When she arrived at the snack shop, Zhou Sui had just returned.
Seeing her son's beaming face, Zhang Cui asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"
Zhou Peng said excitedly, "Mom, a company has been eyeing our boxed meals, and now they're giving us more than fifty extra boxed meals a day."
"Wow, that's great news!" Zhang Cui was happy to hear this, but then a little worried, "Will you be able to handle all this?"
“We’re going to the construction site again, and it’s a newly booked place, just the two of you and your uncle.”
Although the Zhou family only sells lunch boxes for lunch, they start working on it in the morning and don't finish until they return from the construction site at almost 2 p.m.
"We're busy enough that we don't need to push our carts to the construction site to sell anymore."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Cui exclaimed, "What do you mean? You're giving up the business at the construction site? You finally managed to drive away all those people who were competing with you, and now you're just abandoning it like this?"
Zhou Peng quickly explained, "Mom, that's not what I meant."
There were indeed many sellers imitating them at the construction site before, but none of them could match Zhou's in terms of the taste or the portion size of their dishes.
The most important thing is the rice. The Zhou family provides unlimited rice, so you can eat your fill.
As Zhou Sui once said, most of the workers on construction sites are men. They expend a lot of physical strength and therefore have a large appetite. If you don't let them eat their fill, they will feel that what you're selling here isn't worthwhile.
But other families don't think that way. Rice also costs money. You pay for one bowl, and if you want a second bowl, you have to pay extra.
Because of this small difference, the workers who originally came with the intention of trying it out eventually returned to Zhou's boxed lunches.
The number of boxed meals they receive is now basically fixed, though occasionally there might be a few extra. This is because winter has arrived, and some people who bring their own meals have stopped doing so, as eating cold food in winter is quite unpleasant.
Similarly, Zhou Sui felt that it was quite a waste for the two of them to push the cart there in such cold weather and then stay in the cold wind for an hour or two.
Then Zhou Peng discussed with the workers who needed to order boxed meals each day. He would collect the information, and everyone would pay. When it was time to eat, the Zhou family would deliver the boxed meals.
Every day, the meal consists of one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.
However, this meant that someone from the Zhou family had to go and collect the data every morning. It wasn't a problem to make an extra trip, but the workers basically started working as soon as they entered the construction site, and you couldn't possibly go to the construction site and ask them one by one.
Not only does it delay people's work, but it also poses a safety hazard.
Zhou Sui suggested to Zhou Peng that they implement a monthly subscription system, which would offer certain discounts.
"What if some people don't want to eat our boxed meals sometimes? Should we give them a refund?" Zhou Peng asked.
This situation is unavoidable; you'll eventually get tired of eating the same thing every day and want to try something different.
"A refund is fine, or the meal can be saved for next month. In short, we will provide them with a solution and let them choose."
"But there is one very important point: you have to remember this money clearly, and you also have to figure out how to collect this boxed meal every day."
Some people order boxed meals, and some don't. The concern is that some people might take advantage of the chaos to slack off.
Instead of offering a direct solution, Zhou Sui appropriately passed the problem on to Zhou Peng.
After following Zhou Sui for a while, Zhou Peng has gradually become more comprehensive in his thinking. He didn't give an answer at the time, only saying that he would think about it when he got back.
"Have you come up with a solution yet?" Zhang Cui asked, having only learned about the matter today.
Lately, my son has been leaving early and returning late, spending more time with Zhou Sui than at home.
Zhou Peng nodded, and just then Zhou Sui came over, so they talked together.
"I want to find someone at the construction site to be in charge of distributing boxed lunches."
"Firstly, we don't know everyone on the construction site. Even if we have a list, we might not be able to match the names. We also wouldn't know if someone fraudulently claimed the list."
"Secondly, if we stay to distribute the boxed meals, it will take at least half an hour more, which will delay the delivery of boxed meals to another unit."
"As for those who occasionally don't want to eat boxed meals, I will ask them to let me know a day in advance, so that we can easily ration the food according to the number of people."
"As for who will be handing out the boxed lunches, I've already decided who it will be."
"The old man who guards the gate."
“That old man knows everyone on the construction site, and he doesn’t have much to do. He’s basically idle, so it’s the perfect job for him to distribute boxed lunches.”
"It's just a small matter." Zhou Peng said, raising his hand to scratch the back of his head, a sign of his embarrassment.
Zhou Sui gestured for him to continue.
"They certainly can't work for us for free. I was thinking of providing them with a boxed lunch every day as a token of our appreciation, is that alright?"
He spoke cautiously, saying that a boxed meal costs one or two yuan, and if he delivers it to people for free every day, it would take a month, which is equivalent to spending forty or fifty yuan a month.
"Big brother's idea is excellent, he's getting better and better," Zhou Sui praised without reservation.
"It's only natural to offer benefits when someone asks for help; otherwise, why would someone help us get things done for no reason?"
Zhou Sui felt this was the most basic thing; cooperation can only last if it's a win-win situation, right?
Upon receiving Zhou Sui's affirmation, Zhou Peng inadvertently breathed a sigh of relief, much like a student receiving praise from a teacher.
He grinned broadly, "Okay, I'll go to the construction site later and talk to that old man. I'll have him start helping distribute the boxed lunches tomorrow."
When Zhou Peng turned around, he found his mother looking at him with an unfamiliar gaze.
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