It just so happened that Yu Jiu didn't bring An An today; An An was left at home with Xu Zijiang. So she asked Gouzi to watch her counter, and then she immediately set off with the manager.
Manager Li here is fat and bald, and he can't compare to their Manager Chen at all. Although they are a man and a woman, they are about the same age, but their appearances are too different.
Yu Jiu was incredibly bold, and very enthusiastic. She generously smiled and first handed Manager Li a box of crab roe pastries, a box of layered red bean cakes, and two packs of cigarettes before speaking.
"Manager Li, please try my crab roe pastry and layered red bean cake. See how they taste and whether they're suitable for your department store's counter."
He's doing quite well selling at our counter. Seeing that you have an empty counter here, which is a waste, I'm thinking of renting it to sell pastries. What do you think?
Yu Jiu had already been very respectful and considerate in her words; she was there to discuss business. However, although Manager Li accepted the gifts, he glanced at Yu Jiu but didn't respond, instead changing the subject.
"Chen Hong, I didn't expect there to be such a pretty young lady at your counter."
"Hey, she's not a little girl anymore. She's married and has kids. Do you think it's possible to arrange this counter? I think it would be a good idea to let her set up shop there. She pays rent to the department store every month, so naturally you'll get your share too."
"Why don't you do me a favor and we cooperate, it'll be mutually beneficial?"
Chen Hong spoke frankly and directly stated her purpose. She had already mentioned this matter when she contacted him before, and he had seemed very interested. Why did his expression change when she arrived?
"Let's talk about it later. This isn't urgent. You can't rush it. Young man, you can't get fat in one bite."
Manager Li shook his head and said earnestly.
What does this mean? Yu Jiu thought that her trip today was a sure thing, but she was a little annoyed by Manager Li's arrogant attitude.
What conditions is he trying to set?
"really."
Yu Jiu continued to smile, then stopped talking. He had already given him the items, and Manager Chen Hong had already informed him of the terms.
That's all the conditions she can offer; she can't offer any more. Besides, if she offers more, her department store will inevitably have to increase its costs to achieve a balance between the two sides. Otherwise, Manager Chen Hong will also have objections.
"How about we have lunch together and talk things over?"
Seeing that she didn't respond, Manager Li asked to have dinner first, and of course, Yu Jiu would be paying for the meal.
"OK."
Yu Jiu continued to smile. After all, she had to ask someone for a favor, so she could agree to some small requests. Since they were already there, Yu Jiu thought she would try one last time to see if she could get the job done. So the three of them went to the state-run restaurant again.
Good heavens, this Manager Li is acting like he's never eaten before. He ordered four meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup for three people. He's treating Yu Jiu like a sucker.
When inviting someone to dinner, one should be generous. After a few drinks, I decided to treat this meal to Manager Chen Hong as a treat, it didn't matter.
When the food arrived, Yu Jiu didn't say much. While eating, he urged Manager Chen Hong to eat as well, only briefly mentioning the counter matter. As expected, Manager Li deflected the question again and changed the subject, then started asking Yu Jiu questions.
They wanted to know which production team she belonged to, how old she was, what her husband was like, who else was in her family, and so on. When they asked Chen Hong, she felt something was off. Chen Hong stepped on Yu Jiu's foot and told her to be more careful.
After Chen Hong finished stepping on the table, Manager Li slowly stretched out his leg and moved closer to Yu Jiu across the table. Yu Jiu felt a rustling sound under the table. She glanced down and saw Manager Li's lewd expression. She pursed her lips, moved her foot away, and remained silent.
Yu Jiu maintained a smile throughout, displaying just the right amount of politeness and enthusiasm, perfunctorily dealing with Manager Li, burying her speechlessness deep inside. It wasn't until Manager Li turned his head to have someone serve more rice that Yu Jiu quickly leaned close to Chen Hong's ear and whispered a question to her.
"Manager Chen, are you afraid of offending him? If I offend him, won't it put you, the middleman, in a difficult position?"
"Don't be afraid, it won't happen."
Chen Hong glanced at Yu Jiu and gave her a definite answer. She was more experienced than Yu Jiu and had already seen through his ulterior motives. His lewd expression during their first meeting was enough to make it clear.
Yu Jiu had originally planned to give him one last chance, invite him to dinner to have a proper talk, and maybe they could reach an agreement. Now that they were eating, the man was still not being honest. Since he had no intention of cooperating, why should Yu Jiu continue to go along with him?
Yu Jiu curled her lips into a cold smile.
Consider those two boxes of pastries and two packs of cigarettes as payment for the meal. Anyway, Manager Li ordered all the dishes himself, so he should just pay for it himself.
"Manager Chen, I have something I'd like to discuss with Manager Li privately. This food is too dry. Could you go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy us two bottles of soda?"
Yu Jiu took out a five-yuan note and handed it to Chen Hong, who politely asked for it. Yu Jiu also casually tossed her hair and winked at Chen Hong while hiding it with her hand. Chen Hong immediately understood, put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said enthusiastically.
"Okay, I'll go now. You guys chat first."
"Haha, Comrade Yu Jiu is still a young girl, and she likes to drink soda. Mature men like us usually drink alcohol. In my opinion, it doesn't matter whether we buy the soda or not. Let's ask the waiter to bring a bottle of baijiu."
Manager Li smiled at Yu Jiu, not stopping Chen Hong from going out to buy soda, but he still wanted to open a bottle of baijiu. A bottle of baijiu costs ten yuan, not to mention you need a receipt. He had already ordered so many meat dishes and it wasn't enough, he still wanted to open a bottle of liquor. This meal would cost at least twenty or thirty yuan, which would be equivalent to a month's salary for an ordinary salesperson.
"Great, the most important thing is that Manager Li is happy today."
Yu Jiu smiled radiantly, nodding with a gentle, spring-like smile. In any case, she planned not to spend a single penny on this meal, and he could spend as much as he wanted, so Yu Jiu naturally agreed.
"Great! Such a poise! A beautiful young woman like her certainly exudes poise!"
Manager Li was all smiles. He immediately ordered another bottle of baijiu to be brought out. He opened the bottle, poured a glass for Yu Jiu first, then poured one for himself, and even tried to persuade Yu Jiu to drink more.
"Look how fateful it is! Your name even has the character for 'wine' in it. Wine, you know, needs to be savored slowly, just like you, don't you think, little wine?"
Manager Li moved his leg closer, trying to use his dirty, fat white leg to entice Yu Jiu. As Manager Li's leg came out, Yu Jiu raised her foot sharply and stomped hard on his shin.
Then she quickly got up.
Goodbye, and remember to pay for your meal!
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