"No, I kept an eye on her all afternoon yesterday, personally walked her home, and even stayed with her for a while at her place. From the way she looked, she’s truly moved on and won’t try to take her own life again," Aunt Wu replied in a hushed tone, glancing at Meng Yingying.
"Oh, that’s good to hear," Song Nianchu nodded.
Still, something felt slightly off, but it was undoubtedly a relief that the girl had chosen not to end her life.
After finishing the canned goods, Wu Gang and the others prepared to make their delivery. Song Nianchu reminded them to stop by the market and pick up some more ingredients on their way back.
Wu Gang readily agreed and pushed the handcart toward the county town.
Watching the slightly wobbly cart, Song Nianchu thought to herself that once the village had some extra funds, she’d ask the village chief to buy two or three carts from Mu Shi'an.
By the time the morning shift ended, Wu Gang and his team returned with the fresh ingredients.
One person stayed behind to guard the supplies at the village office while the others went home for lunch, planning to switch shifts later.
In the afternoon, Song Nianchu joined them to deliver the goods to the supply and marketing cooperative. After all, Wu Gang and the others hadn’t met Sun Wenshi yet, and she also had a promise to fulfill with the elderly woman from the day before.
As they neared the cooperative, they spotted a large crowd gathered outside.
"Is the cooperative always this busy? It’s not even a holiday," Wu Gang remarked, puzzled.
Normally, there might be a line of a dozen people at most, but today, it looked like dozens had gathered.
Song Nianchu’s heart swelled with joy at the sight—this turnout was even bigger than yesterday’s.
"Brother Gang, hurry, let’s get over there!" she urged excitedly.
Wu Gang didn’t quite understand why she was so thrilled. A bigger crowd might mean a longer wait to hand over the goods.
"Look, isn’t that the girl from yesterday?" someone in the crowd outside the cooperative called out, spotting Song Nianchu.
The moment those words were spoken, heads turned in her direction.
"Yes, yes, it’s her! I remember that lovely smile," the elderly woman from yesterday chimed in.
"Hello, everyone!" Song Nianchu greeted them warmly as she approached.
"You actually came, girl," the elderly woman said, almost disbelieving.
She’d told her family about the encounter yesterday, and they’d all insisted she’d been scammed. It had kept her up at night, and she’d arrived early today, half-expecting no one else to show. To her surprise, others had beaten her there.
"Of course I came—I made a promise," Song Nianchu replied, then turned to Wu Gang. "Brother Gang, hand me that specially prepared can of fish."
"Got it," Wu Gang replied, retrieving the single can from the side of the handcart.
Song Nianchu took it and handed it to the elderly woman.
“Here’s the fish can I promised you yesterday. I made sure to pack a little extra for you,” she added in a whisper.
The woman accepted it, examining the label closely before nodding in recognition.
"This is it—exactly the same as the one we had at the state-run restaurant!" she exclaimed, showing it to those around her.
Soon, everyone crowded around to take a look.
"See here? Our village’s name is printed right at the bottom—Qinghe Fishing Village. From now on, when you buy canned fish, look for our Qinghe Yuan brand," Song Nianchu announced, pointing to the label.
"We’ll remember! We’ll only buy the ones with your village’s name on them," the elderly woman affirmed.
Others nodded eagerly, as if committing the label to memory.
Pleased with the response, Song Nianchu turned back to Wu Gang.
"Brother Gang, bring out another can for everyone to sample."
"But we don’t have any extras," Wu Gang hesitated.
"It’s fine—take one from Director Sun’s order. We’ll just deduct it from his payment later," she assured him.
"Alright." Wu Gang quickly fetched another can and even opened it for her.
"Friends, thank you for supporting Qinghe Yuan! This can is on me—anyone who hasn’t tried our product yet, come and have a taste!" Song Nianchu called out.
At the mention of free samples, the crowd surged forward.
The single can wasn’t enough to go around, leaving many empty-handed, watching enviously as others got to try it.
Once the excitement had peaked, Song Nianchu spoke up again.
"Don’t worry if you missed out—Director Sun has ordered another two hundred cans from us. If you’re interested, you can start lining up now!"
The quicker ones dashed to the front, and soon, a long line formed.
Sun Wenshi, who had witnessed the entire scene, was astounded. He stared at Song Nianchu with newfound admiration.
Where did this young girl get all these clever ideas?
Thanks to her strategy, the two hundred cans they’d delivered sold out instantly. Some buyers, afraid of missing out, grabbed two or three at a time.
Word spread, and soon, even more customers flocked to the cooperative.
Sun Wenshi, surveying the packed store, gave Song Nianchu an impressed thumbs-up.
"Comrade Song, today I’ve learned what it means to say ‘there’s always someone better.’ Compared to you, I’m utterly outmatched."
"You’re too kind, Director Sun. These are just small tricks—nothing remarkable," she replied modestly. In her time, free samples were a common marketing tactic.
"Comrade Song, I’ll take another two hundred cans tomorrow," Sun Wenshi said, regretful that he’d only ordered a hundred the day before as a test. Now, he wished he’d taken more.
"Of course. I’ll deliver them at the same time tomorrow," Song Nianchu replied with a smile.
"Perfect," Sun Wenshi nodded eagerly.
He led them to his office to settle the payment for the day’s delivery—even covering the cost of the free sample, insisting that Song Nianchu’s efforts had brought the cooperative significant business.
Unable to refuse, Song Nianchu accepted graciously.
"..."
After leaving the cooperative, the group headed back to the market. With the increased orders, the handcart couldn’t carry everything, so they each carried some bags.
Unbeknownst to Song Nianchu, shortly after they left Sun Wenshi’s office, someone else arrived to see him.
Sun Wenshi was tallying the afternoon’s sales when a shadow fell over him.
He looked up to see a familiar face.
