Chapter 157
Director Yang both admired and amused Xia Juhua's prudence: from the necklace that Tel prepared at the beginning, it is not difficult to infer that the thing in the box was what he actually wanted to give to Xia Juhua. Could the things at that time be cheaper than the necklace?
This item was obviously not cheap, but Xia Juhua handed it over without even looking at it. It was really rare.
He couldn't help but joked with Xia Juhua, "Why don't you take a look at what's inside? It's not too late to regret now." Then he opened the box.
As soon as the box was opened, a dazzling light gathered in the center of the box. It turned out to be a few polished diamonds. Xia Juhua couldn't tell how big the diamonds were. She knew diamonds because in her previous life, when Liu Baoguo got married, his wife bought him a diamond ring.
"It's quite big." Xia Juhua commented. She remembered the diamond on Liu Baoguo's wife's ring, which was about ten cents and cost nearly 10,000 yuan. These diamonds in front of her were so big, she didn't know how much they were worth.
Director Yang knew the value of diamonds, so he thought more about it: "You have to be careful with your attitude in the next negotiation." Director Yang didn't believe that Tel had no ulterior motives in giving such an expensive gift, and he reported the situation to his superiors immediately.
The instruction he received was that whatever gifts he received from Terr, he had to return to him when he returned home. As for the negotiation, according to what Xia Juhua said the night before, she explained to Terr and others the method of redemption, and Xia Juhua was still the main negotiator.
Whether it is possible to make Tell accept the proposal of redemption, instead of angering him and withdrawing from rubber supply to China, and let Roberts succeed Tell to become the only one in the market and control the pricing power of rubber purchases, depends on Xia Juhua's ability. Only when Xia Juhua, the black-faced person, can sing no more, Director Yang can come forward to save the situation.
Teln was able to purchase 50,000 tons of rubber at one time. When others were still keeping their distance from China and Roberts only dared to make arrangements quietly, he announced to the outside world with great fanfare that he would sell rubber to China. Naturally, he was not as emotional, rash and impulsive as he appeared, and he did not make decisions based on his mood.
Just look at the meeting gift he prepared for Xia Juhua, which seemed to be praising first and then demoting, but was actually demoting first and then praising, and you can tell that his success is not achieved just by having resources.
As soon as he saw where Xia Juhua and Director Yang were sitting at the negotiation table, Tel knew who he had to deal with mainly today. He waved at Xia Juhua and asked loudly, "Xia, are you satisfied with the gift I gave you?" He ignored Director Yang who was standing with Xia Juhua.
When they entered the negotiation room, Xia Juhua, Director Yang and others had already stood up. Xia Juhua couldn't help but smile when she heard this question: "Thank you for your gift." Director Yang didn't respond.
Xia Juhua's smile and Director Yang's silence gave Ter great courage. He even stretched out his hand to Xia Juhua: "Then, I wish us a successful negotiation in advance."
Both parties knew that negotiations were about to begin, but Xia Juhua pretended to be confused: "Negotiations, why do we have to negotiate again? Aren't you here to bring the rubber we agreed on at the expo? Now we are sitting here, probably waiting for the cargo ship to dock together."
Tel looked at Director Yang, whom he had ignored, with some surprise: "Yang, I thought..."
Director Yang smiled slightly, his face was completely cold, and he shook his head slowly: "Comrade Xia Juhua came to Yangcheng because in our last contract, you required her to be present when picking up the goods. Tel, I'm also wondering what you mean by negotiation. Is it that there was a problem with the transportation of rubber, or that the price fluctuated after the end of the expo, which made you think we should renegotiate?"
Under the double blow, Tel was dumbfounded: "Xia, Yang, I thought we had a tacit understanding between us."
Xia Juhua shook her head decisively: "We have only met once, and I really don't have much tacit understanding with you. If you don't put forward your ideas clearly, I can't guess what exactly you mean by negotiation."
In a business, whoever starts talking about the substantive issues first has lost half. Whether the other half can be recovered depends on one's ability. Comrade Xia Juhua, who has a lot of experience in buying vegetables in her previous life, did not even respond to Ter's words.
Tel quietly sat down at his seat, quickly regained his smile, and said to Xia Juhua: "Xia, I think I must see you this time. You should be able to guess that I want to see you for more than just a gift."
Xia Juhua was still smiling: "Yes, I was also very surprised. Although our contract does require me to be present when the goods are delivered, I thought you should take my actual situation into consideration and not be too harsh on me in this regard. Who knew..."
