Chapter 40 Jinjiang Exclusive General Agent
Su Ruyi perked up immediately: "What do you mean? What did you do?"
"I plan to hold a hula hoop competition before the Asian Games. The next issue of the Life Daily will publish an advertisement for the competition, and the first place winner will be awarded 10,000 yuan."
The Life Daily was a newspaper with very high sales volume in Qing Province. It mainly focused on people's livelihood and civil affairs, which were closely related to the lives of ordinary people. Its content was more vivid and interesting than newspapers such as the Provincial Daily.
When Su Ruyi had nothing to do, she liked to flip through it; some of the strange things inside were quite interesting.
Moreover, one can sense changes in people's lives from newspapers, and sometimes even discover business trends.
Although it was a provincial newspaper, because the newspaper office was located in the provincial capital, it published more news about the provincial capital. It was through this information that Wang Huiting gained a better understanding of the provincial capital.
"That's a big spender!"
Su Ruyi was overjoyed after hearing this.
While having 10,000 yuan a year ago isn't as eye-catching as it was a few years ago, it's still a significant sum of money.
The prospect of winning such a large sum of money by participating in a competition, which is not particularly difficult, is sure to tempt many people.
In fact, Su Ruyi had also considered this marketing strategy, but unfortunately she didn't have the money to make it happen.
At most, she could only do it on a small scale in a small county town. She didn't have the ability to do something as big as Lu Ting.
This year's Asian Games is the first time my country has hosted an international multi-sport event of this level. A lot of manpower and resources have been invested, which has sparked a craze for sports and is of epoch-making significance.
Therefore, the whole country is paying close attention to it, which has also made sports more popular.
Before and after the sports meet, sports-related items are always in high demand.
Although hula hoop competitions are not directly related to sporting events, they are still a form of sport and can contribute to its popularity.
Lu Ting's hosting of this event before the Asian Games, which everyone is eagerly anticipating, will also attract widespread attention.
Not to mention that the number one winner spent so much money; such a promotional and marketing strategy is extremely rare nationwide.
This is the first time such a relatively conservative province as Qing has appeared.
Su Ruyi could imagine how exciting the scene would be.
With the competition attracting so much attention, hula hoops will sell like hotcakes.
Lu Ting: "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."
Su Ruyi greatly admired Lu Ting. No wonder he had such a big business at such a young age. Look at his brain; not only is he good-looking, but he's also quite capable.
"I thought you would wait for the Asian Games to generate buzz, but I didn't expect you to create buzz and sell products on your own first."
Hula hoops have gradually become popular throughout the country, and it won't be long before they reach Qing Province.
With the Asian Games approaching, we don't need to do anything to generate buzz; we don't need such a large upfront investment.
After all, doing so is expensive, laborious, and carries certain risks.
Lu Ting paused for a moment, then said, "I don't like waiting for opportunities; I prefer to create them myself."
Su Ruyi inexplicably felt that these words had a hidden meaning, but the thought quickly passed through her mind.
"You deserve to make so much money," Su Ruyi said sincerely. "What kind of competition is it?"
The winner is the person who can spin the most hula hoops within a fixed time.
Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi thought to herself, "What a shrewd businessman!"
If it's just an ordinary family buying hula hoops, they'd probably only have one per person at most.
This thing is not easily damaged, so its upper limit can be calculated.
But if you want to compete, you need to practice how to spin more hula hoops, so you definitely can't just buy one or two; you have to buy them in stacks.
At the very least, you should buy a few more and practice how to add hula hoops to your body. It's okay to spin a few at first, but spinning multiple hula hoops at the same time is very difficult.
Wouldn't that greatly increase sales?
Although only a small number of people participate in the competition, the competition can influence many more people, making them want to join in the fun.
"For the finals, will we need to contact the TV station?"
Lu Ting wasn't surprised: "You guessed it."
TV advertising was difficult to get and quite expensive, so Lu Ting gave up on it.
However, related reports will be followed up, and he has already taken care of that.
Such competitions are a novelty. As long as they are well-organized, local news outlets will cover them without needing to contact television stations, so the investment is not that large.
Su Ruyi could already imagine how popular it would be.
I originally thought it would be a while before the peak season arrived, but now it seems that Lu Ting was right and hula hoops are about to become a hot seller.
Although the competition is being held in the provincial capital, and few people in the county will likely sign up, there is a lack of entertainment these days, so everyone will definitely pay close attention, and the buzz will spread to the county.
