60s: I have a store

Chapter 543: Sad-looking Xiao Zhao

In the following days after his promotion, Zhou Yimin never missed work at the steel plant.

He knew in his heart that if he slacked off right after being promoted, all the hard-earned relationships with his colleagues would be wasted.

During these busy days, something happened quietly in the steel plant, causing Xiao Zhao from the purchasing department to fall into deep anxiety.

Xiao Zhao has not been able to purchase enough supplies for two consecutive months.

Now, seeing that next month's purchasing task is approaching, if he still fails to meet the target this time, according to the factory regulations, he will have to be transferred to work in the workshop.

After all, the normal operation of the factory depends on the successful procurement of materials by buyers. Only in this way can the workers concentrate on their work without distraction.

At this moment, Xiao Zhao was like an ant on a hot pan, running around in circles in a panic, but helpless.

He had an average relationship with other people in the department, and even if there were people with whom he had a slightly better relationship, no one was willing to take the risk to help him.

Because in this period when material procurement is extremely difficult, no one can guarantee that they can complete the task on time.

If they didn't finish this month, they could make up for it next month, but everyone knew that if they purchased more materials and completed the over-fulfillment this month, they could use it next month, so Xiao Zhao was too embarrassed to ask for help.

He was filled with helplessness and felt that he might have no choice but to accept his fate of being demoted to the workshop.

On this day, Zhou Yimin inspected the purchasing department as usual.

He had sharp eyes and soon noticed Xiao Zhao, who was looking sad.

Zhou Yimin had always had a good impression of this young man, so he walked over without hesitation and said, "Xiao Zhao, come with me!"

As soon as this was said, the colleagues around him immediately went wild. Xiao Li shouted at the top of his voice: "Wow, Xiao Zhao, you are so lucky, Section Chief Zhou wants to see you alone!"

Lao Zhang also laughed and joked: "Xiao Zhao, maybe something good will happen, you must seize the opportunity!"

The envious looks from people around him made Xiao Zhao feel a little uneasy. Although he was full of doubts, he still followed Zhou Yimin to the new office obediently.

As his position was promoted, Zhou Yimin's previous office was no longer suitable for his status, so the factory replaced it with a more spacious office with better facilities.

After the two entered the office, Xiao Zhao carefully closed the door and then walked over to sit down opposite Zhou Yimin.

He sat upright, his whole body exuding a sense of restraint. Seeing this, Zhou Yimin smiled and asked, "Xiao Zhao, are you afraid of me?"

Xiao Zhao waved his hands quickly and said anxiously: "Chief Zhou, it's not true! I...I just get nervous easily!"

Zhou Yimin smiled gently and said, "I understand, but Xiao Zhao, you really don't need to be so nervous. We are all here for work, and we can talk openly about anything."

After hearing this, Xiao Zhao relaxed his tense nerves a little.

After seeing this, Zhou Yimin went straight to the point: "Xiao Zhao, I saw you looked worried just now, have you run into any difficulties?"

Xiao Zhao suddenly felt conflicted, hesitating whether or not to tell his predicament.

He knew that if he talked to Zhou Yimin and once Zhou Yimin was willing to help, he would not only be able to complete this month's task, but could even make up the amount he owed from the previous two months.

Just like Zhou Dazhong, with the help of Zhou Yimin, he has been taking the lead in procurement tasks for several months in a row. As long as he takes the first place for another month, he will be promoted to a higher administrative level.

You know, it's not easy to get promoted to an administrative level. Xiao Zhao thought about it and felt that it would be best if he could stay in the purchasing department.

So he mustered up the courage to explain: "Chief Zhou, this is what happened. I haven't completed my task for two consecutive months. If I don't complete it this month, I will be demoted to the workshop."

After hearing this, Zhou Yimin originally thought that Xiao Zhao had encountered difficulties in life, but he did not expect that it was a problem with the procurement task at work.

He then asked, "Xiao Zhao, how much more do you need to complete the task?"

Zhou Yimin was thinking that if the situation wasn’t too serious, he would still help.

Xiao Zhao looked embarrassed and said in a low voice: "There is still a long way to go. We have only completed less than 20% of the tasks this month!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yimin almost spit out the tea he was drinking.

He really didn't expect that Xiao Zhao's task completion rate was so low.

Zhou Yimin put down his teacup and said seriously, "Xiao Zhao, the gap between the tasks is indeed quite large. Can you tell me what major problems you encountered during the procurement in the past two months?"

Xiao Zhao sighed and said helplessly: "Chief Zhou, it's too difficult to find supplies now. I contacted many villages before, but they either said there was no meat or the price had risen ridiculously. I went to many places, my legs were almost broken, and I couldn't get the purchase quantity."