Tel glanced at Director Yang helplessly and found that Director Yang had stopped looking at them since Xia Juhua had talked to him. He didn't know whether he thought Xia Juhua was capable enough to handle him, or he was dissatisfied with Xia Juhua and didn't want to see her, or because of his attitude in the past two days, he thought he valued Xia Juhua more and had an opinion of him.
Tel didn't think that Director Yang didn't want to see him - he was a major rubber supplier to China, and no matter which government purchased him, he would be willing to make friends with him. Now Director Yang was so cold to him, it must be because of the last reason.
Thinking of how he was treated in other countries and in order to ease the misunderstanding between him and Director Yang, Ter deliberately said to Xia Juhua with some dissatisfaction: "Xia, I always thought that the Chinese were warm and hospitable, so I was willing to sell rubber to you out of friendship. Who knew that this time, I found that I was the only one who valued our friendship. I have never seen a partner in other countries who is so cold to friends as you are."
Are you trying to use other countries to put pressure on yourself? Xia Juhua didn't buy it. She kept smiling: "Maybe the customs of different countries are different. Since other countries are more friendly partners, I made you feel unhappy, which is really embarrassing."
The last word "sorry" was not taken seriously. Even after the translation, Ter understood that Xia Juhua did not think other countries were a threat. This set off alarm bells in his heart: during the Expo, China needed rubber the most but could not get it, so Director Yang invited him to negotiate again and again after the price negotiation failed.
Now they won't even admit to negotiating. Why? Because they are more confident. They have found another supplier with a lower price.
The supplier was found by Xia Juhua.
Based on Ter's understanding of China, Xia Juhua completed the work that Director Yang failed to do on the rubber issue, and she will definitely be more valued by their superiors. Director Yang will be criticized by his superiors, and because of the difference in attitude between him and Xia Juhua, Director Yang will not speak for him now.
So the person he had been talking to today was Xia Juhua. Director Yang didn't say a word except to say hello. He didn't immediately change his attitude towards him because of his complaint against Xia Juhua.
Although it was Xia Juhua who talked with Tel at the expo, at that time Xia Juhua would look at Director Yang from time to time to get the next instructions. Now she doesn't look at Director Yang at all before she speaks. It seems that she can make decisions independently.
As Tel kept evaluating the position between Xia Juhua and Director Yang, his attitude changed. The corners of his mouth that had been grinning since he entered the room narrowed, and his eyes became scrutinizing: "Xia, you know I don't mean to compare you with others, I'm just not used to your way of cooperation."
Xia Juhua just nodded, as if ready to listen to his story, which made Ter even more. However, he was a mature businessman and would not change his purpose just because of a disagreement: "Although I am not used to your cooperation method, I like your payment method, so I hope to continue to cooperate with you."
If devaluation doesn't achieve the goal, then just brag. In order to make Xia Juhua believe what he said, Tel even sold it badly and exposed his own shortcomings, telling two stories about how he was cheated and ultimately didn't get paid.
Perhaps these two experiences were really tragic, or perhaps women are really soft-hearted, Xia Juhua showed sympathy on her face: "It's not easy for you to do business."
"Yes," Tel said quickly, "So I don't want to go through that experience again. This time I came to China, I want to continue to cooperate with you."
Xia Juhua was a little embarrassed: "But we already have enough rubber this year. Starting next year, we will also be able to produce rubber in our own rubber plantation."
When she mentioned China's rubber plantations, Ter's disdainful expression reappeared: "No, Xia, I think you have some misunderstandings about rubber production. It is not the case that the rubber plantations in your country that have just been harvested can supply such a huge market in China. Please believe me, if I don't buy rubber for you in Africa, your factories will still lack raw materials."
Xia Juhua did not deny this. She said, "Even if I must buy rubber, I have other ways to get it at a much lower price than you sell it to me. Why should I buy yours instead of the cheaper one? I have already compared them. The quality of the rubber you bring is the same."
Terr paused for a moment, and looked at Xia Juhua with a more scrutinizing look in his eyes: "Xia, I know the other channels you mentioned are Roberts. I admit that the quality of the rubber we both have is similar. But I can tell you responsibly that I have many more supply channels than he does, and he can only get the rubber by paying a higher price than me."
"But the price he sold it to me was much lower than yours." Xia Juhua pointed out this fact bluntly, leaving Tel speechless for a moment.
Negotiations are like this. Everyone knows the purpose, but they are all beating around the bush and no one wants to touch the substantive things first. Now that Xia Juhua has brought up the price, she is entering the substantive stage. Tel should think carefully before answering.
