Chapter 310: Making 3.83 Million [7,400 Words for Subscription]

Chapter 310: Making 3.83 Million [7,400 Words for Subscription]



On the train.

Deng Shirong was worried for a moment but soon felt relieved.

His second son's career in politics was something Deng Shirong couldn't really help with, but as long as his son remembered his advice, remained true to his principles, and avoided corruption, the risks would be significantly reduced. The remaining risk would just be about choosing the right camp.

Choosing the right camp in the political arena is crucial.

However, as long as one maintains integrity, even if they make the wrong choice due to bad luck, the worst that could happen is being sidelined. They wouldn't end up in prison.

Of course, this was Deng Shirong's understanding of the political arena. In reality, he wasn't entirely sure if it was true.

His knowledge of politics came from his third son in his previous life and from political novels. As a farmer, he had little interest in politics, so his third son didn't talk much about it with him. He only had a superficial understanding.

As for political novels, they are just novels, and one shouldn't believe everything but also shouldn't dismiss them entirely.

In any case, Deng Shirong had come to terms with it. The Ye Deng clan in his previous life had produced several officials, though none at the provincial level, a few were at the department level, and all had ended their careers well. So, the political arena wasn't as terrifying as it seemed.

After worrying about his second son's job, Deng Shirong's thoughts drifted back to his conversation with County Chief Song.

This year's early rice, although Deng Shirong had known about the severe pest and disease outbreak county-wide, he could only help the Ye Deng clan and his relatives by advising them to switch to sweet potatoes. For the rest of the areas, even if he wanted to help, he didn't know how.

Initially, he planned to visit each township himself to persuade the other relatives to switch from late rice to sweet potatoes. However, he later realized this was impractical. It would take too much time to visit every village in the county, and it might not even be effective. So, he changed his strategy and went to the county government to discuss the issue with County Chief Song (Song Yu's father).

The two had a good relationship due to their children, and County Chief Song was quite warm when he saw Deng Shirong.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business.

Deng Shirong said, "County Chief Song, I came here today to discuss something very important."

County Chief Song asked, "Mr. Deng, what's the important matter?"

Deng Shirong replied, "It's about the pest and disease outbreak affecting the county's early rice, which I believe you are already aware of?"

County Chief Song's expression turned serious. "Yes, I've known about it for a while. This year, our county has suffered significant crop losses."

Deng Shirong nodded. "Indeed, most townships have seen severe reductions in their early rice harvests, and some have even had complete crop failures. Farmers have worked hard for half a year and gained nothing. This year will be tough for them."

County Chief Song said, "Our county government is already looking into ways to reduce the burden on farmers and provide assistance to those affected. Mr. Deng, you mentioned this issue, is there something specific you want to tell me?"

Deng Shirong explained, "This is what happened: our village, due to some special circumstances, switched all our paddy fields to sweet potatoes, so we were fortunate enough to avoid the county-wide pest and disease outbreak. I came to discuss this with you because I am concerned about the late rice crop facing the same issue."

He then laid out his thoughts, "Therefore, I suggest that you, County Chief Song, convene a meeting with the leaders of all the townships to advise them to persuade the villagers to switch from late rice to sweet potatoes. They can return to planting rice next year. This way, we might avoid another major loss in the late rice crop. If we can get some experts to provide valuable advice, that would be even better."

Upon hearing this, County Chief Song's eyes lit up. This information was very important to him, and Deng Shirong's suggestion was excellent. Convening a meeting with the township leaders to advise them to switch to sweet potatoes would only bring benefits and no harm. If the late rice crop was spared from the pest and disease outbreak, his suggestion would be seen as a benefit to the farmers, and no one could criticize him. If the late rice crop still suffered, he would have even more credit.

Thinking this over, County Chief Song nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Deng, your suggestion is excellent. I will convene a meeting with the township leaders and also invite experts to provide valuable advice. If we can help the people reduce or avoid their losses, you will have done a great service to the county."

Deng Shirong smiled. "That will be your achievement, County Chief Song. I just came to catch up with you."

County Chief Song looked at him deeply, his respect for this individual businessman growing. He didn't continue the discussion and instead chatted about their children, offering serious advice when he learned that Deng Yunheng had chosen a career in politics.

