Chapter 24
"Baihua Milk is trending on social media. Boss, should we open our online store early?"
When Chen Kailai asked Hu Zhenzhen a question, Hu Zhenzhen was giving Jiang Chen a dictation of new words.
According to the original schedule, Baihua Milk's online store was supposed to open again after a while, so why is it suddenly trending on social media now?
After Hu Zhenzhen finished dictating the last two new words, she drew a big checkmark on Jiang Chen's face before turning to ask Chen Kai.
"What happened?"
Chen Kai pushed up his glasses and turned the tablet computer in his arms around, saying, "A reporter went to the ranch for an undercover investigation."
Hu Zhenzhen suddenly became interested, "An undercover investigation?"
She clicked on the video, which began with a series of shaky, abnormal shots.
The video was shaky, but the comments section was very cooperative in creating the atmosphere.
Here it comes, the familiar abnormal filming footage.
[WTF, I just started paying attention to the tainted milk incident, and you've already infiltrated a milk factory.]
[Is anyone from the past here? How did Old Wang manage to sneak in this time?]
Hu Zhenzhen smiled and noticed the comment at the top.
Wait a minute, didn't anyone notice? It looks like someone else is openly filming with their phone in the footage Lao Wang was shooting.
After this comment was discovered, it was followed by a series of "hahahahaha".
[Wang Defa: I Hidden My Photography Alone]
[Wang Defa: What the fuck!]
Such cheerful comments are rarely seen in undercover reporters' videos, making many longtime fans happy as well.
Soon, the screen went completely dark, and Wang Defa's post-credits scene appeared.
I discovered a guarded path, and I felt something was amiss, so I decided to investigate.
A second later, an image appeared on the dark screen showing fingers pinching a small black ball.
I found a small black pill on the ground; it might be medication for cattle. I've decided to keep it and send it for testing.
By this time, some viewers who had finished watching the show had already come back and given spoilers.
When they saw Wang Defa seriously referring to these as small pills, they didn't hold back in mocking him.
[Little Pill (dog head)]
Yes, yes, yes, it's the little pill. I can vouch for it; I saw the sheep poop it out with my own eyes!
[Hilarious! He actually pinched it with his hands and even smelled it.]
[Remember the blogger's serious demeanor now; it will disappear in a few seconds.]
The camera angle changed; it went from a hidden camera to a small camera hanging on Wang Defa's chest.
This is a secluded path, and even with the evening lights shining through, it still appears desolate.
Wang Defa was the only one on the road, heading straight for Gaozhalan with a clear goal in mind.
"I decided to climb up and take pictures of what the dirty, messy cowshed looked like. It was a bit difficult, but I succeeded."
After that sentence, the serious atmosphere changed, and the silent video was suddenly filled with other people's voices.
"Who goes there!"
The sound startled Wang Defa and Hu Zhenzhen, who was watching the video, and then they burst out laughing.
Wang Defa was mistaken for a thief by the security guards and taken to the factory manager's office.
To protect their privacy, Wang Defa blurred the faces of the factory manager and security guards.
Then came that classic dialogue.
"Some people are weird; they just like sheep."
Although the factory manager's face could not be seen, her disdainful "Huh?" was recorded exactly as it was.
[Hilarious! Wang Defa is a pervert he can't erase from his reputation.]
[Indian behavior.]
I bet 100 yuan that Wang Defa won't eat mutton for a month.
[Hilarious! Who even remembers those little pills?! It reminds me of Old Wang playing with sheep dung in his hand, and it makes me laugh!]
Don't be shy, we're all family, feel free to laugh.
The comments section was filled with laughter, and the video took a different turn than before, becoming increasingly lighthearted.
Wang Defa photographed almost every corner of Baihua Ranch, from the hay used for raising cattle and the milking tools to the sterilization and packaging in the factory.
No one stopped him, so he watched everything bit by bit and filmed it all for the audience.
When the ending appeared, with the line, "After an undercover investigation, Baihua Milk was found to be safe," many people couldn't help but shed tears.
My goodness, there are still such conscientious companies in China.
[No way, did I miss something? Folks, their milk has absolutely no additives!!!]
[Urgent! Very urgent! Where can I buy Baihua milk?]
【There's no use in worrying. I've already searched, and Baihua Milk doesn't have an online store at all. Currently, the only place selling it is a small physical store near a school in S City!】
[I urgently need a personal shopper!!]
