In fact, Ms. Huang Li wasn’t as relaxed as she appeared. 

However, she had already started realizing that her actions in the past few years were a huge mistake. She was also eager to take this opportunity to get back on track, hoping not to… have her daughter, who had just graduated from university, worry about her so much. 

Although there was no financial pressure at the moment, and the matters regarding her new company had been expedited by an agent, there were still many things for her to handle. 

A brand new office space needed simple renovations, mainly glass partitions. She had to purchase desks, chairs, computers, printers, and other office supplies, set up electricity, internet, and lighting, arrange for a landline phone, and print business cards… Before the New Year, there was only the $30,000 USD order from Xu Chengzhi, so there was no urgency to hire people. Even if no new clients were acquired after the New Year, there would be no rush to hire staff—however, once she started this line of business, she would inevitably need to build the company’s structure. 

Ms. Huang was determined to focus all her energy on this. She almost wished she could split herself into eight parts. 

Especially since there was also a son in her hometown, who had just started junior high. Although he had a two-week break every time, with her staying in Hailin City long-term, as her daughter said, if anything came up and she couldn’t make it back over the weekend, she would have to trouble her mother or older sister to prepare a few meals for him during the holidays. 

Ms. Huang Li was planning to go back over the weekend to arrange for the “support” at home. 

Lu Nan asked, “How about I drive you back? In a few days, you’ll need to bring a change of clothes anyway. It’ll be tiring to carry them on public transport.” In fact, Ms. Huang had been thinking about getting a driver’s license for many years, but she had always been too busy. Later, when she looked at the theoretical part, she thought she couldn’t remember all the traffic rules, so she kept putting it off. 

“Can’t I just send it by express?” Mrs. Huang Li asked with a smile, “Alright, you’re a newbie with a new car. Don’t show off. You’re already taking a single day off—are you going to ask for leave or rush back and forth in one day? Aren’t you worried about the hassle?” 

She shrugged, as Mrs. Huang Li always managed to make kind words sound harsh. 

Lu Nan didn’t insist but reminded her, “Just remember to take some motion sickness medicine.” 

It was quite strange—her grandmother didn’t get motion sickness, and neither did her younger brother, Lu Yang. 

The only two who got motion sickness in the family were Ms. Huang Li and Lu Nan. 

… 

A legitimate agency works quickly when it comes to handling business. By Monday, when Ms. Huang Li returned to Hailin, all the licenses she needed had been expedited and completed. 

On November 25th, Weigou Import and Export Trading Co., Ltd. officially began operations. 

Ms. Huang Li, following her daughter’s order list, placed an order for liquor from Green Trading. Before signing the procurement contract, she bargained again. This time, with a firm order in hand, she was able to confirm that there had indeed been room for negotiation in Green Trading’s previous quote. In the end, she managed to reduce the price by another two points. However, when she requested the invoice, Manager Ni’s expression was less than ‘pleasant.’ 

After signing the contract and making the payment, there was no need to move the goods immediately, as her small company only had an office and no warehouse. Where could she store the goods? 

So, Ms. Huang directly contacted Rong Wei at CIMC Logistics using the phone number her daughter had provided. 

Rong Wei gave a fairly reasonable sea shipping quote (and secretly, Ms. Huang had also called other shipping companies to inquire), and arranged for a truck to go directly to Green Trading to pick up the goods. 

When Green Trading’s warehouse staff asked where the goods would be taken, the CIMC Logistics driver remained tight-lipped. He only said that he was following the dispatcher’s orders and that he was tasked with picking up the goods and delivering them to their company’s logistics warehouse. 

That evening, Lu Nan took Ms. Huang to a Cantonese restaurant. “First order, let’s celebrate with a good meal.” 

Ms. Huang originally wanted to say, “Why waste money on this? We can eat at home.” But she held back, and when her daughter ordered the fourth dish, she finally said, “Order as much as you’ll eat, don’t waste food.” 

“It’s okay, if we don’t finish, we can take it home. Mom, you can put it in the fridge and heat it up tomorrow,” Lu Nan guessed that with Ms. Huang being so busy lately, she probably wouldn’t have time to cook properly and would just make simple meals like vegetable and egg noodles for breakfast and dinner. 

Lu Nan guessed correctly. 

Ms. Huang thought about it. With leftovers from tonight, she could just make some noodles for tomorrow’s meals, which would be convenient—eating vegetable and egg noodles for several days, though, even with added ham, she would soon get tired of it. 

