Wang Xuejun and his wife have stayed true to integrity for 17 years
On the streets and in the alleys of Yanggezhuang Town, Qian'an City, mention of Wang Xuejun and Li Jianjun might ring few bells, but when it comes to the "Senluozhai Immigrant Butcher Shop," everyone knows it, and Wang Xuejun and Li Jianjun are precisely the operators of this butcher shop. Over the years, the couple, through honest business dealings, have drawn many customers from places such as Yangdianzi, Shaheyi, Qinglong, and Lulong to come seeking them out.
In May 1997, Wang Xuejun and his wife moved their whole family from Shanlaga Village, Niuxintuo Township, Qinglong Manchu Autonomous County to Senluozhai Village, Yanggezhuang Town, Qian'an City. At the time, Wang Xuejun was assigned to work at the Qian'an City Agricultural Production Materials Company, while his wife Li Jianjun stayed home to care for their 9-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. In May 1999, Wang Xuejun was laid off. Wang Xuejun had once worked at a meat processing plant in his hometown and was an expert at slaughtering and selling meat, so he discussed with his wife the idea of setting up a stall on the street to sell meat.
They acted at once. Wang Xuejun personally oversaw every step: buying pigs, slaughtering, boning, cutting, and selling the meat. The meat was finally laid out on the counter, but business was not so easy to do. Because they were strangers in a new place, Wang Xuejun's butcher shop sold only a few jin of meat a day. To sell the meat before it spoiled, Wang Xuejun had no choice but to lower the price; live pigs he had bought at 4.6 yuan per jin, he sold for 4 yuan. In this way, the first batch of pork was finally sold out. When all was reckoned up, Wang Xuejun had actually not lost money; it turned out that Wang Xuejun had a keen eye for "pigs," and the pigs he picked yielded more meat after slaughter than ordinary ones. In this way, with affordable prices and excellent meat quality, Wang Xuejun won over more and more customers, and within half a year, the whole village, young and old, approved of the meat he sold. Wang Xuejun and his wife were overjoyed, and they said: "Everyone approving of my pork means they approve of our family. After immigrating here three or four years ago, we are finally accepted by everyone and feel at home."
In the blink of an eye, 17 years passed. Wang Xuejun's butcher shop moved from a street-side counter to an iron shed, and from the iron shed into two small rooms facing the street. Over the years, at 2 a.m. every day, Wang Xuejun has to go to the meat processing plant to slaughter pigs, generally 10 pigs a day. With his son's help, it is quickly all done; back home, after hastily eating a couple of mouthfuls, Wang Xuejun sets off alone to buy pigs from farming households in surrounding counties and townships. In the process of buying pigs, he often encounters people selling sick pigs or old sows; although the price is cheap, Wang Xuejun never buys them. Over time, many farmers came to understand Wang Xuejun's temperament and would directly introduce good pigs to him. By the time he finishes buying pigs and returns home, it is already noon, and sometimes he is so tired that he does not even want to eat before falling into a deep sleep. Day after day, year after year, Wang Xuejun guarantees the quality of the pork with his own conscience. Wang Xuejun often says: "Selling meat is a job that must be done with a conscience. In business, you cannot cheat people, or no one will come."
After the meat is bought, his wife Li Jianjun is responsible for selling it. She treats people warmly and has a straightforward personality; whether or not customers buy meat, she treats them warmly. Li Jianjun also adheres to the principle of "I may choose not to sell if the price is too low, but I will never cheat on the scale." For more than ten years, not a single person has come to the shop to complain about short weight.
Now, the reputation of the "Immigrant Butcher Shop" is growing louder and louder, and repeat customers are increasing. They have also established long-term supply relationships with more than ten nearby restaurants, with a daily pork supply reaching 2,000 jin, and up to 4,000 jin at the most. Faced with such a large supply volume, Wang Xuejun and his wife always adhere to "no water injection, no drugs, no selling sick pork or sow meat," putting integrity first. Seventeen years of unwavering integrity have not only spread Wang Xuejun and his wife's good name far and wide, but also brought them considerable income.
Li Jianjun Guoli Ying