returned to China, and the "Young and Dangerous" movies became popular in mainland China, with people sporting buzz cuts, stickers, and tattoos, imitating tough guys everywhere.

Entering the new century, the East joined the WTO, foreign investment poured in, Korean dramas promoted the Korean Wave, Japanese comics promoted the Japanese Wave, and the craze for Korean and Japanese culture arose.

In short, non-mainstream culture has undergone tremendous changes with social transformation.

In time, perhaps the vibrant colors we see now will evolve into anime, cosplay, high school girl uniforms, street dance, skateboarding, parkour, niche musical instruments…

Then, the fans formed a "fandom," which was then exploited by capital to create numerous brands, followed by live streaming and product sales...

Therefore, no matter how mainstream culture develops, non-mainstream culture will always exist.

Even though the factory continuously enhances employee awareness, establishes an in-house cultural troupe, sets up an employee activity center, promotes positive energy every day, and even bans many films and television programs.

However, there are also non-mainstream elements within it.

Therefore, Yu Yang has no prejudice against non-mainstream culture.

They are still just children.

Of course, the current non-mainstream trend is not the same as the tacky, tacky style.

Rather, it is the petit bourgeoisie.

After all, perming, dyeing, and straightening hair, as well as cosmetics, accessories, clothing, shoes, hats, and other supplies, are simply unaffordable for rural kids.

Yu Yang found the network administrator and got himself internet access.

During the brief pause after powering on, I sent a message to Changfu.

He then glanced at the Windows desktop on the screen, found the game box that was compatible with plug-ins after his company cooperated with Federal Capital, and started the simulation cultivation game.

The original role has been transferred to the streamer, and the new role starts from scratch.

Fortunately, the number of players has increased dramatically, and the game content has been updated and iterated. The game is now much more playable than it was during the initial testing phase.

For example, after Second Life launched BUG World - Entertainment Mall, it also added 'The Sims'.

In this version, all players are in one of three game worlds: the 'Open World', the 'Original World', or the 'Real World'.

It can be used for invention, creation, cultivation, leisure, and entertainment.

It is also possible to achieve steampunk, nuclear punk, surreal technology, mutated Cruise, awakened superpowers, and unlocked genetic locks by creating and inventing things.

When a player's abilities reach the Foundation Establishment stage or achieve the Extraordinary stage, they can travel to the Three Thousand Small Worlds for training through 'The Sims'.

These miniature worlds are categorized into Eastern fantasy, Western magical, primitive society, otherworldly civilization, modern civilization, surreal technology, and so on.

Each style has a difficulty level, including SSS/SS/S/A/B/C/D/E/F.

Take the F-level small world - Tian Long Ba Bu as an example.

Players can go in a team or alone, and it is possible that other teams and individuals are already in this small world.

Upon arrival, players can choose their own life path, such as a waiter, a farmer's descendant, a wealthy man's simple-minded son, a county magistrate's daughter, or a prince who has fallen on hard times.

Next, we'll begin 'Experience Mode'.

For example, if you become a shopkeeper, you might encounter business competition, and you'll need to offer advice to the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper might not listen; you might encounter robbers, and you might be used as a shield by the shopkeeper, or you could use the shopkeeper as a shield and become an outlaw yourself; you might also encounter other players, either receiving help or being targeted...

The ending could be immense wealth or sudden death. The reputation, items, and wealth left behind will be converted into 'experience and cultivation' and will accompany the player back to the original world to advance to a realm above Foundation Establishment.

In the life of a waiter, the player's ordinary daily life will be replaced by a 'log', like a fast-forward loading bar. Only at major turning points in life will the player need to take action and make choices.

Therefore, it would take about 30 minutes for a single person to venture into an F-level small world.

It takes about 1 hour to form a team and start a raid in an F-level small world.

And so on, the greater the difficulty of the smaller world, the more time it takes.

The highest difficulty level, D-class, small world currently being developed by players is expected to take 20 days to complete.

Most importantly, the small world will undergo some unpredictable changes over time and with the impact of players' experiences. If you enter an F-level Tianlong Babu today and then enter again tomorrow, or if other players enter, it will no longer be the same F-level Tianlong Babu as yesterday.

Even more surprisingly, tomorrow's F-level Tian Long Ba Bu might become S-level due to the appearance of an S-level treasure, wiping out all players.

Of course, the waiter is just one of many ways to play.

If you choose the landlord's simple-minded eldest son, you help the landlord plan to become incredibly wealthy, and the game becomes a business war mode; if you help the landlord plan to become a mountain king, the game becomes a conquest game; after the landlord dies, you inherit the family fortune and have a harem of wives and concubines, and the game becomes a harem game.

