Rebirth: She is Ready for a Counterattack!-Chapter 413 - 412: The Next Step in the Herbal Tea Strategy
"Alright, I’ll call two people to protect you. You must be extra careful yourself. I’m going back to Beijing now; I’ll talk to Grandpa."
Fang Shaohan hurriedly hung up the phone, his voice filled with unprecedented solemnity.
"..."
Gu Xiaoqing was momentarily confused.
Is she his sister-in-law?
Or his enemy?
However, judging from the encounter with Fang Shaohan’s sister-in-law, that woman could tell she was Gu Xiaoqing with just a glance from Guo Donghua. Her insight and ability to infer were definitely extraordinary.
Of course, it doesn’t rule out that she might have known who she was beforehand but pretended not to. But judging from the tone and attitude of Fang Shaohan’s sister-in-law, it felt like she was very straightforward and decisive in handling matters.
Seeing her bring the message and then leave, Gu Xiaoqing didn’t feel that the person had known her long ago and pretended not to.
So, the possibility of putting on an act wasn’t absent, just very, very low.
"But for her to pick the two of us out of such a crowd, that’s some incredible eyesight."
If this happened to an ordinary person, they might find it unbelievable.
But it’s not illogical.
Though hard to notice, working in someone else’s territory and working on one’s own turf are two different feelings.
Gu Xiaoqing and Guo Donghua could immediately recognize those who weren’t there to buy milk tea. Their demeanor and glances suggested they felt relaxed around the milk tea shop, like being in command on their own ground.
So, with careful enough observation, one could deduce that Gu Xiaoqing and Guo Donghua were likely employees of the milk tea shop at the time.
Since they might be staff, naturally they’d recognize Gu Xiaoqing.
But to read someone’s state of mind thoroughly, that indeed requires some skill.
This might relate to Fang Shaohan’s sister-in-law executing various dangerous missions over the years; without a bit of insight, she couldn’t have survived until today.
"Xiaoqing, why was the call so short this time?"
Gu Xiaoying brought the dishes to the table; she and Liu Ming would occasionally come back to see their parents and had long known that her sister was always on the phone with Fang Shaohan, each call lasting over an hour.
Usually, by the time she finished the call, the meal would be cold.
Today, it was different; Gu Xiaoqing finished the call before the meal was even ready.
"Ah, he had some matters,"
After a while, Gu Xiaoqing responded to her sister’s question.
Seeing her sister looking out of it, Gu Xiaoying approached and held Gu Xiaoqing’s hand with concern: "What’s wrong? Did you have a fight with Fang Shaohan?"
"Sis, what are you talking about? How could I ’stoop to his level’!"
Gu Xiaoqing replied playfully.
"I understand, but sometimes, as women, we should be a little vulnerable. It lets men feel ’respected.’ My husband and I bicker, but some issues just blow over. You must learn to be accommodating and accept what you see as their flaws."
After marrying Liu Ming, Gu Xiaoying understood what it meant for life to be tranquil and real. Their life wasn’t all excitement, but it was fulfilling.
There was dissatisfaction, unhappiness, but also moments of being moved and happiness. Because of this, Gu Xiaoying felt blessed.
If life were perfect, then it wouldn’t be called living; it’d be a dream!
Gu Xiaoying knew what she was talking about because she, too, had been married in a past life and understood what life was like.
"Alright, sis, stop lecturing me. When do you plan to give me a nephew?" Gu Xiaoqing glanced at her sister’s belly, changing the subject, and asked jokingly.
"Come on, come on, Xiaoying, you two should step it up."
Gu Ruhai came out of his room, patting Liu Ming on the shoulder as a reminder. In this era, a wife’s inability to conceive could lead to dissatisfaction from the husband’s family.
"Exactly, Xiaoying, Liu Ming, you should work harder. Let us hold a grandchild sooner, so I, this grandma, can have something to do."
Li Xuemei was eager to raise a child.
Of course, she preferred a grandson, but waiting for Gu Xiaojie to marry and have kids could take forever.
For now, it’s more realistic for Gu Xiaoying to have a chunky grandson.
"Mom, why do you keep saying ’grandson’? What if it’s a girl?"
"I love girls! She must be a beauty like my sister." Gu Xiaoqing laughed as she spoke.
Of course, she knew the elders liked boys; it was a traditional rural mindset. But Liu Ming, he seemed to like both genders equally.
"Time to eat, time to eat."
Gu Ruhai didn’t comment. Deep down, he hoped Gu Xiaojie would soon have a chunky grandson; after all, it’s important to carry on the family name.
The following days returned to calm; Gu Xiaoqing continued going to school daily and looked after her business.
It seemed the mysterious sister-in-law had never appeared.
Only, Fang Shaohan hadn’t called her in a long time. Gu Xiaoqing had more or less guessed something, and with Liu Ming saying Fang Shaohan had been sent to organize training, likely not returning for half a year, and some hints from He Cui and Fang Jianguo, it was roughly implied that Fang Shaohan’s grandfather had sent him away.
The purpose was too obvious.
Gu Xiaoqing couldn’t seek out his grandfather in Beijing to ask for him and could only wait quietly.
Seeing another year pass, the milk tea shop’s sales gradually declined. Gu Xiaoqing invested hundreds of thousands in a milk tea powder factory, purchasing a small plot of land in the suburbs, which was already operational.
The company expanded, but the growth rate of franchise stores began to slow down.
On the other hand, Xiao Wu had delivered an impressive result, with Qingyun Company’s scale more than doubling within half a year, and Wang Xiaoji was gradually opening the southern market.
Following Gu Xiaoqing’s strategy, Xiao Wu slowed down a bit and emphasized product quality; otherwise, the company’s expansion would have been even faster.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu was having technicians continually improve Wang Xiaoji and hiring new tech personnel to gradually develop new beverages.
The herbal tea market shouldn’t only have Wang Xiaoji; it should include black tea, green tea, jasmine tea, jasmine honey tea, etc.
In the past, Gu Xiaoqing fully recognized the herbal tea market, having prepared to let Xiao Wu coordinate her milk tea market to develop new products like milk tea and latte coffee.
Of course, developing a new product takes a long time, so Gu Xiaoqing went to the Guang City factory to discuss the possibilities of iced black tea with the technicians.
She aimed to quickly seize the black tea market, utilizing the era’s advantages to step over Kang’s. Kang’s iced black tea was another giant in the herbal tea market, which Gu Xiaoqing was well aware of, but it wasn’t launched until 1996.
