https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-23-The-Young-Bride-s-Incredible-Luck/12811705/
Chapter 24: Encountering a Price-Gouging Middleman
Chapter 24: Encountering a Price-Gouging Middleman
As Jiang Xia and the others docked their boat, the crowd on the shore burst into excited exclamations at the sight of the boat brimming with baskets of snapper.
"Did you encounter a snapper school? We're rich!"
"Brothers, where did you catch these snappers? You must have been incredibly lucky to find such a rare catch!"
"This boat must be carrying several hundred pounds of snapper, worth nearly a thousand yuan! We're making a fortune!"
"Making a fortune, making a fortune!"
...
Onlookers gathered around, some standing on the pier and others on their own boats, watching the commotion.
Zhou Chenglei turned to his father, Zhou Fath, and said, "I'll go check if any middlemen are buying fish at the pier."
Zhou Fath nodded in agreement.
Just then, a few people pushed their way through the crowd. "Which boat caught the snappers? Let me see! ... Wow, so many!"
He squeezed through the crowd, hopped onto Zhou Chenglei's boat, and poked at the fish in the baskets, lifting one to check the gills. "These fish are dead, but they're still fresh."
Jiang Xia corrected him, "They are very fresh. These weren't caught by trawling; they were still lively when we hauled them on board. We immediately sailed back after catching them."
A man in a white shirt also climbed aboard and said, "Brothers, I'll take these snappers! I'm Xu Wen'an, the manager of Futaixuan Restaurant. How much do you want for them?"
Today was a good day, and the restaurant had several wedding banquets to cater. They were in dire need of fish, and snappers, being red and symbolizing good fortune, were perfect for the occasion.
"Damn, Manager Xu, I got here first! How can you be so unfair!" the middleman who had just arrived complained.
He then pulled Zhou Chenglei aside and pointed to two baskets of fish of varying sizes. "Brother, I'm Yang Dayou, and I'm also a fish buyer. I'll take the big snappers for eighty yuan per basket and the smaller ones for sixty yuan per basket. I'll take them all! And for the rest of the mixed fish on your boat, I'll give you ten yuan and take them all."
Fish were sold by weight, either by the pound or by the basket, depending on the quantity. A basket typically held about a hundred pounds.
In other words, Yang Dayou was offering only eighty cents and sixty cents per pound.
Everyone on the pier knew Yang Dayou; he was notorious for offering low prices to unfamiliar fishermen.
But no one spoke up to interfere, as ruining someone's business was as bad as taking a life, and no one wanted to cause unnecessary trouble.
Jiang Xia didn't know the prices, but her intuition told her this man was untrustworthy. He was deliberately criticizing their fish to drive down the price, his eyes darting around with clear calculation.
She remained silent, looking to Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Fath for guidance.
While Jiang Xia didn't know the prices, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Fath did, and they knew his offer was way too low.
Zhou Chenglei, annoyed by dealing with such people, said, "Not selling!"
The mixed fish on the boat alone were worth more than ten yuan.
Those two nets of mixed fish, though not all prime, clearly contained some valuable catches that just hadn't been sorted yet.
The restaurant manager then spoke up, "Comrade, I'll offer you one hundred yuan per basket for the snappers that weigh around one pound, and one hundred and twenty yuan per basket for those that weigh one and a half pounds. Would you sell them? And I'll take ten more that weigh over two pounds."
The larger the fish, the higher the price, but for a restaurant hosting banquets, fish weighing around one pound were the most cost-effective. They looked neither too small nor too large, and buying larger fish for banquets wasn't as profitable.
So, he only wanted the one-pound and one-and-a-half-pound snappers. The additional ten two-pound snappers would be perfect for regular customers.
Jiang Xia knew that a basket was roughly a hundred pounds, so the price was less than one yuan per pound. It was indeed quite cheap.
These were wild red snappers, after all.
But given the current prices, with people earning only thirty to forty yuan a month, one yuan per pound wasn't cheap.
The middleman glared at the restaurant manager. "Why are you setting such a high price? One hundred yuan per basket is too expensive! Don't ruin the market! I can only offer ninety yuan per basket! If they don't sell, it's fine. Let's go!"