He came here today to seek long-term cooperation, and he couldn't let Xia Juhua overwhelm him right from the start. After thinking about it, Tel waved his hands and said, "It seems that it will be difficult for us to cooperate again."
Xia Juhua smiled and said, "It looks like that. You're going to have to go through the nightmare of not getting paid again."
This sentence made the smile on Ter'er's face disappear completely: "Are you not feeling sorry for me, but laughing at me?"
Xia Juhua looked at him with sympathy: "Of course I sympathize with you, but we were just business partners once. My sympathy is not enough to make me give up the interests of my country. Unless you can show your sincerity in benefiting our country, my sympathy can keep you away from the nightmare."
"If, I mean if, we want to cooperate for a long time, will you stop cooperating with Roberts? You know, Xia, Africa's rubber production is only so much each year. Not only Roberts and I are buying, but others are also buying. With more buyers, the price of rubber has to go up. Instead of that, it's better to prevent Roberts from participating in the purchase of rubber in the future. Without a big buyer, my costs can be reduced, and the price sold to China will naturally be much lower."
Terr said this blatantly to squeeze out his business rival without blushing, but Xia Juhua blushed for him: "Now Roberts is selling to me at a much lower price than you, why don't I let him continue to buy?"
Terl smiled slyly: "I can sell you the rubber at the same price as him."
Xia Juhua was unmoved: "But he has already sold me 40,000 tons of rubber at a cheaper price than you, which is only 10,000 tons less than you. I believe that it won't be long before he can make up the difference of 10,000 tons."
A good negotiator would not have praised Roberts so bluntly in front of Tel, and it even made Tel lower his opinion of Xia Juhua a little bit.
But what Xia Juhua said was the truth, so Ter had to answer this question: "Xia, to show my sincerity, I can even give you the rubber delivered this time at Roberts' price. As long as you promise to only buy my rubber from now on."
Xia Juhua looked at Director Yang for the first time, and along with her, Ter also turned his gaze towards Director Yang. There was obvious apology in his eyes, as if he was telling Director Yang that he had no choice but to hold Xia Juhua in his arms.
Although after he had no choice, generally speaking, Director Yang's situation would be more difficult than before.
It was Director Yang who handed over the check at the expo, but Tel even took the initiative to offer a price reduction in front of him. What was the point of apologizing with his eyes? Director Yang turned his eyes away with disdain, not looking at Tel, which only confirmed Tel's judgment that Xia Juhua had a higher say.
Even though he noticed Xia Juhua looking at Director Yang at the last moment, Tel continued to lobby her: "I have a large rubber plantation myself, with an annual output of 15,000 tons, so I only need to purchase another 35,000 tons. But Roberts has no rubber, so he has to purchase all of it. So in the long run, his cost will definitely be higher than mine."
"A business partner with a temporary low price or a business partner who maintains low prices for a long time, Xia, I think you should know how to choose." Tel looked like he was thinking about Xia Juhua.
Unfortunately, Xia Juhua looked at Director Yang again. She didn't know what she saw in Director Yang's eyes or what kind of hint she got. She was not moved by Ter's lobbying at all: "I have only cooperated with you once, including cashews. I have cooperated with Roberts three times. The price he offered was lower each time. Can you do it?"
Ter was caught off guard by the question: "Xia, you should know that the prices of bulk commodities are not determined by imagination, but fluctuate with the prices in the global trade market."
"If Roberts withdraws from the rubber acquisition, won't you have the final say on the fluctuations?" Xia Juhua looked at Tel with a half-smile: "You just said it, Tel. Only by doing business with China can you get the full payment if the goods are not defective. Even if the price is a little lower, you still make money."
"And what about me? What if I listen to you and stop buying Roberts rubber? And you suddenly raise the price? What will happen to China's rubber manufacturing industry?" In the end, Xia Juhua's expression had become serious.
Tel didn't expect Xia Juhua to put the problem so bluntly, and he quickly assured her that even if Roberts withdrew from the supply competition, he would not raise prices at will. He would only ask for a price increase when the price of rubber in the international market rose.
Xia Juhua disagreed with his point of view. After all, she was just a rural woman. What she cared about most was the three acres of land in front of her. As for the prices of bulk commodities in the outside world, she would not pay attention if no one reminded her. It was still up or down as Tel said... Tel would probably never say that the price of rubber would fall.
Terr really wanted to ask Director Yang, since Xia Juhua is just a rural woman, why does China still allow her to have a say in purchasing rubber? Wouldn't it be better for you to honestly cultivate your own one-third of an acre of land?
