"Our county's supply and marketing cooperative alone definitely can't handle such a large order, but there are other places too," Song Nianchu said with a smile.
"Other places? What do you mean? Are you saying Director Sun plans to sell our canned goods elsewhere?" Aunt Wu looked puzzled.
"Something like that, but I still need to confirm some details with Director Sun. Aunt Wu, please keep things running here for now. Brother Gangzi and I will make another trip to the county," Song Nianchu replied.
"No problem, go ahead," Aunt Wu said, eager to know whether this deal would go through. If it did, it would be truly wonderful.
Song Nianchu nodded and took Wu Gang back to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Sun Wenshi wasn’t surprised to see Song Nianchu return in person. After all, such a sudden increase in orders would naturally raise questions.
"Comrade Song, have some tea first," Sun Wenshi said, pouring a cup for both Song Nianchu and Wu Gang.
"Thank you," Song Nianchu said. The walk had left her thirsty, and she drained the cup in one go. Wu Gang followed suit.
Sun Wenshi had never seen anyone drink tea like that before and chuckled as he refilled their cups.
After two cups, Song Nianchu finally felt her throat ease up.
"Director Sun, you’re ordering seven hundred cans of each variety tomorrow?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes," Sun Wenshi confirmed.
"Is this a one-time order, or will it be a daily requirement?" Song Nianchu pressed.
"It should be a long-term arrangement," Sun Wenshi said. Since Xiang Tianyi refused to deal with Song Nianchu directly, the orders would have to go through him.
Hearing it was long-term, Wu Gang’s hands trembled with excitement as he held his teacup.
"If it’s long-term, we’ll need to sign a contract. An order this size means we’ll have to secure a lot of raw materials, and we may also need to adjust the deposit," Song Nianchu explained.
"A contract? Could we start with just tomorrow’s order first? I still need to finalize the duration of the long-term arrangement," Sun Wenshi said after a moment’s thought. He had to check with Xiang Tianyi about how long they intended to keep purchasing.
"Of course. If you don’t mind the hassle, we can sign daily contracts if needed," Song Nianchu said, unfazed. As long as there were orders, she’d handle any complications.
"Haha, no need for that. Let’s sign today’s first," Sun Wenshi said with a laugh, pulling out a blank sheet of paper.
He jotted down some terms and handed it to Song Nianchu.
After reviewing it, she nodded. "Everything else looks fine, but I’d like to add one more clause."
"Go ahead," Sun Wenshi gestured.
"All canned goods purchased from our village must retain our original labels. If anyone removes or replaces them without authorization, we reserve the right to take legal action, including public apologies and compensation," Song Nianchu said firmly.
Sun Wenshi’s expression faltered for a moment before quickly recovering.
"Why bring this up so suddenly, Comrade Song?"
"I’ve noticed similar fish cans appearing on the market. To prevent counterfeit products from damaging our village’s reputation, I thought it best to include this clause," she replied with a smile.
Sun Wenshi studied her for a moment before asking cautiously, "No room for negotiation?"
"None," Song Nianchu stated firmly.
"Alright, since you insist, we’ll add it," Sun Wenshi conceded, recognizing that while Song Nianchu seemed easygoing, she wouldn’t compromise on her principles.
"Thank you for understanding, Director Sun," Song Nianchu said, reaching into her small cloth bag and pulling out a can.
"What’s this?" Sun Wenshi looked surprised. Was she trying to bribe him?
"Don’t misunderstand, Director Sun. This isn’t a bribe. It’s a new product I’ve been working on—fermented black bean smoked fish. I brought it for you to try and see if there’s room for improvement," she explained.
"You’ve already developed another product?" Sun Wenshi was astonished.
"With similar products popping up in the market, I figured we needed something new to keep customers from getting bored and turning elsewhere."
Sun Wenshi stared at her for a long moment before nodding with a smile.
"In that case, I’ll gladly accept it." He then added, "How about I pay half the deposit upfront? Would that work?"
Originally, he had planned to offer only a third, but after receiving the can, he changed his mind.
"That’s fine. However, tomorrow’s delivery might need to be split into three batches—morning, noon, and evening," Song Nianchu said, her eyes curving into crescents.
"No problem," Sun Wenshi agreed.
"Perfect." Once all details were settled, both parties signed and stamped the contract. Sun Wenshi promptly handed over the deposit.
"Thank you for your support, Director Sun. I’ll personally ensure the quality of our products to protect both your reputation and the cooperative’s," Song Nianchu assured him.
Sun Wenshi felt there might be a subtle jab in her words, but he couldn’t find fault with them and simply nodded.
Once outside, Wu Gang could no longer contain his excitement.
"Nianchu, did we really just land such a huge order?"
"The contract’s signed. Do you still doubt it?" Song Nianchu laughed.
"Heh, it just feels unbelievable. Seven hundred cans—that’s more than we’d sell in several days before!" Wu Gang grinned sheepishly.
"The workload will be heavier now," Song Nianchu reminded him.
"We don’t mind hard work as long as there’s work to do!" Wu Gang declared immediately.
More work meant more income for the village, and by year’s end, everyone would have more food and money—no more going hungry.
"If that’s the case, let’s go stock up on ingredients," Song Nianchu said.
"Let’s hurry! We don’t want the freshest supplies to sell out," Wu Gang urged, already walking ahead.
Song Nianchu followed, amused.
…
The supply and marketing cooperative ordered seven hundred cans of each variety, while the state-run restaurant ordered two hundred. Combined, that made nine hundred cans per variety—a total of eighteen hundred cans.
This was no small quantity. That evening, Song Nianchu mobilized every able-bodied villager to help.
Though everyone had already worked during the day, no one refused the extra hours.
Like Wu Gang, they all saw the cans as money—money that would eventually end up in their pockets.
Even Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian stayed up late at home, printing labels until their heads drooped, yet their hands never stopped moving.
As for Sun Wenshi, after Song Nianchu and Wu Gang left, he went straight to see Xiang Tianyi.
