novellhall Chapter 186 Deliberately Targeting Gentleness
Chapter 186 Deliberately Targeting Gentleness
"Why?" Xiaolin's expression changed immediately upon hearing Tan Lin's words, and she asked in complete confusion.
They were clearly there to discuss cooperation, but she rejected them without even glancing at their samples. No one could accept that.
Wenrou looked at Tan Lin at this moment, her face expressionless. However, she wondered in her heart if Tan Lin knew her identity, which was why Huo Yanchuan refused to cooperate with them.
After all, they were childhood sweethearts, and it's understandable that she still has feelings for him after all these years.
What Wenrou didn't expect was that the deputy manager of this state-owned foreign trade unit would be so perfunctory in his work just to target her. He was nothing special.
"The quality is substandard." Tan Lin gave this reason and then ignored them, continuing to check the others.
Those around them looked at Wenrou and Xiaolin with sympathy, but there was nothing they could do about it; the strictness of state-owned foreign trade units was well-known.
If the quality isn't up to par, then cooperation is definitely out of the question; we'll have to find another solution.
However, if these mushrooms, which have been grown with so much effort, cannot be sold, it would indeed be a huge loss.
They weren't very optimistic about Wenrou, a female comrade, to begin with, so it's understandable that she was the first to be eliminated.
Hearing Tan Lin's words, Wenrou chuckled softly, her tone tinged with sarcasm, "Manager Tan, you haven't even looked at our samples, so what makes you say our quality is substandard?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard someone next to her speak.
"Young comrades, you're all so young, you have no experience in growing mushrooms. Manager Tan is just being polite by saying that. You should hurry up and leave, so as not to waste everyone's time."
"That's right, Manager Tan must have her reasons for saying that. You don't look like someone who grows crops."
"This is a state-owned foreign trade unit. Even if you want to have fun, you have to consider the place. This is not a place for you. Go back now, or you'll lose face and make things even more embarrassing."
The people around her were trying to persuade Wenrou to leave, because they thought that young people like Wenrou were just there to have fun.
They are different; they represent the entire village. If they are not elected, they won't know how to explain it to the villagers.
"You...you can't bully people like this." Wenrou didn't react much, but Xiaolin, who was standing next to her, turned pale with anger.
Tan Lin looked at them and said seriously, "You've come from the Gobi Desert, haven't you? The mushrooms transported from such a far place are already past their freshness period."
Upon hearing that Wenrou and her companions had come from the Gobi Desert, the people around them all showed expressions of shock.
You should know that it takes one or two days to get here from the Gobi Desert by train, let alone transporting goods by manpower. If you walk slowly, it would take at least a week.
In this sweltering heat, the mushrooms would have rotted long ago if left on the road.
No wonder people don't even need to look; they can guess it all.
Wenrou reached out and grabbed Xiaolin's arm. "No rush, let's take a look first."
She didn't say much to these people, found a chair and sat down, watching Tan Lin continue selecting samples.
Tan Lin was somewhat surprised by Wenrou's calm demeanor.
I thought that with her arrogant and domineering personality, she would make a big fuss because I directly rejected their samples, but I didn't expect her to be so calm.
That's quite impressive.
Unexpectedly, Shen Qingshuang's personality has changed so much over the years, and her temperament also seems to be somewhat different.
Although she admitted that the woman was indeed very beautiful, she felt that such a pretty face was not good enough for Huo Yanchuan.
She just hadn't expected Huo Yanchuan to be so shallow. Although she knew that men liked pretty girls, based on her understanding of him, she really didn't expect him to marry a pretty face.
Tan Lin ignored Wenrou and continued her examination.
However, the more she checked, the more she realized something was wrong. The quality of this batch of mushrooms was substandard, and each one was worse than the last.
Her face also looked rather grim, but she refused to believe it and continued to examine the back of the room.
However, after the inspection, it was found that only one supplier's mushrooms barely met the standards.
"Manager Tan." The assistant noticed that Tan Lin's expression was a little strange, so she called out.
After realizing what had happened, Tan Lin pointed to the only person whose sample had barely passed the inspection and said, "Except for his, all the other mushroom samples that were sent were substandard."
