Chapter 27 You Think I'm a Fool?: The Villain Has a Brain
Wang Xiao still had to go from hotel to hotel to discuss business, so she couldn't stay in Xin County any longer. After lunch, she left in a hurry.
The county government leaders had to admit she was truly an iron lady, incredibly driven.
No, the honey-glazed pastries and sesame crisps they temporarily brought from the county food factory are too simple. We need to quickly select some more distinctive and high-quality products for them.
Wang Xiao carried honey-glazed pastries and sesame brittle into the van.
Sorry, but this time she still dragged Tang Yicheng into it again, with the excuse that: there are so many hotels and so many cooperative clients in the province, and they'll have to go to each one one by one. Now she's training Tang Yicheng so that he can handle things on his own later.
Tang Yicheng had no objections. Anyway, the task assigned to him by the soap factory leaders was to find a way to lobby the post office and try to reduce the shipping cost by half. He estimated that he had already exceeded his expectations, and the county leaders were talking about finding a way to reduce the price to one-third.
With increased efficiency, the time saved can indeed be used for other tasks.
He drove steadily and arrived in the provincial capital before dark, then asked Wang Xiao, "Which hotel should we go to first?"
He personally felt that the Four Seasons Spring Hotel was the most suitable, as it was the earliest to cooperate with them and the cooperation was quite pleasant.
Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, let's go to the People's Department Store first."
What for? To do market research, I guess.
There isn't a single supermarket in the entire province right now. When it comes to selling packaged food, department stores probably have the most diverse selection. And among the major department stores in the provincial capital, the People's Department Store is the one most famous for selling food and clothing.
Wang Xiao went over to see what food items were sold in the mall and what varieties they didn't have, so she could find the goods and sell them at the hotel.
It's evening now, and office workers are leaving work, so the mall is quite lively. It's said that over a decade ago, the People's Department Store also had a 9-to-5 work schedule.
Later, due to overwhelming public dissatisfaction, the shopping mall began to prioritize economic efficiency and extended its opening hours to 8 PM.
As a result, the nights are even more lively than the days.
There were long queues at the counters selling groceries.
Wang Xiao looked at each counter and had to admit that the supply of goods was quite abundant. There were snacks from both the north and south, but they were mostly representative of their respective regions, such as White Rabbit candy, which was very well-known.
The rest are mostly locally produced; there are no other local specialties from other parts of the province that are ranked slightly lower.
Wang Xiao figured this business was viable because there was a huge market gap. She had heard of some local specialties that weren't available here.
Tang Yicheng was very skeptical: "Will anyone buy it? It's not that well-known."
Wang Xiao said confidently, "It should be possible. There are advantages to working within the province as well."
What's the advantage? The taste is similar, that's all.
Late-night snack culture is not yet popular, and it's not an era where spicy food can cure all ills. People from different cuisines and regions have very different tastes, so what is poison to one is honey to another.
If we switch to local specialties from different regions of the province, the risk will be greatly reduced. Since everyone's tastes are similar, it's a good opportunity to try something new.
Moreover, while the specialties of other prefecture-level cities in the province may not be well-known to people from other regions, the flow of people within the province is relatively large, so people in the provincial capital are more likely to have heard of them and be interested in them.
Tang Yicheng knew he didn't have the talent to manipulate fate, so he just said it and that was it. He wasn't some kind of human ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) machine, whose main job was to argue 24/7.
He was only curious about one thing: "Does that mean we have to bring all the province's specialties? That's a lot, right? Does the hotel have room to store them?"
Wang Xiao shook his head.
Of course, it's impossible to release them all.
A province, a dozen or so cities, and dozens of counties—each place can offer its own specialties, and often several of them.
That adds up to a lot, so we have to select the right products.
How many should you choose?
Choose ten items to make up the province's top ten specialties.
What are the selection criteria?
Putting aside the hardware conditions, the decisive soft power lies in the attitude of each factory towards you when you go to negotiate cooperation.
Good attitude, high cooperation, and easy to negotiate commissions—of course they deserve a spot on the stage.
