Chapter 119 Juice Cooperation Negotiation
"Aunt Yang's job at the shop is confirmed. She'll be reporting to the shop tomorrow. These dishes are a return gift from her. They're enough for us to eat for a week. Ugh, it's so hot. I'm going to take a shower."
As he spoke, he carried the bucket into the house, took a shower, and came out while drying his hair, only to find two boys at the table staring at him with inscrutable expressions.
"Gu Xun, what brings you here? And why are you looking at me like that?"
"I came to talk to you about cooperation. I didn't expect that Yunxia has such a good voice. She could even participate in a singing competition."
Yunxia: ...Could it be that they heard all the songs I sang while I was taking a shower?
His lips twitched slightly, and he gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, it was just a casual song!"
Jiang Chao's legs were not yet able to bear weight, so the bathwater in the wooden tub had to be lifted by another boy.
"They make so much money, yet they don't even bother to build a trendy shower room!"
Who wouldn't want a shower room where you don't have to carry water or boil it, and you can just turn on the shower? But since it involves house renovations, you always have to get the homeowner's consent, right? But Aunt Wu is used to the old-fashioned method and doesn't want to spend money on changing the shower room, so the matter has to be dropped!
“Every family is different. Did you build a shower room in your little wooden house under the abandoned bridge?”
"Of course, I'll take you to see it tomorrow!"
"Impressive. By the way, what did you want to see me about?"
“A very wealthy man came from Rongcheng and signed a lot of orders, which should have been a good thing. However, a couple of days ago, he made a special visit to my door, saying that the juice squeezed by Shengxun Fruit and Vegetable was different from what she had drunk before. After asking, I found out that she had drunk the juice squeezed by you in the hospital. So I wanted to ask you if you have any secret recipe!”
Aunt Liu's actions were quite quick. Yun Xia blinked slightly and feigned innocence, saying, "Fruits and wine, nothing else was added."
“That’s not what Brother Jiang Chao said just now. He claimed that you have a special secret recipe, a green additive, that just a few drops can enrich the flavor of the juice.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Xia turned her head sharply, looking at the unashamed boy in disbelief, and cursed her teammate inwardly. Could she tell a third person about the Green Water incident?
"There is such an object, but I cannot tell you the secret formula for extracting it."
Gu Xun's eyes darted around, revealing a triumphant look. "I'm very happy that you can admit it so readily. Fruits have a limited shelf life, which limits the sales range of 'Sheng Xun'. But if they are juiced, sterilized at high temperatures, and sealed in glass bottles, then it's a different story."
Bottled juice is sold in major supermarkets. To capture the market, it must showcase unique features. With just a few words, Yunxia guessed the boy's plan.
"Well... I'll invest with juice additives, and I'll split the profits 10/90. We'll also have to sign a confidentiality agreement. What do you think?"
“Sure, of course, but you have to give me some additives. I’ll try it myself tonight and bring the contract back tomorrow.”
"Okay, wait!"
After saying that, he opened the refrigerator, took out a small glass bottle about the size of a thumb from the back, and handed it to the boy.
"Here it is. Just two drops are enough to juice a pound of fruits and vegetables."
In just two years, the small pond has grown into a large pond, and the green water continues to rise, making it easy to juice.
The green liquid made Gu Xun's eyes narrow slightly. He unscrewed the cap, and a refreshing fragrance wafted out, making him feel invigorated, let alone wanting to drink it.
"Yunxia, I think one drop out of ten pounds of melon juice is enough. Too much will attract attention!"
After thinking it over for a moment, he felt that what he said made sense, "Hmm, that works!"
After discussing the details of the collaboration, the boy got up to leave, eager to make juice for his experiment. Yun Xia grabbed him, pulling his ear, pulling his hair, and pinching his cheek. The boy sat upright in his chair, expressionless, and didn't fight back.
"You stinking Jiang Chao, you've grown some guts, haven't you? You dare to talk about what happened in Lushui with outsiders?"
"Hehe, Gu Xun came to visit, already convinced that you add other ingredients when you make juice. Rather than being bothered repeatedly, it's better to be open and honest, so that we can discuss cooperation without hurting our feelings."
Yunxia understood all the big principles, but she just couldn't get over it. It wasn't until the boy's hair was a mess, his ears were as red as apples, and his cheeks were covered with finger marks that her anger subsided a little.
Like master, Little Black, harboring resentment, seized the opportunity to retaliate, slashing fiercely with its front paws until it was exhausted and panting with its tongue lolling out.
"Have you two finished fighting? If you have, I'm going back to my room for a nap."
After saying that, he glared at the smelly cat lying at his feet, leaned on his cane, and went into the side bedroom without looking back.
Seeing this, Xiao Hei got up, flicked the tip of its tail, and tried to follow. Suddenly, it felt a force on its abdomen, and the whole cat was lifted into the air. It turned its head and meowed at its owner.
"Little kitten, you've grown quite bold in the two years we've raised you. If you really anger Jiang Chao, he might pluck all your fur off and turn you into a... hairless cat."
The only response she received was a sweet meow. She took it back to the house, cuddled it, and took a nap. In the evening, when Aunt Wu and the others returned, Yunxia conveyed Aunt Yang's message.
"Heavens, why didn't she tell everyone about Zhengfeng's broken bone? Sigh, ever since her mother-in-law passed away, all the burdens, big and small, have fallen on her shoulders. It's so pitiful!"
“Aunt Wu, we have to look forward to life. A fracture will heal in six months. By then, Uncle Zhengfeng will be back at work, Aunt Yang will have a job, the children will be doing well in school, and the whole family will be happy again.”
"Yes, Xiaxia is right!"
The following afternoon, Gu Xun arrived at the door again, carrying a large stack of documents!
"Yunxia, you've been looking at the contract for half an hour. If you have any questions, just say so."
"Hmm, no doubt about it. But I have a suggestion: we can have An'an and Feng Jingling draw the designs on the glass bottle labels. They're both pretty good at drawing!"
Helping out at the shop has become a daily routine for the two of them. They receive a 10 yuan bonus each month as encouragement. With Aunt Yang becoming a shop assistant and school starting in a couple of days, finding a painting job is quite a good option.
Fearing the boy wouldn't believe her, Yunxia ran into the side bedroom and brought back a large roll of drawing paper. "Look, these are all drawings by the master and apprentice!"
Gu Xun raised an eyebrow and casually picked out a few flower paintings that were lifelike and had excellent color matching, which made his eyes narrow slightly.
"The painting is quite good, but 'Shengxun' is a small workshop, and the money to hire painters is limited. Young Master Feng must have seen quite a few!"
"No way! Big brother is such a nice guy. Besides... how will you know if you don't try?"
Since things had come to this point, there was no reason to refuse. The boy nodded and briefly explained his idea for the label drawing.
"Yes, I will repeat it word for word. By the way, we can draw different patterns based on the same artistic lettering of 'Shengxun' according to the type of juice. This will not only meet the aesthetics of different customers, but also increase the recognizability of 'Shengxun' juice."
"Hey, that's a great idea, Yunxia. You're so smart! Now, can we sign the contract?"
"Great, absolutely great!"
The contract shall be signed and sealed, and shall be made in triplicate, with each party holding one copy and the third copy kept on file.
After they finished talking, it was already evening. Yunxia invited the young man to stay for dinner. She stewed a pot of braised pork, stir-fried several home-style dishes, and served pickled cucumbers and diced radishes as side dishes. Even the fruit for dinner had been prepared in advance.
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