Chapter 240: Overwhelming Prosperity
Chapter 240: Overwhelming Prosperity
Midday.
Sui Feng Restaurant.
Bu Zhongshi and his childhood friend Bu Dajun were helping to clear the tables. This wasn’t the first time they had done this.
Ever since Bu Zhongshi followed his uncle’s advice and brought his friend to the county town to learn driving, they had been eating at the restaurant.
One or two meals were fine, but eating there every day would make even a nephew feel a bit embarrassed, let alone Bu Dajun, who was only a distant relative.
So, starting from the second day, Bu Dajun began to help out with tasks like serving dishes, fetching drinks, and clearing tables whenever they came to eat. This made them feel much more comfortable and at ease.
Bu Zhongshi and Bu Dajun weren’t the only ones; Deng Changdong and his mother also helped out. They accompanied Ou Guofang to the county town for her confinement, and naturally, they couldn’t come to the restaurant every day for free meals. Rolling up their sleeves to help was the natural thing to do for these hardworking rural folks.
With these extra hands, the two waitresses, Zhang Wenjuan and Zhang Wenying, and the two sisters-in-law, Zhang Xiuping and Deng Yunzhen, had much more free time than usual.
After the lunch rush, Ou Guofang, who was sitting at the cash register chatting with Zhang Xiuping, suddenly went into labor.
This was several days earlier than the estimated date given by Changdong’s mother, which made Deng Changdong panic. "Why is it so early? Is this considered a premature birth?"
Changdong’s mother laughed and scolded him, "What premature birth? I just estimated the date based on experience. It’s normal for it to be a few days early. Don’t just stand there; help your wife and get ready to go to the hospital!"
Deng Changdong snapped out of his daze and quickly came over to support his wife.
Zhang Xiuping gave a few instructions and then led them to the Maternal and Child Health Center.
...
Beijing.
Dongfeng Market.
In a private room of a teahouse, two men and a woman were sitting and drinking tea.
One of them was Zhou Shengli, the owner of Ruyi Fresh Fruit Shop.
The other man, who was about the same age as Zhou Shengli and looked well-off, was named Wang Dagan, the owner of a hardware store in Dongfeng Market.
The woman, in her thirties and fashionably dressed, was named Tian Chunzhi, the owner of a fashion store in Dongfeng Market.
After the waitress left, Tian Chunzhi said, "Old Zhou, you called us here to discuss a big business opportunity. What is it? You can tell us now, right?"
Zhou Shengli took a sip of tea and said, "Old Wang, Sister Tian, I’ve come across the biggest business opportunity of my life. If we handle it well, it could bring us overwhelming prosperity. I only called you two because I want you to share in the profits. I wouldn’t want you to say I’m not a good friend."
Hearing this, Wang Dagan and Tian Chunzhi exchanged glances.
Tian Chunzhi looked at Zhou Shengli and said, "Old Zhou, are you joking with us?"
Zhou Shengli countered, "Do I look like I’m joking?"
Wang Dagan said, "Old Zhou, stop being mysterious. What’s the big business opportunity?"
"Before we talk business, I want to show you something."
With that, Zhou Shengli took a bunch of longans from his leather bag and placed them on the table. "You should recognize this fruit, right?"
Wang Dagan, seeing the longans, shrugged. "So what? They’re just longans. What’s so special about them?"
Compared to Wang Dagan, Tian Chunzhi was much more observant. "These longans look so fresh!"
Seeing that neither of them realized the connection between the longans and the big business opportunity, Zhou Shengli wasn’t surprised. If the Deng boss hadn’t explicitly mentioned the connection when he came to him, he wouldn’t have thought of it either.
After all, this was Beijing. Throughout history, no one had managed to transport longans from thousands of miles away to sell here.
It wasn’t impossible; if a dedicated plane were used, it could be done. But that would make the cost of the longans as high as pork, and no one would do that.
Time was tight, so Zhou Shengli got straight to the point. "Old Wang, Sister Tian, the big business opportunity I mentioned is related to these longans. Try them and see how fresh they are."
People who had succeeded in business in this era were naturally smart. When Zhou Shengli gave such a clear hint, Wang Dagan and Tian Chunzhi both realized something and their expressions changed.
So, they observed the bunch of longans on the table and picked one to taste.
"Very sweet!"
"Very fresh!"
Tian Chunzhi looked at Zhou Shengli and said, "Old Zhou, were these longans air-freighted from the south?"
Zhou Shengli shook his head. "I’m not sure if they were air-freighted from the south. What I do know is that I can now get a large supply of these fresh longans. This exclusive business opportunity, do you want to join me?"