Xu Wen'an was taking the smaller fish at such high prices, and the larger fish were even more expensive. How could he still try to drive down the price?
Yang Daoyou gave Xu Wen'an a hard look and tried to pull him away.
Jiang Xia glanced at Yang Daoyou and said coolly, "Have a good walk, no need to see you off!"
Yang Daoyou: "……"
Xu Wen'an didn't budge. The gilthead seabream was rare, so he asked Jiang Xia, "Are you selling?"
Jiang Xia replied, "Ask my husband, he's the one who decides."
The words "my husband" brushed over Zhou Chenglei's heart like a feather, and he couldn't help but look at Jiang Xia. He hadn't spoken yet.
At that moment, another dealer squeezed onto the boat. "I heard there's a gilthead seabream? I'll take it! I'll take it! What's the price?"
Zhou Chenglei, recalling what his father had said about the good days ahead, where more people would be celebrating weddings, knew that the gilthead seabream was perfect for such occasions. Its name was auspicious and celebratory. He said directly, "One-pound fish is 110 yuan per basket, one-and-a-half-pound fish is 130 yuan per basket, two-pound fish is 160 yuan per basket, three-pound fish and above is 2 yuan per pound, and the four-pound fish, which we only have one of, is 3 yuan per pound. Who wants this price? No haggling!"
Jiang Xia added, "Our baskets of fish are definitely more than 100 pounds each. After removing the basket, there's still at least 105 pounds."
Jiang Xia had moved each basket of fish and knew exactly how heavy they were.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia, surprised that she knew.
The restaurant was waiting for the fish to prepare dishes, and Xu Wen'an was in a hurry. The price wasn't too high and was acceptable. He immediately said, "Alright, I'll take them. I'll take all the one-pound and one-and-a-half-pound fish, ten of the two-pound fish, and all the three-pound and four-pound fish."
It was rare to find such auspicious fish, perfect for banquets. Most importantly, the price was only ten yuan more per basket, which meant the price per fish was less than a dime higher. The restaurant could make a decent profit on each dish, and a dime more per fish was negligible.
The people who came to the restaurant to eat were all wealthy, and they liked to show off, preferring larger fish. Fish weighing three to four pounds sold well.
For instance, a three-pound gilthead seabream bought at two yuan per pound would be sold at the restaurant for about four to five yuan per pound, ensuring no loss.
The dealer who came later was surnamed Hou, and everyone called him Old Hou or Lord Hou. Seeing the fresh fish that could be stored, he said, "I'll take the rest, and I'll also take your mackerels!"
Yang Daoyou was frustrated but did the math. Even if he resold them, he could still make a profit. Earning a dime or two per pound was still a profit, and with the quantity, it would add up. However, the arrival of two competitors meant he couldn't take advantage of the situation and make a huge profit, which left him feeling a bit unsatisfied.
These people on the boat were unfamiliar, and he hadn't seen them before.
He glared at the dealer who came later, "Old Hou, I was here first, don't snatch it. I'll take the rest!"
Old Hou glanced at him, "I heard they won't sell to you!"
This Old Yang always tried to take advantage of unfamiliar faces, bullying fishermen from other places. But not every fisherman was honest and easy to bully! The young man on the boat didn't look like an ordinary person; he might be a soldier on leave, helping his family with fishing.
Yang Daoyou: "……"
Zhou Chenglei said to Old Hou and Xu Wen'an, "There are also large yellow croakers in the live hold. Do you want them? There are probably a few hundred pounds."
Both men's eyes lit up, and they said in unison, "Yes, we want them!"
Upon hearing about the large yellow croakers, Yang Daoyou regretted it deeply, "I want them, I want them! I want the large yellow croakers, and the price is negotiable. Comrade, you set the price! You set the price!"
What kind of luck did this boat have?
To catch so many good fish?
If he had known, he wouldn't have tried to haggle at the beginning!
With the good days ahead, more people would be celebrating weddings, and fish like the gilthead seabream and large yellow croakers, which looked good and were auspicious, would sell easily.
(End of Chapter)
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