"Mom, have a bowl of hot soup."

Gu Baishuang was happy, diligently serving a bowl of soup to Tong Huaqiong.

Tired after a long day, Tong Huaqiong hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She had some drinks with everyone but didn’t eat much. She took the hot soup from Gu Baishuang, savoring its warmth both in her heart and her stomach.

Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Baishuang, "Baishuang, you did well selecting this batch of goods. From now on, you and Dashi will handle supermarket purchasing. You will be in charge, and he will assist."

Before the supermarket opened, Tong Huaqiong had selected the store’s merchandise with Gu Dashi and Gu Baishuang.

The hard work goes without saying, but fortunately, there were no pitfalls.

For a supermarket that accommodates a wide range of goods, establishing its own channels is essential. If Tong Huaqiong did everything herself, she would be exhausted.

They needed to choose a reliable person to take charge.

Gu Dashi is clever and well-suited for external tasks. The seeds and pesticides store in the city can be managed by the Shopkeeper. She brought Gu Dashi from the city to focus on the supermarket’s supply channels since the supermarket touches a larger audience and is foundational for establishing their family business.

But Gu Dashi is not steady enough; his strong sociability makes him unsuitable for management as he easily becomes overly friendly with clerks after being flattered.

That’s why she decided to appoint Gu Baishuang as the channel manager, with Gu Dashi assisting her.

During the product selection process, Tong Huaqiong noticed that Gu Baishuang was detail-oriented and practical, with her own insights into channels.

Although she never got involved in the Nie Family business, over the years she acquired skills in dealing with clerks as the boss’s wife.

"Since you said so, Mom, I’ll take it on."

Gu Baishuang knew it would be insincere to refuse, so it was better to agree.

Moreover, she understood that with her thirty percent share, she must assume responsibility; it wouldn’t be right for Tong Huaqiong to shoulder everything.

Even though she’s currently less experienced in business operations than Tong Huaqiong, she’s willing to learn and carve her own path.

"Mom, don’t worry. I’ll definitely listen to my big sis in the future."

Gu Dashi then toasted to Gu Baishuang with a glass of wine.

Gu Baishuang raised her glass to clink with Gu Dashi’s, and the two half-siblings let go of all their grudges.

Liu Yueer felt a bit uncomfortable; she thought it was unnecessary for her mother-in-law to entrust such an important role to her sister-in-law. Gu Dashi should be the channel manager, with Gu Baishuang assisting.

Now it was reversed.

Liu Yueer only thought this to herself and didn’t dare to express it.

"Yue Er, now that the pastry shop is stable, you will be transferred to the supermarket to handle customer service."

Tong Huaqiong knew Liu Yueer’s thoughts.

Liu Yueer was narrow-minded but not bad.

She contributed a lot to the pastry shop. On opening day, she led the clerks in servicing customers without any mistakes, earning much credit. She could be very useful if utilized well.

Upon hearing Tong Huaqiong wanted her to manage customer service at the supermarket, Liu Yueer’s happiness was apparent.

Customer service isn’t just about serving customers—it involves managing a group of clerks.

Her mother-in-law always claimed customer satisfaction was the key performance indicator for business growth. The fact that she entrusted such an important task to Liu Yueer showed her regard for the second household.

Liu Yueer immediately promised, "Mother, rest assured, I will definitely manage the clerks and customer service well."

"How’s your reading of Mencius going? How many reflections have you written? Show me when we get home."

Tong Huaqiong mentioned her daughter-in-law’s studies.

Nowadays, Liu Yueer and Chen Sufen are committed to literacy. After reaching a certain level, they began reading, starting with the Analects and then Mencius.

Not only reading but also writing reflections. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Liu Yueer thought that her mother-in-law would forget about her study amidst supermarket preparations, but it turned out that she still remembered.

"I’ve been so busy recently, I’ll make it up when I get home," Liu Yueer shrunk like a quail.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t pursue it further and turned to Gu Baishuang: "Baishuang, you should also read. The principles in books will assist you later in running the store."

Gu Baishuang cheerfully agreed.

Then Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Baishuang to help Ya Po recruit some maids and matrons to serve at home as more hands would be needed given the busy times ahead.

Chen Sufen was about to give birth and they needed to find two wet nurses.

Tong Huaqiong did not want her daughter-in-law having to nurse and care for the baby after birth, only allowing her rest during the confinement period.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the adjacent room, followed by an angry shout.

Tong Huaqiong felt that voice was familiar, as if it belonged to Gu Youtian.

"It’s Second Uncle’s voice," said Gu Taohua. "He sounds like he’s scolding someone."

Nie Xiaofeng chimed in, "Today was Second Grandpa’s co-opening of Wu Ji, but people were all drawn to our Jufu Supermarket instead. How can he not be upset? Getting angry is quite normal."

Nie Xiaofeng was in charge of security for the opening day, the most crucial task being preventing troublemakers from taking advantage of the crowd.

He surmised that the trouble might arise from Gu Youtian’s side.

Firstly, Gu Youtian already had issues with Tong Huaqiong, and secondly, Wu Ji was directly opposite Jufu Supermarket. When rivals meet, emotions run high. Jufu’s opening drew half the city’s customers, which Gu Youtian couldn’t take lightly.

If he intended to cause trouble, it would have a significant impact, so Nie Xiaofeng kept a close watch on Wu Ji all day.

Truth be told, Tong Huaqiong never even considered Wu Ji a competitor, so she didn’t spare it a glance on opening day.

Initially, others did take note, but as the customer flow increased, everyone got busy and forgot about Wu Ji across the street.

In business, what’s terrifying isn’t having competition, but being disregarded as competition altogether.

That’s the awkward position Wu Ji found itself in.

Besides Nie Xiaofeng, the rest at Jufu seldom thought of Wu Ji.

Tong Huaqiong said, "It’s none of our business."

She considered Gu Youtian a man with ambition but lacking talent. Earlier, he had some luck with small ventures thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Gu. Yet he lost everything and had to return home.

In bustling Ning City, many stores needed clerks and shopkeepers. Had Gu Youtian been willing to work steadily, he could have found a job, accumulated capital, and probably turned things around. But he was too restless.

To regard such a person as a business rival would insult her intelligence, she thought.

After sipping a bowl of hot soup, she instructed Nie Xiaofeng and Su Chengmin, "Keep an eye on Wu Ji these days and prevent any mishaps."

Following this, she reminded the Shopkeeper to guard against any disruption from Wu Ji’s side.

Although Tong Huaqiong didn’t care for Gu Youtian’s Wuji Department Store, she didn’t want to be caught off guard.

Gu Youtian surely wouldn’t confess his lack of management skills; he’d rather blame Tong Huaqiong for stealing Wu Ji’s business, and in his jealousy, who knows what dirty tricks he might pull against Jufu.

So some vigilance was necessary.

Everyone agreed to her instruction.