Chapter 39 Cooperation
Huo Yizhou returned quickly.
Su Tangtang looked up at him and asked softly, "What happened?"
Huo Yizhou explained calmly, "Meng Meng said they have too many orders and can't keep up with our demand, so they have to prioritize their own fans."
Su Tangtang remained silent for a moment, then pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.
Huo Yizhou walked to her side and comforted her in a low voice, "It's okay, we'll figure something out together."
Su Tangtang nodded.
Turning our attention to the live stream, the chat was scrolling rapidly:
[My heart aches for Tangtang; her expression just now was so heartbreaking.]
[Meng Meng is so unfair!]
[Exactly, was it intentionally blocked?]
If the goods cannot be shipped, I will return them.
[Me too……]
[But didn't they say they'd find a way? I'll wait and see.]
I'll trust them this once.
[Meng Meng showed off her sales figures in her live stream; orders were indeed booming.]
No wonder they said they couldn't supply enough for us...
The comments were scrolling by so fast that Su Tangtang had barely read one when it was immediately overtaken by a new one.
With such a large number of orders, if everyone requests a refund, it will indeed have a negative impact.
She composed herself and spoke sincerely, "Don't worry, everyone, we will definitely ship on time, and the quality and taste of the tomatoes will not be compromised. If anyone wants a refund because of this unexpected situation, we completely understand. We are truly sorry for this incident."
As soon as she finished speaking, the live chat was flooded with heartwarming responses:
[It's okay, Tangtang, we believe in you!]
[I'm growing to like Su Tangtang more and more. She's polite, smart, and incredibly gentle. I'm definitely following her!]
[Su Tangtang, who doesn't revolve around men, is simply dazzling!]
Seeing these encouraging words, Su Tangtang's lips unconsciously curled up, and her mood, which had been low because of Meng Meng's sabotage, gradually brightened.
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she looked up at Huo Yizhou.
Huo Yizhou seemed to understand her gaze and nodded gently.
The morning's live broadcast ended quickly.
Su Tangtang turned off the device and looked at Huo Yizhou curiously, "Did you guess what I was thinking when you nodded just now?"
Huo Yizhou smiled slightly, "Mm."
The rain outside the window was still falling, but it had lessened a bit compared to before.
She took a step closer to him, looked up, and asked, "Then tell me, what am I thinking?"
Huo Yizhou stared at her for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Are you thinking that Meng Meng and the others' sales figures might be inflated by paying money?"
Warm breath brushed against her ear, making Su Tangtang's ears feel slightly hot, but she couldn't help but laugh, "You understand what I'm thinking more and more now."
Huo Yizhou gave a soft "hmm," and said, "After spending more time together, I'll naturally understand you."
Su Tangtang smiled, then frowned slightly. "But what should we do next?"
“There will always be a way,” Huo Yizhou said, looking at her with a calm tone.
Su Tangtang's eyes suddenly lit up, "I've got an idea!"
Huo Yizhou's lips curled into a smile. "Tell me about it."
“Meng Meng’s family isn’t the only one growing tomatoes in this village. Other farmers are growing them too, and maybe their quality is even better. We can cooperate with them!” she said excitedly, her eyes sparkling.
Huo Yizhou laughed upon hearing this and praised him generously, "Smart."
Su Tangtang smiled, her eyes crinkling to reveal a row of neat teeth. "You actually thought of that a long time ago, didn't you?"
Huo Yizhou simply smiled without saying a word, looking at her tenderly.
Su Tangtang gave a soft hum, her tone tinged with a hint of coquettishness, "Alright, alright~"
Huo Yizhou then spoke up, "I think that you feel more accomplished when you think of things yourself than when I tell you them directly. You are very intelligent and have a solid core."
Su Tangtang tilted her head to look at him, "What do you mean?"
Huo Yizhou said confidently, "When faced with a problem, don't panic, and you can calmly find a solution."
"Besides, you promised your fans, so you must be able to think of a solution. If you couldn't think of a solution, you wouldn't have agreed, right?"
Su Tangtang smiled but didn't say anything.
Actually, she wasn't completely calm inside, she just didn't show it.
In her mind, she had already asked herself countless times, "What should I do?"
But she will definitely keep her promise.
And just as Huo Yizhou said, she always believed that when problems arise, one should find ways to solve them, and losing control of one's emotions was never her choice.
After lunch, the two went to the village chief's house together under an umbrella to ask him which other families in the village were growing tomatoes.
Upon hearing this, the village chief immediately smiled and recommended, "Shuanzhu's family! They grow tomatoes every year, and the quality is among the best in the village."
As he spoke, the village chief's tone turned to a sigh, "It's just that his family is having a really hard time. His son has developed a mental illness and locks himself in his room all day, I don't know what he's doing. His daughter-in-law has also left, leaving behind two children."
"The old couple are still working hard at their age for their grandchildren," the village chief said, shaking his head helplessly. "Both children are still in school; the older one is a freshman in college, and the younger one is a sophomore in high school."
"The villagers will do their best to help, but our help is far from enough."
After listening to the village chief's account, Su Tangtang felt a pang of sadness, as if something had gently struck her heart. She said softly, "Their family has had a really tough time."
The village chief sighed, his wrinkles etched with helplessness, "That's right..."
Su Tangtang composed herself and said seriously, "Village Chief, could you please take us to Uncle Shuanzhu's house? We'd like to talk to them about cooperation in person."
"Alright, alright! Let's go right now!" The village chief's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he quickly got up.
