Meeting

Under the coordination of the senior leader Li Qiming, and after a series of wrangling and negotiations, the Green Chamber of Commerce was established in Guangfu.

It encompasses two main categories: food and handicrafts, with food taking the lead. These two main categories are further divided into countless subcategories.

Since Wang Shuitao was the first to propose the green concept, and she also has excellent oratory skills, and has proven that she can achieve great success with foreign businesses and secure several orders.

With Li Qiming's strong support and guarantee, Wang Shuitao became the president of the sugar division and also served as the vice president of the food division.

He is the youngest and highest-ranking one.

Unsurprisingly, all other presidents, regardless of whether they were heads or deputy heads, or branch managers, were appointed from large provincial factories.

At the dinner table, Wang Shuitao reiterated the targeted strategy for dealing with foreign businesses, emphasizing the insufficient output of small factories and the unstoppable trend of industrialization, and the concept that current quality is the best. She stressed that limited time and quantity are always powerful means of forcing customers to spend money.

After hearing this, the few who were initially unconvinced quieted down, realizing that sales is always extremely important in a factory.

After discussion, everyone came up with a final plan: Wang Shuitao would be responsible for uniting many small factories and persuading foreign businesses to sign contracts. As for the large factories, they would provide technical and financial support to the small factories and participate in profit sharing. Anyway, it's better to earn something than nothing.

And most small factories do indeed need support.

After realizing this, Wang Shuitao did not object, but added another point: "Besides technology and funding, the most important thing is production standards. Now is the time to build a reputation, so product supervision must be done well."

No one objected to this.

Before the event ended, Wang Shuitao was invited to join the Sugar Products Merchants Association and the Wuzhou Chamber of Commerce, both of which she had never been in contact with before.

She readily agreed. It's inevitable that people will band together in this world. All she can do is keep moving upwards, to the place where rules can be set, to find fairness, and to bring fairness to the world.

After the general direction was set at the dinner, a large meeting was held the next day, where Wang Shuitao stood on the stage and spoke eloquently.

"I propose that we all contribute funds to promote our country abroad, showcasing its beautiful landscapes, rich culture, and long history. By first establishing the image of a green China, we can then simply state the country of origin for our products, which will be authoritative enough."

Wang Shuitao's approach was for the sake of the national image, and also because foreigners have seen many advertisements these days, so it wasn't appropriate to be too direct; a more subtle, indirect approach to soft advertising was more suitable.

The applause, which we've heard many times before, rang out once again.

The businessmen sitting in the front row are all smart people; they understand that this is a good thing for everyone.

Even without Wang Shuitao saying it directly, it's clear that another advantage here is that it leaves a good impression on the government.

Since ancient times, Chinese merchants have been accustomed to relying on powerful figures for support. Now that dynasties have changed and a new era has arrived, it is time to cultivate a "red" image of a merchant who serves the country and its people.

This approach also helps to gain more positive impressions among the public, combining three methods.

Wang Shuitao and others applauded enthusiastically, and continued, "Finally, here, we look forward to the future of the Green Chamber of Commerce, which is bound to have a bright future. After the reform and opening up, people's lives will get better and better. Just like in other countries, our domestic consumers will shift their focus from quantity to quality when it comes to food and daily necessities. Now is the perfect time to start building brands."

That concludes my remarks. I wish you all good health, thriving careers, and happy and fulfilling families.

Another round of applause followed. Li Qiming stood up and offered a few words of encouragement, reassuring everyone present before sitting down again. The host, who was already on the stage, said a few words and then handed the microphone to the next speaker, a double-sided embroidery inheritor in the handicraft category.

Wang Shuitao did not plan to attend the afternoon session of the meeting and left early from the back.

As soon as I went outside, I saw Meng Songying, who had been waiting for me. He was standing under a pillar with his head slightly lowered.

The pillars provided shade under the blazing sun. Meng Songying seemed lost in thought, occasionally glancing towards the venue.

Upon seeing Wang Shuitao, he widened his eyes in surprise. If one did not know him well enough, one would not have noticed his astonishment.

Over the years, they haven't had many opportunities to meet, and they have to rack their brains to arrange the time for each meeting, since they are both very busy people.

Every time she received a letter or made a phone call, Wang Shuitao regained her energy. In this world, the original owner's relatives were not her relatives. Although Sun Ming and Li Yuanhong were close, they were still a generation apart. Among the others, perhaps due to the influence of the times, Wang Shuitao had never been able to find a compatible friend.

Only Meng Songying would smile when she thought of him.

She quickened her pace to get closer to him: "Why are you waiting here? How long have you been standing here?"

Meng Songying's gaze lingered on her face: "I guessed you would sneak out of here beforehand. So I came out early after listening to you finish speaking."

He didn't say how long he waited.

