Chapter 230: Tao Chi Expansion and Business Cooperation
Su Tao was momentarily stunned before she smiled and said, “I really appreciate Wutai’s invitation, but Dongyang has also allocated me a spot, so there’s no need.”
Now it was Ding Heyu’s turn to be surprised.
Dongyang has a spot this year too?
Thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t too surprising. This year, Dongyang had gained a lot of recognition thanks to Taoyang’s water and fuel supply. Being invited to the summit was expected.
However, since Wutai wanted to show goodwill, Ding Heyu still pushed the two invitation letters toward Su Tao.
“Taoyang is full of talented people. It would be beneficial for you to bring more people.”
Su Tao initially wanted to refuse, but Ding Heyu was insistent. After several attempts to push them back, she had no choice but to accept them.
Worried she might feel obligated, Ding Heyu reassured her, “These two summit spots were agreed upon by all of Wutai’s leadership, not something I personally decided. So you don’t need to feel burdened because of my personal request last time.”
Hearing this, Su Tao immediately felt more at ease. She even invited Ding Heyu’s group to stay for lunch in Taoyang.
Lunch was prepared by Chef Qin and delivered by his wife—four dishes and a soup. Sitting in the cool first-floor cafeteria, Ding Heyu let out a long sigh of relief.
He suddenly felt guilty toward his wife.
If she hadn’t left everything behind in Dongyang to marry into Wutai, she might have had the opportunity to settle in Taoyang now. She could have lived in a comfortable and spacious home, eaten fresh and delicious meals, and never had to worry about medical care or pregnancy.
After lunch, Lin Fangzhi had already prepared the supplies Wutai had ordered.
The quantity was three times that of the last order, earning Su Tao a net profit of over 400,000 federal credits, even after deducting costs.
After Ding Heyu left, two small base organization leaders arrived. Su Tao didn’t even need to meet them in person—Lin Fangzhi had already prepared their orders, allowing them to load up their trucks and leave directly.
Even as they drove off, the two leaders were still in disbelief.
So the rumors were true—Taoyang not only had abundant supplies but also fair prices.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough crystal cores to pay the membership fee. Each time they bought goods, they had to pay an additional crystal core.
They knew that from a long-term purchasing perspective, it wasn’t cost-effective. But their bases were small, and they simply couldn’t collect eight crystal cores at once.
After the two groups left, Lin Fangzhi handed over two more crystal cores to Su Tao.
Including these, she now had 11 in total.
She really wanted to expand Tao Chi to 1,000 square meters and set up a logistics and trade center so that in the future, all base organizations cooperating with them could pick up supplies directly from Tao Chi.
But then she thought about future upgrades—she’d need to unlock more land to develop animal husbandry.
And then there was the maternity hospital. She also wanted to incorporate the 1,500-square-meter orphanage into it…
Eleven crystal cores were just a drop in the ocean.
After much deliberation, Su Tao decided to use six crystal cores to expand Tao Chi to 1,000 square meters first.
Selling supplies was currently her only source of crystal cores. She needed to build this up as much as possible to accelerate her takeover of Dongyang.
Rather than spending all 11 crystal cores without even fully covering the orphanage, it was better to invest in Tao Chi first to speed up core collection.
After expanding Tao Chi, she didn’t rush to start construction immediately. Instead, she took a map and consulted with Old Mei and his apprentice, outlining her plans:
“There will be two zones. One will mainly serve as a parking lot for cargo trucks. Customers can’t just park outside—if their goods get stolen, it’ll be a huge problem. Parking within our managed area will be much safer.”
Old Mei agreed, nodding. “Indeed. We’ll design it as a parking lot to ensure smooth vehicle entry and exit.”
Su Tao continued, “The second zone will be smaller—a simple one or two-story building to accommodate customers who want to discuss business. Also, there should be two private offices—one for Fangzhi. Fangzhi, do you have any specific requirements?”
Lin Fangzhi was caught off guard by the question and shook his head.
Old Mei chuckled, “Fangzhi has improved so much over the past six months. He can now negotiate deals on his own.”
He still remembered how, six months ago, Fangzhi barely spoke and didn’t know much about anything.
It was all thanks to Su Tao’s guidance—keeping him by her side and even hiring teachers for him.
Su Tao was pleased as well. It was a good thing she had Fangzhi to help with business transactions, or she would have been overwhelmed.
Especially with his 1,500-square-meter spatial ability—he saved her from having to spend crystal cores on building a warehouse.
It was also incredibly convenient. He could simply prepare the goods in Taoyang, store them in his space, and then, with a wave of his hand, place them next to the customers’ trucks. The customers only needed to load them up.
Though his communication skills still needed improvement, Taoyang’s growing reputation meant that buyers treated him respectfully. No one gave him a hard time for speaking slowly.
Su Tao planned to have Fangzhi take full charge of all business dealings in the future, so setting up his own office was necessary.
She also needed to update his salary and benefits to match Qian Rongrong’s, starting this month.
Lin Fangzhi, however, had no idea she was considering all this. He was simply grateful to be able to help her.
That afternoon, Su Tao held a short meeting to finalize the five attendees for the upcoming Alliance Summit.
Of course, she would attend, and Jiang Yu, who never left her side, was going as well. Lin Fangzhi, as the business representative, was also a must.
As for the remaining two spots, Manager Zhuang Wan needed to go, and after some discussion, the final spot was given to Ma Dapao.
Ma Dapao was thrilled. “Boss, I’ll make sure to network with as many people as possible and spread Taoyang’s name even further.”
Qian Lin was a little envious. She had really wanted to go. With the plantation now producing enough crops for Taoyang and Dongyang, she was hoping to use the summit to market Taoyang’s fresh produce.
She also wanted to get her hands on new plant seeds for Wu Zhen. Song’s team had yet to provide any updates, and she was getting impatient.
Others also hoped to attend. After all, the Alliance Summit was renowned—attendees could connect with major leaders, enjoy rare delicacies, and listen to research presentations from esteemed scholars in Changjing.
The first two days were for learning and networking, while the final day featured a trade fair showcasing rare and valuable items.
Su Tao took note of their enthusiasm and decided that in the future, she would rotate attendees each year so that everyone would have a chance to go and gain experience.
After the meeting, Qian Lin asked Ma Dapao to keep an eye out for seeds at the summit’s trade fair. If there were any rare plants available, she wanted him to request approval from Su Tao to buy them.
Ma Dapao readily agreed.
Qian Lin then added, “I’ve also heard that the trade fair sometimes sells advanced agricultural techniques. If there’s anything on hydroponics, soil cultivation, or grafting, be sure to take note.”
She listed several things, and still feeling uneasy, decided to write a memo for Ma Dapao to bring along.
