Chapter 57 Conflict

After the crowd dispersed, Meng Meng walked up to Su Tangtang somewhat awkwardly and whispered, "Thank you for earlier."

Su Tangtang remained calm and simply replied, "You're welcome."

Meng Meng pursed her lips, then seemed to regain some confidence, her tone hardening, "Don't think that just because you helped me once, I'll be more grateful to you. I won't let the matter of you hurting my friend go so easily."

Su Tangtang couldn't help but roll her eyes, too lazy to argue with her, and simply said, "You guys continue selling vegetables. You're not allowed to go back until you've sold them all today."

Meng Meng was taken aback, then retorted with dissatisfaction, "Why should I?"

"Hurry up and sell yours," Su Tangtang said no more, pulled Huo Yizhou around and got into the car, "We're leaving."

Watching the car drive away, Meng Meng pouted in their direction, then turned to Ke Tangshu and said, "Let's go."

Ke Tangshu gave a faint "hmm," showing no emotion.

Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou did not go straight home, but went back to the fields to continue working. In the evening, everyone gathered together to briefly exchange information about the day's progress.

Meng Meng spoke first, her tone somewhat dejected, "Sales weren't very good; we only sold a third of them in one day."

Lin Lang chimed in, "We're about the same."

Gu Qingke's report was slightly more positive: "We had some success today. Several restaurants expressed their need, but they didn't want much."

Zhou Yan sighed and concluded, "Two days have passed, and we haven't even sold enough vegetables to cover five-tenths of an acre."

Seeing that everyone was in low spirits, Su Tangtang gently comforted them, "It's okay, we'll take it slow, we'll sell out eventually."

After a day of running around with almost no results, Shen Yingying was already frustrated. Hearing this, she couldn't help but become even more irritated and said, "Take it slow? If we go any slower, the vegetables will rot in the field!"

Zhou Yan glanced at her and explained calmly, "Tangtang was just trying to comfort everyone, so don't be so harsh with your words."

Shen Yingying rubbed her throbbing temples and replied irritably, "Where did I 'rush'? I'm just stating the facts. I'm running around all day and haven't gained anything. I'm exhausted."

She was indeed a bit out of control today, and coupled with menstrual discomfort, she was extremely irritable.

Zhou Yan sighed and said softly, "Everyone is tired, not just you."

Shen Yingying didn't reply, and silence filled the air.

An awkward silence fell over the scene. Finally, Qu Xian broke the silence, looking at Su Tangtang and the others, and asked, "How's the situation on your end?"

Su Tangtang paused slightly, then said calmly, "The price is still very low."

Meng Meng chimed in nonchalantly, "If all else fails, just sell to vegetable buyers. It'll be cheaper, at least we can complete the task within the time limit set by the production team."

Lin Lang frowned slightly. "We're at a huge disadvantage like this."

Su Tangtang nodded in agreement, "The vegetables we grow with so much effort are sold for just one yuan, and some vegetables don't even sell for one yuan per kilogram. After deducting costs, there's almost no profit."

Shen Yingying couldn't help but retort, "But it's still better than letting it rot in the ground, isn't it?"

Su Tangtang narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone remaining calm, "The vegetables are still growing in the ground, not all of them have been harvested, how could they spoil so quickly?"

Shen Yingying's words were barbed, "Don't forget we only have ten days, and two days have already passed."

“Time is indeed tight, but we must do our best to ensure that our hard work is rewarded,” Su Tangtang said firmly. “If we still haven’t sold them by the deadline, then we’ll consider selling them to vegetable buyers. We can’t just give up every time we encounter difficulties, can we?”

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, "That's right. Do you know how much spinach costs in the supermarket? Ten yuan a pound, but the vegetable buyers only give us one yuan. Cilantro sells for five or six yuan in the supermarket, but they only give us eight mao! Cabbage is even cheaper, fifty mao a pound."

Gu Qingke also spoke up, "Selling to vegetable buyers is the last resort, Yingying, stop joking around."

These words were like a fuse being lit. Shen Yingying's expression changed drastically, and she said angrily, "What am I making a fuss about? I'm just worried that the vegetables will rot in the field and there won't be enough time!" As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly.

Meng Meng immediately stepped forward to comfort her, then turned to Gu Qingke and shouted, "Gu Qingke, are you sick in the head? How dare you say such things about Yingying!"

Gu Qingke's eyes darkened, and she gave Meng Meng a cold glance before looking away.

This look completely enraged Meng Meng. "Gu Qingke, what kind of attitude is this? You really are a scumbag. When you love her, you treat Yingying like a treasure, but when you don't love her anymore, you treat her like trash!"

Gu Qingke: "..."

A moment of silence fell over everyone, and the atmosphere became awkward.

Shen Yingying's lips twitched slightly, and she awkwardly tugged at Meng Meng's sleeve, "Don't say anymore."

Gu Qingke twitched the corner of her mouth and said coldly, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

Meng Meng retorted defiantly, "I have a mouth, and I'm going to say it!"

Shen Yingying was still thinking about the ten million breakup fee, and hurriedly tried to dissuade her, "Mengmeng, let's go back first."

Meng Meng, who was about to continue her outburst, paused for a moment, "Huh?"

"Stop talking," Shen Yingying whispered, trying to persuade her.

Meng Meng reluctantly pouted.

The group chatted for a while longer before finally dispersing.

The next morning, everyone set off early again.

The prices offered by vegetable buyers in the market were all about the same, and Su Tangtang was thinking that she had to come up with a better way to sell these vegetables.

