33

Lin You had no doubt about Bo Chuan’s words. As soon as she heard him say that, her eyes lit up, and she tugged at Yao Jiu’s sleeve, pulling her aside.

“Let’s go, we’re taking the vegetables to the town.”

Yao Jiu, sounding tired and with a nasal voice, replied lazily, “What are we going to the town for? Didn’t the morning market already end?”

Lin You didn’t mention Bo Chuan’s prophecy but instead came up with an excuse. “Didn’t Sister Yao Yun say that the teachers from their kindergarten wanted to buy our vegetables? Since we have extra today, we might as well go ask.”

Yao Jiu agreed, “Okay, I’ll go get the tricycle ready.”

After being shaken up by Sun Qing, Yao Jiu felt that compared to him, Yao Yun seemed like the perfect business partner.

Without wasting time, Lin You reassured everyone and, along with Yao Jiu and Bo Chuan, rode the tricycle with a few baskets of vegetables to the town.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fengyun was already in the town.

Early this morning, Xiao Fengyun and a few subordinates arrived in Fangping Town and had been looking through the morning market all day without even taking a break.

“President Xiao, are we sure about the information? The vegetables from Zhang Ji’s store really came from here?”

“The vegetables here aren’t much better than those at our store.”

Xiao Fengyun, wearing medium-heeled shoes, kept her eyes sharp. “It can’t be baseless. Let’s keep looking. If we don’t find anything today, we’ll come back tomorrow.”

Her subordinates groaned silently. Xiao Fengyun had boundless energy. When she decided to find a supplier, she personally came, leaving everything behind. Not only was she checking every stall, but she was also talking and gathering information. Despite being the oldest person there today, she seemed to have endless curiosity, striking up conversations with anyone she could.

That wasn’t all. Did they hear what she just said?

“If we can’t find anything today, we’ll come back tomorrow!”

The secretary following Xiao Fengyun looked like she wanted to say something but was too afraid to speak. She felt that Xiao Fengyun was being a little too persistent.

Was it just about finding a better supplier? It was said that Zhang Ji’s vegetable store had limited stock every day. Such a small amount was enough for small stores, but for large fresh supermarkets like theirs, it wouldn’t even cover their daily consumption.

Xiao Fengyun glanced at her subordinates, who were all lost in their own thoughts, and said calmly, “Let’s keep looking for a bit longer. If we don’t find anything, we’ll head down the mountain. Oh, by the way, I heard some news just now. People in the town say they haven’t heard of anyone selling better vegetables, but there is a kindergarten in the town whose meals are said to be quite good.”

This left everyone puzzled.

“Old Zhang, I remember your child is about to start kindergarten, right?”

Old Zhang, who was called out, nodded, not understanding what his superior meant.

Xiao Fengyun continued, “Well, tomorrow, you come with me to the kindergarten. Just say your child wants to attend, but you need to try out a day’s lesson. Bring your child along, and we’ll have lunch together.”

Old Zhang hesitated, “…Boss, you don’t mean…”

Xiao Fengyun patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’ll give your daughter a big red envelope.”

Xiao Fengyun had a strong feeling that this time, she was on the right track.

Although the Zhang Ji couple kept their mouths tightly shut, fearing their supply source would be discovered, they couldn’t find any breakthrough in the past few days. Fortunately, Zhang Ji’s brother-in-law was a fool who talked freely with his friends. As a result, rumors started to spread recently, claiming that the supply source was in the mountains.

Xiao Fengyun, upon further investigation, learned that every time Sun Qing went up the mountain, he headed straight for Fangping Town.

Although she didn’t know exactly which shop, at least she now had a lead.

Xiao Fengyun made up her mind, and her subordinates had no choice but to silently accompany her, grumbling as they went along.

Just when Xiao Fengyun and her team were about to give up after finding no leads and were preparing to leave, a tricycle suddenly drove by.

Xiao Fengyun, already in her official car, saw several young people driving a tricycle with a few baskets of vegetables placed on it. She paused for a moment, then quickly ordered her driver to stop.

“What’s the matter, President Xiao?”

Xiao Fengyun was about to get out of the car to stop them, but the tricycle had already driven off with a sputtering sound.

She slapped the seat in frustration. “Follow that tricycle!”