He felt helpless, but everyone felt bad when they thought about this matter.

Zhou Yimin fell into a brief thought. Although this amount of task was nothing to him, he couldn't just help blindly given Xiao Zhao's situation.

After all, "it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish." He suddenly thought of the chicken farms in other villages. Among them, the chickens in the chicken farm in Taojia Village should be ready to be released from the cage soon.

It was originally planned that Zhou Dazhong would be responsible for purchasing, but now it seems that this opportunity can be given to Xiao Zhao.

However, Zhou Yimin did not intend to hand over the purchasing resources of all the villages to Xiao Zhao. He only planned to hand over the purchasing business of Taojia Village to him.

Because he knew that relying on Taojia Village alone would be enough to ensure that Xiao Zhao would not have to worry about missions in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yimin said, "Come with me to a place!"

When Xiao Zhao heard this, his eyes lit up instantly and he nodded quickly.

He knew in his heart that this meant Zhou Yimin was willing to help him.

At this time, colleagues in the purchasing office saw Zhou Yimin taking Xiao Zhao away and cast envious glances at them.

Some people who were close to Zhou Dazhong began to tease him, "Dazhong, it looks like you're going to fall out of favor, and Xiao Zhao is going to take over."

Liu Da echoed: "That's right, maybe Xiao Zhao will soon become the 'new favorite' of our department!"

Zhou Dazhong smiled and waved his hands: "Go away, stop making trouble. Section Chief Zhou has always been fair. Xiao Zhao must need help."

In fact, Zhou Dazhong knew very well that from the first day he joined the company, Zhou Yimin had told him the truth that “it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.”

Therefore, while maintaining a good relationship with Zhou Yimin, Zhou Dazhong has never relaxed the expansion of his business.

He visited all those remote villages, and tried his best to strengthen cooperative relationships with those with potential cooperation.

Even though the village really couldn't cooperate, Zhou Dazhong left a good impression on others. If others wanted to buy something, they would think of him first.

Soon, Zhou Yimin and Xiao Zhao arrived at the place where the motorcycles were parked. When Xiao Zhao saw the motorcycles, his eyes were full of surprise and curiosity. He had never ridden a motorcycle in his life.

Although he often rides a bicycle on weekdays, the bicycle belongs to the factory and is not his personal property.

Zhou Yimin skillfully stepped onto the motorcycle, turned around and saw Xiao Zhao still standing there in a daze, and shouted, "Are you still going?"

Xiao Zhao finally came to his senses and quickly and carefully sat on it.

Zhou Yimin started the motorcycle and drove towards Taojia Village with Xiao Zhao.

Along the way, the wind whistled past his ears. Xiao Zhao was both nervous and excited, holding the handrails of the back seat of the motorcycle tightly with both hands.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at Taojia Village.

When the Taojia Village security team saw that it was Zhou Yimin, they let him go without any obstruction. After Zhou Yimin parked the car, he took Xiao Zhao to find Village Chief Tao.

When Village Chief Tao saw Zhou Yimin coming, he quickly stepped forward with a smile on his face and said enthusiastically, "Yimin, what brings you here?"

Village Chief Tao has been in a particularly good mood recently. Since purchasing feed from Zhoujiazhuang, the chickens in the village chicken farm have grown well, and they look different every few days. Not only Village Chief Tao, but all the villagers in Taojia Village are very happy to see the changes in the chickens and are full of gratitude to Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Village Chief Tao, I want to discuss something with you. Is it convenient?"

Village Chief Tao thought Zhou Yimin wanted to discuss something important. He looked around and felt that this was not a suitable place for a deep conversation, so he said, "Okay, follow me!"

So the three of them came to the home of Village Chief Tao.

After sitting down, Village Chief Tao enthusiastically poured two glasses of water, handed them to Zhou Yimin and Xiao Zhao respectively, and then asked: "Yimin, what do you want to discuss with me?"

Zhou Yimin said directly: "Village Chief Tao, I just looked at the chickens in the village chicken farm. I think they will be ready to be released soon. I wonder if you have found a buyer?"

When Village Chief Tao heard this, he immediately understood Zhou Yimin's intention.

If Zhou Yimin offered a suitable price, he would be happy to sell the village's chickens to the steel plant as a favor.

He will need to buy feed in Zhoujiazhuang in the future, so he still wants to get closer to Zhou Yimin. He also knows that Zhoujiazhuang can have such great changes, which is inseparable from Zhou Yimin's help.

So, he responded: "I haven't found a buyer yet. I wonder if you, Yimin, have any good buyers to recommend?"