They chatted for nearly half an hour before Deng Shirong took his leave.

...

Recalling his conversation with County Chief Song, Deng Shirong let out a sigh of relief.

He had done his best. Whether the late rice crop could help the other townships was beyond his control.

...

Beijing.

Ruyi Fresh Fruit Shop.

Since the beginning of the seventh lunar month, Zhou Shengli's mood had been increasingly high. If everything went as planned, he was about to make a significant amount of money again.

Zhou Shengli eagerly awaited the arrival of Mr. Deng, his benefactor.

After the successful entry of groundnuts into the Beijing market last year, Zhou Shengli and his partners were no longer as cautious as before. As long as Mr. Deng's people delivered the groundnuts, they planned to take all 500 tons or less.

They were set to make a substantial profit again.

Just as Zhou Shengli was lost in thought, a familiar voice broke through his reverie. "Mr. Zhou, how have you been?"

Zhou Shengli looked up and saw the person he had been "yearning for" every day, Mr. Deng. He exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Deng, you're finally here! What's in your hands?"

Deng Shirong smiled. "Besides longans and groundnuts, I've brought a new variety this year. Let's see if you and your partners are interested."

Zhou Shengli didn't hesitate to respond, "Of course we're interested. Mr. Deng, please come in, and we can discuss it in more detail."

Deng Shirong nodded and followed Zhou Shengli into the warehouse behind the store.

After they were seated, Deng Shirong didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Mr. Zhou, this time I've brought wood apple. You've probably seen it before, haven't you?"

Zhou Shengli suddenly understood, "Ah, the king of Southern fruits! I've not only seen it but also tasted it!"

Deng Shirong untied the sack, revealing the wood apples inside, and said, "Mr. Zhou, I can assure you that the wood apples you tasted before are definitely not of the same quality as the ones I've brought. Get a fruit knife and a plastic bag, and I'll cut one open for you to taste. Then you'll understand why I say this."

Zhou Shengli became interested and fetched the knife and plastic bag.

Deng Shirong took the fruit knife and skillfully cut the wood apple.

He had chosen a ripe one, and when he cut it in half, the fresh yellow flesh was exposed.

Deng Shirong removed the core and wiped off the white sap with the plastic bag before handing half of it to Zhou Shengli, saying, "Here, Mr. Zhou, taste it and tell me the difference between this wood apple and the one you had before."

"The color alone makes it look delicious!"

Zhou Shengli took the wood apple and scooped out a piece, removing the seeds, and observed it. "The flesh is large and thick, definitely different from what I've tasted before."

As he spoke, he tore off a piece and put it in his mouth. His eyes widened as he chewed.

Deng Shirong smiled and asked, "How is it? Is the taste good?"

Zhou Shengli came back to his senses and, while still chewing, praised, "It's not just good; the flesh is crisp and the taste is incredibly sweet. I never imagined wood apples could be so delicious. What did I eat before?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "I told you, the quality of the wood apples I've brought is far superior to those available in the market."

Zhou Shengli asked, "Mr. Deng, are wood apples, like longans, of different varieties?"

Deng Shirong nodded, "There are three main varieties of wood apples: wet, oily, and dry. However, this classification is based on the appearance of the flesh. Even among the dry variety, the taste can be quite different.

Not only does the taste vary by region, but even within the same village, there can be differences.

So, getting high-quality wood apples isn't easy. The batch we've brought can't guarantee complete consistency in quality, but even the lowest quality among ours is better than the best from many other places."

Zhou Shengli seemed to understand, but also not. Non-locals find it hard to grasp the quality differences in wood apples. Even among dry wood apples, some taste bland while others are incredibly sweet. Unlike lychees and longans, where the taste difference within the same variety is minimal.

However, whether he understood or not wasn't the key; the key was whether the wood apple could bring him profit.

"Mr. Deng, what's the price for the wood apple?"

Deng Shirong replied, "This is the first time wood apples are appearing in the Beijing market, so I'll give you the lowest price of one yuan per pound. If there's a market for it in Beijing, we can renegotiate the price next year. If there isn't, then we'll leave it at that."

Wood apples, like durians, are divisive. Those who like them love the smell and even the lingering scent on their hands. But those who don't find the smell unbearable. So, Deng Shirong wasn't sure how well it would be received in Beijing.

