Chapter 87
"Brother, everyone who comes in is a guest. Huilan should have taught you that customers are always God. But you offended them directly."
Meng Lai Di was unhappy, "Auntie, her clothes are so dirty. If we don't buy new ones after wearing them, our clothes will be dirty. How can we sell them to others?"
The old lady blushed, "I... I washed my hands before coming here, they are clean, not dirty at all."
Meng Lai Di snorted, "I've seen too many customers like you. Once you put on the clothes, you start to complain about this and that and ask the boss to give you a discount."
"I, I didn't! I really want to buy clothes."
Zhen Zhen frowned, noticing the old lady's embarrassment.
She asked Meng Laidi to sell clothes because she wanted Meng Laidi to give up and realize where he was lacking.
It is obvious that Meng Laidi doesn't know.
Zhen Zhen frowned and said to the shop assistant:
"Go and call Song Xiaoyu over."
The shop assistant soon came with Song Xiaoyu.
"Aunt Guizhi, you called me?" Song Xiaoyu had just washed her hands and wiped them dry on a towel.
Zhen Zhen raised his chin, "Xiao Yu, this lady wants to buy clothes, please entertain her."
Song Xiaoyu is not as pretty as Meng Laidi, but she has a small face and became much prettier after having double eyelid surgery. She loves to laugh and socialize with people and can chat with any customer.
Zhen Zhen asked Song Xiaoyu to stay here because he felt that Song Xiaoyu and Jiao Huilan complemented each other in personality, and Song Xiaoyu could better protect customers.
Seeing that there were guests, Song Xiaoyu immediately perked up and greeted the old lady with a smile, "Auntie, do you want to buy clothes? What kind of clothes do you want to buy? What color? For daily wear or for banquets?"
The old lady answered her questions one by one.
It turned out that the old lady bought the clothes because she wanted to attend her daughter's wedding banquet.
The aunt's daughter went to another place to study at a college, and stayed there to work and settle down. She found a local man, but the man's family disliked her daughter because she was from the country. The aunt was afraid of embarrassing her daughter, so she wanted to buy her daughter a nice dress to attend her daughter's wedding banquet.
Song Xiaoyu smiled and said:
"Parents are so kind, don't worry, you made the right choice by coming to our house. We have a lot of clothes, including skirts and shirts. I'll give you two skirts to try, but you need to wear leather shoes and a scarf with skirts, which is two more expenses. If you believe me, why not just buy a shirt and high-waisted pants, cut your hair shorter, and perm it, you will definitely look very fashionable."
Seeing that she was pleasant to the ears and friendly, the old lady smiled and said, "Hey, little girl, I will listen to you."
While Song Xiaoyu was looking for clothes for the old lady, she poured her a cup of sugar water.
The old lady was so thin that she couldn't hold up the skirt. She tried on three skirts but none of them fit her. Song Xiaoyu didn't get impatient and found her a shirt and high-waisted pants. The old lady's temperament changed greatly after putting them on and she nodded with satisfaction.
The old lady looked at the mirror, too embarrassed to look up, "It's just that my waist is a little loose."
"We have a tailor here, and we can help you alter the waist of your pants for free. If you buy it, we will ask the workers to do it for you tonight, and you can pick it up tomorrow."
The old lady was deeply moved. She held Song Xiaoyu's hand and choked up:
"Thank you, girl."
Song Xiaoyu waved her hands cheerfully, "Auntie, you spent money to buy clothes and you still thank me? Okay, you must come and take care of our business often in the future!"
The lady nodded repeatedly:
"I will only come to your house to buy clothes from now on."
"Hehe!" Song Xiaoyu smiled and sent the person away.
Meng Laidi watched Song Xiaoyu smiling apologetically the whole time and felt that this person was really cheap, bowing and scraping just to make a few bucks.
Although they are sales clerks, they earn a lot of money. Why should they be so fawning to customers?
Which of the sales clerks in the department stores is not indifferent? They are even worse than her!
Meng Lai Di snorted coldly: "Auntie, I am doing this for the good of our store. These people tried on the clothes but didn't buy them, and their clothes got dirty."
