On the rugged mountain road, Su Ling walked towards the village cemetery with a black plastic bag in his hand.
Shixi Village is remote and cremation is not yet popular. People still practice burial. The cemetery is on the north side of Phoenix Mountain. As soon as he stepped into the cemetery, the yin energy hit him in the face, and Su Ling couldn't help but shiver.
Unlike the cemeteries in the city, most of the tombs here are chair tombs. One of the new tombs even has a yard, a stone table, and some unfamiliar stone sculptures.
That is my second grandfather’s tomb.
Standing in front of the tombstone, Su Ling bowed reverently and stated his identity: "Second Grandfather, I am Su Ling, your designated heir. I came to visit you today."
Judging from the photo, the old man had a kind face and must have been a very amiable person when he was alive.
With awe in his heart, Su Ling took out the paper money, incense and red candles bought from the convenience store from the plastic bag, and began to visit the grave according to the steps explained by Aunt Zhang.
After burning the paper money and watching the fire go out, he clasped his hands together and bowed again.
After going down the grave hill, Su Ling was not in a hurry to go home. He put his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker and strolled in the fields along the gravel path.
In the morning in the countryside, the air is fresh, the sun is bright, and the breeze caresses your face, bringing a hint of the fragrance of earth.
When the people working in the fields saw Su Ling, they all tilted their heads and looked over curiously.
Su Ling was calm and composed, standing on the bridge over the stream, admiring the unique scenery of the countryside.
Blue sky and white clouds, spring plowing and farming, what a vibrant picture. The inspiration that has disappeared for a long time seems to awaken at this moment.
He raised his hand, pretending to hold a paintbrush, and drew imaginary lines in the air. His beautiful peach blossom eyes were as clear as a pool of water.
I was enjoying painting when I heard Li Dahai calling from a distance.
"Brother Su, Brother Su——"
Su Ling stopped and turned to look at the boy who was running towards him.
"Good morning, sea." Su Ling said with a smile.
"Good... good morning." Li Dahai ran up to him, panting, "Brother Su... the... the village chief wants you to go to the village committee."
"Village Committee?" Su Ling asked in surprise, "What happened?"
Li Dahai wiped the sweat from his face and said, "A few people came from town, and the village chief started arguing with them. I think he mentioned Grandpa Su's death."
When Su Ling heard that it was related to his second grandfather, he immediately asked Li Dahai to lead the way.
In the village committee office, three middle-aged men surrounded a tall, thin and strong old man and kept persuading him.
"Village Chief Jin, think carefully. Mr. Su is gone, but the tea on the mountain hasn't been picked yet. If we wait until May, the tea will get old and the price won't go up."
"Zhang Zhong is right. The tea tastes bad and has a bad reputation. I feel sorry for Master Su."
"No!" Village Chief Jin said sternly, "Your price is too low. I can't sell it at a loss against my conscience."
"How can you say you're going against your conscience?" the man in a suit with slicked-back hair said with a smile. "Even though Master Su has passed away, aren't you still the village chief and have the final say on the tea plantation? Master Su invested the initial costs, and you're helping to collect the profits and use them to develop the village. Isn't that a great deed?"
As soon as Su Ling arrived at the door, he couldn't help but frown when he heard the words of the man in the suit. Is this greasy-voiced uncle encouraging the village chief to embezzle?
Fortunately, Village Chief Jin was indifferent to his words. When he saw Li Dahai coming with his men, he waved to him.
"I know how to pick tea, but I don't know how to sell it. If you want to lower the price, talk to Old Man Su's grandson."
"Master Su's grandson?"
The three men turned around and looked at the young man who walked into the office, and they all showed surprise in their eyes.
This is a handsome and heroic young man, with delicate eyebrows of appropriate thickness, bright peach blossom eyes, a high nose bridge, and pink lips, which combine to form a flawless face.
He has slightly curly shoulder-length hair, and wears a black casual jacket with a white round-neck T-shirt underneath, light blue jeans, and white sneakers. He looks fashionable and energetic, exuding the elegance and dignity of a prince. Standing in the simple village committee office, he seems out of place with others.
Su Ling had long been accustomed to the various looks people gave him, so he calmly said to the tall and thin old man, "Hello, village chief, I'm Su Ling."
Village Chief Jin stroked his goatee, his sunken eyes piercing as he studied Su Ling. Before his death, Old Man Su had a lawyer write a will and designate an heir. After two months of waiting, the heir finally arrived. "The young man is good-looking, a bit like Old Man Su when he was young."
Being praised, Lidya Su kept a perfect smile on his face. "I wonder if the village chief wants me here for something important?"
Just now he was standing at the door, confused by what he heard. He only knew that tea trees were planted on the mountain contracted by his second grandfather, and that these three middle-aged men shamelessly advised the village chief to sell them at a low price. Fortunately, the village chief was determined and not tempted by money.
Village Chief Jin introduced them, "They are the owners of the tea-purchasing business, and they are long-term partners of your grandfather."
Su Ling looked at the three middle-aged men, and the three men stretched out their right hands towards him at the same time.