"Can your production capacity keep up?"
Su Ruyi could already imagine the future popularity, and she began to get excited. She was one step closer to becoming a landlady!
"I've brought in a few more machines. In the future, the plastics factory will focus most of its efforts on producing hula hoops."
"Boss Lu, are you going all out? Is your focus now on the plastics factory?"
"Not really, it was mainly to vent my anger."
Su Ruyi asked, puzzled, "To vent your anger? What do you mean?"
Lu Ting smiled, but his tone was cold:
“Someone wants to ruin our plastics factory, but I’m determined to do the opposite.”
Su Ruyi, however, gleaned something else from those words: Lu Ting probably knew who was behind it all. But for various reasons, he likely couldn't confront them directly.
If you can't retaliate directly, then thwart their schemes and tricks.
"I'm sure Mr. Lu's wishes will come true. I'll just have to ask for your continued support in the future."
"Of course, if it weren't for you, our plastics factory wouldn't have thought of this. You gave the plastics factory a way out. All the goods in your city will be sent to you, and we won't wholesale them to others. And I promise that your goods will always be prioritized. Even if others are out of stock, we will give you as much as you need."
Given the current situation in Qing Province, hula hoops will likely only become truly popular after the Asian Games.
During this period, without a special opportunity, it would have been difficult to come up with the idea of producing hula hoops.
With just over two months to go, the plastics factory is in dire straits, and Lu Ting can't keep providing subsidies indefinitely.
By then, the plastics factory will probably be unable to survive.
Lu Ting is, after all, a businessman. Although he didn't expect to make money for himself by running this factory, but rather to help veterans and their families and fulfill his own past wishes, he also had to maintain a balance between income and expenditure and be able to be self-sufficient.
Therefore, both morally and logically, Lu Ting should treat Su Ruyi, the one who provided him with a way out, with preferential treatment.
It is also a kind of preferential treatment that Su Ruyi can delay paying the balance after receiving the goods.
It's important to understand that the reason plastic factories have reached this point is partly due to bad debts. Therefore, plastic factories now operate on a cash-on-delivery basis, requiring a sufficient deposit to be paid when placing an order.
Because some unscrupulous people place orders but then refuse to accept the goods, and the deposit is insufficient to cover the costs.
Those items are often difficult to sell on their own, causing significant losses to the factory.
"These are all things you promised before, aren't you going to add anything new?"
Now that things have come to this point, it would be unwise for Su Ruyi not to push her luck.
What else do you want?
The other person's voice suddenly deepened, as if whispering in my ear.
Su Ruyi cleared her throat, trying to stay awake. She absolutely couldn't let her voice control affect her ability to make money.
"Could you reduce the deposit a little?"
She was about to become the general agent in Zhaoguang City, which required her to purchase a large quantity of goods, but unfortunately, she was short of money.
If Su Ruyi misses such an opportunity, she will be extremely regretful.
Lu Ting chuckled softly, "Sure, I'll guarantee it for you, but the total amount can't exceed 100,000. After all, the factory isn't just mine, and I can't go too far and make things difficult for others."
Su Ruyi was so moved she almost cried. One hundred thousand! What more could she ask for?
"Mr. Lu, you're so generous! I'll treat you to dinner when I come to the provincial capital! Order whatever you like."
After hanging up the phone, Su Ruyi felt lightheaded, and the smile on her lips was harder to suppress than AK's.
We're rich! We're rich!
When she was almost home, Su Ruyi realized that she hadn't asked Lu Ting what he wanted to see her about.
The competition itself shouldn't be enough to warrant a special phone call from him, right?
Never mind, if something happens, Lu Ting will definitely call again.
Su Ruyi hummed a little tune and went home for dinner without any pressure.
Since Wang Huiting started earning money, the family's meals have become much better. Moreover, Wang Huiting now knows Su Ruyi's true appetite, and Li Mei has also found out, so she can't be too stingy anymore.
Li Mei cooks a variety of delicious meals every day, making the kids in the building drool with envy.
Inevitably, some people made sarcastic remarks, thinking that their family was too extravagant, taking the money their husbands earned through hard work and indulging in such lavish meals, and that they would soon run out of money.
However, no one is talking about these things today, because everyone has seen the huge pile of hula hoops in the warehouse.
"Tong's daughter from the front row is so rich? Wasn't she supposed to be from the countryside?"
