Volume 1, Chapter 43: Negotiating the Price

Liu Yang had not even finished eating one fish before he had to answer four or five phone calls. They were all related to the pressure regarding today's banquet. He was feeling anxious now, too, as he had no idea how to drive the price down. If Xie Minmin weren't here, things would be much simpler, but he couldn't quite tell which side she was on. Furthermore, Guo Dong was a bit stubborn by nature; if he happened to offend him, and the guy refused to sell regardless of the price, he would end up losing more than he stood to gain. He had heard about the incident with Zhou Peng and had even remarked afterward that the man deserved it for being unscrupulous, but now that it was his turn, he was starting to worry.

"Guo Dong, since you call me Uncle, I won't cheat you. Your fish is indeed excellent; it’s one of the best grass carp I’ve ever tasted." Liu Yang began to organize his thoughts, hoping to settle the price right there during the meal. Once it was set, he could take a dozen or so back and use them for their advertising potential first.

"Uncle Liu, you’re not being very fair, are you?" Before Guo Dong could even speak, Xie Minmin, who had been eating slowly and savoring her meal, suddenly interjected. "What do you mean by 'not bad'? I’d like to know, where have you eaten grass carp that tastes better than this? If there is such a place, I’ll go buy a few next time I’m there!"

Liu Yang’s expression turned awkward. He opened his mouth several times, but couldn't come up with an answer. His worst fear had come true—Xie Minmin was actively undermining him.

"Minmin, Uncle Liu was just saying that. Just because there isn't any now doesn't mean there won't be in the future, don't you think?"

Xie Minmin smiled and went back to her fish. The flavor was good, and she got to watch a show to boot! Life was so wonderful that she felt time was passing by too quickly.

"Right, please continue," Liu Yang said, licking his lips. "Regarding these grass carp, based on the current local market rate, the price is around six to seven yuan per catty, correct?"

Guo Dong didn't say a word; he just kept grilling his fish with a smile, looking completely indifferent to the matter.

"That’s not right. The price at the supermarket yesterday was already ten yuan per catty."

"Uh!" Liu Yang’s face darkened. He nodded vigorously and said, "I’m talking about wholesale, buying in bulk, not the retail price! Of course, what I’m paying Guo Dong will certainly be more than ten yuan; I’m just stating the market rate!"

Xie Minmin wanted to laugh but forced herself to hold it in.

"Just like the fish our hotel buys now, the price is twelve. Do you really think I would use that price to cooperate with Guo Dong?" Liu Yang deliberately glared at Xie Minmin before continuing, "Therefore, I will pay more than double the market price—thirty yuan per catty. How does that sound?"

Guo Dong remained silent, merely lifting his eyelids slightly to glance at Xie Minmin. She set aside a clean fish bone, pulled out a tissue, and wiped her hands.

"Uncle Liu, let’s stop playing these games. One flat price: fifty. If you want them, let’s sign a contract. If you think that’s too expensive, I’ll buy the fish myself!"

"I..." Fortunately, she wasn't his daughter. If it had been Liu Lan saying such a thing, he would have slapped her right out of the room. "Minmin, fifty yuan? You’re trying to kill me. You should know the margins; high-end products are difficult to sell!"

Xie Minmin smiled slightly. "Fine then, I’ll buy them. I can accept that price!" She started to rise from her seat.

This time, Liu Yang panicked. "Minmin, we can discuss the price, but fifty is really too expensive!"

Xie Minmin curled her lip, flashing a look of playful coquetry rarely seen on her. "Uncle Liu, I spoke with Lanlan yesterday and specifically asked about the situation at your hotel. Those two new dishes—a plate of stir-fried baby bok choy costs more than the meat dishes. How much produce is actually in that plate? You’re selling it for over a hundred yuan a plate, and did I say anything about it?"

Liu Yang stammered, "Minmin, you know the level of my hotel; we mainly charge for the service fee. Actually..."

"Don't give me that. I’m not stupid. That same stir-fried baby bok choy used to be thirty yuan, and now it’s over a hundred. Do I really need to spell out the difference?"

Liu Yang’s face turned grim. He clenched his fists, silently resolving to give his daughter a beating the moment he got home to vent his frustration. Why did she have to blab about the hotel's business? Would it have killed her to keep her mouth shut for a few days?

"Fine, fifty! I’ll do the deal!" Liu Yang gritted his teeth, looking as though he had suffered a great loss.

Guo Dong was still sitting there grilling fish; his last one wasn't even done yet. Hearing this, he suddenly laughed. "Uncle Liu, let me be clear: this is the price for the grass carp; other fish will be priced separately. As you can see, I have six ponds; I won't just be raising this one type of fish. Also, this price is a one-time deal. You can clear them out now, but it will likely be a long time before we can cooperate again."

"What do you mean?" Liu Yang didn't understand for a moment, fearing he had done something wrong and was being held a grudge.

Guo Dong picked up the last fish and smiled. "The ponds are being renovated. Next time, let’s have another fish fry right here!"

Hearing this, Liu Yang narrowed his eyes and stared at Guo Dong. "Do you mean to say that the quality of the next batch of fish will be even better than what we're eating today?"

Guo Dong laughed heartily. "I didn't say that. It’s possible they won't be as good as these. Of course, it’s too early to talk about that; we can discuss it when the time comes."

Guo Dong wasn't a fool. These fish were the result of an overnight transformation. If the fish he raised in the future were the same as these, why would he bother raising them? He might as well just grow vegetables! Fifty yuan a catty—just thinking about it made him happy. If Meng Tianming knew the price of the fish now, he wondered if he would regret his decision from last night.

"Alright, we'll see what happens next year!" Liu Yang was slightly excited.

"Maybe it won't take until next year!" Guo Dong shook his head. "I plan to practice polyculture."

Liu Yang nodded in response. How he raised them was none of his business; as long as there was fish to buy, the rest didn't matter. Business was his forte; farming was not.

"Guo Dong, we're here! Are we collecting the vegetables today?" At that moment, a group of people approached from the distance, talking and laughing, seemingly in high spirits. It was the villagers; judging by the situation, their meeting must have finished. The man leading the group, running toward them, was Li Tianhu.

"Collect what vegetables? The vegetables won't be ready for two days. Today, we're clearing the fish ponds!" Guo Dong gave him a look of annoyance.

Li Tianhu, who had just run up, froze on the spot. "Cle... clearing the fish ponds?"

"Yes, first ask Director Liu how many he wants. These four ponds are full of grass carp. Fifty yuan a catty—however many he wants, he gets!"

Li Tianhu's brain couldn't process this. He turned to look at Liu Yang, then at Xie Minmin, who had put on her sunglasses. With wild thoughts racing through his mind, he pulled Guo Dong aside.

He whispered, "Guo Dong, you need to think this through. Our situation is different now. You can't let Xiaohan down! I can tell that Xiaohan's feelings for you... they're not fake."

Guo Dong frowned and reached out to touch Li Tianhu’s forehead. "Are you sick, kid? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"