Upon seeing this, Hu Zhenzhen immediately made a decision.
"Let's open the online store ahead of schedule. Fang Ping just bought a lot of new dairy cows and buffalo, so let's just put up milk and buffalo milk products for now and build up our reputation first."
Chen Kai was waiting for her to say those words.
Baihua Ranch is ready to welcome business.
The prototype of the online store has been ready for a long time, and it is just waiting for the specific date to officially open.
It's just a little earlier now, so Fang Ping won't panic.
She is not the same person she used to be.
With Hu Zhenzhen's guidance, she eagerly absorbed all kinds of knowledge about dairy products and business every day.
She was like a sponge that had dried up for forty years. After returning to the sea, she began to absorb knowledge like crazy. Fang Ping was not stupid. On the contrary, she was very talented to be able to run a breeding farm in such a family.
What Hu Zhenzhen valued was her talent.
Baihua Milk quickly gained popularity among the public by leveraging the buzz surrounding Wang Defa's video. The launch of its online store at this time further ignited people's already pent-up purchasing desires.
Hundreds of boxes of milk sold out the moment they went on sale.
Am I seeing things? Why does the link say it's sold out?!
[I'm drunk, all I want is some milk, can you please stop with this scarcity marketing tactic!]
Complaints have emerged online.
Fortunately, Hu Zhenzhen had anticipated this, and the online store had set up a special customer service team to soothe everyone's emotions and explain the situation.
We apologize that we cannot meet everyone's needs simultaneously due to overwhelming enthusiasm.
[Baihua Milk has a very short shelf life, and the number of dairy cows is limited. Milk production must be prioritized for schools, leaving only a small amount available for sale.]
However, the factory manager has already started selecting high-quality dairy cows, and the number will increase in the future, striving to ensure everyone has milk to drink!
Human emotions are easily aroused, but also easily soothed; the difference lies in how we treat them.
Hu Zhenzhen's highly paid emotional support staff are specifically responsible for calming customers down. No matter if a customer is impatient, angry, or sad, they will respond immediately and provide a thorough explanation.
It's hard not to like feeling valued like that.
So the previously annoyed netizens obediently sat down, indicating that they could wait.
This surprised other milk brands that were just watching the spectacle.
That's not right! Shouldn't consumers be angry when they can't buy something like this?
How come Baihua Milk only explained a few words and managed to calm everyone down?
Do consumers nowadays fall for scarcity marketing tactics?
Some dairy factories wanted to follow suit, so they immediately reduced their inventory, leaving consumers who wanted to buy the milk disappointed. They were then severely scolded and had to sheepishly restock.
Why is it that Baihua Milk can use the same trick and get criticized when they do?
The competing dairy factories didn't understand this problem, but they did understand another one.
The rise of Baihua Milk is unstoppable.
The wind direction has changed.
Fresh milk with zero additives, a fully transparent factory that allows consumers to monitor the process, and the most expensive and fastest transportation channels.
All of this combined translates into tangible profits in the eyes of competitors.
This cost is too high!
They all sighed in unison, and couldn't help but gasp when they saw the price of milk.
With such high costs, yet the pricing remains at the low-end market level, how can they possibly make a profit?
This question is shared not only by other milk companies but also by consumers.
【No way! I just placed an order, and it's already been processed and shipped! And it was shipped via Dongfeng Express, the fastest one! Does anyone know what's going on?!】
How exactly does this dairy factory make money?
[Won't Baihua Milk go out of business in a few years?]
The discussion went on and on, and somehow it turned into how to make the Baihua Milk brand survive longer.
Why don't we let Baihua produce some other products?
The final conclusion was this: netizens, with a shopping frenzy in mind, rushed to the official website of Baihua Ranch, demanding that more products be listed.
Fang Ping noticed it immediately and quickly placed the proposal on Hu Zhenzhen's desk.
“Beef jerky? Hmm, that won’t do. We don’t have many cows on the ranch yet,” Hu Zhenzhen rejected the first option.
Her gaze swept backward, revealing a whole page filled with both conventional and outrageous products.
"Why can we still sell flowers?"
After the ranch was built, Hu Zhenzhen hadn't had time to visit it in person and didn't know much about it. She asked, "Is the old botanical garden still there?"