"But the result is that the lady bought the clothes because she really wanted to buy something."
"She's dressed like a beggar. How do I know she has the money to buy such expensive clothes?"
Zhen Zhen shook his head in his heart. If a person can't do things, he can be taught, but if a person's character is bad, he will be like a tree with damaged roots, and will remain the same until he grows old.
"Laidi, grandma gave you a chance, but you also saw that you were tired of selling snacks, and you offended all the customers when selling clothes. When people come into the store to try on clothes, they definitely want to buy them. Even if they don't want to buy, it's their right. No one stipulates that you have to buy the clothes you try on, right? The way you treat customers really doesn't meet our requirements for salespeople."
"Auntie, you are targeting me too much! I am the same as Meng Pandi, why do you want Meng Pandi to leave me?"
"Why?" Zhen Zhen laughed angrily, "Brother, I'm just your aunt. I don't have a dime of blood relationship with you. I help the Meng family out of friendship. No one can blame me if I don't help! I have the final say on who I use in my own shop, and it's your turn to question and threaten me here?"
"That's right!" Meng Pandi was also very angry. "I'll go home this week and tell grandpa to take good care of you!"
"Why are you so troublesome!"
"Who wants to control you? Look at you standing at the door of the store every day, flirting with the male employees coming and going, and even hanging out with them. You don't even let go of those who have wives. I'm embarrassed to tell anyone about it!"
"When I climb to the top, you won't even have time to envy me!"
Meng Laidi was so angry that he pushed Meng Pandi and turned around and ran away.
Zhen Zhen asked Meng Pandi to ride back to Batou Village and tell the Meng family about Meng Laidi, but Zhang Qiaohong was not in a hurry at all, thinking that Laidi was quick-witted and smart and would not suffer any loss.
"Don't worry about her. She will be back on her own after a few days."
Zhang Qiaohong, the mother, doesn't care, so Zhen Zhen can't just rush over to help take care of the child, right?
Zhen Zhen told Meng Dazhu again, and Meng Dazhu was very worried, but he knew Meng Laidi's temper, and he didn't know which man's house she had run off to at this moment.
The young lady has grown up and Guanye can no longer control her. Meng Dazhu can do nothing but sigh.
Accountant Fang's relative called the telephone office. Tao Aihong answered the phone and ran home with a happy face:
"Mom, Accountant Fang's relative received the instant noodles. He praised our instant noodles for being delicious and said that barreled instant noodles are very convenient and suitable for entertaining VIPs and taking trains. He wants to buy a batch of goods from us, more than 2,000 packs of instant noodles and 1,000 barrels of barreled noodles."
Accountant Fang's relative is also in purchasing. The amount is not much, only a few hundred yuan in profit, but it is a good start.
When you sell things in Beijing, many people will come to you based on the address on the outer packaging.
"Okay, I'll ask the factory to stock up."
Tao Aihong also saw hope. Her mother-in-law was truly a fortune god. Everything she did was successful. If this food factory was successful, the Meng family would become wealthy!
That's not just a profit of hundreds of thousands, but millions or even more.
Tao Aihong simply couldn't bear to think about it.
As the Zhenxin Food Factory was about to be completed, the factory urgently needed a telephone.
But there are few telephone lines these days, and one line cannot carry too many telephone lines. Zhen Zhen applied to the telecommunications bureau last year, but there has been no follow-up so far.
This matter could not be delayed, so Zhen Zhen went to the telecommunications bureau in person.
Deputy Director Zhai of the Telecommunications Bureau received her in person. He said apologetically:
"Sister Zhen, I'm so sorry, the phone line capacity is limited, and I really can't apply for it right away."
Zhen Zhen got straight to the point, "Director Zhai, you are not deliberately neglecting me just because I didn't use any connections, right?"
"Sister Zhen, how can that be possible!" Director Zhai was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "In the early years, only leading cadres at the departmental level and above could install telephones. Ordinary people wanted to install telephones, but they couldn't get them even with connections. But Zhenxin Food is a key support project in the county. The county leaders said that you will be the big taxpayers in the future, and all departments should do their best to help."
"Then why can't this phone call be handled?"
