Chapter 19: Thorns and Cold Fog in the Supply Chain
# Chapter 19: Thorns and Cold Fog in the Supply Chain
On the tenth day of Su Qing's investigation, Qingxi Village's traditional crops had just recovered from the rumors. The "Star Pattern" tomatoes in Gongxiang Field were a vibrant red on the branches, and the workshop filled over fifty ceramic jars with freshly brewed strawberry jam. Chen Wang sat at an old wooden table, highlighting the missing items on the shipping list with a highlighter. Over three hundred orders had been piled up on the e-commerce platform, and with current packaging and shipping capacity, at least half of the goods were missing.
The pen had barely slid across the "Logistics" column when the phone rang. The logistics partner's manager's voice was distressed. "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry, but our boss just issued an order. We can't take your orders anymore. We'll pay the liquidated damages according to the contract. It's really... Mr. Su's pressure is so strong, and our company still owes him a loan, so we can't afford to offend him."
Chen Wang's fingertips paused, his highlighter drawing a crooked line across the paper. He didn't panic immediately. Instead, he opened the supplier spreadsheet on his computer, his fingertips gliding quickly. "I understand. Could you please send me the contact information for other logistics companies? Thank you." After hanging up, he realized his palms were sweating. Father Su's move was intended to sever their shipping lifeline.
Before he could contact the next logistics company, Xiao Zhou, the purchasing manager, stumbled into the workshop, scattering the packaging material samples on the floor. "Brother Chen! It's over! All the packaging factories have stopped supplying us. They say they won't sell to us even if you pay more. One boss secretly told me that Father Su has said that anyone who dares to supply us will have their raw material supply cut off!"
Lin Xiaoman pushed open the door with a clang and ran in, clutching her phone. The screen displayed the resignation of three employees. Her voice trembled slightly, but she managed to maintain her composure. "The three young people in charge of livestreaming and design wanted to leave. They said a company in the city offered triple the salary. I called them and found out it was Su's father's company. They threatened them that if they didn't resign, they wouldn't be able to find a job in the industry."
In just one hour, three hurdles loomed. Chen Wang stared at the capacity calculator on his computer screen, his brow furrowed in knots—logistics were disrupted, packaging was gone, and the core staff had left. Under the current circumstances, the order delivery rate wouldn't even reach 30%. He didn't say "it's over," but simply picked up the car keys. "Xiaoman, stay home and organize Grandpa's planting notes and contact old customers. I'll go to the surrounding towns to look for logistics and packaging factories."
Lin Xiaoman nodded, took out her grandfather's notes from the canvas bag, and turned to the page of "Cooperation Resources": "Grandpa once wrote down that there is an old packaging factory in the neighboring town that specializes in environmentally friendly paper boxes. Maybe they are not afraid of Su's father's threats. I'll call them first and ask." Her fingers slid across the notes, her fingertips trembling a little, but she didn't stop.
Just as they were about to leave, they heard familiar footsteps at the courtyard gate. Grandma Zhang, leading a dozen or so villagers, stood there, each holding a variety of items. Grandma Zhang's bamboo basket held freshly woven coarse cloth, Uncle Li carried his own wooden planks, and Aunt Wang clutched her daughter's design drafts. Her daughter was studying graphic design in the city, and having heard they were short of staff, she had sketched several packaging designs overnight.
"Xiao Wang, Xiao Man, everyone in the village knows about it!" Grandma Zhang stuffed the coarse cloth into Lin Xiao Man's hands. Her voice was a little trembling, but it was full of energy. "If we don't have packaging, we can use the coarse cloth to make bags. I have more than a dozen pieces of cloth at home, enough to sew a hundred or so. If we don't have logistics, Uncle Li's nephew is a long-distance driver and is willing to take a detour to help us deliver. If we don't have enough manpower, I'll let my granddaughter teach everyone how to set up the live broadcast equipment. It may be slow, but it's better than nothing!"
Uncle Li patted his chest and said, "My nephew just patted my chest. Even if Mr. Su causes trouble for his fleet, he will help us deliver the goods! He will come to load the goods tomorrow morning!" Aunt Wang also came over and handed over the design draft. "My daughter said that these sketches can be used directly. If any changes are needed, she will help remotely, free of charge!"
Chen Wang looked at the coarse cloth and wooden planks piled in the corner of the yard, and his heart warmed. These weren't just temporary fixes; they were genuine gestures from the villagers. But he remained reasonable and said, "The coarse cloth bags aren't waterproof, and the strawberry jam will leak if you put it in. I'll go find a packaging factory in the neighboring town and try to solve the packaging problem. Uncle Li, please calculate the shipping capacity with my nephew, and we'll prioritize orders with shorter distances."