Unfortunately, Director Yang kept a gloomy face and lowered his eyelids as he stared at the table in front of him. No matter how Tel looked at him, he didn't respond. Tel regretted his attitude very much and unconsciously wanted to please Director Yang.
But now that Xia Juhua was still here, it was not the right time to show goodwill to Director Yang. Tel had to face Xia Juhua: "If you are so worried, I can consider giving you a TV so that you can keep up to date with the market conditions of bulk commodities."
Xia Juhua thought that Ter was joking with her: "There are very few TV programs in China, and none of them have anything to do with commodities."
Ter was at a loss: "So what do you think we should do? If you believe in Roberts' low price, aren't you afraid that he will do the same as you worry about me, and raise the price of rubber after my company goes bankrupt?" Why do you only worry about me and not Roberts? He is also a businessman.
Xia Juhua smiled again: "So I hope both of you can provide rubber to China. Every year I will tell you the amount of rubber China needs, and you bid within your acceptable range. In this way, no matter who fails in the bid, there will still be a chance next year, and you don't have to worry about your company going bankrupt if you don't sell rubber in a year."
Having said that, Tel knew very well that if he really bid as Xia Juhua suggested, he and Roberts would have to compete with each other to lower the price, and the profit would be greatly reduced.
"If that's the case, Xia, then I won't be able to give you a preferential price for this rubber. This is 50,000 tons of rubber. Have you calculated how much money China will save if you buy it at Roberts' price?" Tel said to Xia Juhua and glanced at Director Yang.
He believed that if Director Yang really was competing with Xia Juhua, he could use the conditions he had just proposed as a weapon to strike back at Xia Juhua. Could this be considered a gesture of goodwill to Director Yang?
Director Yang really looked at Tel and asked, "Are you saying that all the rubber shipped in June will be priced at 245 tons?"
The information that Tel received was that Roberts only had 30,000 tons of rubber to be traded with Province L at a price of 245 yuan per ton, and the 10,000 tons at the expo was sold at a price of 265 yuan per ton.
But in order to increase his own bargaining chips, he thought about it and nodded to Director Yang - if he could squeeze Roberts out of the supply line, the profit of 50,000 tons less would still be acceptable compared with the annual income in the future.
Director Yang whispered a few words to Xia Juhua, and Tel watched Xia Juhua's expression change from calm to angry and then back to calm. Unfortunately, the two people's voices were too soft, and he and the translator couldn't hear a word.
One can only tell from their facial expressions that the two people disagree.
Finally, Xia Juhua stood up and looked at Director Yang with helplessness in her eyes: "Two years, at most two years!" She whispered to Director Yang, and because she said this after standing up, Tel heard it clearly this time.
But it makes me even more confused. What is two years?
Director Yang explained to Tel himself: "Tel, what Comrade Xia Juhua meant is that if you can really reduce the price of 50,000 tons of rubber to 245 yuan per ton, then within two years, China can only purchase rubber from you, but the price cannot be higher than 245 yuan."
After he finished speaking, Xia Juhua sat back heavily in her chair and looked at Tel angrily.
But Tel wanted to curse: After all this time, two Chinese people quarreled and came to such a conclusion? The price should not be higher than 245 yuan within two years, and the difference should be deducted from the remaining one-third of the payment for 50,000 tons of rubber. Then why did he come to China in person? To lose money? !
He shook his head at Director Yang and said, "Yang, I cannot accept your proposal."
Director Yang looked at Ter in embarrassment: "Comrade Xia Juhua said that when Roberts was in L Province, he had already promised that the price of rubber would not be higher than 245 yuan in the future. Because he received information that several countries in Africa are still increasing the area of rubber cultivation."
Nonsense, if those people hadn't been planting rubber, Ter wouldn't have been so impatient to fly to China after hearing Roberts lowered the price again. Is it really that easy to get a visa to China? !
Tel felt that he was in a dilemma. Considering their costs, they could still make money at the price of 245 yuan, at least 5% higher than selling to other countries. But compared with the profit from selling to China before, it was hard to accept.
If he did not accept Xia Juhua's conditions, he would immediately keep his profit of more than 20%, but it would mean that he would give up the entire Chinese market and would once again have to argue with those dishonest American or European merchants over the quality of the rubber, and would receive the payment very late or simply not get paid at all.
"Can the price of 50,000 tons not be lowered?" Tel asked Xia Juhua almost pleadingly.
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