After she finished speaking, everyone was stunned, and then chaos ensued.
"Why are all ours substandard? Take another look. Our mushrooms are definitely fine."
"Exactly, why aren't we up to standard?"
"It's all because of the rain these past few days. It's been raining for almost half a month now, and a lot of the mushrooms have been flooded. We've picked out the good ones, so please check them carefully again."
Those who were deemed unqualified could no longer remain calm. If they were to take these mushrooms back, how would they explain it to everyone?
Tan Lin's expression was also very unpleasant. "Comrades, the mushrooms you submitted all have varying degrees of rot and contamination. They cannot be made into dried or salted mushrooms. We are responsible for the samples we selected. If your quality is substandard, there's nothing I can do."
"What are we going to do? We finally managed to bring all these mushrooms over here, and now we have to take them all back?"
"This is the culmination of everyone's hard work in our brigade. If we can't sell the mushrooms we've spent so much time growing, how can we explain it to everyone in the brigade?"
"Manager Tan, why don't you accept all our goods? We can accept it even if it's cheaper. We're all struggling financially."
Hearing these people's words, Wenrou sneered.
"Manager Tan already said that state-owned trading units have the strictest selection criteria; anything that doesn't meet quality standards will not be accepted. Aren't you making Manager Tan slap himself in the face by doing this?"
Those who had just mocked Wenrou for her substandard quality now looked ashamed. They had been ridiculing her, but it turned out that even their own quality was substandard.
She looked gently at Tan Lin, who in turn looked at her.
Their eyes met, and the tension between them grew stronger.
Wenrou was no longer in a hurry, because she was confident that she could make Manager Tan willingly and proactively ask to accept the goods from her.
"That's right, we state-owned foreign trade companies won't accept those that don't meet the quality standards. You can all go back now." After saying that, Tan Lin instructed her people to keep the only person whose quality barely met the standards.
Seeing this, Wenrou said to Xiaolin beside her, "Xiaolin, let's go too."
Xiao Lin was taken aback by Wenrou's gentle words, then asked with a puzzled look, "Sister-in-law, are we just giving up like this?"
They came all this way, and they didn't even have a chance to take out the samples before they went back?
What should we do with all that remaining stock?
He didn't know what Wenrou was thinking, but seeing that she didn't seem anxious at all, he became even more puzzled.
Seeing Wenrou walk out, Xiaolin had no choice but to follow behind her, carrying the bag containing the samples.
"Just leave that bag where I was sitting. You don't need to bring it back," Wenrou said to him gently.
Looking at the bag in his hand, Xiaolin thought that his sister-in-law was right. Since they didn't plan to cooperate with them anymore, there was no use for the samples. So he listened to her, threw the bag containing the samples back where she had been sitting, and left with Wenrou.
After they left the state-owned trading unit, Xiaolin's face was full of worry.
They've only been here a short time, are they really going to go back already?
Just then, he saw Wenrou turn around and suddenly asked, "Are you hungry?"
Xiaolin wondered why Wenrou was in the mood to ask this.
They rushed over without even having breakfast this morning, afraid of missing out, and now they're starving.
But whether they're hungry or not doesn't matter anymore. The most important thing is that no one wants their goods. They need to figure out what to do next.
But to his surprise, he then heard Wenrou say, "Go and tell Lao Xu and Xiao Yang to get out of the car. Let's go to the state-run restaurant for dinner."
"Sister-in-law, how about we just stick to eating dry rations for now?" Xiaolin suggested somewhat embarrassedly after hearing Wenrou's words.
After all, they haven't even finished their business on this trip, so how could they possibly eat at such an expensive state-run restaurant?
"Just go and pass on the message, it's on me," Wenrou continued.
Having finally made it to the provincial capital of Shaanxi, they absolutely had to enjoy a proper meal of local specialties.
Anyway, she doesn't need to worry now; there are others who are worried.
In the end, Xiaolin had no choice but to do as Wenrou asked.
Soon, the four of them arrived at the largest state-run restaurant in the provincial capital.
