Chapter 101 Xie Xi
While living with Xie Qingshan, Li Xingfang felt that life in the city was worse than in the countryside. Not only was the living space cramped, but any noise she made could be heard by the neighbors. Moreover, everyone in the courtyard looked down on her, and after more than half a year, she hadn't managed to get along with anyone.
So before coming to Jinshi, Li Xingfang was a little worried, afraid that she wouldn't be able to adapt. But firstly, she hadn't seen her son for a long time and missed him very much, and she had originally planned to come and stay for a while after the New Year. Secondly, Lin Qingqing was pregnant with Xie Wei's first child, and she was worried that he wouldn't be home often.
So after much thought, Li Xingfang overcame her fear and came.
To her surprise, the neighbors in the residential compound were very welcoming. Many of them were from the countryside, and they didn't look at her strangely because of her accent. As a result, Li Xingfang not only adapted well but also quickly built her own social circle.
When Lin Qingqing got home from get off work that day, she saw an extra plate of pickled vegetables on the dining table. She asked around and found out that it was a gift from the neighbors in the two buildings in front of her.
Sending food is a very telling way of showing relationships. If Lin Qingqing cooks something delicious or makes dumplings or buns, she usually sends it to the neighbors on the left, right, or even just to the Jiang family if they live far away. As for Yu Xiuhong and Li Chunying, Lin Qingqing doesn't usually send them food; she only visits them during holidays.
Although Lin Qingqing, the neighbor who delivered the vegetables, knew them, they were just casual acquaintances who exchanged smiles and greetings when they met. So she was a little surprised: "Mom, do you know their family?"
Li Xingfang said, "Of course I know her. Your Aunt Yuxia is such a nice person. I'm like an old friend to her... what's that word again?"
"We feel like old friends when we meet again."
“That’s right, it’s like we’ve known each other forever,” Li Xingfang said with a smile. “If I had known her a few years earlier, we might have become best friends.”
“It’s not too late for you to get to know each other now,” Lin Qingqing said.
Li Xingfang thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. Come on, try this pickled vegetable. She said it's the way it's made in her hometown." She took a bite herself and said, "Hmm...it tastes really good. You should try it."
This dish appears to be pickled wild vegetables; I can't tell what kind of vegetables they are. It's stir-fried with red chili peppers, so it's a bit spicy, but overall it's very refreshing and goes perfectly with rice.
While eating, Lin Qingqing asked, "She delivered vegetables to our house, shouldn't we reciprocate with something?"
“When she came over in the afternoon, I gave her two apples. Her grandson is young and likes to eat them.”
The supply and marketing cooperative distributed a lot of apples and oranges for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even after sharing some with others, there were still quite a few left. After becoming pregnant, Lin Qingqing's tastes changed, and she preferred juicy and sweet fruits like oranges. So now that the oranges are all gone, there are still about ten apples left.
In the afternoon, Zhang Yuxia brought her grandson to deliver vegetables. Li Xingfang cut an apple to serve the guests, and seeing that the child liked it, she gave two to Zhang Yuxia to take away.
At first, Lin Qingqing thought that Li Xingfang and Zhang Yuxia were just compatible and got along well. But soon Lin Qingqing discovered that Li Xingfang had quite a few people who were compatible with her. People would come to visit her house from time to time, and she would bring food every few days. It wasn't anything expensive, just ordinary vegetables and meat. And the number of people who were compatible with Li Xingfang gradually increased.
Only then did Lin Qingqing realize that Li Xingfang was a womanizer!
"What is aquaman?" Xie Wei asked, puzzled.
Lin Qingqing: "Uh...it describes someone who has strong interpersonal skills and many friends."
Xie Wei suddenly realized: "I see."
...
After arriving in Jinshi, Li Xingfang thrived and lived a very happy life. However, she was not without her troubles. For example, the cost of living in the city was high, and she felt her heart clench every time she went grocery shopping. Also, she had too little to do. Although she had made many friends, she still felt bored and had nothing to do.
However, Li Xingfang's biggest trouble is related to Lin Qingqing—she is too busy.
Lin Qingqing has been extremely busy lately with the commercial street project. She has to manage the supply and marketing cooperative while also attending meetings at the Revolutionary Committee from time to time. Even after finally finishing an early shift, she still has to stay home and work on writing proposals.