“Let’s go to the county today,” Huo Yizhou said, taking her hand.

Su Tangtang hesitated for a moment, "Didn't Zhou Yan and the others already go to the county?"

“It’s alright, let them do what they want, we’ll just keep going,” Huo Yizhou said gently but firmly.

"Have you thought of a way?" Su Tangtang's eyes lit up.

Huo Yizhou smiled and said, "No, I'm just going to try my luck."

Su Tangtang paused for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."

The two packed up quickly and set off for the county. The journey was not short, and they were afraid that they would not be able to return by electric bike, so they chose to take the bus.

In the car, Huo Yizhou took out his phone and said, "I checked yesterday, and there's a kimchi factory in the county. We can go there and take a look."

Su Tangtang was taken aback at first, then clapped her hands in delight, "How come I didn't think of that! You're so amazing."

Huo Yizhou gently ruffled her hair. "It's just a difference in perspective. Your previous idea was also very good."

Su Tangtang pouted, "Stop trying to comfort me, your idea was clearly better."

"Don't get too excited yet," Huo Yizhou analyzed rationally. "They may not be willing to cooperate, and even if they are, they will only buy in large quantities. Our eight acres of cabbage may not be enough for them."

Su Tangtang listened attentively and nodded repeatedly.

After arriving in the county town, the two took a taxi straight to the kimchi pickling factory.

After getting off the bus, Su Tangtang looked at the factory in front of her and exclaimed, "This factory is quite big."

Huo Yizhou nodded, "I checked online, their kimchi is very popular."

Then, Huo Yizhou said to the photographer, "You probably can't follow us anymore."

The photographer said, "If you don't follow along, we won't be able to take any more pictures."

“They might not let you in,” Huo Yizhou said. “How about this, we’ll record it ourselves. We can’t record our faces, but we can record our voices.”

In the end, the photographer called the director, and they were able to stay inside.

The two walked to the factory gate, where the gatekeeper poked his head out and asked, "What do you need?"

Huo Yizhou calmly replied, "I wanted to ask if the factory is still hiring?"

The old man glanced at them and said, "I've hired you. I'm busy lately. Go inside, turn right and then left. There's an office building. The manager's office is on the first floor. Just knock on the door."

"Thank you, sir," Huo Yizhou said, then pulled Su Tangtang inside.

Su Tangtang asked softly, "Why did you lie to the old man?"

“If we directly talk about cooperation, they might not let us in,” Huo Yizhou explained in a low voice. “Let’s meet with the person in charge first.”

"What if they don't hire anyone?"

"Then let's think of another way."

Su Tangtang smiled helplessly.

Following the directions given by the old man, the two quickly found the manager's office. The door was open, and the manager was on the phone, so they waited quietly outside.

"Is he alright?" the manager's voice came through the crack in the door. "Okay, I understand. I'll think of something else."

After the manager hung up the phone, they walked to the door.

Huo Yizhou raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

The manager looked up. "Please come in."

Looking at the two unfamiliar faces in front of him, he asked wearily, "Who are you?"

“We’re here for an interview,” Huo Yizhou replied calmly.

The manager let out a "whoosh," took two forms from his drawer, and pushed them over. "Fill out these forms first."

Just then, the manager's phone rang again. He rubbed his temples and answered the phone, "Speak."

"Manager, the vegetable buyers know that our truckload of cabbages has been submerged in water, and now they're raising the price on the spot! We originally agreed on 2.5 yuan per jin, but now they insist on 3 yuan. We need so much, this will cost us a lot more money."

The manager's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. "Does this mean they don't want to cooperate anymore?"

"They said fewer people are planting cabbage this year, so they are buying it at a high price."

The manager sighed, "Okay, I'll think about it."

After hanging up the phone, he slumped back in his chair. A whole truckload of cabbages had overturned into the river, resulting in heavy losses. The driver is still unconscious in the hospital. It was truly a double whammy.

Hearing this conversation, Su Tangtang couldn't hide her excitement and gently touched Huo Yizhou's arm.

Huo Yizhou patted the back of her hand knowingly, signaling her to calm down.

After the manager put down his phone, Huo Yizhou handed over the completed form. The manager, who was already annoyed, became impatient when he was disturbed, and said in a clearly impatient tone, "Go back and wait for our notification after you've filled it out."

Huo Yizhou spoke calmly, "Perhaps we can help you solve your current problem."

The manager raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with disdain, "You?"

"I'm sorry, I overheard your phone call just now," Huo Yizhou said frankly. "We grow vegetables in our hometown. This year we planted eight acres of cabbage. Other farmers in the village also planted a lot. If you need, we can bypass the vegetable buyers and supply you directly."

Upon hearing this, the manager's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm. He straightened up slightly and asked in a calm tone, "How is the quality of your vegetables? Our factory has very high standards for vegetables."

Su Tangtang quickly took out her phone from her pocket, opened the photo album, and handed it to the manager. "Look, these are all real photos of our fields. The vegetables are growing so beautifully."

The manager leaned closer to examine the photo, then leaned back in his chair to find a more comfortable position. "It does look good, but we need to go to the field ourselves to make sure the quality meets our requirements."

“No problem,” Su Tangtang quickly agreed.

The manager narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then changed the subject, "Speaking of which, since you all grow vegetables at home, why are you out looking for work?"

Su Tangtang's heart skipped a beat, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment. She glanced at Huo Yizhou.