However, since Bobai is one of the main production areas for wood apples, he had never heard of anyone in Bobai who couldn't stand the smell, and even those who didn't like eating wood apples were few. Most people in Bobai loved them.

Hearing the price, Zhou Shengli nodded. Given the quality of the fruit he was tasting, he believed it could easily sell for two yuan per pound, though not as high as longans.

Of course, being the first time in the Beijing market, selling it for two yuan per pound right away might not attract many buyers. He'd need to let customers try it and realize how delicious it was before he could charge that much.

But at one yuan per pound, he could sell it at a slightly lower price and still not worry about it not selling.

Therefore, Zhou Shengli didn't haggle and asked directly, "Mr. Deng, how much wood apple have you brought?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "We have a large quantity. Whatever you need, I can provide."

Zhou Shengli asked with some concern, "Mr. Deng, are you working with anyone else in Beijing?"

Deng Shirong waved his hand, "Don't worry, we're only working with you in Beijing."

Zhou Shengli relaxed and pondered, "Let's start with 100 tons to test the market."

"Sure, no problem."

Deng Shirong nodded and asked, "How much longan and peanuts do you need?"

Zhou Shengli was surprised, "Mr. Deng, the quantity of longans has increased this year?"

Deng Shirong nodded, "Yes, we have 100 tons of longans this year. If you want them, we'll reserve them all for you."

There were actually more than 100 tons of longans, but he only planned to sell this much in Beijing, so he only mentioned this quantity.

Zhou Shengli nodded repeatedly, "Yes, we definitely want them!"

Deng Shirong said, "Alright, the price is 2.3 yuan per pound. Is that okay?"

Although it was two fen more per pound compared to last year, Zhou Shengli didn't hesitate, "That's fine!"

Deng Shirong asked, "For peanuts, the price is 0.65 yuan per pound. How much do you need?"

"300 tons."

At this point, Zhou Shengli seemed a bit embarrassed, "Mr. Deng, if we take this much at once, we'll need over a million yuan in funds. I'm afraid we can't pay in full this time and will need a few days to settle the payment."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "No problem. You can pay half now, and the rest can be settled in a few days when you get the funds."

Zhou Shengli gratefully replied, "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Deng."

After the business was settled, the two of them continued to chat while enjoying the wood apples. About ten minutes later, Deng Shirong bid farewell and left, leaving the warehouse address behind.

...

After school at noon, Jiang Xuying, who was already in her fifties, slowly cycled home. As she passed a certain street, she suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrance that was only familiar from her memories. This invigorated her, and she quickly stopped her bike to look around. She soon spotted a clothing store nearby.

At the entrance of the clothing store, two women in their thirties were eating fruit. Seeing the fruit she hadn't seen for over twenty years, Jiang Xuying couldn't help but push her bike over and ask, "Hello, may I ask where you got these wood apples from?"

One of the women replied, "Auntie, you know wood apples too? We bought them at the intersection ahead. You should try some; they are very sweet."

Jiang Xuying smiled and waved her hand, "Thank you, no need. You enjoy them. I'll go check if they still have any for sale. I haven't had one in over twenty years and really miss them."

The other woman laughed, "They definitely have more. When we bought them, we saw a pile of them. They won't run out quickly."

Jiang Xuying thanked them and cycled toward the intersection they mentioned.

Sure enough, there was a temporary stall there, selling not only her favorite wood apples but also longans and peanuts, all specialties from her hometown.

Of course, she had already tasted the longans and peanuts last year, so seeing them again wasn't surprising. What she didn't expect was to find the wood apples, a fruit she had loved since childhood.

At the stall, several customers were already purchasing, but most were buying longans and peanuts. No one seemed to be buying the wood apples.

Jiang Xuying locked her bike and walked over to ask, "Boss, how much are the wood apples per pound?"

The stall owner smiled and replied, "1.4 yuan per pound. Would you like one?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xuying understood why few people were buying the wood apples.

At 1.4 yuan per pound, a single wood apple, which easily weighed over ten pounds, would cost more than ten yuan. While there were many wealthy people in Beijing, spending over ten yuan on a fruit they had never tried before was a tough decision for many.

