Chapter 106: Acting Only as a Middleman, Without Profiting from Price Differences

Chapter 106: Acting Only as a Middleman, Without Profiting from Price Differences

When Auntie Zhong returned with Fu Yuanhang and Mu Mu, Su Taotao and Xia Zhiqiu were already in line to get their meals.

Auntie Zhong brought the two children over, and the scene of three adults and four children lining up together was quite impressive.

Chenchen and his "mode of transport" were too eye-catching, and almost everyone who saw them would stop to take a second look.

Chenchen covered his little face to prevent others from looking, but the more he did so, the more people found him adorable and couldn't help but smile.

As soon as Chenchen saw his young uncle, he reached out to be carried by him.

If it weren't for worrying about his mother getting tired, he would have asked her to carry him long ago.

Fu Yuanhang thought the little guy missed him and happily carried the child, his lips curling into a smile.

Earlier, Auntie Zhong had answered everyone's questions in one go, so now everyone knew they were the key trio of the new factory. No one dared to bother them with more questions, and the meal was peaceful.

The happiest person during the meal was Mu Mu. It had been so long since he last ate in the cafeteria. Today, he didn't have to endure Auntie Zhong's cooking and could eat with Fu Yuanhang and Chenchen. He couldn't be happier.

"Auntie Zhong, can I eat in the cafeteria every day from now on?"

Auntie Zhong tapped his head with her chopsticks: "Don't be silly, of course not. It's cheaper to cook for yourself."

"Sigh," Mu Mu sighed, deciding to cherish the meal while he could.

Chenchen and Dongdong were also very happy. It was the first time the two children had a meal together, sharing each other's fish cakes and seaweed shreds, enjoying the food more than usual.

But after taking a bite of the fish cake, Chenchen said, "My mom's cooking is tastier~~"

Dongdong replied, "I think the cafeteria food is delicious."

Xia Zhiqiu: "..."

After the meal, Fu Yuanhang and Mu Mu went straight back to the classroom for their afternoon nap.

Chenchen didn't want to follow his young uncle back to the classroom and instead went with his mother to the co-op store to buy ingredients for dinner before heading home.

After another afternoon of discussions and revisions, the factory's plans were finalized.

The leadership was quite impressed with Su Taotao's capabilities and entrusted her with full responsibility for the factory, including the scheduling of construction. The construction team had submitted an application, allowing Su Taotao to directly coordinate with them without any interference.

Su Taotao planned to take care of this matter tomorrow.

Auntie Zhong and Xia Zhiqiu's task was to determine the approximate number of old coconuts on the island and then decide how many workers to send daily to harvest coconuts based on production capacity.

They also needed to contact the sugar factory to ensure the raw materials were ready before production began.

Su Taotao had already provided Fu Zhengtu with the dimensions for production tools like large iron pots, big spatulas, aluminum basins, cutting knives, and pressure bars, asking him to help source them.

Finally, there was the recruitment plan. They tentatively decided to hire thirty people, including assembly line workers, part-time workers, teachers for the nursery class, and a security guard.

This scale was already much larger than Su Taotao's initial plan.

When Fu Zhengtu returned with the materials needed for the oven, Su Taotao had already prepared dinner.

At the same time, Fu Zhengtu brought back good news:

The leadership was very confident in her coconut candy and had convinced headquarters to include it as a snack at the mid-year review meeting at the end of the month, with each attendee receiving a box as a gift to take home.

In the past, after meetings, leaders would always bring back specialties from affiliated factories of other sister units. This time, it was finally their turn to have their own specialty.

The leader was particularly pleased and specifically instructed Fu Zhengtu to ensure that Su Taotao completes the first batch of coconut candy before the end of the month, so they could take them to the capital and show off.

During the era of planned economy, where goods were scarce, Su Taotao never had to worry about selling her products.

This meant that even before the factory opened, the first batch of products had already been pre-ordered. Su Taotao thought to herself that the leader had enough confidence in her, and a strong start is always a good thing.

Su Taotao smiled and said, "Alright, a strong start. Tomorrow I'll go back and tell your leader that I'll definitely give them an 8.88% discount, for prosperity."

Fu Zhengtu rarely laughed.

When a man who doesn't often laugh does, the impact is doubled. It might be an exaggeration to say the world seemed to fade, but for a moment, the sunset behind him did seem to dim.

But seeing his smile, Su Taotao felt a pang of worry, and she cautiously asked:

"Your leader isn't thinking of not paying or asking for credit, is he? That won't do. Personal feelings are one thing, business is another. In business, payment and goods must be settled immediately, no credit or unpaid debts. The payment for the goods and the initial investment in the base are two different things; mixing them up would cause chaos."

Fu Zhengtu couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like this.

He rubbed Su Taotao's head, "What are you thinking? The accounts between the bases and headquarters have always been clear. The tea snacks and gifts are not provided for free; they are sold at market price. The base is just helping you get business, acting as a middleman without making a profit."

Su Taotao patted her chest, "That's more like it."

Su Taotao waved her hand, "It's fine, I'll quietly raise the price a bit. You just tell the leader that I gave headquarters an 8.88% discount out of respect for him. He saves face, and I make a profit, a win-win."

The smile on Fu Zhengtu's face never faded, "I never noticed before that you have the makings of a shrewd entrepreneur."

Su Taotao raised an eyebrow at him and nodded at his cheek, "I never noticed before that you have a little dimple here."

After saying that, Su Taotao stood on her tiptoes and kissed the spot she had just pointed to, then let go, "Ah~~" mimicking Chenchen's tone, "I was wrong, it’s not a dimple—it’s a laugh line."

Fu Zhengtu held Su Taotao's slender waist with one hand, pulling her closer and holding her tightly in his arms, his dark eyes swirling with emotion.

Su Taotao struggled and whispered, "Chenchen is watching."

Fu Zhengtu held her even tighter, leaned down, and kissed her lips heavily, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Do you want to stay up all night?"

Su Taotao surrendered, rubbing her nose against his, "I was wrong, I won't tease anymore. Let's get ready for dinner, Yuanhang is coming back."

Fu Zhengtu looked at her deeply, then let go, only to feel something tugging at his pants.

Fu Zhengtu looked down and met the eyes of the little guy who hadn't even reached his thigh height...

"Daddy~~ what are you playing~~ Chenchen wants to play too~~"

Fu Zhengtu: "..."

Su Taotao couldn't stop laughing, bent down, and picked up the little guy, touching his nose with hers just like she had done with Fu Zhengtu, "We're playing the nose-booping game."

"Ah~~" Chenchen suddenly understood, shaking his head, "Not fun~~"

Su Taotao laughed and kissed him, then the sound of the door opening came from outside, "Go see if it's your uncle coming back, get ready to wash your hands and eat."