If you choose the prince who has fallen into poverty, the game will turn into a palace intrigue drama once you return to the palace.

If you choose the wealthy heir option, you won't lack money, and the game will switch to casual mode.

Overall, 'The Sims' is more like an AI-written novel with the player as the protagonist and the player in charge of the outline.

Most of them are light novels, and players won't get to experience an F-level small world for half an hour and end up with nothing.

Otherwise, how can we retain players?

However, Yu Yang's new character has not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and can only practice specializations and improve his strength in the Origin World.

At this time.

A shadow suddenly appeared at the entrance of the internet cafe.

The colorful keyboard users, who were typing away, seemed to sense something unusual and stopped what they were doing, looking up at the keyboard.

He was a burly man wearing an open leather coat, with a white buzz cut, an extremely robust build, and a particularly stern face.

The person had a metal ring tied to the left side of their nose, a skull necklace around their neck, and a strange, mysterious metal ring on their wrist. Everyone looked up at them.

The burly man smirked, “You losers, basketball, street dance, parkour, fighting… pick one. If you win, you each get 1 yuan. If I win, you run a lap around Changqing naked.”

Although the burly man looked intimidating, the non-mainstream group had the numbers and the power to fight back.

"Who are you?"

"Me? The head of the Funeral Love Family, Young Master Leng."

"???"

"Are you going to compete or not? Or have you already admitted that you're trash?"

"Let's have a street dance competition!"

The non-mainstream elites in the university town still have some technical skills.

The first young man to take the stage performed a dozen or so movements in one go, following the tune played from the internet cafe's speakers: basic steps, single-leg hops, wave swings, kicks, jumps, back turns, and windmills.

When the strong man came on stage.

The music playing from the internet cafe's speakers morphed into a rapid drumbeat, accompanied by exaggerated movements like a strongman doing a somersault, a mid-air airplane jump, a 360° spinning top, and a Thomas Flair...
The non-mainstream group was stunned by the absurd moves, but then they realized that if they lost, they would have to run laps naked, and their faces turned pale with fright, but no one left.

After the burly man finished, without blushing or panting, he asked, "Would you rather run laps naked, or work on the Yellow River auxiliary road for 30 days?"

"Go and repair the Yellow River secondary road!"

Hundreds of years of unconventional work were suddenly transformed into hardworking individuals who contribute to the nation's strength and the people's well-being.

After watching the commotion, Yu Yang chuckled and swiped his card to pay the bill.

Then we went to the University Town Shopping Mall - Ginza Mall.

It was originally Bohai Group, an investment of the Dongshan Sports System. The person in charge had served as the vice chairman of Dongshan Expressway. It had no connection with Japan.

Between 01 and 03, the retail industry in Dongshan was highly competitive. Yinzhou, facing Shili Mall, set a record of zero revenue for ten consecutive days. As a result, it was restructured in 03 and changed to a joint-stock company, but it was still a government-owned enterprise. It was under the management of the Dongshan 45 Government-owned Enterprises Management Committee and was vertically managed by the current Southwest General Manager, Chairman of Dongshan Lushan Group, and head of the Dongshan Government-owned Enterprises Management Committee - Lao Dong.

After the restructuring, Ginza adopted a trade hall supply and sales mechanism, turned a profit in just three months, relisted on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and expanded its number of stores while also pursuing listings in Hong Kong, NASDAQ, and the London Stock Exchange.

Today, Dongshan Ginza has expanded to 117 stores, with a total market value of US$137 billion, making it the largest chain shopping mall in Dongshan (Shili Mall has one store in each prefecture-level city).

Its subsidiaries include Ginza Mall, Ginza Supermarket, and Uni-President Ginza (a chain of mini-supermarkets).

In this round of business warfare, the anti-three alliance blocked the three industries in the international market, and it was not idle in the Eastern market either.

First, leveraging its established industrial base in the East, including factories, logistics, and cold storage, it completely canceled its cooperation with the trade hall.

Then, leveraging its industrial base, it dumped its goods into the Eastern market.

During this process, the shelves of Ginza Department Store became a key target for competition between the West and the Three Systems.

The products of both parties are clearly distinguished in various regions according to their categories.

If you have separate shelves, I must have them too.

If you have a large promotional billboard, I must have one too.

You have your own counter, and so do I.

You assign one salesperson, and I'll assign three.

Therefore, the three college student volunteers from the Hundred Schools Alliance were inevitably surrounded by nine talkative middle-aged women.

However, the two sides still get along very well.

Especially when there are no customers...

Grandma Sun: "Xiao Zhu, you can't leave! If one of you leaves, three of us will lose our jobs."

"Don't worry, the whole winter break is here."