The rain outside has stopped, but there is still a lot of water on the road.
The three of them walked together toward Shuanzhu's house. On the way, the village chief talked at length about the family's situation. Every word he said was heavy, making Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou feel even more depressed.
They arrived at Shuanzhu's house not long after they started walking.
Inside the low courtyard wall, the elderly couple were sitting on small stools eating a simple lunch. When they saw someone coming, they quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks and stood up.
"Shuanzhu, are you eating?" the village chief greeted first.
The old man, known as Shuanzhu, was thin and frail, with a full head of white hair and a face etched with the marks of time. He rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly. "Village Chief, what brings you here?" he asked, then looked at Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou with a questioning gaze. "And who are these two?"
The village chief enthusiastically introduced them, "They are celebrities who came to the village to film a TV show. They recently started live-streaming to sell vegetables, and they've been doing exceptionally well. They're running out of tomatoes, so I immediately remembered that your tomatoes are the best, and I brought them over to see if we could cooperate."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope instantly appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes. He looked at Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou and asked cautiously, "Really...really?" It was currently the tomato harvest season, and the merchants who had come to buy the tomatoes had driven down the price significantly. He had only sold a small portion and was now worried about where to sell the rest.
Meeting his expectant gaze, Su Tangtang nodded firmly, "It's true, sir."
Shuanzhu hesitated for a moment, then asked somewhat shyly, "So... how much per pound do you charge?"
“Three yuan a pound,” Su Tangtang replied gently.
The price stunned Shuanzhu; he could hardly believe his ears.
Seeing his stunned expression, Su Tangtang assumed the price was too low and said, "Sir, if you think it's too low, we can raise it, or you can name your price."
Shuanzhu shook his head honestly, "It's already a lot. The people who came to buy it before only gave me one yuan per kilogram."
Su Tangtang felt a pang of resentment towards the merchants who were exploiting farmers. The fruits of the farmers' hard work were being bought at such low prices.
After regaining his composure, Shuanzhu asked eagerly, "Then... how many do you want?"
Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou exchanged a glance, and Huo Yizhou calmly said, "We'll take everything from your field."
"You want them all?" Shuanzhu was both surprised and delighted, afraid he had misheard. "We grow quite a lot of them!"
Su Tangtang said firmly, "Don't worry, our demand is huge."
The village chief chimed in with a laugh, "They're big stars! Once the live stream starts, so many people will be scrambling to buy their products!"
Shuanzhu's eyes reddened with emotion as he repeatedly said, "Thank you, thank you so much! You are such good people."
Su Tangtang felt a warm glow in her heart and said sincerely, "Grandpa, we should thank you. You helped us solve our urgent problem."
After reaching an agreement, the group headed to the tomato field together.
When Su Tangtang saw the thriving tomato field laden with fruit, her eyes lit up. She leaned closer to Huo Yizhou and whispered in admiration, "Look, the quality and quantity of these tomatoes seem even better than Meng Meng's."
Huo Yizhou nodded in agreement.
Su Tangtang had a sudden inspiration and suggested, "Why don't we do a live stream right here this afternoon? Let the fans see what the tomatoes look like, that way they'll sell even better."
Huo Yizhou expressed his support for her idea, saying, "Great idea, let's broadcast it live here."
-
Before the afternoon broadcast, Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou moved the live streaming equipment into Grandpa Shuanzhu's tomato greenhouse.
As soon as the live stream started, the chat was filled with eager questions:
[Has Tangtang come up with a solution? Are there any tomatoes left?]
[They're not really going to cancel the order, are they...?]
Su Tangtang smiled and turned slightly to the side, turning the camera behind her. When the bright red, plump tomatoes hanging heavily in the greenhouse came into view, the comments section exploded instantly:
[Wow! What's going on?!]
[I came here to see how they'd handle things, but they actually had tomatoes? And they were so good!]
[Whose greenhouse is this? The tomatoes are growing so well! I can't resist placing an order.]
The comments scrolled by quickly, and Su Tangtang responded by picking out the key points, "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. Meng Meng's orders are overflowing, and we really can't supply them all. But since you all trust us so much, we can't let you down."
As she spoke, she picked up a freshly picked tomato, its fruit glistening enticingly in the natural light. "We partnered with an old man in the village who has been growing tomatoes for over a decade. His tomatoes not only look great, but they also have a particularly rich tomato flavor."
As she spoke, she turned the camera around and slowly panned across the entire tomato greenhouse. "Look, everyone, each one is naturally ripened, a bright red, isn't it tempting?"
[It's even better than what I saw before! I'm placing an order right away!]
[The quality is clearly different; I support Tangtang!]
[Order placed, looking forward to receiving!]
The live chat was quickly flooded with orders, and Su Tangtang's smile grew even brighter as she continued to meticulously explain the tomato growing process and its taste characteristics. Orders soared.
-
On the other side, Meng Meng was live streaming when she suddenly saw several comments scrolling by:
[Sister Meng, Su Tangtang and her group are also selling tomatoes, and they look even better!]
[I went to check, and the tomatoes in that greenhouse are growing very well!]
Meng Meng felt a sudden tightness in her chest, and a surge of anger welled up inside her.
Where did they get the tomatoes? The supply has clearly been cut off.
She suppressed her emotions, forcing a smile as she continued introducing the dishes, but her fingernails secretly dug into her palms.
The occasion wasn't right, so I had to hold back and find out what happened after the live stream ended.
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