Chapter 325: Supply and Marketing Cooperative Junior Staff Teaches Billion‑Dollar Female CEO How to Do Business!

The two of them exchanged remarks, quickly discussing the booth, pricing, and promotion.

Lin Yueqiang stood nearby; at first the talk was clouded, but gradually they began to discern some principles.

Work at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was leisurely, yet they greeted and saw off people, dealing with all sorts of folks. Who truly wanted to buy, who was just browsing, who was price‑sensitive, who cared more about quality—all were weighed in their mind.

When they heard Lu Fang say she planned to price all goods by weight and sell them uniformly, a sudden thud struck their heart. Their experience at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative told them that such a method was the easiest but also the dumbest. Buyers' minds vary wildly; you can't treat them all the same way. In an instant, images of picky aunties, generous officials, and youngsters just wanting a taste flashed through their mind. An idea, like a spring bamboo shoot breaking the soil, sprang up abruptly.

They watched the brother‑in‑law and second sister deep in discussion, their lips moving as if to speak, yet hesitating.

Lu Qingshan seemed to notice the change, his gaze shifting: "Yueqiang, if you have an idea, speak up."

Lin Yueqiang's face flushed instantly, the nervousness of being singled out making sweat bead on their palms. They drew a deep breath, as if expending all their strength.

"Brother‑in‑law, second sister, I… I was just day‑dreaming, said it wrong, please don't mock me." They gave themselves a pretext.

Lu Fang looked at them with interest: "Oh? Tell us then."

"I think… just labeling prices and selling is a waste." Lin Yueqiang's voice was soft but clear, "Our market certainly has wealthy patrons, but there are far more ordinary folk looking for bargains and a lively atmosphere. That's our popularity base."

"Back at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, during festivals the most popular items weren't high‑end goods but the red‑paper‑wrapped 'Assorted Gift Packs.' They contained a bit of everything, were cheap, yet looked festive, and gifting them earned face."

"We can do the same with our batch of Northeastern Mountain goods." Lin Yueqiang spoke more fluidly, thoughts sharpening, "We can split them into tiers. For the deep‑pocketed big bosses, we'll push the premium 'Eight Treasures' gift box, housed in the finest wooden case, filled with hand‑picked ginseng, deer‑antler slices, lion's‑mane mushrooms… priced high—that's status."

"For institutional buyers and those visiting relatives, we'll offer a mid‑range 'Family Pack', with wood ear, shiitake, hazelnuts, pine nuts, generous portions, affordable price—that's value for money."

"Also, we can create a traffic‑drawing 'Tasting Pack'!" Lin Yueqiang's eyes lit up, "A small bag of fried pine nuts, or a pinch of the finest dried black fungus, packaged cheaply—one or two yuan each. We could even set a pot at the booth, stir‑fry pine nuts and hazelnuts on the spot; the aroma would drift out, guaranteeing a crowd. With a crowd, why worry about unsold goods?"

He finished in one breath, then realized the office was dead silent.

Lu Fang and Lu Qingshan stared straight at them, their eyes bearing a light the speaker had never seen before.

The ever‑steady Lu Qingshan set down his tea cup; the bottom clinked lightly against the table. On his usually placid face, an unprecedented faint smile slowly unfurled. Though slight, it rippled in Lin Yueqiang's heart like a stone tossed into a lake.

Brother‑in‑law… smiled?

That shook Lin Yueqiang more than any verbal compliment could.

"You kid…" Lu Fang was the first to break the silence. She walked up to Lin Yueqiang, scanning him from head to toe as if meeting him for the first time, "Not bad! Selling goods in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative isn't for nothing!"

"What do you call that? You've taken the business into people's hearts!" Lu Fang's voice rose an octave, "Match the buyer to the product, the occasion to the gift, and you've figured it out perfectly! In my meetings I constantly urged my subordinates to think harder, yet the plans they produced weren't as effective as the 'Unconventional Method' you honed at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative!"

Lu Fang slapped his shoulder, "And? Keep going!"

Encouraged, Lin Yueqiang grew bolder, pointing at the booths outside the window: "Second sister, I also think booth design matters. We can't just pile goods there. Since we sell Northeastern Mountain goods, we need that Northeastern flavor!"

"We could spread dry straw on the floor, build shelves from unfinished logs, hang strings of dried chilies and garlic nearby. The staff needn't wear uniform; let them don sheepskin jackets, dog‑skin caps, and call each other 'old iron'—won't that feel right?"

"Lighting must be considered; avoid harsh white light, use warm yellow that shines on the mushrooms and hazelnuts, making the colors rich and mouth‑watering."

Lin Yueqiang spoke at length, pouring out every "Unconventional Method" they had devised at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. They had previously suggested these ideas to the director, only to be scolded harshly for not selling properly and for adding too much flash.

Now, seeing Lu Fang's eyes brighten, they even produced a notebook and pen, scribbling rapidly.

Lu Qingshan never spoke, merely watching his brother‑in‑law quietly. He saw a completely new Lin Yueqiang—not the aimless youth drifting in a small town, but now standing in the Capital City's largest specialty market, facing a billionaire brother‑in‑law and a sister‑in‑law who commands a massive enterprise, discussing high‑value deals. In his eyes there was no fear, only light.

That was the light of having found his own worth and direction.

"Great! Fantastic!" Lu Fang snapped the notebook shut, pacing the office twice in excitement, "Yueqiang, your ideas are more effective than those that my batch of formally trained university students came up with!"

She halted, her gaze burning as she stared at Lin Yueqiang.

"All talk and no action is a sham. I'll hand you the 'Guan Dong Shan Zhen' exhibition area—do you dare take it?"

Lin Yueqiang froze, their mind buzzing.

Let him handle it? Such a huge task for someone who just yesterday was reading 'Basic Accounting' as a layperson?

Instinctively, they looked to Lu Qingshan for support.

Lu Qingshan gave no hint, merely lifting his cup, gently blowing the steam, his gaze calm yet seeming to say: the road is laid; whether you step forward is up to you.

A massive opportunity and challenge crashed onto Lin Yueqiang's head simultaneously.

They felt their heart pounding in their chest, blood surging to the top of their head.

Refuse?

A flash of the back‑kitchen, scrubbing greasy dishes, choking oil smoke, the chef's bark, and a hopelessness that seemed endless filled their mind. If they refused, they might spend the rest of their life trapped in that tiny back kitchen, day after day, year after year, until all edges wore smooth, becoming a numb, mediocre person who could only gaze up at the brother‑in‑law's world.

Accept?

What if it goes wrong? This batch is valuable—could they afford the loss?

They recalled the heavy keychain from yesterday, the books Lu Qingshan handed them, and the saying, "A man must first have his own home before he can settle his career."

Home—got it.

Career—right before them.

Lin Yueqiang clenched their fist, nails digging deep into the flesh.

They jerked their head up, meeting Lu Fang's oppressive stare, then glancing at the composed Lu Qingshan, a hoarse throat spitting out a few words.

"Second sister, I'm in!"