Upon hearing this, Liu Dewang nodded repeatedly: "What this young man said makes sense. Checking the goods is the most important thing! Hehe!"
A dozen or so small, green-skinned trees stood against the wall in an empty room, their roots covered by a layer of damp soil, as Liu Dewang feared they would die.
"I spent half a month digging these up in the deep mountains. They're all here. If I weren't a little short on cash lately, I would have sold them slowly, hehe!" Liu Dewang said.
Zhang Guodong and Li Ningguang didn't respond to him either.
If it's really good quality goods, spending an extra tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands isn't a big deal. But if it's just ordinary goods, then this trip has been a waste.
Zhang Guodong wasn't in a hurry to identify them, but asked Zhang Wen, "Brother Zhang, are there many farmers selling flowers and trees in Qingmu Township?"
Everyone was taken aback. Zhang Wen didn't know what Zhang Guodong meant either, but he nodded and said, "Yes, there are some. This place is close to the mountains, and people often go into the mountains in groups to dig up medicinal herbs or something!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Dewang's eyes lit up and he immediately said, "Brother Zhang, how would the farmers in that village know which trees are valuable? Only I, Old Liu, know about this. Why don't you go and ask around!"
Feeling a bit anxious, Liu Dewang realized that, just as Zhang Wen had said, there were quite a few people in the village who went into the mountains to dig for treasure, and some of them were involved in the timber business. If these people found out that timber could also make a lot of money, Liu Dewang's business would be in trouble.
And then there's the matter of asking around?
Zhang Guodong doesn't have that much time. That's pure nonsense.
Startled by Zhang Guodong's words, Liu Dewang made up his mind to lower the price and close the deal first. No one expected that Zhang Guodong's question would lead Liu Dewang to calculate in his mind that he would sell the trees even at a lower price.
Li Ningguang smiled and nodded at Zhang Guodong, his eyes full of praise.
Zhang Wen noticed this and then came to his senses. He looked at Zhang Guodong with surprise and thought to himself, "This young man is not simple either. He shattered Liu Dewang's hopes with just one sentence."
Li Ningguang had examined these dozen or so saplings carefully once before. Although they had branches, they were clearly very young. Without the corroboration of leaves, he could not identify them. Upon examining them again, he found them to be the same as before.
So he quickly stood up and said to Zhang Guodong, "Brother Zhang, you too..."
Zhang Guodong nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll learn something too!"
The dozen or so saplings are probably of the same species, with green bark, small pores, and smooth trunks. Generally speaking, such trees are not very old.
Older trees generally have bark that is not well preserved, bearing traces of wind, rain, and animal damage, making them appear mottled and aged.
But these dozen or so small trees clearly didn't have any.
"Brother Li, this tree must be quite young, right? It should be a sapling?" Zhang Guodong asked after taking one look, clumsily trying to identify the tree using the knowledge he had learned, matching each one to the others.
Li Ningguang nodded and said, "It should be less than three years old. If it's not a rare or precious tree, then it's worthless!"
His tone clearly showed some disappointment.
At this moment, Zhang Wen said, "Brother Li, is this tree really that hard to identify?"
He was an intermediary, but he didn't have much knowledge of the subject himself.
Li Ningguang chuckled and said, "This line of work is tough. One wrong move and you'll lose a fortune. There are plenty of cases like this!"
"Brother Zhang, have you figured out what kind of tree it is?"
Squatting down, Zhang Guodong shook his head and frowned, saying, "Why do they look like some fruit trees? Apple trees?"
This is outrageous!
After identifying seven or eight trees in a row, Zhang Guodong was also confused. Identifying tree species is indeed a very difficult task without rich experience.
"An apple tree? How could that be! Are there apple trees deep in the mountains?" Liu Dewang exclaimed. "Mr. Li, you need to be sincere. I risked my life to dig this tree up. If it were just an ordinary apple tree, wouldn't you have recognized it the first time?"
These words struck a chord with Li Ningguang.
He could generally identify an apple tree, even a mutated one, with a little time. But the small tree in front of him was ambiguous. If it weren't for the color of the bark and the characteristics of the branches that suggested it was a tree, he would have thought it was very similar to an apple tree.
