Liu Li was almost brought to tears by her incompetent colleagues. She lowered her voice and said, "This is Secretary Chen of the County Party Committee!"
In an instant, the sales clerks of the supply and marketing cooperative, who had just been holding their tails high and felt that no one dared to mess with them on their own turf, all wilted: that thin middle-aged man was actually the county party secretary?
Did they really mess with me today?
Amidst the anxious atmosphere among the supply and marketing cooperative's sales clerks, Secretary Chen greeted Ruan Miaomiao warmly:
"Comrade Ruan, don't worry, I will definitely get justice for you. You came to our Bicheng to support the construction with good intentions, there's no reason for you to be treated badly, is there?"
Upon hearing this, Ruan Miaomiao replied in a neither soft nor hard tone: "I used to hear people say that supply and marketing cooperatives were a secure job, and the sales clerks there all looked up at the sky and didn't care about the masses at all."
Today, I've truly experienced it.
I don't think my clothes are too shabby, yet people still point fingers at me and call me shabby, telling me to get out if I can't afford it. I wonder how much grievance the people of our city have to suffer when they come to buy things!
Does this mean that the supply and marketing cooperatives are not serving ordinary people like us, but rather the privileged class?
There are two supply and marketing cooperatives in Bicheng, but Ruan Miaomiao had never been to this one before.
However, it cannot be denied that the other supply and marketing cooperative had a better attitude than this one.
It's probably because this place is close to the county government compound and caters to high-end customers, so the sales staff are used to tailoring their services to each customer.
This can be seen from the goods displayed on the counters of the supply and marketing cooperatives.
She could accept the sales staff at the supply and marketing cooperative treating customers differently based on their status, but she couldn't accept being the one who was rejected.
Zhou Jingyun naturally knew that his partner was unhappy, so he chimed in, "Secretary Chen, I never thought that my clothes and appearance would be considered poor. I wonder what kind of high-end clients they usually entertain, that they look down on us ordinary people!"
Upon hearing Zhou Jingyun's words, Secretary Chen inwardly scoffed: You're ordinary? What makes you ordinary?
However, Secretary Chen knew very well that Zhou Jingyun was angry.
He grinned and said to Zhou Jingyun, "Jingyun, don't be angry. This supply and marketing cooperative has problems with its service management. I will have my secretary handle this matter seriously and will definitely give you an explanation..."
"Secretary Chen, this isn't just about giving us an explanation. The supply and marketing cooperative serves the people; that's an explanation we owe to the people!"
Ruan Miaomiao interrupted Secretary Chen, saying that she didn't want to give anyone a reason to say that she enjoyed special privileges.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Secretary Chen hadn't expected Ruan Miaomiao to be so sensitive, and immediately changed his tune: "I will definitely demand that this supply and marketing cooperative rectify its practices, give the people an explanation, and ensure that they serve the people well from now on, and are always open to supervision by Ruan—no, by the people..."
Upon hearing Secretary Chen's statement, Ruan Miaomiao said to Zhou Jingyun, "Ayun, have you finished your business? Let's go to another supply and marketing cooperative. I want to buy some coarse cloth to make some clothes for your parents."
"good!"
Zhou Jingyun nodded indulgently and led Ruan Miaomiao outside.
Although he vaguely felt it was inappropriate, he knew that he was now Ruan Miaomiao's face, and everything he did represented Ruan Miaomiao's face. He had to unconditionally support his partner.
Seeing the two leave the supply and marketing cooperative, Director Zhang from the Public Security Bureau stepped forward and looked at Secretary Chen with a reproach: "Look at you, have you forgotten that your cousin said he loves his wife the most?"
His wife was just wronged here, so of course he had to stand up for her. How could you say such slick things?
Secretary Chen felt wronged: Could he say that the director of this supply and marketing cooperative was his wife's brother-in-law?
"I never expected him to be so doting on his wife."
I never expected that his partner would hold such a grudge over such a small matter!
"You can't be confused right now. We still need to win that kid over. Think about it, even your cousin is praising him. Do you still want political achievements?"
Director Zhang was aware of the complex relationships behind this and, fearing that his old comrade might make a mistake due to confusion, quickly reminded him.
"I know, let's get together later and properly apologize to his girlfriend!"
As Secretary Chen said this, he couldn't help but sigh to himself: "Wow, it hasn't been long, and I never thought that kid would rise to the point where I have to support him."
It's strange, why would that overseas pharmaceutical company trust Zhou Jingyun so much?
Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, the sales clerks listened to the two top officials of the county say these words, their faces drained of color, and they stared blankly, filled with fear and unease.
They've caused trouble!
******
That evening, as expected, Director Zhang and Secretary Chen arranged a dinner party and warmly invited Zhou Jingyun and Ruan Miaomiao.
Zhou Jingyun was worried that her partner was still angry, and wanted to refuse.
However, Ruan Miaomiao herself agreed.
After all, she wasn't actually angry with Secretary Chen and his colleague; she was just pretending to be angry so she could use their influence to punish a few people at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Those men clearly had a history of doing this kind of thing – either forcing people to buy things against their will or severely humiliating their self-esteem, making them afraid to ever step into the supply and marketing cooperative again.
Believe it or not, these people's tactics were used by others in later generations. In fact, many luxury brands use a cold-faced sales style to stimulate people to make impulsive purchases when they want to prove themselves.
What a pity, it was a great marketing strategy.
However, by sheer chance, they encountered Ruan Miaomiao.
Rather than buying something outright to prove herself, Ruan Miaomiao preferred the feeling of using power to suppress the other party.
Indeed, power and money are the most nutritious things in the world.
The dinner was not held at a state-run restaurant, but at Secretary Chen's home.
To show her enthusiasm and respect for Zhou Jingyun and Ruan Miaomiao, Secretary Chen's wife cooked for them, and even Secretary Chen himself prepared two dishes.
As soon as Ruan Miaomiao arrived, Secretary Chen announced the disciplinary action against the supply and marketing cooperative: each salesperson would write a 2,000-word self-criticism and be fined three months' salary; each member of the cooperative's management would be fined one month's salary; and the cooperative's management personnel would be sent to learn from advanced supply and marketing cooperatives...
Hearing that Wang Chunmei and others had been fined, Ruan Miaomiao didn't dwell on it.
Seeing that Ruan Miaomiao had let the matter drop, Secretary Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to greet the people at the table with his wine glass.
When men get into a good drinking mood, their tendency to boast comes out; they always love to show off how capable and awesome they are.
With his face flushed from drinking, Secretary Chen raised his glass to Zhou Jingyun and said:
"Jingyun, what a coincidence! Your partner's surname is Ruan, and my cousin, who is also your factory director Chen, knows a division commander named Ruan in the army. He also has the same surname as your partner!"
"Oh, that's my dad..."
Ruan Miaomiao spoke casually, seemingly without thinking.
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