Jiang Xuying touched the wood apple and asked, "Boss, are these dry or oily wood apples?"

She didn't ask about wet wood apples because they were significantly different from the other two types and easily distinguishable by someone familiar with wood apples.

The stall owner was surprised, "You seem to be an expert. These are dry wood apples, and the quality is top-notch."

Jiang Xuying picked two very plump wood apples and said, "Boss, I'll take these two. Please weigh them for me. Also, give me five pounds of longans and three peanuts."

"Sure, just a moment," the stall owner, recognizing a big customer, quickly weighed the items.

Seeing Jiang Xuying's generous purchase, especially the two wood apples, other customers started asking, "Sister, are these wood apples good to eat?"

Jiang Xuying smiled, "Wood apples are the king of Southern fruits. High-quality dry wood apples have a crisp and sweet flesh, making them very delicious. The only downside is that the juice is quite sticky, which can be a bit messy to eat."

A customer helped promote the fruit, and the stall owner chimed in, "You can use a plastic bag to handle the stickiness. When cutting the wood apple, you can wipe the knife with a plastic bag to keep it clean. If you accidentally get it on your hands, you can also use a plastic bag to clean it off."

Hearing this, a customer hesitated, "If they are that good, I might want to try some, but a single wood apple is so big!"

While speaking, the stall owner quickly weighed the items Jiang Xuying had purchased and continued, "If you are interested, you can work together with others to buy one. Two or three people can split one, and I can cut it and weigh it for you on the spot."

This suggestion intrigued the customers, and they started discussing how to split the purchase.

Jiang Xuying, after paying, took her longans, peanuts, and wood apples and headed home.

The three types of fruit cost her over seventy yuan, which was a significant amount. However, her family was well-off. Her husband, a native of Beijing, had some ancestral property, and they both worked as professors at a university, earning a decent income. Their children were also successful and didn't need their support.

Thus, she didn't hesitate to spend seventy yuan on fruit.

Soon, Jiang Xuying returned home.

"Mom, you're back! Dinner is almost ready!"

Speaking was Jiang Xuying's eldest daughter-in-law, Jiang Xiaoqin. After greeting her, she noticed the fruit in her mother-in-law's hand and exclaimed, "Mom, are the longans back in season?"

Jiang Xuying smiled and handed her the bag of longans, saying, "Yes, the longans are back in season. And there's more! There's a fruit you haven't tried before!"

Jiang Xiaoqin took the longans and asked, "What fruit haven't we tried?"

Jiang Xuying lifted the heavy bag and said, "This is it, the king of Southern fruits—wood apples."

Jiang Xiaoqin was surprised, "Mom, is this the wood apple with the strong fragrance you mentioned before?"

Jiang Xuying nodded, "Yes, let's eat first, and I'll cut one open for you to try later."

...

Half an hour later.

Surrounded by her husband Gao Wenquan, eldest son Gao Youde, eldest daughter-in-law Jiang Xiaoqin, second son Gao Youfu, and second daughter-in-law Liu Yan, Jiang Xuying cut open one of the wood apples.

It must be said that the fragrance of the wood apple is indeed quite intense, surpassing that of many other fruits. It's not an exaggeration to say that some wood apples, when ripe on the tree, can be smelled by people passing by underneath.

Now that the wood apple was cut open, the fragrance immediately filled the air.

"Such a wonderful smell!"

"This fragrance is really quite pleasant."

"Smelling it alone is so delightful. No wonder it's called the king of Southern fruits!"

"The flesh is a bright yellow, making it look very appetizing!"

"..."

Jiang Xuying's sons and daughters-in-law were sniffing the air and commenting.

Gao Wenquan, a native of Beijing who had never left the city, had only heard about wood apples from his wife but had never tasted one. Now, smelling the fragrance and seeing the bright yellow flesh, he couldn't help but smile and say, "No wonder you've always been fond of these wood apples. They do look quite good."

"More than just good, I believe this is one of the best fruits in the world."

Jiang Xuying cut the wood apple into eight large pieces, removed the core, and wiped the juice clean with a plastic bag. She said, "Alright, now you can eat. The flesh contains seeds, so remember to tear it open and remove the seeds when eating.

