Chapter 41: An Alternative Sales Approach (Completed)...

The new company, which has always had slow business, has a customer!

The guest hesitated at the door, raising a hand as if to knock, but seemed somewhat unsure.

He Changyi, with her sharp eyes, noticed this scene, so she went around from behind her desk, opened the door, and took the initiative to welcome the unfamiliar guest in.

"Hello, what would you like to buy?"

The guest looked at He Changyi in surprise, probably not expecting her to speak fluent Emei, and it took him a moment to react before saying:

“I heard from my child that canned food can be bought here?”

He Changyi warmly welcomed them in, pointed to the shelves full of canned goods, and said with a smile:

"Yes, it's the best-selling canned food in China, with a wide variety of flavors to choose from. Whether it's a modified flavor to suit Osaka tastes or an authentic Chinese flavor, you can find it here."

The customers were captivated by the dazzling array of goods on the shelves!

She barely heard He Changyi's introduction; she rushed to the shelves, looking at each row, muttering to herself:

"Down jackets, sheepskin gloves, fur hats, shirts, sweaters, shoes... Oh my god, even children's shoes!"

She excitedly turned to the other side of the shelf, her fingers tracing the items on it, and murmured:

"Alcohol, candy, canned goods, instant noodles... thermos flasks, calculators, digital watches..."

He Changyi wasn't in a hurry, letting customers wander among the shelves, as if she wanted to take all the goods on the shelves home.

After a while, the guest finally calmed down and asked He Changyi:

"Are these all products made in China?"

He Changyi affirmed:

"Yes, they all come from Jong-guk's factory."

As if guessing what the guest was worried about, she added:

"These are all high-quality products, completely different from the inferior goods on the market before. Please don't worry. If you buy a defective product, I will compensate you three times your loss."

The guest was skeptical and muttered something under his breath.

"Who knows if you're telling the truth? Those guys always said the same thing, and the down jacket I bought was stuffed full of newspaper scraps—ha, what a brilliant idea!"

He Changyi knew that turning around a bad impression wouldn't happen overnight, and she wasn't angry. She just smiled and said:

“Here is a sample. Some of the seams have been removed, and you can see the filling directly. You can check if this is another ‘newspaper down jacket’.”

The customer took the sample with suspicion, and sure enough, the lining stitching had been opened. She reached in and tugged at it, pulling out soft duck down.

"Oh...this seems pretty good?"

The customer was tempted but hesitated. He subconsciously put on the sample down jacket, and almost immediately, a warm feeling rose from his body.

He Changyi pushed over a custom-made fitting mirror from China at the right moment, and the customer's eyes lit up when he saw himself in the mirror.

This down jacket is not bulky at all, with smooth stitching and a cinched waist that makes the wearer look tall and slender.

"That's really nice, it's a very beautiful dress..."

She was almost reluctant to take off her down jacket, and after looking at herself in the mirror for a long time, she finally made up her mind.

"Okay, I'll buy your down jacket, but you said that if the quality of the down jacket is terrible, I'll demand triple compensation."

He Changyi readily agreed, and even said:

"If you can bring more than ten guests, the price of each down jacket will be discounted by 10%."

The guest's eyes lit up.

"What if I bring a hundred or a thousand guests?"

He Changyi smiled like a little fox.

"Then you'll be my distributor, getting goods at a 30% discount, and the difference is all yours."

The guest left wearing a new down jacket and carrying a large bag of canned goods; her silhouette resembled that of a soldier eager to rush to the battlefield and earn merit.

Just as He Changyi was about to restock the empty shelves, another customer arrived.

Before the person even entered the door, their loud voice echoed into the room.

“Sasha, is this the place where you bought Zhong Guo’s canned food yesterday? It looks really bad. Only kids like you and Nastya would come to a place like this.”

"Dad, but you asked me to bring you here..."

"Alright, let's not talk about this. Remember what I told you: when you get home, don't tell your mother and grandmother, and especially don't tell Nastya!"

"……All right."

As the door opened, the father and son entered the office one after the other.

He Changyi looked over and saw that the son was the blond-haired, blue-eyed Sasha she had met the day before. The father's hair and eyes were darker, and he had turned brown. However, from their facial features, one could still see that they were related by blood.

