Things aren’t as convenient and developed as they will be in the future, with the internet being so accessible. 

At this time, finding rental information online was still quite time-consuming. The few information service websites that later became big and strong were just beginning to emerge. If you didn’t go through an agent, you had to search for rental information on local forums. 

Lu Nan could indeed spend time collecting information and then visit each house one by one. She had a car and knew how to talk, so it wasn’t difficult — but it wasn’t necessary. 

The cost of living in Hua’an City was significantly lower than in Hailin City. She had already gotten a rough idea from browsing the forums. A basic one-bedroom apartment here would cost around 800 to 1,400 yuan per month, depending on the location. After being promoted to city manager, Lu Nan received a monthly housing allowance of 2,000 yuan, which was more than enough to find a decent place in Hua’an. 

Finally, Lu Nan didn’t have to settle for subpar accommodation. She told the agent her requirements: a one-bedroom apartment, a good community environment, and a parking space. 

The agent, seeing that she had arrived in a Mercedes, figured she probably wasn’t short on cash. He carefully selected a few listings from the database and first showed her on-site photos and videos. 

Lu Nan chose three options and asked the agent to take her to visit them. 

During the viewing, Lu Nan received a call from the city manager of Hua’an, who was about to step down. She nodded apologetically at the agent, stepped a few paces away, and answered the call. 

“Hello, Manager Liu. Yes, I just arrived this afternoon. Dinner tonight? No, maybe in a few days. I’d like to get my housing settled first. Let’s wait until Saturday when everyone’s at the weekly meeting, then we can all have a farewell dinner for you. It’s settled then. I’ll sit in on your morning meeting tomorrow, and I’ll also need you to help me visit the local distributors—Hongtu Liquor and Sifang Construction, right?” 

The other party said something on the phone. 

Lu Nan smiled nonchalantly: “I heard that the owner of Hongtu Liquor has been dealing with family matters recently, so he might not be in the mood to discuss contract renewal. However, since the distributor contract is still within its renewal period, I should go and visit him. It’s settled then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Manager Liu.” 

The agent glanced at Lu Nan once, then again. 

At first, he thought she was a rich girl, but after hearing her on the phone, she seemed more like a career woman. 

But she looks so young! Feels like she’s even younger than me… 

The agent’s feeling wasn’t wrong. 

An hour and a half later, Lu Nan finalized the rental agreement and took out her ID to help the agent draft the contract. 

The agent was once again stunned: She really is younger than me. Are young people these days already this capable? Renting a 2000 yuan per month apartment for a year, with a deposit, three months’ rent, and the agent fee, that’s 9000 yuan! 

Even though he was surprised, the agent remained professional and completed the lease agreement between the landlord and Lu Nan. Lu Nan glanced over it — it was a standard contract, no special amendments needed — and paid promptly, receiving the keys on the spot. 

She could even move in today. 

Of course, considering the dust, her nose might not handle it well. 

Lu Nan said to the agent, “There’s one more thing I’d like to ask. I saw your company offers cleaning services? I plan to move in tomorrow but need someone to clean the place first…” 

Whether it was a rich girl or a career woman, neither seemed like they enjoyed cleaning. The agent quickly understood: “Yes, yes, yes. In addition to buying and renting properties, our company also offers services like nannies, housekeepers, and cleaning. I’ll arrange for a cleaning lady to come and clean the place by noon tomorrow. Is that alright?” 

Lu Nan nodded. “Before noon, please. Thank you.” She then handed the keys back to the agent. 

It wasn’t that she was being extravagant or careless. 

Although the rent was a little higher, the community was a mid-to-high-end one in Hua’an City. There were security guards at the entrance, and the building had access control downstairs. The 2000 yuan rent included parking and property management fees. Lu Nan preferred to spend a bit more for safety and peace of mind. 

As for the keys, she would change the lock after the cleaning, so handing them to the agent was no problem. 

That night, Lu Nan slept well. The next morning, she appeared promptly downstairs at the Hua’an City office. 

The office was on the second floor of a self-built house, nothing like the sleek office buildings of the Hailin branch. 

But the self-built building was new, clean on the outside, and the conditions weren’t too bad. 

