Zhang Liunian put down his chopsticks and said, "It's exactly the same. If they only sell it for one dollar, our pickled vegetables might be done for."
They weren't making a profit by selling it for one dollar, but they weren't losing much either. If their only goal was revenge, this move was very effective.
"Then what should we do now?" Supervisor Gu hadn't expected the taste to be exactly the same. This was terrible. The same product at different prices, with theirs being more expensive, meant they were surely doomed.
If their pickled vegetable business suffered, the department store would also be affected. Selling fewer items would have a domino effect.
If Supervisor Gu hadn't experienced the benefits of the pickled vegetables, he wouldn't have felt this way. But after tasting the popularity of the pickled vegetables and the subsequent boom in the department store, with sales doubling, he couldn't accept it. Now that the pickled vegetable business was under attack and might return to its previous sales of tens of thousands a day, he couldn't bear it.
"Pickled vegetables defeating pickled vegetables. They can crack my basic ingredient pickled vegetables, but what about the intermediate ones? That won't be as easy.
You don't need to worry. I'll make a call shortly to have them start supplying the provincial capital with intermediate ingredient pickled vegetables. The taste will be several times better than the current one. It will definitely let them know who the real master of pickled vegetables is."
Competing with the ancestor of pickled vegetables in making pickled vegetables was a joke. He could make them see stars with just a few recipes.
Moreover, he planned to advertise "Zhang Family Pickled Vegetables" to elevate its status. So, this war was far from over.
"Is there anything I need to do?" Supervisor Gu felt relieved seeing that Zhang Liunian had a strategy. He was just afraid that the boss would also be at a loss, which would be disastrous.
"When the pickled vegetables arrive, prepare to offer free tasting services," Zhang Liunian instructed.
"Yes," Supervisor Gu replied and turned to get busy.
Meanwhile, Zhu Laosi was happy about his third brother's plan.
"My third brother is truly amazing. If the white powder didn't work, he also arranged to snatch the business. We've really stolen the business from the department store. Zhang Liunian must be hiding at home crying, hahaha..."
Hearing their boss so happy, the people below started to flatter him.
"Of course, third brother is amazing. He's your third brother, boss. If you're this capable, he surely can't be bad."
"That's right, third brother is our third brother. Who can compare to him?"
"..."
Zhu Laosi enjoyed the flattery from his subordinates, but then he remembered something and sat up straight to ask, "Have they gone to collect the debt yet?"
The "they" he referred to were the factory owners who had previously pressured Zhang Liunian for repayment with Zhu Laosan.
"They have."
Zhu Laosi felt relieved hearing that someone was causing trouble for Zhang Liunian. "I heard a few people have reconciled with Zhang Liunian. Go cause trouble for their factories and let them know who the boss in the provincial capital is."
"Yes."
With Zhu Laosi's command, his subordinates obediently went to carry out the task.
The eight factory owners who had signed contracts with Zhang Liunian didn't know they were about to suffer, simply because they hadn't sided with Zhu Laosan.
However, no matter how bad their situation got, it wouldn't be worse than Zhang Liunian's. Just as Zhang Liunian notified the southern city to produce pickled vegetables using intermediate ingredients, a debt collection squad once again appeared outside his department store.
The squad was similar in size to the one led by Zhu Laosan last time. The only difference was the absence of Zhu Laosan, the leader.
"Since you're all here, please come upstairs to discuss and resolve this matter." Zhang Liunian, seeing the factory owners blocking the entrance of the department store, stepped out and invited them to the top floor to discuss the follow-up arrangements.
If they were willing to report the actual prices, Zhang Liunian could still resolve these troublesome matters. But if they still intended to rob him, then forget it; he wouldn't play along.
The factory owners, who intended to cause trouble, looked at each other. Then, a representative stepped forward and said, "How do you plan to resolve this?"
Zhang Liunian's eyes flickered slightly. "You know the reasons for this matter better than I do. I won't beat around the bush. If you provide your actual quotations and outstanding debts, I can clear this up.
But if you still think you can fool me, I won't accept it. We can just go to court, and let the court decide. I can wait, it just depends on whether you're willing."
If Zhang Liunian hadn't considered that the goods were indeed sold by the department store, he wouldn't have gotten involved in these messy affairs. Fortunately, he had received quite a bit of money from Tang Guo, which was some comfort.
The factory owners understood the implication of Zhang Liunian's words. He wanted them to state their true debts and unit prices.
How could that be possible? The actual prices were only a small amount. Each of them added up to less than a hundred thousand, but one falsely reported claim was hundreds of thousands. If this succeeded, they wouldn't need to work for a year.
"What do you mean by 'real'? We have the most accurate debt statements. If you want to resolve it, do it quickly, otherwise, we'll block your doors every day and prevent you from opening."
"Yes, block your doors every day and prevent you from opening."
"A dragon may be strong, but it can't overcome a local snake. Zhang Liunian, you need to be careful. Some things can't be dragged out just because you don't deal with them. Debt is debt, and repayment is natural."
"Natural, repay the debt quickly."
"Repay the debt!"
"..."
The crowd's momentum grew, as if this was enough to make Zhang Liunian compromise and repay them.
There was no reason for this. Zhang Liunian wouldn't agree. He whispered a few words to the security guards, and soon, a group of people arrived to forcefully clear the area.
The united factory owners were furious, but considering themselves people of status, they didn't want to be in such a disheveled state. They instructed their subordinates to stay and shout "Repay the debt," while they, the bosses, left to await news.
The subordinates naturally obeyed. As soon as their bosses left, they immediately started shouting.
"Repay the debt!"
"Repay the debt!"
"..."
Supervisor Gu, looking at the people lined up and shouting "Repay the debt," looked at Zhang Liunian with a troubled expression. "Boss, if they continue like this, it will seriously affect the reputation of our department store."
Zhang Liunian knew this, but he didn't want to be a pushover. He would pay what he owed, but he wouldn't pay what he didn't owe.
"They think this will make me compromise, impossible. Go find some people and do this..." The enemy has a plan, and he has a countermeasure. It won't be easy for them to stand here and demand debt.
Supervisor Gu nodded repeatedly after hearing the boss's instructions and left. About half an hour later, a group of people appeared out of nowhere. They seized the debt collectors who were shouting "Repay the debt" and, after emptying their pockets, fled.
This time, the debt collectors had no time to think about their mission; their own wallets had been snatched. How could they endure this? Within ten minutes, the front of the department store was completely cleared.
Zhang Liunian looked at the restored entrance and smiled, then turned and went back upstairs.
Someone in the crowd saw everything and immediately went to report to Zhu Laosi.
Zhu Laosi was in a bad mood upon hearing that Zhang Liunian had easily resolved these matters.
Although he lacked brains, it didn't mean he couldn't distinguish the other party's capabilities.
If something like this happened to him today, he would definitely resort to force and solve problems with his fists. If his fists couldn't solve it, it only meant his fists weren't big enough.