Dad looked around the office, especially at the display shelves filled with goods, which almost completely drew his eyes in.

He reluctantly looked away, only to notice the East Asian woman who was quietly watching them.

"My children bought a can of Jong-guk from you yesterday, is that true?"

Her father spoke in a very impolite tone, and He Changyi didn't answer but instead asked:

"So you're here to hold the children accountable for acting on their own initiative? Did the canned food give them diarrhea?"

Dad was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words, but little Sasha spoke first:

"Of course not! The canned food is great, our whole family ate it, except for my dad!"

He Changyi suddenly realized, and asked again:

"So you're here to make up for yesterday's disappointment? Unfortunately, the braised pork cans are sold out."

Forgetting to hide his surprise, Dad exclaimed, "What?!"

Sasha's expression changed as well. Forgetting her fear of her own father, she angrily said:

"Dad, I told you, we should have left earlier instead of pretending to go to the Children's Palace for English training!"

He Changyi added insult to injury with a smile.

"What a pity, just five minutes ago, someone bought all the canned braised pork on the shelf."

She pointed to the empty spaces on the shelves that hadn't been restocked yet, proving that what she said was true.

—Even though the warehouse was full of canned braised pork flavored food.

Dad stared blankly at the empty shelves, completely lost in despair.

At dinner yesterday, he didn't get to eat a single piece of fragrant and delicious braised pork, and could only viciously fill his stomach with potatoes.

But potatoes couldn't fill the void left by braised pork. He dreamt all night, and when he woke up in the morning, his pillow was soaked with his saliva.

His wife threw the wet pillow at him with disgust.

"I'm going to work, Sergei. Go take care of your pillow yourself!"

Sergei finally overcame his psychological barrier and secretly took Sasha aside, threatening him to take him to buy canned food, and he couldn't tell his family, especially Nastya.

Unexpectedly, he ultimately missed out on the delicious braised pork.

Overwhelmed by the blow, Sergei slumped his shoulders and turned to leave, not even caring about his own son.

Sasha ignored her father and excitedly asked He Changyi:

“My grandmother said that there are so many delicious foods in Zhongguo that you could eat them all from birth to death! Madam, do you have any other canned Zhongguo products here? I also brought all my pocket money!”

He Changyi squatted down, ruffled the boy's curly hair, and said cheerfully:

"Of course! Stewed mutton, braised chicken, boiled fish... these are all incredibly delicious dishes you've never tasted before."

Sasha's mouth was practically watering!

"I want it all!"

At some point, Sergei stopped walking.

He hesitated, then turned around and looked at me, stammering:

"But I only eat pork..."

Before He Changyi could speak, Sasha had already answered:

"Dad, you can eat canned food and you eat potatoes, just like yesterday! Mom said that it's a blessing from heaven for someone who doesn't cook to eat boiled potatoes!"

He Changyi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

When He Changyi met Sergei's gaze, he offered a weak word of comfort.

"Potatoes are great; at least they can fill your stomach. If that's not enough, we can add some corn; I don't think there's a shortage of corn here."

—This place certainly doesn't lack corn. Back then, Su Suizong vigorously promoted corn cultivation throughout the entire alliance. Not only did the locals have no shortage of food, but there was even surplus capacity to export it abroad.

Sergei: ...

With family scandals aired in public, Sergei stormed over, grabbed Sasha by the back of the collar, and menacingly tried to drag him out the door.

"You should go back to learning English instead of wasting time in a Korean store!"

Sasha's longing for delicious food helped him overcome his fear of his father, and he struggled fiercely.

"No! I hate English! I want to learn Chinese so that I can go to Korea and eat all kinds of Korean food like my grandmother!"

Sergei roared:

"Even your grandmother didn't come to China just to eat delicious food! She was invited as a technical expert! Why don't you think about studying in China instead of just thinking about eating?!"

Sasha readily changed her tune, saying:

"Then I'll go study in South Korea and eat my way through the studies!"

Sergei paused, something seemed off.

At this moment, Sasha had already made a grand vow.

"I want to learn culinary skills in Zhongguo and become the best Oros person to cook Zhongguo cuisine!"

Sergei: ...

