Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

After the incident, the "Luo's Safe Meat" store in the county town became famous overnight.

The news quickly spread throughout the county. People not only learned that a new pork shop had opened, with an environment as clean as a supermarket, but also that the shop owner was not to be trifled with and knew how to use the law and wisdom to deal with local thugs.

Many citizens who were initially hesitant came to the store out of curiosity and support. They were immediately impressed by the store's environment, service, and the quality of the pork, and quickly turned from "passersby" into "fans".

In its first week of operation, "Luo's Safe Meat" had a daily turnover of over 5,000 yuan, and even exceeded 8,000 yuan on weekends. This achievement made its competitors throughout the county extremely envious.

The farmers' market across the street was the hardest hit.

Zhao Hu's meat stall business plummeted. Many of his former regular customers would rather spend a few extra dollars to buy meat from the clean and bright shop across the street.

"Brother Tiger, what should we do? If this continues, we'll all starve!" His underlings all looked worried.

Zhao Hu sat behind the meat stall, silently smoking one cigarette after another. He wanted to cause trouble again, but the thug who had caused trouble last time had been detained by the police station for three days and fined five hundred yuan. After his release, he was too scared to show his face again. Since force didn't work, Zhao Hu wanted to follow the Luo family's example and make his meat stall cleaner.

He had his men wipe the cutting board clean and clean, and then hung a white cloth behind it. But his stall was still the same old thing; no matter how much he cleaned it, it still looked dirty and messy compared to the bright and clean specialty store across the street.

He even considered a price war. He gritted his teeth and lowered the price of pork by 50 cents. However, the "Luo's Safe Meat" across the street completely ignored him and continued to sell at their own price. While he attracted a few bargain-hunting customers, his profits dwindled, and after a long day of hard work, he barely made any money.

After several days, Zhao Hu was completely at a loss. He finally realized that he and the store across the street were simply not on the same level. The other store was playing the brand, service, and quality game, while he was still stuck in the rudimentary stage of "claiming territory and comparing prices."

That afternoon, after much deliberation, Zhao Hu made a decision that shocked all his subordinates. He changed into clean clothes, covered the tattoo on his arm with a long sleeve, and walked alone into the "Luo's Safe Meat" specialty store across the street.

"Welcome!" Li Yan greeted the customer warmly as soon as she entered. When she recognized Zhao Hu, her smile faltered slightly, but she maintained a professional smile. "Sir, hello, what would you like to order?"

Looking at the impeccably clean shop before him, Zhao Hu felt a mix of emotions. He rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "I...I'm not here to buy meat. I...I want to talk to your owner, that young lady."

"Our General Manager Luo isn't in the store," Li Yan replied politely. "If there's anything you need, you can tell me, and I'll pass it on for you."

"No, no, no, I have to tell her in person," Zhao Hu waved his hands repeatedly.

Just then, Luo Xiyuan walked out of the small office at the back. She wasn't surprised to see Zhao Hu at all, as if she had expected him to come.

"Boss Zhao, it's an honor to have you here. I'm so sorry I didn't greet you properly," Luo Xiyuan greeted him with a smile.

"You...you know me?" Zhao Hu was stunned.

"Who doesn't know Zhao Hu, the meat tycoon at the county farmers' market?" Luo Xiyuan smiled, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

Zhao Hu's face flushed red, and he became even more embarrassed. "Mr. Luo... Mr. Luo, please don't make fun of me. I'm here today... to admit defeat."

He gritted his teeth and adopted a very humble attitude: "I admit that I looked down on you before and shouldn't have sent people to cause trouble at your shop. I apologize!"

As he spoke, he actually bowed slightly to Luo Xiyuan, a girl who was more than twenty years younger than him.

This scene left Li Yan and several other employees in the store dumbfounded.

Luo Xiyuan simply looked at him calmly: "Boss Zhao, there's no need for apologies. The business world is like a battlefield; you use your methods, I use mine, it's normal. However, I hope that in the future, we can compete fairly and stop using those underhanded tactics."

"I won't dare to do it again!" Zhao Hu quickly assured him. "President Luo, the reason I came here today is actually to discuss a collaboration with you."

