Chapter 495 Looking for a Partner
After Xiao Lingyu came out of the farming space, she saw her mother’s tightly knitted brows. She raised her brows and asked in puzzlement, “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Since her marriage, her mother had been beaming with joy. She rarely frowned anymore.
Mother Xiao said, “A group of managers and bosses came to look for you to discuss a partnership. However, I’ve sent them away.”
“They want to cooperate with me?” Xiao Lingyu frowned and asked with confusion, “They all came together? How many people were there?”
Mother Xiao said, “About ten people.”
“So many people came at the same time? Is there such a coincidence?” Xiao Lingyu frowned slightly.
Mother Xiao said, “I didn’t think it could be such a coincidence too. I asked them about it, and they said they knew our vegetables were approaching harvest season, so they rushed over. Some of them knew each other so they decided to come together.” Mother Xiao thought for a while and said, “All of them said the same thing so I believe it was truly a coincidence.”
Xiao Lingyu nodded.
Mother Xiao was puzzled, but she let it go. Mother Xiao nodded and said, “Well, it’s just a coincidence. I thought about your health and asked them to leave their contact details before I sent them away. Come, take a look. These are the people.”
Mother Xiao handed a stack of business cards and a piece of white paper to Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Lingyu took the business cards and the contact details on the white paper. They were all the business cards of the purchasing manager, supermarket owner, or vegetable shop owner in City Z. Two of them were from hotpot shop owners, and two were from hotel managers.
Mother Xiao asked, “Yu ‘Er, is there anything wrong with these?”
Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said, “There’s nothing wrong. These are all knowledgeable people. Perhaps we can work with them.”
The few Mus of vegetable land previously was only enough to satisfy the needs of Xing Yin County.
Now that dozens of Mus of vegetable land had been developed, they definitely needed to find a partner.
Gong Tianhao looked at the pile of business cards and frowned slightly. He asked, “Yu ‘Er, do you want me to check them out?”
A dozen people came at the same time. He still thought that was too much of a coincidence.
Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said, “No need. I need to choose a new partner anyway. Maybe I can choose from them.”
There were even more rich people in City Z. Xiao Lingyu now had more than 30 Mus of land. It might seem like a lot, but she planted many different varieties of vegetables. When divvied up, it was really not that much.
Since Xiao Lingyu had decided to go for the high-end produce market, she naturally had a price tag in mind. She didn’t need many crops, but the quality had to be high.
Mother Xiao nodded. They had grown many vegetables. They couldn’t sell everything themselves, so they needed to find partners. Mother Xiao said, “Hmm. Then, why don’t you pick two from these people?” Mother Xiao picked up two cards. “The manager of Jun Hao Hotel and the Boss of the Zeng Family’s Vegetable Shop have the best attitude.
“As for this manager of the Guo Guang supermarket, he looks down on us because we’re from the countryside. He is arrogant and ruthless. And this hotpot shop boss, apparently we need him to survive. He looks too highly of himself…”
Mother Xiao was a very wise person.
Since Xiao Lingyu had decided to find two partners, she would tell her about their attitudes. When choosing a partner, the first thing that caught her eyes was not the money but their character. It was not good working with people with bad character.
Xiao Lingyu nodded. “Thank you, Mom.”
After a while, Mother Xiao stared at Xiao Lingyu’s stomach for a moment and immediately stopped her, “Yu ‘Er, you’re going to have a child soon. Why don’t you leave this matter to Tianhao and the rest of us? You don’t have to worry about it.” Thinking of this, she said firmly, “Yes, the due date is only in a few days. You definitely shouldn’t be dealing with these things.”
Xiao Lingyu thought for a while and said, “Mom, I’m just going to read through things. Someone else will handle the rest.”
“No!” Mother Xiao said firmly, “You need to rest. If you have so much energy, save it for the labor room. Your stomach is big. You’ll need extra force when you’re in labor.”
Gong Tianhao nodded in agreement, “Yu ‘Er, mom is right. You need to rest. Leave the business to me. Tell me what you want. I’ll do it for you.”
Xiao Lingyu, “…”
The closer it was to the due date, the more restrictions they placed on her. All she needed to do was to sit there and wait for the due date. Regardless, it was pointless for her to struggle.
The minority had to obey the majority.
Xiao Lingyu sighed softly and said, “Alright. I won’t deal with the business anymore.”
Mother Xiao and Gong Tianhao were immediately satisfied.
But then Xiao Lingyu continued, “But those people are right. The vegetables are about to be harvested. We need to find partners to sell them. Since these people have come to us, we should talk to them. That’s fine, right?” Xiao Lingyu was seeking her mother’s opinion, and of course, she was also seeking Gong Tianhao’s opinion. “This time, I have to find a long-term and reliable partner. As the person in charge of Green Fresh Farm in Taoyuan Village, I have to be there to vet the partners personally, right?”
With Mother Xiao around, Gong Tianhao didn’t dare to say anything. He signaled Mother Xiao with his eyes because he wanted her to object.
But Mother Xiao didn’t seem to see it. She thought for a moment and said, “That’s no problem. But, Yu ‘Er, I think you should have someone by your side to watch over you. You have to be careful, okay?”
Xiao Lingyu shrugged her shoulders and said helplessly, “Mother, don’t you know that ever since Tianhao and I got married, we have never been separated?” She was too embarrassed to say that Gong Tianhao was too clingy.
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Mother Xiao, “…”
That seemed to be the case! Tianhao had gotten even more clingy to her daughter after they got married.
Mother Xiao felt amused and touched.