Before the dishes arrived, Lu Nan got down to business. “Our city manager at the company definitely has eyes and ears at Green Trading, so he’s probably inquiring about the shipment situation.” 

“You said before that the dealership rights still need to be signed, and we’re just waiting for your manager to take the initiative to talk to me?” At some point, Ms. Huang had become comfortable asking her daughter business-related questions. If she didn’t understand, she’d ask. After all, it was her daughter, so there was no shame in it. 

Lu Nan shook her head. “Manager Wang doesn’t have the authority to make such decisions. This matter needs to be decided by the regional general director.” 

Ms. Huang nodded. “What I’m worried about isn’t that your company won’t give the dealership rights, but that if you do, the contract price might be too high, and I won’t have enough funds to handle it.” 

Lu Nan laughed. “Mom, do you think any dealer has the full contract amount ready when signing the contract? Theoretically, having about one-eighth to one-tenth of the total contract value as the first batch payment is enough. Green Trading has too much inventory, so if Yuan Chuan ask for too much, you can always just continue getting goods from Green Trading. It will be a bit troublesome once their inventory is cleared, but that would take at least half a year. By then, Brother Xu’s procurement list will definitely be more extensive. As for the alcohol part, if you want to do it, go ahead. If the negotiations fall through, just leave it.” 

Ms. Huang gave her daughter a look. 

Lu Nan understood. She was thinking: “Such big talk.” 

Just as the waiter brought a bowl of soup, Lu Nan attentively served a bowl to Ms. Huang. “Drink some soup.” 

After a few sips of soup, Ms. Huang was able to speak properly again. “If possible, we should still try to secure the rights. After all, the policy support for exporting white liquor is really strong. Plus, this is high-value, small-volume goods. A single shipment of this type will earn more than lower-value products.” Although she had only made one shipment so far, Ms. Huang clearly hadn’t relaxed. She had been studying related knowledge all along. 

“Alright, I’ll definitely help you secure the Harmony liquor dealership rights,” Lu Nan smiled. 

After the meal, Lu Nan took her mother back to her place. 

Ms. Huang said, “You can sleep here.” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “It’s too far from the office. If I hit the morning rush, I’ll go crazy.” 

“Then it’s up to you,” Ms. Huang showed no concern, but added, “Drive slowly on your way back.” 

“Got it.” 

*** 

The news that Green Trading had sold a batch of Harmony Liquor quickly reached Manager Wang of Yuan Chuan. 

How did he find out? Was it not possible that he had a good relationship with certain salespeople at a former prospective distributor? 

In fact, he even learned Green Trading’s selling price and the name of the company that made the purchase. 

Just as Wang Xinglong was preparing to pull some strings to investigate where this Weigou Import & Export Co., Ltd. was located, who its owner was, and what their background might be, Lu Nan knocked on his office door. 

“Lu Nan, what’s the matter?” Manager Wang asked. 

Lu Nan smiled, closed the door, and sat down across from the desk. “Manager Wang, I wanted to talk to you about Green Trading’s inventory.” 

“Hmm, I remember you mentioned last time that one of your clients bought three cases of Harmony Liquor and said it was pretty good after trying it. What, are they looking to buy more?” Wang Xinglong thought, even if they wanted ten or twenty more cases, that would barely make a dent in Green Trading’s inventory. 

“Yes.” Lu Nan nodded. “But this time they went directly to Green Trading and ordered over 200,000 yuan worth of Harmony liquor.” 

Manager Wang immediately sat up straight. “Over 200,000?” That matched the news the liquor salespeople from Green Trading passed to him a few days ago. 

“It was a company called Weigou, right?” Not only did he sit up, but Manager Wang also leaned forward, staring intensely at Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan confirmed, “Yes.” 

“Aiya!” Manager Wang pounded his right fist into his left palm, clearly frustrated. “How did they end up contacting each other directly?” Now that the buyer and seller were dealing directly, yet another potential distributor was likely lost. 

“Actually, I was the one who introduced the owner of Weigou to Green Trading,” Lu Nan admitted. 

Manager Wang was stunned. He didn’t get angry right away but asked, puzzled, “Lu Nan, you don’t strike me as someone who would make such a basic mistake by violating company policy.” 

Lu Nan explained, “Actually, the owner of Weigou is my mother. She primarily deals in import and export trade. This time she needed Harmony Liquor because a foreign client placed an order—the three cases before were sample shipments for that client.” 

This left Manager Wang momentarily speechless. 

