Chapter 273: Liu Guojuan

Chapter 273 Liu Guojuan

When Su An and her brother got back to Granny Liang’s, they immediately pulled Granny Liang aside to inquire about the village workshop.

When Su An mentioned wanting to buy a bunch of foam containers, Granny Liang became super excited. After all, the workshop was owned by the whole village, and her family would share in the year-end profits.

“You want to buy our village’s boxes?”

Su An nodded. “Yes, Granny Liang. My mother is also in the food business. What your village produces is excellent—super handy, easy to use, and clean. I like it.”

Granny Liang’s eyes crinkled with delight. “You know what’s good! When the village first made them, a lot of folks didn’t see the point. They said they couldn’t be washed and were disposable, so even the wealthiest households wouldn’t use them.”

“After they were made, the village sent out several salespeople to promote them, but they couldn’t sell them. People thought oiled paper was better. Later, the village shops started using them themselves and found them very handy. That’s when they slowly began selling. They’re not expensive—just ten for a dime. Throwing them away doesn’t feel like a waste.”

“Granny Liang, do you have a lot of stock? I’d like to take a batch tomorrow. And how are the prices calculated?”

Granny Liang shook her head. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Old Chen—he’s in charge. There should be plenty. The machines run fast, 24/7.”

“Granny Liang, was this invented by your village? Your village folks are sharp to come up with such a great product.”

“Nah, the factory used to make foam boards—the kind for protecting appliances. The meal boxes appeared elsewhere first. Old Chen and the others thought they were good, so they started making them here too.”

Keen to help the village, Granny Liang was very enthusiastic. After just a few words, she took Su An to see Old Chen.

Old Chen, the manager of the village committee’s foam factory, was in his thirties. He assumed Su An was just another small-scale food vendor from the area.

The so-called factory was actually just a large metal shed, filled with the buzzing and clanging of machinery as workers bustled about inside.

Old Chen glanced at Su An and spoke with a thick accent. “Ten for a dime. Two hundred per bag. Ten-bag minimum—no small orders. Pay up front and grab your stuff.”

As he spoke, he pointed to a shorter shed next to the main one—the factory’s warehouse.

“Uncle Chen, how much stock do you have in the warehouse now?”

Old Chen hesitated for a second. “A batch was just taken today, so there should still be over a hundred bags left. You want the whole lot?”

Without waiting for Su An’s reply, he quickly added, “If you can take them all, I can give you a discount.”

Su An muttered to herself, “Over a hundred bags, two hundred per bag… that’s over twenty thousand…”

“Uncle Chen, how fast can you produce these?”

Old Chen’s eyes lit up. “Real fast. We can make many bags in an hour. If you need more, I can stop making foam strips and boxes to prioritize your order.”

Su An nodded. “Alright. I’ll take them tomorrow. I’ll buy as many as you can make by then. And this isn’t a one-off—I’ll need many more. Gimme your number and bank info. I’ll call and wire money later. I’ll leave you my address and contact info. We’ll work long-term, and you can handle the shipping for me.”

Seeing she was a big-time repeat customer, Old Chen beamed and nodded repeatedly. “You got it!”

Su An added, “Since this is a long-term partnership, we should also discuss pricing properly.”

Granny Liang was thrilled and grew much warmer toward Su An and her brother, calling her ‘Xiao Su’ all the time.

The next day, Liu Hongtao arrived as promised to help transport the goods. Not only was his truck stuffed full, but the roof of the cab was stacked over two meters high, and both sides were loaded with nearly a meter-thick layer of boxes. Even so, they still had to make multiple trips.

After arranging the shipping, Su An treated everyone to a meal. Once finished, she immediately dragged Ren San to check train tickets. Luckily, there were tickets for that night. The two bought their tickets, checked out of Granny Liang’s place, grabbed some road snacks, and eagerly set off for home.

Last time, when they had traveled with Chu Shuyu, the round trip took six days, plus three days in Yangcheng—ten days in total.

This time, since they got beaten up on the first day after arriving, rested the next day, then went to the coast to transport contraband, and today packed foam containers, they’ve already been away for nearly ten days. Even if they board the train tonight, it’ll still take thirteen days to get home.

With Wang Xiaocui’s temperament, she’s likely been losing sleep these past few days.

Su An and Ren San were itching to get back. The goods they scored this time were more than ten times the amount from last time. Before leaving, Su An had a heart-to-heart with Liu Hongtao. After learning during their seafood meal that he planned to become a major distributor, Su An had been set on partnering up with him.

From now on, she wanted to get merchandise straight from Liu Hongtao. She would call from City A, wire payments through the post office, and have Liu Hongtao handle the shipping.

It wasn’t that she was scared off by the southern environment, but the time investment of each trip was too high—over ten days just for the round trip, not to mention the risks in between.

If it meant safety and convenience, even if profits were lower, it was worth it.

Last time, while waiting at the train station, Chu Shuyu’s bag got lifted the moment she loosened her grip, and Su An’s bag was slashed. Learning from that experience, both of them were on high alert this time.

Finally, they boarded the train, found their seats, and finally breathed easy before taking turns resting.

…

“Aunt Wang~, are you ready?” Liu Guojuan called toward Wang Xiaocui’s house.

Inside, Wang Xiaocui swiftly pushed a cart out, responding, “Coming, coming!”

“What’s got you up so early? Is the child asleep?” Wang Xiaocui glanced at the baby strapped to Liu Guojuan’s back.

Liu Guojuan smiled and nodded. “Yes, asleep.”

“Where are the goods?”

“At my doorstep up ahead.” Liu Guojuan stepped forward to help push the cart.

As a divorced woman who had returned to her parents’ home, she was already grateful they had taken her in. She couldn’t bear to mooch off them, especially since she had a daughter to raise.

Her younger brother and sister weren’t married yet, and her elderly mother had even landed a dishwashing gig.

Though no one in the family complained, the pressure weighed heavily on Liu Guojuan.

Her brother, Liu Guomao, was already at the age to start looking for a partner. With their father’s past incident and now a divorced older sister living long-term at home, she worried it might make her brother look bad.

After the weather warmed up, Liu Guojuan had wanted to move out, but without a steady income, her mother wouldn’t hear of it.

Lately, hearing neighbors talk about how bold Aunt Wang was—running her own stand—Liu Guojuan set her sights on Wang Xiaocui.

After visiting Wang Xiaocui twice for advice and receiving encouragement, Liu Guojuan mustered the courage to start selling side by side with her.