Gong Tianhao, “…” Don’t think that he didn’t know that Yu ‘Er was secretly complaining about him. She felt that he was too clingy.
‘I’m a little sad.
‘After we got married, my wife is getting more and more impatient with me… I’m being complained about!’
Gong Tianhao crossed his arms and huffed.
Mother Xiao sighed lightly and said seriously, “Alright then. Anyway, you have to pay attention. As long as you feel that something is wrong with your stomach, you have to tell us, okay?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded and said, “Yes, yes, I understand.”
She had been looking forward to having a child for more than ten months. She would definitely pay attention to it.
With Mother Xiao’s consent, neither Gong Tianhao nor the others dared to object. If Xiao Lingyu was the queen in this family, then mother Xiao was the empress.
Of course, Mother Xiao was not a tyrant.
Xiao Lingyu looked through the business cards and chose eight out of twelve. Then, from the eight, she would choose two partners to work with.
To make her final choice, she had to meet these people in person and do some research on them. She would look at their character and other aspects before making a comprehensive selection.
The business of the Zeng family’s vegetable shop was getting worse.
In the first few years, the business was good. They had fair prices and fresh vegetables. Plus, the boss was a good man. He would do free delivery if there was an emergency.
However, with the emergence of supermarkets with bigger storefronts and lower prices, many of his customers had left. These supermarkets also provided 24 hours delivery services. His store was barely hanging on with the support of his old regulars. However, he knew he couldn’t continue this for long.
Boss Zeng felt so disappointed when he realized the vegetable store that he had run for years would soon close down. Then, one day, he heard his friend mention Taoyuan Village.
He said that there was a farm in Taoyuan Village that specialized in growing organic vegetables. If he could get some vegetables from this place to sell, his business would pick up.
That was because he had eaten the vegetables from Taoyuan Village before, and the taste was unique.
Before this, the farm owner didn’t have a large farm. Her supply was just enough to cover the local market. However, he heard that the owner had expanded the farm. The owner would need partners.
He needed to fight for that partnership. It was something that could revive his shop.
However, his friend stressed that the prices at that farm were very high. However, the crops were worth the price.
Boss Zeng returned home and thought about it. He felt this was an opportunity. The vegetables might be expensive, but they had sold well at a small county. They would sell even better at City Z.
Boss Zeng went online and asked around. He found out that the crops at Taoyuan Village were really special.
Moreover, he learned that many business people also wanted to cooperate with the boss at Taoyuan Village. Boss Zeng felt rather dispirited. His competition was from big hotels and supermarkets. He only had a small store. Could he compete with them?
However, Boss Zeng didn’t want to give up this chance so easily. No matter what, he had to give it a try.
Therefore, when he heard that the vegetables on the farm of Taoyuan Village were about to be harvested, he came over to talk to this
boss.
He never thought that he would meet other business owners.
Boss Zeng felt even more discouraged. However, he still didn’t want to give up.
They arrived at the Boss’ home, but they didn’t see the Boss but her mother.
Before he was chased away, Boss Zeng left his business card behind.
When the worried Boss Zeng returned home, his wife asked him for an update. He told her, “I don’t think it’ll work. There are too many people who want to work with that boss, and they are all big business owners. Compared to them, our shop is nothing.”
His wife comforted him and said, “It’s fine. If we close down, we can change careers and do something else.”
Boss Zeng sighed heavily and said, “I’ve owned the shop for so many years. I can’t bear to give up just like that.”
God was kind to him!
That evening, Boss Xiao of Taoyuan Village called and said that she wanted to meet him. He immediately agreed.
This meant that there was a great chance for them to work together.
The next day, Boss Zeng got ready and drove all the way to the Xiao family.
When he arrived at the Xiao family, he saw a woman with a big belly and a handsome young man sitting in the courtyard.
He walked straight to the woman and asked tentatively, “Boss Xiao?”
Xiao Lingyu looked up, and boss Zeng was a little stunned.
This woman was too beautiful.
Her skin was white, and her eyes were big. She was really good-looking.
However, he was only surprised by Xiao Lingyu’s beauty. He did not look at her impolitely for a long time, nor did he show an indecent expression. Xiao Lingyu was sitting in a rocking chair. When she saw the first arrival of the day, she smiled and asked, “You are?”
“I’m Zeng Qinghua, the owner of the Zeng family’s vegetable shop!” Boss Zeng introduced politely.
Xiao Lingyu raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, “I have a partner who has the surname Zeng too.”
Zeng Qinghua said with a smile, “We might be family 500 years ago.” Xiao Lingyu pointed at the stone table and said, “Boss Zeng, I’m not fit to serve you. Please have a seat!”
Boss Zeng immediately smiled and said, “Thank you, Boss Xiao.”
However, he was very suspicious about who the cold man sitting next to him was. He looked very imposing.
Xiao Lingyu smiled and asked, “Boss Zeng, how did you recognize me as boss Xiao?”
After she got pregnant, she seldom went to the shop. Except for some regular customers, few people knew that she was the owner of the shop. The new customers didn’t even know the boss of the shop was a woman. Moreover, Boss Zeng sounded like someone from outside the county.
Of course, he could have done some digging around when he was at the village.
Boss Zeng said with a smile, “You look 60-70% like the little sister from yesterday. Speaking of which, she looked so young. How old was she when she gave birth to you?”
Xiao Lingyu laughed. “My mother gave birth to me when she was 25 years old. Now she’s 51 years old. Boss Zeng, how old are you?”
“What?” Boss Zeng was a little dumbfounded and said in a daze, “She’s actually my big sister? She looks too young. I thought she was only in her 30s or 40 at most.”
