Chapter 198: Girl, Let’s See Your Skills

At the snack stall.

Facing the girl’s questioning.

The boss looked a bit wronged and said:

“There’s nothing I can do, beautiful.”

“Lately, I don’t know what’s going on, but all chicken-related ingredients have gone up in price.”

“How is that possible!” The girl said, disbelieving, pointing at the price list next to her.

“Our prices are clearly marked!”

“Can you just charge more by saying the cost of goods went up?!”

The boss was a bit annoyed by this and waved his hand.

“You wait! I’ll show you the purchase invoice!”

Saying this, he handed the fried chicken leg to Qi Wen, then bent down and rummaged under the equipment for a moment.

Soon after.

A purchase invoice was pulled out.

“Take a look.”

To increase credibility, the boss openly showed the purchase invoice to the customers in front of him.

Jiang Ning, Wang Jianguo, and even Qi Wen all saw it.

July 24th, raw chicken legs, 2.7 yuan/jin, 50 pieces.

Immediately, the boss took out the one from two weeks ago.

July 10th, raw chicken legs, 1.8 yuan/jin, 50 pieces.

It had indeed gone up quite a bit.

Given the boss’s stall’s sales capacity.

If he sold at the original price, he would earn almost 1 yuan less per piece.

Selling 50 pieces a day would mean earning over 40 yuan less.

How much could this palm-sized stall earn in a day?

Jiang Ning made an estimate.

Tsk tsk.

He really had no choice but to raise prices.

Seeing that no one was arguing about the price anymore.

The boss simply vented all his grievances.

Things like business being difficult.

High rent, and so on.

As he spoke, he resonated with many customers.

They all started complaining along with him.

Including that Miss Qi, who also said indignantly:

“These black-hearted merchants!”

“They’re rotten to the core!”

These words made a certain Jiang person’s face flush with embarrassment.

She turned her head and glared at the little secretary next to her, who was stifling a laugh, then turned back.

“Wenwen, let’s go.”

“Shanshan and the others are still waiting for us.”

“Oh, okay.”

………

Actually, the price increase of chicken legs was a small reflection.

Even if chicken ingredients increased in price significantly, it wouldn’t be too big of a problem for ordinary people.

At most, they could just not eat chicken or eat less of it.

There are plenty of other meat options available.

However.

This was quite uncomfortable for those who made a living from it.

“President Shang, the group’s procurement department just called and said they can only allocate another 1% of the inventory.”

The little secretary’s words within Hongsheng Group made Shang Jie, who was sitting in her office chair, frown involuntarily.

She gently closed her eyes.

Leaning back into the sofa chair.

“1%…”

“Three days…”

Shang Jie, who had been dealing with the group’s procurement frequently these days, didn’t need the little secretary to speak; she could calculate with her eyes closed how long this inventory would last her three stores.

That’s right.

Only enough for three days.

If there were no new channels within these three days, all her stores would have to close.

At that time, the sales of the three stores would definitely be greatly affected.

Although the investment in opening three stores was nothing for a group with assets close to a hundred million.

But this, after all, represented the face of a group.

If it got out to competitors.

A dignified top ten local group enterprise couldn’t even compete with a university student startup.

That would affect the entire group’s reputation.

“What did Desheng Company say?”

Hearing this.

The little secretary flipped through her notebook.

“Mr. Wang said he has already contacted several large breeding bases in Linzhou, Ningzhou, and Runzhou.”

“As long as the qualifications are approved, chicken ingredients can be continuously supplied.”

Hearing this.

Shang Jie let out a small sigh.

Her hanging heart was temporarily half-relieved.

After a moment of thought.

“Tell Wang Quanming.”

“As long as he can finalize the ingredients within three days.”

“I can increase the previous purchase price by 5%, and make him Hongsheng Group’s designated chicken supplier.”

A moment later.

Watching the little secretary’s hurried departure from the office.

Shang Jie raised her hand and rubbed her temples.

Recent company matters and store affairs had truly exhausted her.

The latter was external business competition.

She just needed to go head-to-head.

The former, however, was internal company struggle.

Thinking of the faces of those old guys, Shang Jie felt an indescribable weariness.

Closing her eyes.

She lay on the sofa, resting for a while.

Just as she was about to fall asleep.

