"Sigh, who knows?"
The boss sighed, "If you say supply exceeds demand, it seems like we haven't caught much more this year."
But for some reason, the price just kept falling, catching us fish buyers completely off guard.
Feng Ye inwardly groaned.
The sharp drop in the price of manta rays is not good news for them.
He was silent for a moment before speaking, "Boss, look how big these manta rays are, can we add some more?"
"Can't add it."
The shop owner refused outright, saying, "Three yuan is not low; I've already given you a very fair price."
If you sell to fishmongers, I guarantee you'll only get a dollar a pound at most.
"I believe the price you quoted for the fresh seafood boats."
Feng Ye nodded. "However, I still think it's too low. Selling it to you for 3 yuan is a huge loss."
In that case, I won't charge you 3 yuan.
I'll cut off the gills, and I'll sell you the meat for 1.8 yuan.
Before the boss could speak, he continued, "Can't I keep it for myself to sell?"
This manta ray is so big, its gills must weigh at least six or seven pounds. After drying, it should weigh about two pounds with swollen gills.
I refuse to believe that these two kilograms of flounder gills won't sell for five or six hundred yuan.
Actually, he wasn't sure what to expect.
He was unaware of the value of the pufferfish gills at that time.
All he knew was that after the price of pufferfish gills was hyped up, the price reached several thousand yuan per kilogram at its peak.
Even though the price later dropped, it still remained at a high level of one or two thousand yuan.
Upon hearing this, Ah-Can, who was standing to the side, was quite excited.
Selling a pound of fish gills for two or three hundred yuan would have been considered a fantasy by him before today, and he would never have believed it.
But now, he has no choice but to believe it.
After glancing at the shop owner, he even felt that the fish gills seemed to be something extraordinary.
Moreover, it seems it could be even more expensive.
The boss was deep in thought, weighing the costs of acquiring the four manta rays against the potential profits.
After a long silence, the boss sighed and slowly said, "He really is a shrewd young man."
Alright, since you've put it this way, I can't be too stingy.
How about I add another 20 cents per pound?
Feng Ye shook his head: "Not very good. If you can offer 3.5 yuan, I'll sell it to you."
Upon hearing this, the boss, his assistant, and Ah-Can all gaped open, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
Don't underestimate the extra 30 cents; for a stingray weighing four or five hundred pounds, that can amount to more than a hundred yuan more.
The difference is significant.
That's roughly enough for a boatman's fixed monthly wage.
The shopkeeper glared at him: "You really dare to ask for 3.5 yuan? Why don't you just rob me?"
"Then what do you think I'm doing?"
Feng Ye chuckled and said, "Why don't you reconsider? Let's weigh the other fish first?"
He now has the upper hand and knows he can sell it for at least 3.2 yuan per kilogram, so he's not in a hurry anymore.
By whetting the boss's appetite, we might be able to raise the price even further.
Even if it doesn't reach the 3.5 yuan per unit price he casually mentioned, even a few cents or a dime more on top of 3.2 yuan would be good.
Besides, who knows, after the manta ray is brought out, some unexpected troublemaker might suddenly appear and challenge the boss, which could lead to some unexpected gains.
The boss's expression was somewhat unpredictable, shifting between light and dark.
He glanced at the fish hold, then at the crowd on the shore, and finally his gaze returned to Feng Ye's face, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.
He naturally knew that Feng Ye was trying to raise the price, and he guessed Feng Ye's intentions, but he was helpless at this moment.
The goods are in the other party's hands. Whether to sell them or how much to sell them for is not up to him. He has to agree.
If I don't catch such a big manta ray and someone else does, wouldn't I regret it to death?
If you don't make a profit, it's the same as losing money.
If we buy it at 3.5 yuan, we won't lose money, but we'll earn much less.
More importantly, he noticed other fishmongers on the shore joining in the fun, and he needed to negotiate and finalize the price as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if someone else snatches it away or challenges him, he would suffer a huge loss.
He was calculating in his mind what price he should offer so that he could make more money while also getting the other party to agree.
Feng Ye didn't urge him, but patiently watched him and waited for his decision.
The more you urge them at this point, the less likely the boss will give in easily.
It would be better to give him some time to think it over.
Ah-Can watched from the side, feeling a little uneasy.
He hoped the boss would agree to Feng Ye's price and accept the stingray, but he was also worried that the boss would get angry and leave, abandoning the business.
Finding another boss willing to offer such a price will probably not be easy.
Not everyone knows about the gills of the pufferfish.
Otherwise, how come he and his father had never heard of it?
Moreover, with so many boats going out to sea to fish from Baishi Island, some people have even caught giant manta rays weighing two or three hundred pounds.
But I've never heard of anyone selling it at a high price; it's always sold at the normal price.
Time passed second by second, and the boss's expression changed several times.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: "3.4 yuan per jin."
This is the price. If you think it's okay and agree to sell, we'll weigh it now.
If you're not willing, then forget it. I'll leave, and you can sell it to someone else.
Upon hearing this, Feng Ye couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.
This time, the gamble paid off.
The boss took the bait.
Although it didn't reach the price I casually mentioned, it was still quite good.
With an extra two cents per pound, a single stingray can fetch nearly a hundred yuan more.
He smiled and nodded: "Okay, 3.4 yuan it is, I agree. Let's weigh them now, weigh the other goods first, and bring the stingray out to weigh later."
"Okay, but let me make this clear from the start: once you've agreed to my price, you can't go back on your word later."
"Don't worry, I keep my word. Even if someone offers a higher price, I will never go back on my word."
"That's good."
The boss finally smiled with satisfaction and winked at the helper beside him, telling him to go back and call someone, and also to bring the scale over.
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