Zeng Yu wasn’t idle in the office either. The plan he had meticulously prepared now revealed areas for improvement.
For example, both Yuan Lei and Zeng Yu had noticed the supermarket channels. When Jiang Nan returned to the office, she found Zeng Yu resting his chin in his hand, staring at the computer, deep in thought. Jiang Nan, who had studied law, didn’t know how to describe it, but she found his focused expression very attractive.
“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Nan asked softly, standing behind him.
Without turning around, Zeng Yu replied, “I was wondering if we could set up a wine section in the supermarkets.”
Jiang Nan thought for a moment, “What kind of section? Would it require a dedicated salesperson? Supermarkets are usually associated with discounts, right?” Jiang Nan might lack experience, but her perspective was broader than Zeng Yu’s.
Zeng Yu frowned but didn’t want to give up on the supermarket channel.
“Then let’s skip the section. Instead, let’s place a few bottles of the highest-priced wine in the wine section to create a high-end impression. We can remove the lower-priced wines,” Zeng Yu quickly came up with a new idea.
Jiang Nan thought it over, “Explain your reasoning.”
Zeng Yu nodded, “It’s simple. From my own perspective, when I go to the supermarket, I usually go straight to what I need, buy it, and leave. If I were shopping for wine and saw a sign with high-priced wines, I’d remember it. The benefit is that wine lovers strolling through the supermarket will notice this brand with a higher price point. Unlike before, when all price ranges were available, it didn’t stand out.”
Jiang Nan nodded, “I see. If I were dining out and the restaurant recommended Sofi wine, and I happened to have seen it in the supermarket, it would already be familiar to me, making it easier to accept.”
“Exactly. Our target is high-end restaurants, particularly those in the city center. We need to secure those.”
Jiang Nan thought for a moment, “Shouldn’t we have a specialty store in the city?”
Zeng Yu shook his head, “We could, but the cost should be covered by Hongda Company; otherwise, it’s pointless. The rent alone would be a significant expense.”
Jiang Nan smiled slightly. In her view, this was an easy task; after all, it was all for the sake of the Sofi brand, so it wasn’t exactly undermining the family business.
“Hmm, that’s something I can discuss with them. I’ll go talk to them again,” Jiang Nan responded seriously.
Zeng Yu nodded, “Go ahead and give it a shot, but I have my doubts.”
Yuan Lei worked quickly, recruiting three salespeople within half a day.
Jiang Nan rarely visited the group’s headquarters; otherwise, she might have recognized these three. Li Geng, male, thirty years old, had over five years of sales experience. When he received the notice to work at this company, he found the requirements quite new. The moment he saw Jiang Nan, Li Geng understood that she was the boss’s daughter being groomed. The other two were Zheng Xin and Jiang Jieru, both women in their thirties who had taken time off work to have children and now had over three years of sales experience.
After a brief meeting, Yuan Lei announced that training would begin the next day and last three days. She emphasized that everyone needed to quickly master the relevant knowledge; it would be embarrassing if clients asked questions and they didn’t even know the basics, like how long to let the wine breathe.
After the meeting, Zeng Yu was about to get into his Wuling when Jiang Nan called out to him.
She tossed him a car key, “Stop driving the Wuling. Take this Ford.”
Zeng Yu frowned again, “Where did this car come from? Sure, it’s your money, but this kind of spending is unnecessary, right?”
Jiang Nan wasn’t upset by his comment; instead, she smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s a used car, very cheap. A friend of mine was leaving the country for school, and they practically gave it away—just over thirty thousand yuan. The license plate is from the suburbs, just so you know.”
Only then did Zeng Yu take the key and drive off.
Yuan Lei silently approached Jiang Nan from behind, “Why not just be his nanny? What’s wrong with driving a Wuling? And you made me get this car.”
Jiang Nan rolled her eyes at her, “There’s nothing wrong with driving a Wuling, but weren’t you the one who said our taste shouldn’t be too low?”
Yuan Lei smiled wryly and shook her head, “Fine, I can’t win an argument with you.”
While Yuan Lei had no strong opinion on Jiang Nan’s “entrepreneurship,” seeing how Han Jiayi handled things made Yuan Lei deeply envious of Jiang Nan. Yuan Lei’s parents had adopted a hands-off approach, which she once thought was great—no one nagging her. But after a few years in the real world, she realized how lucky she was to have someone who cared.
Jiang Nan drove home and, upon entering the living room, saw her mother watching TV on the sofa. She immediately ran over and hugged her mother’s neck, “Mom, I’m back.”
Han Jiayi pushed her away, complaining, “Ugh, you’re all sweaty, get off me and go clean up.”
Jiang Nan pouted and walked away unhappily. Watching her daughter head for the shower, Han Jiayi felt troubled. What was the deal with Zeng Yu? As a mother, Han Jiayi only cared about character when it came to her daughter’s choice of partner. If she insisted on finding someone of equal status, there wouldn’t be many suitable candidates for the Jiang family.
Han Jiayi wasn’t optimistic about Zeng Yu. A child from a grassroots family and Jiang Nan were worlds apart in lifestyle habits. She had discussed her concerns with her husband, Jiang Ziliu, but he had advised against interfering too directly in matters of the heart. He suggested observing Zeng Yu first and allowing Jiang Nan to “naturally” discover any issues.