A pair of hands suddenly rested on her shoulders.

This startled Shang Jie.

She sat up abruptly and looked back.

When she saw the person, she frowned slightly.

“Cheng Ming.”

“Why didn’t you knock when you entered Mom’s office?”

“I did knock, but you didn’t respond.”

“Besides, your door wasn’t locked, so I just came in to take a look.”

Luo Chengming smiled brightly.

However, the row of white-capped teeth he revealed looked a bit out of place.

She wondered if she was overthinking it.

Shang Jie always felt that Luo Chengming’s smile, when he looked at her, contained an indescribable flavor.

“Shouldn’t you be at tutoring today?”

“Why are you at the company?”

“I’m going out with friends in a couple of days, so I came to ask the old man for some travel money.” Luo Chengming said, while touching Shang Jie’s desk.

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

“President Shang, your desk needs to be wiped.”

“It’s all dusty.”

Upon hearing that Luo Chengming was there for money.

And realizing he was still an 18-year-old kid.

Shang Jie felt her previous thought was a bit absurd.

She smiled gently, then took a stack of money from the drawer and handed it over.

“Your father should be in a meeting right now.”

“Don’t disturb him.”

“Mom will give you five thousand here first; if it’s not enough, I’ll give you more when you go back tonight.”

Seeing this.

Luo Chengming looked down at the money on the table, then looked up at the beautiful woman in front of him.

He smiled ambiguously.

“Okay, President Shang.”

——————

When Jiang Ning received the detailed acquisition news from her elder cousin.

She was in the zoo, in a standoff with a little monkey from who knows where.

The source of the standoff was the bubble wand Miss Jiang had just bought to play with.

The kind that could produce many small bubbles with a shake.

The cause was that Miss Jiang had just bought it.

Happily playing as she walked.

When she reached the monkey enclosure.

It was spotted by a little monkey cub from who knows where.

It jumped over, trying to snatch it.

As a result, Miss Jiang, due to her oversight, had the bubble wand snatched and dropped to the ground.

Then.

This person and this monkey entered the current state.

“Jiangjiang.”

“Wait a moment.” Jiang Ning stopped Qi Wen, who wanted to speak to her.

“Let me first educate this little brat.”

“Let it understand what it means to respect the elderly and cherish the young!”

“Jiangjiang, who’s the old one and who’s the young one?” Luo Shanshan leaned next to Qi Wen and asked curiously.

“Don’t you worry about that!”

Saying this, Miss Jiang picked up several low-lying branches from the ground and threw them at the little monkey.

“Take this!”

“Thunderous might!!”

Looking at Jiang Ning’s smug expression after successfully chasing away the little monkey.

Luo Shanshan couldn’t help but shake her head.

“How can Jiangjiang sometimes be like a child?”

“Wenwen, I think you might have to take on the feeding duties in the future.”

“What feeding?” Qi Wen didn’t react for a moment.

But when she saw Luo Shanshan’s eyes glance at her chest.

She immediately said angrily:

“Shanshan!”

“You’ve gone bad too!”

But no sooner had she spoken.

Miss Jiang, ahead of them, ran over with a solemn face.

“Run!”

“Huh?” The two girls looked bewildered.

“What’s wrong?!”

“Hit the little one, and the whole family comes for revenge!”

???

These words stunned the two girls.

They glanced back.

When they saw the leaping figures in the woods not far away.

Without a word.

They also started running.

After a while.

When the three girls ran out of the monkey enclosure.

They met other classmates head-on.

When they told them what happened.

Everyone immediately burst into laughter.

At this moment.

Wang Jianguo suddenly ran to Miss Jiang’s side.

And handed her a phone.

Jiang Ning took the phone.

Looked at the number on it.

And squinted her eyes.

“Wenwen, wait for me, I’m going to the restroom.”

“Okay, do you need tissue?” Qi Wen kindly asked.

“No, I have some.”

A moment later.

Jiang Ning, walking towards the restroom, picked up the phone in her hand.

“Hello, this is Jiang Ning.”

………

“Okay, fine.”

“Just take the benefits I’m giving you.”

“Just proceed according to the plan.”

After the call ended.

Miss Jiang also arrived at the restroom door.

Thinking that since she was already here.

She might as well use it.