Fang Ping nodded and smiled shyly.
“I learned a lot when planning the land. The activity area for cattle and sheep doesn’t actually need to be this many acres, so I took the liberty of leaving a bit of the original flower bed.”
"The botanical garden had a good foundation, so the flowers just needed a little watering to come back to life."
However, there is no one to take care of the flowers yet. If too many people buy them, the supply will be insufficient, which would turn into a form of scarcity marketing and really hurt everyone's feelings.
Hu Zhenzhen pointed to this line, "We won't sell flowers anymore, but we can give them away. For every 100 packages we send, we'll randomly select one person to receive a bouquet of flowers."
Fang Ping's eyes lit up. "The boss is so thoughtful."
After studying business for so long, how could she not have thought of this?
Hu Zhenzhen strongly suspected that Fang Ping had deliberately submitted this proposal in order to praise her.
She retorted, "Don't try to flatter them, I don't fall for that."
Although she said that, Hu Zhenzhen's smile widened considerably.
Fang Ping saw this and smiled too, "Yes, don't worry, I will never do anything like that!"
It's just that Hu Zhenzhen was too good to her, and she wanted to please her boss. She wouldn't want Fang Ping to please other people.
"What products should the online store add? Do you have any preferences?"
Hu Zhenzhen carefully looked through the list of proper items. "Cups, I guess. They'd match the ranch better. But these kinds of things have a high wastage rate, so remember to discuss it with the cup manufacturer."
"Please rest assured," Fang Ping quickly opened the pictures on her phone for Hu Zhenzhen to choose from.
They even designed three different milk cups.
Hu Zhenzhen glanced at it and said, "You haven't already found a factory to manufacture the cups and started production, have you?"
"Not yet," Fang Ping smiled apologetically, "but the molds for all three types of cups are ready, and we can start production as soon as you give the order."
This is no different from starting.
Hu Zhenzhen gave the choice to Jiang Chen, who was playing with building blocks on the side, since children have a lot to say when it comes to cuteness.
Jiang Chen chose a cow-shaped cup, which was the most intricate, with an uneven shape, but it was also the cutest.
"Let's focus on promoting the cow-shaped cup. We're also producing the other two models, and we can lower the price for them."
"Okay," Fang Ping readily agreed.
After receiving Hu Zhenzhen's message, she made a phone call, and the production line and online store started operating simultaneously.
"By the way, boss," Fang Ping said after hanging up the phone, "your car is trending on social media, do you want to downplay it?"
This was a question that Chen Kailai should have asked, but Fang Ping saw it and asked it first, also in order to stay at the Woshan Villa and chat with Hu Zhenzhen a little more.
"Car?" How can this even be trending on social media?
Hu Zhenzhen scrolled through the list and found that her car was indeed trending on social media, but the trending topic wasn't about today's events, but rather about the time Jiang Chen went out on his bicycle a long time ago.
"A rich young master from S City is out and about, hahaha, our Xiao Chen is now a rich young master."
Jiang Chen heard his name, looked up and saw Hu Zhenzhen's smiling face, and replied seriously, "Xiao Chen didn't go out, Xiao Chen is at home!"
Hu Zhenzhen smiled even more happily.
Jiang Chen glanced at Chen Kai in the corner, then at Fang Ping sitting opposite Hu Zhenzhen, before lowering his head to continue building with his blocks.
"When netizens were investigating the kidnapping case, they dug up this video, and now they're talking about you."
Hu Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow and heard Fang Ping say, "However, you have very little information online. You only announced two things: Hundred Flowers Ranch and Dog Castle. Both of these are related to the young master. Many people are asking you if you want another son and are vying to call you Rich Mom."
Jiang Chen, who had been quiet, suddenly looked up and asked, "Mom, do I need more brothers?"
His little face tensed up, looking as serious as if he were going to war.
[Ding! Host is reminded that the male protagonist's mood is currently very unstable, and his family affection value is at risk of decreasing!]
Xiao Jin jumped out and told Hu Zhenzhen to be careful.
This was the first time Hu Zhenzhen had ever known that family affection points could decrease, and she quickly glanced at the system interface.
Fortunately, it hasn't dropped yet; it's still eight points of family affection.
"Mommy won't raise anyone else," Hu Zhenzhen pinched Jiang Chen's cheek, making his fair face blush. "Our little Chen is so cute, Mommy loves little Chen the most!"