“Tell me if you have any difficulties. I heard that Changqing is not part of the factory, so you will need to pay for your own stay here. Don’t worry, there is a spare room in my house, so you can stay here as you like.”

Aunt Wang: "I live in the same neighborhood as your Aunt Sun. We go to and from get off work together, and I can even cook breakfast and dinner for you."

Aunt Liu: "My husband drives a taxi, he can give you a free ride here."

"This... Aunties, I'm so sorry."

"Of course, where can you find a job with a monthly salary of 1500?"

After finishing her sentence, Aunt Sun hesitated and said, "Xiao Zhou, Aunt Wang from our neighborhood is a very nice person. She also wants to work here. Although she is illiterate, she knows Sanyuan and will never promote Sanyuan. She will only promote other brands, especially those with English letters. Do you think you could introduce her to us?"

"Auntie, three for nine, just right. One more, but your foreign boss doesn't want it."

"If you send another college student over, we'll have twelve people here."

"As I just mentioned, we are volunteers, doing volunteer work in the factory. We don't need to worry about expenses. Everything we eat, drink, stay, and use in Changqing is at our own expense. I doubt anyone else is as foolish as us, paying out of their own pockets to earn credits."

"Hey, it's no big deal. The three product lines will each have one salesperson, and the foreign company will have three. Have Aunt Wang find two people to keep her company. As long as the three of them can work, each of them can earn 1500 a month, which is 4500. You can find a college student to come and let the four of them split the 4500, which is a little over 1,000 each. Aunt Wang and the others will have a salary, and the college student will have his food and lodging problem solved. It's a win-win situation."

"Can this still happen?"

"Young man, let me tell you, when you're out in the world, you have to learn to be flexible."

Yu Yang hid behind the shelves, listened to the discussions, and sighed with inexplicable emotion.

These middle-aged women are really bold; they actually dare to fleece capitalism.

Then, on a sudden inspiration, he ordered the trade hall to hold several large-scale promotional events.

The three industry groups arranged for college student volunteers to sing and dance in the square to promote their products.

Foreign investment might be stimulated, and they might even hire elderly dance troupes to perform on stage and promote foreign products.

The two sides fought back and forth, the college student volunteers earned their credits and graduated smoothly, while the elderly women and men took the money and went overseas to buy gold...

"Perhaps this is what is called an economic cycle."

While making a phone call, Yu Yang checked the shelves in the grain and oil section of the supermarket.

In its early years, ADM controlled Wilmar International, Yihai Kerry, Golden Dragon Fish, Orchid, and Xiangmanyuan in the Asia-Pacific region.

In recent years, it has successively invested in, acquired, and taken control of Pacific Shipping, Shangri-La Hotels, Kerry Properties, Kerry Beverages, South China Morning Post, Shanghai Kerry Grains & Oils, Sichuan Kerry Grains & Oils, Shaanxi Kerry Oils & Fats, Qinggang Kerry Vegetable Oils, and Nanhai Kerry Oils & Fats…

If we take into account the various investments made by federal capital in the East, it wouldn't be difficult for ADM, which has lost its power to set food prices for three consecutive years, to turn things around.

In particular, Old Smith borrowed a huge amount of US dollars, euros, and Hong Kong dollars from Sanyuan Agriculture through Yu Sanyuan, which almost deprived Sanyuan Agriculture of the possibility of purchasing grain from the international market and competing head-to-head with ADM in the Eastern market.

Therefore, when ADM lowered the supply price of rice, flour, and cooking oil in the Eastern market to 80% of the trading hall price on the basis of three consecutive years of sharp decline in international grain prices, the prices of three types of rice, flour, and cooking oil, such as Northeast rice, Jishui noodles, North China flour, and Xiwang cooking oil, could no longer be reduced.

Therefore, ADM's products, with their price advantage, almost completely crushed the 3 Series.

However, the products of Sanyuan's headquarters remain very stable in the domestic market.

Sanyuan soybean oil, Sanyuan fruit platter, Sanyuan hot pot gift pack, Sanyuan vegetable gift pack, Sanyuan semi-finished vegetable gift pack, Sanyuan bean product gift pack, Sanyuan chilled meat gift pack, Sanyuan workshop high-gluten noodles, Sanyuan workshop pickled vegetables…

The packaging, price, and quantity and quality have remained unchanged for seven years, making it increasingly popular amidst commercial competition and currency depreciation.

For example, seven years ago, my monthly salary was 650 yuan, and a hot pot gift set cost 98 yuan, which I couldn't afford on a regular basis.

Seven years later, this year, my monthly salary is 1200 yuan, and a hot pot gift set still costs 98 yuan. If I grit my teeth, I can still improve my life.

(End of this chapter)