Chapter 99: Before the Factory Even Appears, They Dare to Boast

Qiu Yinuo reluctantly withdrew her gaze, saying, “During the promotion period, after all, if we wait much longer, there won’t be many peaches left. Time waits for no one. If we want to build awareness, we need to establish a solid foundation in the early stages and develop potential customers.”

Village Head Lin seemed to have understood, but he was still confused. In the end, he could only ask, “What are potential customers, and what exactly is this promotion period?”

Qiu Yinuo thought for a moment and tried her best to explain in simple terms, “For example, just because someone doesn’t buy now, doesn’t mean they won’t buy in the future. Or, let’s say they buy one bottle; that doesn’t mean they won’t buy two or three bottles later, or even give some to relatives and friends. These people are potential customers.”

“The promotion period is the time before the product is officially launched and when it’s still not well-known. During this period, we do everything we can to make people aware of our peach preserves and how delicious they are.”

Village Head Lin was truly enlightened; it was the first time he had heard such unfamiliar terms.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Could you see if we can buy your peaches in bulk during the early stage? We’ll make a batch of canned peaches to gift to others and help open up the market.”

Village Head Lin felt uneasy at that moment. If the peaches sold well, would they stop involving them?

That wouldn’t do.

To show that the Taolin Village was generous, Village Head Lin decided to send some peaches to them for free.

Qiu Yinuo acted as if it were difficult, “That won’t do. We can’t take advantage of your village like that.”

She glanced at the village head and quickly blinked her eyes.

The village head paused for a moment but immediately understood. It was a hint to stop while they were ahead.

“Comrade Qiu, since Village Head Lin has put it this way, we should be grateful.”

“Let’s listen to the village head.”

Village Head Sun, who was pleased that Qiu Yinuo had given him enough face in front of others, was deeply satisfied.

When Village Head Lin left, Village Head Sun generously sent him three bottles. “Take them back and taste the flavor. Leave the other two bottles unopened for now. You can see how well we’ve made it using the traditional method, and whether it’s something you can trust.”

Seeing how confident he was, Village Head Lin was also full of anticipation.

He carefully took the cans of peach preserves as if they were treasures, preparing to return to the village and discuss things with a few other village leaders.

Upon returning to the village, Village Head Lin was immediately surrounded by the villagers. Everyone asked questions all at once, “How was it, Village head? Did you tell them what we wanted from them in Ping’an Village?”

One question after another, and Village Head Lin quickly raised his hand to stop them. “Hold on, let me explain first.”

He briefly summarized the meeting process, emphasizing that Ping’an Village was very confident in their traditional canning method. He tapped the three differently shaped glass bottles. “I’ve brought back some peach preserves; let’s open one bottle and taste it first.”

“Let’s taste it.”

As soon as the bottle of peach preserves was opened, they could smell the fruity fragrance. One piece of peach was scooped out and cut into several portions. Each person took a bite.

The sweetness filled their mouths, and the soft texture of the peach almost made them bite their tongues.

After tasting one bite, they immediately wanted more.

“It’s delicious! If I had more, I think I could finish this whole bottle.”

“It’s really good, but the peaches are too soft. The flesh is mushy. I prefer them a little firmer.”

Village Head Lin patted the other two cans, saying, “Some are soft, some are firm. You can buy based on your personal preference.”

“Wow, that’s thoughtful!”

“This is way better than our village’s dried peaches. Those things are sour and astringent. After one bite, I didn’t want any more.”

“Secretary Yang, you’re saying that, but have you seen how much sugar is in that bottle of peach preserves?”

As soon as this was mentioned, everyone fell silent.

The cost was too high, and some things just weren’t worth it.

“The syrup is thick and sticky, it practically sticks to your mouth. Even mixing it with plain water would make it taste good.”

Village Head Lin wasn’t just looking at the peach preserves in front of him; he was thinking about the pricing, the cost, and ultimately, the profits.

The peach preserves were priced reasonably, but as Comrade Qiu had said, the strategy was to make a small profit and sell a large quantity.

“Isn’t this something we could make ourselves?” someone raised a new idea. “Peaches are from our village. If we could make it ourselves, why do we need to cooperate with Ping’an Village?”

“That’s right, we could give it a try. After all, this is a good thing for our village. If we can’t make it, then we can still think about a partnership later.”

This suggestion was immediately supported by the others.

Village Head Lin opened his mouth, wanting to tell them that Ping’an Village had no fear of others copying them because they were generous enough to share their canned peaches.

He knew what kind of people they were; they wouldn’t stop until they hit a wall. At worst, they’d try it and see how hard it was.

Secretary Yang frowned. “Isn’t this a bit unethical?”

“What’s unethical? No one’s going to punish us for taking advantage of this. Besides, we’re not doing anything immoral.”

They decided that this was something they’d have to leave to the wives at home. The men, of course, had no idea how to make it.

Soon, the village leaders gathered their wives and started cutting up the leftover peach preserves into small pieces for them to taste. “Do you think you can make this?”

“There’s nothing to it. As long as you’re willing to use enough sugar, it should work just fine.”

Village Head Lin gritted his teeth. “Alright, as long as you can make it, we’ll provide whatever you need.”

Soon, the Taolin Village got busy.

They made two versions: one soft, one firm.

The peach preserves were either too sweet or not sweet enough.

They discovered something: no matter how much sugar they added, the syrup wasn’t thick enough.

“Village head, do you think the ingredients they gave us weren’t complete?”

Village Head Lin nodded. “Definitely. They must have left something out; otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a big difference. It looks like making this kind of peach preserves ourselves is going to be impossible.”

“Pack up the rest, seal the lids, and see how long they can be stored.”

After Village Head Lin left, Village Head Sun took the others to the fields to work.

His calm attitude made the people in the neighboring Taolin Village wonder how Ping’an Village could be so relaxed. What tricks were they hiding?

Qiu Yinuo handed four jars of peach preserves to Qiu Qianjin. “One for the factory director, one for Director Liu and Xiao Li in the R&D department, and one for your master. Remember?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all down.”

“When you deliver them, don’t avoid anyone. If anyone asks, just say that our village is opening a canning factory and these are some new products we’re about to launch. I asked you to bring them to get feedback and suggestions.”

Qiu Qianjin thought his sister was really impressive. The factory wasn’t even established yet, and she was already making moves.

She wasn’t even worried about any potential setbacks.