Chapter 74: Miss Jiang’s Embarrassed Escape

“Whose nutritious meal is ready? Come pick it up!”

“Two sodas, please take them carefully.”

“The fries just came out of the fryer and are a bit hot. Please be careful when eating!”

All morning, Jiang Ning stood at the counter, handing out meals to customers.

She was busy until noon, when someone finally came to replace her for a break.

“Jiang Ning, you’re amazing!”

Faced with Xia Ling’s compliment, Jiang Ning modestly waved her hand.

“No, no.”

“It’s just what I should be doing.”

“No, no, I meant in terms of your charm.” Xia Ling pointed towards a group of boys not far away, looking impressed.

“Look at them, their souls are practically—hey, hey, Jiang Ning, where are you going?”

“I haven’t finished talking.”

“Jiang Ning? Jiang Ning…”

On the other side, Jiang Ning walked into the changing room with a deadpan expression and saw Tian Wenhao still organizing things.

Taking a closer look, she noticed they were inventory and ingredient consumption records.

She glanced at a nearby form and found that the most consumed items in the store were chicken fillets, followed by bread and soda.

Strangely, fries, chicken wings, and nuggets weren’t selling as much.

Such an imbalance in consumption would definitely put pressure on inventory.

Thinking it over, Jiang Ning spoke directly:

“Cousin, have you looked at these reports?”

Hearing her, Tian Wenhao glanced at the reports in her hand and immediately frowned.

“Uneven consumption is causing stockpile issues.”

“Old Shi, that guy, only delivers in whole batches, and he doesn’t even allow selective orders.”

“Well, duh. If I were him, I’d sell it like that too. Otherwise, who’d buy the leftover parts?” Jiang Ning retorted, then suggested:

“Why don’t we create more meal combos?”

“Include chicken nuggets and wings in them.”

However, Tian Wenhao just shook his head at the suggestion.

“I tried that. Unless we set the prices really low, it won’t make much of a difference.”

Jiang Ning wasn’t discouraged and continued:

“Then have you thought about adding something else? Like this…”

She pointed her delicate finger at another sheet of paper on the table—a purchase order for plush toys.

Tian Wenhao looked surprised.

“Plush toys with a fried chicken combo?”

“This can work?”

Of course, it can.

Didn’t Golden Arches and Kentucky Chicken do the same thing in later years?

Some of their limited-edition toys even got resold for ridiculous prices.

But Jiang Ning didn’t bother explaining future trends to Tian Wenhao. Instead, she justified her idea using marketing tactics and experimental strategies.

Before long, Tian Wenhao was convinced.

But just as he was about to call Du Meilan, Jiang Ning stopped him.

“I suddenly have a different idea.”

“Let me make this call later.”

Tian Wenhao didn’t know what she had in mind, but he trusted her and nodded.

For now, the matter was put on hold.

Then their conversation shifted to company registration.

Jiang Ning planned to give Tian Wenhao a 30% stake in the business.

Strangely, Tian Wenhao didn’t want any shares—not even 10%.

He firmly stated that he was already receiving a 30% profit share from the store, which had brought him tens of thousands in income over the past two months.

If he also took a 30% stake in the company, his mother—Jiang Ning’s aunt, Tian Cuixiang—would probably kill him when she found out.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning didn’t push further.

However, since she was still a minor, she could own company shares but couldn’t exercise shareholder rights.

So, she decided to let Tian Wenhao be the company’s official representative.

At the same time, she planned to appoint Tian Wenhao’s girlfriend—her future sister-in-law, Xiao Mingxiu—as the manager of the new store.

At first, Tian Wenhao strongly opposed this.

But Jiang Ning simply asked,

“Cousin, if not her, then who else could we trust as the new store manager?”

One sentence.

Tian Wenhao was speechless for a long moment.

In the end, he just let out a deep sigh.

“Ning Ning, I get what you mean.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I promise, Mingxiu and I will do our best to keep the new store running smoothly.”

Hearing the strong sense of responsibility in his voice, Jiang Ning grinned and shifted the topic to the delivery team.

Since the team had been kept under 20 people, there weren’t any major issues yet—just occasional problems with vehicle damage.

Considering potential challenges in the future, Jiang Ning discussed the matter with Tian Wenhao for a while.

By the time they finished, it was already 2 PM.

Since she had other plans for the afternoon, Jiang Ning said goodbye to Tian Wenhao and left the store.

Outside, she stood by her bicycle for a moment, then took out her phone and dialed a number.

After a few rings, a woman’s voice came through.

“Hello?”

“Lan-jie, it’s me, Jiang Ning.”

“Oh? Jiang Ning? Hmm, what’s up?”

“I have a business proposal for you. Do you have time to talk now?”

There was a brief pause before the woman on the other end moved away from the phone.

A soft “Wait a moment” could be heard.

After a while, her voice returned.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Jiang Ning then explained her idea of ordering a batch of plush toys in three different sizes as mascots for the fried chicken store.

“Mascots?”

“How many do you need?”

“Do you have design drafts?”

A series of three quick questions came from the other end.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment.

“Around 500 for the first batch.”

“Two sizes—50 large ones at 60 cm, and 450 small ones at 20 cm.”

“I have a rough design. I can bring it to you tomorrow if that works.”

Hearing the numbers, the woman didn’t say much.

“Alright, just send the designs when you’re ready.”

“As for the price, I won’t overcharge you. Just 2% above the standard wholesale rate.”

Hearing that she could get custom toys at such a low markup, Jiang Ning beamed.

She immediately showered Lan-jie with compliments, making the woman on the other end laugh.

After they ended the call, Jiang Ning, now in high spirits, hopped onto her pink bicycle and headed toward the bus station.

The station wasn’t far from Jiangzhou Academy—only about a 20-minute bike ride.

If this were the future, an electric bike at full speed could get there in just ten minutes.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, not only were electric bikes nonexistent, but even proper cars were rare.

And so, after a leisurely 20-minute ride, Jiang Ning arrived at Jiangzhou Bus Station.

However—

Just as she parked her bike, a middle-aged woman at the exit stopped her.

“Little girl, looking for a place to stay?”

“Our place is clean, tidy, has hot water, and even a spittoon.”

“And we offer services you wouldn’t expect at night.”

???

Jiang Ning looked around and, realizing the woman was indeed talking to her, pointed at herself in confusion.

“Me?”

“Unexpected services?”

Seeing her interest, the middle-aged woman enthusiastically continued,

“That’s right! From eighty-year-old men to eighteen-year-old boys—”

“Whatever you need, we’ve got it!”

In an instant—

Miss Jiang bolted in embarrassment.