If Lin Qingqing weren't pregnant, Li Xingfang would certainly support her hard work, but now that she's pregnant, Li Xingfang can't help but worry about her health with her busy schedule. Moreover, sometimes when Lin Qingqing comes home late from work, Li Xingfang is filled with anxiety, fearing something might happen to her on the way.
However, Li Xingfang knew that Lin Qingqing was in the rising stage of her career and was afraid that she would annoy Lin Qingqing by talking too much, so she did not talk to her directly. Instead, she asked Xie Wei to persuade Lin Qingqing while Lin Qingqing was still at get off work.
What Li Xingfang was worried about was also what Xie Wei was worried about, but he thought about it a little more deeply.
Lin Qingqing is currently in the early stages of pregnancy, and her belly isn't very noticeable yet, so she can cycle to and from work every day. But in another two weeks, when the weather gets colder, cycling will become difficult, and if it rains or snows and the roads are icy, it will be very dangerous. If she continues to be this busy, she will still have to cycle to and from work, or walk home, which would be even more tiring.
Therefore, Xie Wei asked Lin Qingqing about her work plan before going to bed.
He rarely asked these kinds of questions, so Lin Qingqing was a little surprised: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Xie Wei didn't hide anything and expressed his concerns: "My mother can't ride a bicycle, and I'm not home often. If I keep working overtime like this, my mother and I will be worried."
Lin Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "I shouldn't be this busy next month."
Because the supply and marketing cooperative was designated as the pilot unit, the Revolutionary Committee approved a four-story building for its use at the beginning of the month.
That building used to be a furniture factory, but the factory moved this year, leaving the space vacant. The factory faces the street with four roller shutter doors, and the interior is spacious with no partitions, making it ideal for a supply and marketing cooperative. In addition to the four-story factory building, there is also a two-story building at the back, housing staff dormitories and a canteen.
Because the building is spacious, not only the supply and marketing cooperative, but many other organizations are eyeing it. For example, Director Huang of the soy sauce factory would visit Secretary Zheng every few days to discuss this matter.
The soy sauce factory supplies soy sauce to the entire city and even surrounding counties and cities, which sounds impressive, but in reality, the factory only has thirty or forty employees and a two-story building. While two floors are sufficient, who wouldn't want a better and more spacious working environment? Moreover, with more space, they might be able to hire a few more people and take the opportunity to expand production.
Secretary Zheng's attitude had softened initially, but after talking with Lin Qingqing and Director Gao, he changed his mind. Ultimately, after several rounds of meetings, the land was awarded to the supply and marketing cooperative, demonstrating the importance Secretary Zheng attached to this matter.
Secretary Zheng took this matter seriously, and Director Gao dared not slack off even more. So, although she knew Lin Qingqing was pregnant, she still placed the heavy responsibility on Lin Qingqing's shoulders. How to utilize and plan the site, and how to renovate and decorate it, were all decided by Lin Qingqing.
That's why Lin Qingqing has been so busy lately.
However, things always come to an end eventually. The renovation plan is almost finalized now, and all that's left is for final communication and confirmation before construction can begin. Once construction starts, Lin Qingqing will only need to check on the progress from time to time, and she won't have to be so busy anymore.
After explaining, Lin Qingqing saw that Xie Wei was still worried, so she took his arm and snuggled closer to him, saying, "Don't worry, work is work and life is life. I keep it very clear and I definitely won't risk my life. Besides, Director Gao isn't a ruthless person. Even if I were willing to sacrifice myself for my work, she wouldn't want anything to happen to me."
These words sounded ominous, and Xie Wei said seriously, "Don't say things like that."
"Okay, okay, I won't say it again." Lin Qingqing said, making a gesture to seal her mouth.
Xie Wei couldn't help but smile, and he took her hand, saying, "I just hope you're safe and sound."
Lin Qingqing nestled in his arms, squinted her eyes, and said, "I know."
The next morning, Xie Wei took the opportunity to explain the situation to Li Xingfang. Hearing that Lin Qingqing wouldn't be so busy next month and wouldn't have to work overtime all the time, Li Xingfang felt relieved and explained, "I didn't mean to interfere so much, I was just worried."