But as soon as she squatted down inside, the phone slipped out of her pocket.

With a ‘plop’.

It fell into a puddle.

This startled Miss Jiang.

Holy crap! My hand—

Oh.

It’s Wang Jianguo’s.

Five minutes later.

Wang Jianguo took the phone handed to her by her boss.

Wiped the water stains off its body.

And asked curiously.

“Boss, what are you laughing at?”

——————

July 28th.

Wansheng Grand Hotel, Ningzhou.

This is the designated reception hotel for the Ningzhou Military Region.

In all of Ningzhou, although it’s not considered a top luxury hotel.

Due to the hotel’s special nature.

Those who can host banquets here.

Are basically people of renown in Ningzhou city.

At noon.

Tao Tao sat alone by the window on the second floor of the hotel, looking at the continuous clouds outside.

He didn’t know what he was thinking about.

After a while.

A short-haired girl came to his side and handed him an apple.

“What’s wrong?”

“Lost in thought?”

Hearing the sound.

Tao Tao took the apple and looked back at the girl.

“You’re here?”

“Been here for a while.” The girl dragged a chair to the windowsill.

Sat down and sighed:

“Those old guys are really energetic.”

“They kept pulling me along, recounting the old days.”

Hearing this.

Something seemed to surface in Tao Tao’s mind, and he couldn’t help but smile:

“Well, people.”

“When they get old, they tend to reminisce about the past.”

“It’s human nature.”

Regarding these words.

Xia Zhi nodded in agreement.

“How is Ningzhou No. 14 Middle School?”

“The atmosphere is quite good, I just haven’t quite gotten used to it.” At this point, Tao Tao paused and asked back:

“What about Jiangzhou No. 1 Middle School?”

“Everything’s fine, including that person.”

Xia Zhi was one of the few people around Tao Tao who knew what was on his mind.

So after she said that, she immediately asked playfully.

“What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you invite her on a day like this?”

After speaking.

Xia Zhi seemed to remember something and nodded earnestly.

“That’s right.”

“Based on what I know about her.”

“She probably wouldn’t agree to something like traveling across regions for an event.”

However.

Tao Tao raised an eyebrow.

“She agreed.”

“Huh?” Xia Zhi was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked.

“Where is she then?”

“Not here yet.”

“Sigh… then she probably won’t come.”

Saying this, Xia Zhi smiled teasingly, pointed to her chest, and said:

“As the one she often bails on, I should have the most say.”

“Don’t let her fool you, smiling all day long and chirping diligently like a little magpie.”

“If you really invite her out,”

Xia Zhi shook her head.

“She’s like a little fairy, flying away.”

If these words were said in front of Miss Jiang, she would definitely have a pile of explanations.

Like the date being wrong.

The time wasn’t managed well.

Or perhaps the feng shui was bad, and it wasn’t suitable to go out.

Or like today, she spent the whole day at the factory.

Discussing market planning with Lin Ke, discussing subsequent development plans, and so on.

When she opened her phone and saw Xu Suihe’s kind message of concern.

Only then did she remember it was Tao Xiaozi’s birthday today.

Immediately, a million ‘damn it’s’ ran through her mind.

Then she checked the time.

4:30 PM.

The normal start time for the banquet was around six o’clock.

The driving time from Jiangzhou to Ningzhou was about an hour.

In other words, if she left now, she should make it on time.

“Boss?”

“Boss?”

“Uh… hmm?” Jiang Ning’s thoughts were pulled back by Lin Ke’s voice.

“Oh, go on.”

Hearing this.

Although Lin Ke was a little confused, he still continued:

“The local strategy has been successfully deployed.”

“Including Yu Lingling’s ‘Three Cities, One Point’ plan.”

“We should see benefits soon.”

Jiang Ning knew Lin Ke was laying the groundwork with her.

Everyone knew the ‘soften the blow’ approach.

“What else is there? Go on.”

Hearing this.

Lin Ke smiled a little awkwardly.

“We’re out of money…”

Sigh.

As expected.

Miss Jiang couldn’t help but sigh.

Because she had already guessed this.

Research and development truly is a money-burning endeavor.

From the beginning until now.

Aside from developing a polymer lithium battery,

hundreds of thousands had been poured into it, with nothing else to show for it.

