Chapter Seventeen: Cooperation with the Yuanbaolou Main Branch in Huating County...
Li Yan clearly saw the scene outside the fence where her mother-in-law was slapping a winnowing basket to chase people away.
The Xue family was clearly the victim, but now, many people in the village resent the rich and are united in their belief that the Xue family went too far, disregarding their fellow villagers' feelings and forcing the Feng family to leave Xinghua Village.
Li Yan was not surprised by this; in fact, she had expected it.
This has always been the case: poor and remote places breed unruly people. The more rural and impoverished a place is, the more people value human relationships over reason and law.
Nowadays, in the eyes of everyone in Xinghua Village, the Xue family is an anomaly.
Sometimes, suddenly becoming rich can be a mistake.
It was quite obvious that in the past few days, Madam He had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding her. Normally, when she saw Madam He, she would actively approach her, but these past few days, whenever she saw Madam He and wanted to greet her, Madam He would deliberately avoid her.
The Cheng family also said that the ox was old and they didn't want it to work too hard, so they didn't plan to use it to make money anymore. They said that although it was just an animal, it had been with them for more than ten years, and they had grown attached to it. Therefore, they could no longer lend the oxcart to the Xue family.
It was Aunt Xue who went over and, after much persuasion and exhaustion, raised the rental fee from two coins a day to four coins a day, before the Cheng family finally relented.
But they also said they could only borrow it until the end of June. Autumn would come soon, and it would be time for autumn plowing, at which point the old ox would still need to be kept for plowing.
It's already mid-to-late June, so there are only about ten days left. In these ten days, they must rent a house in the city and then figure out how to transport the braised pork they've made from Huating County to Qingshan Town.
As for the mulberry drink... it was only intended to be sold in the summer. Once the season is over and autumn arrives, the mulberries will be gone.
He had deliberately avoided Li Yan more than once, and Li Yan knew this, so she didn't take the initiative to look for her anymore.
Manager Xu was a meticulous person. The awkward relationship between Li Yan and Madam He was something that Manager Xu naturally noticed over time.
That day, after Li Yan delivered the meat again, Manager Xu did not pay her and let her leave as usual. Instead, he asked her if she had a moment to spare and if so, to say a few words.
Li Yan wasn't in a hurry to sell mulberry drinks, so she asked Manager Xu what was going on.
With so many people around, Manager Xu led Li Yan to a private room.
Now the two are considered friends. Manager Xu admires Li Yan quite a bit and therefore respects her very much.
After entering the private room, Manager Xu asked Li Yan to sit down and then personally poured her a cup of tea.
Upon seeing this, Li Yan immediately stood up, accepted the gift with both hands, and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Manager Xu."
Manager Xu asked her to sit down and talk, so he picked up a chair opposite her and sat down.
After they sat down, Manager Xu asked, "Has Madam Li encountered any trouble lately?"
Li Yan smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she asked him, "Why do you say that, Manager Xu?"
Manager Xu also truthfully replied, "I've noticed something's been off between you and that He woman lately. Did the two of you... have some kind of argument?"
Li Yan was already worried about the hassle of delivering meat after moving, even though the ceramic ice chest had been continuously improved over time. But a forty-minute drive was still different from a ten-minute drive.
Since they have a cooperative relationship, and now that they are moving to the city, Li Yan should inform Manager Xu.
She had originally planned to tell him in a few days, after the predicament was resolved. But now that he had asked, she took the opportunity to tell Manager Xu the truth about what had happened in the village.
After hearing this, Manager Xu became quite angry: "Your neighbors are really unreasonable. No matter how strange this is, it can't be blamed on your family. How come the thief is pitied and sympathized with, while the victim is ostracized? What's wrong with this world?" Manager Xu was quite indignant.
Li Yan was quite surprised by his reaction.
Because of all the time they've known each other, Manager Xu has always given her a cold and rational feeling.
"If it doesn't concern me, I'll stay out of it..." That's the attitude he should have.
Even if you have to say a few words to comfort her out of politeness, it shouldn't be like this.
Manager Xu probably realized that his attitude had been too intense, so he toned it down and continued, "Madam Li, there's no need to be indignant about this. It's not your fault."
Li Yan said, "But we can't stay in Xinghua Village any longer. I discussed it with my mother-in-law, and we plan to move the whole family to the city." She quickly assured her, "Even though we're going to the city, I won't be careless in the slightest when it comes to our cooperation with Yuanbaolou. I will find a way to do my best to ensure that the meat's texture isn't affected by the long journey."
Manager Xu's reaction was once again unexpected by Li Yan. She thought that after hearing what she said, he would be surprised, or even angry, or embarrassed.
But none of them.