The fact that hula hoops are so expensive and there are so many of them shows how high the cost is.
"Did she receive all the compensation?"
"Women are just no good; they become beautiful as soon as they have some money. Just watch, they're bound to suffer a major setback."
Regardless of what others say, the atmosphere at home is particularly good tonight.
Unlike before, Li Mei was no longer happy but also heartbroken when she saw so much food being eaten.
She spent half a day doing business today, which gave her a deep appreciation for the joy of making money.
Su Ruyi wasn't stingy, and she gave Li Mei the same commission she would have given to the steamed bun shop owner.
The two of them sold it together today, so they gave half the price, and Su Ruyi rounded it up to twenty-five yuan in total.
Li Mei's hands trembled, and she didn't dare to accept it.
"That's too much."
They only sold for half a day today, and their reputation hasn't even spread yet. If they sold for a whole day...
Li Mei was almost afraid to think about it; it all felt unreal. Was this money really that easy to earn?
"Take it, this is just the beginning."
Su Ruyi stuffed the money into Li Mei's hand and brought up the 'hula hoop competition' to everyone.
"Ten thousand!"
Wang Huiting exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone else was shocked too. The hula hoop wasn't difficult at all; adults and children could play with it. And the fact that you could win such a competition was astonishing!
Tong Yunyun's eyes were practically sparkling like light bulbs; she's really good at it now.
"Yes, there's only one first place winner, three second place winners, who will each receive a color TV, and ten third place winners, who will each receive a Phoenix brand bicycle."
Tong Yunyun couldn't hold back any longer. "I want to participate! Big sister, I want to participate!"
There's only one first place winner; this is a province-wide competition, so it's quite difficult to win.
But there were about ten other people in the other rankings, and I suddenly felt that I had a chance.
Li Mei: "The competition is in the province, why are you getting involved?"
Su Ruyi: "It's convenient to go to the provincial capital now. If Yunyun wants to participate, then go ahead. Anyway, I have to go to the provincial capital from time to time."
Li Mei then stopped saying anything, and Tong Yunyun cheered loudly, jumping around.
Soon, shouts of anger came from downstairs: "What are you doing up there! If you keep jumping, the building will collapse!"
Tong Yunyun froze instantly, and everyone subconsciously shrank back.
After calming down, Su Ruyi began to worry: "I still need to find a proper place to run this business."
She's about to become the city's general agent, so she can't be without an office.
She should also install a telephone so she can easily place orders.
This is all money!
It's heartbreaking to think about; she doesn't even have the money to buy or install a phone.
Installing a telephone is very expensive now; it costs several thousand yuan to install one, and you don't know when you'll be able to get one.
Early the next morning, Su Ruyi took a tricycle with her goods to the steamed bun shop.
The tricycle was arranged by Li Mei yesterday. The factory is not doing well, so some people in the factory have started to do some side businesses, such as Uncle Wang, the owner of the tricycle.
Uncle Wang was originally an employee of the furniture factory. When the educated youth returned to the city, he gave his job to his youngest son who had gone to the countryside.
He got himself a tricycle and used it to haul goods for people everywhere.
Although Su Ruyi didn't find the hula hoop heavy, it was still inconvenient. It took her more than 30 minutes to walk from the furniture factory to the steamed bun shop.
So they simply rented Uncle Wang's car and asked him to help transport the goods.
Su Ruyi could also hitch a ride, so she wouldn't have to walk herself.
Nobody cared these days, so the hula hoops were stacked really high. Su Ruyi was worried that they might tip over, but they actually made it stay perfectly still the whole way.
Uncle Wang laughed and said, "I transported much more stuff than this before, and I still couldn't overturn it."
The hula hoop is relatively light, making it very easy for Uncle Wang to use.
When we arrived at the steamed bun shop, we saw that people were already buying hula hoops.
Ma Lefeng was selling hula hoops when she saw Su Ruyi and was very happy.
"Oh, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come soon, we wouldn't have enough to sell!"
Su Ruyi asked in surprise, "Didn't I keep about fifty yesterday?"
"They're all sold out! Look, there's only a little left. Even after you left yesterday, quite a few people kept coming to buy them."
The steamed bun shop is in a good location, not far from the county cinema, so people often pass by in the evenings.
Ma Lefeng and her husband Sun Xingzhao had previously felt that it was a waste for the steamed bun shop not to be open at night, but they couldn't work all day long, as their bodies couldn't handle it.
