Chapter 41 She's Shining

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the factory. The basic demolition work was finished, and now the workers were beginning to re-apply cement.

Jiang Ruzhen listened intently as Lu Mingzheng and several leaders discussed their future plans, including bringing together men's and women's clothing, hats, and shoes. She frowned as she listened.

Lu Mingzheng, who had been keeping an eye on Jiang Ruzhen out of the corner of his eye, naturally noticed it and turned to ask her seriously.

Do you think there's anything wrong with it?

Jiang Ruzhen didn't think much of it and said, "I think the layout you mentioned is a bit messy. Every industry has competition. You can't break a district into several scattered sub-districts just because you're afraid of competition."

What is a market? A market is one that is competitive. I suggest you set up a dedicated men's clothing mall, divided into sections for formal wear, casual sportswear, hats, shoes, and so on.

There are too many types of women's clothing, but you could set up one area specifically for selling women's clothing, another for selling hats and socks, another for selling women's shoes, and yet another for selling accessories and daily necessities.

You need to motivate sellers and create competition among them so that the market can be established in an orderly manner and a healthy supply chain can be formed.

Customers will be more organized when shopping, knowing what they want to buy and which area to go to. This clear purpose will lead to better customer flow.

For wholesale markets to grow and thrive, they also need external storage areas, truck parking areas for transporting goods, and fire lanes, which are also crucial components…

Jiang Ruzhen recounted the operational model of the integrated shopping mall she had seen in her later life, leaving the leaders and Lu Mingzheng present speechless.

Is this how markets can be operated?

They see that farmers' markets are just a bunch of random, haphazardly sold goods!

Jiang Ruzhen's operating model was very advanced, and Lu Mingzheng listened with great interest. In his eyes, Jiang Ruzhen, who was talking eloquently, seemed to be shining brightly.

That confident smile was deeply imprinted in his mind.

As Shen Zhuoyi listened to Jiang Ruzhen's long speech, although he didn't understand most of it, it didn't stop him from looking at his mother with admiration and respect.

That's his own mother! Amazing!

The leaders and big bosses were all stunned.

After walking around the circle, Jiang Ruzhen's throat was dry from talking, so she casually took out a soda bottle from her bag.

Actually, it contained spiritual spring water. After drinking a few sips, she immediately felt all her fatigue disappear.

Several leaders walked ahead, enthusiastically discussing the shopping mall model that Jiang Ruzhen had just described. They were all radiant and full of energy.

Lu Mingzheng, who was walking alongside her, suddenly snatched the soda bottle from her hand.

"I'm thirsty too, give me some water."

Before Jiang Ruzhen could stop him, Lu Mingzheng took two sips, smacked his lips, and looked surprised.

"This water tastes so good, give it all to me."

Jiang Ruzhen wanted to remind him that it was water she had drunk from, but before she could speak, Lu Mingzheng had already gulped it all down.

Still wanting more after finishing, he asked, "Is there any more?"

Jiang Ruzhen snatched the bottle back angrily and stuffed it back into her bag. "It's gone. This was a sweet drink I specially made. You really have no manners at all."

"You stingy little thing, I'll give you back ten pounds of sugar in a bit," Lu Mingzheng said.

Jiang Ruzhen rolled her eyes at him, and Lu Mingzheng immediately felt as if his blood was boiling, and even his severely injured chest began to ache faintly.

Lu Mingzheng took a few more steps forward to cover up his actions, afraid that Jiang Ruzhen would notice something amiss and develop a dislike for him.

Shen Zhuoyi had been following behind Jiang Ruzhen the whole way, and he had seen Lu Mingzheng staring blankly at his mother from time to time.

Seeing that the person had left, he quickly went up and walked alongside Jiang Ruzhen.

He whispered in Jiang Ruzhen's ear like a thief.

"Mom, is this man interested in you? I think he's a good catch, a big boss, much better than those rough men in our village. Why don't you give him a try?"

"Try it, you big dummy! Try it and see if I can smash your brains to pieces, okay?" Jiang Ruzhen was already annoyed, and Shen Zhuoyi was just asking for trouble.