By rights, Lu Nan silently helping sell the liquor overseas was a good thing and deserving of praise. But since it bypassed the city office and involved her mother, the matter became more complicated. 

Manager Wang frowned slightly. “This is a bit complicated.” If taken seriously, Lu Nan’s actions could be seen as using her position to privately connect with end clients and harm company interests. Even though he did admire her, and wouldn’t go as far as to escalate things, Manager Wang still felt a bit disappointed. He figured Lu Nan was probably here today to resign. 

What a shame. Chen Xiao was even planning to recommend her for the provincial group purchasing manager role. Manager Wang, who was a seasoned player in the business world, had already noticed how Chen Xiao treated Lu Nan differently. 

Lu Nan said with a hint of helplessness, “It is indeed a bit complicated. Mainly, the overseas client was rushing the order, and given the friction between the city office and Green Trading, I was worried that going through official channels would fall through. That’s why I had my mother go to Green Trading directly to source the stock as an emergency solution. Of course, the intention was to follow the proper process afterwards.” 

Manager Wang, who had been leaning forward, slowly leaned back again because he heard one key word: sourcing. 

“So, your mother is interested in becoming a distributor of Harmony Liquor?” 

“Yes.” 

That was great news! Manager Wang’s eyes lit up. “Lu Nan, I really didn’t misjudge you. Your personal abilities are indeed outstanding!” 

Lu Nan didn’t take the compliment seriously and continued, “But the complicated part is, my mother doesn’t want to be a distributor in Hailin City.” 

Manager Wang almost lost composure but managed to maintain his expression thanks to years of sales experience. 

“She wants the distribution rights for Harmony liquor in the United States.” Lu Nan was clearly aiming high. Not only had Yuan Chuan Liquor never entered foreign markets, but national-level distribution rights were an enormous contract! 

After hearing her out, Manager Wang felt like he had just ridden a roller coaster. Once Lu Nan finished speaking, he finally said, “It is complicated. You’ve been here almost six months now, and you’ve seen our internal files. You should know that our company’s liquor is only sold domestically. We’ve never granted overseas distribution rights.” 

“Manager Wang, here’s what I think…” Lu Nan said calmly. “Even though our company has never signed any foreign distribution rights, that doesn’t mean the leadership is unwilling to, right? Maybe the strategic timing just hasn’t come yet. Of course, I’m just a newcomer—I know nothing, just sharing my own shallow thoughts.” 

Manager Wang nodded with interest. “Go on.” 

Lu Nan continued, “I did some research. Data shows that one-third of the world’s distilled spirits come from China, but they mainly sell well only in the domestic market. Meanwhile, whisky, another distilled spirit, has a 30% share of the global market—that’s more than 30 times the market share of Chinese liquor abroad. True, in the past, issues like inconsistent quality standards and taste/alcohol content made it hard for Chinese liquor to go international. But I think our Harmony Liquor might have potential in overseas markets. Based on the feedback my mother received from her client, after promoting it at several bars in the U.S., local customers seem receptive to the taste.” 

“Also, I believe that because our company hasn’t signed any overseas distribution deals yet, if you—Manager Wang—were the first to pull it off, headquarters would surely take notice. Hailin is a port city. If Harmony Liquor is going to be exported, what better place than here? My mom even moved her company here because of the fast and easy import-export logistics. I figure, even if the distribution rights are for the U.S., once her local distributors there wire over the dollars, and she converts them into RMB for headquarters, the transaction record will still show Hailin as the bank location.” 

Though Lu Nan spoke slowly, her words sparked a glimmer of hope in Wang Xinglong. Indeed, if her mother was willing to take on Harmony Liquor, it would help resolve Green Trading’s inventory issues. As for the overseas rights? No matter which country they sold to, it would be an untapped market for the company. Each bottle sold would help boost brand recognition and open doors abroad. 

Lu Nan added, “What’s more, you know very well that currently, except for state-backed national liquor brands, no domestic brands have signed official overseas distributors, nor have they implemented policies or shipped products in significant volume abroad. If Harmony Liquor can gain recognition overseas through second-tier dealers, it would greatly enhance our brand visibility both at home and abroad.” 

Wang Xinglong was indeed moved by Lu Nan’s words, but… 

“This isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll need to consult with Director Tong,” he said, a bit hesitantly. 

“I understand. A few words from me definitely don’t carry much weight. But whether for public or private interest, I really do hope Green Trading’s inventory can be resolved in a satisfactory way,” Lu Nan said with a smile.