“Our whole family are technical experts who graduated from engineering universities! Since your grandfather’s generation, no one has given up their engineering profession for the sake of making a living!”

Sasha retorted defiantly:

"Now we have it!"

He Changyi watched the father-son battle with great interest, almost to the point of grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds to crack open.

However, Sasha was still young, and under Sergei's strong suppression, he pouted, tears welling in his long eyelashes, and was forced to shut up.

Seeing that the smoke had dissipated slightly, He Changyi slowly said:

"So, do you still need Jong-guk canned food? Although there's no braised pork, the stewed mutton is quite delicious. I suggest adding some carrots; it's perfect for winter and very good for your health."

Sergei, who was about to leave, hesitated for a moment.

"Then...then give me one, no, I want three."

Sasha said angrily:

“Mom and Grandma will definitely find out, and so will Nastya…”

Upon thinking of his bold and straightforward little tiger, Sergei's expression changed, and he quickly changed his words:

"Madam, could you please heat up the canned food? I'll eat here."

He Changyi didn't stand on ceremony and pointed to the thermos and basin, letting Sergei help himself.

Sergei wanted to refuse, but he couldn't resist his craving and sheepishly heated the canned food himself in a water bath.

As he unscrewed the can lid, the aroma of stewed mutton filled the air, and a happy smile unconsciously appeared on Sergei's face.

Just as he awkwardly picked up his chopsticks, about to take a bite of the largest piece of mutton that he had already set his sights on, Nastya's voice suddenly rang out.

"Dad, Sasha, why are you here?"

Sergei dropped his chopsticks.

Sasha first stuffed the mutton into her mouth, then turned to Nastya as if to complain:

"Dad wants me to bring him to buy Jong-kook canned food! He won't let me tell you!"

Nastya walked over angrily and shouted:

"Dad, if you also like Chinese cuisine, why did you lie to us?!"

Sergei blushed and tried to explain, looking pale and weak.

"No, there's a reason for that..."

Nastya shook her head in exasperation.

"Parents are role models for their children; you should be more honest!"

Sergei looked at He Changyi for help.

He Changyi said considerately:

"Is one can not enough? Don't worry, I have plenty of canned food here, enough to satisfy your cravings."

She even winked at Sergei, her eyes full of understanding.

Even when sharing with family.

Sergei: ...

Wait, he didn't sneak out because he wanted to eat alone; he just didn't want to be exposed!

Nastya shook her head in disapproval.

"Dad, you've really disappointed me!"

Sergei was about to cry.

Help!

In order not to disappoint his beloved little tiger Nastya, Sergei urgently purchased all kinds of canned food from China, even though it cost him all his savings.

When he carried a huge box of canned goods home, his neighbors in the same building were shocked.

Especially when you see Chinese characters on the box.

"Sergei, I remember you really hated China. You called them a bunch of ungrateful thieves and robbers, and living fossils of tyranny. I thought you'd never find anything from China here. So what is this, some kind of Japanese product?"

Sergei, his face flushed, defended himself:

"The Ministry of Truth is finished. I don't need to explain myself to anyone. Whatever I say is my freedom of speech!"

The neighbor complained:

"Does freedom of speech mean being able to arbitrarily contradict oneself? The rampant spread of Western ideology..."

Other neighbors, however, were more concerned with practical things.

"Sergei, where did you buy this canned food? You can't find so many flavors even in stores."

“My family hasn’t been able to buy meat in a long time, and we really need some canned meat products.”

Before Sergei could speak, someone beside him reminded him:

"This is canned food produced in China! Aren't you worried they might be using rat meat to pass off as pork?"

The other person hesitated and said:

“I’ve bought canned meat from Jong-kook before. It wasn’t very tasty, but the quality wasn’t bad. It was much better than expired military rations.”

The person who reminded them immediately said:

"That's because the canned goods you bought from Zhongguo are legitimate products produced by state-owned factories and exported under the name of the state, not some cheap knock-offs smuggled in by greedy smugglers. Look at the packaging; have you ever seen canned goods like this in a store?"

"Shuttlemen" is the Oroqen term for traders, describing them as shuttling back and forth between the two countries like shuttles on a spinning wheel.