For the next three days, Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman worked like spinning tops. Chen Wang traveled to five towns, contacting twelve logistics companies and eighteen packaging factories. But whenever he mentioned the "old Qingxi Village variety," they either closed down or offered the excuse of "out of stock." One packaging factory owner, feeling guilty, secretly pulled him aside and said, "Father Su has already told all the surrounding manufacturers that anyone who dares to work with you will be cut off from their supply of raw materials. We're a small business, and we simply can't handle it."
Lin Xiaoman wasn't having much luck either. Regular customers were either afraid of offending Su's father or concerned about unstable supply, so only two small supermarkets were willing to take small quantities. Sitting under the old pear tree, flipping through her grandfather's notes, she suddenly stopped at a page that read, "Green Source Life: Organic chain, once interested in collaborating on old pear paste," with a phone number written next to it.
"Chen Wang, look at this!" Lin Xiaoman quickly called Chen Wang. "Grandpa used to remember an organic store chain called 'Green Source Life'. Maybe they'd be willing to cooperate!"
Chen Wang had just finished a logistics run and was resting on the side of the road when he heard the news and immediately drove back. He took the note, looked at the phone number on it, and hesitated. He hadn't contacted them before because he thought the chain store had a high barrier to entry, so now he had to give it a try. He called, and the phone rang three times before it was picked up. The purchasing manager on the other end asked, "Hello, how is this?"
"I'm Chen Wang from Qingxi Village. We grow traditional crops. We were interested in cooperating on old pear paste..." Chen Wang had just finished speaking when the other party interrupted him: "I know you guys! A food blogger mentioned to us before that your crops are natural and additive-free, and we were just about to contact you! We also heard about Father Su's suppression of you. We don't agree with this kind of unfair competition!"
After hanging up, Chen Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried back to the workshop. Lin Xiaoman was on the line, a look of surprise on her face. "It's Xiao Zhou! They said Su's father's company didn't really want them. They just wanted to cripple our operations and forced them to sign a non-cooperation agreement. They couldn't stand it, so they resigned en masse and brought back a few friends who knew about live streaming!"
That afternoon, the purchasing manager from Green Source Life arrived with his team. They viewed the crops in the shared fields, tasted the strawberry jam, and immediately agreed to partner with them. "We offer customized, eco-friendly packaging and our own logistics fleet, covering over 20 provinces and cities, with delivery within 48 hours!"
Xiao Zhou also rushed back to the workshop with his team, holding a new live broadcast plan in hand: "Brother Chen, Sister Xiaoman, we worked overnight to write the live broadcast script for 'Old Variety Growth Diary'. We also designed the packaging for 'Sophora Honey Strawberry Jam', using elements of the old locust tree in the village!"
The villagers were also busy: Grandma Zhang led the women to sew coarse cloth linings and put them in the cardboard boxes to prevent collisions; Uncle Li helped load the logistics truck and carefully reminded his nephew to "handle it with care"; Aunt Wang's daughter and the design team worked together to modify the packaging drawing and added the pattern of the old pear tree.
In the evening, the livestream resumed. Lin Xiaoman appeared on camera, holding a tomato, with busy villagers and neatly stacked packaging behind him. "Hello everyone, we're back. Thank you for waiting. Our traditional varieties will always maintain their natural flavor."
The barrage of comments instantly filled the screen: "Finally waited for it! I'm going to stock up on ten cans of strawberry jam!" "Support you! Resist unfair competition!" Chen Wang stood outside the camera, helping Lin Xiaoman pass the sample. His fingertips accidentally touched her hand. The two looked at each other and smiled - they didn't say anything, but they understood each other's steadiness.
As the sun set, the first delivery truck pulled out of the village. Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman sat under the old pear tree as Grandma Zhang brought them two bowls of honey water. "Oh, right," Lin Xiaoman suddenly remembered, pulling out his grandfather's notes. "Grandpa also wrote that we could grow some acacia honey next year and sell it alongside strawberry jam."
Chen Wang took the notebook, traced the handwriting on it with his fingertips, and said softly, "Okay, let's plant together next year." He took out his phone and updated his "Orchard Diary": "Overcoming the difficulties in the supply chain depends on the dedication of the villagers and those who refuse to give up. We need to plant the old varieties slowly, and we need to live our lives slowly."
At that moment, Xiao Zhang from the town's Culture and Tourism Bureau sent a message: Su's father was under investigation for suspected unfair competition, and his business accounts had been frozen. Chen Wang showed the message to Lin Xiaoman, who smiled and nodded, her eyes brighter than the setting sun. The evening breeze swept across the shared fields, gently swaying the tomato leaves, carrying the unique fragrance of the old varieties. There was no magical guidance, only unity and mutual support that helped them weather this cold fog.
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