Love? The Reborn Me Just Wants to Obtain Rewards

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 The Thought Process of Picking Up Money

Su Huai hurried to the main campus canteen without a break, thinking and recalling along the way.

The idea for homemade plum juice came from a viral internet event of the future.

Su Huai didn’t have a very detailed memory of that event, but he himself had been immersed in the internet world for years, always chasing trends.

Therefore, he understood deeply what popularity truly meant.

To be strict, this couldn’t even be considered a normal business, it was simply an unconventional marketing technique, with no barriers and entirely reliant on subtle manipulation.

With only 14 days left of military training, time was of the essence, and he needed to hurry.

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Su Huai quickened his pace toward the canteen that was closest to the sports field and also the largest in size.

The first step was to find a workshop.

Su Huai already had a target in mind, Li’s famous porridge and bun store on the first floor of the canteen.

The owner, Li Chengguo, was an interesting character.

The reasons for the peculiarities of university canteens were probably because relationships took precedence over personalities, and personalities took precedence over skills; as long as the taste was passable, one could make easy money while laying back, so it wasn’t worth putting too much effort in.

Becoming accustomed to earning money with ease, the owners would grow lazy and arrogant.

But our Brother Li was not arrogant; his most notable trait was being tough on the outside but scared on the inside.

He had married his wife at the end of this year, and since the beginning of next year, she spent half of each day at the service window.

Thus, every morning, he would nod and bow, saying “yes, yes, yes.”

Every afternoon, he would stand in front of the window with a toothpick in his mouth and his hands behind his back, looking down on everyone, bullshitting with lightning speed.”

However, once anyone held eye contact with him for more than five seconds, he would immediately cough and turn his head away.

If you continued to look at him, after another five seconds, he was guaranteed to turn around and retreat back into his stall, resting his chin in his hand and contemplating: “Have I somehow offended that person at some time?”

In his past life, Su Huai always liked to sit in front of Li’s store with his classmates. No matter what they ate, whenever he came out to get some air, they’d stare him back inside.

This went on until the third year, when Brother Li finally got fed up, mustered his courage, and walked up to Su Huai with a smile on his face, “Classmate, what if… I treat you to a porridge?”

It almost made Su Huai die laughing.

So the moment he thought about needing a pot to boil plum juice, Su Huai immediately thought of Li Chengguo—his pots were not only numerous but also incredibly large.

And most importantly… the man was easy to push around!

Once he reached the stall, Brother Li was indeed standing there. Su Huai swiftly approached and went straight to the point.

“Hello, Boss Li, I’d like to rent your pot to use for boiling plum juice daily. I will bring my own ingredients. You just provide the gas and keep an eye on it. How much do you think is reasonable per day?”

“What? Rent a pot?!”

Li Chengguo’s eyes went wide with confusion as he looked at Su Huai, completely baffled.

“This… you’re not joking with me, are you?”

“Of course not. I am the Deputy Secretary-General of the Business School Student Union, and on the instructions of the department head, I plan to offer self-made plum juice as a secret recipe to the new students of the School of Management to help them cool down and relieve the summer heat,” Su Huai said while flaunting his title, which wasn’t hugely intimidating but lent him some credibility.

Li Chengguo instinctively waved his hand: “The university student union doesn’t control us… Eh? Wait a second, you’re saying it’s a paid service, right?”

“Right, I’ll give you 500 yuan a day, but you have to ensure supply.”

“That much?”

Li Chengguo was truly flabbergasted, sizing up Su Huai back and forth, wondering: He doesn’t look like a fool…

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Su Huai didn’t waste any time with words. His expression hardened, and he narrowed his eyes, staring dead into the other’s.

Within seconds, the sweat on Li Chengguo’s forehead began to bead.

“Okay, okay, okay! 500 then? Why wouldn’t I be happy with money that’s easily earned… But you have to promise it won’t affect my regular business!”

“You’re only busy for a little while in the morning, as if I could impact that…” Su Huai said with a smile, then went for the kill. With a violent thrust, he metaphorically stabbed our Brother Li, causing a metaphorical gush of blood from his chest.