"There are few lines and the connection rate is low. These are social problems. It's not that we don't want to do it, but we really have no choice. Let me apply to the higher-ups to see if we can give you a separate telephone line. We can't let you close your business because of the telephone problem, can we?"
"Then I'll trouble you, Director Zhai."
These days, things have to be done on a whim, so Zhen Zhen asked Meng Eryong to go to the telecommunications bureau from time to time to urge them to connect the call earlier.
Don’t really think that we have sold all the instant noodles outside while we haven’t even got the factory’s phone number. You will be laughed at if you tell others about it!
By the end of the month all the houses in the factory were completed.
Tao Aihong's parents also heard about the Meng family opening a factory, so they called Tao Aihong back that day.
Tao Aihong has had little contact with her parents' home in recent years. When she went back to her parents' home during her confinement period, she couldn't even eat meat. The commotion at that time made Tao Aihong feel cold-hearted.
In the past few years, her parents' attention has been on Tao Jiang's children, but they have ignored her children. Sometimes Tao Aihong can't understand why her parents don't love her but love her brother's daughter. Obviously, that daughter is also a girl, but she is considered to be a child of the Tao family.
Tao Aihong took her third child back to her parents' home on bicycle. The third child is seven years old and will go to primary school this summer.
The child had sharp eyes and followed his grandmother around to sell things and do the accounting, and everyone praised him.
Tao Aihong parked her bicycle in front of her parents' house. Zhao Ying was picking eggs in the chicken coop. When he saw Tao Aihong, he came over with a smile.
"Aihong is back? Sanwa has grown up so much. Children really grow up with the times."
Zhao Ying held Sanwa in her arms. Sanwa sniffed and smelled a strong smell of chicken shit. He felt a little disgusted for a moment, but was too embarrassed to say it directly, so he said tactfully:
"Grandma, I smell. Don't hug me. I might get suffocated."
Zhao Ying laughed and said, "You are so particular at such a young age? It's all because of your grandma!"
Sanwa was unhappy and pinched his waist and said:
"You are not allowed to talk about my grandma."
"Oh, the Meng family is different. I'm your grandmother, so what if I scold your grandma? You can't scold her? Are you still going to protect her?"
Zhao Ying was eccentric, which made Sanwa dislike him very much.
"Mom, why is your mom so annoying!" Sanwa said angrily.
Tao Aihong was stunned and felt that her mother's words were unpleasant to hear. "Mom, don't say such things in front of the children."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. You've turned your elbow outward and forgotten your last name. If I hadn't given birth to you, do you think you would be where you are today?"
Tao Jiang limped out, and sister-in-law Tao Aihong also came forward holding the child.
"My little sister is back? Da Chuang, call me aunt. My aunt has become prosperous and rich in the county. If you don't have enough to eat in the future, you'll have to count on your aunt to help you!"
When Old Man Tao heard that his daughter had returned, he went home with the fish he had just caught.
"My daughter loves to eat fish, and my father went to the river to catch them."
Tao Aihong finally felt relieved that someone in this family still remembered her.
Zhao Ying also specially roasted an old hen, fried some loofah fried dough sticks, and made a pot of mixed fish.
The Tao family's conditions were not as good as the Meng family's, and the food was not as good as the Meng family's, but after all, the food was cooked by her own mother. Tao Aihong hadn't eaten it for a long time and missed it very much.
The old hen had two big chicken legs. Da Can sniffed and was about to eat the chicken legs with his hands.
"Grandma, I want to eat chicken legs!"
"I want one too!" said girl Tao Jiang.
Zhao Ying's eyelids jumped, he glanced at Sanwa and cursed:
"You little bitch, you only know how to eat chicken legs. Look how sensible the third child is. He knew there weren't enough chicken legs to share and didn't even ask for more. You two are nothing but starving ghosts!"
Zhao Ying added the chicken legs to the bowls of his grandchildren.
Tao Aihong's sister-in-law was unhappy. "Those kids have a good life in the city, eating chicken legs and meat every day, why would they care about such things? Our kids have never eaten it, so of course they are very greedy."
