Chapter 46 Business
Liu Zhixia's eyes lit up: "You want to order from me?"
"Yes! You need to come with us to see Director Liu, the purchasing manager!"
In Director Liu's office, the two sides got straight to the point.
"How much do your pickled vegetables cost outside?"
"50 cents."
"Our factory would like to order two hundred cans for a long-term partnership. As for the price..." Director Liu adjusted his glasses, "...35 cents, how about that?"
"Can't we have more?" Liu Xiangyang asked subconsciously.
Director Liu smiled and said, "I'm sorry, this is all the budget we have. Don't worry, I know you are Wei Dong's relatives, but we are just discussing cooperation between us. It's okay if we can't reach an agreement."
Liu Zhixia shook her head: "Director, it's not that I think the price is too low. I'm just wondering if this 35 cents includes delivery?"
"Haha," Director Liu laughed, "Alright, I'll give you an extra dollar for shipping!"
“Okay!” Liu Zhixia nodded.
Liu Xiangyang asked in a low voice, puzzled, "Can you make money with 35 cents?"
Liu Zhixia replied in a low voice, just loud enough for Director Liu to hear: "My second brother and sister-in-law have received so much care in this factory, consider this our treat for our colleagues."
Although Liu Xiangyang felt sorry for him, he could only nod.
Liu Zhixia looked up, a smile in her eyes: "Director, our cooperation needs a formal contract."
"Little sister!" Liu Weidong said nervously.
Director Liu waved his hand and looked at Liu Zhixia with admiration: "Weidong, it's nothing! Business is business, signing a contract is the right thing to do! This young lady is young, but she is very thorough in her work, impressive!"
"Women hold up half the sky!" Liu Zhixia raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Well said!" Director Liu laughed heartily. "If we're satisfied with this collaboration, there will be many more opportunities in the future! Our boss owns more than just this one factory!"
Liu Zhixia suppressed her excitement, but her eyes were incredibly sincere: "Director, rest assured, we do business with absolute conscience!"
After signing the contract and receiving the five-yuan deposit, the group returned to their dormitory.
Zhou Juan blushed with excitement and quickly made them some malted milk powder: "Little sister, this business must be a success! If your second brother can take this opportunity to get promoted to workshop director, our lives will be much better!"
Liu Zhixia took a sip of malted milk powder, looked at her, and said seriously, "Second sister-in-law, I know. That's why my eldest brother and I put on that show just now, just to make Director Liu think that we were only willing to sell at a low price because of my second brother. If this deal goes through, all the credit will go to my second brother."
Liu Xiangyang was completely dumbfounded. Was he just faking it?
Zhou Juan was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, and looked at Liu Zhixia with shock and admiration in her eyes: "Little sister, you...you're getting smarter and smarter!"
“When you’re out doing business, you always have to think ahead.” Liu Zhixia changed the subject. “By the way, the family’s debts have been paid off. Keep the money you earned for yourselves and save it for Erbao’s schooling.”
"Have you paid it all back?" Liu Weidong asked incredulously.
Liu Xiangyang blushed and pointed to his younger sister: "It's basically all been paid back by my little sister. She sold the herbs she picked for a high price, plus the money she earned selling pickled vegetables..."
Zhou Juan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she heard this.
"These pickled vegetables...are they that profitable?"
Liu Zhixia smiled faintly: "Five cents a bottle, I can still make a small profit."
Zhou Juan silently did some mental calculations, and then a huge wave of regret washed over her. She recalled her cold attitude when the brother and sister had visited last time, and she was filled with utter remorse!
If I had been more enthusiastic and built a closer relationship back then, I would have been able to get a share of such a big business deal from her!
Unfortunately, her older brother has already joined, and there's no longer a place for her.
On the way back to the village, Liu Xiangyang looked remorseful: "Little sister, did you agree to this deal for my sake and Lao Er's sake? Thirty-five cents... that's not much higher than the price that guy on the black market offered."
Liu Zhixia stopped and looked at him with amusement: "Brother, you're usually quite clever, why are you so confused this time?"
Seeing that her older brother still looked confused, she revealed the answer directly: "The cost of a jar of pickled vegetables is at most five cents. Thirty-five cents, we've made a killing!"
Liu Xiangyang's eyes widened, his jaw nearly dropping in astonishment: "So much? Then what about before..."
“I told that guy in the black market that the cost was too high, but I just didn’t want to cooperate with him. That kind of person is obviously no good,” Liu Zhixia said calmly. “Now that the black market has been shut down, it proves that I was right. Even if I don’t care about my second brother, I have to take this business with the lumber mill. The price is a bit low, but it’s stable, the quantity is large, and we don’t have to show our faces and hawk our wares.”
Liu Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief: "That makes sense."
Liu Zhixia glanced at him: "Brother, you haven't calculated how much two hundred cans cost yet, have you?"
Liu Xiangyang actually started counting on his fingers.
"Seventy yuan!" Liu Zhixia gave the answer directly.
“Seventy…seventy!” Liu Xiangyang’s heart skipped a beat.
“That’s right,” Liu Zhixia continued, “Big brother, you take twenty-one, and I’ll take forty-nine. The other dollar for shipping costs can be given to second brother and sister-in-law as a token of their appreciation, how about that?”
Liu Xiangyang clutched his wildly pounding heart and nodded vigorously. This sum of money was an astronomical figure for him!
"Little sister!" He excitedly grabbed his sister's shoulders, "From now on, your big brother will follow you! You tell me where to go, and I'll do it!"
"Let's go home and tell our parents the good news!"
When they got home, the Liu family was stunned when they heard about the big deal that cost seventy yuan.
Shen Hongmei was the first to react, exclaiming, "Then Da Bao needs to study, why do you need to be a squad leader? Just follow your little sister!"
"You must be the squad leader!" Liu Zhixia shook her head, her gaze far ahead. "Business is business, but our family must have a voice in the brigade. Lu Jianping is getting old; once he retires, you, brother, should go and fight for the brigade leader position!"
Liu Xiangyang chuckled twice: "I...I can do it too?"
“Of course!” Liu Zhixia’s tone was full of confidence. “We must have confidence! Before this deal was finalized, didn’t we also not dare to even think about it?”
Zhang Xiuying nodded emphatically: "My daughter is right! Business may not be stable, but having power in your hands is the most secure thing. Eldest son, whether our Liu family can gain a foothold in this brigade depends on you!"
Liu Xiangyang's smile vanished, his eyes hardening with unwavering resolve: "Alright, I understand!"
This big deal has filled the entire Liu family with enthusiasm.
In one afternoon, all two hundred jars of pickled vegetables were packed.
The family barely slept all night, and got up before dawn the next day to eat breakfast and set off immediately.
That night, the Liu family was so excited they barely slept.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the family quietly left the village.
Zhang Xiuying also brought several extra jars of pickled vegetables and boiled eggs, and also brought her second child, whom she hadn't seen her parents for a long time.
Director Liu was already waiting at the lumber mill.
He personally led a team to count the goods, check their quality, and after confirming that everything was correct, he immediately summoned the finance department.
When that thick wad of bills was counted several times before being handed to Liu Zhixia, the Liu family's hearts nearly stopped. They had never seen so much money in their lives!
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