His reaction was quite calm. After a moment of silence, as if he were seriously considering the matter, he looked at Li Yan again and said, "Yuanbaolou's main branch is in Huating County. The one in Qingshan Town is just one of its branches. Many of the foods in the shop need to be delivered from the main branch every day. If you move to the city... I can inform the owner about the situation, and perhaps then we can send the meat you've prepared along with the vegetables that need to be delivered from the main branch."
"Really?" Li Yan was so happy she almost jumped for joy. For her, this was an unexpected and wonderful surprise.
This not only saved her a lot of trouble, but also saved her the money of renting a car to deliver goods.
I haven't looked into the market specifically, but I've done a rough calculation. If you rent a car from Huating County to deliver goods to Qingshan Town once a day, you'd earn eight to ten coins a day, including the driver and the car.
Saving money is one aspect, but another is that the main store sends its own delivery truck, which is definitely fast. This also reduces the time wasted on the road to some extent.
With less time spent on the road, and considering the effectiveness of her homemade ceramic ice chest, the taste of the braised pork will definitely not be affected.
If Manager Xu could help with this, she could save herself a lot of trouble.
To express her gratitude to Manager Xu, Li Yan immediately said, "If Manager Xu can help with this, I will pay you three more coins every day from now on." Even if it's just delivering from Xinghua Village to Qingshan Town, there's still the cost of renting a cart every day.
Shopkeeper Xu shook his head: "That won't be necessary." He explained earnestly, "This is nothing much, just a small favor."
Manager Xu was indeed very efficient; this time, he quickly brought Li Yan the results again.
Li Yan originally thought this matter would take at least two or three days, but when the meat was delivered again the next evening, Manager Xu said that the matter was settled.
Just as Li Yan was about to express her gratitude, she heard Manager Xu say, "Madam Li, don't be in such a hurry to thank me. I have another piece of good news to share."
Hearing that there was "good news," Li Yan's heart pounded.
Manager Xu glanced at her and said solemnly, "As for Yuanbaolou's business, Huating County is definitely much better than Qingshan Town. Before, when you were in Qingshan Town, you didn't think about cooperating with Huating County. Now that you're moving to the city, cooperating with the main branch will naturally be more mutually beneficial."
Just as Li Yan was about to say something, Manager Xu, as if guessing her thoughts, immediately said, "I know your concerns, madam. Since you're the only one working, I'm worried that the quantities won't be enough. I've already discussed this with the owner, and his idea is... to send ten portions to Qingshan Town every day, and reserve twelve portions for Huating County each day. As for whether the main branch needs to increase the quantities, that will be determined based on the customers' situation."
In this way, it's not actually that tiring.
The main issue is the pots. If you have more pots, you can cook at the same time, which will save you a lot of trouble.
So when I go back to the city to rent a house, I must rent one with a large kitchen, preferably with two extra pots and a small stove.
Manager Xu helped Li Yan out of her predicament, and he also helped her secure the business at the main branch. Therefore, Manager Xu was a benefactor to Li Yan.
Don't be stingy with important people; you might need their introductions for more collaborations and business in the future.
Therefore, Li Yan quickly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you so much, Manager Xu, for your great help, and thank you for introducing me to the business at the head office. I will also give you the same two-tenths of the profits from the head office."
Manager Xu did not refuse the money. He then told Li Yan about the situation at the main branch: "Meat is more expensive in the city, but the profit per pound will also be higher. We will sign another contract with the main branch, and it will be clearly stated in the contract."
“Okay, I understand.” Li Yan smiled brightly.
Standing by the window, Li Yan was bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, and Manager Xu found her appearance to be even more delicate than before.
She's certainly not exactly beautiful, but perhaps it's because of her good nature and tactful way of dealing with people that she's more attractive.
.
Once the meat transportation issue was resolved, the rest became much simpler.
As long as I find some time to go to Huating County, rent a house, and then I can move immediately.
The cooperation agreement with the Huating County headquarters was also completed soon. Manager Xu told Li Yan to find some time to go to the city and sign the agreement.
The city was different from the town. Li Yan had never been to Huating County before, so she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about the unknown.
This Manager Xu wasn't from Qingshan Town; he was originally from Huating County. He had certain connections there.
Knowing that Li Yan wanted to rent a house, Manager Xu made arrangements for her in advance.
“There’s a brokerage firm on Shuangxi Street, and there’s a man named Cheng there who’s a friend of mine. When you go there, just say I recommended you to go see him. I’ve already spoken to him beforehand, so he knows.” He handed Li Yan a piece of paper. Li Yan unfolded it and glanced at it; it was probably some kind of recommendation letter.
She was unfamiliar with Huating County, so having an acquaintance introduce her would save her a lot of trouble.
"Thank you very much, Manager Xu."
A note from the author:
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20 more red envelopes are dropping!
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