"That's right!" Tao Jiang said with a sullen face, "Life is hard at home, we can't even get enough food, this hen is kept for laying eggs, and the two children depend on these eggs for nutrition. You love your daughter, so you just slaughter her. In the future, when there is no hen at home, what will my two children eat?"
Zhao Ying glared at his son and signaled him to stop talking nonsense. Tao Jiang lowered his head to eat his meal, but his expression was extremely ugly.
My brother had a gloomy face, and my sister-in-law was also unhappy. It was true that a married girl is like spilled water.
Tao Aihong suddenly felt that the rice in her mouth had no taste.
This family is waiting for her here!
They hoped that she would feel guilty and think it was shameful for her to live a good life without supporting her parents, and forced her to take the initiative to support her parents.
Sanwa ate a fish and burst into tears because of the spicy taste.
"Oh, this child can't eat spicy food?" Zhao Ying's eyes were filled with malice that she herself didn't realize. "How can rural people raise children so delicately? If you ask me, it's because his grandmother has a bad habit! Look at my son, he can eat chili peppers at 10 months old! My daughter has had nothing to eat since she was a child, only rice soaked in chili peppers."
Old Man Tao took out his pipe and took two puffs, his face not looking good. "They are from the city, and city people are particular about raising their children. Unlike your two children, they are from the countryside, and it's good enough to have food to eat and live. Why don't you know what's good for you and compare yourself with the city kids!"
After dinner, Zhao Ying put the dishes in the kitchen and took a stool to sit in front of Tao Aihong.
"Aihong, look at the coat you are wearing. Is it made of cashmere? How much does this coat cost?"
On Tao Aihong's birthday last year, her mother-in-law bought her a coat. The coat was made of cashmere, had a good cut, and made her look tall and elegant.
When people have powder, they want to put it on their face. Today, when she went back to her parents' home, Tao Aihong specially wore this dress.
Who would have thought that her mother looked even more unhappy when she saw her clothes.
Tao Aihong laughed dryly, "It's worthless, it's inventory that can't be sold, and no one wears it, so I wear it."
"Oh, no one wears such good material? Then why don't you bring a few pieces for us? We don't mind and we can wear them!" Sister-in-law Tao Aihong muttered.
Zhao Ying also felt that this daughter was ignorant. Which daughter wouldn't support her parents?
Why did she give birth to a concubine? Wasn't it just to support her sons and grandchildren?
Who would have thought that Tao Aihong lived a good life, running a factory at home, wearing cashmere clothes, and her children were so spoiled, but she turned a blind eye to the suffering of her family.
Is this still humane?
The more Zhao Ying looked at Tao Aihong's coat, the angrier she became. "Aihong, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you can't be a heartless person! Don't forget who raised you to this age! You eat delicious food and let your brother eat bran and salty vegetables at home. Do you have the face to do that?"
A group of people sat around Tao Aihong, like a three-judge trial.
Tao Aihong is not someone who is easy to bully. She had a bad temper when she was young, but after becoming a mother in recent years and having gained experience under the guidance of her mother-in-law, she is not as prone to throwing tantrums as before.
She wanted to go back to her husband's house right now. Although her mother-in-law was not very enthusiastic about her, she did not treat her badly. During the Chinese New Year, she gave her and Jiao Huilan 2,000 yuan each.
My mother-in-law said that it was pocket money for them to buy clothes.
Life is good in my husband's family. Everyone talks to each other in a friendly way and there has never been such weirdness.
Tao Aihong even felt that her mother-in-law's weirdness was more unpleasant than her own mother's.
Tao Aihong's face darkened. "Mom, what do you want to say? Ever since I entered this door, your face has never been better! Don't think I don't know the reason. You just feel that I am living a better life than my brother. Your son doesn't have what I have. Don't you feel uncomfortable?"
Zhao Ying was stunned. After the lady came in, she was indeed very irritable, but she herself didn't know the reason.
Now that Tao Aihong had discovered what he was thinking, Zhao Ying's face turned red.
"How can you talk like that? You don't even care about your own brother, how dare you come back?"
"He is my brother, not my son. Why should I care about him? When he had money and benefits, did he think of me?"
