After they sat down, the female sales clerk served them tea. The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself. My surname is Li, and I am the general manager here. Our wholesale company is state-owned. May I ask your surname, young man?"
Dong Qing smiled and said, "So it's General Manager Li. My surname is Dong, Dong Qing. This is my wife, Li Yuzhu. We're family."
This General Manager Li must be a particularly joking person, because he laughed and said, "So we're all family! In that case, I'm practically family too!"
General Manager Li's words made Dongqing and his wife laugh; this guy really loves to joke.
After laughing, General Manager Li said, "Just kidding. Let's get back to the point. What kind of goods are you hauling?"
Dong Qing said, "We have mixing basins, some red and some white, Jun porcelain lamps, Jun porcelain vases, casserole dishes, coarse and fine porcelain plates and bowls, small black bowls, etc. The samples are all loaded in the back of the truck. If you want all of them, you can unload the samples immediately and we can discuss them one by one."
General Manager Li said, "Okay, let's go out. I'll send a few people to unload the samples."
They walked out of the office, and Dong Qing climbed onto the truck bed to unload all the samples. Several staff members carried the samples into the office.
General Manager Li squatted down, opened the samples, looked at all of them, stood up and sat down, and said, "I want all your goods, but I have a condition: within our county, including all the villages and towns, you can only sell the goods to me. You can't wholesale or retail them elsewhere. If you can agree to this condition, we can negotiate the price immediately!"
General Manager Li's request is not excessive. Wholesalers are supposed to sell to customers throughout the county. If Dong Qing sells to just anyone, how can he do business? Besides, this is the rule of doing business. He should make money by transporting goods and also make sure the wholesalers can make a living.
Dong Qing said, "Of course, I guarantee I won't sell a single plate or bowl within your county. However, I have one condition: I don't have any working capital, so you'll need to pay in cash."
The issue Dong Qing just raised was what he was most concerned about. These days, payments are usually made in cash, unlike in his previous life in the 21st century, where paying debts was commonplace. However, he still needed to lay it all out beforehand to avoid having to chase after the debt later.
General Manager Li said, "Okay, I'm relieved to hear that. Let's discuss the price. Once we've agreed on it, we can unload the truck. Don't worry, I'll pay in cash."
Li Yuzhu kept a record. For each item negotiated, she would write down the price, clearly specifying the type of goods, grade, and price. With so many types of goods, she made sure to write down the prices clearly so that there would be no delays when settling the bill.
Half an hour later, Dong Qing and General Manager Li reached an agreement on the price. This price surprised Li Yuzhu. It was indeed the profit margin that Dong Qing had predicted in advance. The profit was more than double the purchase price. This trip would cost 24,630 yuan. After deducting the purchase cost of 8,300 yuan, the net profit was 16,230 yuan. In those days, diesel was incredibly cheap, and a trip would not cost much in fuel.
After unloading the truck, it was already noon. After settling the accounts, General Manager Li brought a briefcase into the office and placed it on the table. He said, "This money was just withdrawn from the bank. It's a total of 24,630 yuan. Please count it."
Dong Qing opened his wallet, which was full of bundles of 10-yuan bills. He took out the 10-yuan bills and placed them on the table to count them. It was exactly 24,630 yuan. He then put the money back into his wallet, picked up a hundred-yuan bill from the table and handed it to General Manager Li. He said, "Please accept this, General Manager Li. It's a small token of my appreciation."
General Manager Li declined, saying, "I really can't accept this money. We are a state-owned enterprise. If you do this, won't you be making me make a mistake? Isn't this indirectly taking kickbacks?"
Dong Qing said, "General Manager Li, you're too kind. Did I mention giving you a kickback beforehand? I'll give you the money after you pay. This is a matter of brotherhood and has nothing to do with kickbacks. You can still handle this business properly next time you deliver goods."
General Manager Li said, "Since you've said so, I'll accept it. This is a one-time thing, and I won't do it again. Leave me your contact information, and I'll call you whenever I need the goods. This is my business card; let's keep in touch."
Dong Ermei works at a bank. Dong Qing wrote down his second sister's name and workplace address on a piece of paper and handed it to General Manager Li, saying, "This is my second sister's workplace. Just let my second sister know when you need the goods. After receiving the notification, the goods can be delivered within ten days. Please call during working hours, Monday to Saturday."
"Okay, I'll treat you to lunch today. Let's go out for a meal," General Manager Li said with a smile.
Dong Qing said, "Thank you for your hospitality, General Manager Li. But we can skip the meal. We just want to sleep. It's not safe for us to sleep outside with so much cash. Could you arrange a place for us to sleep? We'll head back tonight."
“No problem, our company has guest rooms, please follow me,” said General Manager Li.
They arrived at a room and opened the door. General Manager Li smiled and said, "You can rest here. It's very safe here. All three keys are here. Just give the keys to the salesperson in front when you leave."
Dong Qing took the keys and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I have something to do this afternoon and won't be able to come to the company. I won't see you off tonight. Goodbye."
Dong Qing said, "Goodbye."
After General Manager Li left, the couple went into the guest room, which was simply furnished with two single beds, a coffee table, a teapot, and four teacups.
Li Yuzhu closed the door behind her and excitedly hugged her husband. She said, "I still feel like I'm dreaming. I never expected our first business trip to go so smoothly. Apart from spending a few dozen yuan on gas, we made more than 16,000 yuan on the first trip. Pinch my face, am I dreaming?"
Dongqing reached out and gently tugged at his wife's cheek. "Do you think you're dreaming? Don't worry, honey, it's all real."
However, don't get too excited yet. This business will be fine for the next two years. Everything has a saturation point eventually. Besides, we've just started this kind of business. Do you think no one will follow suit later?
When too many people are doing a business, two things will happen: either the business won't sell, or the price won't go up.
Two years from now, we won't earn in half a month what we do in one trip now. I guarantee there won't be much change in two years because people will still be asleep. When people wake up, this business will be over. Besides, many people who want to do it may not be able to afford a car.
Indeed, there haven't been many changes in the past two years. Dong Qing's reasoning is justified because doing this kind of business requires courage, and people these days can't afford to lose money even if they make a profit.
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