Meng Songying had read many of his mother's foreign classics before, and what he couldn't understand the most was the waiting between the male and female protagonists. In his opinion, it was just asking for trouble.

Just like today, he could have been waiting for Taozi inside, but seeing her radiant side, Meng Songying always wanted to get closer to her. In order to avoid disturbing her conversation with those people, Meng Songying had no choice but to leave first.

Less than 100 meters away, there was a tent that had been set up where one could sit and wait, and also see who came out of the venue immediately. But Meng Songying couldn't help but choose to stand here.

He knew perfectly well that this was meaningless, but why cling to the idea of ​​meaning?

Everything and everyone in this world exists because of meaning, but Wang Shuitao is not.

Wang Shuitao fanned him with a brochure she had taken from the venue. Things were much more open now than before, but men and women weren't being affectionate in public, and you couldn't even see a couple hugging or kissing. Even though she was excited, she only lingered for a while before saying, "Come on, let's find a place to eat nearby. I'll order you some iced soy milk."

Meng Songying doesn't sweat much, but his cheeks were already sunburned, and Wang Shuitao hurriedly pulled him away.

I randomly walked into a small shop. Many people are still testing the waters, afraid that the policies might change. Those who dare to open a shop and be the first to try this new thing are all bold people.

As the saying goes, the bold get rich, while the timid starve.

Although the shop was small, it did very well. Wang Shuitao asked for a private room. The two of them sat side by side at a large round table.

The plump proprietress had a double chin and wore a thin gold bracelet on her wrist, looking very wealthy. Just looking at her gave people hope.

Holding a notebook and a pen, she recommended the dishes on the menu.

This restaurant doesn't have a menu; they just go to buy fresh ingredients every day. Customers can simply tell them what they want to eat, and the chef, who also acts as the owner, will cook it. Of course, the owner's wife will also recommend some of her signature dishes.

Wang Shuitao ordered a soy sauce chicken dish, which she really liked when she ate it at a restaurant before. She also ordered a stir-fried beef noodles dish.

"I'm almost done, you can order."

She said to Meng Songying.

The proprietress glanced at the young couple with a smile. She liked it when a man and a woman came to eat here; when dining out, men were never too stingy.

"I'd also like a steamed grouper and a radish and beef brisket stew."

As expected, the proprietress was very generous. She quickly wrote down her thoughts on a piece of paper, and remembering that the customer had already ordered a plate of stir-fried beef noodles, she reminded him, "Young man, our braised lamb with tofu skin is also very good."

Meng Songying shook her head; Wang Shuitao doesn't eat mutton.

The proprietress went out and soon came back in to bring a bowl of double-skin milk pudding, garnished with a few pickled red beans on both sides.

She placed it in front of Wang Shuitao and said with a smile, "This is a free gift, only beautiful ladies get it."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Wang Shuitao laughed along, returning from the clinking of glasses to the everyday life. She scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The milk flavor was strong and slightly sweet. It melted in her mouth and slid into her stomach.

She loved sweets, which brought her a sense of satisfaction, and the sugar factory was always filled with a sweet aroma.

It had been two weeks since Meng Songying and Wang Shuitao last spoke on the phone, a month since they last wrote a letter, and more than three months, or 105 days, since they last met.

Despite the long wait, he had long since grown accustomed to it over the years, his eyes fixed intently on the peaches.

Then Wang Shuitao fed him a spoonful of double-skin milk.

The soy sauce chicken was savory with a hint of sweetness, the skin was smooth and the meat tender, comparable to what you'd find in a restaurant, and even tasted a bit fresher. The radish and beef brisket stew was tender and flavorful, but the radish, soaked in the meat juices, was even better. The steamed grouper was a bit overcooked, but the fish meat was snow-white and tender, with a pure, original sweetness. The stir-fried beef noodles served as a main dish, saving us from eating rice, and we shared it. There weren't many side dishes, but they had a nice smoky aroma. Health wasn't an issue; as long as it was visually appealing and delicious, it was fine.

After Meng Songying finished clearing all the plates, Wang Shuitao, who kept saying she was full, ordered two more bowls of tangerine peel and red bean soup.

The red bean paste from the street-side shop wasn't peeled, which gave it a unique texture. The tangerine peel flavor wasn't strong; at least neither of them could taste it. What was the difference between this and the ordinary red bean paste from Shenxian County without tangerine peel?

Fortunately, it tasted good.

Wang Shuitao was still savoring the taste, sip by sip, while Meng Songying had already put down the unusually tiny spoon in his hand.

“A few days ago, someone came to me and said that some of the Song family’s things would be returned.”

Wang Shuitao exclaimed in surprise, "You have to pay this back too? Didn't you say those were all..."

Meng Songying nodded: "So it's only a portion of what you earn from practicing medicine; what you exploit naturally goes to the state."

Wang Shuitao stirred the red bean paste in her bowl: "They've come looking for you?"