"Little comrade, don't be greedy. Be content that our factory director fancies your recipe!" the supervisor aunt chimed in, breaking the awkward silence when the director was left speechless by Zhang Liunian.
"Don't make it difficult for me; I'm just an individual vendor selling vegetables," Zhang Liunian leaned back casually, unfazed by the preceding events.
Hearing this, Fang Yan re-examined Zhang Liunian. She considered pursuing the matter further but, thinking of the factory director, swallowed the words that were about to escape her lips.
"Then let's talk about cooperation. Both of your dishes are good. Starting tomorrow, can you supply our factory?" Fang Yan decided to put aside the recipe issue for now.
Zhang Liunian naturally wouldn't object. "Braised pork is two yuan per jin, and lobsters are forty mao per jin. If you accept the price, we can sign the cooperation agreement now."
"We accept the price and will sign the cooperation now."
The contracts were signed, one for each party, followed by discussions on tomorrow's order volume and delivery time.
"Comrade Liunian, our factory serves lunch and dinner on-site. Considering you have to deliver to the machinery factory at noon, you can deliver to our factory in the afternoon. Start with a hundred jin of braised pork and three hundred jin of lobsters," Fang Yan suggested while watching Zhang Liunian collect the contracts.
"Alright, what time is your dinner?"
"Five-thirty in the afternoon."
"I'll deliver before five-thirty."
"Good."
With the cooperation secured, the supervisor aunt personally escorted Zhang Liunian out.
Passing by the canteen, Zhang Liunian saw someone cleaning large iron barrels. The barrels were about half a person's height and could hold one to two hundred jin.
Such barrels would be perfect for transporting lobsters. With this thought, Zhang Liunian immediately pointed at a barrel and asked, "Are you selling those barrels?"
The supervisor aunt followed his gaze and saw he was pointing at the barrels they used for serving food. "Those are our food serving barrels. If you need them, you can order them from the machinery factory; we had them custom-made."
"So that's how it is." He would find Uncle Zhao tomorrow and have him make a few for him as well, perfect for transporting lobsters.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liunian's home was once again crowded with people. These villagers weren't there to cause trouble but had heard that Zhang Liunian was hiring again.
"Zhang Liunian is really making it big, hiring one batch after another. I wonder how many people he needs this time."
"Yeah, I heard he's not only building houses by Daming Lake for his elder brother but also tearing down these mud houses to build grand tiled houses. Those two houses alone would cost at least one to two thousand."
"One to two thousand? My heavens, our entire family hasn't earned that much in most of our lives."
"Who's not saying that? With so much money, Zhang Liunian doesn't even bat an eye, showing how well his lobsters are selling."
"I went to take a look this morning. He was delivering lobsters by the tractor-load. How much money must he be making?"
"I don't know the exact amount, but he must be earning several thousand yuan, or he wouldn't have thought about building houses."
"It really is a case of 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.' Last month, he was still the laziest person everyone talked about, whom we had to chase for debts. Now, how many days has it been? He not only paid off all his debts but also has money to build new houses. The change is too fast."
"It seems being an individual vendor is really profitable."
"It must be profitable."
As this voice fell, everyone fell silent.
If being an individual vendor was this profitable, they wouldn't mind losing face.
In that instant, the hesitant villagers made a decision: they would also get into the lobster business.
They couldn't touch the shrimp in Daming Lake, but there were plenty in the ditch!
"Sister-in-law, I'm your elder sister-in-law; you must give me a job!" Inside the house, Wu Gudi was pulling at Jiang Qingqing, trying to get her to give her a job.
Jiang Qingqing said with difficulty that she didn't manage anything.
"Are you still angry about what happened last time? Eldest sister-in-law has apologized to you, and you've forgiven me, haven't you? We're family, so there's no need to be strangers. Now that you need help, eldest sister-in-law should be the first choice!"
Wu Gudi was shameless, only wanting to snatch the easy money-making job, completely forgetting her past actions towards Jiang Qingqing.
Jiang Qingqing wasn't foolish and had no intention of agreeing. She simply walked out of the main hall, hoping Wu Gudi wouldn't make things difficult for her given that others were present.
But Wu Gudi was solely focused on getting a job and didn't care who was in the yard. She chased after Jiang Qingqing and continued, "Qingqing, we're family. You wouldn't be so heartless, would you?"
Jiang Qingqing pushed her hand away, feeling impatient but showing no emotion on her face. "Sister-in-law, Liunian is handling this. I don't know his arrangements."
Jiang Qingqing genuinely didn't know about this, nor did she know how many people Zhang Liunian was hiring or for what.
Of course, there was also the reason that she didn't want to see Wu Gudi. If Wu Gudi had been a good sister-in-law, she wouldn't have minded putting in a word with Liunian to arrange a job for her.
But Wu Gudi hadn't done anything that made her happy in years. Every encounter was her causing trouble, making her comparable to Tu Meili.
"What arrangements, no arrangements? It's just a word from you.
Last time I pushed you, he beat me up. If you speak up, he'll definitely agree." Wu Gudi's words were actually on point; if Jiang Qingqing spoke up, Zhang Liunian would undoubtedly agree to hire anyone.
But Jiang Qingqing knew her husband also disliked this sister-in-law and would never agree.
"I'm just a woman who stays home to look after the children and cook. I don't have that capability. Sister-in-law, if you want a job, you can do what everyone else is doing and see how it goes." Jiang Qingqing was about to find a stool to sit on. Wu Gudi was furious, thinking that even after she had humbled herself like this, Jiang Qingqing still wouldn't acknowledge her as her elder sister-in-law, which was abominable.
So, when she saw Jiang Qingqing turn around, she subconsciously reached out to push her again. But before she could make her move, the sound of a bicycle bell reached her ears.
Glancing back, she saw Zhang Liunian riding the newly bought second-hand bicycle he had just acquired.
Jiang Qingqing, unaware she had narrowly escaped Wu Gudi's grasp, turned around in surprise upon hearing the bicycle bell and saw Zhang Liunian slowly approaching her.
"Qingqing, why are you standing here? It's so sunny," Zhang Liunian put down the bicycle and helped Jiang Qingqing to the shade of the eaves.
Many women present felt a pang of resentment seeing Zhang Liunian treat Jiang Qingqing this way.
However, considering Jiang Qingqing's contributions over the years, they felt a little more at ease.
"Hurry up and attend to your business; don't keep everyone waiting. They've been here for a while," Jiang Qingqing said immediately after sitting down, urging Zhang Liunian to recruit people and not keep everyone waiting.
Her words were heard by everyone present, seeming incredibly thoughtful and further soothing the jealousy of the women who had been envious of her.
Zhang Liunian nodded, his eyes sweeping over Wu Gudi to the side, then turning to the villagers in the yard. "Sorry to keep everyone waiting. I've called you here today for one purpose: I'm hiring again. This time, I will prioritize villagers who are facing financial difficulties. There are no restrictions on gender or age, as long as you are willing to work and not be lazy."
Boom!
Zhang Liunian's words caused a stir among the crowd. No preference for gender or age, only prioritizing those facing the greatest hardship and willing to work.