Those who run steamed bun shops have to get up at three or four in the morning to get busy.
"Sis, don't push yourself so hard, take care of your health."
"It's alright, I also need to pack up and prepare for tomorrow, I'll sell them while I'm at it."
It was the busiest time at the steamed bun shop, but Ma Lefeng still came over to sell hula hoops. Su Ruyi glanced into the steamed bun shop and saw two children who looked to be around ten years old helping out.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Ma Lefeng explained, "Those are my daughter and son; they came to help today too."
"So these are your two children. I didn't expect them to be so grown up. You still look so young. Standing next to you, you look like the older sister."
Ma Lefeng was beaming with pride, saying, "Our steamed bun shop is too busy to take care of them, so they all go to their grandparents' house."
"Why did you come here today?"
"It's all because of your hula hoop," Ma Lefeng laughed. "They know you're selling hula hoops here, and they want some too, so I made a deal with them that if they come to help, I'll buy them some."
In this day and age, children this age would start helping out at home, but Grandma Ma Lefeng felt sorry for her grandson and didn't want him to work hard, so she didn't let him come over.
Ma Lefeng noticed that her son didn't come, nor did she allow her daughter to come, so they were usually the ones busy here.
Now her son is insisting on coming over to help with the hula hoop, and her mother-in-law can't refuse him, so she has no choice but to agree.
Ma Lefeng was very happy about this, not so much because the children could come and help, but more because it meant she could spend more time with them.
The children have to go to school, and the parents have to work, so they don't have much time to spend together.
Ma Lefeng was very unhappy that her grandparents wanted her to come over again after she finally had a holiday.
Others think it's a good thing to have grandparents help take care of the children, but Ma Lefeng doesn't think so. She feels that they spoil the children and make them develop many bad habits.
"Sis, you've sold almost all the hula hoops yesterday, so I'll assume you've sold them all. We'll go inside and settle the bill when there aren't so many people around," Su Ruyi whispered in Ma Lefeng's ear.
Ma Lefeng smiled with her eyes crinkling, "I knew you were a straightforward person the moment I saw you, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."
"Of course, we already agreed on that."
Ma Lefeng returned to the steamed bun shop to help out, always with a smile on her face. She didn't actually do much yesterday; she just sold hula hoops while tidying up, earning an extra twenty-odd yuan. Where else can you find such a good deal!
The steamed bun shop is really busy in the morning, with long queues forming outside.
This also made more people aware that hula hoops were sold here. Su Ruyi even wrote a sign and hung it at the entrance, with the price clearly marked on it.
Su Ruyi sold more than fifty in one morning, and the sales got better as noon approached.
However, once Li Mei arrived, she immediately became a hands-off manager.
Su Ruyi bought ten steamed buns from the bun shop and started eating them with the dishes that Li Mei had brought.
The steamed buns at the baozi shop are delicious and substantial, so Li Mei no longer needs to go through the trouble of making them herself; she can just stir-fry some side dishes.
"I didn't expect you to be so thin, yet you can eat so much."
Ma Lefeng was dumbfounded. You know, their family's steamed buns were very substantial, each one as big as an adult man's fist.
This was the first time Ma Lefeng had ever seen Su Ruyi's appetite. Before, when Su Ruyi bought a lot of steamed buns and mantou, she had only assumed that her family was large, which was why she bought so much.
"I just look thin," Su Ruyi laughed. "Sister, do you know any storefronts for rent?"
"You want to rent a storefront?" Ma Lefeng's heart skipped a beat. "We have enough space here, there's no need to rent a storefront. Storefront rents are so expensive now, they double every year."
Ma Lefeng had her own selfish motives; if the stall continued to be set up there, she could also make some money along the way.
Ma Lefeng has already decided that she will keep this money as her private savings.
Because she was in charge of cleaning up at night, while her husband was responsible for preparing the ingredients in the morning, the hula hoops sold at night were also considered hers.
The couple has earned quite a bit of money now, but her husband gets upset if she tries to use it to support her family.
Ma Lefeng thought that she should use the extra money she earned to make up for the shortfall, so that she wouldn't be blamed again.
But what she said was true. The rent for storefronts is too expensive. The better your business is, the higher the rent the landlord will demand. They also want to take back the shop and run it themselves. You have to be very careful with your money and try to please the landlord in every way possible. Sometimes she even thinks about going back to her old ways and setting up a stall on the streets.