And the seeds can be boiled and eaten as well, so don't throw them away."

Hearing this, everyone took a piece of wood apple, used their fingers to scoop out a clump of flesh, and tore it open to find a seed about the size of a finger.

Jiang Xuying had already torn a piece of flesh and put it in her mouth. When she started chewing, the crisp and sweet texture surprised her. It was even better than the wood apples she remembered. It seemed the stall owner wasn't exaggerating; the quality of their wood apples was indeed excellent.

As Jiang Xuying began to eat, her family members followed suit.

Naturally, there was no need to say more; everyone was praising it without end.

In this era, sugar was relatively scarce, so people had no resistance to sweet things. The sweet and refreshing taste of the wood apple was something few could resist.

...

It must be said that the businessmen of this era were no less shrewd than those of later times. When Zhou Shengli and his partners received feedback that customers found the wood apples too large and were hesitant to buy them, they quickly adjusted their sales strategy and started selling them in slices.

Thus, across the entire city of Beijing, after the lychee and peanut storms, a new wood apple storm quietly began.

This fruit, with its intense fragrance and being a first-time appearance, was something anyone with the means would want to try.

Previously, selling whole wood apples, each costing at least a dozen yuan, and larger ones even more, made many hesitate. But selling them in slices, with each slice costing only a few yuan, made it much more affordable, and almost everyone could afford it.

As a result, the sales of wood apples soared, and Zhou Shengli and his partners were overjoyed.

The sales of lychees and peanuts were also extremely smooth.

Especially the lychees, which had thoroughly opened up the market in recent years. The sales speed was faster each year, and even with this year's increased quantity, they were all sold out within a week. The speed of making money was almost as fast as robbing a bank.

Because of the fast sales, Zhou Shengli and his partners settled the remaining half of the payment in just five days.

After receiving the payment, Deng Shirong didn't stay any longer and left for Tianjin.

Actually, the market in Tianjin wasn't as large as in Beijing, but the boss Xiao, a descendant of a major wholesaler from the Republic of China era, was indeed more skilled in wholesale than Zhou Shengli. Last year, he alone purchased 600 tons of peanuts, which was truly impressive.

At Majia Kou, when Xiao boss saw Deng Shirong, he welcomed him like a savior.

After some polite exchanges, Deng Shirong recommended the lychees and wood apples to him. Xiao boss immediately gathered his subordinates and discussed the samples. In the end, he ordered 500 tons of wood apples and 170 tons of lychees, naturally taking all of them.

As for the peanuts, which had been sold last year, he ordered 700 tons.

Such a large order volume shocked Deng Shirong, but he could guess that Xiao boss had expanded his sales channels after last year's successful operation. This was actually good news for him, as he wouldn't have to run around anymore. The remaining quantity was not much, and he could easily find a city he had visited last year to finish the sales.

In the end, it only took about half a month for Deng Shirong to sell all the goods.

836 tons of wood apples were sold at 1 yuan per pound, totaling 1,672,000 yuan.

1,209 tons of peanuts were sold at 0.65 yuan per pound, totaling 1,571,700 yuan.

274 tons of lychees were sold at 2.3 yuan per pound, totaling 1,260,400 yuan.

Adding them up, the total sales amounted to 4,504,100 yuan. After deducting the purchase cost of 673,720 yuan, the total profit was 3,830,380 yuan.

After accounting for various miscellaneous expenses, he made about 3.83 million yuan on this trip.

Adding the remaining money, his cash balance skyrocketed to over 5.58 million yuan.

This was truly a huge profit!

However, although the money was substantial, he had many expenses to cover. This year, he needed to spend over 3.3 million yuan on the Nanning Chaoyang Square project, 1 million yuan for a car and to repay the bank loan next year, totaling 4.3 million yuan. He also needed money for supermarket inventory, house renovations once the Ye Deng clan's residential area was completed, and reserves for next year's inventory.

The 5.58 million yuan in cash wasn't as durable as it seemed.

And this didn't even include the renovation costs for the building in Chaoyang Square!

Thinking about this, Deng Shirong couldn't help but scratch his head. Originally, he had planned to work for a few more years and then retire to enjoy life. But now, with expenses everywhere, he realized he couldn't rest anytime soon and would have to work for a few more years.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end