sjar Chapter 300 Business Game, Small Business
Chapter 300 Business Game, Small Business
Pang Duolai's eyes were bloodshot, and hatred gnawed at his teeth. He had originally decided to buy from Li Ju'an because of the low price, but who would have thought that Huang Xinliang, that shameless scoundrel, would raise the price by 20% right off the bat, shrinking his profits to almost nothing.
A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, his tone laced with sarcasm: "These days, it's truly eye-opening. Even we buyers are engaging in such a fierce bidding war."
Huang Xinliang was secretly pleased with himself, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up: "Boss Pang, you're making a fuss over nothing. You haven't seen those leather collectors outside. Even if they lose money, they'll grit their teeth and take the leather. That's real ruthlessness."
In those days, the supply and demand dynamics were far different from those of later generations. Supplies were scarce, while demand surged like a tidal wave. The traveling merchants who bought hides acted as bridges connecting distant southern manufacturers, whose thirst for hides was immense.
However, those capable of undertaking this important task are not scarce. If one family doesn't buy, another will take their place, demonstrating the fierce competition.
Once the manufacturer issues an order requiring a certain number of hides to be collected by the end of the day, the hide buyers become like ants on a hot pan, scrambling around in a frenzy. During this off-season for hide collecting, if the buyers cannot deliver the required amount to the manufacturer on time, the manufacturer will ruthlessly turn its attention to other suppliers, and the next order will be even more substantial.
However, there are many potential buyers; they'll buy from either yours or someone else's. The merchants know they can't afford to be careless in order to maintain this valuable supply chain. Even if it means losing money, they must grit their teeth and persevere.
This led to the local saying that they were buying mountain goods at a loss.
Li Ju'an watched the two bidding against each other, happy to stand aside and enjoy the spectacle. While shaking his honeydew teapot, he said, "Have you two decided on a deal?"
Huang Xinliang quoted a price that generously exceeded the original price by more than 20%, his voice filled with determination. Li Ju'an's gaze inadvertently swept over Pang Duolai beside him, noticing his struggling expression.
After Huang Xinliang raised the price, Pang Duolai hesitated for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and adding another 10%, but this 10% increase was already the limit he could bear.
Seeing this, Huang Xinliang smiled smugly, turned his gaze to Li Ju'an, and said with a hint of confidence: "Mr. Li, a wise man knows when to yield. Selling at a high price is the mark of a true businessman."
Li Ju'an glanced at him indifferently, then slowly extended his hand, not directly towards Huang Xinliang, but at a subtle angle, as if searching for some kind of balance or decision. Huang Xinliang misunderstood this intention for a moment, thinking it was a prelude to signing a contract, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He quickly glanced at Pang Duolai, his eyes brimming with triumphant pride, as if to say, "Just watch, you still got me the deal, you impressed Boss Li."
Li Ju'an took the contract from his hand and handed it to Pang Duolai, saying, "Boss Pang, I'll be troubling you with more goods in the future."
Pang Duolai was slightly taken aback. Before he could speak, Huang Xinliang, who was standing next to him, widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Isn't it obvious that our offer was higher? How did we sign the contract with him?" He was so anxious that he scratched his head and was full of doubts.
Li Ju'an usually seems like a shrewd person, so why is he not buying into the high price today, and instead choosing Pang Duo, which is 10% cheaper than his own?
Li Ju'an looked apologetic and shook his head helplessly: "Boss Huang, there's really nothing we can do. Boss Pang and I had an agreement that whenever there are good mountain products, he has to take a look and choose first. And look, Boss Pang took a liking to this batch of goods at first glance. In our business, we value trust, and we can't let Boss Pang come for nothing, can we?"
Pang Duolai's eyes welled up with tears; he was deeply moved. "You've got a conscience, buddy. You're quite honest. You're lucky you met me; if you'd run into a swindler, you'd have lost everything."
Pang Duolai was touched and willing to extend the contract period. But what he didn't know was that Li Ju'an wasn't just looking at him because they were old acquaintances. Having lived two lives, Li Ju'an had seen many merchants who preyed on their friends. He was adept at doing so himself, and he wasn't going to be soft-hearted.
Li Ju'an declined the collaboration with Huang Xinliang for a simple reason: he knew Huang Xinliang inside and out. This fellow usually dealt only with high-profile events at Hong Kong auctions, adept at selling rare treasures for exorbitant prices. But when it came to rural commodities like wild honey, Huang Xinliang's ambition was insatiable—a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Unrealistic.
Even if he wanted to get involved in small-scale business and gradually build up sales channels, he lacked the resources and expertise.
Selling goods is all about distribution channels. Huang Xinliang doesn't have any channels to sell honey, so what's the point of talking about preferential production? If we really sign a contract with him, next year he'll find out that he can't sell the honey because he doesn't have any channels, and he'll tear up the contract. If the honey doesn't sell, Li Ju'an will end up eating it all himself.
I'm afraid Huang Xinliang can only sigh and lament as he looks at the mountains of honey. He has goods but no way out. In the end, it will all be for nothing.
Li Ju'an signed the contract with Pang Duolai for the honey, selling it to him for 1.5 yuan per jar. This price was negotiated between the two of them. Logically, the price of wild honey could be negotiated even lower, but Li Ju'an's honey was of high quality, and he didn't need to rush the flowering season; the surrounding area was full of flowers, resulting in rich and mellow honey.
So Pang Duolai was able to buy it for 1.5 yuan, and he was indeed capable of getting in touch with people at the Southern Food Store to resell the honey.
Li Ju'an reached out and flicked the signed contract, feeling quite satisfied.
This was the bee farm's first sale; the contract was solid, and the distribution channel was reliable. He trusted Pang Duolai's business connections in the south and his character. Even if Pang Duolai truly had unsold stock, honey has a long shelf life, so he would have time to find other merchants to resell it.
He smiled at Huang Xinliang and said, "What brings you two here today? Just looking at honey?"
Huang Xinliang and Pang Duolai knew he was just mentioning it unnecessarily; the two of them were naturally there for the wild ginseng.
Without saying a word, Huang Xinliang said directly, "Have you thought about the wild ginseng, Mr. Li? I'll take it away today for 9500 yuan, no questions asked."
It's said that businessmen shouldn't reveal their bottom line. But this price was already the result of his negotiations with Li Ju'an in the county town.
When Pang Duolai heard the price of 9500 yuan, his face turned green.
His face darkened, and he said, "9500 yuan? Mr. Huang, what kind of business do you run in the south? I was blind to your worth."
Huang Xinliang got cocky and beckoned to him. Pang Duolai immediately smiled and offered him a cigarette, lighting it with a lighter and serving him politely, clearly wanting to befriend him.
Suddenly, Li Ju'an said, "Boss Huang, you're transferring items to auction houses."
Upon hearing this, Huang Xinliang's expression changed.