Chapter 98: Agreement Reached

He Yujie cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness and said to Ning Rui, “Bring a glass of water for Comrade Luo.”

Then he turned to Luo Qiao and said, “It’s not just that your fish sells well; you have a lot of repeat customers too. I’ve been planning to take a trip out of town these days, but without you here, I can’t leave.”

Luo Qiao replied, “Let’s get straight to business then, I’m also in a hurry.”

He Yujie said, “I’ll take as much of that fish as you have, and I’ll increase the price by another cent.”

Luo Qiao said, “We all know this fish is wild-caught, not easy to come by. It’s not possible to have such good luck every time.”

Upon hearing this, He Yujie thought she might be unhappy with the price and was about to speak up.

Luo Qiao continued, “I can only provide it once a month, and each time it’s around 200 to 300 kilograms at most. Also, I can’t guarantee how long I can keep supplying it.”

He Yujie understood and agreed readily, “Alright, let’s settle on that.”

He then wrote down a phone number for Luo Qiao, saying, “This is our office number. If you need anything, you can call this number. Even if I’m not around, Ning Rui will be there. Just talk to him directly.”

Luo Qiao nodded and asked, “Do you have watch coupon and industrial coupons here?”

He Yujie nodded and said, “Yes, how many industrial coupons do you need?”

After thinking for a moment, Luo Qiao said, “Not much, I just want to buy a flashlight.”

He Yujie asked Ning Rui to fetch them. Shortly after, Ning Rui came in and placed a watch coupon and several industrial coupons on the table.

Luo Qiao prepared to pay, but He Yujie stopped her, saying, “Consider it a gift from me. We’re friends now. Honestly, your fish has been a big help to me, so there’s no need to feel awkward about it.”

After considering for a moment, Luo Qiao didn’t insist and simply accepted them.

Turning around, Luo Qiao took out a basin of strawberries and about five kilograms of dried dates from her backpack, placing them on the table.

Luo Qiao said, “Since I’ve accepted your tickets, consider these items a token of my appreciation.”

The strawberries were very fresh, and He Yujie’s eyes lit up upon seeing them.

However, he sighed again, thinking of something, and said, “These strawberries probably won’t make it to Beijing. What a pity.”

Luo Qiao didn’t dare to offer suggestions; if her idea didn’t work out after a lot of effort, it would be even more frustrating.

After agreeing on the monthly delivery schedule, Luo Qiao left.

Armed with the tickets obtained from Boss He, Luo Qiao went straight to the department store and spent 120 yuan to buy a Shanghai-brand watch. She also bought a flashlight and batteries before leaving the department store.

With her task completed, Luo Qiao hurried to the bus station. Checking the time, she confirmed she could catch the noon bus back.

As she neared the station, she encountered Zhao Guibao, the son of the Zhao family who had been raised for fifteen years. Though they had only met once before, his appearance was deeply etched in her memory.

Listening to two young men beside him calling him Luo Bin, one of them asked, “Luo Bin, are you really going back to Chaoyang Commune?”

Luo Bin replied, “Yes, I’m going back to ask my mom for some money, then I’ll come back.”

The young man said, “Then we’ll be waiting for you.”

Luo Bin nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back by this time the day after tomorrow.”

Luo Bin entered the station, while the two young men who stayed behind looked at his departing figure and laughed.

One of them said, “Let’s go, let’s wait for him to come back tomorrow and then take him over.”

The other young man said, “What if he can’t bring back the money?”