Hearing her explanation, Xie Wei felt a pang of sadness, stepped forward and hugged her, saying, "I know everything."
...
Just as Lin Qingqing said, by the end of October, when the factory renovation started, she was not so busy anymore and could go home on time every day. Li Xingfang was also relieved of a big worry.
While Li Xingfang had fewer worries, Lin Qingqing began to have some troubles because Li Xingfang felt that pregnant women needed to nourish themselves, so she steamed a bowl of egg custard for her every day.
The reason for steaming egg custard was that resources were scarce at the time, and even if Li Xingfang wanted to stew chicken or duck for Lin Qingqing, she didn't have the means. In her view, eggs were already a very good source of nutrition.
Therefore, Li Xingfang kept the old hen she had brought with her, because she felt that since she had to eat anyway, instead of spending money to buy eggs every day, she might as well find someone to get some rice bran to feed the chicken. After all, the chicken could still be eaten, and she could get an egg for free every day.
Because there are chickens that lay eggs, Li Xingfang steams a bowl of egg custard for Lin Qingqing every day.
Of course, she didn't just feed Lin Qingqing that. She would buy pork, chicken, and duck, but in small quantities, so they would only be eaten once or twice a week. However, she would feed her steamed egg custard every day, and Lin Qingqing was the only one allowed to eat it.
Sometimes when Xie Wei saw that she didn't want to eat and wanted to help her share, Li Xingfang would scold him for fighting with his wife for food.
Lin Qingqing: "...囧!"
Actually, Lin Qingqing didn't dislike eggs, but even the most delicious food can't withstand eating it every day, to the point that she now felt a bit nauseous at the sight of steamed eggs. Sitting in the car, Lin Qingqing worried about how to tell Li Xingfang not to steam egg custard every day.
Just then, someone sat down next to me, and the smell was somewhat familiar.
Turning her head, Lin Qingqing looked surprised and delighted: "Why are you on this train too?"
"I left the military camp and saw that I still had some time, so I waited for an extra bus," Xie Wei said with a slight smile.
Lin Qingqing's reaction was different from what he expected: "Didn't you wait for half an hour? It's not like I couldn't find my way home. You didn't have to wait for me."
Xie Wei's smile gradually froze.
"Look at you, your ears are all red from the cold, and your hands are freezing."
A smile played on her lips again: "Then I'll come out ten minutes later next time."
Lin Qingqing wasn't a straight man; she understood Xie Wei's meaning perfectly well. She was only saying that because she felt sorry for him. But seeing his insistence made her feel sweet inside, so she squeezed his hand and softly hummed, "Whatever."
Seeing Xie Wei kept Lin Qingqing smiling for the rest of the journey, until she got out of the car and entered the residential compound, where she began to sigh again. Hearing the sigh, Xie Wei said, "I'll talk to Mom about it later."
"Hmm?" Lin Qingqing turned her head to look at him.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to eat steamed egg custard?" Xie Wei glanced at her and said, "I'll talk to Mom and ask her not to always steam egg custard."
Lin Qingqing felt it was better for Xie Wei to tell Li Xingfang about this than for her to tell Li Xingfang these things herself. But she was also worried that Xie Wei would be too direct, so she asked anxiously, "How are you going to tell Mother?"
Xie Wei didn't answer, but said confidently, "I'll go back first. You take your time and come back later."
"Will it work?" Lin Qingqing asked, somewhat uneasy.
Xie Wei reached out and touched her hair, saying softly, "Don't worry, I know my limits." After saying that, he told Lin Qingqing to slow down, and then turned around and strode back.
...
When Lin Qingqing returned home, Xie Wei had already spoken with Li Xingfang, and she noticed that the steamed eggs were no longer placed in front of her usual seat. She looked up at Xie Wei and saw him nod slightly.
Just then, Li Xingfang came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and saw her, saying, "You're back? Quickly wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"Okay," Lin Qingqing replied and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
When they came out, Li Xingfang and Xie Wei were already sitting at the table, each with a spoonful of steamed egg custard in their bowl, mixing it with rice. Lin Qingqing noticed this and, after sitting down, also scooped a spoonful of steamed egg custard into her bowl. Li Xingfang's lips moved slightly when she saw this, but seeing no reluctance on her face, she ultimately said nothing.
