Ma Yunfei explained, "There are no outsiders here. One is my wife, and the other is my brother. Let's talk things out here."

The man smiled and asked, "I see your business is quite sluggish, and it's likely to continue like this. Do you know why?"

"Heh... I could figure it out with my toe: the reason for the economic downturn is that you're competing with me for business."

"Haha... buddy, you're pretty straightforward. I'm a straightforward person too, so let's be frank. I buy yams at 45 cents a pound, cash only. But your sales station is only offering 40 cents, and you're even offering IOUs. Think about it, do you think you can compete with me? Obviously, you'll only lose, and you'll lose badly."

Ma Yunfei shrugged and said, "Maybe not. Perhaps I'll raise the acquisition price to 50 cents."

"Haha... Once you raise your purchase price to 50 cents, we will raise it to 55 cents. In short, our purchase price will always be one step ahead of yours."

Ma Yunfei coldly replied, "If I raise the purchase price to one yuan, would you still buy it for one yuan and five cents?"

The man laughed heartily, patted Ma Yunfei on the shoulder, and asked, "Buddy, you haven't been in business for long, have you? Needless to say, you're definitely a newbie. If you raise the purchase price to one dollar, I think you'll lose so much you won't even be able to afford underwear."

"Hehe...maybe not. If you don't believe me, we'll see. Maybe I'll raise the purchase price to one dollar tomorrow."

The man took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Ma Yunfei.

"Dude, there's a famous saying in business: 'Don't gamble with money.' I'm telling you, don't gamble. In the end, you'll be the one who loses. I'm an old businessman with plenty of capital. If it comes to a price war, I'm capable of fighting to the bitter end until I beat you. However, I'm not willing to do that. I prefer to turn enemies into friends."

"What do you mean?"

"Dude, I'm from P City, which is over 2,000 miles away. I have elderly parents and young children to support, and I don't want to stay here collecting yams for long. My ideas are: First, we can sign a contract where you buy the yams for us and ship them to B City, and I'll give you a 10 cents commission per pound; Second, I'll appoint you as the company's sales manager, give you an annual salary of 100,000 yuan, and you'll be considered my company's permanent representative in Qinglong Town. What do you think?"

Ma Yunfei sneered, thinking to himself: I made a net profit of 600,000 yuan in just three months doing business in yams.

Do you think I'm some country bumpkin who's never seen the world and can be blinded by a 100,000 yuan annual salary?

And that scheme of giving me a 10-cent commission for every pound of yam is just making a fool of me.

Perhaps three months ago, I would have accepted this offer, but now I am a businessman and have tasted the sweetness of doing business. Let alone an annual salary of 100,000, even an annual salary of 1 million would not be tempting to me.

Ma Yunfei shrugged and scoffed, "Uncle, you're really generous, offering me an annual salary of 100,000 right off the bat. To be honest, I've never seen 100,000 yuan in cash in my entire life."

The man could tell from Ma Yunfei's expression that he must have made a lot of money.

"Dude, maybe you made a lot of money in the yam business before, but things have changed. With us getting involved, you might not make a single penny. Think about it carefully, 100,000 yuan is no small sum."

"I'm sorry, there might be someone in our town who would like to be your company's sales manager, but I have no interest in being an official."

The man said angrily, "Kid, don't be so stubborn. Your sales outlet has already gone bankrupt. Don't you realize that?"

Ma Yunfei shrugged and said dismissively, "Not necessarily. Tomorrow, as long as I raise the acquisition price, this place will still be bustling with activity."

The man threatened, "Buddy, it seems you're determined to go down this path to the bitter end. Well, then I can't help you. But I believe that in ten days at most, you'll come begging to me. Here's what we'll do: I live in Xujiazhuang. If you've changed your mind, come find me."

After the man finished speaking, he turned and left.

The abbot said angrily, "Boss, I held back just now, otherwise I would have punched him and beaten him to a pulp. Look how arrogant he is."

"Let him be arrogant; he's nothing more than a grasshopper in autumn."

Chen Yuyan said worriedly, "Honey, this person doesn't seem to have any good intentions. If we engage in a price war with him, we probably won't win. Even if we do win, we'll be badly hurt."

Ma Yunfei chuckled and said, "Playing the price war is just a feint; I wouldn't do something so foolish."

"Honey, we can't just sit here and wait to die."

"Let's wait a week and see. Maybe Lisa really has a good idea to get rid of these two guys."

Chen Yuyan sighed and said, "Li Sha is unreliable. I won't trust her."

"Honey, let's just wait and see for now. It'll only be a week. If Li Sha can't handle these two businessmen, then I'll step in."

Li Sha has already begun taking action.

By this time, she had already gone to Xujiazhuang.

Li Sha's distant aunt lives in Xujiazhuang.

"Aunt, hello, I've come to visit you specially."

Li Sha was carrying several boxes of pastries.

"Ah! Sasha's here. It's been two or three months since you last came. I was just thinking about you yesterday."

"Auntie, why don't you come to town to visit? Last time you came to the hair salon to get your hair permed, three months have passed in the blink of an eye. I've missed you so much."

When Li Sha and her father first came to Qinglong Town, they sought refuge with this aunt.

My uncle's cousin was a deputy section chief in the town government. He had some power, so he helped Li Sha and her father take over a barbershop in town.

From then on, my aunt's family started eating for free at the barbershop.

Li Sha immediately asked, "Aunt, I heard that two merchants are buying yams in Xu Family Village. Where do they live?"

"These two businessmen rented Widow Wang's house. Widow Wang's son works in the county and got married last year. His wife gave birth to a baby last month, and Widow Wang was asked to take care of the child. So, Widow Wang rented her house to the two businessmen."

Widow Wang's house was next to her aunt's house, separated by a wall.

Li Sha couldn't wait to move a ladder, prop it up against the wall, and climb up.

Upon closer inspection, Widow Wang's yard was piled high with yams, like a small mountain.

Li Sha stuck out her tongue and muttered to herself, "Damn, these two guys are pretty good. They harvested so many yams in just one week. This is going to be tough on Brother Ma."