If Miss Jiang hadn’t known the progress of this endeavor,

she would truly have had the urge to give up directly.

Sometimes she also wondered.

Whether her path of developing electric vehicles was truly correct.

But thinking of the electric vehicle boom a few years later,

Miss Jiang still gritted her teeth and chose to continue.

After all, so much effort had already been put in.

At that time, not to mention dominating a large share of the market,

she only hoped to achieve the scale of those major electric bicycle manufacturers of later generations.

A while later.

Miss Jiang walked out of the factory.

But after looking around the parking area for a long time, she still didn’t see Wang Jianguo.

Just as she was wondering, her phone rang.

Miss Jiang picked up the phone and looked.

When she saw it was Wang Jianguo’s call, a bad feeling suddenly arose in her heart.

Indeed.

As soon as she answered the phone.

“Wuwu… Boss, I got into an accident~”

“…Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s just that I feel a bit bad for the car’s rear…”

Hearing this.

Even though she had a thousand frustrations, Miss Jiang still spoke to comfort her:

“Alright, alright.”

“It’s good as long as you’re okay.”

…

After comforting her for a while, Wang Jianguo’s mood brightened, but then she suddenly realized a problem.

Wang Jianguo was supposed to drive her to Ningzhou.

But now the car was broken.

How was she supposed to get there?

Take a taxi?

Not to mention whether there were taxis within the factory area.

Even if there were, would she dare to go to Ningzhou alone?

As she was pondering this dilemma.

Lin Ke, carrying a briefcase, suddenly appeared at the factory entrance less than ten meters from Jiang Ning.

“Boss? You haven’t left yet?”

“Hmm, I’m waiting for you.” Jiang Ning’s eyes suddenly curved into two crescents.

“Uncle Lin~ Do you have anything on tonight?”

Although he didn’t know why his boss suddenly asked this.

The straightforward Lin Ke still replied directly:

“…Nothing much…”

Hearing this.

Miss Jiang’s face was adorned with a radiant smile.

“Uncle Lin, how about you accompany me on a business trip?”

——

Fifteen minutes later.

Wang Jianguo, who was squatting by the roadside pulling weeds and teasing ants, suddenly heard a ‘toot-toot’ of a horn.

She stood up and looked back.

Her small face immediately broke into a big smile.

She quickly walked towards the car.

Then she opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

“Uncle Lin~ Thank you for picking me up~”

Lin Ke smiled and glanced at the back seat.

In the back seat at this moment, Miss Jiang had already taken off her shoes, was sitting cross-legged and curled up on the seat, her body slightly reclined, maintaining a comfortable posture.

Resting with her eyes closed…

Seeing this, Wang Jianguo chuckled.

“Boss~ I’m so sorry~ Today…”

“You’re not getting away today.” Jiang Ning, with her eyes closed, didn’t even move her body, and continued:

“Don’t even think about going home to play on your game console.”

“Boss, why are you still taking me along when Uncle Lin is already accompanying you!?”

“You’re the secretary, if I don’t take you, who should I take?”

Miss Jiang’s one sentence pushed back Wang Jianguo’s resentment.

Actually, she was just saying that.

The main reason was the long journey.

Miss Jiang was bored and wanted someone to chat with.

Seeing Wang Jianguo’s gloomy face in the passenger seat.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment.

“Uncle Lin, how are our company’s business trip expenses calculated?”

Lin Ke was startled at first.

Then he understood what his boss meant.

“Short trips are 50, long trips are 100, and for overnight stays, besides reimbursing travel and accommodation, there’s an additional subsidy of 50 per day.”

Hearing this.

Wang Jianguo blinked.

“So how is mine calculated?”

“Short trip, round trip on the same night, probably just 50.”

As soon as she heard the amount was so small.

Wang Jianguo’s expression immediately fell.

Actually, she was also clear about the business trip expense system, and she had contributed to its formulation.

But now.

Wang Jianguo pouted and looked pitifully at Miss Jiang in the back seat.

“Boss~ Can it be a bit more~”

“Sure, it depends on your performance.”

“What kind of performance!”

Looking at Wang Jianguo’s eager expression.

Miss Jiang reached out and hooked her chin.

“Sweetie.”

“Then it depends on your ‘skills’~”
(End of this chapter)