Zhao Ying was so angry that he wanted to slap her, "What kind of girl doesn't support her parents? I raised you to this age, it's all in vain!"
Tao Jiang's face was also terribly gloomy. He felt that Tao Aihong was ungrateful. She wanted to leave her family to suffer just because she was living a good life.
Old Man Tao took a puff of his dry cigarette and stopped the angry mother and son. "Aihong, your mother still misses you. When you were not home, she often talked to me, worried that you would be wronged in your husband's family."
Tao Aihong sneered:
"No matter how much I suffer in my husband's family, it is not as good as being at my parents' home!"
Old Man Tao was too lazy to argue with her and just gave the order:
"Aihong, let me be frank. It's not easy for your brother and sister-in-law to raise two children. I heard that your family has opened a factory in the city. The factory must be short of people, right? You can bring your brother over. We don't need much, just give him a manager position. As for your sister-in-law, you can arrange an office job for her so that she can go home on time every day to take care of the children."
Tao Aihong widened her eyes and said in disbelief:
"Dad, you are so bold! One is a manager and the other works in an office! Do you think that factory belongs to your family?"
"This is your brother, not an outsider! You have no one to help you in the Meng family, so be careful if Meng Daguo takes over such a big factory! Your parents will not harm you, you must be obedient!"
Of course Tao Aihong wanted to fight, but she was not stupid.
From the perspective of blood relationship, the mother's family is indeed closer than the husband's family.
But in Tao Aihong's view, her husband's family is much more reliable than her own family.
Seeing Tao Jiang's bad behavior of threatening to attack people with a knife when he was drunk, she wanted to stay away from him. How could she dare to get involved with him?
Tao Aihong laughed dryly: "I am not the head of the family, so my say does not count in this matter."
"Then go back and tell your mother-in-law."
Zhao Ying saw that his daughter was not reliable, so he pulled Sanwa over and said, "Sanwa, go back and tell your grandma to let your uncle be the manager of the factory. Did you hear me? Your grandma is so kind to you, you can't be an ungrateful person."
"Grandma, how have you been good to me?" Sanwa pouted, "You only give the chicken legs to your grandchildren and never share them with me, and you still say you are good to me!"
Zhao Ying was so angry that he fell backwards, "You little bastard, I don't remember being good to you, I only remember that chicken drumstick!"
"You just say that, but I've never seen you treat me well. You don't like my mom either, you just like my uncle, you're biased!"
Sanwa pulled Tao Aihong to leave. Tao Aihong lowered her head, put Sanwa on the back seat of the car, got in the car and left.
The Tao family members looked at each other in bewilderment. After a while, Zhao Yingcai cursed:
"You bastard! It turns out that none of the Mengs are good people!"
On the way back, Tao Aihong bought Sanwa a candied haws and said, "Don't tell your grandma about this when you get home."
"Why?" Sanwa tilted his head.
"Mom is ashamed!"
Sanwa took a bite of the candied haws and thought it was strange, "My mother still knows how to embarrass herself!"
On the way back, Tao Aihong pushed her bicycle inside, and Sanwa winked at Zhen Zhen, looking like he was going to tell someone something.
After a while, Sanwa secretly pulled his grandmother's clothes.
"What's wrong with your mother?" Zhen Zhen asked.
"My mother won't let me tell you."
"Your mother doesn't allow me to say it, so tell me what you mean."
"Okay, my grandmother asked my mother to arrange for my uncle and aunt to work as managers in your factory, but my mother is not happy."
Zhen Zhen found it strange; this was not like Tao Aihong's style.
"Is that what makes your mother unhappy?"
"My grandmother gave the chicken legs to her grandchildren, not to me or my mother."
"Oh! There's more!"
Tao Aihong was wilted all day, like an eggplant hit by frost, and she lay listlessly on the bed knitting a sweater.
Jiao Huilan cooked dinner, and coincidentally, the Meng family also roasted an old hen.
Sanwa stood up and picked up a chicken leg for Meng Nan, and also picked up some for Erya, Siwa and Wuwa. After he had picked up all of them, he picked up a big one for Tao Aihong.