The silver-white luxury car made a quick U-turn and immediately followed.

It was rare to see such a fancy car in the town, and Lin You, sitting on the tricycle, certainly noticed it. She nudged Bo Chuan and whispered, “A rich person?”

Bo Chuan nodded lightly.

Lin You was stunned. It was indeed a wealthy car.

Only Yao Jiu was still lost in her gloomy thoughts, even imagining a scene where she failed to sell vegetables at the kindergarten and ended up crying miserably in front of Yao Yun.

Yao Jiu, still in her sorrowful mood, stopped the tricycle, but before she could gather her emotions, the luxury car blocked their way.

Without beating around the bush, Xiao Fengyun got out of her car and handed over her business card.

“Hello, I’m Xiao Fengyun from Huizhou Fresh Produce in Jingshui County.”

Yao Jiu stood there dazed, not saying a word. Lin You took the business card from her and asked directly, “Hello, President Xiao. Are you here for purchasing?”

“Yes,” Xiao Fengyun replied.

Xiao Fengyun didn’t ask much more. In fact, as soon as she saw the tricycle parked at the kindergarten’s entrance, she knew her guess was correct. The young people in front of her were the ones supplying vegetables to both Zhang Ji and the kindergarten.

“I apologize for the sudden visit. I’m not sure if you have time to sit down and chat?”

Lin You gave Yao Jiu a nudge, and Yao Jiu snapped out of her daze, feeling a surge of excitement.

“Well, we can talk at the kindergarten.”

There weren’t any teahouses or cafes in the town. Since it was around eleven o’clock and the kindergarten hadn’t started lunch yet, they could use the cafeteria for a chat.

Xiao Fengyun let out a light sigh. The other party hadn’t directly rejected the conversation—this was great!

The group entered the kindergarten, and Lin You pulled Yao Yun aside for a few words, successfully securing the use of the cafeteria for half an hour.

The kindergarten’s cafeteria had low tables and stools, which made the adults feel particularly awkward sitting there. However, Xiao Fengyun showed no signs of discomfort.

“Our Huizhou Fresh Produce Supermarket has always adhered to a green, ecological diet. When we encounter good sources, we’ll do our best to procure them for the benefit of our customers. Of course, we can discuss the price as well.”

It was the purchasing manager of Xiao Fengyun who spoke first. In a negotiation-like situation, someone had to initiate the conversation.

Lin You stayed silent, just watching Yao Jiu.

Yao Jiu understood this was Lin You’s way of giving her the initiative, so she mustered the courage to ask, “The price is secondary. We’d like to know how you came to know about us?”

Lin You nodded, glad that Yao Jiu had seized the key point.

One of Xiao Fengyun’s subordinates laughed and said, “Good things are never afraid of being hidden in a deep alley.”

Yao Jiu, gripping her pants under the table, asked, “Did you hear about us from the store we supply?”

Xiao Fengyun’s subordinates felt a chill in their hearts. They had thought they could deceive the other side, especially since the other party seemed unfamiliar with Jingshui County. It was unlikely they knew about the stir caused by Zhang Ji’s vegetables in the county. As long as they didn’t mention it, they could spin the story to make it seem like a coincidence, which would be more advantageous for the negotiation.

But now, the other side had directly exposed it, showing they were clearly aware of the facts.

In fact, Yao Jiu wasn’t aware of much. She didn’t even know the specific name and location of Zhang Ji’s store. She only vaguely knew that Sun Qing was buying vegetables for their family’s store. After thinking it over, she realized the only other place where vegetables were supplied recently was either to the kindergarten or down the mountain. The kindergarten was out of the question, as these people seemed unfamiliar with it and clearly had never been there. So it must have been the vegetables sold to Sun Qing’s family that they had taken interest in.

Seeing the situation unfold, Xiao Fengyun decided to drop the pretense of negotiation and went straight to the point: “It’s Zhang Ji’s vegetable store. Recently, Zhang Ji’s bundle of chicken feather vegetables has been sold for five yuan, and we’re very interested.”

The mention of five yuan had a dual meaning: it both confirmed her acknowledgment of the value of that price and subtly hinted that she was already aware of the sale price, so when it came time to discuss the purchasing price, there should be room for flexibility.

But Yao Jiu was stunned.

Five yuan?

