Chapter Thirteen: Negotiating the Price

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“Tao’s here too,” Zhao Haidong greeted Liu Wentao first, then pulled a long face and said, “My uncle doesn’t believe me. He thinks I’m unreliable. I barely said a few words before he lost patience.” Clearly, Zhao Haidong’s playful and lazy nature had made a poor impression on his uncle.

“I knew it,” Zhang Ye rolled his eyes, then turned to Liu Wentao and said, “Looks like we can’t count on him to make any progress. This time, the main effort will have to come from you.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Liu Wentao replied calmly, nodding.

Zhao Haidong carefully smoothed back his windblown hair, which was parted like a traitor’s style, then grinned and added, “But it’s not like I got nothing. My uncle said, if you’re really coming to discuss business, he can give us a bit of a discount. He’s never tried installment payments before, so he’s not sure how it works, but for my sake, he’s willing to offer ten percent off.”

“We don’t need a discount,” Zhang Ye said. “As long as we can get the goods for twenty percent down and pay the rest in stages, that’s a win for us.” What Zhang Ye feared was not having watermelons to sell, not selling them out.

He’d seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears the frenzy for watermelons after the heavy rains left a shortage. No matter how many watermelons there were, Zhang Ye believed he could sell them all. “Where’s your uncle now? Let’s go find him directly!” Time was money, and Zhang Ye wasn’t sure exactly when the next heavy rain would come. If he didn’t secure the supply quickly, all his previous preparations would be for nothing. That was not an outcome he could accept.

Zhao Haidong pointed in the direction of the melon fields and asked, “He’s in the fields. Have you eaten yet? If not, why don’t you come to my house for a meal first? We’re not in that much of a rush.”

“No need, we already ate before coming. Let’s just head straight to the melon fields. I won’t feel at ease until things are settled,” Liu Wentao shook his head quickly. He had truly taken this matter to heart.

Zhao Haidong didn’t insist, and led the way. After winding through several turns, they left the residential area and entered the open farmland.

Although Qiyuan Town was famous for its watermelons, there weren’t actually many melon farmers. Most of the land was leased and cultivated by a single family or a few families working together. So, what lay before Zhang Ye and the others was not a field full of lush green melon vines, but golden rice paddies.

In the end, it’s rice that truly fills the belly.

Passing through the rice fields, they soon spotted a series of long, raised beds in the distance. On these beds, melon vines sprawled, each bearing round, green-striped watermelons.

“This field belongs to the Wu family; my uncle’s is just over there, not far,” Zhao Haidong said, leading them deeper along the path. At last, on the hillside ahead, they spotted his uncle.

Zhao Haidong’s uncle was about thirty, his skin tanned from years under the sun, his build sturdy. He wore a flat-top haircut, an old blue shirt, black canvas trousers, and Liberation shoes. He looked every bit the honest, hard-working country man.

“Uncle, didn’t I tell you my friends would come talk business with you? You didn’t believe me, but here they are. I’ve brought them over, so it’s up to you now,” Zhao Haidong called out from afar, his tone full of pride.

“These past few days, he’s been going on about this. You must be the ones he mentioned,” said Zhao Haidong’s uncle, whose name was Qiu Junping. He looked at Zhang Ye and Liu Wentao with a smile.

“That’s right. We’ve opened a fruit shop in Lihua County. Since it’s summer and we’re short on watermelons, and since we know Dongzi, we thought of you,” Liu Wentao replied, recognizing it was his moment to step forward.

“You two?” Qiu Junping asked, glancing at Zhang Ye.

“Oh, it’s my partner and Zhang Ye’s uncle. The two of them run the business together. The kid’s just here to play,” Liu Wentao explained. Age was a hard barrier, and Zhang Ye was, unfortunately, once again relegated to the role of a mere child, seen as nothing more than a tagalong.

“Heh, look how the sun’s blazing. Take a seat in that pavilion over there—it’s one I built. It’s a good place to shelter from both sun and rain, and you can have some water and rest your feet. Let’s sit there and talk,” Qiu Junping said, looking up at the scorching sun and pointing to a nearby pavilion.

Zhang Ye and the others had no objections.

“How much are you looking to buy? As for price, it’s usually seven cents a jin, but since you’re here through Haidong, I can’t turn you down. Otherwise, my sister would give me an earful. I’ll give you a twenty percent discount off the regular price—how does that sound?” Sitting in the cool pavilion, the rustic air about Qiu Junping seemed to vanish, replaced by the demeanor of a shrewd businessman. He sat upright, serious and earnest.

“Smart move,” Zhao Haidong said, pleased that his uncle was taking care of his reputation. His face was all smiles.

Liu Wentao smiled and replied, “We don’t need the discount. Since we’re Dongzi’s friends, we can’t let you take a loss. But as for the payment terms, I believe Dongzi has already spoken to you. We were hoping you’d consider it. As for quantity, the more the better. Don’t worry—we can handle it.”

Before coming, Zhang Ye had already briefed him. Having been through his share of setbacks, Liu Wentao spoke with a quiet confidence and fearlessness that left no trace of uncertainty.

“Oh?” Qiu Junping’s expression changed. So, they were big customers after all. He’d thought that Zhao Haidong was only making a fuss because they wanted a small batch or a cheaper price.

Zhang Ye sat on the bench, swiveling his head and looking around as if bored, but in truth, he was paying close attention to the conversation.

“Can you explain your payment method in detail? When Haidong mentioned it before, I thought he was joking, so I didn’t really listen,” Qiu Junping said openly. In business, honesty came first.

Nodding in understanding, Liu Wentao composed his thoughts and began, “To be honest, my partner and I plan to buy quite a lot this time. But since doing business requires some capital on hand, we don’t need the discount. What we do hope is that you’ll agree to let us settle the payment in three stages over the course of a month.” He paused to let Qiu Junping digest this, then continued, “Specifically, we’d pay thirty percent upfront, forty percent after half a month, and the final thirty percent at the end of the month—a three-stage payment plan.”