RGL – Chapter 116

“Do any of you still have questions?” the accompanying manager asked with a smile.

Su Changrong quickly shook his head. “No problem. Let’s go sign the contract now.”

The manager smiled and led the group to the office. While signing the contract, he reminded them, “Since you’re selling goods in the mall, the merchandise must be of a certain standard. In other words, no defective or subpar products are allowed. Even if the prices are low, the quality can’t be too poor. After all, once Rongfang Supermarket moves into Tianyue, it becomes part of the Tianyue brand and reflects the image of the entire building. If anything goes wrong here, it will affect the overall reputation of Tianyue.”

This was the first time Su Changrong had heard of a landlord caring about what tenants sold. Although he wasn’t entirely pleased about this restriction, he thought about how the supermarket might develop further in the future and decided not to object.

Just as they were signing the papers, a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase walked in.

As soon as he entered, he said, “Manager Song, is that spot still available? Our company has decided—we’re ready to sign.”

Hearing this, Su Min instinctively turned around and saw that the man looked familiar. After a moment, she realized that the sharply dressed man in a suit was none other than Gao Hong’s current husband.

Manager Song was still helping Su Changrong and his wife go through the contract. When he saw Wang Mingsong come in, he looked a little awkward.

“You go ahead and look over this,” he said to the couple, then quickly had someone else take over and went out to speak with Wang Mingsong.

The two of them entered another small office. Wang Mingsong, puzzled, asked, “What are you doing?”

Manager Song smiled. “Mr. Wang, you’re too late. That spot you had your eye on had been vacant for a while, so our big boss personally approved it for someone else. They were just in there signing the contract.”

As soon as Wang Mingsong heard that, his face darkened.

He had been eyeing that storefront for a while but hesitated because it wasn’t directly facing the entrance. Yesterday, after bringing others to take another look, he finally decided to go ahead—only for it to be snatched up.

He said, “How about this—I’ll go talk to them and ask them to give it up. I’ll offer them some money.”

Manager Song looked troubled. “That’s not easy to handle. Anyone who can afford to rent such a large store isn’t likely to care about a bit of money.”

“What am I supposed to do, then? I picked out that spot a long time ago. Now just because I came one step late, my entire plan is ruined? How about you go talk to them for me?” As he spoke, Wang Mingsong took out a thick stack of cash from his bag and tried to hand it to Manager Song.

Manager Song smiled and pushed it back. “This really isn’t something I can handle. It was personally assigned by our big boss.”

Normally, he would have gladly taken the opportunity to make a little money on the side. But this time, it had come directly from the higher-ups. He wouldn’t dare try anything shady. Reaching his position had taken a lot of work—ruining it for a bribe would be a huge loss.

Seeing that Manager Song wouldn’t budge, Wang Mingsong grew even more displeased.

In the past, thanks to his family connections, he’d rarely encountered setbacks in business. But now, being rejected like this felt like a slap in the face, and his expression grew darker. “Fine. Since that’s how it is, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Meanwhile, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang had finished signing the contract. Now that they knew their daughter’s shop would be moving in too, they were even happier.

Sun Qiufang smiled and said, “We’ll be able to look out for each other from now on.”

The building had already been renovated and was ready for use. Any further changes to the interior layout would have to wait until they officially moved in.

With such a good location secured, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang planned to go back and begin preparing for the move immediately. Su Min didn’t go back with them; instead, she planned to discuss the relocation with Sun Yan and the others. Since she was still in school and had limited free time, it would be up to Sun Yan to handle most of the work.

Knowing their daughter was capable, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang didn’t say much—just reminded Su Min before they left to take Sun Yan and the others out for a celebratory meal that evening.

When Su Min arrived at the store, there wasn’t much going on. Only Zhaodi was there keeping an eye on the place. Su Min asked and learned that Sun Yan had gone next door to take a phone call.

Sure enough, a moment later, Sun Yan returned with a big smile on her face.

Seeing how cheerful she looked, Su Min guessed it must have been a call from her uncle’s side of the family.

Sure enough, Sun Yan said happily while sipping water, “Minzi, I’ve got good news—Qiangzi’s enlistment went through! He’s joining the army!”

“Really? That’s great news. Now you can finally relax.” Su Min was genuinely happy. Spending a few years in the military was definitely better than sending Sun Qiang off to do hard labor on construction sites. More importantly, the strict discipline in the army would help keep him on the right path.

Sun Yan let out a breath of relief. “Exactly. I’ve been worrying about it nonstop, and now it’s finally settled. My dad also said he’s planning to lease that hillside and plant fruit trees there.” Talking about these things, Sun Yan’s mood was completely different from before. She used to feel that life was just hardship with no hope. But now that her family was doing well, she was far more cheerful—even more than when she earned money.