Zhou Yimin said quickly: "Village Chief Tao, why don't you consider our steel plant? With the quality of the chickens raised in your village, you can definitely get a good purchase price!"

Village Chief Tao immediately became interested and asked, "What's the price?"

Zhou Yimin told the truth: "It should be 3 yuan or 2.8 yuan per kilogram. The specific price needs to be reported to the factory and the final decision will be made by the leaders."

Village chief Tao was well aware of the current market conditions and believed that the price offered by the steel plant was quite good.

Although it is not as high as the black market price, black market transactions are too risky. Once caught, you will be charged with speculation, which is something no one can afford.

Village Chief Tao frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Yimin, this price is quite suitable. But how can we transport it? Chickens are very delicate, and it will be difficult to deal with any problems on the way."

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "Village Chief Tao, don't worry. Our factory has a special transportation team that will take good protection during transportation to ensure that the chickens are safely transported to the factory. Moreover, if we cooperate for a long time, it will also be beneficial to the expansion of the village's breeding scale, and we won't have to worry about sales in the future."

Village Chief Tao listened and nodded: "Well, you are right. OK, then let's do it this way."

After an in-depth discussion, Village Chief Tao finally agreed to let the steel plant purchase chickens from the village.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhou Yimin said, "This is Xiao Zhao, our factory's purchasing agent. He will be responsible for connecting with you when the time comes!"

Although Xiao Zhao was shy, he was not stupid. He quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Village Chief Tao, please give me more advice!"

Village Chief Tao was very satisfied with Xiao Zhao's attitude and said with a smile: "Little comrade, I will call you Xiao Zhao, so that it seems closer. Xiao Zhao, if you have any questions in the future, we can communicate at any time."

Xiao Zhao nodded quickly to indicate that it was okay.

Afterwards, they finalized some purchasing details.

After the meeting, Village Chief Tao warmly invited Zhou Yimin and Xiao Zhao to stay for dinner, but Zhou Yimin politely declined.

He was thinking about the many tasks that needed to be arranged after returning to the factory, and he also hoped that Xiao Zhao could familiarize himself with the docking process with Village Chief Tao as soon as possible.

After leaving Taojia Village, Zhou Yimin took Xiao Zhao back to the steel plant.

Along the way, Xiao Zhao was extremely excited, because he knew that there was finally hope of solving his purchasing problem.

Back at the factory, Xiao Zhao had just stepped into the purchasing room when his busy colleagues instantly stopped their work and focused their eyes on him like a group of hounds finding their prey.

Xiao Li was the fastest. He rushed forward, grabbed Xiao Zhao's arm with both hands, and asked curiously, "Xiao Zhao, what did Section Chief Zhou want to do with you? Is he going to give you a promotion?"

Old Zhang also walked over slowly, pushed his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said with a smile: "Xiao Zhao, you look so happy after coming back this time, there must be good news, tell everyone quickly."

Soon after, other colleagues gathered around and asked questions one after another.

Xiao Zhao was a little overwhelmed by this sudden "enthusiasm" and his face turned red and white.

He knew that if he told others that Section Chief Zhou had helped contact Taojia Village to purchase chickens, everyone would probably go to Zhou Yimin for help.

By then Zhou Yimin will know that he was the one who let the secret out, and the cooperation that had just been negotiated might have to be replaced by someone else in the blink of an eye.

Thinking of this, Xiao Zhao's forehead was slightly sweaty. His eyes flickered, revealing an awkward smile, and hesitantly said, "No...nothing serious, it's just that Section Chief Zhou asked me to follow him to familiarize myself with the business process. There may be new procurement tasks to be arranged in the future."

Xiao Li was suspicious and asked with a frown, "Is that it? I saw that Section Chief Zhou took you out specially, so I thought it was something good."

Xiao Zhao nodded quickly and pretended to be calm and said, "Really, it's about this matter. Section Chief Zhou told me to study more and accumulate experience."

Lao Zhang seemed to notice that Xiao Zhao was reluctant to talk, so he tried to smooth things over: "Okay, okay, since Xiao Zhao has said so, it must be a business matter. Let's all go and get back to work."

Although everyone still didn't quite believe it in their hearts, seeing that Lao Zhang had said so, they didn't dare to ask any further. They could only mutter and return to their workstations to continue with the work at hand.

Xiao Zhao watched his colleagues gradually disappearing into the distance, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

He knew that this was a rare opportunity to get help from Section Chief Zhou and he must cherish it and not mess it up because of his momentary negligence.

He secretly swore in his heart that he would go all out to do a good job in the procurement coordination with Taojia Village and live up to the trust of Section Chief Zhou.

(End of this chapter)