Chapter 23: Landing a Big Client

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Yi Jixiang quickly covered her nose and whispered, “What is that? What kind of smell is this, Yi An’an? This is the supply and marketing cooperative—we only sell pickles from state-owned factories. Do you think any random junk can be sold here?”

“Exactly! What is this stinky tofu with crab roe and scallions? Never even heard of it—it must be a scam!” another female colleague chimed in and came over.

Last time, Director Han had only casually chatted with Yi An’an, and hadn’t taken it seriously. He didn’t expect her to actually bring eight types of pickles today. Although the supply and marketing cooperative only sells products made by large state-owned factories, these pickles she brought did look quite appealing…

As Director Han hesitated, a stylishly dressed woman walked in, carrying a small waxed leather handbag.

When Director Han saw the woman, he quickly set aside Yi An’an and went up to greet her, “Sister Lan, what brings you here personally? Just say what you need and I’ll have someone deliver it! Is Director Shen feeling better these days?”

Nearby, that same colleague nudged Yi Jixiang and whispered, “See her? That’s Director Shen’s wife from the county’s Bureau of Industry and Commerce. She’s very generous—if we serve her well, she gives tips! Sometimes even one or two yuan at a time!”

Yi Jixiang perked up and was about to go over.

“What’s that smell?” Sister Lan sniffed and asked.

Director Han froze and quickly glared at Yi An’an. “Take your stuff and leave!”

Yi An’an frowned. Fine—if they wouldn’t take her goods here, she could just set up a stall outside. Her products were good; she wasn’t worried about selling them.

“Wait!” Sister Lan stepped forward and looked at the items in Yi An’an’s basket. She eventually picked up a jar of stinky tofu.

The stinky tofu Yi An’an made was only mildly fermented—it didn’t smell too strong and had a slight pleasant aroma. But for people who didn’t like stinky tofu, it could still be off-putting.

“Director Han, this young lady isn’t from our cooperative, she’s—”

“May I try it?” Before Director Han could finish, Sister Lan asked Yi An’an.

Yi An’an nodded.

Sister Lan asked Director Han to bring a new pair of chopsticks and picked out a piece to put in a bowl.

“You should add a bit of sesame oil!” Yi An’an said. “Though it’s still good even without it.”

Sister Lan glanced at Director Han.

Director Han muttered under his breath, “Always after rare stuff…” Still, he fetched a bottle of sesame oil, opened it, and drizzled a little on top.

Sister Lan took a bite. Her eyes lit up more and more. She looked at Yi An’an and asked, “You’re not local, are you? People here don’t know how to make this.”

Yi An’an smiled and replied, “I’m from Yanjia Village nearby. But this tofu recipe came to me in a dream—an old lady told me about it. I tried making it, and it turned out delicious!”

Sister Lan paused. “You said an old lady? What did she look like?”

“I don’t remember exactly. I only remember her saying her granddaughter loved to eat this. During the famine years, there were no vegetables—just dry cornbread—and this tofu helped make it edible.”

In her past life, Yi An’an had made this same tofu and given it to a neighbor. The old lady had burst into tears, saying it tasted exactly like the one her grandmother used to make.

Yi An’an didn’t know why Sister Lan liked it so much, but since she was clearly someone important, it was worth trying to get close to her.

Sister Lan lowered her head, eyes slightly misty, and softly said, “My grandma used to make tofu like this too… How much is it? I’ll take it.”

Yi An’an quickly replied, “I can’t sell it here—Director Han said I’m not allowed to.”

Sister Lan turned to look at Director Han.

He hurriedly said, “Sister Lan, it’s not from the state-owned pickle factory. Our cooperative has regulations…”

“If the state-owned factory could make pickles this good, they wouldn’t be struggling to pay wages!” Sister Lan shot back.

Director Han gave a wry smile. It was true—the pickle factory was state-owned, with the government covering losses. But this year, due to budget constraints, funds hadn’t arrived and the workers hadn’t been paid.

“Young lady, I can’t control what the cooperative does. But I like your pickles. Sell them all to me!” Sister Lan took out ten yuan. “And make more—deliver it to my house every three days. Ten times a month, and I’ll make sure you’re well paid!”

Sister Lan was one of the cooperative’s biggest customers. Her household had grown tired of meat and now preferred pickles. Though pickles weren’t worth much, having clients like her husband—Director Shen—was invaluable to the cooperative.

Director Han quickly said, “Sister Lan, I can’t help it—our policies…”

Sister Lan gave him a look. “It’s fine. I can recommend that the pickle factory buys her recipe!”

Then she ordered someone to carry away all the pickles.

“I came here today just to buy pickles. Now that I have them, that’s it. Young lady, I live at No. 7 Wenhua Road. Ask around and you’ll find it. I’ll be waiting for your deliveries—and who knows, maybe next time I’ll have good news for you!” She swung her bag and left.

“Wow, just a few jars of pickles for ten yuan?” The moment Sister Lan left, the other staff finally dared to speak up.

“Right? And delivering every three days—for a month, that’s ten trips. That’s a hundred yuan! More than our two-month salary!”

“So much pickle—won’t she die from the salt?” muttered Yi Jixiang, fuming with jealousy.

Yi An’an glanced at her, sneered inwardly, then stepped forward and said sweetly, “Sister, here—you take this ten yuan. If you hadn’t told me Sister Lan was coming today, I wouldn’t have been able to sell my pickles!”

Director Han, still annoyed that Yi An’an had stolen a big client, turned to look sharply at Yi Jixiang.

Yi Jixiang had only heard the first part and reached out for the money. But upon hearing the second part, she froze and looked up to see Director Han glaring at her. She hurried to explain, “Director Han, don’t believe her—I had no idea!”

She’d only started work a few days ago and didn’t even know who Sister Lan was!

Yi An’an cheerfully tucked the ten yuan back into her shoulder bag and drawled, “Oops, I spoke too soon. But don’t worry, Jixiang—now that we’ve landed Sister Lan as a big client, I’ll keep making pickles, and you can be the one to deliver them. Once every three days, better pay than standing here all day!”

Yi Jixiang was seething. This Yi An’an—before, you could kick her twice and she wouldn’t say a word. Now she was sharp-tongued and even knew how to set people up!

“Looks like my little temple can’t hold your big Buddha anymore!” Director Han said coldly. “Yi Jixiang, you want to stay, you stay. If not, leave. Plenty of people are lining up for this job!”