“The reason I sought you out first to chat—guess why? Geez, it’s so simple; you’re the only one who has time, right?”

Su Huai deliberately turned his head and glanced at the other two bun shop windows.

“Look at how busy the other owners are!”

Oh my God, how mean can a person be?

Three sentences, each more venomous than the last, hardly seemed like a prelude to a cordial business negotiation.

“Can’t you show me some respect!”

With a smack, Li Chengguo finally slammed the table.

It wasn’t heavy, but it was so satisfying!

However, Su Huai wasn’t intimidated; instead, he slowly narrowed his eyes.

After a five-second stare-down…

The familiar feeling finally returned!

Li, trying to show he wasn’t cowed, puffed out his chest, “Well, well… we need to draft a simple agreement!”

Su Huai nodded, “Okay. I’ll write, you copy, one copy each, press thumbprints.”

“Fair enough!”

Li Chengguo carefully rubbed his hands together, “Su, I should warn you in advance, I have connections at the school as well, and if anyone breaches the contract, we’re taking it to the school authorities, and reason will prevail!”

Su Huai understood, of course.

This kind of agreement wasn’t meant for courtrooms but for approaching school officials; it was a much more efficient way to handle things than a contract.

He took up the pen and swiftly began writing the terms.

Essentially, Su Huai would rent the Li’s porridge shop space to cook sour plum drink, paying 500 bucks a day, and Li Chengguo must ensure that the gas, stoves, and all necessary equipment were in working order, provide storage for raw materials, and lend a hand when needed.

In case of breach, the damages to be paid were triple the loss.

Looking at the freshly inked agreement, Li Chengguo’s eyes crinkled with delight, his features squeezing together in joyful rapture.

Every now and then, he would glance at Su Huai as if looking at a fool.

Su Huai certainly didn’t mind.

Some businesses might look simple, but they genuinely were just that—simple.

All it takes is one clever core idea, then it’s like picking up money with eyes closed.

The cost of a cup of sour plum drink was 1.6 yuan for 500ml, selling it for 6 yuan was no problem; the challenge was selling enough to cover the cost of renting the shop.

Li Chengguo thought it was impossible, but Su Huai was well aware that the draw of sour plum drink, freshly brewed on-site from pure Chinese medicine herbs, could easily go viral; in 2016, it was quite a novel concept and had all the makings of a trending product.

Besides, there was no Douyin for efficient viral marketing.

However, Su Huai didn’t need the spread to be too wide; covering the whole internet wasn’t necessary.

Just Capital Normal University, with its 7,000 freshmen plus 10,000 upperclassmen, was enough for him to prosper.

The 50 people from his own class would all be treated, no need to bother with offering at cost.

When it comes to getting things done, they must be done firmly.

Li Chengguo carefully put away the agreement, asking cheerfully, “Alright, Su, what do you need me to do?”

Su Huai handed over 3,000 bucks to him as if it was only natural and began to delegate tasks, “You go and get a secondhand automatic cup sealing machine right away, one that’s highly efficient. Then prepare about 1,000 portions of ice, medium-sized cups, and ten 30-liter buckets. Hurry up; we need it by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“There you have it!”

Li Chengguo agreed readily and dashed out the door.

He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but his ability to execute was commendable.

And he was a decent man, conducting business without crooked schemes. Except for making subpar buns, he was quite the exemplary bun shop owner.

Otherwise, Su Huai wouldn’t have felt so reassured.

Su Huai immediately called Wang Zhongheng to ask for a leave of absence, citing the reason as finalizing a heat relief plan for fellow students. Then, he walked out of the school gates and returned to Life Hall Pharmacy.

It was time to drive down the prices of raw materials…

Even though they were already cheap, business was all about haggling; saving even a dime while ensuring quality was worth it.

Cost control was an essential lesson, and while Su Huai didn’t care about the small change, he couldn’t afford to be a dunce in studies.

On his second visit, Su Huai managed to see the proprietor with ease, and his opening line was, “How many tons of high-quality dried dark plums and hawthorns can you supply?”

“!!!”

The mild-mannered shop owner, half doctor, half Confucian scholar, sprouted a line of exclamation marks on his forehead on the spot.