Wenrou even booked a private room and ordered a large table of the local specialties.
The portions here are all very large, and with Wenrou and three men, who all have big appetites, she ordered everything she could, resulting in a table overflowing with food.
This is, strictly speaking, the first time their transport team has officially started operating since its establishment, and they should definitely celebrate this achievement.
"Sister-in-law, isn't this too much?" Xiao Lin asked, looking at the large table of dishes with a shocked expression.
Such a large meal must have cost several tens of yuan, which is equivalent to their monthly salary.
They would definitely be reluctant to do that to them.
But with a mere wave of her hand, she was able to treat them to such an expensive meal, which truly flattered them.
After the food was served, Wenrou saw that they were sitting there without daring to touch their chopsticks, so she imitated Huo Yanchuan and ordered them with a serious expression: "Everyone, pick up your chopsticks and eat."
Upon hearing this, the group had no choice but to obey her order and pick up their chopsticks to eat.
This meal was the most expensive meal they had ever eaten in their lives.
But it must be said that this state-run restaurant is different. The taste is really unparalleled. It is the best meal they have ever eaten in their lives. Even the rice has a unique aroma.
"I'm ordering you all now: no one can leave any food uneaten today. You must finish all the dishes." Wenrou knew they were starving, but she was also worried they might be embarrassed to eat, so she continued.
With her words, the group began to eat heartily.
In the end, even the milder dishes were all eaten up.
"This is so delicious! No wonder it's a state-run restaurant." After finishing his meal, Xiaolin couldn't help but exclaim.
Seeing his reaction, Wenrou smiled and said, "In that case, let's try to eat at a fancy restaurant like this once a month from now on."
After she finished speaking, the others stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
For them, visiting a place like this once in their lifetime is enough; how could they eat there once a month?
They don't even earn that much in a month, they can't even imagine eating like this once a month, it's too extravagant.
They initially thought that her gentleness was just lip service, but they never expected that she would actually keep her word.
But that's all for later. Now that they've finished such an expensive meal, their most important task is to get back to work.
If this batch of goods doesn't sell, then saying anything will be pointless.
"Let's go, get back in the car and get a good night's sleep," Wenrou said to them after settling the bill.
Xiao Lin, still somewhat unwilling to give up, said, "Sister-in-law, how about I go back to the state-owned foreign trade unit and inquire about their situation? What if they change their minds and are willing to accept our goods?"
Wenrou shook her head confidently, "No need, they will take the initiative to seek cooperation with us when the time comes."
Although Xiaolin felt that Wenrou was a bit too confident, he didn't dare to say it to her face, after all, his sister-in-law had just treated them to a big meal.
So he had no choice but to obey Wenrou's orders and reluctantly get into the car to sleep and rest.
Meanwhile, after everyone had left, Tan Lin's assistant spoke up with some concern, "Manager Tan, the product selection this time still falls far short of our needs. What should we do?"
Tan Lin was also having a headache over this matter. Even among the barely acceptable goods, only a little over 200 kilograms of qualified products could be picked out, which was far from enough for them.
Moreover, what they need is a stable supply of goods in large quantities, and none of the goods that came today meet her standards.
"There's nothing we can do about it. This year, there has been a lot of rainfall across the country, which has affected mushroom production. Many mushrooms are probably moldy in the ground. In addition, the transportation process is delayed by a day or two, so many of them have rotted and do not meet our acceptance standards at all."
The assistant was also worried for Tan Lin. What would she say if the goods didn't arrive soon and the higher-ups asked?
"There's nothing we can do about it. Our principles can't change; quality comes first. Even if we can't get the goods, we can't just use inferior products."
As she finished speaking and was about to leave, her gaze fell on the chair where Wenrou had been sitting. Seeing the sample bags still on the chair, she frowned and said to her assistant, "Throw that bag out."
The assistant was about to go and throw away the trash as she had asked when Tan Lin stopped her again, saying, "Wait a minute."
She walked over to the bag where the samples were placed and reached down to pick it up from the chair.
She wanted to see what Shen Qingshuang was capable of, and what kind of mushrooms she could grow in a place like the Gobi Desert.