More than a dozen people were gathered in front of the Hongyun Rice booth, completely filling all the seats reserved for potential clients.
Some sat playing on their phones, others stood making calls, and some pretended to look through the photocopies of the inspection certificates. But not a single one of them approached the staff to discuss an order.
This group consisted entirely of young people, none older than thirty-five. A couple of them were even wearing work clothes from the Mao Feng Auto Repair Factory.
Seeing this, Wu Jun was 99.9% certain that He Qingfeng had sent these people.
Dong Shanshan had told him that besides a few Mongzhalong Rice specialty stores, He Qingfeng also owned several large auto repair factories.
"Hey, buddy, could you go rest somewhere else?" Ma Chaoyun said, suppressing his anger as he reasoned with a young man in auto repair coveralls.
"What’s your problem? Looking down on me, huh? You think just because I’m in work clothes I can’t afford your rice?" the young man retorted, craning his neck. "Forget rice that costs 30 yuan—I’ve eaten some that costs over a hundred. I sit here to think for a minute and you’re already trying to kick me out? Is this any way to run a business?"
The young man’s companion added with a smirk, "Exactly. The customer is always right! They’re your providers, your benefactors. Is this how you treat your own parents?"
"You son of a bitch, who do you think you’re talking to!" Wu Jun had just arrived and heard their insolent remarks—insulting his uncle right to his face. His temper flared, and he reached out, nearly grabbing the man by the collar before Qian Na, who was right behind him, stopped him.
Qian Na whispered urgently in his ear, "Jun, calm down. They’re provoking us over and over again, trying to get us to start a fight and blow this whole thing up. If you throw a punch, today’s exhibition is completely ruined."
"Oh! The vendor wants to throw a punch! Go on, hit me! Right here," the man taunted, standing up and pointing to his own head as he provoked Wu Jun.
Wu Jun had never heard such a bizarre request. Just as he was about to step forward and grant it, his aunt and the others stopped him and pulled him behind a display board.
"Wu Jun, cool down." Chen Lin handed him a bottle of water. "If you actually hit him, you’ll be giving them exactly what they want."
Wu Jun took the water, twisted off the cap, and took a sip before asking, "Aren’t the organizers going to do anything about this? They’re clearly here to cause trouble."
Dong Lizhu said with a frown, "The organizers have all gone to receive the foreign guests. They only left a few security guards to maintain order. We reported it to them, but they said they can’t make the call and have to ask for instructions. They’ve been ’asking for instructions’ since this morning."
"If you ask me, those guards have definitely been paid off by Meng Zalang’s people. They’re all in on it," Bian Xuedao said indignantly. "I went out for a smoke earlier, and you wouldn’t believe it—two young guards were in the smoking area, happily puffing on Chunghwas. How much do you think they get paid a month to afford that?"
"Our booth location was already bad to begin with—it’s small, we don’t get much foot traffic, and it’s hard to attract major clients," his aunt said worriedly from the side. "And now with these guys causing trouble, what are we going to do?"
Xu Fei also looked troubled. "The moment we finish steaming a batch of our rice, it’s all gone in less than three minutes. They practically mob us for it, we can’t stop them. We don’t even get a chance to showcase it."
Ma Chaoyun sighed. "There are hundreds of exhibitors and hundreds of types of rice at this convention. The aroma of our Hongyun Rice just gets lost in the mix. It can’t stand out at all."
"The foreign investors arrive this afternoon. Given the current situation, our chances are looking slim," his uncle-in-law, Qian Liangping, said dejectedly.
Wu Jun sat on the stool, sipping his water and listening to everyone’s complaints as he formulated a plan in his mind.
’Because we registered too late, we couldn’t get a good booth. Compared to Meng Zalang’s luxurious setup, our Hongyun Rice spot looks downright shabby.’
’A booth this small makes us look like some small-time, powerless workshop. We’ll never attract the attention of major clients.’
’The aroma of Hongyun Rice is drowned out by the smells of hundreds of other kinds of rice, so its main advantage is lost. It’s like tossing the Fragrant Concubine into a pigsty and expecting her to attract butterflies. She’ll only attract flies.’
Wu Jun summarized the troubles Hongyun Rice was facing: a small, poorly located booth, its aromatic advantage nullified, an inability to attract customers, a group of people deliberately causing trouble, and the rice being devoured the moment it was cooked, leaving no opportunity for a proper display. It was a whole heap of problems.
Wu Jun sneered inwardly. ’He Qingfeng’s little combo would have been too much for an ordinary person to handle. But your Grandpa Wu is no ordinary person.’
Wu Jun looked up and asked Dong Lizhu, "Auntie, how much is the rent for our booth?"
"It’s 3,000 for the day," Dong Lizhu said. "Maybe we shouldn’t keep wasting our time here over 3,000 yuan?"
Wu Jun shook his head and continued asking, "What about the booths next to us? How much is their rent, and how was their business this morning?"
"Their locations are about the same, so the rent is the same as ours," Dong Lizhu said. "Even though no one is harassing them, their spot is just as bad and their product is average. They didn’t sell much all morning. At best, they probably just made back their rental fee."
Wu Jun said, "Then go ask them if they’re willing to sublet their booths. If they are, offer them double the rent."
"This..." Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard Wu Jun’s words.
Wu Jun said, "We need to make a bigger show of it first. Trying to attract major clients with a tiny, sparrow-sized booth like this is next to impossible."
"But..." Dong Lizhu said, looking lost. "Even if we rent all the surrounding booths, we’re still in a corner. The location is just as remote. It can’t compare to the prime spots in the center."
"How about..." Bian Xuedao suggested. "We hire some good-looking, sexy girls to attract some attention?"
"Bian Xuedao! What’s that supposed to mean?" Qian Na said, pinching his ear. "Are you saying I’m not pretty and not sexy?"
Bian Xuedao whispered, trying to coax her, "No, no... My wife is the prettiest! Ouch, let go! Please, my dear, have mercy and let me save some face, will you?"
Lately, the Ma family relatives had seen their status at home skyrocket from following Wu Jun. They were all walking taller. Back when Qian Na was just a restaurant manager, she would never have dared to lay a hand on Bian Xuedao, who was a civil servant. At home, she had been the meek, browbeaten wife. Now, she had completely turned the tables and was the one in charge.
Despite their bickering, their relationship was deeper than ever. Bian Xuedao used to look down on the Ma Family relatives, but now he had completely integrated into the big family.
Watching his cousin and her husband flirting, Wu Jun smiled and said, "Auntie, just do as I say. I have a plan. For now, rent seven or eight of them and expand our booth area several times over."
"Alright. Chen Lin, Xu Fei, the three of us will split up and get it done." Seeing Wu Jun’s determined attitude, Dong Lizhu didn’t say any more. She called to Xu Fei and Chen Lin, and they headed out.
Half an hour later, the three returned to report their results: for double the price, they had rented the seven surrounding booths.
Adding that to their original space, the Hongyun Rice booth instantly became the largest one in the entire exhibition hall. The problem of being too small was solved.