"Boss, please don't mind. Little Fan was just joking."
Xia Deyaofrightenedly stepped forward. "The toon sprouts from our village are all grown by nature, they aren't that expensive."
"Oh, then how much do you want for them?" Chen Zhiming asked calmly, his gaze falling on Xia Deya.
"So, so..." Xia Deya's scalp tingled, his lips parted and closed, unable to speak for a long time.
In the cold weather, beads of sweat kept forming on his forehead. He looked to Lin Fan for help with his eyes.
Lin Fan shook his head slightly, thinking, "I already quoted a price just now, and you didn't agree. I can't bring myself to say it again."
His thinking was that since Xiajiagou's annual toon sprout output wasn't large, a higher price was fine. He considered it as taking from the rich to help the poor.
Xie Jiaguang had billions of US dollars in savings, so he wouldn't care about this small amount.
Xia Deya was stunned, not knowing what to do.
Chen Zhiming pressed, "Secretary Xia, why don't you say something?"
"This, this..." Xia Deya looked at the people around him, but whenever his gaze fell on someone, they would quickly turn away as if they had seen a snake.
"How about... fifty... fifty or sixty yuan per jin."
He gritted his teeth and quoted a high price.
If the boss left, he could just ask Lin Fan to bring him back. What else could they do?
If fifty didn't work, ten yuan would also be fine!
"Okay," Chen Zhiming nodded without hesitation.
Xia Deya was instantly dumbfounded. Regret filled his face, eyes, and heart.
Why didn't he quote ten more yuan?
This was truly money from nowhere!
Xia Deya's regret was evident on his face, as were the expressions of the two village cadres.
A great opportunity was right in front of them, and they didn't cherish it!
Chen Zhiming bent down and picked up a handful of tender toon sprouts, saying slowly, "Secretary Xia, we will purchase the first batch of toon sprouts every year at sixty yuan per jin, and the rest will be purchased at thirty."
As everyone knows, the key to eating toon sprouts is their freshness.
After the second batch, both the taste and quality are greatly inferior to the first batch. Moreover, with a large amount of toon sprouts hitting the market simultaneously, it's hard to sell them at a high price.
Chen Zhiming said unhurriedly, "You must ensure the quality. Don't substitute inferior goods for good ones, and don't pass off toon sprouts from other places as our own."
"Manager Chen, don't worry. How could we common folk do such wicked things?" Xia Deya's mood had been like a roller coaster, experiencing great ups and downs.
He just wanted to finalize the cooperation quickly.
"This isn't about being wicked or not. We will sign a contract, and if you violate it, you will have to pay a large sum of money," Chen Zhiming said with a serious expression.
At these words, everyone became worried.
The village was desperately poor. If the other party found fault, they wouldn't be able to afford to compensate even if they lost everything!
Lin Fan pursed his lips and smiled, turning his head away.
He thought carefully and felt that Manager Chen's approach was correct.
Xie Jia could afford toon sprouts at one hundred yuan per jin.
But what then?
Lin Fan dared to say that as soon as the news spread, all the toon sprouts in Shimen County would be claimed as originating from Xiajiagou.
Let alone Shimen County, even Yunqing City, and even farther places, would have people claiming to be from Xiajiagou, trying to pass off their own products.
In the long run, it would only end in tragedy. By then, Xiajiagou and Lianhua Supermarket would both suffer.
Manager Chen's approach, although seemingly unfeeling, was the right way to go.
It could be seen that this person was not simple-minded!
"Secretary Xia, this is the procurement standard we require..." Chen Zhiming meticulously instructed Xia Deya on various data and requirements, causing Xia Deya to sweat profusely and nod repeatedly.
Lin Fan stayed out of it, pacing leisurely nearby.
"Xiao Fan." Xia Cuie quietly approached him, glanced back at Chen Zhiming and Xia Deya who were negotiating, and then lowered her voice. "Is this person reliable? What if we end up with nothing and just get into trouble?"
"Don't worry, the losses will be on me," Lin Fan reassured her.
Xia Cuie immediately retorted, "Public is public, private is private. You can't do that."
"Auntie, please rest assured. I wouldn't cheat anyone, especially not you," Lin Fan said with a smile.
Soon, Chen Zhiming and Xia Deya finished their discussion.
"Manager Chen, please follow us to the village committee. We'll draft a contract as you suggested. In the meantime, I'll have the villagers pick some toon sprouts. You can take a batch of samples back first, no charge, it's a gift." Xia Deya said generously.
"That won't do. One is one, two is two. I've already arranged for a refrigerated truck to come over, and it will arrive this afternoon. We also need to discuss packaging and branding."
They walked towards the village committee while talking.
Lin Fan accompanied Xia Xiangqian and his wife, and the three of them followed behind.
Along the way, they frequently encountered villagers looking at them curiously.
Someone familiar with Xia Deya called out loudly, "Uncle Six, what are you doing? Is something big happening?"
Xia Deya, who was listening to Chen Zhiming explain his ideas about branding, was suddenly interrupted by the shout and glared at him fiercely.
"What's it to you!"
The other party was taken aback and, noticing Chen Zhiming's extraordinary demeanor, guessed that they were discussing something important and sullenly walked away.
"Come back!" Xia Deya called out.
"Uncle Six, why are you calling me back?" the young man asked with some annoyance.
"Quickly call your mother and father to come pick toon sprouts. Pick as much as you can, but don't pick the old ones, choose the tender leaves."
They were all fellow villagers. Xia Deya remembered that the young man's mother was ill and his father was not in good health.
This young man in his early thirties could only stay at home to care for his parents. Due to poverty, he hadn't even married yet.
"Uncle Six, I still have to work in the fields."
"I'm telling you to go, so go! Do you think I'd harm you?"
Xia Deya puffed out his chest and glared, "You'll know when you hear the broadcast from the loudspeaker later."
He waved his hand, dismissing the young man, and resumed his conversation with Chen Zhiming.
The two village cadres were touched and surreptitiously took out their phones, sending messages to their families, reminding them to seize the opportunity to make money.
Xia Xiangqian also became anxious upon seeing this.
"Xiao Fan, you and Old Six go to the village committee. Your Auntie and I will go home to get bags and pick toon sprouts."
"Yes, we need to hurry, or others will pick them all."
Xia Cuie was equally anxious.
Although there were more toon sprouts in Xiajiagou than they could eat, even if people from surrounding villages came to pick them, many would still grow old and go to waste.
But once people knew these things were valuable, the mountains and plains would be filled with people.
Dozens of yuan per jin, could they afford to delay this?
Lin Fan quickly stopped the elderly couple and whispered, "Uncle, Auntie, don't worry. I'll find some good work for you later."
Seeing his gaze, the elderly couple immediately understood.
That's right!
Manager Chen was brought here by him. It wouldn't make sense if he didn't look out for his own people.