Wang Dagan, though tempted, asked calmly, "Old Zhou, what’s the wholesale price for these longans?"
Since they were good friends, Zhou Shengli didn’t plan to make a profit from them. He said honestly, "The wholesale price is 2 yuan per pound."
Even though Tian Chunzhi hadn’t been in the fresh fruit business, the saying "if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen pigs run" held true. She knew that such fresh and delicious longans at a wholesale price of 2 yuan per pound was a great deal, especially considering the distance they had traveled to Beijing. The transportation costs alone would be significant.
"Old Zhou, you mentioned that you can get a large quantity of these fresh longans. How much exactly can you get?"
Zhou Shengli replied, "I can get around 60 tons. If you're interested, we can partner up and buy all these longans. With my years of experience in selling fruits, longans of this quality and freshness can easily retail for 2.5 to 3 yuan per pound.
If we buy and sell this entire batch, we can guarantee a profit of nearly 100,000 yuan. I'll take 40%, and each of you will get 30%, which means at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan each.
Earning 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in just a few days—what else could be more lucrative than that?"
Their hearts were racing with excitement!
At this moment, Wang Daman and Tian Chunzhi's hearts were pounding. They weren't strangers to 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. If they had to, they could even scrape together 100,000 yuan, but that would be their life savings.
Now, a big business opportunity to earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in just a few days was right in front of them. How could they not be tempted?
However, both of them were seasoned individuals who understood that the more tempting the opportunity, the more they needed to stay calm.
Tian Chunzhi took a deep breath and said, "Old Zhou, I admit this business opportunity is tempting, but 60 tons is a huge amount. Can we really sell it all within a few days? That's a crucial question to consider.
If we can sell it smoothly, we'll make a fortune. But if we can't and end up with unsold stock, the loss will be significant!"
"Granny Tian is right," Wang Daman echoed. "Old Zhou, you've been in the fresh fruit business for many years. Based on your judgment, do you think we can sell all these longans in just a few days?"
Zhou Shengli analyzed, "I think it's doable. This is the first time longans have appeared in the capital market. Many people in the capital have only heard of this famous southern fruit but have never tasted it.
Selling at 2.5 to 3 yuan per pound is indeed more expensive than other fruits, but I believe many people will be willing to pay this price to try something new.
60 tons is a large quantity, and selling only at Dongfeng Market would be challenging. But if we partner up and mobilize our relatives and friends, we can set up 10 or even 20 sales points, the wider the coverage, the better.
This way, each point only needs to sell a few thousand pounds.
If we spread the sales over several days, we only need to sell a thousand or so pounds per day. We can even lower the price as needed, which will reduce the pressure."
Tian Chunzhi nodded in agreement, "Old Zhou, you make a good point. This is an exclusive business. With the population of the capital, even if only one in a hundred is willing to buy, we can easily sell all these longans.
Even if some are left unsold, at most we won't make a profit, but compared to the substantial gains, taking some risk is worth it."
Wang Daman had also done the math and agreed that the risk was minimal compared to the potential profit. He said, "I think we should do this business."
Zhou Shengli smiled, "Since you both agree, let's discuss the investment ratio. The total cost of the longans is around 250,000 yuan. One share is about 25,000 yuan. Each of you will take 30%, which means an investment of around 76,000 yuan each. I'll take 40%, which is about 100,000 yuan. Is this okay?"
Wang Daman and Tian Chunzhi responded in unison, "No problem!"
Zhou Shengli nodded, "Time is of the essence. Every minute we delay, the freshness of the longans decreases. We need to act quickly. The money must be ready by tomorrow morning at the latest. That shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
Tian Chunzhi was the first to respond, "No problem on my end. I'll go home and dig out my life savings to make this big move."
Wang Daman added, "No problem on my end either. Even if I have to sell everything, I'll get the money together."
Zhou Shengli glanced at them, speechless, "Alright, let's not exaggerate. I know how much you have. I'm the one who really needs to find the 100,000 yuan. I need to find someone to help me with the funds."
Wang Daman smiled, "Old Zhou, if you feel the pressure, you can transfer your share to Tian Chunzhi and me. We're willing to invest more."
Tian Chunzhi also chimed in, "Old Wang is right. If you feel the pressure, we don't mind helping you out."
"What are you dreaming about? If you even think about taking my share, I'll kick you out."
"Boss Zhou, I was wrong!"
"I won't do it again!"
"..."
After a few jokes, the three of them discussed some details.
About half an hour later, they left the teahouse and went their separate ways to gather the funds.
(End of Chapter)
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