Upon hearing his words, the neighbors who had initially been somewhat interested hesitated.

Even if leather jackets and down jackets are of poor quality, it only affects the wearing experience; but canned food is something that is ingested, and if there are food safety issues, the already meager savings will have to be donated to the hospital.

Sergei's feelings were mixed.

He was somewhat inclined to speak up for the canned goods, to prove that he hadn't bought cheap, low-quality food; but he wasn't so keen on speaking up for Chinese-made goods.

Torn between his thoughts, Sergei said nothing, coldly shouldered the suitcase, and went home.

Grandmother and wife were overjoyed to see the box of canned goods, and wife even took the initiative to kiss him.

"Great job! We'll have meat on our tables for the next month."

Sergei was flattered, cleared his throat, and mumbled:

"I don't like any of the Chinese cuisine; I'm just doing this so my family can get enough protein..."

For the sake of the box of canned goods, his wife generously refrained from exposing him, and his grandmother simply looked at Sergei with gentle understanding.

Sasha and Nastya whispered in each other's ears.

"Dad clearly loves Jong-guk cuisine, he's lying again!"

Nastya, unusually tolerant, said:

"Hush, adults sometimes need to lie to escape their true selves, that's what He told me."

Sergei's face turned even redder.

There was a knock on the door, and Sergei rushed over to open it as if his life depended on it.

The neighbor outside the door got straight to the point:

"Sergei, tell me who you bought the canned food from? Please, I really need to know!"

Sergei was taken aback, and instinctively asked:

“But you say we can’t buy the generic canned goods from Suozike. To be honest, I bought my canned goods from Zhong Guo Suozike.”

The neighbor, however, bluntly stated:

“You hate Jong-kook so much, but you’re willing to buy Jong-kook canned food, so there must be nothing wrong with it. Otherwise, even if it were given away for free, you wouldn’t let even a piece of paper with Chinese writing on it into your house.”

Sergei: ...Does he really seem to harbor such deep hatred?

With mixed feelings, Sergei gave He Changyi's office address to the other party.

To express his gratitude, the neighbor gave him a jar of homemade pickled vegetables.

Sergei initially thought it was an accident, but little did he know that this was just the beginning.

In the following days, neighbors kept coming to ask about where to buy Zhongguo canned food. Sometimes, several neighbors would come at the same time, and they would awkwardly look at each other at the door.

Finally, even the neighbor who warned everyone not to buy Jong-kook's canned food secretly came over.

Sergei asked incredulously:

"Didn't you advise everyone not to buy Jong-kook canned food?"

In response, the neighbor explained matter-of-factly:

“If I don’t say that, everyone will rush to buy Jong-kook’s canned food, and I won’t be able to buy any.”

Sergei suddenly realized!

After getting rid of this shameless and cunning neighbor, Sergei didn't bother with his meal; he simply put on his coat and went outside.

His wife was serving him canned mutton and carrots when she saw him and asked him unhappily where he was going.

Ignoring the chef's displeasure, Sergei hurriedly walked out, leaving behind a remark:

"I need to buy two more cases of canned goods quickly, otherwise our neighbors will take away all of Zhongguo Store's inventory!"

This is important business! The wife's anger turned to joy, and she chased after him, calling out:

"Take my wallet! It has my salary in it!"

Even though Sergei rushed to He Changyi's office as fast as he could, he was still a step too late.

The office, which was over 100 square meters in size, was now packed with people, and all the items within reach on the shelves had been taken down.

If people weren't waving rubles while grabbing goods, it would look like a scene of mass looting.

Looking around, I saw familiar faces everywhere!

Sergei clearly heard the cunning neighbor shout at He Changyi:

"Expired canned food is fine too! I have a stomach of steel, please sell me all the canned food that's nearing or expired!"

The people nearby were furious.

"You're dreaming! Expired canned food should be distributed equally to everyone!"

He Changyi looked extremely distressed.

It could also be because it's too noisy, like falling into a chicken farm.

"No, I would never sell expired canned food! Wait, put down that opened can, that's my dinner!"

Sergei was in a great hurry and charged into the crowd with unwavering courage.

"I introduced all of them here, so I have the right to buy first!"

