Ye Beiping looked at the several pairs of leather shoes on the coffee table, and after a long while, he finally said, "Brother, this price is still a bit high."
"This..." The vendor was somewhat helpless, and frowned, saying, "I'm already out of profit. If you're still not satisfied, we can't do this business anymore."
Hearing that the vendor was considering giving up, Ye Beiping fell silent.
His real purpose wasn't to get the goods from the vendors, but to establish a connection.
Both sides were silent for a moment, then Ye Beiping suddenly asked, "Brother, what's your name? My name is Ye Beiping. Even if we don't make a deal, we can still be friends."
"Li Jun." Li Jun thought for a moment and felt that the other party was right, so he gave his name.
Ye Beiping nodded slightly and then said, "Brother Li Jun, I will be in Wencheng for the time being. If you have any connections, you can contact me. I need a large quantity."
As he spoke, he smiled and offered Li Jun a cigarette.
The deal fell through, and Li Jun wasn't very happy, but one can't hit a smiling face, so he took the cigarette and nodded calmly.
Seeing that Ye Beiping was speaking very politely, he even added a reminder: "Brother Beiping, let me tell you, if you can't accept this price from me, you won't get this price from anywhere else."
“In the entire Wenzhou city, there are only a few leather factories that we can get goods from. Other state-owned factories simply won’t give you any; they don’t even have enough to sell themselves.”
As Li Jun said this, there was still some regret in his expression.
It seems like those factories' goods would sell very well if they were in their hands.
Ye Beiping was somewhat aware of this; in those days, state-owned factories were either struggling to survive or over-saturated.
Those factories that were profitable were so poor they couldn't even pay the back wages owed to their competitors, and had to rely on loans to stay afloat. Some factory leaders who wanted to save their factories would choose to take out loans to buy equipment and produce new products, but 80% of these factories eventually went bankrupt.
The money was borrowed, the equipment was bought, but no orders were received; it merely postponed the closure of the state-owned factory.
In fact, many state-owned factories have already shown their shortcomings. Whether in terms of management or the products they produce, they have been surpassed by many joint ventures.
In the last two years, more and more joint venture factories have emerged in China. They have advanced technology, strong production capacity, and advantages in product quality and other aspects.
Before long, the predicament of state-owned factories will be exposed, but some factory leaders, accustomed to indulging in pleasure, are unaware of the impending danger. As the saying goes, a defeated army collapses like a house of cards; when that day truly comes, these state-owned factories will also crumble quickly.
“Brother Li Jun, I understand what you’re saying. But isn’t it true that state-owned factories aren’t doing well right now?” Ye Beiping said confidently, “First of all, I’m a businessman. I’m not thinking about whether state-owned factories can make money, but rather whether the goods I have can be sold and whether there will be a profit after they are sold.”
"So today I'll consider you a friend, and we can work together if the opportunity arises."
Upon hearing this, Li Jun looked at Ye Beiping with a slightly surprised expression.
Although he didn't quite understand it, the idea that not understanding is a sign of sophistication is a deeply ingrained belief among the Chinese people.
Ye Beiping's clothes weren't anything special, but his speech and mannerisms suggested he wasn't a simple person.
While Li Jun was still in a daze, Ye Beiping raised his hand to say goodbye.
"Brother Li Jun, then I'll take my leave. I have some things to attend to, so I'll be going now."
"Okay." Li Jun, who was still a bit slow to react, simply nodded.
A few seconds later, when he came to his senses and wanted to ask some questions, he found that Ye Beiping had already left.
"Could this be a hidden master? He's dressed so simply, but his strength must be considerable," Li Jun murmured to himself.
Ye Beiping left Li Jun's house but did not return to the market.
Having understood Li Jun's situation, it became clear that the prices at which these vendors in the Wencheng market got their goods couldn't be much lower than they could have been.
If Li Jun could make a profit by lowering the price by another five yuan, he would definitely agree.
The fact that he didn't agree meant that Li Jun's final offer left him with less than five yuan in profit.
After wandering around outside all morning, Ye Beiping randomly picked a place to buy two steamed buns to eat, and then went to a state-run department store to take a look around and learn more.
Just as he thought, the prices at the state-run department store were about ten yuan more expensive than at the market, and some were even fifteen yuan more expensive.
In the days when monthly salaries were only 30 to 50 yuan, a pair of leather shoes could cost a month's wages.
That's a real luxury item.
As Ye Beiping walked out of the state-run shopping mall, he glanced at the sky, where a blazing sun hung high in the azure expanse.
It was only two or three in the afternoon, but Ye Beiping was already covered in sweat.
Looking at the hot weather, he decided to go back and take a shower first.
When seeking information, one should not limit oneself to these businesses; one might be able to find the information one wants in the vicinity of some residential buildings.
So he planned to go back and take a shower first, and then go out to inquire when it wasn't so hot in the evening.
When Ye Beiping returned to his room, he found that the Jiang He brothers had already come back.
However... it seems that Brother Jiang is bleeding from his head, and Jiang He is also covered in bruises.
"Jiang He, what's going on... you guys are fighting?" Ye Beiping asked, looking puzzled.
Jiang He was applying medicine to himself when he looked up and saw Ye Beiping. He gave a wry smile.
"Beiping, you're back."
Although they had only known each other for a day, the two of them felt a sense of closeness.
Perhaps it was Jiang He's outgoing and unpretentious nature that made Ye Beiping less wary. Plus, since they were both from out of town, a sense of kinship naturally arose.
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