"He wants to take my product for himself!" Song Nianchu enunciated each word clearly.
"What did you say?" Manager Li momentarily didn’t catch her words.
How could changing a label equate to taking ownership?
"He wants to put his label on the glass packaging of our product. After that, everyone will assume it’s manufactured by his company. At that point, who would even know it was actually produced by our Qinghe Fishing Village?" Song Nianchu explained more bluntly.
"What’s the issue with that? You’re still selling the goods, and he’ll pay for them, won’t he?" Manager Li still didn’t quite grasp her concern.
Song Nianchu didn’t fault Manager Li for his perspective—after all, in this era, the concept of branding hadn’t yet become widespread.
But she knew better. Building a strong brand was incredibly difficult, and once established, its value would far surpass the meager profits they were making now.
Xiang Tianyi was no fool. He had already recognized this and was trying to leverage her product to build his own brand.
If her ultimate goal had merely been to remain a contract manufacturer, she might have let it slide. But her ambitions stretched much further.
She wanted to create her own brand, grow it into something formidable, and eventually take it public.
That was why she absolutely couldn’t agree to Xiang Tianyi’s terms, no matter how much money he offered.
"But this label is a distinctive feature of our product—it’s also a crucial element for our future growth," Song Nianchu insisted.
"I can’t say I fully understand what you’re saying. All I know is you just turned down a huge deal!" Manager Li, untrained in modern business principles, struggled to follow her reasoning.
"It’s alright. If we lose this deal, we’ll find others. Our product is excellent—there’s no fear of it not selling," Song Nianchu said with a smile.
"That may be true, but customers as generous as him don’t come around often," Manager Li sighed.
Though he found it regrettable, the product belonged to Song Nianchu, so there was little he could do.
"You never know. As long as we maintain quality and have a platform like yours, Manager Li, we’ll definitely attract even better clients," Song Nianchu added, skillfully buttering him up.
After all, this trip had been a wasted effort for him.
"You’ve always had a silver tongue, girl. I just don’t get why you and Manager Xiang couldn’t see eye to eye," Manager Li sighed again.
But if he were honest, between Xiang Tianyi and Song Nianchu, he’d choose the latter without hesitation.
Not only had Song Nianchu done his family a great favor, but she was also reliable and easy to work with. With her, he barely had to lift a finger—just sat back and counted his earnings.
Xiang Tianyi, on the other hand, was all smiles on the surface but shrewd underneath. One misstep, and he’d leave you with nothing.
When he thought about it that way, perhaps the failed negotiation wasn’t such a loss after all.
"Maybe because we’re just not on the same path," Song Nianchu replied lightly.
They returned to the state-run restaurant, where Song Nianchu and her team prepared to leave with their cart. Before they departed, Manager Li hesitated but finally spoke up.
"Tomorrow’s order might need to be cut in half. My restaurant can’t handle that much inventory at once."
"No problem, Manager Li. We’ll deliver a hundred jars of each—two hundred in total," Song Nianchu assured him.
"Alright," Manager Li nodded.
With that settled, Song Nianchu led Wu Gang and the others away, heading to the market to procure ingredients for the next day.
Wu Gang and his companions hadn’t raised a single objection throughout the entire discussion—not even a question.
"Brother Gang, I just turned down such a big order. Do you resent me for it?" Song Nianchu couldn’t help asking.
"Why would we? If you refused, you must’ve had a good reason," Wu Gang answered immediately.
Having grown up in Qinghe Fishing Village, he’d only been to the county a handful of times in his life. The little literacy he had was taught by his father.
Business matters were beyond his understanding, but he trusted Song Nianchu completely—she would never harm them or their village.
If that Manager Xiang had been trustworthy, she wouldn’t have pushed him away.
"Exactly! That Manager Xiang looked down on us from the moment he saw us—always eyeing us sideways. We shouldn’t sell to him anyway!" Wu Chunsheng chimed in indignantly.
Seeing their reactions, Song Nianchu’s smile deepened.
This was exactly why she couldn’t help wanting to support them—they were such genuine, good-hearted people.
They deserved a better life.
"You’re absolutely right—we won’t sell to him! Come on, let’s go to the market for ingredients." With a cheerful wave, she led the group forward.
At the market, Song Nianchu took them to her usual supplier and introduced them to each other.
She let Wu Gang and the others pick out the ingredients themselves—having grown up in a fishing village, they knew exactly what to look for in terms of freshness. She didn’t need to supervise.
Meanwhile, she sought out the market manager.
"Comrade Song, you’re finally here! Any progress on the handcart matter?" The market manager asked eagerly the moment he saw her.
After trying her cart yesterday, using the others today had felt unbearably clumsy.
He’d been waiting since morning and was relieved to finally see her.
"Our village can take the order, but since you need three, production will take some time. We can only deliver them one by one," Song Nianchu explained.
"Wait—your village made those carts?" The manager was taken aback.
He had assumed she’d bought them elsewhere, never imagining they were locally crafted.
"Yes, our village artisans designed them. As you know, fishing hasn’t been profitable lately, so we’re exploring other ventures," Song Nianchu replied with a smile.
"Your village is full of talent!" The manager said admiringly, wishing he had such skilled people under him.
Then he wouldn’t have to outsource purchases.
"Your team has plenty of talent too," Song Nianchu flattered.
"Not compared to yours. But since your village produces them, this simplifies things. As for the timeline, I’m not in a rush—just deliver them as they’re ready. What’s the price?"
"We’ll follow market rate—twelve yuan per cart," Song Nianchu said.
"That low?" The manager was surprised.
He’d expected at least fifteen.
