Chapter 241: Big Profit
Capital City.
Near East Wind Market.
After Deng Shirong discussed matters with Zhou Shengli, he temporarily rented a small warehouse about 200 square meters in size, located about a kilometer away from East Wind Market.
In the afternoon, Deng Shirong returned to Ruyi Fresh Fruit Shop.
Zhou Shengli, who had been waiting impatiently, saw Deng Shirong and eagerly invited him to the warehouse at the back. He couldn't wait to ask, "Boss Deng, I've prepared the money. When can we go to pick up the longans?"
As expected of a local businessman, Zhou Shengli had a strong network of connections. Deng Shirong silently praised him and replied, "The longans will likely arrive in the capital by midnight. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, prepare the money and wait for me here. I'll take you to pick them up."
Zhou Shengli asked, "Boss Deng, will the longans be as fresh as the one you gave me this morning?"
Deng Shirong smiled and assured him, "Don't worry, they'll be as fresh as if they were just picked."
Zhou Shengli pressed further, "Boss Deng, what's the exact weight of the longans? You mentioned 63 tons, but how much more?"
Deng Shirong explained, "There should be over 800 kilograms extra. Also, do you need the bamboo baskets for the longans? If so, I'll charge you 1,500 yuan for the 1,200 bamboo baskets. If not, you'll need to prepare something else to hold the longans, and you'll have to leave the baskets with me."
Having already paid the hefty sum of over 250,000 yuan, Zhou Shengli didn't mind the additional 1,500 yuan. He cheerfully agreed, "I'll take the bamboo baskets."
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "In business, we value honesty and fairness. Although the longans were weighed before shipping, they'll be weighed again before selling them to you. Make sure to bring a scale tomorrow."
Zhou Shengli replied, "That's no problem. I have a scale in my fresh fruit shop."
With the business settled, Deng Shirong stood up, smiled, and extended his hand, saying, "Boss Zhou, it's a pleasure doing business with you!"
Zhou Shengli also stood up, shook his hand, and said with an excited smile, "Boss Deng, happy cooperation!"
…
7:30 PM.
At Bobai Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Ou Guofang successfully gave birth to a son. Both mother and child were safe and healthy.
Upon hearing that her daughter-in-law had given birth to a boy, Changdong's mother was overjoyed, her eyes nearly disappearing into slits from smiling.
Although it was their first child, and the gender didn't matter much, having a boy was certainly a cause for celebration.
Zhang Xiuping was also happy for the young mother and said to Changdong's mother, "Sister Yunfeng, congratulations on the birth of your grandson!"
Changdong's mother beamed with joy and replied, "Thank you, Ah Ping. We truly appreciate your care these past few days. We'll be heading back tomorrow. If you have time, please come back for the baby's full moon celebration."
Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "I'll definitely come back for the full moon banquet."
…
The Next Day.
Capital City.
Deng Shirong woke up early and arrived at East Wind Market just after six in the morning.
He first stopped at a popular breakfast spot and enjoyed an authentic Beijing breakfast before leisurely making his way to Ruyi Fresh Fruit Shop.
Although they had agreed to meet at seven, the anxious Zhou Shengli, along with Wang Dadan and Tian Chunzhi, were already waiting there.
In addition to the three of them, Zhou Shengli's three children were also present.
Seeing Deng Shirong approach, Zhou Shengli greeted him with a smile, "Boss Deng, good morning!"
Deng Shirong returned the smile and greeted, "Boss Zhou, good morning!"
Zhou Shengli introduced the others, "Boss Deng, let me introduce you. This is Boss Wang, who's in the hardware business, and this is Boss Tian, who's in the clothing business. They're both good friends of mine. And these three are my children."
"Hello, Boss Deng!"
"Boss Wang, Boss Tian, hello!"
After the introductions, Zhou Shengli asked, "Boss Deng, have you had breakfast?"
Deng Shirong replied, "Yes, I have. Have you eaten?"
Zhou Shengli smiled and said, "We've all eaten too!"
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Since we've all eaten, shall we go pick up the goods now?"
Zhou Shengli, Wang Dadan, and Tian Chunzhi all nodded eagerly.
Zhou Shengli asked, "Boss Deng, is the cargo far from here? If it is, I can arrange for a vehicle. If not, we can ride bicycles."
Deng Shirong said, "It's not far, just over a kilometer away. Bicycles will do."
"Alright, then we'll follow you, Boss Deng!"
"Sure, follow me!"
…
A few minutes later.
Deng Shirong led Zhou Shengli and his group to the temporary warehouse he had rented the previous day.
After parking their bicycles, Deng Shirong unlocked the warehouse door. Before opening it, he discreetly transferred all the longans from his system space into the warehouse. The previously empty space was now filled with longans.
Zhou Shengli and the others watched as Deng Shirong opened the warehouse door. Upon seeing the more than 1,200 baskets of longans inside, they were stunned.
