Chapter 252 Honesty is Key in Business

“Uncle has just bought a big house in the best part of Ningcheng,” he said with a smile, his eyes glistening with tears. “From now on, you’ll live here, with your own room and desk, and you won’t have to run around anymore!”

“Zhenyi, don’t always hug her. Girls can be pampered, but you can’t spoil them.”

Zhou Shufen walked over.

She gently took Yang Qingyan from him.

Instead of making a fuss, Yang Qingyan looked up at her with a smile.

“Auntie is right! I have legs, I can walk by myself! I’m not afraid of getting tired!”

Guo Zhenyi smiled, did not refute, but simply patted her head.

He took the duffel bag from her hand.

The bag was small, but it was filled with all her belongings from the journey.

He then casually took Zhou Shufen's hand.

The two walked side by side across the square in front of the train station.

The crowd was noisy and hurried.

But their steps were remarkably steady.

When I got to the parking area, a brand-new black sedan was parked there quietly.

Zhou Shufen came to Ningcheng this time to build greenhouses.

This is a crucial part of her plan.

There's a factory here that produces plastic film.

It is of excellent quality, has good light transmission, is corrosion resistant, and has a long service life.

Guo Zhenyi had already inquired about it for her and confirmed it several times.

They said they could discuss cooperation, and the other party was willing to sign a long-term contract.

She plans to build a greenhouse.

He personally handled everything from site selection and construction to material procurement.

Then plant various vegetables.

Otherwise, her enormous amount of food will inevitably attract unwanted attention sooner or later.

The market is in chaos now, and some people will do anything for profit.

Once her vegetable yield is found to be abnormal, we will definitely investigate it thoroughly.

Therefore, it is essential to establish our own production system as soon as possible.

It can both conceal the truth and ensure a stable supply.

The land was chosen in the suburbs, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The land is fertile, water resources are plentiful, and transportation is convenient.

All procedures were handled through the Special Administrative Region, and every step is documented and verifiable.

It's all clean and innocent; nobody's finding fault with it.

Upon arriving in Ningcheng, she first organized the clothes and daily necessities she had brought from Yu Xin, categorizing them and placing them in Zhouji Supermarket for sale.

These items were originally stored in the cloth bag she always carried, but in reality, they had already been put into her spatial storage.

But she didn't want Zhou Miaoling and her group of juniors to notice anything amiss, so she had to pretend to move boxes and carry bags, making trips back and forth.

She acted quite convincingly; she even wiped some sweat from her forehead.

The supermarket was instantly filled to the brim again.

Zhou Miaoling really has a knack for business.

Such a large store, yet it's kept very tidy.

Customers praised her for being shrewd and capable, and more and more customers came back.

Yang Yunmu helped with odd jobs on the side.

She had suffered enough from being broke and being treated coldly by her in-laws.

Even buying a pair of socks for the child requires piecing together money from various sources.

Now she understands that without money, it's really impossible to get by.

She stayed up until the very last minute every day.

Even if there's no one left in the store, they'll still check the doors, windows, water, and electricity one last time before leaving.

Master Zhou's daughter, Zhou Yamei, is an even more lively character.

He has an outgoing personality, a loud voice, and a quick tongue that can be used like a megaphone.

When she stands in front of the counter and shouts, the whole street can hear her.

"Don't miss out! Zhouji's special price on cabbage is only 25 cents a pound, which is 3 cents cheaper than the state-run vegetable market!"

She's incredibly accurate when it comes to selling things.

She knew everything about the origin, price, and usage of each item.

They can even remember the prices of state-owned stores and other small shops, and can compare them clearly and concisely.

Once customers feel reassured, they dare to confidently enter the supermarket.

They no longer worry about inflated prices or the quality of the products they buy.

Zhou Shufen is honest and trustworthy in her business dealings.

Authentic products at fair prices, with excellent service.

Gradually, the neighbors all recognized this shop.

We're not afraid of her scamming people because she's never let anyone down.

The membership system was something she and Zhou Miaoling came up with together.

While the two sat in the shop checking the accounts, they drank tea and discussed how to retain their old customers.

Zhou Miaoling mentioned it.

"It would be great if regular customers could enjoy some discounts."

Zhou Shufen's eyes lit up and she immediately replied, "Then let's implement a points system!"

They got right to work, designing rules, printing cards, and posting notices overnight.

Buy more, accumulate points, and you can redeem soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Earn one cent for every dollar spent.

If you get 100 points, you can exchange them for a bar of soap.

Two hundred points can be exchanged for a toothbrush and toothpaste set.

The children love this activity the most; once they've accumulated enough points, they jump and skip to redeem their prizes.

Parents were also happy, as they saved money and taught their children perseverance and planning skills.

There are also events every quarter.

Buy 10 yuan worth of goods and get a free egg.

Don't underestimate this seemingly ordinary egg.

But for ordinary people, it's a real benefit.

Especially those thrifty housewives.

I'd rather walk two more blocks than not come here and make it a round number.

"Since I'm going to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar anyway, why not get an egg on the side?"

The supermarket's reputation grew stronger every day.

At first, only people from a few nearby neighborhoods knew about it.

Later, even the long-time residents of the western part of the city heard about it.

Through word of mouth, this unassuming little supermarket has become a well-known and trusted store in Ningcheng.

Sure enough, several stores followed suit and opened, even copying the membership system and lucky draw.

The newly opened shop has a brighter interior and a more impressive signboard.

They imitated it perfectly.

Points cards, redemption forms, and even quarterly free eggs—they have it all.

Some people, just for the novelty, actually went a few times.

Zhou Shufen was not flustered at all.

She knew perfectly well that she could copy the form, but not the core.

Service attitude, product quality, and operational details cannot be mastered in a day or two.

It has been imitated countless times, but no one has been able to surpass it.

Her supermarket is popular not just because it's cheap, but because of the trust built up over a long period of time.

The neighbors all know what's going on; they can tell at a glance who truly cares about everyone.

She knew that in a market economy, competition is what brings vitality.

When there are no opponents, it's easy to become complacent.

The comparison can actually stimulate potential.

Just like a running race, if someone is chasing from behind, the person in front will run faster.

This is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Zhou Shufen remained completely calm.

Instead of wasting her energy staring at her opponent, she turned and went into the warehouse.

What she was trying to figure out was which vegetables were selling fast lately.

Her thoughts had long since wandered beyond the small shop in front of her.

She devoted all her energy to the greenhouse base.

To grow big, you must control the source.

They grow their own vegetables and supply them themselves.

Not much land was rented.

After all, most of the farmland still belongs to the state.

The policy has not been fully liberalized, and private contracting of large areas of farmland is still restricted.

In addition, many people at the time felt that farming was not profitable.

They would rather go to the city to work than stay in the fields and toil for a living.

Therefore, even if you want to find land, it is not easy to find a suitable plot.

Coincidentally, Guo Zhenyi was leading a group of people to reclaim wasteland, clearing over a thousand acres of land in the suburbs in one go.

It was a desolate wasteland that had been abandoned for many years.

The area was overgrown with weeds, the ditches were blocked, and there wasn't even a decent road.

But Guo Zhenyi had a long-term vision and knew that urban expansion would eventually spread to this area.

He organized his comrades to work together.

By leveling the land, building irrigation ditches, and laying pipelines, they have revitalized the barren land.

He hadn't figured out how to use it yet, so he simply allocated 400 mu to Zhou Shufen.