Conversely, if someone is self-important and ignores her completely, she is unlikely to give them a friendly look either.
It's important to understand that at least half the credit for a brand becoming a brand belongs to advertising.
In any production unit, even one primarily focused on research and development, sales always determine the upper limit.
So, as someone who helps people sell things, she never feels guilty no matter which factory she goes to.
What?
You say Wang Xiao's status isn't high enough, so no one recognizes the top ten local specialties he selected? Only those products recognized by the people of the whole province can be considered; at least the top ten should be determined by voting.
Sigh, you're overthinking it.
Who voted for the Four Beauties of Ancient China? And what makes them the Four Beauties? Were they exceptionally beautiful, or were their lives particularly legendary?
The concept of the Four Beauties was first proposed in the Song Dynasty, referring to Wang Zhaojun, Zhao Feiyan, Ban Zhao, and Lü Zhu. But how could the lives of the latter three, who were eliminated, not be legendary?
What truly solidified and has been passed down to this day is a popular novel from the late Qing Dynasty titled "The Erotic Histories of the Four Beauties," which included Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan, and Yang Yuhuan. The title itself reveals the book's focus.
Tsk tsk, vulgarity always spreads far and wide, which is why the Four Beauties' status is so secure.
By placing these local specialties here, we can gain an early advantage and establish a strong first impression. Then, through business travelers from all over the country, we can spread this concept nationwide. The goal is that in the future, when people think of local specialties, these ten items will be the first things that come to mind.
Before transmigrating into the book, Wang Xiao was the leader of her team. Her habit was to tell her teammates what their job responsibilities and scope were, rather than explaining everything in detail.
She'll only do as much work as she's paid, and she doesn't intend for them to be partners, so of course she can't expect them to take on more.
The same principle applies to Tang Yicheng.
Just know what to do; you don't need to worry about the rest.
Fortunately, Tang Yicheng wasn't the kind of person with an overly strong sense of curiosity. He was content knowing that Wang Xiao only intended to select some local specialties.
"Are we going to the Four Seasons Spring Hotel now?"
Wang Xiao shook her head. She planned to try and find a way to collaborate with the Jinning Grand Hotel. After all, the Jinning Grand Hotel had a higher profile and better social recognition, which would make it easier for her to leverage its reputation and pressure manufacturers to lower their prices.
She genuinely wanted to make this happen. Because if she succeeded, and the concept of the "Top Ten Local Specialties" was promoted, and her name became known in the industry, it would be much easier for her to do business again.
In business, a good idea is certainly important, as a good seed is needed to take root and sprout; but what determines how far it can grow is often the platform and the network of connections.
Now that we have the platform, we need to gradually build up our network through this business deal.
As they walked out of the mall, just past two counters, Wang Xiao saw the clothes hanging behind the counters and suddenly remembered that Xiang Dong had contracted a counter in the People's Department Store.
She immediately turned around: "Come on, there's a friend over here, I'll go say hello."
One of the future business tycoons in the book has a good relationship with the original owner, so of course she has to maintain a good relationship with him.
Especially now that Zhang Yan is no longer the key link between them, she has to take the initiative to get close to people.
The counter that Xiangdong contracted was quite large, rather long, twice the size of a regular counter.
Besides Xiang Dong himself, there were two men and two women selling clothes behind the counter, all of whom were quite good-looking. Especially their bright smiles; under the lights, even a hint of radiance seemed to enhance their appearance, making them very pleasant to look at.
Wang Xiao suspected that the large number of customers here was largely due to the high quality of service; at least unlike other counters, the sales clerks all had long faces.
No wonder.
Since the turmoil last year, most of the privately contracted counters at the People's Department Store have returned to their original locations, leaving only Xiang Dong, who is stubborn and daring, still holding on.
Therefore, the remaining counters in the mall are currently operated by the mall itself. Their sales staff have stable jobs; whether they sell a lot or a little doesn't affect their salary. Having come from an era of scarcity, they're used to being pleaded with by customers, so if they don't verbally or physically abuse customers, it's considered good service.