As Lu Nan understood, Hua’an City had been undergoing urban renovation for the past few years, and many locals had benefited from this policy. 

According to the government’s plan, they built uniform-looking four- or five-story buildings at a low cost, with the first floor used for shops, the basement and second floor rented out, and the top floor for the landlord’s residence. 

Many families could live comfortably just by collecting rent. 

Was it enviable? Of course it was. 

Who wouldn’t envy such an easy way of making money? 

Lu Nan looked at the rows of red-brick buildings in front of her with a sigh, feeling a bit envious. Then she locked her car and scolded herself silently: What are you dreaming about? Unless you marry a local only child with rural household registration and land, this kind of good fortune has nothing to do with you. Wake up, Lu Nan! Get to work! There’s a bunch of seasoned veterans waiting for you upstairs! 

“Young lady, you can’t park here,” a woman in her fifties or sixties called out just after she had taken a few steps. 

Lu Nan looked at her little Benz: it was clearly parked in a marked spot. 

Then she looked at the woman. Was she the landlord? 

Lu Nan smiled and asked, “Hello, are you the landlord?” 

The woman nodded, “Yes, this building is mine. Young lady, parking spaces are very tight in our village. Except for our people and tenants, other cars have to park in the outside parking lot.” Even though it had undergone urban renovation and was now called “xxx street, xxx community,” the landlord still referred to it as the village. 

“Hello, Auntie, I’m a tenant on the second floor — from Yuan Chuan Liquor Sales Co., Ltd. The previous Manager Liu is being transferred, and I’m taking over his position. My name is Lu Nan.” Lu Nan showed her business card. Although it hadn’t yet been updated with her new title, the company’s standardized layout made it easy for the landlord to understand. 

The landlord was somewhat skeptical: “So you’re going upstairs? Let’s go up together, and I’ll ask your company’s Xiao Zheng.” 

After all, rent and utilities were all handled by office assistant Zheng Jing, who was a local and knew the landlord well. 

Lu Nan followed the landlord upstairs. 

Her identity was of course no problem. Zheng Jing, having seen Lu Nan’s photo, stood up from her desk when she saw Lu Nan and greeted her: “Manager Lu, good morning.” 

“Good Morning, Zheng Jing. We’ve only talked on the phone and over email before—this is our first time meeting in person,” Lu Nan greeted her in return. 

The landlord whispered in the local dialect to Zheng Jing: “Xiao Zheng, is your new manager this young?” 

Zheng Jing nodded: “Yes, she just transferred here from the provincial capital.” 

The landlady, speaking in somewhat unpolished Mandarin, said to Lu Nan: “Manager Lu, from now on, you can park your car near this building when you come to work. If there’s no space downstairs, you can park by the building next door—that one belongs to my in-laws.” 

Wuwuwu, still so envious. 

“Alright, thank you, Auntie,” Lu Nan replied with a smile. “You can just call me Xiao Lu from now on.” 

“You’re welcome.” As the landlady left, she couldn’t help but wonder: Why is this manager so young? 

After she left, Zheng Jing quickly explained, “The others live nearby, so they usually show up right on time.” 

Whether it was habit or a deliberate choice to arrive at the last minute didn’t really matter. Lu Nan didn’t mind at all. “No problem, I arrived early anyway.” 

About fifteen minutes later, all the city office staff based in the urban area had arrived, including Manager Liu. 

Before the morning meeting began, Manager Liu stood up and said, “Let me introduce someone. This is Manager Lu, our future city manager for Hua’an. Let’s give her a warm welcome.” 

There was enthusiastic applause from the group. 

Lu Nan had been seated to Manager Liu’s right. She stood up, glanced around the room, and smiled as she spoke. “Hello, everyone. My name is Lu Nan. I believe most of you already know who I am. There’s no need to introduce yourselves just yet—let’s have Manager Liu start the morning meeting first. Afterward, colleagues based in the city can walk me through the information I requested in the email attachment yesterday. That will help me better remember your names and your respective channel responsibilities. I won’t take up more of your time now. Manager Liu, please go ahead.” 

After she finished speaking, Lu Nan nodded to Manager Liu to signal him to continue and sat back down. 

