Huang Dafang was the first to give a report. 

In fact, this week he has been very proactive, which is truly incredible. 

Every morning during the meeting, his updates on the progress and sales statistics of Tequ liquor made Huang Dafang appear energetic. Unknowingly, he had already worked hard for an entire week without slacking off. During today’s weekly meeting, he eagerly volunteered to be the first to stand up, wanting to mention that thanks to his and Hu Yueqing’s efforts, the sales of Tequ liquor at the famous cigarette and liquor stores in the urban area of Hua’an had significantly increased: “According to data provided by the shop owners, it can be estimated that the sales of Tequ liquor this week are about double compared to usual, especially for the lower-priced Tequ 3-year and 6-year varieties. This is still only with me and Xiao Hu pushing things forward. If we had a bit more manpower…” The unfinished sentence was understood by everyone. The distributor Hongtu Liquor is currently in turmoil, and their salespeople are like sheep without a shepherd, lacking motivation. 

Huang Dafang even spoke with a slight disdain when mentioning them. 

This is actually because he didn’t have a clear understanding of his own work attitude before. 

Anyway, when he criticized the people from Hongtu Liquor, most of the business supervisors couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What’s going on, what’s going on? Don’t I have the right to turn over a new leaf and strive under Manager Lu’s leadership?” Huang Dafang sarcastically pretended to be angry at his colleagues, then smiled obsequiously at Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan nodded helplessly and praised him, “Manager Huang, you’ve worked hard this week.” 

“It’s not hard at all, Manager Lu, you’ve worked harder. You’ve been running around the surrounding counties this week. I’m just learning from you!” Huang Dafang’s flattery was very straightforward, showing that sometimes being experienced is not just about avoiding laziness but also about speaking in a greasy way. 

Next was Li Bin from the distribution channel. He is usually stationed in Weipu City, so this week, the market promotion and sales tracking in the Hua’an urban area was mainly done by Qian Xin. However, the weekly report was still given by Li Bin. 

Lu Nan sat at the head of the meeting table, observing Qian Xin’s expression closely. 

She knew that Li Bin was just reading off a script, but she didn’t interrupt. As the city manager, she only needed to ensure that the general direction was correct and that the sales targets were met at 80% or more. 

As for how the policies were implemented and by whom, that wasn’t too important. 

Although the small bottle liquor from the distribution channel is only priced in the low teens, its sales growth surpassed that of Tequ liquor in the famous cigarette and liquor channel. 

Behind this, Qian Xin put in a lot of effort. Within a week, he visited nearly a hundred small shops and grocery stores, building relationships with the owners, adjusting shelf displays to put the Yuan Chuan liquor in prominent positions, and redesigning the store setups with promotional posters. If Huang Dafang’s sales had doubled earlier, the sales of the small liquor were a solid 10% higher than doubling. 

A city office has only about ten people, and there are even fewer in the urban area. Lu Nan knows exactly what everyone does every day. 

Qian Xin is honest, but maybe a bit too honest. 

Lu Nan thought to herself, “I’m willing to give him a chance, but he needs to be able to handle the work himself.” For now, she’d keep watching. 

The supervisor of the food and beverage channel, Guo Yu, was also not stationed in the urban area. However, he directly told his subordinate, Feng Yi, “You’ve been busy in the urban area this week. You should report.” 

Feng Yi nodded and started the report. 

Since he directly managed the food and beverage stores where the Tequ liquor had been distributed, it was his job to visit the stores periodically and verify bottle cap usage. 

Given that the bottle cap fee subsidy is paid by the distributor, with Yuan Chuan providing the liquor, Lu Nan couldn’t increase the prices for restaurant staff without going through Hongtu Liquor. However, she took a different approach and approved some company materials (notebooks, pens, ceramic cups, non-woven bags, umbrellas, etc., which were originally intended for distributors) for Feng Yi to give to the staff. 

Lu Nan’s exact words were: “I’ve checked. Our Yuan Chuan Tequ liquor’s bottle cap fee is the same as the competitors in the same price range. It’s worth it if the staff can help us promote a little bit more.” 

Feng Yi visited dozens of restaurants on Monday, delivering materials worth less than 200 yuan, and the sales of Tequ liquor and the small liquor in the food and beverage channel saw a sharp increase this week. 

Over the next four and a half days, he continuously visited the restaurant staff with small gifts. 

This week, the sales of Tequ in the food and beverage channel were impressive. 

Lu Nan nodded in satisfaction, and Guo Yu, the supervisor, also felt proud, patting Feng Yi on the shoulder. 

The only two who hadn’t given their weekly reports were the supermarket channel supervisor, Luo Junjie, and Liu Yang. Luo Junjie seemed to be sitting on pins and needles in the meeting room. 

Although Liu Yang hadn’t spoken either, she was about to leave, so it wasn’t fair to compare her with others. 

Lu Nan saw Luo Junjie’s discomfort and calmly called on this young supervisor, who had joined last year, to give his report. 

Luo Junjie’s report was naturally the most lacking in content among the four channels. 

He was puzzled. Before, under Manager Liu, everyone would slack off, but compared to them, he had been relatively diligent. Now that Manager Lu was in charge, it seemed that everyone had transformed, and he was the one left without direction. But who knew? He was really trying hard, just struggling to find the right approach. 