Jiang Chen was immediately appeased, and the pink blush spread from her cheeks to behind her ears.
He's not that cute, is he?
He continued to squat down and build with blocks, but his mind was wandering far away.
His mother said he was cute and that he was her favorite person. These two sentences were the greatest affirmation for Jiang Chen.
In an instant, Jiang Chen's confidence soared.
Even if Mom adopts someone else, he will definitely be her favorite!
Children can't hide their expressions.
Jiang Chen's expression was quite obvious, and Hu Zhenzhen, sitting in the chair, immediately noticed his happiness.
She smiled slightly and quickly opened the lottery interface.
If her affection points drop, wouldn't she lose this chance to win the prize? She'd better draw it sooner rather than later and get the prize in her hands before she feels at ease.
Of the four new points, three were gained when Hu Zhenzhen rescued Jiang Chen, but she was too busy being angry at the time to notice the increase in affection points.
The last little bit was from the middle of the night when it rose.
Hu Zhenzhen guessed that the increase was because she told Jiang Chen a bedtime story the day before.
However, she talked to Jiang Chen about it several more times afterward, but the affection value remained unchanged.
[Xiao Jin, let's have a lucky draw!]
Hu Zhenzhen rubbed her hands together and glanced at Fang Ping.
"Fang Ping, how's your luck?"
Fang Ping didn't know why she asked that, and thought for a moment.
Her early life was extremely unlucky; the word "poor" is insufficient to describe it, as she experienced every kind of misfortune imaginable.
But everything changed after the boss bought her cattle and sheep.
For the first time, Fang Ping understood what it meant for her luck to turn around, and she also felt the power of this phrase for the first time.
"My luck improved after I met the boss."
Hu Zhenzhen took this as flattery and didn't pay it any mind. She looked around the prize pool and asked her with great interest, "What do you think of the east bank of the Tang River in the city center?"
That's a high-end residential area in City S.
Fang Ping said, "Of course, is that a good idea? Are you planning to buy a house there?"
Fang Ping secretly planned that after working for a few years, she would save up for a down payment and buy a house there, so that she could be neighbors with her boss in the future.
"Hmm..."
Hu Zhenzhen pressed the lottery button, and when the glittering prize interface appeared, she said, "I don't want to buy it, I already have a building."
"Haha, as expected of the boss, he even bought a... a building from there?"
Fang Ping's tone took a sharp turn, and she almost screamed.
"You're not mistaken, are you? The whole building?"
Her reaction was exactly what Hu Zhenzhen wanted. What is the point of making money if not to show off like this?
Hu Zhenzhen nodded reservedly, "Yes, it's just one building."
It's just a building.
Fang Ping inwardly gasped, feeling a pang of resentment towards the wealthy.
The houses on the east bank of the Tanghe River cost an average of about two million yuan each. Each building has three units and 18 floors.
Fang Ping did a quick mental calculation and realized that to buy a building, she would need at least 324 million.
Three hundred million...
Fang Ping stared blankly, wondering how long it would take her to earn that much.
After enjoying her shocked expression for a while, Hu Zhenzhen slowly asked, "If you do well this year, how about I give you a house as a year-end bonus?"
"A year-end bonus of an apartment?"
Fang Ping blankly repeated it to Hu Zhenzhen before realizing what she had said.
She jumped up from her chair, radiating the vigor of a twenty-year-old despite being forty years old. "Don't worry, I will definitely help you make Baihua Milk the best, the best milk in the city, no, the best in the country!"
Fang Ping turned and walked out, saying, "Boss, I'm leaving now. I still have a lot of things to do at the ranch!"
Fang Ping left full of passion.
She was determined to become Hu Zhenzhen's best employee and win the year-end bonus.
Hu Zhenzhen asked Liu An to drive her back to Baihua Ranch. When they arrived at the ranch gate, Fang Ping's smile disappeared.
The ghost lingers.
The moment she saw Lee Wah-eun, that was the only word in her mind.
"Didn't you go to pay off your loan shark debts?"
Unlike Fang Ping, who used to always wait silently, she is now much more confident and prefers to take the initiative.
Li Huaen's expression changed several times because of these words, finally settling on a complex resentment: "Someone has redeemed me, Fang Ping, I'm sticking with you, you can't escape."
