Chapter 309 - 157: High Entry, High Exit (Middle Part)

Chapter 309: Chapter 157: High Entry, High Exit (Middle Part)

My uncle asked in a low voice, "Ah Miao, my tea restaurant wants to source some products from you guys."

"Uncle, you can just go through the distributors in the Xiangjiang River," Jiang Miao said, already understanding what his uncle was after.

My uncle shook his head. "The distributor’s prices are too high."

Jiang Miao shook his head, trying to reason with him. "Uncle, sending a separate shipment just for your restaurant won’t be much cheaper. The logistics for a small batch—transport, storage, and processing—will drive up the cost. Even if I give you the factory price, by the time you get it to the Xiangjiang River, it won’t be that much of a discount."

"Sigh! Every little bit helps." His uncle was still insistent on buying directly from the source.

Jiang Miao’s brow furrowed for a moment before he said with a hint of resignation, "Fine. I’ll have the sales department send you a separate shipment at factory price. You can arrange for the transport and customs clearance yourselves."

"Thank you, Ah Miao! Next time you’re over in Xiangjiang River, I’ll treat you to dinner." His uncle was overjoyed.

Jiang Miao knew exactly what his uncle was up to. He just wanted to leverage their family connection to become a reseller.

However, Hailufeng Company didn’t have exclusive distributors for each region, so he wouldn’t object if his uncle wanted to give it a shot. Besides, the factory price and the wholesale price were essentially the same thing.

In truth, Jiang Miao wasn’t optimistic about his uncle’s venture. The few distributors in the Xiangjiang River all had their own connections and an established clientele. It would be incredibly difficult for his uncle to snatch away their market share. Unless Jiang Miao personally intervened or his uncle could cultivate new customers, he might earn a little money, but he could forget about making a fortune.

Jiang Miao, of course, wouldn’t personally interfere with the distributors of one small region. Such matters weren’t worth his effort; it was simply beneath him.

Just then, his aunt, her face heavily caked in makeup, emerged from behind her two sons.

"Ah Miao! Long time no see! How come I don’t see your wife?"

"Auntie," Jiang Miao replied calmly. "Shuya’s pregnant. It wasn’t convenient for her to come up the mountain."

Her beady little eyes darted about. "Oh? Congratulations on becoming a father! As an experienced mother myself, I know pregnant women have to be careful about what they eat. My father has a secret recipe that guarantees a baby boy..."

"Ahem." His uncle tugged on her arm. "Saimei, why don’t you go burn the joss paper?"

"What’s the rush?" His aunt shot him a glare, then turned back with a smile. "Ah Miao, I..."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Auntie, but Shuya is having a girl," Jiang Miao said, shaking his head gently.

"Well..." For a moment, his aunt was at a loss for words.

Jiang Miao had no intention of wasting any more time on her.

Li Zixuan, who was standing nearby, saw the look on Jiang Miao’s face. After following him for nearly two years, he could naturally tell his boss was getting impatient, so he jogged over to bail him out.

"Boss, something’s come up at the company that needs your attention."

"Oh? I’ll head back right now." Jiang Miao turned and said with a smile, "Uncle, Auntie, Ah Feng, Ah Hua, something urgent has come up at the company, so I’m afraid I have to go."

As they watched Jiang Miao walk away, his aunt muttered under her breath, "Who does he think he is? Can’t even be bothered to properly pay respects to the ancestors."

His uncle, somewhat angry, reprimanded her in a hushed voice, "Saimei, that’s enough."

"Hmph."

「Down at the roadside.」

Jiang Miao got right into his pickup truck and headed for company headquarters.

He had actually already figured out some of his aunt’s intentions. Her brainwave fluctuations were so intense that on his appraisal panel, they were as obvious as a lit torch.

After all, when someone fawns over you for no reason, they’re either a crook or up to no good.

His uncle’s request to buy products from Hailufeng Company was most likely her idea as well.

Ever since the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, she had been frequently returning to the mainland, constantly getting in touch with Jiang Miao’s sister and mother to "strengthen their family bond." It was obvious what her objective was.

It was all for the sake of personal gain.

Judging from the awkward looks on Jiang Feng and Jiang Hua’s faces today, she most likely wanted to arrange jobs for her two sons at Hailufeng Company. After all, the brothers were already nineteen and would be graduating from university next year.

Jiang Miao would never let that happen. Knowing his aunt, she would definitely look down on a low-level clerical position; they would have to start in middle management at the very least.

Hailufeng Company wasn’t a brand-new startup anymore. Back in the early days, they were forced to promote fresh graduates to department heads out of necessity. Now, the company’s HR policy required all new graduates to start as entry-level employees.

The only way a new graduate could start at a mid-level position was if they had an exceptionally strong background, like a Ph.D. or a proven track record of impressive research accomplishments.

As far as he knew, both Jiang Feng and Jiang Hua were undergraduate business administration majors at Xiangjiang Shuren University.

And a business administration degree from a private university... well, if you know, you know.

Furthermore, Jiang Feng and Jiang Hua’s Mandarin and Hokkien were both half-baked. They could only communicate fluently in Cantonese or English. Hailufeng Company really couldn’t afford to hire "talent" like that.

Things were better at the headquarters. Apart from the Magong Town locals who spoke Cantonese, most others used Hokkien and Hakka, but they could understand Mandarin and a little Cantonese.

As for the branch offices, none of the three used much Cantonese or English in daily communication.

Besides, knowing his aunt—a control freak full of petty schemes—if he were to place Jiang Feng and Jiang Hua in middle management, she would almost certainly have her sons find ways to pull in every last one of her own relatives.

Jiang Miao was certain of this.

After all, his aunt had already packed his uncle’s tea restaurant and roasted meat shop with relatives from her side of the family.