He glanced at Liang Guiying a few times and told her the truth: "If you trust me, then don't sell yourself."
"Is Mr. Zhang afraid I'll steal his business?"
"If you can steal my business, then I'll admit you're something else."
Boss Zhang chuckled, "Last year, a young couple surnamed Huang came here and sold pork for half a day. The next day, they were thrown into the West River to feed the fish. This black market seems like anyone can come and sell anything, but if you don't have anyone backing you up, you can expect to end up like that young couple surnamed Huang!"
“That’s scary? Then I’d better not sell it.” Liang Guiying patted her chest, took the ribs and was about to leave when Boss Zhang stopped her, “But if you just want to sell pork, things aren’t that complicated.”
"Mr. Zhang means he wants to buy my pigs? The pigs in our village are usually bought from the meat processing plant."
"They can come down and buy it, or you can choose not to sell."
"Are you trying to steal the meat processing plant's business?"
"They offered too low a price for the pigs, and you were unwilling to sell to them. How can you say I stole them?"
Liang Guiying did not speak immediately.
She came to the black market hoping to make connections with meat vendors like Boss Zhang, but if it went so smoothly, she wasn't entirely at ease.
"How much are you offering?" Liang Guiying asked directly. "If it's higher than the meat processing plant's price, I can arrange for all the pigs in my village to be sold to you."
“The price of pork changes every day, but no matter how much the meat processing plant offers, we always offer three cents more,” said Mr. Zhang. “If you can sell me other people’s pigs as well, I will give you three yuan per pig as a service fee.”
Liang Guiying turned and left.
Mr. Zhang hesitated for a moment, but the butcher next to him had already rushed over. He quickly ran over and called out, "Sister Liang! Sister Liang, wait a minute!"
Liang Guiying politely declined the offer from the other butcher, and said to Mr. Zhang, "Let's talk as we walk."
Once outside the village, Liang Guiying spoke again: "Boss Zhang, are you short of pigs?"
Mr. Zhang smiled and said, "I don't need any pigs. I just wanted to help you out."
How could someone you've only known for two or three days be so enthusiastic?
Liang Guiying laughed and said, "Although I've only been here two or three times, I've observed that the pigs you've been selling these past two days are all piglets. Is it because you can't compete with others and are afraid of running out of meat and being squeezed out of the market, so you have to pick up what others have left over to sell?"
Mr. Zhang was surprised by her keen insight; she guessed correctly on the first try, and his expression immediately turned sour.
"If a butcher's meat quality is always worse than others, then even if you sell it for less, you won't be competitive, and you'll probably be squeezed out in a few days. So, you need to find new sources of meat to stabilize the market and improve your competitiveness..."
Mr. Zhang, the people behind you aren't powerful enough. The pig farmers in the area probably wouldn't dare sell their pigs to you. If I sell to you, I'll take a huge risk. If I'm not careful, I could get my leg broken. Mr. Zhang, do you really want to buy my leg for these three yuan?
Once Liang Guiying exposed him, Boss Zhang stopped pretending: "I need to find a new source of goods, but three yuan is quite a lot of trouble. However, if you can supply me with goods on a long-term basis, I can raise it to five yuan per head."
"Fifteen yuan." Liang Guiying tripled the price. "I'm timid, so I only do a few deals, but those few deals will be enough for you to regain your footing in the market."
Seeing Mr. Zhang hesitate, Liang Guiying smiled and said, "I'm not leaving until tomorrow. If you've thought it over carefully today, come find me in the airport residential area. My name is Liang Guiying. Just ask anyone in there and they'll know where I live. Oh, by the way, if you're only buying the pigs from my house, then you don't need to pay me for my trouble. We're buyer and seller, it's a fair transaction."
Back in the airport living area, the sun was already high in the sky. Liang Guiying returned the car to Uncle Zhong and casually mentioned that she was going back to her hometown the next day.
Uncle Zhong nodded: "I'll keep an eye on Zhou Yue. You can go back without worry. If Zhou Yue goes to work, she can send Niannian to my house. My wife has nothing to do after retirement, and Niannian will keep her company so she won't be bored."
"Okay, I'll talk to Zhou Yue when I get back. By the way, Uncle Zhong, I'd like to buy a tricycle. Could you keep an eye out for one for me when you have time? A used one is fine too."
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