If it were the old Fang Ping, she might have trembled with fear upon hearing his words.
But now, she has gained experience and has a powerful backer, so she is no longer afraid of Li Huaen's words.
Liu An's car hadn't even driven away yet when he saw this situation. He got out of the car and stood next to Fang Ping. "Factory Manager, shall I take you inside?"
"Thank you for your kindness," Fang Ping said to Liu An. "I'll handle this myself this time."
Liu An raised an eyebrow and glanced at her in surprise. "Okay."
Fang Ping turned her face away, and when she looked at Li Huaen again, her eyes were no longer so friendly.
"I don't know who rescued you, but we do have a score to settle."
Fang Ping strode forward, walked up to Li Huaen, and slapped him across the face.
In the past, it was always Li Huaen who hit her; Fang Ping was always the cowardly and evasive one. Today, this slap completely stunned him.
"You hit me?"
The half of his face that had been hit turned red instantly, which showed just how hard Fang Ping had hit him.
Li Hua'an was surprised to find that she was so strong, strong enough that a single slap was enough to make his jaw feel loose.
"Damn it, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, he received another slap.
Fang Ping tried her best to remain calm, but her heaving chest betrayed the turmoil in her heart.
"The first slap was me returning the favor. You've hit me so many times before, and I only slapped you back once. I guess I'm at a loss."
"The second slap is for Zhenzhen. You haven't fulfilled your responsibilities as a father for a single day. You even brought loan sharks home, dragging your daughter down and making her a laughingstock at school."
When she raised her hand again, Li Huaen subconsciously shrank her shoulders.
This one gesture alone made Fang Ping's lips curl into a smile.
"So you can be afraid too, Lee Wah-eun."
She had changed so much that Li Huaen felt a little uneasy and pondered how to retaliate.
The sound of shattering glass came from afar. Li Huaen heard it, his face turned pale, and he remembered the purpose of his visit today.
Those people saved him, but not without conditions. If he didn't meet their requirements, he would most likely have to go back to that hell of hard labor.
The thought of spending every day laying bricks from the moment she opened her eyes until she closed them sent a chill down Li Huaen's spine.
No, he absolutely refuses to go back into the hands of loan sharks.
Thinking of this, his expression turned ferocious. He suddenly grabbed Fang Ping's hand, trying to force her to touch his private parts. If such photos were uploaded online, they would be enough to disgust a group of customers who wanted to buy milk.
The fact that the factory manager of Baihua Dairy Factory openly committed adultery on the street, and the object of which was her ex-husband, immediately increased the credibility of the story.
Whether the audience believes it or not, as long as there are pictures, Baihua Milk's competitors will always find a way to lead the audience to believe it.
They spent hundreds of thousands of yuan to release Li Huaen, and that was the reason.
To destroy Baihua Milk, which was gaining momentum.
Fang Ping didn't know what Li Huaen was planning, but one thing she was very clear about was that Li Huaen had come with utter malice, and she wouldn't have any peace until she got rid of him.
The instant Li Huaen grabbed her, Fang Ping quickly raised her hand and slapped him again.
"How shameless of you! Don't touch me!"
For many years, Fang Ping has been doing manual labor, carrying milk, cleaning cowsheds, and cutting hay for cattle and sheep—all of which are physically demanding.
Over the years, she has become as strong as a farmer.
She used all her strength in that slap, and Li Huaen only heard a crisp sound before her mouth involuntarily opened.
A sharp pain quickly filled his nerves, bringing tears to Li Huaen's eyes. His saliva dripped involuntarily, and he covered his chin, looking quite pitiful.
Fang Ping didn't pity him at all.
When she was bruised and battered before, Li Huaen didn't pity her at all. But karma has come full circle, and now it's finally his turn to suffer this calamity.
Fang Ping stood there, coldly watching Li Huaen wail.
“I will sue you, sue you until you have no chance to harass Zhenzhen’s life anymore, sue you until you go to jail, sue you until you start to regret everything you have done. Li Huaen, you should know best how many of the things you have done are shameful.”
Fang Ping paused for half a second, then exhaled the pent-up frustration that had been building up in her chest for years.
"You should also know that after so many years of marriage, I have a lot of evidence on hand."
She lowered her eyelids, feigning pity, and curled the corners of her lips. "Go to jail and repent."
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