Hu Xingfa had always looked down on his eldest daughter. She was short and plump, and rarely spoke, often seen sitting on the sofa eating as if she hadn't seen food in years.
His daughter Hu Qian, however, was different. She took after him, was good-looking, spoke sweetly, and her academic performance was good, making her someone to be proud of.
He didn't consider that every time they had a meal together, Luo Meihong would be critical and speak sarcastically, which would dampen anyone's mood for conversation. As for eating? That was Hu Min forcing food on Liu Chen because she hadn't eaten much, telling her to eat to fill her stomach.
But regardless of his opinion, Hu Xingfa still planned to arrange a blind date for Liu Chen after she got into university.
Even if his eldest daughter wasn't as attractive as Qianqian, he could always broaden the age range.
Then, after a nap, he discovered that Qianqian said Liu Chen had a boyfriend. This wouldn't do! No one would want a girl who had already been in a relationship!
Hu Xingfa immediately called Liu Fang, intending to scold her for how she raised her daughter.
—
Liu Fang had just paid the cold storage fees for the next six months, a total of forty-eight thousand yuan. She had not only used up all of today's earnings but also a portion of her savings.
If it were a day earlier, she would never have dared to rent such a large cold storage unit at Chenchen's request. Firstly, their current volume of goods didn't require additional storage. Secondly, she was always cautious in business; she could earn less, but she couldn't take risks.
Just because business was better these past two days didn't mean it would stay good. Renting the cold storage was a six-month commitment. What if business declined later?
However, the luxurious villa in Banshan she had seen last night had indeed made Liu Fang's aspirations soar. Once you've seen the good life, you'll want to strive for it. She didn't aim for a villa in Banshan, but she only wished to exchange their current house for one with an elevator.
While her mind was filled with such thoughts, she saw Hu Xingfa's call.
If it were before, Liu Fang might have swallowed her pride and answered, as she secretly hoped Hu Xingfa would look out for Liu Chen, after all, she was his daughter. But now, after knowing how the Hu family's elderly matriarch treated her Chenchen, Liu Fang had completely given up.
She turned off the ringing tone and drove home directly!
—
Liu Chen was unaware that she had been photographed. She had intended to treat Ren Mo to a good meal, but after much thought, she finally took him to the Old Hot Pot restaurant.
There was no other way. The people of C City, after five days of work, had an ample enthusiasm for queuing up for delicious food, but the two of them, being young, didn't have that much time.
So, they took a shortcut and went to the Old Hot Pot. Using the membership card her godmother had given her yesterday, they were even arranged nicely. They said they would get them a private room, but Liu Chen waved her hand and chose a window seat in the main hall.
"Sister Chenchen, you said you'd take me to eat something good, and you brought me to eat hot pot?" Ren Mo asked, on the verge of tears, smelling the familiar scent of hot pot broth that he had smelled a thousand times before.
"What's wrong? Isn't this good? It's a good thing the Old Hot Pot just got my family's 'shouzhuabing' today. I want to try it." Since her family was supplying the godmother, Liu Chen felt she should reciprocate the favor. She also wanted to see what a hot pot restaurant was like in 08.
Unlike in later years, the Old Hot Pot in 08, though considered a high-end hot pot restaurant in C City, was only large in size with many waiters. The decor was still in the style of previous years. While the dishes were plated, the portions were generous.
Each table had its own condiment station, and watermelon needed to be purchased by the portion.
Halfway through the meal, the freshly made shouzhuabing arrived. The shouzhuabing, slightly larger than a palm, was cut into four pieces and drizzled with a bit of tomato sauce. From the side, dozens of layers of puff pastry were stacked together. Liu Chen took a bite, and it was crispy, fragrant, and sweet!
"Beautiful lady, I want a portion of this too!"
"Add a portion here as well!"
People at the neighboring tables, seeing Liu Chen eat with such relish, couldn't help but order one.
"Isn't this shouzhuabing? They sell it at a hot pot restaurant too?" Ren Mo, seeing Liu Chen's ecstatic expression, couldn't help but pick up a piece with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and found it quite delicious. He picked up another one!
Seeing Ren Mo pick up another piece, Liu Chen smiled smugly, her eyes twinkling. "Then what do you think a hot pot restaurant can sell, and what can't it sell?"
When asked so specifically by Liu Chen, Ren Mo was actually unable to answer for a moment.
Liu Chen didn't press further. After all, they were in the main hall, and if she said too much, it might be overheard by someone with ulterior motives, making the idea she had for her godmother worthless.
After eating until they were full, she paid the bill while taking a break to wash her hands.
Back home, they washed up and slept until 3:30 the next day. Skillfully, she put on her jacket while going downstairs and left with Liu Fang to open the shop.
While driving on the road, Liu Fang finally mentioned paying the rent yesterday.
"Then we can directly ask Brother Wang to bring five hundred pieces of shouzhuabing today, and another two hundred pieces of tenderloin, two hundred pieces of chicken strips. Oh, and who is the wholesaler for 'Meilipai' brand ham sausage in our market? Let's go get twenty cases to put in the shop."
These quantities were what Liu Chen had in mind when she asked about the warehouse. Wang Dong's payment was staggered; both fifty pieces and five hundred pieces at a time were considered one batch. As for tenderloin and chicken strips, the price wouldn't come down if they ordered too little.
These past few days, they only made two yuan profit per piece on items like tenderloin and chicken strips. After deducting shop rent, cold storage fees, and Sister Li's fee, there would likely be nothing left for them…
"What distributor? 'Meilipai' is so expensive, it doesn't sell well. No one wants to be their distributor. If you really need it, just make a phone call. They'll bring it from the factory, but you have to order at least fifty pieces at a time."
Liu Fang, as a small distributor, disliked the 'Meilipai' brand. It was expensive to sell and yielded little profit. On top of that, every time they called for goods, they had to order at least fifty pieces. Brands like 'Siquan Tangyuan' didn't do that.
They would deliver if you ordered five or more pieces!
Liu Chen couldn't believe what she heard.
What?!
No one wants to be a 'Meilipai' distributor?
In her previous life, before she was reborn, the 'Meilipai' distributor's daily output reached two thousand pieces. She had heard others say that the distributor had already bought their third villa, not to mention the Benz. The year they became the exclusive distributor, they bought a Mercedes-Benz worth over a million yuan!
Wait.
Liu Chen took a deep breath, constantly reminding herself that it was 08, 2008, and she would encounter more opportunities.
Precisely because of this, she had to proceed steadily and not rush for quick success. You can't get fat in one bite, and money can't be earned all at once.
With a steady and deliberate approach, Liu Chen took a deep breath, looked up at Liu Fang, her eyes shining brightly, and asked with an uncontrollable smile at the corner of her lips, "Mom, can we become the exclusive agent for 'Meilipai'?"