When Su Min heard that Uncle Bing planned to lease the hillside, she smiled and said, “That means we’ll have fresh fruit to eat in the future! Oh, and make sure he gets in touch with some food factories—those places always need fruit to make canned goods.”

“It’ll take a year or two to see any returns. We’ll worry about that when the time comes,” Sun Yan replied. “By the way, what brings you here? Weren’t you going to check out the new place today?”

“Everything’s taken care of. That’s what I came to talk to you about. You’ll need to help with preparations for the store move. Oh, and how are those two outfits we still have left? I haven’t been able to keep an eye on them lately, so make sure you don’t let things slide.”

Of the four garments Ke Wan had requested last time, only the one for Xue Mian’s mother had been sent out. The remaining three were still unfinished—two of them especially time-consuming due to their embroidery.

When she heard this, Sun Yan frowned slightly. “Just one outfit left now—there’s still a bit of embroidery to finish. But I’ve noticed that Sister Qingqing’s been acting a little off lately. She doesn’t seem as focused on her work as before.”

As soon as she heard that something was going on with Zhang Qingqing, Su Min grew a little tense. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. Just the day before yesterday, she sent money home, and ever since she came back, she hasn’t been quite herself.”

Sun Yan didn’t seem too happy when she mentioned it. After all, it was all for the sake of the business. She was currently managing the shop on Su Min’s behalf and also had a share in it. Naturally, she wanted the workers to be diligent so the business would thrive and the shop would develop well. Zhang Qingqing had been fine before, but now she seemed careless in her work. Sun Yan knew that Zhang Qingqing was great at embroidery and was a treasured worker to Minzi—not to mention she was also the older sister of Su Min’s high school classmate—so she didn’t feel it was her place to say too much. She had just taken this opportunity to bring it up with Su Min.

Hearing about the situation, Su Min felt worried, but she was also weighing her options.

Zhang Qingqing had excellent skills, and if she could stay at the shop long-term, Su Min could even move toward launching a traditional high-end clothing line. But Zhang Qingqing was a living, breathing person—if her mind was elsewhere, Su Min couldn’t force her to stay.

She had thought that even if Zhang Qingqing went through some changes, it wouldn’t happen so quickly. But now that Sun Yan had brought it up, she had to seriously consider it. The shop was still in its early stages, and she had two options: either stabilize Zhang Qingqing first and then bring in a new master embroiderer, or find a way to retain her.

Of course, she preferred to keep Zhang Qingqing while also hiring a few more master-level embroiderers. After all, putting all her eggs in one basket was far too risky.

After chatting with Sun Yan for a while, Su Min went to the residence where the workers lived to look for Zhang Qingqing.

When she arrived, Zhang Qingqing was doing embroidery, while the other two master workers were cutting fabric for clothes. Seeing Su Min, they all greeted her.

Su Min smiled and greeted them back, checked on the progress of the garment production, and then went into Zhang Qingqing’s room to see her embroidery work.

“Su Min, you’re here,” Zhang Qingqing said awkwardly, standing up.

“It’s fine. You keep working. I’m just here to check in,” Su Min said as she pulled up a stool and sat beside her.

She looked down at Zhang Qingqing’s embroidery and noticed it was still just the beginning part of the fourth garment. Based on her usual speed, it should’ve been halfway done by now. Su Min realized that what Sun Yan had said was true—Zhang Qingqing was clearly not in the right state of mind.

Seeing Su Min looking at her embroidery made Zhang Qingqing even more embarrassed. She quickly picked up her work and said, “I’ll make sure to finish it quickly.”

Su Min’s smile faded a little and her tone turned more serious. “The tailors outside are all waiting for your embroidery to complete the clothes. The customers haven’t explicitly asked about the orders yet, but if they’re late, it’ll hurt our reputation. If it drags on too long, they might not be able to wear them in time for winter. What, are we supposed to tell them to just stuff them in their closets?”

“I’m sorry, Su Min,” Zhang Qingqing said, her hands trembling slightly as she held the needle and thread.

Su Min continued, “When we signed the contract, we agreed the workload would be heavy, and that everyone must give it their all. Of course, I believe you’ve been trying your best.”

Zhang Qingqing bit her lip tightly. “I understand. I’ll get it done as soon as I can.”

“Are you facing some kind of difficulty?”

Su Min asked gently. Zhang Qingqing was an honest person, not someone who slacked off. And she was eager to earn money, so she wouldn’t slack without reason. There had to be something behind it.

Zhang Qingqing kept her head down and said nothing, focusing on her embroidery.