In an unexpected way, He Changyi successfully gained access to the market in Vladimir City.

Or rather, to some extent, this was exactly what He Changyi had expected.

It started with retail.

Locals spread the word, and when they learned that there was a Jongkook Department Store with good quality and low prices, customers flocked there.

However, although it's called retail, it's more like wholesale.

In order to survive periods of scarcity, the people of Eguo have become accustomed to buying as much of the goods they can see as possible, hoarding food in their burrows like field mice.

It's common to see a customer buy twenty or thirty cans of food—even if each can weighs a full kilogram. If this person doesn't buy more, it just means their wallet isn't thick enough.

One customer even bought ten of the largest-sized down jackets in one go, but the size was actually not suitable for her body type.

He Changyi was curious and asked another question.

The guest bluntly stated, "I'm going to piece together all my down jackets to make down sleeping bags. It's just too cold in winter. That damn power plant must be slacking off; the radiators feel like ice to the touch. Without thick blankets to keep warm, my family and I will turn into ice sculptures."

Upon hearing this, the customers nearby lit up and immediately rushed to grab the remaining down jackets from the shelf.

"That's brilliant! How come I didn't think of that!"

After canned goods, down jackets have become the second best-selling product.

The goods on the shelves disappeared rapidly at a visible speed, and the restocking speed could not even keep up with the sales speed.

He Changyi simply asked customers who couldn't buy the goods to list their needs, attach a small deposit, and give them priority when the goods arrived next time.

Gradually, the new store's business became increasingly booming. The once quiet office is now bustling with customers, and the 100-square-meter space can no longer accommodate the ever-increasing shelves and the constant influx of customers.

Rent in Vladimir wasn't as expensive as in Moscow, so He Changyi simply rented an entire floor of shops in the city center, using the front for entertaining customers and the back for storage and dormitories, thus starting a new business.

However, with such a large area, He Changyi couldn't manage to look after everything by himself.

Perhaps because it is a heavy industrial city with low mobility and a close-knit community, Vladimir's security is slightly better than Moscow's, but not by much.

The sheer variety of crimes—from petty theft and stealing in the chaos to burglary at night—is enough to make a legal drama.

He Changyi countered each move, and the losses weren't too great, but the frequent accidents were still a bit of a headache.

It's mainly because it's seriously affecting my sleep!

He Changyi decided to hire one or two shop assistants, preferably Chinese people who can speak the Ethnic language, or mixed-race people if necessary.

As for the Ego people—

She shouldn't turn back and invite a bunch of local thieves into her home; otherwise, she might as well pack her bags and go back to China.

However, new shop assistants are not easy to find. The first requirement of knowing Etiquette eliminates 90% of the applicants. Among the remaining applicants, they are more willing to be resellers themselves than to work as assistants for others.

She was lucky to find Zhang Jin and Chen Yue back then, which is a reward for her good deeds. But people aren't always lucky.

Just when He Changyi was feeling overwhelmed, a private factory owner who had cooperated with her many times in China recommended his son to her.

"This kid is tough and resilient. You can discipline him however you want, and I won't say a word. As long as you're willing to take him abroad, let him see the sights of the world, broaden his horizons, and learn some skills from you so he can support himself in the future, that's all that matters."

The factory manager spoke very politely, pushing his seventeen-year-old eldest son in front of He Changyi, just like the mother of the King of Chu and his concubine.

However, he doesn't seem to be looking for a way out for his son; he seems more like he wants to get rid of a burden.

He Changyi said quite politely:

"Russia is not a good place. It's not safe there. It can't compare to China. In China, there are just some highway robbers who occasionally brandish knives and guns. But the Russians really kill people. They don't bury them after they're done killing. You're lucky if you find the body. There are plenty of unlucky guys who don't get their comeuppance."

The factory manager waved his hand with a flourish.

"It's alright. I may not have much else, but I have the most sons! If he dies in Oros, even if he's not destined to make a fortune, no one can be blamed. Don't worry, I know the rules of the underworld!"

He Changyi: ? ? ?

You know all about the rules of the underworld, but I know them all better than you do.

Besides, is what you're saying even human language?

So she went to Oros not to make money, but to contribute to the local crime rate KPI?