This three thousand five hundred sounds like not much, but based on their local average wage, it's already quite a bit. Moreover, there's a year-end bonus during the Chinese New Year. Even white-collar workers in enterprises might not have such high salaries and benefits.
Hearing such a high salary and year-end bonus, Zhao Jiazhu naturally had nothing to complain about and immediately agreed. He had originally planned to find a job after resolving his son's situation, as the family's savings were depleted and his son was in prison. He couldn't just sit at home and drain their assets. Now that such a good job had fallen into his lap, he had no reason to be dissatisfied, especially with the prospect of staying in the orchard long-term, which made him immensely content.
After agreeing, Liu Yifeng and Su Wanru returned to the city. Since it wasn't yet time for Tongtong's school dismissal, Liu Yifeng stayed at Su Wanru's company for a while. As they frequently appeared together, many people in the company assumed they were dating. However, Su Wanru paid no mind to such gossip, as people's mouths are their own. Even if they weren't allowed to discuss it in the company, they would still talk about it privately. Furthermore, acting in such a manner would only solidify the rumors about her relationship with Liu Yifeng. The best approach was to ignore it, offer no explanations or defenses; over time, they would naturally lose interest and stop discussing it.
In the office, Su Wanru was reviewing the sales report for the week's store fruits. She couldn't help but frown when she saw the grapefruit section, then dialed an office number. Shortly after, her secretary walked in.
"Ms. Su, what can I do for you?"
"Go and find the sales manager in charge of store sales. I have some questions for him."
The secretary nodded and left the office.
Seeing Su Wanru's continuous frown, Liu Yifeng couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong?"
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, which is the prime time for grapefruit sales, yet the sales of grapefruit across dozens of stores have been dismal. The sales revenue for the past three days is less than ten thousand yuan, and I've already requested one million grapefruits from headquarters. At this rate, I'm afraid half the grapefruits will remain unsold after the Mid-Autumn Festival," Su Wanru said, rubbing her temples with a weary expression.
Just as Liu Yifeng was about to say something, the manager responsible for store sales walked in. "General Manager, you sent for me?"
Su Wanru tossed the document in her hand onto the table in front of him and said sternly, "Look at the grapefruit sales. In previous years, at this time, our store's grapefruit sales would reach a hundred thousand. Why is it now less than a tenth of that?"
The manager took the report and quickly explained, "General Manager, our grapefruits this year, like in previous years, are sourced from Miyun. The taste is also similar, with no significant differences. Theoretically, sales shouldn't be this poor. However, many customers who shop at our stores, despite our recommendations and even discount promotions, remain uninterested. So, I specifically investigated and found out that Si Ji Guo Yuan, from an unknown source, has procured a batch of grapefruits with exceptional taste and appearance, and at a not-too-high price. As a result, customers are flocking to their store to buy grapefruits every day. One store's daily grapefruit sales alone can reach seventy to eighty thousand yuan. I bought one to try, and the taste is indeed very sweet and juicy."
Si Ji Guo Yuan is also a national chain company. While they don't sell high-end fruits, their customer base ranges from ordinary people to the middle class. Those with limited financial means often choose to buy fruits from Si Ji Guo Yuan to give as gifts, to save face. Therefore, Si Ji Guo Yuan and their Bai Guo Yuan are in competition, especially with the new grapefruit variety they've launched, which has siphoned off many of their customers.
Upon hearing this, Su Wanru immediately asked, "Did you find out where they sourced their grapefruits from?"
The manager shook his head. "No, their confidentiality is very tight."
"I don't care how delicious their grapefruits are. As the sales manager of our fruit store, you must find a way to sell these grapefruits. Otherwise, if this much stock remains unsold, and the company blames us, no one will get their year-end bonus. Everyone," the manager could only grit his teeth and promise, "Ms. Su, please rest assured, I will find a way to sell the grapefruits."
"Then you may go. It would be best to find out where they source their grapefruits from!" Su Wanru didn't push the sales manager further. One cannot push too hard, as it can be counterproductive.
This was the first time Liu Yifeng had seen Su Wanru with such a cold expression; it was quite intimidating. The manager, a grown man, seemed like a chick facing an eagle in front of him. After the manager left, Liu Yifeng stood up and sat opposite Su Wanru's desk.
"Ms. Su, are you worried about the poor grapefruit sales and being reprimanded by the head office?"
"I confidently assured the head office representative that we would exceed our grapefruit sales targets this year. And now, Si Ji Guo Yuan has unexpectedly launched a new variety of grapefruit, poaching all my customers. If a solution isn't found promptly, someone will seize this opportunity to claim I lack the ability and remove me from my position." This was why Su Wanru was so concerned about grapefruit sales.
Liu Yifeng suddenly smiled, "Actually, Ms. Su doesn't need to worry about where Bai Guo Yuan sources their grapefruits from."
Su Wanru looked at him in surprise. "Do you know where they get them?"
Liu Yifeng shook his head, which immediately poured a bucket of cold water on Su Wanru. "If you don't know, why do you say that?"
"Although I don't know where these grapefruits are sourced from, I know whose grapefruits are definitely tastier than theirs." Liu Yifeng's expression was extremely confident.
Su Wanru, who had just felt disheartened, became excited again. "Whose? Do you have their contact information?"
"Yes, and you know this person too!"
"Who?"
Liu Yifeng smiled and pointed to himself. "That person is me!"
Su Wanru's expression immediately stiffened. "Mr. Liu, this joke isn't funny at all! Although you've taken over the orchard and there are quite a few grapefruits there, those grapefruits are inedible!"
"I'm not joking. In less than a week, the grapefruits there will be edible, and their taste will be superb!"
"Really?" Su Wanru was still skeptical. After all, the grapefruits were already mature. No matter how they grew, their taste wouldn't change, unless he planned to use some special methods. "You're not planning to inject something like saccharin into the grapefruits, are you? If that's discovered, you'll be sentenced," Su Wanru warned.
Liu Yifeng chuckled helplessly. "Where are you getting that idea? With hundreds of thousands of grapefruits, injecting them one by one with saccharin, how long would that take? Besides, the structure of grapefruits is different from other fruits; even if injected, the flavor wouldn't distribute evenly. Isn't that a waste of time!"
Su Wanru agreed and felt a bit embarrassed. "I didn't mean anything else; I was just afraid you'd take a wrong path. I also know you really want to sell the grapefruits, but it's not that I don't want to buy them. It's just that you've tasted them yourself, and no one would want them even as gifts, so who would buy them? This company isn't me. If I bought such grapefruits and sold them in the market, I'd be out of a job."
"Ms. Su, please don't misunderstand. I'm not asking you to buy my grapefruits now, but to buy them in a week!"
Su Wanru was stunned. "What's the difference between buying them now and buying them in a week?"
"As I said earlier, in at most a week, the grapefruits' taste will be exceptionally good. By then, will you still worry about not being able to sell them?" Liu Yifeng didn't elaborate on the details, as words were empty promises. Everything would be proven by results.