Wang Xiao sighed, "What does it mean to pick the best among the worst? Sure enough, all the big shots have to be highlighted by their peers."
Her eyes swept over them, and taking advantage of a lull in Xiang Dong's work, she stepped forward to greet him: "Hey, Xiang Dong, hello there. What time do you sell out tonight?"
Xiang Dong paused for a moment, then immediately broke into a smile: "Wang Xiao, hey, you're discharged from the hospital. That's great! I was just saying I was going to come see you sometime. How are you feeling now?"
Wang Xiao certainly couldn't believe the nonsense about visiting her; at most, they were just acquaintances, their relationship was far from that level.
Besides, he probably wants to be as far away from everyone connected to Zhang Yan as possible right now.
Well, for a man, being cuckolded is probably not far from being a blood feud.
But she didn't care and still smiled at people: "It's okay, I'm fine. The doctors and nurses at the hospital are taking good care of me and say I'm recovering well."
"That's good, that's good." Xiang Dong smiled. "Wait a moment."
He turned around and went to the cabinet under the goods, took out a large bag, and handed it to Wang Xiao. "This is gastrodia elata that my mom got. The gastrodia elata from my hometown is of good quality. Use this to boil eggs; it can cure headaches. I heard they injured your head back then, so you have to take good care of yourself. Especially now that it's cold, your head definitely can't be exposed to the wind."
After exchanging a few polite words, Wang Xiao readily accepted the gastrodia elata.
It is easier to develop and maintain a relationship than to give.
She smiled broadly and said, "Thank you!"
She handed over a box of sesame crisps, saying, "I just came back from Xin County. These are a local specialty. They're quite delicious and not too sweet."
To Wang Xiao, all the pastries of this era were like sugar-selling tarts—they were unbearably sweet.
The sesame crisps from Xin County are probably less sweet because they contain more sesame seeds, but she can still tolerate them.
Xiang Dong didn't refuse and accepted it with a smile. Just then, a customer asked the boss to help him get some clothes, and Wang Xiao quickly said, "You're busy, you're busy, may your business prosper."
Xiang Dong took the opportunity to wave his hand and said, "Come visit sometime. I'm really sorry about today."
Tang Yicheng glanced at Xiang Dong a couple more times, but didn't say anything.
Wang Xiao then said to him, "Let's go to the Jinning Grand Hotel."
However, they were unlucky this time, as the hotel was hosting important guests, and everyone was extremely busy.
Wang Xiao wisely refrained from causing trouble and instead turned around and headed straight for the Four Seasons Spring Hotel.
Fortunately, they had worked together before, and although the vice president was not the one on duty last time, the leader on duty still met with them.
When Wang Xiao mentioned giving away toothpaste and toothbrushes for free, the supervisor on duty frowned deeply: "Our profit margin isn't high right now, and if we give things away, our costs will increase."
“It’s very cheap,” Wang Xiao emphasized. “It’s factory direct sales, so we’re offering the lowest price. It’s less than two cents a set, but it keeps you clean and presentable, and greatly improves customer satisfaction. Now, high-end hotels really do give it away for free. In places like Beijing and Shanghai, any hotel of a certain size will give you toothpaste and toothbrush for free.”
They were talking while sitting on the lounge chairs next to the front desk when a guest came to check in and exclaimed with interest, "You even give out toothpaste and toothbrushes now! This is the provincial capital, it's really different!"
This left the duty officer quite embarrassed, and he could only vaguely reply, "We're working on it, we're working on it, but the supplies haven't been delivered yet."
Disposable toothpaste and toothbrushes require a separate production line, and toothpaste factories can't just conjure one up right now. The samples Wang Xiao brought today were in standard packaging, so it wasn't convenient to take them over for customers to try.
The guest looked regretful and repeatedly emphasized, "We absolutely must have it! Even big hotels have it. We're almost in the 21st century, we can't be without anything."
The other customers who came in with him nodded vigorously: "That's right, that's right. It's the provincial capital, after all. It's a prestigious place. It doesn't sound good to say it out loud."
The duty officer had no choice but to reluctantly agree: "Definitely, definitely. Look, we're still discussing this so late at night, which shows how anxious we are."
