Chapter 244: Chapter 245 Mr. Zhao Comes to Test the Waters
Chapter 244: Chapter 245 Mr. Zhao Comes to Test the Waters
Mother Zhao heard these words and felt her tinge of guilt disappear instantly, after all, food was now a critical asset, and many rural people couldn’t even fill their stomachs.
People who were conscious usually ate their meals before visiting relatives, but she had come without even having breakfast, feeling as if she were freeloading.
Looking at Mrs. Xu, Mother Zhao became completely convinced of what her daughter had said—the change was indeed significant.
The breakfast at the Xu family’s home struck Mother Zhao even more.
Big bowls of white rice porridge, several dishes of meat, better than what they had at her own home.
Right after breakfast, Mr. Zhao couldn’t wait to find Xu Ying.
“Yingying, I heard that your food factory recently developed many new foods, including some fried items.
You see, your uncle works at the Meat Union Factory. If your food factory needs pork, just speak with him directly, and at that time, our factory will prioritize providing you the goods.”
Xu Ying, with a charming smile appearing on her face, pretended not to understand Mr. Zhao’s words, and smilingly said, “Uncle, don’t worry. If our food factory truly lacks meat, we will definitely find you.
But as of now, our food factory has a sufficient supply chain, and it shouldn’t be a bother to you.”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhao furrowed his brow, growing anxious—wasn’t this young lady supposed to be smart? How come she didn’t grasp the implicit meaning in his words!
Or was she still pretending not to know?
He looked at Xu Ying and couldn’t quite figure out her meaning anymore.
“What trouble could there be? We’re all relatives and should naturally help each other.”
Mr. Zhao was almost direct in asking Xu Ying for help.
Sitting nearby, Eldest Sister-in-law Xu noticed the odd behavior of her father and tugged at her mother’s sleeve to ask, “What’s going on?”
Mother Zhao, face expressionless, replied: “Isn’t it just that our Meat Union Factory’s leadership realized that our family has a relationship with Xu Ying’s, and they thought of having your dad persuade Xu Ying to bring some orders to the Meat Union Factory.
They mentioned something about contributing to earning foreign exchange and adding bricks to the ‘Four Modernizations.'”
The Meat Union Factory’s pork wasn’t hard to sell, but the commodities distribution was uneven due to inconvenient transportation. The places lacking meat really lacked it, while other places had it piled up like mountains.
If it were transported to other places for sale, the journey would consume much time plus hefty transportation fees. If it were during summer, with the hot weather, any accidents could lead to the meat spoiling by the time it arrived.
Yu County and Xiang County were adjacent—if they could sell the pork to Yu County, who knows how much profit could be saved!
Therefore, the Meat Union Factory Director set his sights on the food factory.
They had thoroughly investigated and found that the food factory was selling fried goods, including crispy fried pork, which used pork.
The food factory wasn’t short on orders and was even selling abroad. As long as the response remained positive, future orders were secure, and naturally, pork would be in high demand.
Hearing her mother’s words, Eldest Sister-in-law Xu’s brow furrowed: “There’s nothing I can do about this, my younger sister treats her work and personal life like they’re completely separate.
When it comes to work, she’s not only meticulous but also does not allow personal feelings to intermingle.”
Mother Zhao had also realized this and, in any case, wasn’t about to get involved—it was her husband’s commitment, and he could handle it himself.
Faced with the pleading look from Mr. Zhao, Mother Zhao ignored it, turning away to chat with Mrs. Xu.
“Uncle Zhao is right, naturally, but for now, our food factory is not short on pork.” Xu Ying’s eyes and eyebrows twitched slightly; in such matters, whoever broached the subject first would end up being the sacrificial fish on the chopping board!
Since she was from the food factory, naturally she prioritized maximizing the interests of the food factory.
Therefore, Mr. Zhao’s approach was ineffective with her, even being a relative required proper handling of affairs.
Seeing that he couldn’t convince her, Mr. Zhao’s face became anxious and embarrassed—it was such a matter that he had to clarify himself. He regretted bringing Qiao into this; she indeed was a tough nut to crack.
Mr. Zhao gave an awkward smile, “Well, if that’s the case, let it be. But if the food factory ever needs pork, you can find us at our factory.
At that time, we can definitely offer you the lowest price—that’s still within my authority.”
“Really?” Xu Ying asked curiously, then, without giving Mr. Zhao any room to maneuver, she directly stated the prices other meat factories were offering their food factory.
On hearing this, Mr. Zhao inwardly cursed that Xu Ying’s mind worked too swiftly. He proposed one price, and she blocked it with another.
Eventually, Mr. Zhao promised a pork price that was five cents lower than the other factories.
Xu Ying was delighted on hearing this and started to flatter Mr. Zhao, “Uncle, you really got us a great deal, no wonder people say it’s good to have relatives. You’ve saved our factory quite a bit of money.
Don’t worry, I will communicate this to our factory director, and we’ll procure from your factory soon.”
Upon hearing this, the smile on Mr. Zhao’s lips deepened, becoming even more pronounced—he might get high praises from the factory director once this business deal went through.
No sooner had they agreed on this business than Third Uncle Xu rushed to the Xu family’s house in a panic.
By the time Third Uncle Xu reached the household, he was visibly shaking and couldn’t stand steady, his palms sweating profusely. He rushed up to Xu Ying and whispered, “There’s been a problem.
The food factory received a call; the supplier we had previously been cooperating with for buying ducks has gone back on their word, and now they’ve cut us off from their supply.
Right now, without this duck meat, we absolutely can’t produce marinated ducks, and the delivery date is fast approaching. If we can’t deliver on time, the penalty fee will be substantial.”
Third Uncle Xu was so agitated his lips started to blister.
That damned Duck Meat Factory truly was awful. Initially, no one wanted the ducks from there if not for his niece’s help, that factory would have closed down.
And yet, those ungrateful wretches have pulled off such a stunt.
The Duck Meat Factory uses the excuse of insufficient meat supplies to cease provisions, knowing their penalty wouldn’t be as severe as what they’d face.
This issue might not seem significant but if it escalates, it could directly affect their business between Hua Country and international ventures.
The biggest taboo in business is breaking a contract. Those foreigners already look down upon Hua Country—if such a thing were to happen, it could ruin the reputation of their ‘nation of propriety’ in no time.
Xu Ying’s beautiful face turned extremely grim, the entire courtyard darkened like storm clouds gathering, Mr. Xu looked worryingly at his daughter.
Mrs. Xu’s temper flared up, “These bastards are worse than animals, my daughter helped them so much, yet they repay kindness with enmity.”
Third Uncle Xu paced frantically around the courtyard, hands restless, his back drenched in cold sweat.
What were they to do now?
Meanwhile, in a certain locale, the newly appointed director of the Duck Meat Factory was smug, “I’m just waiting for the food factory to come begging. When they do, we must raise the price.
Old Yang also, watching the food factory making so much money but not considering the village folk’s well-being, we should definitely increase the price, give our factory workers a raise!”
Yang Dezhen agreed wholeheartedly, ever since Factory Director Yang had been replaced, he rode the coattails of the new Mr. Wu, swiftly rising from deputy head of human resources directly to head of the department.