On one hand, there are precious flowering trees, and on the other hand, there are ordinary apple trees; the price fluctuation range is quite large, which also indicates that the risk may be very high.
"Old Liu, don't get excited. Aren't you looking at it right now? Maybe digging up the roots will help with identification?" Zhang Wen said.
If the deal falls through, he might lose his commission.
Li Ningguang frowned and remained silent.
Liu Dewang hesitated for a moment, then took the shovel beside him and cleared a small pit from the soil around the tree roots to make it easier to see the root system. The roots were white, rather thick, and very vigorous, but it was estimated that Liu Dewang had broken many roots while digging, as the broken ends were now brittle and white, with some congealed white liquid.
However, this situation exists in some cases and not in others.
Zhang Guodong silently examined each of the thirteen saplings before standing up and saying, "They seem to be a mutated species, don't they? Brother Li, what's your opinion?"
Zhang Guodong didn't shy away from expressing his opinion directly. This surprised Li Ningguang, who initially thought Zhang Guodong was putting on an act, but now realized Zhang Guodong seemed quite serious.
“Very similar!” Li Ningguang mumbled. “Although mutated fruit trees are more valuable than ordinary fruit trees, their growth potential is not great. Generally, mutated fruit trees, such as apple trees, that are about ten years old are only worth around ten thousand yuan on the market, and that’s about it!”
Upon hearing about the price, Liu Dewang immediately looked at Zhang Wen, who nodded slightly. He had heard the price before and considered it fair. However, whether it would be a mutated fruit tree was still not definitively confirmed.
"Ahem, Brother Li, Brother Zhang, may I interject?" Zhang Wen asked somewhat awkwardly.
Zhang Guodong and Li Ningguang looked at him in surprise.
"Since Brother Li and Brother Zhang don't like this tree, could you give it to me? It's 30,000 yuan a tree, I'll take a chance!" Zhang Wen said, revealing his purpose.
Zhang Guodong and Li Ningguang looked at him in surprise.
Zhang Wen actually came to steal their business?
This is a taboo subject. Your interference as a middleman has greatly angered Li Ningguang.
"Xiao Zhang, how can you say such a thing? Don't forget who you are!" Li Ningguang said coldly. "You're just a middleman; think carefully about the consequences of breaking the rules!"
Zhang Wen's face turned pale instantly, but he still forced a smile and said, "Brother Li, although I'm the middleman, there's no rule in the industry that says middlemen can't compete, is there?"
Li Ningguang's bodyguard was right there, and Zhang Wen was quite wary of him. Doing business wasn't easy; despite everyone's cheerful demeanor, there were countless shady tactics at play, and he was afraid Li Ningguang would get back at him.
"Fine, very well! I never thought I, Li Ningguang, would be so mistaken!" Li Ningguang roared in anger. Zhang Guodong, standing nearby, was utterly humiliated; he had actually turned on his own men.
Zhang Guodong's mind raced. What was going on? A trap? Internal strife?
Seeing that Li Ningguang was truly enraged, Zhang Guodong said, "Brother Li, in business, harmony brings wealth. Liu Dewang, since Boss Zhang is offering 30,000 per plant, Brother Li and I will offer 35,000 per plant. Even Buddha fights for a stick of incense, and people fight for a breath of air. These days, even ordinary goods costing several hundred thousand is not a lot of money!"
"Of course, if Mr. Zhang is interested in raising the stakes further, then Brother Li and I will give up!"
"Hmph!" Li Ningguang's face turned ashen, and he snorted coldly, tacitly agreeing with Zhang Guodong's statement. "Mr. Zhang, you can add more. Thirteen plants, at forty thousand each, would only be a little over five hundred thousand—"
This put even more pressure on Zhang Wen, as Li Ningguang's seemingly casual words carried a tremendous threat.
After all, a big boss with a net worth of tens of millions is not someone that people like them who only make a little money can afford to offend.
"Fine, fine, that's all I have. I'll give it to Brother Li. Just pretend I didn't say anything earlier. Brother Li, you're so magnanimous!" Zhang Wen was sweating profusely and began to beg for mercy.
Zhang Guodong was quite surprised. Was there any need to be so afraid?