Finally, the three of them shared the steamed egg custard.
After that day, steamed egg custard was still frequently seen on the Xie family's dinner table, but Lin Qingqing was no longer the only one who could eat this dish. After Lin Qingqing's troubles disappeared, her relationship with Li Xingfang became more harmonious.
...
After two months of renovation, the new venue was finally ready for use in late December, and the reopening date was set for New Year's Day.
Half a month before the old supply and marketing cooperative closed, Lin Qingqing informed the sales staff at the store about it while serving customers. In addition, in order to make the reopening more impressive, Lin Qingqing planned a series of activities, such as free makeup at the cosmetics counter and free tasting for the first few customers of pastries and fruits.
The tasting event had a limited number of participants because many items required food coupons to purchase. If the event was too popular and too many people tried the food, or if someone took advantage of the situation to finish eating and rejoin the queue, it could lead to insufficient stock and cause conflicts.
Although these were small events, people tend to have a desire to get a good deal, so on the day the supply and marketing cooperative reopened, the number of people reached over a thousand at its peak, to the point that people had to queue to get in.
It should be noted that the Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative is no longer located in the small place it was before. The new cooperative has four floors in total. The fourth floor is used as offices, and the first to third floors each have more than a dozen counters.
Indeed, Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative is not what it used to be. In the past, the entire cooperative only had a dozen or so counters, which was the result of nearly a year of hard work by the whole cooperative. But now, with the support of the Revolutionary Committee, the number of counters has increased several times after moving to the new site.
In the past, the busiest time at the supply and marketing cooperative was only eight or nine hundred people a day. But after the cooperative reopened, there were thousands of people at the same time, even more than the department store. This shows how lively the opening day was.
While most of these people were attracted by the makeup and food samples, not everyone left immediately after trying them; most stayed to browse around the supply and marketing cooperative. As a result, the cooperative's revenue in just one day exceeded its revenue for the previous two weeks.
The next day, after checking the sales figures, Director Gao was shocked. Although the number of customers yesterday surprised her, and she had told Lin Qingqing that the daily sales figure was estimated to be three to five times higher, in Director Gao's opinion, a five-fold increase in daily sales would be very good. Even if business declined after the promotion, the sales at a single counter should be able to remain at the same level as before.
But to her surprise, the daily turnover increased fifteenfold, which was equivalent to the turnover of the past half month!
Director Gao couldn't believe it at the time and asked Accountant Sun, "Did I...did I hear that right?"
"Our finance department and each counter have checked three times, and this is the number!" Accountant Sun was also very excited. When she first joined Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative, she thought she would stay in such a small unit for the rest of her life. However, in just two years, the unit has expanded again and again, the finance department has increased from one person to three people, and she has become the department leader!
Although Director Gao was shocked, he managed to remain calm and quickly composed himself. After checking the reports and confirming the turnover of each counter, he often breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he was happy, Director Gao also knew that there were three main reasons why business was so good yesterday. First, the supply and marketing cooperative had changed its location and reopened, so many people were willing to come and join in the fun. Second, it was New Year's Day, so many companies had time to come and join in the fun. Third, there was a makeup and food tasting event.
However, holidays don't come every day, and activities can't be held every day, so business will definitely decline later on. The future of the supply and marketing cooperative depends on its next steps.
As soon as Accountant Sun left, Director Gao asked Lin Qingqing for her opinion.
Lin Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "I think we shouldn't expand rashly. We should proceed steadily and maintain the current good situation. On the other hand, we need to find good products and let customers know that our Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative's products are of good quality and low price, build a reputation, and create our own brand."
For the past year or so, Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative has essentially been building brands for others, most notably Xingfeng. Previously, nobody in Jinshi knew Xingfeng, but now, when people talk about women's clothing, Xingfeng is the first name that comes to mind. Only when someone asks where to buy Xingfeng women's clothing do people think of Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
As the cooperation deepened, Xingfeng Women's Clothing gradually gained strength. They could easily withdraw and cooperate with other supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores, and their clothing would still sell well. However, if Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative lost Xingfeng Women's Clothing, it would lose a large number of customers.
