Chapter 169 Truly a persistent ghost
After saying that, she slowly closed the ledger and stood up.
In the instant she turned around, her eyes quickly swept over Zhou Yufan.
Tell him to immediately find the clerk, Li, to keep an eye on the store and make sure Director Huang doesn't take the opportunity to do anything underhanded.
Then, she straightened her back and walked slowly towards the back room.
Lifting the curtain, Guo Zhenyi was already standing there.
He leaned against the door frame, clutching a stack of papers in his hand.
"Just got back from the suburbs. The greenhouse thing is all settled. The contract is here."
He handed over the stack of papers in a calm tone.
"Is that old man outside Director Huang?"
He asked in a low voice.
Zhou Shufen took the stack of contracts.
"They've come looking for trouble."
She snorted coldly.
They said our documents were incomplete and our procedures were problematic, and they wanted to investigate us.
Guo Zhenyi frowned.
"What's his motive? If it were truly for official business, would he be blocking the entrance?"
"They're just jealous of our products."
She carefully folded the contract and then stuffed it into her coat pocket.
"The supply and marketing cooperative's soaps are piling up in the warehouse and can't be sold, and their laundry detergent is also piling up and nobody is buying it. Now they see our shop with a constant stream of customers as soon as it opens, and they feel envious. They want to take over our distribution channels and make their own products."
The two walked out side by side.
As soon as I lifted the curtain and stepped out of the store, I saw Director Huang standing in front of the shelves.
He was holding a tomato in his hand, weighing it back and forth, as if he were weighing it.
His expression lacked any of the seriousness expected of a public servant.
Upon seeing them, Director Huang deliberately threw the fruit down.
"Stop dawdling, Mr. Zhou!"
His voice rose, and he became arrogant.
"If you can't produce the money, I'll send people to shut down your shop! You're disrupting market order, and no one can protect you then!"
Zhou Shufen didn't even lift her eyelids.
She walked straight to the counter and slammed the contract in her hand onto it.
"Look at this carefully yourself. It's a five-year contract for the suburban greenhouse, written in black and white. The vegetables are grown by ourselves and will be sold in our own shop. Why should we need you to issue a transport document? Which rule says that they must pass through your hands?"
Director Huang was stunned, staring down at the contract with wide eyes.
He never expected that this woman would actually get the greenhouse project done in just two days.
"Even if you grew the vegetables, what about the laundry detergent and soap?"
"I've inquired, and all the goods come from Shanghai! There's no supply and marketing cooperative approval, no transfer order. Where did the goods come from? Smuggled?"
Before he finished speaking, Guo Zhenyi had already stepped forward and stood firmly in front of Zhou Shufen.
"Director Huang, Zhou Ji's goods are distributed through Gangcheng Trading Company. Every batch has a customs declaration form and all the customs inspection stamps are complete. If they really want to check, I'll call Director Liu of the Foreign Trade Bureau right now and have him personally deliver the documents. Do you believe he'll be here in five minutes?"
Zhou Yujie manages Gangcheng Trade.
The customs, foreign vessels, and foreign trade ports have always been governed by strict rules and standardized procedures.
Director Huang knew perfectly well that this was someone he, as a street office director, could not afford to offend.
If he causes trouble and is held accountable by his superiors, his little bit of power won't even make a ripple.
He clutched the contract, his palms sweating.
"I'm just reminding you to pay attention to the rules... so that no one takes advantage of you..."
Before he could finish speaking, he took a half step back, turned around and left without looking back.
As soon as the person left, Wenshu Li rushed out from the inner room and spat out a "pui" sound.
"That old fox! He came to test the waters on the very first day of business, and today he's really up to his old tricks! He's like a persistent ghost!"
Zhou Shufen stood behind the counter and reached out to pinch her brow.
She took the contract out of her pocket, looked at it again, and only put it away after confirming that it was correct.
"This is just the beginning."
Her tone was calm.
"When business is booming, more people are watching. Some want to seize the distribution channels, some want to investigate shady accounts, and others are waiting to see the failure."
She looked up and her gaze fell on Guo Zhenyi.
"Thank you so much for the greenhouse. I really don't know how I would have managed these past two days if you hadn't come all this way."
"Why would I need to thank you?"
He smiled, his expression natural.
"The scaffolding has been set up, and the materials were delivered this morning."
"We'll be able to plant the seeds soon, and once the first batch of vegetables is ready, we won't have to worry about our vegetable supply at all."
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted at the door.
Several men in gray overalls rushed in.
The one leading the group was Chen Lao Er from the "Convenience Department Store" next door.
His face was covered in thick, fleshy lines, his brows were furrowed, and there were still traces of saliva at the corners of his mouth.
"Zhou Shufen! You're selling your soap five cents cheaper, are you trying to starve me to death? Huh? Tell me!"
His voice was hoarse, almost a roar.
Zhou Yufan reacted extremely quickly.
He stepped forward almost the instant Chen Lao Er entered the store, firmly blocking Zhou Shufen's path.
"Mr. Chen, we live in a market economy now, and each shop sets its own prices, which is allowed by national policy. What kind of logic is it to threaten someone with a wooden stick? This is a legally operating shop."
"Freedom? I think you're just being unreasonable!"
Chen Lao Er sneered.
He suddenly raised the wooden stick in his hand and swung it hard at the shelf next to him.
With a loud crash, several cans of food couldn't withstand the vibration and rolled off the ground one after another.
"If you don't raise your prices today, don't even think about opening for business tomorrow! Otherwise, don't blame me, I'll smash your shop, I won't leave you with a single pane of glass!"
He uttered those harsh words in a vicious tone.
The customers retreated in fear.
However, just when everyone was trying to avoid her, Zhou Shufen walked up to Zhou Yufan.
She stared coldly at Chen Lao Er.
"I opened this shop to serve the neighborhood. Prices are clearly marked, and I treat everyone fairly, young and old. You do business, I do business, we each go our own way, and we don't interfere with each other."
“But if you dare to lay a hand on someone or damage property today, I will take out my phone right now and call the police immediately so that they can handle this case of disorderly conduct.”
"Call the police? Go ahead and call them! Let's see if your police will even listen to you!"
Chen Lao Er sneered, took a step forward, and shattered a piece of the fallen glass.
But at that moment, his right arm was suddenly grabbed firmly.
"Trying to cause trouble?"
"Where do you think this is? This is the Ningcheng Special Economic Zone. Do you want to disrupt social order? Disrupt the business environment?"
"Give it a try."
Guo Zhenyi stared at Chen Lao Er with a cold gaze and spoke each word clearly.
"Look at the cells in this special zone, have they already made room for you?"
The henchmen behind Chen Lao Er were already pale with fright.
They had never seen anything like this before.
Chen Lao Er, who was usually domineering and tyrannical, was completely powerless against a seemingly ordinary person.
"Let go! Let go now! I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now!"
Chen Lao Er grimaced in pain, his voice distorted.
Once the iron hand loosened its grip, he didn't bother picking up the stick from the ground; instead, he turned and fled.
Zhou Yufan stood there, his chest heaving violently.
"How can they do this? We operate legally and earn money through our own abilities. Why should we be threatened by him? What kind of logic is this!"
Zhou Shufen did not respond to his anger.
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