"Hello, hello, I'm Qi Yue."
"I am Huang Xing."
"I'm Zhang Zhong."
Su Ling put his hands in his coat pockets and stood there motionless, simply nodding at them. "Hello, I'm Su Ling. I just arrived in Shixi Village yesterday."
Even if a beautiful person is rude, it is not easy to get angry. The three greasy middle-aged uncles withdrew their hands indifferently, but they were a little confused in their hearts.
Wasn't Mr. Su unmarried? Where did this grandson come from? They had known Mr. Su for over a decade and had never heard of him having any other relatives. Furthermore, this young man was dressed fashionably and had an elegant demeanor; he looked like a wealthy young man from the city.
Seeing the doubts in the eyes of the three bosses, Su Ling explained: "My grandfather is the eldest brother of my second grandfather. He moved to S City many years ago. A few days ago, I received a call from my lawyer. My second grandfather made a will and designated me as the heir."
"Ah? I see!" Qi Yue suddenly realized. No wonder everyone in Shixi Village called Su Lan "Second Master Su"; it turned out he had an older brother.
Zhang Zhong looked at Huang Xing, Huang Xing's eyes flashed, and he said to Su Ling: "We came here today mainly to discuss the purchase of tea."
The village chief said to Su Ling, "Phoenix Mountain has been contracted by your grandfather for seventy years. Tea trees are planted on the mountain. In previous years, when your grandfather was here, we negotiated the price with them. But now that your grandfather is gone, they are trying to lower the price."
Qi Yue said awkwardly, "The quality of the Yulu tea produced in Shixi Village is indeed good, and it sells well, but—"
Zhang Zhong continued, "But this year is different from previous years. The overall market price of tea has dropped. We buyers are at the bottom of the pile, so we have no choice but to lower our costs."
Huang Xing sighed, "The economy is in recession now, and it's not easy for anyone to do business."
The three of them sang and shouted, and Su Ling finally understood.
Although he didn't like the intrigues in the business world and studied fine arts in college, he had been influenced by the Su family since he was a child and knew a little about business tactics.
These three black-hearted tea buyers, seeing that the second grandfather had passed away, wanted to take advantage of the situation, taking advantage of the village chief's ignorance of the market, and maliciously lowered the price to purchase the tea!
If they were to purchase other crops today, Su Ling might not have an idea, but tea... He smiled faintly, looked at the pot-bellied Qi Yue and said, "If I remember correctly, the Yu Lu tea you just mentioned, the market price of ordinary quality is more than 3,000 yuan per kilogram. At the beginning of the year, my family bought a can of premium quality for more than 10,000 yuan, and it tastes good."
Qi Yue almost lost his smile after hearing his words. "Mr. Su... Mr. Su knows about tea?"
Su Ling nodded: "I don't know much about growing tea, but I'm okay at tasting tea. My elders at home love to drink tea, and I've been drinking it for more than ten years. I can tell the quality of tea by its aroma, taste, and color."
Actually, Su Ling himself was a tea lover and was very picky about the quality of tea. He would not drink anything other than premium grade tea. Coincidentally, he drank Yulu tea frequently and knew its price very well.
Huang Xing and Zhang Zhong exchanged a glance, knowing that today's plan was likely to fail. They hadn't anticipated that Master Su's grandson was a tea connoisseur!
Qi Yue coughed a few times as if to cover up his mistake. "The price of tea fluctuates from time to time. It's different every month. At the beginning of the year, there are many gifts, so it's normal for the price to be a little higher. Now it's April, the price has already dropped."
Zhang Zhongdao: "There's a difference of several dozen yuan between last month and this month!"
Huang Xing rubbed his hands and said, "It takes time to pick and process tea leaves. It won't be on the market until June or July. By then, I don't know how much the price will drop."
Village Chief Jin snorted, "No matter how much we lower the price, it can't be reduced below cost, right? The price Old Man Su set is already quite affordable. A pound of fresh tea leaves is only a hundred yuan. Do the math and see how much profit he made."
Qi Yue said anxiously, "Village Chief Jin, that's not how you calculate the cost! Four or five kilograms of fresh leaves make one kilogram of dry tea. If the water content is high, even more fresh leaves are needed. Add in labor costs, transportation costs, packaging costs, advertising fees, etc., and the cost can only go up."
Village Chief Jin said, "Didn't Xiao Su just say that? Ordinary quality tea costs over 3,000 yuan per pound. Even if your cost is 1,000 yuan, you still made over 2,000 yuan. Besides, the quality of the Rain Dew Tea produced in Phoenix Mountain is above grade one. Your selling price will definitely be higher, and you'll make more money!"
"No..." Qi Yue said with a wry smile, "Village Chief Jin, you don't understand the market, so you don't understand..."
"Why don't I understand?" Village Chief Jin glared and blew his beard. "Old Man Su entrusted me with this before he died. One hundred yuan per kilogram of fresh leaves. I won't sell it for less than that!"