Although they knew there were over 63 tons of longans, the visual impact was far more striking than the numbers alone.
Deng Shirong gestured inside and said with a smile, "Boss Zhou, Boss Wang, Boss Tian, here are your over 63 tons of longans. Please come in and take a look. I guarantee their freshness will satisfy you."
Zhou Shengli and the others couldn't wait any longer. They eagerly stepped inside to inspect and taste the longans.
Exclamations of amazement soon filled the air.
While the group didn't often deal with longans, the freshness of the fruit was undeniable. After inspecting and tasting, they were convinced that the longans were indeed as fresh as if they had just been picked.
Though they couldn't fathom how Deng Shirong had managed it, the evidence before them was undeniable.
Zhou Shengli checked over a dozen baskets and tasted several longans before turning to Deng Shirong and praising, "Boss Deng, your transportation and preservation methods are truly impressive. Let's weigh them now without further delay."
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Since you're satisfied, let's proceed with the weighing."
At this, Zhou Shengli's children brought out the scales they had carried on their bicycles. Tian Chunzhi took out paper and a pen, while Wang Dabing prepared an abacus. Everyone divided the tasks and began weighing the longans, basket by basket.
Deng Shirong watched as Tian Chunzhi kept track of the accounts.
The process continued until nearly noon, when all the longans had been weighed. The total came to 126,832 kilograms, only 5 kilograms off from the figure provided by White Duckweed Farm. It was an impressively accurate count.
After the final tally, Tian Chunzhi reported the total to Deng Shirong and asked, "Boss Deng, does this number look correct to you?"
Deng Shirong nodded and smiled, "You've all been very thorough. For such a large quantity, being off by just a few kilograms is excellent."
Hearing this, Zhou Shengli untied a sack he had brought and poured out bundles of cash, saying, "Boss Deng, since the numbers are good, let's settle the bill!"
Zhou Shengli's urgency was understandable. Keeping a fruit like longans fresh was no easy task. The sooner they completed the transaction, the sooner they could sell the longans. Time was of the essence.
Deng Shirong was also eager to receive the payment, so he had no objections.
Thus, the money-counting began.
126,832 kilograms of longans, at 2 yuan per kilogram, amounted to 253,664 yuan. Adding the 1,500 yuan for the bamboo baskets, the total came to 255,164 yuan.
In this era, the largest denomination of RMB was only 10 yuan. More than 255,000 yuan in cash was equivalent to over 2.55 million yuan in modern times. The sight of so much cash piled together was quite striking.
Of course, everyone present was well-acquainted with large sums of money.
Zhou Shengli, Wang Dadan, and Tian Chunzhi were all seasoned businessmen who regularly handled significant amounts of cash.
Deng Shirong had previously borrowed 800,000 yuan from a credit union, so the cash he had dealt with was more than three times this amount.
Thus, the sight of this pile of cash didn't faze anyone.
It took over ten minutes to count the money. Deng Shirong was pleased to receive his rightful payment.
For this order, his purchase cost was 37,782.7 yuan. Adding in the round-trip travel expenses, his stay in Beijing, and the warehouse rental, the total cost came to no more than 37,950 yuan. Yet, he had earned 255,164 yuan, netting a profit of 217,214 yuan.
The speed at which he had made this money was faster than robbing a bank.
Originally, of the 800,000 yuan borrowed from the credit union, nearly 640,000 yuan had been spent on buying a courtyard house in Beijing and building Suifeng Restaurant in the county town. The remaining cash, combined with income from the tile factory and orchard, left him with about 175,000 yuan on hand.
Now, with the addition of over 217,000 yuan, his cash reserves had surged to more than 392,000 yuan.
After packing all the money into the sack, Deng Shirong handed the warehouse key to Zhou Shengli and said with a smile, "Boss Zhou, here's the warehouse key. I've rented it for a week, so you can use it during that time. I'll come by your fresh fruit shop to retrieve the key after the week is up."
"Thank you, Boss Deng. You've been very thoughtful."
"You're welcome. I won't keep you any longer. I wish you great success in selling the longans, and I hope we can continue our cooperation next year."
Zhou Shengli, Wang Dabing, and Tian Chunzhi were all moved by Deng Shirong's words. They understood the underlying message: if they could successfully sell the longans this year, they would have the opportunity to work with Deng Shirong again next year.
If their sales didn't go well, not only would they lose money, but they would also lose the chance to continue their partnership with Deng Shirong.
In essence, this longan sale was a test from Deng Shirong, as well as an opportunity for them to prove their capabilities.
With this in mind, Zhou Shengli responded solemnly, "Please rest assured, Boss Deng. The three of us will do our utmost to sell this batch of longans successfully. If such an opportunity arises next year, we hope you'll consider us again."
Wang Dabing and Tian Chunzhi also expressed their confidence.
They were determined to seize this unique business opportunity, a chance to make a substantial profit. Missing it would be a lifelong regret.
(End of this chapter)