Chapter 148: I Want to Serve the Host for Life
The first reaction from Director Qu was that Su He was bluffing!
How could a department store — always bustling with crowds — only have two customers inside?!
But then again, there was no reason for Su He to lie about this.
Following his principle of “ask when you don’t understand,” he inquired, “What happened?”
Su He didn’t hide anything and gave a simple rundown of the situation.
Director Qu: …That actually worked?
If he’d known this was possible back then, he wouldn’t have had to lose a shoe fighting for a radio!
Director Qu had already thought Su He was talented — now he saw her in an even better light. This young lady really has a sharp mind!
After a few more pleasantries, Director Qu left.
Su He returned to her room, took a shower, and lay on the bed to think about her next steps.
Just then, the trading system interface popped up.
[Host, do you need Sweet Honey Milk Tea?]
[Host, do you need an Iced Watermelon?]
[Host, do you need After-Sun Spray?]
[Host, do you need a Massage Chair?]
…
Su He: “Don’t need any of that.”
The trading system was about to cry!
Why is it so hard to make some money off you?!
Its KPI was on the verge of collapse!
Just as the system was nearing a meltdown, Su He narrowed her eyes and said, “I’ll give you a big order in a few days! Hope you don’t mess it up then!”
The interface turned a glittering gold:
[Really? You’re not lying?]
Su He nodded. “Of course it’s true! Doggy, let’s talk business, shall we?”
The system: …You’re the dog! Your whole family are dogs!
But for the sake of its KPI, it decided to swallow its pride. Forget dog, I’d be a rat if that’s what it takes!
Su He continued, “You know I’m short on funds. Can I buy things on installment in the future? For example, the Qing Nang Book costs a million — I’ll put down a hundred yuan and pay the rest in installments, how about that?”
System: #￥@￥%#@%#￥!!
How do you even say that with a straight face?!
At that rate, you’d need a thousand years to finish paying it off! There’d be grass growing on your grave and you still wouldn’t be done!
The system was practically exploding with rage!
For the first time in ages, the mechanical voice returned — trembling with anger:
“Host, don’t push it! I have a temper too! If you keep this up, I’ll go into hibernation — permanent hibernation!”
Seeing it about to snap, Su He soothed it, “I’m just teasing you! Don’t you have any sense of humor?
The instant noodle production line at the S City Food Factory has a lot of issues. Once it’s imported back, I’ll need to buy a ton of replacement parts from you.
And they need to be custom-made to look exactly like the originals. Isn’t that a big order?”
The system: Actually, my host is pretty amazing. I’ll serve her for life!
—
The next morning, Master Xu drove over to pick up Su He.
She originally wanted Principal Chen to rest for a day at the hotel, but the old man insisted on tagging along.
What a joke — how could lounging in a hotel be more fun than following Little Su around and eating melon seeds?
When they arrived at the S City Food Factory, Section Chief Wei led them to the meeting room.
A few sample packages were already laid out on the table. It was clear that Section Chief Wei had acted swiftly — his efficiency was top-notch.
Truly, pressure breeds productivity.
The samples were exactly the types Su He had previously suggested: woven baskets, silk pouches, red lanterns…
These were easy to assemble — just buy the materials, place the candy jars inside, and add some decorations.
Su He made a few suggestions, such as adding a bunny logo to the packaging and standardizing the packaging materials.
She always started by complimenting their work before gently pointing out areas for improvement. As a result, everyone at the factory had a great impression of her.
Before long, everyone was calling her “Little Su,” and two women in their forties even offered to introduce her to potential partners.
Principal Chen: Totally routine, not surprised at all.
Just before lunch break, the packaging factory delivered samples of paper boxes and tin cans in traditional Chinese style — clearly produced by working overnight.
Su He gave more feedback, and after some discussion, Chief Wei immediately sent someone to communicate with the packaging factory to rush a new round of samples.
Su He also suggested ordering a batch of paper gift bags — they’d make the product look more high-end.
At the time, excessive packaging wasn’t trendy, so everyone found the idea fresh and novel. Chief Wei decided to test it out and asked the packaging factory to make some samples.
By the end of the workday, the new samples hadn’t arrived yet. Chief Wei said, “Little Su, I’ll have Old Xu take you back to the hotel. You can come in again tomorrow morning.”
Su He shook her head. “The samples might arrive tonight. I’d rather wait here. The sooner we finalize everything, the sooner we can sign the contract. That would give me peace of mind.”
Section Chief Wei actually wanted to suggest the same, but hadn’t dared to say it first.
Now that Su He brought it up herself, his opinion of her improved even more.
After dinner at the canteen, Su He chatted casually with Section Chief Wei — and soon the topic turned to instant noodles.
SectionChief Wei sighed, “When we visited J-Nation, we saw how wildly successful their instant noodles were, so we came back and developed our own production line. But it hasn’t worked out.
First, the annual output is only two million packs. Second, the market hasn’t really accepted it.
People think 15 cents per pack is too expensive. Plus, the taste is off. Only a few people buy it out of curiosity.”
Su He thought the real issue wasn’t the production volume. Even at 15 cents per pack, two million units a year would bring in 300,000 yuan — a huge sum in this era.
The real problem was pricing and taste — which held back sales.
Chief Wei continued, “We invested a lot into developing this production line. If we shut it down, that investment goes down the drain. But if we keep going, we lose money every month. Basically, the instant noodle business is a chicken rib — tasteless to eat, wasteful to throw away.”
Su He tested the waters: “Then what if another factory wants to take over? Could we transfer the production line?”
Chief Wei smiled bitterly. “Who’d want this hot potato, knowing it’s a loss-making venture?”
Su He paused to think, then said, “If you trust me, I might be able to help find someone. One of my other tasks on this trip is to inspect a luncheon meat canning line — our county’s food factory wants to bring one in. They asked me to visit the supplier. But after hearing your story, I think it might be better to import your instant noodle line instead.”
Principal Chen, who had been silently playing the role of a quail: “…”
Weren’t we here to talk about instant noodles?
When did this become a mission to buy canned luncheon meat?
You spin stories better than basket weavers!