Seeing her like this, Su Min sighed inwardly. If Zhang Qingqing couldn’t continue to perform well and it affected the overall work, she’d have to quickly find someone to replace her. The shop needed to grow, and the staff needed a sense of responsibility. Su Min had used a profit-sharing model for wages precisely to motivate everyone. Zhang Qingqing’s bonus was twice as much as the others. If she still couldn’t perform well, then Su Min really would have to find someone more capable.

“If you’re feeling too much pressure, take some rest. When you’re working, don’t think about anything else—just focus on your craft.”

Zhang Qingqing pressed her lips together and nodded, her eyes filled with thought.

As Su Min walked out of the building, she happened to run into Zhang Panpan at the entrance. Zhang Panpan saw her and quickly said, “I was just bringing my sister some food. I won’t disturb her work.” As she spoke, she held up a bag of steamed buns.

Seeing how nervous she was, Su Min smiled. “I didn’t say anything, did I? I was just chatting with your sister just now.”

“Oh,” Zhang Panpan breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been afraid Su Min would think she was always dropping by and distracting her sister from her work.

Seeing Zhang Panpan reminded Su Min of Zhang Qingqing’s situation again. She considered for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, “Panpan, your sister’s spirit hasn’t been too good lately. She’s been distracted and slower than before. You know how tight our schedule is—everyone’s waiting on her. If you see her later, try to talk to her, okay? Otherwise, if other employees come to me with complaints, I’ll be in a tough spot too.”

Su Min didn’t plan to hide this from Zhang Panpan. After all, if Zhang Qingqing had other plans in the future, this wouldn’t stay a secret anyway. It was better to give Panpan a heads-up now.

Sure enough, as soon as she heard this, Zhang Panpan’s face showed concern.

“Minzi, is it really that serious with my sister?”

Su Min said, “If it keeps up like this, it will be.”

Zhang Panpan held the bag of buns a little tighter. She fidgeted with it and said quietly, “My sister’s been preoccupied lately… I guess that’s what’s been affecting her work. I’ll make sure to talk to her properly later. She won’t let it interfere with work.”

Su Min nodded. She had said everything that needed saying. As for what Zhang Qingqing was going through—since she hadn’t spoken about it earlier—Su Min wasn’t going to pry it out of Panpan now either.

Panpan, however, grew even more worried after Su Min left. She immediately went to see Zhang Qingqing.

“Sister, I just ran into Su Min. She said your work is falling behind. Are you still thinking about that thing?”

Hearing that Su Min had spoken to Panpan too made Zhang Qingqing feel even worse.

“I just keep thinking about Gao Liang getting married,” Zhang Qingqing said quietly, her heart full of sorrow. She had said she didn’t care before, but the truth was, she had been holding in a lot of emotion. She had truly wanted to marry Gao Liang after dating him for so long. Their relationship had been strong, but it ended just because his family didn’t approve. Now that she’d heard he was married, she kept remembering the past and couldn’t help herself. Since returning to the city, she’d been stuck in those memories, even though she knew she and Gao Liang could never be again.

Panpan was visibly agitated. “Sister, why are you still thinking about him? He’s married already. You need to move on. You have such a good job now—you’ll definitely find someone better than him. If you lose your job over this, you’ll regret it later. Su Min is very principled. If you don’t perform, she’s not going to turn a blind eye just because of me. Don’t you remember what Mom told you? We can’t let people think we’re ungrateful. Are you really planning to keep obsessing over Gao Liang and neglect your work?”

“I know, Panpan. I’ll do my best to adjust,” Zhang Qingqing said, now frightened by the possibility of losing her job. She had been so caught up in her feelings that she hadn’t even realized she was on the verge of jeopardizing her livelihood.

This job was good, and it paid well. She definitely didn’t want to lose it—or disappoint her family.

Though Zhang Qingqing had come around, at the next meeting, Su Min still brought up the idea of hiring more people.

She could’ve handled this privately, but she deliberately mentioned it in the meeting to put some pressure on Zhang Qingqing. If Zhang Qingqing showed improvement, she wouldn’t be in a rush to hire. But if her performance continued to decline, then Su Min would need to speed up the hiring process.

The announcement hit Zhang Qingqing like a blow to the head.

She realized that her recent performance had truly let Su Min down.

Because of this, she felt a lot more pressure, and no longer had the mental space to dwell on anything else. She threw herself back into her work with focus.

Still, Su Min didn’t give up on the idea of hiring new people. What happened with Zhang Qingqing had served as a wake-up call. If she wanted the shop to grow and maintain quality, she needed competition among employees. Just like with the tailors—only through competition had she been able to select the more skilled ones like Master Wu and Master Li.

When the shop changed locations, Su Min planned to partition the back into separate workspaces for the master tailors and embroiderers. That way, they’d have a better working environment and more structure.

Good embroiderers were rare—especially ones with excellent craftsmanship—so even by the time the shop moved, Su Min still hadn’t found anyone suitable.