Of course, their cooperative relationship was solid when Xie Baoshan was the factory manager of Xingfeng Women's Clothing Factory. But anything can happen, and they had to prepare in advance.
Moreover, in Lin Qingqing's view, if you want to grow bigger and stronger, you must first build a brand, otherwise you will only become a shrimp to be eaten by big fish.
However, building a brand is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Before that, they need to select high-quality products, improve services, and build a good reputation.
After discussion, Lin Qingqing and Director Gao formulated a work plan for the next few months.
The first thing is to conduct training. Because of the expansion, many employees are newly recruited. Although they have received basic training before starting their jobs, they will need to undergo more in-depth job training. For example, clothing counter staff need to know how to coordinate outfits, cosmetics counter staff need to know how to apply makeup, and there is also training in communication skills.
Not only do the store staff need to participate in the training, but the purchasing department does too. In fact, their training tasks are even heavier, as they need to be very familiar with all the products and know which products are the best.
Next, a new organizational structure was established. Because it was a small unit, the organizational structure of Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative was relatively simple. Director Gao was the person in charge. Apart from the store department, where Lin Qingqing served as the manager, the finance, procurement and logistics departments all directly liaised with Director Gao.
However, the supply and marketing cooperative now has many employees in its retail outlets alone, and other departments have also increased in size, making it impossible to maintain the original organizational structure. Therefore, after discussion, each department will add a department manager position, and above the department managers, a general manager position will be added. At the same time, a secretary will be assigned to Director Gao. In addition, the retail outlets will be divided into groups, with each group having a group leader.
After the organizational structure was finalized, Director Gao held a meeting and issued two appointment notices. First, Lin Qingqing was promoted to General Manager, and second, Accountant Sun was promoted to Finance Manager. At the same time, Director Gao also announced the selection criteria for other positions, which can be summarized in five words: overall performance.
Of course, the overall performance standards are different for each department. For example, for the retail department, the performance is mainly judged by sales performance, service attitude, and complaint rate.
Although the selection criteria are high and there are many competitors, there are also many positions in the store department! Lin Qingqing has been promoted to general manager, and someone must fill the current position. Then there are the three group leader positions. Everyone in the store department started to think about it.
Finally, since the organizational structure has been adjusted, the reward system must also be updated. The new reward system applies not only to the retail department but also to other departments. As for the retail department, since it has been divided into teams, the reward system includes departmental rewards and team-specific rewards. In addition, following the old practice, rewards are divided into monthly and monthly bonuses.
Under the new reward system, the person with the best monthly performance can earn about 90 yuan more per quarter.
Ninety yuan! That's more than their monthly salary.
For a time, everyone worked as hard as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, after the initial peak customer traffic period following reopening, the supply and marketing cooperative's revenue did not decline significantly. By the end of January, when the holiday began, revenue had increased approximately sixfold compared to the past.
As the supply and marketing cooperative's business flourished, the Revolutionary Committee began its next phase of planning.
After the Spring Festival, several buildings next to the supply and marketing cooperative were vacated one after another and began to be renovated. Starting in March, state-run restaurants, guesthouses, various state-run businesses, and even cinemas opened one after another.
In June, the supply and marketing cooperative underwent another renovation and upgrade, with its offices moved to a small building in the backyard and more than ten new counters added to the fourth floor.
In July, the fourth floor of the supply and marketing cooperative was opened to the public, and Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative was officially renamed Qingshan Department Store.
In September, the street where the supply and marketing cooperative was located was officially renamed Qingshan Street.
...
This year, Lin Qingqing not only had a successful career, but also experienced a series of happy events in her life.
In early June, her daughter with Xie Wei was born.
When the little girl was born, her skin was red and wrinkled, and Lin Qingqing couldn't believe it was her daughter, feeling quite worried. But whether it was a mother's eyes or something else, after the little girl opened up, Lin Qingqing felt that not only was her skin fair and smooth, but her features were also particularly delicate, yes, she looked like her.
After his daughter was born, Xie Wei did not immediately decide on a name. It wasn't until the baby's one-month celebration in July that, after much deliberation, he finally settled on the name Xie Xi.
Lin Qingqing was basically satisfied with the name, but she felt it was a bit difficult to write, and she thought her daughter would cry when she started school.
Xie Wei: "..."
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