As he left the factory area, Lu Mingzheng saw someone standing in front of his car and immediately went to greet him.

He patted the young man on the shoulder and said with satisfaction.

"Hey kid, what brings you here? You've grown taller again!"

"Godfather, I heard from Uncle Xiao that you were here on a business trip, so I came to see you. This is mushroom and meat sauce that my mom made herself. It's very fragrant and goes well with rice. I saved it for you to eat when you don't have an appetite."

Lu Mingzheng took the canned food jar, somewhat touched. "I told you not to prepare these for me every time. My appetite has improved now, and I eat a lot more."

The young man didn't argue; he just grinned foolishly.

Just then, Jiang Ruzhen and Shen Zhuoyi walked over, and Lu Mingzheng turned around and introduced the young man to them.

"Jiang Ruzhen, let me introduce you. This is my godson, Xie Hui. He is a very good student and just got into the Department of Architecture at Capital University this year."

Capital University?

Isn't she in the same school as her daughter?

Jiang Ruzhen smiled at Xie Hui, "What a coincidence! My daughter was also admitted to the Capital University this year. You two can look out for each other then."

Xie Hui quickly straightened his posture and nodded solemnly to Jiang Ruzhen.

"Okay, godmother!"

The people present reacted differently upon hearing Xie Hui's address.

"Who are you calling godmother?" Before Jiang Ruzhen could explain, Shen Zhuoyi rushed forward, grabbed Xie Hui by the neck, and dragged him away from there.

Jiang Ruzhen was startled, thinking that the second son was going to hit someone, and quickly stepped forward to stop him.

Lu Mingzheng quickly stopped her, "It's alright, let the two younger ones have a good chat. Don't let my Xie Hui's thin appearance fool you, he's a very strong fighter."

Jiang Ruzhen was indignant upon hearing this, and she put her hands on her hips and glared at Lu Mingzheng.

"My second child is also very good at fighting, okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes, he can fight. Just from how you fought me last time, I knew your son must have taken after you. Your whole family are ruthless."

Lu Mingzheng's words seemed to be praising her, but why did Jiang Ruzhen feel so awkward listening to them?

The image of the two of them tangling and falling together on the mountain flashed through her mind, as if this guy had taken advantage of her a lot back then.

Jiang Ruzhen's gaze towards Lu Mingzheng held a hint of hostility, prompting Lu Mingzheng to quickly change the subject.

"How did the clothes you bought last time sell?"

"It's alright," Jiang Ruzhen said, unwilling to elaborate.

Lu Mingzheng wanted to say a few more words, but the leaders sent someone to invite him to a government meeting.

Lu Mingzheng nodded, then turned to Jiang Ruzhen and asked, "Are you free? Want to come with me?"

“I’m just a poor commoner, what am I supposed to do at your meetings?” Jiang Ruzhen retorted directly.

"Sigh, these government meetings are like an old lady's foot binding cloth, so long and smelly. If I get tired, I'll just go back to the hotel to rest. We can talk about the goods you wanted tomorrow after I've had a good sleep."

Lu Mingzheng's words were a blatant threat, and Jiang Ruzhen, though furious, had no choice but to follow him.

She hated meetings the most, and even in the factory's summary meetings in later years, she would try to avoid them whenever possible.

After enduring three hours of hardship, Jiang Ruzhen felt like she was about to wither away like a dried-up corpse.

Lu Mingzheng successfully emptied her mind. Jiang Ruzhen walked out of the conference room and saw the second brother and Xie Hui sitting at the door chatting enthusiastically.

Let's just say that; it seems like the second son contributed the most from one side.

"Let's go, I'm starving, let's go eat," Jiang Ruzhen called to the two of them.

Shen Zhuoyi stood up, grinning widely, and shouted, "Yes, Mother!"

Xie Hui also stood up, smiling as he said, "I understand, godmother."

Jiang Ruzhen was speechless. This child seemed to want to recognize everyone as a godfather.

Lu Mingzheng's grin was so wide it almost reached the back of his head. Seeing this, he stepped forward, put his arms around the shoulders of the two children, and the three of them got into the car like good brothers.