His frustration almost overflowed, and his report became more and more lighthearted until it was quickly wrapped up. 

Lu Nan understood this feeling very well. After all, who hasn’t gone through this stage as a newcomer? 

She actually had high hopes for Luo Junjie, but he still carried too much of a student-like demeanor, and his ability to handle pressure was lacking, so this week, she deliberately tried to test his patience. 

In reality, as the city manager, how could she neglect any of the five channels? 

Lu Nan nodded calmly, indicating she understood, and then said, “There are only eight days until the holiday. What are your plans, Supervisor Luo?” 

Luo Junjie was now most afraid of this question, as he was already feeling lost: What else could he do? How could he revive the supermarket sales? 

“If you have no objections, let’s start visiting the counties outside the city together on Monday,” Lu Nan said. Although it was a question, she didn’t give him a chance to refuse. 

At this point, neither Luo Junjie nor the entire office would entertain any rumors like “Lu Nan and Luo Junjie are both university graduates from last year, young and of similar age. Will there be any ambiguity between them when they go out to visit the market together?” Because Lu Nan was too capable, too formidable for any such rumors to even be considered. Even Huang Dafang treated her with utmost respect. 

Luo Junjie? Ambiguity? He didn’t even deserve that. 

This was the thought in everyone’s mind: They were totally mismatched, and Luo Junjie was like a mouse facing a cat when dealing with Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan unilaterally decided on Luo Junjie’s work arrangement for next week and then turned to Liu Yang, saying, “Sister Liu Yang, I’m sorry to hear about your resignation. I hope this decision is something you’ve thought through.” 

The meeting remained quiet, with Liu Yang, who had been in a daze, replying, “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve worked with Hongtu Liquor and Sifang Construction in Hua’an. Hongtu Liquor has a large client management team, but I don’t have any client information here. Sifang Construction mostly gives away their goods to their clients, and President Zhang has always said it’s inconvenient to give us contact information, so there’s nothing for me to hand over. I’m ready to leave at any time.” 

Lu Nan gave Liu Yang a deep look. 

She had already tried to persuade her twice, but if someone doesn’t want to stay, you can’t force them. 

Everyone is an adult, and Liu Yang had plenty of social experience. She wouldn’t starve after resigning from Yuan Chuan. 

“So… let’s part on good terms. I hope this is the result you want,” Lu Nan thought. 

“Alright, then please organize whatever materials you have and hand them over to Zheng Jing,” Lu Nan said, glancing at the office staff. Zheng Jing nodded to confirm. 

Lu Nan checked the time and added, “If there’s nothing else, we can adjourn the meeting.” 

The team scattered, saying their goodbyes to Lu Nan. 

Before leaving, Huang Dafang patted Luo Junjie on the shoulder, silently implying: “Work harder, kid.” 

Lu Nan packed up her tablet and phone and called out, “Liu Yang, wait for me.” 

Upon hearing this, everyone else hurriedly left. 

Liu Yang waited by the door of the meeting room for Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan finished packing, turned to Zheng Jing, and said, “Check the doors, windows, and utilities. You can go home now.” 

“Okay, Manager Lu,” Zheng Jing replied, happy to leave an hour early. 

Lu Nan and Liu Yang headed downstairs, where the landlord’s aunt was still at the door, drying radish greens. 

Lu Nan greeted her and was handed a plastic bag of dried radish greens. If Lu Nan hadn’t said she couldn’t finish them alone, the landlord’s aunt would have given her two bags: “These radishes were grown at home, dried naturally, no pollution. Add some pork belly and garlic leaves, stir-fry them, and they’re delicious!” 

“Thank you, Auntie. I’ll try it tomorrow,” Lu Nan smiled and said. 

After spending about ten days together, the landlord’s aunt had grown quite fond of the new manager. The young girl was sweet-spoken and polite, easy to like. It was just a pity her job was tough, working in sales, always driving around. 

With a sense of regret, the landlord’s aunt said, “Don’t be shy. If it tastes good, just ask me for more.” 

Lu Nan waved goodbye to the landlord’s aunt and said to Liu Yang, “Are you heading home? It’s on the way; I’ll give you a ride.” 

Liu Yang replied, “I’m not going in the same direction today.” 

Lu Nan shrugged casually, “Alright, then I’ll say this here. Your resignation report is still pending at the provincial office. Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll notify Zhu Lingling to continue the process. We can finish the formalities before the New Year. You haven’t received last year’s year-end bonus yet. According to company policy, after resigning, you forfeit the bonus, but I’ve already spoken to Director Wu, and since your resignation is this year, you will still receive the full bonus for last year.” 

Liu Yang listened and opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. 

“No need to thank me. I just did what a city manager should do.” 

A city manager, besides being responsible for the contracts, shipments, and payments of a prefecture-level city, also has to be responsible for their subordinates, fighting for the benefits they deserve. 

After Lu Nan finished speaking, she opened the car door, placed her bag and dried radish on the passenger seat, then drove away. 

Liu Yang’s figure grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. After Lu Nan made a turn, she could no longer see the other person.