Liu Dewang was overjoyed. Each tree cost 35,000 yuan, so thirteen trees would cost more than 450,000 yuan. Although it was still far from a million, it was a huge sum of money. There was enough money to sleep on them.
But who would complain about having too much money? Liu Dewang shouted, "Thirty-five thousand a plant is too little! You might make millions in profit by reselling it. You should at least let me have a share! Fifty thousand a plant!"
"Forget it then. We've taken a huge risk this time. We'll have to re-examine it when we get back. If it's confirmed to be just a mutated tree species, we'll lose hundreds of thousands. Even if we had a lot of money, this isn't the way to play the game. Brother Li, let's go?"
When Zhang Guodong was about to leave, Li Ningguang surprisingly cooperated and tried to leave with his bodyguards.
Liu Dewang was the most anxious one. How could he possibly collect any money if he left like this? He immediately apologized, "Don't go! We can talk things over. Okay, it'll be 35,000 yuan per plant!"
The deal was ultimately successful, with Zhang Guodong and Li Ningguang each acquiring six and seven plants respectively, spending around 200,000 yuan each.
On the car, not long after leaving the courtyard.
Li Ningguang, however, was not only filled with anger but also with questions: "Brother Zhang, why did you decide to buy it? Did you find some treasure for me?"
Zhang Guodong laughed and said, "I didn't find the treasure, but I found a pair of liars!"
"What?! A pair of swindlers?!" Li Ningguang exclaimed angrily. "You're saying Zhang Wen and Liu Dewang colluded to cheat us? I knew something was off about that bastard Zhang Wen. No way, he dared to try and cheat me!"
When Li Ningguang gets angry, he acts swiftly and decisively. Zhang Guodong was a little stunned, but by the time he came to his senses, Li Ningguang had already gotten out of the car with his bodyguards.
"Damn, I haven't finished speaking yet. Even though he's a scammer, we can still earn this money back, right? Besides, we can't make such a big fuss about catching someone red-handed. You have to catch the thief red-handed, sigh!" Zhang Guodong said helplessly.
Zhang Guodong probably deliberately spoke late, right?
Feeling a little uneasy, Zhang Guodong followed.
Zhang Guodong noticed Zhang Wen and Liu Dewang exchanging glances twice, and he realized there seemed to be something fishy going on. Zhang Wen's willingness to fall out with Li Ningguang in their competition further confirmed Zhang Guodong's suspicions. What could have been a 10,000 yuan deal was pushed up to 35,000 yuan per plant.
Clearly, Zhang Wen and Liu Dewang had already colluded.
In this way, Zhang Guodong naturally couldn't afford to lose the money, so he didn't stop Li Ningguang from extorting it. People, when doing business, it's best to do it honestly. Using deception and taking crooked paths will only bring retribution.
At Liu Dewang's home.
Zhang Wen didn't leave with Li Ningguang because they had a falling out.
"Old Liu, we're in luck! Ten apple trees, three of which are ordinary ones dug up, worth over 450,000 yuan, enough for two or three years' income!" Zhang Wen's excited voice came from the room.
Then came Liu Dewang's smug voice: "Damn, even if he's a big boss, he still drinks my piss, doesn't he? Not bad, it's been a pleasant cooperation, hehe, how about we split the profits 50/50?"
“Yes, we’ll split the money, but after that, we need to hide. Li Ningguang is not someone to be trifled with!” Zhang Wen warned.
From afar, Li Ningguang and his bodyguard heard everything clearly. Just then, the two men were cheering inside the room, and Zhang Guodong, following behind, silently mourned for them. Getting carried away, huh?
Zhang Guodong hesitated, unsure whether to step forward to help, but Li Ningguang's bodyguard was truly formidable. As soon as they entered the fence, the old wolfhound lunged, but the bodyguard dodged, slashed, and dispatched the wolfhound in a single move.
Hearing the barking of the dog and the dying whimpers, Zhang Wen and Liu Dewang were immediately terrified and rushed out. When they saw what was happening, they were scared out of their wits. Before they could even beg for mercy, the bodyguard had already subdued them in just a few moves.
"Brother Li, spare my life!" Zhang Wen cried out in a desperate plea for mercy.
P.S.: Second update!
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