How much could a bundle of chicken feather vegetables weigh? At most two pounds, yet Zhang Ji could sell it for five yuan!

She knew that the wholesale price on her side was only a few cents per pound!

Seeing that the other party had fallen silent, Xiao Fengyun continued cautiously, “The price we offer at Huizhou Fresh Produce will definitely be more favorable. You don’t have to worry about us forcing you to cancel your contract with Zhang Ji. Our only request is that the vegetable quantity be larger than Zhang Ji’s. This isn’t unfair competition, it’s just that our supermarket is large, and if the supply is too small, the operational costs will be higher…”

At this point, Yao Jiu’s mind was consumed by the thought of five yuan, five yuan. Hearing that Xiao Fengyun could offer even higher prices, she went numb.

“Um, I think you’ve misunderstood something.”

After thinking for a moment, Yao Jiu decided to tell the truth.

“The price we sell to Sun Qing is 50 cents per pound for chicken feather vegetables and bok choy, and 80 cents per pound for tomatoes…”

Even though Xiao Fengyun had been navigating the business world for decades, she was now stunned.

“This purchase price is really…”

Compared to normal vegetables, it’s quite low.

“We can’t help it. We’re up in the mountains. If we don’t go up the mountain to buy from others, we would have to drive down ourselves, and the cost would be too high to even break even.”

Xiao Fengyun was a bit confused: “But you’re selling the vegetables for five yuan. How is that profitable?”

Yao Jiu responded with a bitter smile.

Xiao Fengyun: “Wait, wait. Don’t you know that you’re selling your vegetables for such a high price?”

Zhang Ji was really unscrupulous, buying vegetables at a few cents per bundle and then selling them at inflated prices.

Xiao Fengyun’s first reaction was to regret mentioning the selling price earlier. If she hadn’t said it, maybe she could have gotten the vegetables at that price? After all, it was clear the other party didn’t know the real value of their vegetables. But Xiao Fengyun quickly regained her composure—cheating others in business wasn’t a sustainable approach. Yanxia Mountain wasn’t isolated, and if the other party found out later, there would be trouble.

Her second thought was: Since Zhang Ji had already deceived them, could she push Zhang Ji out of the picture?

Xiao Fengyun rubbed her hands together, ready to teach Zhang Ji a lesson. Originally, she didn’t care that the other party sold the same vegetables, but now the situation had changed. Since the other party wasn’t playing fair, she could seize the opportunity… It wasn’t exactly an unfair advantage.

Xiao Fengyun immediately offered her sincerity: “We are willing to buy from you at three times Zhang Ji’s purchase price.”

Zhang Ji, a small shop, relied on good vegetables to attract customers, and there was no reason why their large supermarket couldn’t do the same.

Plus, they had more tricks up their sleeves than Zhang Ji. Xiao Fengyun didn’t mind investing this much, even if the purchase price was the same as the selling price, it would still be worth it.

Yao Jiu and Lin You turned away to quietly calculate for a moment, then eagerly bargained with Xiao Fengyun back and forth.

Finally, they settled on an agreement: Lianhua Town would supply vegetables to Huizhou Fresh Produce every day, with Huizhou covering transportation, preservation, and handling all necessary documentation for Lianhua’s vegetables. The purchase price would be three times the regular market price, but the selling price couldn’t exceed five times the purchase price. Lianhua Town would also guarantee that the quality of the vegetables wouldn’t be too poor. Both sides would sign a contract for three months.

Yao Jiu double-checked: “The vegetables we pick every day—unless there’s a quality issue, you can’t refuse them.”

Xiao Fengyun: “Of course, we will arrange for a staff member in the town to visit your village to check the vegetable fields in advance. If they don’t meet the standards, we won’t let you harvest them.”

However, Xiao Fengyun was still focused on teaching Zhang Ji a lesson: “I don’t know when your contract with Zhang Ji ends… but please consider our long-term cooperation. Our supermarket is large and will follow the proper procedures.”

Yao Jiu’s expression was strange.

“Actually, there’s no need.”

“Our cooperation with Zhang Ji has already ended.”

Xiao Fengyun was both happy and surprised: “Really?”

Yao Jiu: “Yes, Zhang Ji said our purchase price was too high, and they didn’t want to continue.”