Chapter 168 A Tall Tree Catches the Wind

“I believe you. I’ve always believed you. But… if we really have a child, isn’t that a good thing? You haven’t complained about me, so why should I complain about you? Everyone has a past, but we’re together now, living our future together.”

Zhou Yujie watched from the side without saying a word.

He silently picked up the bowl of porridge that had gone cold from the table, stood up, and walked out.

"I'll go fetch water."

"We'll discuss marriage after we've investigated thoroughly. Little sister, it's not that I don't trust Zhenyi, it's just that people's hearts are unpredictable."

Guo Zhenyi remained silent.

He simply stared quietly at Zhou Shufen's profile, his gaze unwavering.

Zhou Shufen gently withdrew her hand.

"The porridge is ready. I'll go call Qingyan."

Guo Zhenyi watched her departing figure, his heart tightening.

When Zhou Shufen led Yang Qingyan, who was rubbing her eyes, back back, a steaming bowl of porridge was already laid out on the table.

Jiangnan Zhi also got up with her grandsons.

The children sat around the table, chattering away, their faces still sleepy.

As she wiped her grandson's face, she smiled and gestured for everyone to sit down.

Guo Zhenyi was still sitting on the small stool in front of the stove.

"Uncle Guo, why aren't you eating?"

Yang Qingyan held the bowl, tilted her little face up, and stared at him with her big, dark eyes.

Guo Zhenyi only slowly came to his senses after hearing the sound.

"Eat, I'll eat now."

He picked up the bowl, his fingers trembling slightly, but he hesitated to pick up his chopsticks.

After a moment, he suddenly spoke.

"Shufen, I won't go to the department store this afternoon. I'll go to the post office to send a telegram first."

Zhou Shufen paused slightly as she scooped up the porridge.

She didn't look up, but simply responded softly.

"good."

Guo Zhenyi had only one thought in his mind: he absolutely could not let Pan Yun get any closer to Zhou Shufen.

After breakfast, everyone went about their own business.

Zhou Yujie rushed back to the port city early in the morning.

Last night, news came from the other side that there was an emergency dispatch at the dock, which he had to handle personally.

Zhou Yufan and Wen Shuli entered the store together.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, carried out the shelves that had been packed away the night before.

Then, the newly arrived fabrics and daily necessities were placed on the counter one by one.

Wenshu Li stood on tiptoe to hang the sign, while Zhou Yufan carefully wiped the shelves with a rag.

At 8:00 a.m. sharp, the door lock clicked open, and the shop opened to customers on time.

Zhou Shufen quickly ate a couple of bites of rice, said goodbye to Guo Zhenyi, and hurried to the supermarket.

Just as I put the tomatoes down, I heard the clear voice of Clerk Li Qingliang coming from the doorway.

"Auntie, these cucumbers are so fresh and juicy!"

He rubbed his hands together and quickly approached.

"The flowers haven't even withered yet, they're still blooming with thorns on top, so fresh you could squeeze water out of them! They're even fresher than the ones that have been sitting at the supply and marketing cooperative for three days!"

Zhou Shufen brushed the dust off her hands and replied with a smile.

"They were all brought from the suburban base this morning, freshly picked and transported without any delay. There will be plenty every day from now on."

She laughed naturally, her tone relaxed, cleverly avoiding the secret of the space.

In fact, Zhou Shufen had long wanted to build a greenhouse in the suburbs.

Taking advantage of this period of calm, she had already drawn up a blueprint in her mind.

At that time, not only will they have enough for their own use, but they can also secretly supply the store and even secretly sell some "special supplies".

Guo Zhenyi has already started helping her find places, running around to inquire about information, and his footsteps have hardly stopped.

Although there has been no reply yet, he is confident based on the connections he has built up in the city over the years.

On the second day after the supermarket opened, long lines of customers had already formed at the entrance before it had been completely cleaned.

At its busiest, the line in front of the cashier stretched all the way to the door.

She had actually planned the membership card thing a long time ago.

After all, in the modern retail system, membership programs are a key element in stabilizing customer base.

But the reality is that we simply don't have enough manpower.

Zhou Yufan had to sort the goods, Zhou Shufen had to handle the cash register, and Guo Zhenyi was out running around.

There isn't even a single person in the store who can specifically handle registration.

Moreover, all accounts are recorded by hand, and just keeping the daily accounts takes up most of the day.

But she knew very well that this matter had to be dealt with sooner or later.

In the long run, if a membership system cannot be established, it will be difficult to sustain the business by relying solely on low prices to attract customers.

She planned that once the staff was in place, the first thing she would do was launch a points-based membership card system.

Earn one point for every purchase exceeding a certain amount. Points can be redeemed for goods or used to enjoy discounts.

This way, customers will not only be more willing to come, but may also actively recommend it to their friends and family.

Zhouji Convenience Supermarket gradually became popular.

But the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow; the more famous a person is, the more trouble they will attract.

Those who originally ran state-owned stores nearby felt uneasy watching customers being drawn away.

Especially those from supply and marketing cooperatives.

They had been monopolizing the market for many years by relying on the old rule of "planned supply".

Suddenly, a Zhouji Supermarket appeared, with lower prices and better service, which is simply taking away their profits.

Sure enough, the state-owned enterprises couldn't sit still any longer and started sending people to put pressure on them.

That afternoon, Zhou Shufen had been sitting behind the cashier for less than two minutes.

Just then, Director Huang of the supply and marketing cooperative sauntered in.

He put his hands in his pockets and scanned the goods on the shelf inch by inch with his eyes.

Finally, his gaze settled on the row of neatly stacked soaps.

"Mr. Zhou, business is booming!"

As he spoke, he tapped the soap box with his finger.

"This stuff must have cost a lot to buy, right? You're selling it for less than our state-run stores. Are you losing money to gain publicity? Just for your reputation?"

Zhou Shufen lowered her head and wrote down the accounts in her notebook.

"We operate on a low-profit, high-volume model, so that ordinary people can buy with confidence and use with peace of mind. When everyone is happy, I am happy too."

Director Huang snorted coldly, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"Boss Zhou, don't you understand the rules? There are clear regulations on prices in Ningcheng. There are standards for what price can be sold for. If you do this, with prices all over the place, how are our state-owned enterprises supposed to survive? If the higher-ups investigate, who will take responsibility?"

After saying that, he slowly took out a piece of paper from the pocket of his Zhongshan suit jacket.

"We received a notification this morning that your store is suspected of 'buying and selling illegally,' lacks complete permits, and is engaged in serious illegal business practices. You must immediately cease operations for rectification!"

Zhou Yufan was organizing the newly arrived laundry detergent behind the shelf when he heard this and suddenly turned around.

"Impossible! We have all the necessary permits! We obtained our business license a long time ago, completed our tax registration, and paid every single tax due! Why do you say our permits are incomplete?"

Director Huang gave a cold laugh.

"You have one? Then show me the supply order. These cucumbers are still blooming, and you said they were just delivered this morning, very fresh. But do you have a delivery receipt? Do you have logistics documents? Can you prove that these vegetables came from legitimate channels? Or are they just smuggled in privately?"

Zhou Shufen's fingers paused slightly, and her heart sank.

Of course, she couldn't produce a shipping invoice.

These vegetables were all taken from her online space, so where did the proper transportation records come from?

Zhou Shufen quickly suppressed her panic and immediately put on a friendly smile.

"Director Huang, you must be joking. How could there not be any forms? They're all in the filing cabinet in the back room. I'll go get them right away. Please wait a moment."