“Entrepreneur” Jiang Nan was up bright and early. Today marked the start of business training, and she wanted to arrive early to prepare and give a speech. Jiang Nan was a bit stressed about this, but Yuan Lei insisted it was necessary.
With no finance personnel yet, Jiang Nan had a pile of receipts to sort through. She planned to organize them before work and hand them over to the finance person once they were hired. The company still needed a cashier, and Zeng Yu had suggested Jiang Nan take on the role temporarily.
Previously, as a pampered young lady, Jiang Nan hadn’t felt the hardships of running a business. Now that she had her own company, she realized how much work it entailed. She began to understand why her father always looked so exhausted when he came home. With such a large group, how much work did it take to manage it?
Jiang Nan arrived at the company at seven in the morning, well before working hours. The corridor was quiet. She was startled to find the door open and was about to call security when she saw Zeng Yu, holding a cup and biting into a steamed bun, heading toward the water dispenser.
“You’re here early,” Jiang Nan said in surprise. Zeng Yu had plenty to do yesterday, sorting through Sofi’s brand information.
“Yeah, I wanted to avoid the rush hour, so I came early. But enough about me, you’re here pretty early too,” Zeng Yu nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes. Jiang Nan couldn’t help but feel a little proud.
“I’ve got a pile of receipts to deal with, so I came to sort them out,” Jiang Nan replied.
Zeng Yu smiled, “Perfect timing; I’m done with my tasks, so we can handle it together. I’ve done this before at another company, so I know how it’s done. Once the finance person arrives, we can hand it over.”
“Great, don’t you have other things to do?” Jiang Nan noticed the red in his eyes, guessing he hadn’t slept well.
Zeng Yu smiled, “I’ve finished my tasks.”
As they entered the office, Jiang Nan realized that Zeng Yu had wiped down the desks and mopped the floor, which reminded her that they hadn’t hired a cleaner.
“We should hire a cleaner for this. We can’t expect you and the other employees to do it,” Jiang Nan suggested, remembering the need for a cleaning staff. Zeng Yu smiled, “We’re training this week, so there’s no rush. If an employee can’t even handle cleaning, how can you expect them to be patient in sales? The most basic quality of a salesperson is patience. You’ll encounter all kinds of clients, and if you lack patience, you’re doomed. Speaking of sales, I think three people are too few; we should hire more to allow for some competition.”
“Why didn’t you mention this to Yuan Lei?” Jiang Nan asked curiously.
Zeng Yu shook his head, “I don’t have a close relationship with her, and she’s also a shareholder. If I start questioning her decisions, how will we get along in the future? Some things are better said through you; it’ll be easier for her to accept that way. Plus, it makes you look more capable as the boss.”
“You really do think about me,” Jiang Nan smiled so brightly her eyes nearly disappeared into slits. Zeng Yu’s words showed he was indeed considering her.
The two female employees, Zheng Xin and Jiang Jieru, arrived shortly after. Seeing the boss and Zeng Yu already there, they were a bit surprised. They didn’t know Zeng Yu was also a shareholder, assuming he was just another employee.
“There are printed training materials on the desk, so go ahead and read through them. Also, we’ll be rotating cleaning duties this week, and I’ll be included in the rotation. But President Jiang and Director Yuan are exempt—they have more important tasks. When Li Geng arrives, let him know,” Zeng Yu said calmly before returning to Jiang Nan’s office.
Li Geng arrived at 8:55, five minutes before work started. Seeing that several people were already there, he was somewhat surprised.
Jiang Jieru relayed Zeng Yu’s instructions to Li Geng, whispering, “How should we arrange it?”
Li Geng thought for a moment, “Let’s check with Zeng Yu first; the boss seems to trust him.”
Yuan Lei brought in a trainer, and the training officially began, with Jiang Nan also attending.
Zeng Yu was the most diligent, taking notes throughout the session. Over the years, domestic consumers had gradually developed a taste for wine, and related wine culture had taken root. There was a unique way to drink wine—opening, decanting, pouring, tasting—each step had its own rules. Every wine had a different decanting time, and a few days of training wouldn’t cover everything.
After the first day of training, Zeng Yu felt he had gained a lot. He realized the knowledge he had found online was somewhat superficial compared to the trainer’s detailed explanations. For example, the records of the wine production process—every detail was meticulously documented. Even those who knew nothing about wine would be impressed by the high standards after seeing the promotional materials.
Lunch was ordered as takeout. Zeng Yu planned to eat in the office, but Jiang Nan called him into her office.
“I’ve discussed the staffing issue with Yuan Lei, and she agrees with you. This afternoon, she’ll go to the job market to hire three more people,” Jiang Nan said in front of Yuan Lei.
Zeng Yu nodded, “Got it. There’s still a lot to do regarding the supermarket situation. How should we handle the stock on the shelves? Since we’re only the agents, we’ll need to coordinate with Hongda Company, right?”
Jiang Nan thought for a moment, “This afternoon, you can go to Hongda Company and discuss it with them. I found out they have a delivery team that runs between supermarkets and warehouses.”
“Alright, I’ll go this afternoon,” Zeng Yu replied, finishing his meal.
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