Those people then showed satisfied expressions, finished registering, and went into their rooms with their luggage.
The duty officer turned around and made a decision directly: "Okay, I'll report it tomorrow. This price is still too expensive, let's say 15 cents, that's the most we can offer."
Wang Xiao argued forcefully: "That really won't work. Putting everything else aside, just look at this little toothpaste tube. Making it so small would require a huge amount of work to set up a separate production line."
She didn't mention toothbrushes because people in this industry thirty years later would know that there's no real difference between the toothbrushes used in hotels and ordinary toothbrushes sold in supermarkets.
Hygiene-compliant disposable toothbrushes from hotels can last for two to three months, just like regular toothbrushes, as they are made using the same bristles.
Their price differences mainly depend on the brush handle, packaging costs, and sales channel expenses.
Hotel supplies are designed for single-use only and are not intended for external sale, which is why the cost can be reduced to less than 1/10 of that of a regular toothbrush.
How did she know all this?
As a qualified internet celebrity and live-streaming e-commerce host, one must, of course, keep up with current events.
Before she transmigrated into the book, everyone knew that due to the impact of the pandemic and other factors, consumption had declined.
As a caring internet celebrity, she naturally has to find ways to give her fans advice on how to save money.
Of course, I had to search for all sorts of money-saving tips.
Disposable hotel amenities are designed to have a longer lifespan.
Forget disposable toothbrushes, she even wore disposable slippers for months on end, going through an entire season. She consistently maintained consistency between her online celebrity behavior and public persona.
She considers herself far more dedicated than idols and is extremely devoted to her benefactors.
The duty manager of the Four Seasons Spring Hotel sighed to her, "Our costs have increased again. These expenses are really too much for the hotel to bear."
Wang Xiao smiled broadly, took out honey-glazed pastries and sesame crisps from her bag, and said in an extremely sincere tone: "That's why your store needs to increase its profit sources and earn more money. It's not easy for everyone to come all this way, so you should always bring back some local specialties."
Half an hour later, as the city clock struck eight o'clock in the evening, Tang Yicheng followed Wang Xiao and left the Four Seasons Spring Hotel.
He was in a daze, staring blankly at the half-empty bag.
The honey-glazed pastries and sesame crisps inside have already been sold.
Because the guests who hadn't gone to sleep yet had nothing to do, they wandered around the front desk and saw Honey Three Knives and Sesame Talk, so they asked them a question out of curiosity.
Then Wang Xiao launched into a long, detailed account of the legends surrounding honey-glazed pastries and sesame crisps.
According to her, honey-glazed three-cut noodles, like Dongpo pork, are related to Su Dongpo. It was named by Su Dongpo and was also a tribute item designated by Emperor Qianlong.
The great poet and the emperor both said it was good, so there's absolutely no doubt about it; it has to be good.
As for sesame brittle, that's even more remarkable. It was recommended by the famous physician Zhang Zhongjing, who said it's very good for the body and used as a dietary supplement.
Tang Yicheng was stunned.
Both of these foods were produced by the Xin County Food Factory. As a native of Xin County, he had been eating them since he was a child, but he had never heard of this before.
He stayed with Wang Xiao the whole time and was quite certain that when the food factory people brought the samples, they didn't say a word except for the ex-factory price.
Where did she get all this information from?
Wow, that's amazing! Do universities teach everything? Even these things?
Wang Xiao said seriously, "I learned all of this from books."
Ghosts! The former is true; she had indeed heard of it before she transmigrated into the book.
The latter was something she made up on the spot. Anyway, the idea that black sesame seeds nourish the kidneys has been around for a long time, so attributing it to Zhang Zhongjing isn't really a case of pinning the blame on someone.
When selling local specialties, is the specialty itself the most important thing? At least half the time, the focus is on selling the story.
Just like with luxury goods, if you tell a good story and attract customers, you can build a brand.
Didn't you see those customers immediately becoming interested and buying so enthusiastically?
