nycdaug Chapter 159 Supporting the Show
Chapter 159 Supporting the Show
"I can't control the test results, but you can rest assured that since Vice Mayor Zhao promised to help you, he will definitely help you to the end. The quality of your agricultural products speaks for itself. As long as the test results come out and there are no problems, the supply contract for the municipal canteen will definitely be yours."
He stopped there, unwilling to say more, and Li Mu felt a little more at ease after hearing this.
"Secretary, thank you so much. This collaboration with the municipal canteen is all thanks to your help."
"Mr. Li, you're too kind. From now on, we're family. Don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything."
Li Mu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, we'll have to rely on our secretary a lot more in the future."
They chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways.
Li Mu returned to the village and told Brother Gao about what had happened that day.
Brother Gao frowned: "This person's name sounds familiar. Can you say it again? What's his name?"
Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "His name is Liu something, I can't quite remember, but he's the purchasing manager of the municipal canteen."
Brother Gao slapped his thigh: "I remember now, I knew this guy back in the army. He's no good, he's got a heart of stone. Mu Zi, you have to be careful, don't let him trick you."
“Okay! I’ll talk to Vice Mayor Zhao when I go to the city in a couple of days and ask him to give me a little push.” Li Mu nodded, secretly remembering what Brother Gao had said.
Over the next few days, Li Mu was busy with village work while waiting for the test results from the municipal canteen.
He would go to the village entrance several times a day to see if any cars from the city were coming.
But after waiting for several days, there was still no news.
Li Mu was a little anxious, but he couldn't just go to the city to ask. Going there rashly would only make him seem impatient and might offend someone.
So he patiently waited for two more days.
Finally, on the fifth day, he received a call from his secretary.
"Mr. Li, the test results are in. Your agricultural products are of good quality. The supply contract for the municipal canteen is ready. When would be a convenient time for you to come and sign it?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu was overjoyed and quickly said, "Secretary, this is so convenient for me, right now. I'll head to the city right away, please wait a moment."
After saying that, he hurriedly hung up the phone, went back inside, drove to the city, and Brother Gao went with him.
"If you go, you're bound to run into cunning Liu! I'll go too, just to give you courage and prevent you from getting bullied by that guy."
The two drove at high speed and soon arrived in the city.
The secretary was already waiting for them at the entrance of the municipal canteen. Upon seeing them arrive, he quickly came to greet them.
"Mr. Li, Brother Gao! Look at you, it's been so long! How are you feeling?"
Brother Gao patted his secretary on the shoulder: "Young man, you're in great health! But you, working in the city, you'd better take care of your health."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three of them walked into the municipal canteen together.
The secretary led them to the purchasing manager's office, where Manager Liu was already waiting.
When Manager Liu saw Li Mu and Brother Gao arrive together, he frowned.
"Who is this?"
Brother Gao plopped down on the sofa, crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and said slowly, "What? Manager Liu doesn't recognize me? I'm Mu Zi's Brother Gao. We used to drink together in the army."
Manager Liu looked Brother Gao up and down carefully before exclaiming, "Oh! It's you! Old Gao! Long time no see, what brings you here?"
Brother Gao smiled and said, "I just heard that Mu Zi is going to cooperate with the municipal canteen, so I came here to support him. In case some people are blind and bully us honest people."
Manager Liu's face darkened: "Old Gao, you'd better watch your mouth. Don't make baseless accusations. When have I ever bullied Li Mu?"
Brother Gao threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out: "Whether you've bullied me or not, you know perfectly well. Anyway, I'm here watching today. If you dare to make things difficult for Mu Zi, don't blame me for being impolite."
Manager Liu, his fleshy frame trembling, said, "Old Gao, stop threatening me. This is the municipal canteen, not your army. You can't run wild here."
Brother Gao, however, didn't take it to heart and looked at him with a smile: "Alright, alright, let's stop arguing here. Mu Zi, we're here to sign a contract, don't let this guy ruin it."
Li Mu refocused his attention on the important matter at hand.
He looked at Manager Liu and asked, "Manager Liu, we're here to sign a supply contract. Is now a convenient time for you?"
Although Manager Liu was unhappy, he couldn't show it, since it was something Deputy Mayor Zhao had instructed him to do.
"Okay, I've prepared the contract. Take a look."
As he spoke, he took out a contract from the drawer, handed it to Li Mu, and tossed out a lab report.
"Originally, after your test report came out, it had to be reviewed and signed by several leaders in our canteen before we could officially sign a contract with you. But Vice Mayor Zhao was pressing us hard, so I had no choice but to bring the contract to you first."
"Go back and take a good look. If there are no problems, just sign it and send it over next Monday."
This kid's goods were priced lower than the original supplier's, but the quality was just as good, if not better. He wanted to... (The sentence is incomplete and requires more context to translate accurately.)
Even tampering with things wouldn't work. But Manager Liu was still unhappy; he felt that Li Mu and Brother Gao were deliberately trying to embarrass him.
Li Mu took the contract and the test report and looked at them carefully.
The terms of the contract were clear and there were no problems. The test reports also showed that the quality of his agricultural products fully met the requirements.
"Okay, Manager Liu, I have no problem with the contract. I'll send it over next Monday."
After Li Mu finished speaking, he put away the contract and the test report.
Brother Gao chimed in, "Manager Liu, this collaboration is a win-win situation. Your canteen has received high-quality agricultural products, and our village's agricultural products have a stable sales channel. Isn't that great?"
Manager Liu forced a smile: "Yes, yes, a win-win situation, a win-win situation."
He was thinking to himself, "What win-win situation? You guys are the ones who benefited."
But they still had to maintain appearances, because Vice Mayor Zhao was keeping an eye on things.
Li Mu and Brother Gao exchanged a few more pleasantries with Manager Liu before getting up to take their leave.
The secretary escorted them to the entrance of the municipal canteen, and Li Mu invited him to have a good meal at the Lakeside Hotel.
The secretary smiled and declined, saying, "I have work to do today, let's do it another day."
Li Mu didn't insist. He took a box of homegrown blueberries and eggs from the car and handed it to his secretary: "Secretary, please take this fruit. It's homegrown and very sweet."