"Cooperation?" Luo Xiyuan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Zhao Hu rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation. "Mr. Luo, I admit your meat is good. Compared to yours, my own meat is garbage. So I was thinking... could I buy from you in the future? I have more than a dozen small meat stalls in this market, and they all work for me. We all sell your 'Luo's Safe Meat,' and you give us a wholesale price. That way, you won't have to put in any effort yourself to do business in the entire farmers' market. What do you think?"

Zhao Hu's idea was simple: if he couldn't beat them, he'd join them. He wanted to go from being the Luo family's rival to becoming their distributor.

After listening, Luo Xiyuan secretly admired Zhao Hu; he was flexible and adaptable, truly a remarkable person. However, Luo Xiyuan shook her head at his suggestion.

"Mr. Zhao, thank you for your kindness. But, no, that won't do."

"Why?" Zhao Hu asked anxiously. "Don't worry, you name the price, and we promise we won't ruin your reputation!"

"It's not about the price." Luo Xiyuan looked at him seriously and said, "Boss Zhao, let me ask you, if I wholesale the meat to you and let you sell it at your butcher stall, can you guarantee that your environment will be as clean as our shop? Can you guarantee that your service will be as professional as our staff? Can you guarantee that every piece of meat you sell will give customers 100% peace of mind?"

Her barrage of questions left Zhao Hu speechless.

He knew he couldn't guarantee anything. His stalls were hopeless; no matter how much he tried, they would never become a proper store.

"Boss Zhao, 'Luo's Safe Meat' isn't just about selling pork; it's about selling a brand, a promise." Luo Xiyuan's tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of determination. "This brand was built by me and my family, bit by bit, with reputation and quality. I can't let it crumble in any uncontrollable link."

"Therefore, I cannot approve your order. 'Luo's Safe Meat' will only have one exclusive store in this county. We want to ensure that every customer who buys our meat enjoys the same highest standards of products and services."

After hearing this, Zhao Hu was completely deflated. He realized that he and the young girl in front of him were thinking completely different things. He was thinking about how to make more money, while she was thinking about building a century-old brand. Their visions were worlds apart.

"I...I understand." Zhao Hu stood up dejectedly, preparing to leave.

"Boss Zhao, please wait a moment." Luo Xiyuan called out to him again.

Zhao Hu turned around, thinking there was still a chance for things to turn around.

Luo Xiyuan said to him, "Although I can't wholesale the meat to you, I do have an opportunity if you're willing."

"What opportunity?"

"My farm's second phase of construction is complete, and we're hiring. We need a workshop supervisor to oversee pig slaughtering and transportation. I see you've been in this business for many years, you're experienced and know the ropes. If you're willing to come, I can offer you a monthly salary of three thousand yuan, plus a year-end bonus. That's more than what you're doing running your own stall, and it's more respectable. Why don't you consider it?"

Luo Xiyuan actually extended an olive branch to him, wanting to recruit him!

Zhao Hu was completely stunned. He stared at Luo Xiyuan's young and composed face, his mind reeling. From a market tyrant to a workshop supervisor working for her? This…

He didn't answer immediately, but walked away dejectedly.

Watching Zhao Hu's retreating figure, Li Yan asked softly, "President Luo, are you really going to hire him to our farm? Can we trust someone like that?"

"Whether he can be used or not depends on his own choice," Luo Xiyuan said calmly. "A person's ability, if used for wrong purposes, is a disaster. But if you can guide him onto the right path, he can become a powerful general. It all depends on whether he has the awareness to do so."

At the end of the first month of operation, the net profit of the county store reached an astonishing 50,000 yuan! More than double that of the store in the town.

Holding this report card, Luo Xinde and Li Minxia were so excited they were almost numb.

Meanwhile, Luo Xiyuan was plotting something else.

The success of the county store proved that her brand strategy was entirely correct. However, at the same time, a new problem was also exposed.

That is, insufficient production capacity.

With a shop in a small town, a shop in a county seat, and special supplies from the Golden Bay Hotel, their farm's 1,000 head of cattle was already starting to become insufficient.

If we want to continue expanding and open stores in the city or even the provincial capital, we must solve this most fundamental problem.

We must expand production again!