Chapter 2374: Business is over (April Monthly Ticket Plus 19)
Zhou Wulang's eyebrows twitched violently. The price he offered to Xiao Yuanzheng was ninety cents for one hundred catties, but when it came to the steward, it was more than doubled.
How can you do business like this?
Buyers are eager to pay sellers more?
Zhou Wulang was not the kind of person who would cheat others, and he felt a little nervous at the moment. He thought about the fact that Manbao worked under Xiao Yuanzheng. If he lowered the price and then raised the price and sold it to the Imperial Hospital, what would Xiao Yuanzheng think of Manbao?
Zhou Wulang, who already felt something was wrong, shook his head even more. Seeing the steward's unhappy expression, he simply picked up the two baskets and said, "I won't sell them anymore."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The manager was stunned for a moment and then cursed inwardly, "You cunning bastard, you think you can take all our orders?"
"Manager, do you want to stop them?"
The manager wanted to lose his temper and said he wouldn't stop them. It was always others who begged him to sell things to them, and this was the first time he had actively approached someone to buy something.
This feeling is so suffocating.
But thinking about the fact that the person was brought here personally by Xiao Yuanzheng's servant, and what Zhou Man said yesterday, Xiao Yuanzheng must have doubts in his heart. If he squeezes out the person he recommended, Xiao Yuanzheng may not know what he will think.
Although the Ministry of Revenue and the emperor each contributed a portion of the Imperial Hospital's expenses on the imperial farm, the money did not come directly to him, but was kept in the Imperial Hospital's account. Only after Dean Xiao signed and agreed could he take the receipt to the Imperial Hospital to collect the money.
So Xiao Yuanzheng is very important.
The steward gritted his teeth, but still forced a smile as he chased Zhou Wulang. When he caught up with him in the farm, he pulled him aside and started talking, "Master Zhou Wu, if you're not satisfied with this price, we can talk about it again."
Zhou Wulang was reluctant to see this business fail, mainly because if they were willing to place an order, then many families in the village would have a place to sell their vegetables, eggs and even pigs, and they would not have to sell them to vendors or retailers.
So he stopped and made a direct offer, "Okay, the price is negotiable. Eggs are two cents each, pumpkins are ninety cents per hundred catties, and winter melons are a little cheaper, eighty-five cents per hundred catties..."
The steward said, "...We can't take advantage of Mr. Zhou Wu. These eggs are five cents, or six cents will do. As for pumpkins, they're two hundred cents per hundred pounds, and winter melons are one hundred and ninety cents per hundred pounds..."
The people who followed the manager watched the two people bargaining, but it was the opposite of how ordinary people bargained. The buyer kept raising the price, and the seller kept lowering it.
This made them a little confused, and they almost thought that Zhou Wulang was the buyer.
Finally, Zhou Wulang realized that he couldn't get through with him, so he simply picked up the basket and started to leave. The steward grabbed him, his face twisted for a moment before he forced a smile and said, "Master Zhou Wu, this guy can get along with anything except money, right?"
"How about we both compromise and just settle for four cents for the eggs?"
Zhou Wulang looked at him deeply and said, "Sir, although we sell chickens, ducks, and vegetables, we also know morality. This is the market price. At most, we can give you a little less. If you are not satisfied, I will sell it to you at the market price, two and a half cents an egg, but you can't give me such a high price. I will feel guilty and can't sleep at night."
Zhou Wulang thought about it and it made more and more sense. He said to him, "The tenant farmers still have half of these eggs. That means I only have 500 out of 1,000 eggs. I can't eat or sleep for this 100 yuan. How despairing am I?"
The manager held back his anger, but cursed inwardly, "Then what are you doing here? It would be better not to do this business at all. I've already found Xiao Yuanzheng, and now I'm telling him the price is high. Are you kidding him?"
The manager also explained this time, "Mr. Zhou Wu doesn't know, but I have signed such a contract with someone else. If you lower the price here, it will definitely offend other suppliers, which is not good."
Zhou Wulang thought to himself: Who am I trying to fool? After all, he has been doing the purchasing for his own restaurant for several years, so he naturally knows all these twists and turns.
I'm afraid the price the suppliers sell to him won't be that high, and the extra money will mostly go into their own pockets.
But this guy is too greedy. He has been in contact with many purchasing agents from restaurants and hotels, and they are all quite familiar with each other, so they will get some benefits.
The less they earned, the more they would receive vegetables and meat from farmers and butchers. The more they earned, the more they would take some money. However, they did not dare to ask for too much. The shop owner and boss knew the prices of vegetables, meat and eggs.
This is the first time I've seen a price more than double like the manager did.
If Manbao had not been working in this imperial farm and would not be staying here for a while, and did not want to offend the steward, he would have wanted to expose these things before leaving.
But thinking that Manbao was inside, he could only hold his anger. He was unwilling to make things final with the steward, nor was he willing to agree to this ridiculous thing and offend Xiao Yuanzheng.
He argued with the steward for a long time, and finally came up with a solution. He said to the steward, "Just let me go. If Xiao Yuan asks about it, I will say that there was a frost on the farm, and the vegetables were damaged. The hens were frightened, and many of them stopped laying eggs. Now the remaining ones can't even supply the imperial farm, so this business is over."
Upon hearing this, the steward loosened his grip and hesitated, "But what about Doctor Zhou..."
"I'll tell her," Zhou Wulang said immediately, "that she's just an imperial physician, and she doesn't even worry about family matters. How would she know what's going on at the farm? Of course, whatever we say is true. I'll tell her that the farm can't even supply what's needed for their own restaurant, let alone sell it outside. What do you think?"
The manager rolled his eyes and saw that Zhou Wulang was really unwilling to go along with him, ah, cooperate with him. He looked up at the big sun above his head and realized that they had been arguing for almost two hours and there was not much point in continuing.
The steward then took out a purse and stuffed it into Zhou Wulang's pocket, saying, "Then I'll trouble you, Master Zhou Wu, with this matter."
Zhou Wulang didn't want it, so he pushed it back. The steward then pressed it tightly into his hand and said pointedly, "Master Zhou Wu, this is a small gift from us. We don't want you to make a wasted trip. You still need to go to Xiao Yuanzheng to explain in person, so just consider this as travel and tea expenses. If you refuse, we won't be able to ask you to go."
Zhou Wulang saw that he seemed ready to fight for another two hours, so he immediately took the purse with a start.
Although the sun in the first month of the lunar year is not too hot and is still warm, he will feel dizzy after being exposed to it for too long and he will feel hungry.
Seeing Zhou Wulang accepted the money, the manager smiled and personally escorted the man out of the village.
The servants of the Xiao family only took him to the imperial farm to introduce him to the steward and then left. At this time, there was only Zhou Wulang's mule cart outside the farm. He put the vegetables and eggs on the cart and drove the mule cart back by himself.
The manager realized later that this kid was reluctant to give him even a basket of eggs. Would he be able to fulfill the agreement when he returned?
Zhou Wulang: Guess
See you next year.
(End of this chapter)
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