Tang Yicheng strongly suspected that the reason those customers were so eager to buy was because they were cheaper than what was sold outside, only a few cents more than the factory price.
But that's not important.
The important thing is that she actually managed to secure the collaboration.
She spoke confidently to the supervisor on duty: "For guests, the two most important things about a hotel are price and service. These are the two things our hotel is currently focusing on improving."
But in reality, once a hotel reaches a certain level, it can never truly meet the guests' expectations.
Because the demands of both sides are opposite.
Guests always want to receive the best service for the least amount of money. Staying in a five-star hotel at the price of an air-raid shelter, or even for free, is what everyone hopes for.
The leaders on duty all laughed.
That's the absolute truth.
The seller thinks money is worthless, while the buyer thinks their money is the most valuable thing. Otherwise, how could it be called a buyer and seller?
Wang Xiao continued with a smile, "So hotels can only shift their focus; they can't keep fixating on what guests are looking for. If they improve service without raising accommodation prices, how can hotels make a profit? They have to expand their service offerings. For example, selling local specialties."
For people who travel for business, bringing back local specialties is a regular expense.
The hotel provides ready-made local specialties, saving guests the trouble of shopping outside, and the prices are also cheaper. Naturally, this increases guests' willingness to buy.
For hotels, the more local specialties they sell, the more profit they earn from high volume sales with low profit margins.
"Don't you agree?"
Tang Yicheng felt like he was getting dizzy, and kept trying to figure out the reasoning behind it.
By the time he came to his senses, the supervisor on duty had already nodded and decided to report to his superiors to begin in-depth cooperation.
What else could he do? Of course, he could only obediently accompany Wang Xiao back to the Jinning Hotel to see if they could close a second deal.
Unfortunately, it's likely that the two parties' horoscopes clash tonight. The restaurant isn't finished with its business yet, and it doesn't welcome unrelated people to come and watch the show.
This delay makes it difficult for Wang Xiao to visit a third store. Nowadays, people don't really have a concept of nightlife and go to bed quite early.
"Let's go, let's go home and sleep first."
She was just about to start planning which cities she would visit next and which local specialties she would buy.
Tang Yicheng took her to the steel plant's residential area, where they happened to run into Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu.
I don't know if it was because the streetlights were dim, but the two people's faces looked darker than the sky.
Wang Xiao was puzzled. After Tang Yicheng finished saying goodbye and left, she quickly asked her parents, "What happened? Is Ruan Rui dead?"
You should buy fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate the New Year, there's no reason for you to look so grim.
"Don't even mention it!" Chen Yanqiu was absolutely furious. "He's awake! He's awake!"
Oh, that's a real shame, we won't be able to enjoy his banquet.
Seeing her daughter acting as if nothing had happened, Chen Yanqiu almost couldn't catch her breath. She slapped her hard: "You brat, how can you still laugh? He's awake!"
Wang Xiao felt extremely wronged. She didn't laugh; she just didn't cry.
She didn't die, so what? Why is she crying?
If being widowed isn't an option, then just get a divorce.
Oh, could it be that he suffered from prolonged oxygen deprivation to the brain and became a vegetable, making it difficult for her to get a divorce because the law does not allow abandonment?
Wouldn't that be better? He's practically a vegetable; just unplug the tubes. What's there to hesitate about? Anyone who hesitates even for a second is disrespecting their intelligence.
If Ruan Rui's parents insist on resuscitation, fine, they can pay for it.
She has no money. She's only been working for a few days, and all the little money she's earned has been spent on the Ruan family.
If you can't afford to stay in the hospital, then leave.
You want me to take care of him? No problem. I'm an expert at taking care of people in a vegetative state; I can definitely turn a plant into an animal.
It would be too easy for him to die; in high-level games, he'd be crippled.
Dr. Chen's mouth gaped wider and wider as he listened, and after a long while, he finally managed to blurt out, "He's perfectly fine, just as lively as ever."
The more she talked about it, the more she regretted it, wishing she could turn back time. Why did she have to go and catch them cheating?
That's something to regret.
Wang Xiao also regretted it.
