After a day and night of fermentation, not only did Liu Chen's Meimei Sausage Taobao store receive a surge of orders, but the major supermarket chains and large hypermarkets within S Province also welcomed many strange young people as soon as they opened their doors this morning.
Nurse Xiao Ren, who was responsible for hanging the glucose drip for Qiu Lin, was one of them. She had almost witnessed Qiu Lin's transformation from silence to a complete lack of will to live, and she had even worried that Qiu Lin would not survive the winter of 2009.
It wasn't until the day before yesterday that Qiu Lin brought a package of peachy-pink sausages to the hospital for a patient suffering from anorexia due to excessive dieting, who was also receiving an IV drip.
At that moment, Xiao Ren's first reaction was to rush forward and confiscate the package of peachy-pink sausages, as the patient's digestive system had not taken in any food for nearly a month, and Xiao Ren was also concerned about potential issues with the food.
Of course, after discovering that it was just an ordinary new type of sausage, and even a starch sausage of relatively poor quality, Xiao Ren sheepishly returned the package of Meimei sausages to the patient.
It wasn't that she thought the severely ill patient would eat it, but rather she felt embarrassed about her own suspicion.
All of this was shattered when she discovered the patient half-reclining on the hospital bed, eating sausages during her night shift last night.
At that time, she was both happy that the patient could eat something and accept it, but also worried that the patient's digestive system, which had been inactive for a long time, might trigger vomiting.
As it turned out, during several ward rounds last night, Xiao Ren not only saw no sign of the patient vomiting, but the patient, who usually stared wide-eyed until dawn, actually snored soundly last night.
She immediately reported this to the director during the morning rounds. After an examination, the director said that the patient showed signs of improvement, and if they continued with this, there was a definite hope for recovery.
Therefore, after her morning shift ended, Xiao Ren did not, as usual, rush home. Instead, she first went to a nearby 99 supermarket. However, when the owner heard about Meimei sausages, she directly shook her head.
"We're sold out! The supply in City C can't keep up, let alone here. If you really want to buy some, you could try that one large supermarket we have. There might be a little left?"
And so, early this morning, Xiao Ren appeared at the entrance of the shopping mall, waiting for it to open, and then went straight to the sausage aisle.
Perhaps because they had restocked last night, the display area for Meimei sausages was still full. Xiao Ren picked up a bag first, but as she turned to leave, she hesitated and picked up two more bags before heading to the checkout.
After Xiao Ren left, several other young people arrived shortly after, and soon the area where the Meimei sausages were displayed was empty.
Qi Xin, who was usually in charge of the sausage and canned goods section, was so busy today that she didn't even have time to promote other products. Almost every half an hour, she had to restock the Meimei sausages.
"They're selling so well, I'm going to buy a pack to try after work today!"
...
At 11:50 AM, as the morning work hours came to an end, Liu Chen let everyone go to the cafeteria for lunch and then strolled to the chairman's office on the top floor of the building.
Just as he was about to knock, he heard an argument coming from inside. Fearing that Old Master Chen might be at a disadvantage, Liu Chen opened the door without any hesitation.
He saw the owners of the supermarket chains, whom Old Master Chen had taken him to visit one by one last week, sitting on the sofa in the office.
"Brother Chen, look at how well this product is selling! If we open another production line, it will be the real deal!"
"That's right, that's right! Old Brother, with so many years of friendship between us, you must believe me this time. Seize this opportunity, and perhaps we can break out of S Province together and show those people next door the strength of our S Province."
As Liu Chen listened to their overlapping voices, he finally understood. They were here to request more inventory due to the great sales of Meimei sausages, but Old Master Chen had said that there was only one production line, and the maximum daily output was only fifteen hundred pieces, meaning each store could only be supplied with a little over three hundred pieces per day.
Therefore, they were trying to persuade Old Master Chen to open another production line.
Seeing Liu Chen enter, Old Master Chen, who had been bothered all morning, quickly asked,
"The real person in charge is here. Chenchen, do you think we need to add another production line?"
Liu Chen, under the expectant gazes of many distinguished seniors, shook his head.
"I don't think it's necessary."
"Why not!" Zhu Dian couldn't help but exclaim. He had the largest inventory among them and had also reaped the greatest benefits. This week alone, his chain stores had recorded sales of two thousand pieces of Meimei sausages!
What did that mean? Calculated at the minimum retail price of no less than eighty per piece and no less than nine per pack required by Meimei sausages, his gross profit could reach a considerable forty-two percent!
A single product's profit of six thousand yuan a week! That's twenty-four thousand a month!
And this was even with the shortages in the latter half of the week. If Meimei sausages were supplied without restriction, he believed his profit could even reach ten thousand yuan a week!