Manager Liu was briefly taken aback by how direct and efficient Lu Nan was. Then he recalled the dinner meeting they had a few days ago in Hailin for the monthly meeting and thought to himself: This Manager Lu might be more than just someone with a strong tolerance for alcohol. 

The channel sales staff present at the meeting now had a rough impression of the new city manager. 

When they received the forwarded email from Zheng Jing yesterday, they assumed this Manager Lu probably didn’t know much about channel work—understandable, since it was said she had been promoted from the group-purchasing department. But after meeting her today, they felt something was off. Whether or not she understood the business, it was clear that this manager had a strong personality. She didn’t seem easy to get along with, and it was uncertain whether she could be easily placated. 

Lu Nan sat in on the meeting and found Manager Liu’s session rather uninspiring. 

But she could understand—after all, Manager Liu was about to leave his post, so it made sense that his heart wasn’t really in the Hua’an office anymore. 

As for the sales rep seated below… Lu Nan observed them one by one. As expected, they were quite similar to the old hands at the Hailin office. All the summaries of yesterday’s work and plans for today were vague and lacking in substance. 

To be honest, the only reason Yuan Chuan Liquor had sold well in recent years was due to its long-standing brand recognition and public awareness. Relying on this kind of sales team alone—it wasn’t surprising that competitors had overtaken them in the past couple of years. 

About fifteen minutes later, Manager Liu turned to Lu Nan and said, “Manager Lu, that’s all from my side. What do you think?” 

“Alright, let’s begin,” Lu Nan replied, pulling out her notebook and pen. She looked at the middle-aged man seated across from her. “Huang Dafang, you’re the supervisor for the premium tobacco and liquor channel. Please give us an overview of your channel.” 

Huang Dafang, a local of Hua’an in his thirties, short and slightly overweight, cleared his throat and smiled as he spoke from his seat. “Hello, Manager Lu. In the premium tobacco and liquor channel, we currently have just one distributor in the city—Hongtu Liquor. Sales weren’t ideal last year. This year, I plan to lead my team to explore the market more and aim to develop new distributors.” 

Lu Nan waited a few seconds, then asked, “That’s all?” 

“That’s all,” Huang Dafang replied as if it were perfectly normal. 

Lu Nan nodded slightly, tapped her fingers twice on the desk, capped her pen, and set it down. Then she looked around the room and spoke calmly, “As of the end of December last year, there were 235 premium tobacco and liquor shops in Hua’an city. The report Zheng Jing sent me shows that all five Yuan Chuan product lines are stocked in 70 of those shops. Three or more product lines are in 121 shops, and at least one product line is in 198 shops. As for the surrounding counties and cities, there are 533 such shops in total. But due to lower economic development, the market there mainly sells lower-priced products through general distribution channels. We’ll talk about that later.” 

“If any of you are unclear about the data for your channels, feel free to talk to me. I have a rough dataset here that might serve as a reference.” Lu Nan paused, then gave Huang Dafang an encouraging smile. “Supervisor Huang, I think being a local is an advantage for you. This year, you could focus on deepening coverage in the city. Try to have our Yuan Chuan liquor stocked in more shops with multiple product lines, especially aiming to increase the rate of stores carrying three or more lines. We’ll determine a specific target figure after this meeting. What do you think?” 

Huang Dafang… felt uneasy. 

Being a local, he had mostly been coasting through the job. Market visits and stocking efforts were typically handled by his subordinates. After receiving the email yesterday, he had taken a glance at the information for his channel, but his memory was so poor he couldn’t remember much when it was time to speak. 

The moment Lu Nan rattled off the data for the city and surrounding counties, he knew—this new city manager was not going to be easy to deal with. 

So, he stopped smiling and frowned instead. “Manager Lu, increasing stocking rates… well, that’s really not an easy thing to do…” 

“No need to rush, Supervisor Huang. I know this isn’t something that happens overnight. That’s why I said we’ll discuss it further after the meeting,” Lu Nan replied, glancing at him before turning to the next person. “This must be Luo Junjie, right? Supervisor Luo, please go ahead and tell us about the supermarket channel in the city.”