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墨書 Inktalez
The days at school revolved around the dormitory, classroom, cafeteria, and playground. With Jie Bing, that immature person, gone, there wasn't much left to say about the school stories. Let's talk about things outside of school.
On Monday afternoon, during her lunch break, Hu Ruoyun received a call from Lai Wen. "Brother Xiao Hu, do you have time tonight?"
Lai Wen had helped her a lot, so if she needed something, Hu Ruoyun felt obligated to assist. She immediately replied, "No problem, Sister! Just let me know what you need!"
Lai Wen said, "Great! Let's have dinner at ' Xiangli Family' near your school at six-thirty. Just tell the front desk that it's a reservation under Ms. Liu's name... My classmate you met yesterday wants to chat with you. I'll explain more when we meet."
That must be Liu Ru Yan, the overseas returnee who had dinner with them last night. They had only shared a meal together; why would she want to talk to Hu Ruoyun?
Whatever the case, she'd find out when they met.
At six-twenty that evening, Hu Ruoyun arrived at ' Xiangli Family,' located at the south gate of Jiangbei University. After mentioning Ms. Liu's reservation at the front desk, a staff member in a qipao said, "Sir, please follow me; Ms. Liu and her party are already in the room!"
Following the staff member upstairs to room 218, Hu Ruoyun was guided inside after a knock on the door.
Inside the room, only Lai Wen and Liu Ru Yan were seated at a table meant for six, sipping tea. They stood up to let Hu Ruoyun take a seat as she entered.
The three of them ordered dishes: chopped chili fish head, Dong'an chicken, dry pot cauliflower, grandmother's dish from Xiangxi, smashed cucumber, and cold bitter chrysanthemum salad—six dishes in total. Liu Ru Yan brought red wine.
Having spent over nine years in America, Liu Ru Yan spoke without the usual politeness or subtlety of her compatriots. "Mr. Hu, I'll get straight to the point. The Mutton Hot Pot you brought up yesterday—I really liked it. I also noticed that we dined at a hotel I found quite appealing... Would you be able to introduce me to the manufacturer there?"
Hu Ruoyun replied nonchalantly, "You don't need me as an intermediary; the manufacturer's address and phone number are on the product packaging. You can contact them directly!"
"NO, NO, NO!" Liu Ru Yan waved her hands repeatedly. "I'm not just looking to buy something; I want to discuss cooperation! If there's no one familiar in between, it's hard to reach an agreement!"
Intrigued, Hu Ruoyun asked, "What kind of cooperation are you thinking about?"
Lai Wen interjected, "My classmate here is wealthy—she's got US dollars—and she's not planning to return to America. She wants to invest steadily here in Jiangbei and live a stable life... Of course, she's looking into many projects right now, mostly trade-related. But she wants her own products and brand that can gradually grow stronger... So she's being cautious; currently, she believes that your mutton is still relatively niche in Jiangcheng and wants to learn more."
Hu Ruoyun understood but cautioned her: "Miss Liu, if that's the case, I advise you to be careful. Most of the Mutton Hot Pot production in our area is still done by family-run workshops where recipes are closely guarded! I personally think you can distribute it but if you're looking for investment or partnership opportunities, they might have many concerns and it’s likely that negotiations won’t go well.
However, I have a suggestion for you: there's a promising project in Annan. Of course, just my word or what Annan says isn't enough; you should investigate it yourself... It involves processing and preserving wild vegetables commonly found in rural areas and selling them to high-end dining establishments like Dong Wangfu Holiday Hotel in Jiangcheng. This way you can tap into a large market with seemingly small products while achieving high returns at low costs! From our perspective in Annan, you'd also be supporting local farmers and boosting the local economy.
As far as I know, if needed, officials could even provide funding for this project; they won’t interfere with normal business operations beyond supervision and guidance.
If you pursue processing and production of these wild vegetables, you'll definitely need a trading company for operations. If you're still interested in our mutton products too, you could register a trademark and have them produce according to your brand and quality requirements. I believe as long as you manage it well and create mutual benefits, no mutton producer would engage in shortsighted behavior like cutting off supplies.
In some ways, this would mean you'd have your own brand and product."
Liu Ru Yan listened intently as Hu Ruoyun finished speaking; she appeared thoughtful as she glanced at Lai Wen.
Lai Wen remarked, "Sister, I don’t understand business matters and won’t comment on them. But I can vouch for my little brother’s character and intellect."
After finishing a meal, Hu Ruoyun's reference to "Miss Liu" was corrected by Liu Ru Yan to "Sister Liu," and Hu Ruoyun became "Brother Xiao Hu" in her words.
Liu Ru Yan left in a taxi first, and Lai Wen probably talked to Hu Ruoyun about Liu Ru Yan's situation. Liu Ru Yan was originally from Hunan, and her father had once been a department head in Jiangbei Province. After graduating from university, he wanted her to work within the system, but Liu Ru Yan's rebellious phase came relatively late. She insisted on going abroad, and her parents, unable to dissuade her, arranged everything for her. Little did they know that this strong-willed girl would marry a senior executive at a local bank (referred to as a banker there) after studying for three years.
Due to the inherent prejudices of their culture, her father fell seriously ill out of anger and could no longer continue working, retiring early due to his illness. After seven or eight years of marriage, both she and her foreign husband were busy with their careers and had not had children. However, last year, her husband, with whom she had a very close relationship, suddenly died in a car accident.
Although she inherited nearly ten million US dollars, she did not want to stay in America, the place filled with sorrow for her. She sold her property and returned home to heal her own wounds as well as those of her parents. Liu Ru Yan worked as an investment consultant in America, but there were no suitable jobs for her back home. She wanted to start something on her own.
For a period afterward, Lai Wen accompanied her at first, but as they became more familiar, she no longer needed Lai Wen's company. Liu Ru Yan had several long conversations with Hu Ruoyun; sometimes they discussed serious matters, while other times they just chatted casually.
Once, they somehow got onto the topic of education. Hu Ruoyun mentioned that the key high schools in Annan County were all located in the county seat. The southern and eastern parts of the county had no other high schools apart from Annan Eight Middle School and Annan No. 7 Middle School. This lack extended beyond education into healthcare as well. Liu Ru Yan, being an investor and naturally sensitive to such issues, said to Hu Ruoyun, "When you have a free weekend, bring your girlfriend along, and let’s take a trip around Annan County together."
Hu Ruoyun readily agreed.
Later, when he mentioned this to Mao Na, she said, "It would be great if we could get her to invest in our county!"
Hu Ruoyun teased her: "Sure, now you're thinking about attracting investment for our hometown; I’ll have to ask your dad to reward you later."
School had been in session for three or four weeks already. Seeing that Hu Ruoyun hadn’t initiated any new "projects," Cui Shuigen grew anxious: "Brother San, you can't just keep eating and chatting with Sister Liu and Sister Liu! You need to find a new way to make money! I spent most of the money I saved up this year on my family!"
The legends and ghost stories he shared with Hu Ruoyun had been compiled and sent to Story Collection; they would likely be published. However, this boy from Shu Region who had once earned big money was no longer interested in those few or dozen yuan in manuscript fees. He was hoping that Hu Ruoyun could come up with something new so he could earn another windfall alongside him.
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