Actually, she didn't intend to go to the scene to watch the drama unfold last night. It's just that she's used to being alone and likes to keep everything under her control.
She was afraid that Zhang Yan wouldn't be able to handle Ruan Rui, and even more afraid that Zhang Yan would lose her temper and turn against her, joining forces with Ruan Rui to deal with her.
If she had known this would happen, she would have stopped Dr. Chen no matter what.
However, there's no going back in life; yesterday's events are like yesterday's death, so there's nothing to dwell on.
Besides, it's good that Ruan Rui woke up. It's perfect for Zhang Yan to take over and fulfill people's fantasies about their white moonlight.
Respect, blessing, and locking away.
Wang Xiao thought she was really too kind.
It would be a disservice to her shining personality if she didn't become rich.
However, Dr. Chen patted her back even harder, practically in a fit of rage: "You wish! He would never agree to that!"
What happened?
Sigh, when Ruan Rui woke up, Wang's parents, exhausted with oily faces and bags under their eyes, quickly encouraged each other. Just as they were about to roll up their sleeves and settle accounts with the conman, Ruan Rui suddenly changed his mind and denied everything.
He insisted that he and Zhang Yan were completely innocent and that nothing had happened between them. He claimed he had been framed and that he was going to call the police, saying someone had drugged him.
Zhang Yan cried and refused to admit anything, insisting that she hadn't drugged her and that Ruan Rui had sexually assaulted her while drunk.
Given what happened, the people the Wang family brought in would definitely side with Zhang Yan. After all, Ruan Rui doesn't work at the factory, so they wouldn't side with outsiders.
Even if we take a step back and say you weren't interested, would you be drinking with a young girl? You know perfectly well that she's interested in you.
Unfortunately, Ruan Ruiding remained unfazed: "She says I abused her? Fine, call the doctor to examine her right away. I'll admit to anything I did to her. I was so drunk, I couldn't do anything at all. A truly drunk man is powerless even if he wants to; that's basic medical knowledge."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao couldn't help but want to scream.
Tsk tsk, he's definitely a highly educated intellectual. Putting aside his character, at least his IQ is online.
As for Zhang Yan, sigh, she's utterly hopeless; she can't even frame someone properly.
If you really want to force things, why use sleeping pills? Just use aphrodisiacs, the kind of animal drugs used to induce estrus in pigs. That might have worked by now.
Seriously, it absolutely works. I've seen it used for pig breeding in the village, and the results are amazing.
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If I doubt you guys, you'll kill me. It's the weekend, the next chapter will be updated at 5 PM.
Just so you know, Wang Xiao isn't going back to being single through divorce; that would be too easy for the villain.
The villain is in jail.
In addition, it was common for sales staff to have a bad attitude at the time.
On July 12, 1986, the People's Daily published a critical article by Anna Chennault, an American of Chinese descent, entitled "The Beijing Friendship Store Is Not Friendly." The article stated: The poor service at the Friendship Store is widely acknowledged, but because it's the only store, customers have no choice but to swallow their anger and pay for the mistreatment. When buying silk headscarves in the women's section, the female clerks were indifferent; only after repeated requests did they silently push a box of headscarves onto the counter and walk away to chat. When buying shirts in the men's section, the shirts came in various sizes and colors, but the clerk said that was all they had, and we had no choice but to buy the few she had brought out. Anna Chennault lamented: "Without competition, there is no progress. Beijing should establish two or three more Friendship Stores, and the sales clerks should receive more rigorous training."
The "Friendship Store is not friendly" remark sparked a strong social reaction, but it was clear that poor service attitude and low service quality in the commercial service industry were not solely the problem of the Friendship Store at the time. In subsequent interviews, the sales clerk at the Friendship Store felt wronged, stating that she was simply serving customers according to domestic service standards and didn't know why she was criticized. The Party Secretary of the Friendship Store lamented, "This is the current situation: I've given you the goods, and I've laid them out for you to see, but it's just lukewarm, no smile, just a 'stepmother's face." The reporter concluded that customers had become the "victims" of mistreatment, indicating that the current commercial system desperately needed reform!
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