Tao Aihong was stunned and glanced at her mother-in-law, only to see Zhen Zhen with a stern face, tapping his chopsticks on the table.
"Eat!"
"Oh oh." Tao Aihong lowered her head, took a bite of the chicken leg, and her mood finally improved.
Sure enough, chicken legs are the most fragrant.
Zhenxin Food Factory owns brands such as Zhenxin Instant Noodles and Haopobo Snacks. In order to support private enterprises, the leaders of Xinyao County allow all major stores in the county to sell Zhenxin Instant Noodles.
Radio stations also broadcast Zhenxin Food advertisements all day long.
This kind of local radio station has a wide radiation range and can be heard by everyone in the county. With the help of the county, the sales of Zhenxin instant noodles have been increasing steadily.
The government even uses barreled instant noodles to entertain distinguished guests!
This spring passed by in a flash. As the weather was getting hotter, Zhen Zhen picked up two watermelons from the space, cut them into slices, kept half at home, and brought the rest to the front for the employees to eat.
The afternoon breeze blew in from the window, bringing with it a gentle fragrance. Zhen Zhen ate two slices of watermelon and squinted his eyes in comfort.
The factory is currently being renovated and machines are being installed, and Meng Daguo is busy with all of this.
The trade fair was in the summer, and Jiao Huilan was in charge of stocking the goods. Zhen Zhen occasionally helped with some new models. With the OEM business in Batou Village, Jiao Huilan was able to ship the goods very quickly. They stocked up tens of thousands of garments and did not feel any difficulty at all.
"Huilan, I'm thinking of getting some new styles from Hong Kong based on the styles in popular movies and TV series, and then taking them to Beijing to see how they get received."
"Okay, Mom."
"Shop some more red skirts and sweaters."
Clothes have fewer colors these days, and Zhen Zhen occasionally wears a white down jacket or a red sweater, which attracts a crowd of people to watch.
The clothing processing has been outsourced, so Jiao Huilan is not busy and spends the whole day thinking about new styles.
She was thinking of refurbishing last year's models, making some of the styles that sold well last year, and taking them to Beijing for promotion.
Zhen Zhen nodded in agreement: "This is a good idea. Huilan has grown up and can be independent! After a few years, I will hand over the family business to you, and then I will retire and enjoy my life!"
Jiao Huilan doesn't think her mother-in-law looks like she's ready to retire.
"You are still young!"
"You look young now, but you will be old in the blink of an eye."
The wind blows gently and peacefully on people's faces. Who says this is not a day in a dream?
Suddenly, I saw Meng Li riding a bicycle towards me. She smiled and parked her bicycle. "Auntie, go check it out. The telephone line for your food factory has been laid. They are preparing to install the telephone!"
Installing a telephone was a big deal these days, and Jiao Huilan and Tao Aihong both wanted to go and take a look.
Zhen Zhen asked them to take their children to join in the fun while she stayed behind to look after the store.
Zhen Zhen handed a piece of watermelon to Meng Li. Meng Li was so greedy that she took a big bite:
"Where did you get the watermelon? It's not cheap, is it?"
"Someone else gave it to me."
"So sweet!" Meng Li ate two large pieces and quenched her thirst before saying, "Auntie, let me tell you something. Jiang Dongping has a colleague in his unit whose wife died several years ago. She is a nice woman with a high position. I noticed that Song Xiaohong has not found another wife since her divorce. She is now a manager with a high income and is well dressed. Last time, my colleague sent us home and asked her about it when he saw her. What do you think, can I get them together?"
Zhen Zhen didn't expect it was about Song Xiaohong.
The man Song Xiaohong dated before was a good-for-nothing, and her son was also taught badly. After Song Xiaohong divorced, she gave things to her child, but the child threw them away.
Song Xiaohong got married early, so she is not very old. She has dressed up a bit in recent years and looks much prettier.
"I don't have the final say on this matter. It depends on what Xiaohong thinks."
Meng Li pulled Song Xiaoyu over and asked her about this. Song Xiaoyu almost spit out water, "My sister's mind is not in this county."
"What do you mean?" Meng Li didn't understand.
"Do you remember the educated youth who used to live in my house? My sister is still in contact with him!"
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