Seeing that they were about to argue, Su Ling took out his cell phone from his pocket and suggested slowly: "I have a friend in the tea business. I'll call him and ask."
Zhang Zhong secretly tugged at the corner of Qi Yue's clothes and winked at him.
Qi Yue gritted his teeth and said, "Eighty! Eighty yuan a pound, we'll take it!"
Zhang Zhong echoed: "The roads in Shixi Village are difficult to navigate, and trucks can't get in. We have to bear a lot of labor and transportation costs every year."
Su Ling put down his phone and asked the village chief: "Is there a contract between Second Grandpa and them?"
"Yes." Village Chief Jin took out a stack of papers from the drawer of his desk and handed it to Su Ling. "The road from Shixi Village to the town is indeed difficult to travel, but the price your grandfather set does not include their labor and transportation costs."
Su Ling took the contract and quickly glanced at it. He saw that the price did not include the transportation cost out of the village. Moreover, there was room for price increase. In other words, one hundred yuan per catty was the base price, and it could be sold at a higher price depending on market conditions.
Putting down the contract, Su Ling looked at the three middle-aged men and said with a smile, "In my opinion, one hundred yuan per catty of fresh leaves is too cheap. Two hundred yuan wouldn't be too expensive. Since you three and my grandfather are long-term partners, I'll do you a favor and offer one hundred and eighty yuan per catty, including transportation out of the village. What do you think?"
One hundred and eighty yuan?
Why did the price increase instead of being lowered?
The three tea buyers' eyes almost popped out of their heads when they heard Su Ling's words.
"I'm not saying this... when Mr. Su was here, he didn't raise the price this much. One hundred and fifty yuan was the maximum. But Mr. Su raised it to one hundred and eighty yuan in one breath. Isn't this... isn't this a rip-off?" Zhang Zhong said with a frown, aggrieved.
"One hundred and fifty yuan is the maximum? It doesn't include the transportation fee out of the village, right?" Su Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, his peach blossom eyes bright. "If you add the shipping fee, it may be more than one hundred and eighty yuan. In comparison, one hundred and eighty yuan including the shipping fee is already a discount for you."
Huang Xing was dumbfounded. How had they been tricked into this, and how had they been able to get the price down to 180 yuan? When they came here, the three of them had clearly agreed to keep the price down to under 80 yuan!
Seeing their hesitation, Su Ling said regretfully: "You and my second grandfather have cooperated for more than ten years. Although you have the right of first refusal, there is no stipulation in the contract that you cannot sell to other tea buyers. High-quality Yu Lu tea, fresh leaves are sold for three or four hundred yuan per kilogram, and there are many people, so I think... if you don't buy it..."
"No need to think! We'll take it! One hundred and eighty yuan, we'll take it!" Qi Yue interrupted him, speaking first. It was precisely because of the high quality of the Rain Dew Tea produced in Phoenix Mountain that they had partnered with Mr. Su for over a decade. The price difference between first- and second-grade tea was enormous, and if it were packaged as a specialty product, the profits would be even greater. They had made a killing over the years, so how could they bear to give up this piece of juicy meat?
Seeing that Qi Yue had given in, Huang Xing and Zhang Zhong gritted their teeth and agreed.
Lidya Su pursed his lips and sighed softly: "One hundred and eighty yuan including the shipping fee, it seems that I am still at a loss."
"Not a loss! Not a loss at all!" Qi Yue was afraid that he would refuse to sell, so he said with a smile, "It's settled. Let's draft the contract now, and the day after tomorrow... no, tomorrow I'll send someone to pick the tea. What do you think, Mr. Su?"
Su Ling was not in a hurry to answer him, but asked the village chief: "What do you think?"
After all, the tea mountain business was entrusted to the village chief by his second grandfather, so he had to ask the village chief's opinion.
The village chief stroked his goatee seriously and nodded slowly: "It's up to you to decide."
This guy looks young but he has a sharp mind. He can confuse people with just a few words. He is quite capable.
After getting the approval of the village chief, Su Ling said without any embarrassment: "Okay, then draw up the contract."
He didn't know the market price of fresh leaves, but he knew the price of the finished product. At 180 yuan per pound, fresh leaves were incredibly cheap compared to the finished product. However, Lin Feng once said that business negotiations are like psychological warfare, requiring the ability to read other people's expressions and extract useful information from their words.
If they dared to lower the price to 80 yuan per catty, he would raise it to 180 yuan. Including the shipping fee was a psychological suggestion to make the other party feel that they were getting a bargain. Sure enough, after hearing the price, the other party blurted out the high price of 150 yuan in a hurry.
Su Ling knew the price and felt confident, which gave him more bargaining chips during the negotiations.
Of course, the most important point is that these three tea merchants are willing to cooperate with my second grandfather for more than ten years, which shows that the quality of Phoenix Mountain's Rain Dew Tea is guaranteed and the finished product can be sold at a high price. As long as it is profitable, they will definitely not give up easily.
He was still too conservative and didn't dare to mention two or three hundred per kilogram. It turned out that he was not cut out for business.
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