A monthly profit of forty thousand yuan from a single product could cover the wages of employees in twenty supermarkets. Could Zhu Dian not be anxious?
Liu Chen looked at the other people sitting on the sofa, gave them a reassuring smile, and then said,
"Because this is our first product from Meimei Food, but it will definitely not be the last. And the surge in sales this week is based on customers' novelty-seeking mentality, coupled with our online promotion of the new product this week.
Adding another production line might meet everyone's sales demands now, but for the Meimei brand itself, it would be a burden. When we launch other products next month or the month after, the starch sausages will inevitably be squeezed out, and then this newly added production line will become a burden."
Liu Chen first explained the real reason for the surge in sales, then pointed out that the beneficiaries were not the Meimei brand itself, and then appeased the supermarket channel owners by mentioning that new products would be launched soon.
After this explanation, Zhu Dian found it difficult to say anything further. Otherwise, wouldn't it seem like he was disregarding Brother Chen's interests and only caring about his own profit?
And...
He also wanted to know what the next product to be launched by the Meimei brand would be.
Not only Zhu Dian, but the four other bosses sitting beside him also wanted to know.
Even Old Master Chen leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands and looking towards Liu Chen, waiting for him to talk about the upcoming new products.
Liu Chen, met with everyone's expectant gazes, spread his hands and shrugged.
"Well... if nothing unexpected happens, it should be dried pork."
In fact, this new product was planned by Liu Chen to be launched during the Spring Festival and Valentine's Day in 2010 as a New Year's product.
The packaging would be a fiery red, perfectly complementing the atmosphere of the New Year celebration.
Zhu Dian smacked his lips and said, "Dried pork? That's a good product. The unit price is relatively high, but this is a snack, right? I feel like the sales might not be as high as Meimei sausages, but if it tastes good, then that's another story."
Liu Chen nodded.
"The dried pork will be as delicious as Meimei sausages."
Old Master Chen, however, looked at Liu Chen with some concern.
"Chenchen, we don't need to constantly launch new products. Your health and studies are the most important things."
In Old Master Chen's opinion, starting a business could be done until one is eighty, but attending Tsinghua University was different.
With accumulation, he could create more delicious food in the future.
Sensing Old Master Chen's concern, Liu Chen smiled.
"Grandpa, you don't need to worry. This was also an inspiration when I was making Meimei sausages. However, at that time, considering the overall tone of the Meimei brand, we ultimately chose Meimei sausages as the first product, as it has more commemorative significance."
The conversation between the grandfather and grandson was not concealed from the supermarket channel owners present. Zhu Dian's eyes widened as he looked at Old Master Chen.
"Brother Chen, damn it, you're too enviable! Why! Why did you get to bring home a genius for free!"
After saying that, Zhu Dian quickly waved his hand.
"No, not a genius, should it be... a money-printing machine!"
Liu Chen felt a little embarrassed by Zhu Dian's exaggerated praise, mainly because although these recipes were his, they were actually system rewards, not something he developed entirely on his own.
'One day, I will also develop food that the system deems excellent!'
...
Du Liu, the general manager of Sanhui Sausages in H Province, next door to S Province, was in his early forties and not very accustomed to the internet. He preferred driving his friends to bars to see beautiful women, or going to KTV to sing.
So, when he received a call from his elder brother, Du Zhi, the chairman of Sanhui Sausages, he thought his elder brother had remembered him and wanted to call to express his concern. To show off the deep bond between himself and his chairman elder brother, Du Liu specifically signaled the subordinates who were singing to turn off the music and put the phone on speaker.
When he pressed the answer button, Du Zhi's deep voice came from the phone:
"Du Liu."
"Hey! Big Brother! I'm here!" Du Liu smiled and placed his hands on his knees, leaning his head towards the phone on the table.
"Here? Where are you? The advertisements for Meimei sausages are all over Weibo. Meimei sausages are a new brand under Meili Brand from our neighboring S Province! Why aren't you at the company posting on Weibo? Where are you?!"
"I'll give you three days to find a way to make our Sanhui famous on Weibo, or you can get out!"
After saying that, the call hung up with a "beep beep beep" sound.
The KTV, still illuminated by colorful spotlights, became as quiet as if even breathing was wrong. The subordinates accompanying Du Liu out for karaoke today wished they hadn't come out.
Du Liu, being a petty person, would surely make things difficult for them if they heard him being scolded by the chairman!
Du Liu clenched his phone and silently tightened his grip, while with his other hand he picked up the glass on the table: "Meimei sausages, Meimei sausages, why is it this damn Meili Brand again!"