“I don’t need a great location, but I need a place to stand. I don’t plan to close up shop here.”
The location here is really good; she plans to put up a billboard and post the store address on it later.
That way, even if the storefront is in a remote corner, you don't have to worry about nobody coming to you.
Su Ruyi had also considered private houses, but most people live in groups nowadays, which would disturb the neighbors too much. Unless she rented a detached house with a courtyard, the cost would be too high, so a storefront would be more practical.
Anyway, the stall fees here aren't expensive, and having an extra sales point means extra income.
Upon hearing this, Ma Lefeng breathed a sigh of relief.
I thought her little scheme would fall through the very next day.
"If you're not picky about the location, you might as well rent Uncle Li's place."
Su Ruyi: "Grandpa Li's family doesn't have a storefront, and besides, he doesn't rent out his property."
“His family can just renovate the house. They can turn the storage room facing the street into a storefront. It’s not that Uncle Li doesn’t want to rent out the house, but he’s worried about encountering difficult tenants who might bully his elderly and infirm family. But you’re different. You’re just a young girl; you can’t do anything special. Besides, if you turn it into a storefront, you won’t be coming into the house, so you’re not afraid of any disputes.”
Su Ruyi was immediately tempted. She had been looking for a storefront to rent for the past few days, but some people seemed difficult to deal with, so Su Ruyi was not interested.
But Grandpa Li and his family are easy to talk to, and they weren't afraid of the hassle of renting the place.
"Didn't he want to sell the house? Will he still rent it out?"
"Why don't you go ask them? You two know each other."
Su Ruyi thought about it and agreed. She bought some more meat buns and took them to find Grandpa Li.
As Su Ruyi walked to the door, she saw Liu Xiuzhi carrying a basket and heading towards Grandpa Li's house.
Liu Xiuzhi quickly spotted Su Ruyi and frowned upon seeing what Su Ruyi was holding.
"Xiao Su, why are you here again?" Liu Xiuzhi's tone was noticeably less polite than before.
"I need to speak with Grandpa Li about something."
Liu Xiuzhi looked her up and down. "Let me tell you, with us old neighbors around, no one will dare to mess with Uncle Li."
Su Ruyi raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by that?"
"You'd better remember what it means literally." Liu Xiuzhi snorted and entered the room, a smile spreading across her face as soon as she reached the door.
"Uncle Li, I brought you some greens. I grew them myself in a place that I found, and they're growing really well."
Liu Xiuzhi's voice and attitude had completely changed; she was a completely different person from when she was at the door.
Old Li came out of the kitchen: "We have enough food at home, you don't need to bring any over."
"We brought it over because we couldn't finish it ourselves. Please don't be so polite with us neighbors. We can't really help, so we're just giving away this little bit."
“You have a large family, and there’s no way you can finish all the food. You should take it back with you. The place you live now is quite far from here, so don’t bother traveling back and forth.”
"It's nothing valuable, just a small token of my appreciation. Or do you look down on these things of mine?"
"How could that be..."
The two started pushing and shoving each other again, and in the end, Uncle Li lost.
"Uncle Li, how is Xiaobao doing now? We're worried that going to the hospital will disturb the child, and we don't know what's going on."
Old Li kept his head down and didn't say anything, so you could tell the situation wasn't good.
"Let's have the surgery done for the child. Don't worry about the child being so young. Only by getting him treated can we have peace of mind."
Old Li remained silent, his mind in turmoil.
The prices offered by those buying houses are getting lower and lower, leaving Old Li at a loss for what to do.
"Please reconsider, Auntie. The child's condition can't wait."
Liu Xiuzhi didn't linger; she put her things down, said a few words, and left.
They seemed to have simply come to deliver something and had no other intentions.
After seeing Liu Xiuzhi off, Old Li finally saw Su Ruyi and quickly greeted her with a smile.
"It's Ruyi! Come in and sit down."
Old Li thought that once the peaches were picked, Su Ruyi wouldn't come again, and he was still a little worried about her. He didn't expect her to come again today.
Old Li was very happy and quickly greeted her, pouring her tea and bringing out the peaches he had saved earlier.
"What brings you here today? Is something the matter?"
Su Ruyi didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point:
"Uncle Li, do you have any plans to rent out the storeroom next door? I'd like to rent one of your rooms."
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