Chapter 44: Is She About to Strike It Rich?

Around 4 p.m., Xie Yunshu deliberately changed into a clean wool coat. It was the one Li Fenlan had bought for her when she got married to Xu, costing nearly a hundred yuan — the most expensive piece of clothing she owned.

Both she and Xie Yancheng had inherited Li Fenlan’s looks: fair-skinned and striking. Her glass-colored eyes sparkled with light, and with just a bit of effort in dressing up, she could look stunningly aggressive in beauty. She looked in the mirror but wasn’t satisfied. She ended up tying her hair into a low ponytail and wrapped a mustard-yellow scarf around her neck, covering half of her face.

The beauty in the mirror instantly lost some of her luster.

Li Fenlan frowned. “Yunshu, tie your hair up higher — it looks more energetic.”

Xie Yunshu had beautiful features and a smooth, full forehead. Revealing it made her even more attractive.

“Mom, what if they think I’m unreliable?” Xie Yunshu rubbed her face. She needed to look more mature.

She was going to the construction site where meals were sold — part of a development project in Haicheng. Word had it that the tallest building in the city would be built there. It would take at least three to five years to complete, and the large empty area behind it would also be developed. It was a long-term project.

Xie Yunshu rode her bike to the site entrance and was immediately stopped. The security guard sized her up and, seeing she was a young girl, spoke mildly: “Comrade, you can’t enter freely.”

“I’m here to see Manager Tian to discuss supplying boxed meals,” Xie Yunshu replied calmly, parking her bike. She smiled politely. “We agreed earlier today. If you’re unsure, feel free to check.”

The guard recalled something the leadership had mentioned in the morning. He took out a register. “Please sign in. You can’t ride the bike in. Head down that small two-story building — Room 201 upstairs is Manager Tian’s office.”

Xie Yunshu thanked him, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked in. The guard reminded her, “Stick to the outer path. Don’t go inside the actual construction site.”

The area was filled with rebar and busy workers. Walking along the path, Xie Yunshu spotted Li Shengli directing others carrying cement, along with some familiar faces. She didn’t greet them and went straight toward the two-story building.

The project was undertaken by Haicheng’s Civil Architecture Design Institute, and Tian Hao was the logistics manager. With strong family connections, he’d been assigned to grassroots training despite being quite young. The meal issue for the project team had troubled him for a long time.

Originally, it was something money could solve. But the state-run hotel in Haicheng refused to send staff for deliveries. A few self-employed vendors were contacted — either too expensive or poor in food quality. After several failed trials, no supplier was confirmed.

Construction workers managed their own meals, but the project team was different — composed of engineers and managers. If their meals weren’t handled well, Tian Hao, the logistics manager, would get the blame.

Just as Xie Yunshu reached the second floor, she heard a voice complaining:

“Brother Shen, this job is killing me. A grown man like me managing other people’s eating and drinking all day — it’s exhausting! My dad won’t let me go back either. He says big things are going to happen here!”

A slightly deeper male voice, tinged with amusement, replied:

“At least you’re not lugging bricks on-site. Be grateful. Uncle Tian’s right — investors from the south are stepping in. This area will be used for commercial housing. They won’t clear out for at least seven or eight years.”

“That long? Am I going to grow old here?” the first voice wailed. “It’s over, I’m doomed. I’m really going to be rooted in Haicheng!”

“Haicheng’s development isn’t worse than Jingbei. You’d be limiting your future going back. Besides, you won’t be in logistics forever.”

Hearing this, Xie Yunshu pressed her lips together. She knew she couldn’t keep listening — overhearing by accident was one thing, but continuing would be eavesdropping.

She cleared her throat and knocked gently on the ajar office door. “Excuse me, is Manager Tian here?”

Tian Hao turned his head. “Come in.”

Inside was just one desk. A young man in a down jacket sat behind it. His appearance was ordinary, but he carried himself with the confidence of someone from a powerful family. On a nearby armchair sat another man in army-green camo pants and tall leather boots — his long legs and commanding presence were intimidating, even without seeing his face.

Xie Yunshu didn’t dare to look around much. She was here for business — wandering eyes would be impolite. She stood by the door and introduced herself:

“I’m the one selling boxed meals outside the site. Qiangzi referred me.”

Tian Hao made a sound of acknowledgment, then looked at her with a hint of surprise. He had expected a middle-aged woman, not a young girl.

And she was… almost too pretty.

If the boxed meal hadn’t actually come from someone on-site, he might have thought she was part of a honeypot scheme sent by competitors.

Xie Yunshu didn’t flinch under his gaze. She stood confidently and said:

“I’d like to know the project team’s meal preferences — taste, price point, and meat-vegetable mix?”

“You made all the meals?” Tian Hao was skeptical. Looking at her fair face, he added, “You don’t look older than me!”

Xie Yunshu smiled. “Yes, I made them. Do you have any specific requirements?”

She didn’t comment on her age and had no intention of flirting.

Tian Hao rubbed his nose and coughed lightly. “One meat dish and one vegetable dish per person, plus rice. Just make sure everyone eats well and enough.”

He pointed to a corner of the office where dozens of aluminum lunchboxes were stacked. “We don’t use disposable containers — too wasteful. Come pick these up by 5 p.m. daily. Deliver lunch the next day before noon. We have thirty-two people total. Each meal is priced at one yuan. The meat and vegetable dishes are up to you.”

One yuan per meal — not a low price. Though she’d have to make an extra trip, the profit was considerable!

Xie Yunshu’s mind raced. For thirty-two meals — one meat, one veggie, and rice — her profit would be at least ten yuan. Add in what she made from selling large pots of food outside, and she could make more than twenty yuan a day…

Her heart thumped — Was she about to strike it rich?

“We’ll be evaluating regularly,” Tian Hao added. “Since these meals are for management, if people aren’t satisfied, we’ll end the deal at any time. Do you have any issues with that?”

Not a single one!

Suppressing her excitement, Xie Yunshu pulled a prepared sheet from her pocket and laid it on Tian Hao’s desk. “Here’s the menu I put together. Let me know if anything needs changing. I guarantee everyone will eat well and be full.”

A menu?

Tian Hao blinked. The letter paper was neatly filled with delicate handwriting from a fountain pen: seven meat dishes, seven vegetable dishes, a different combination for each day…