Chapter 148: Jiang Xia's Expertise in Dealing with Malicious Competition
Chapter 148: Jiang Xia's Expertise in Dealing with Malicious Competition
The village women felt a bit embarrassed when they saw Jiang Xia approaching, and they didn't dare look at her directly.
But Wen Wan had made it clear that Zhou Bingqiang's family would always pay two cents more for dried fish than the Zhou family, as long as they signed an agreement to sell exclusively to them.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated which Zhou family it was, it was obvious that it referred to Zhou Chenglei's family, as they were the only ones buying dried fish.
Who would sell to Jiang Xia when the price was always two cents higher at Zhou Chenglei's?
Money doesn't bite, and no one would complain about earning more!
Jiang Xia glanced at them indifferently and then turned her attention back to the sea. She had arrived pushing a cart and now sat on it, scanning the returning fishing boats for her family's vessel.
A woman approached Jiang Xia and said, "Xia Xia, I'll still sell my dried fish to you. Even if Zhou Bingqiang's family pays two cents more than you, I don't mind. I'll only sell to you, so don't worry."
Jiang Xia raised her eyebrows at this. What did she mean by Zhou Bingqiang's family always paying two cents more for dried fish than her family?
This was clearly targeting her!
She didn't mind healthy competition, but malicious competition was a different story.
Wen Wan and Zhou Guohua could buy dried fish, and the villagers were free to sell to whomever they chose. Jiang Xia had no say in that.
After all, it was a free market.
But if they deliberately targeted and harassed her, then they couldn't blame her for retaliating!
Jiang Xia, who had been navigating the markets since she was three years old, knew exactly how to deal with such malicious competition.
She smiled and replied, "Thank you, Ershun. My family will always buy your dried fish whenever you bring it."
Jiang Xia recognized this woman; Zhou Mu had invited her to help with fish cleaning before. She and her daughter-in-law worked quickly and diligently, never slacking off.
Although Jiang Xia called her Ershun, they weren't actually related. In the village, most people shared the surname Zhou, and all those with the same surname worshipped the same ancestors in the same ancestral hall. Therefore, they addressed each other according to the generation of the male family member, such as 'Aunt' or 'Auntie'.
As Jiang Xia walked by, some of the village children called out to her as 'Fourth Aunt', 'Fourth Auntie', or 'Fourth Auntie's Husband', as Zhou Chenglei was the fourth among his siblings.
Ershun said, "Why thank me? I just can't stand the way they're doing things."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Ershun, I'll take a look at their agreement. When your family has dried fish, bring it to my house! Thank you!"
Ershun nodded. "Alright, my husband's boat is back. I'll go take a look too."
She walked away.
Jiang Xia approached Wen Wan.
Wen Wan felt a bit nervous when she saw Jiang Xia coming, but she reminded herself that she hadn't done anything illegal. There was no reason to be anxious.
She was just buying dried fish, and the price being two cents higher was a way to support the village. It was legal and a good deed, answering the nation's call to help others rise from poverty. If Jiang Xia dared to cause trouble, she would be the one reported to the production team this time!
So, Wen Wan pretended not to notice Jiang Xia and continued to smile while instructing the villagers on how to sign.
Not only was Wen Wan nervous, but the villagers who had surrounded Jiang Xia the day before also felt a bit tense and embarrassed. After all, they had promised to sell their dried fish to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia found their awkwardness amusing, as if they wished they could hide.
There was no need to feel embarrassed!
They were free to sell their dried fish to whomever they chose, and she wouldn't blame them.
Everyone wanted to make more money, and she understood that.
It was similar to how the village buying station offered lower prices, but the city market had higher prices, so sometimes they would go to the city dock to sell their fish.
Trading should be free and fair.
Competition should be the same.
Jiang Xia casually picked up a copy of the agreement.
Wen Wan immediately reached out to snatch it, "What are you trying to do?"
Jiang Xia dodged her hand and looked at the agreement, saying calmly, "You're buying fish jerky here, right? I want to see the terms of the agreement. If the price is right, I'll sell my fish jerky too!"
The villagers around her stared at Jiang Xia in disbelief.
Is this even possible?
Just last night, they had sold her several hundred pounds of fish jerky, and now she's going to turn around and sell it to Wen Wan, making a profit of several yuan?
Jiang Xia ignored everyone's gaze and quickly scanned the agreement. With a smile, she said, "As long as you sign this agreement, you'll get the benefit of your fish jerky being two cents more expensive per pound than others, but you can only sell it to your family?"
Wen Wan's eyes flickered, and she snatched the agreement back, "I won't buy your fish jerky. Don't cause trouble here!"
Jiang Xia laughed, "Even if I wanted to sell it, I wouldn't dare. This agreement is fundamentally unfair. Although it states that the price will always be two cents more expensive per pound, once you sign it, you can only sell the fish jerky to them, and there's no mention of a time limit. Is it indefinite? Moreover, the agreement doesn't guarantee that they will purchase the fish jerky. If they stop buying, can the seller still sell it to other families? If they can, then it's not a problem. But if they can't, then it's like holding onto a hot potato indefinitely!"
The agreement sounded good at first, as two cents was still considered money and could buy some things.
But ten years later, two cents won't be worth anything, and even a one-yuan coin dropped on the ground wouldn't be picked up.
To be honest, being two cents more expensive per pound only makes a difference of two yuan for every hundred pounds. Even now, in Jiang Xia's opinion, there's not much difference between a higher price and the original price.
After all, in the villagers' eyes, collecting a hundred pounds of fish jerky per day is already considered a good amount, and it's not like they're trading in tons.
So, this agreement, which seems to favor the locals, is actually a trap to ensnare them!
However, for the villagers selling fish, every cent matters, and earning an extra cent is significant. That's why they were eager to sign the agreement; it was clearly a good deal for them!
But an ambiguous agreement like this has no legal effect.
Jiang Xia wasn't sure if Wen Wan was aware of this, or if she knew and was just using it to deceive the uninformed villagers, making them feel obligated to sell their fish jerky to her because of the agreement.
However, Jiang Xia was certain that Wen Wan was intentionally targeting her family.
Jiang Xia continued, "Also, have you all felt that life has improved a little over the past two years, and that wages have increased slightly? I believe that in the future, life will only get better, wages will rise, and the prices of many things will increase as well! So, it's unreasonable to always be two cents more expensive than others. Who knows, in ten or eight years, two cents might not even be worth anything! Shouldn't the pricing be adjusted according to the year and market prices? For example, in the first and second years, it's two cents more per pound, in the third year, it's two jiao more per pound, and in the fifth and sixth years, it's one yuan or five jiao more. But to always be just two cents more? Isn't 'forever' a bit too long? Haha..."
Jiang Xia laughed a couple of times and then put down the agreement, leaving with a carefree attitude.
She left behind a group of women, each with nine open orifices and one closed, looking at each other in confusion.
Jiang Xia's words seemed to make some sense!
Was 'forever' too long?
What if Zhou Bingqiang's family stopped buying fish jerky in the future? Could those who signed the agreement still sell to others?
(End of Chapter)
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