Chapter 2102: New Business

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Sun Tian led his colleagues from the cookhouse to clear out a piece of land at the back of the mountain so as to grow vegetables and raise livestock. Half a year later, there was enough food for everyone in the troops!

Not long after that, Sun Tian reached the army’s retirement age and returned to his hometown. However, his wife fell seriously ill and was bedridden and he needed a lot of money for her treatment. Xia Mao felt that Sun Tian could take up a position at Qiao Mei’s company. It would allow Sun Tian to do what he did best and also alleviate the difficult situation that his family was in.

“Auntie Sun, why are you sitting here by yourself? Where’s Uncle Sun? Why don’t I see him?” Qiao Mei walked into the courtyard with bags of stuff and asked Auntie Sun.

Sun Tian’s hometown was very far from the capital. In order to make it easier for him, Qiao Mei had renovated the small house onsite so that his family could live there.

“Mei Mei, you’re here! It’s good enough that you’re here, why do you bring so many things with you! I have nothing to do, so I’m just sitting at the door to look at the scenery. Your Uncle Sun is working inside the greenhouse!” Auntie Sun said as she stood up with some difficulty.

“Come! I’ll help you into the house!” Qiao Mei put down the things and hurriedly helped Auntie Sun to walk back into the house.

There were a total of three rooms in the small house. Auntie Sun and Sun Tian occupied one room and Sun Tian’s son and daughter-in-law took one room. His grandson was studying somewhere else and would come back every weekend to help out. His entire family worked together to make sure that Qiao Mei’s greenhouse was never left untended.

“Qiao Mei, you’re here! Why didn’t you tell me in advance! I’m so busy that I haven’t prepared food yet! Wait a moment! I’ll get Xiao Juan to come back and cook so that we can have a meal together!” Sun Tian rushed back from the greenhouse when he heard the sounds. His clothes were covered in dirt and it was obvious that he had been hard at work in the greenhouse for a long time.

“No need, no need! I’ve already eaten at home! I’m here today to see how Auntie Sun is and to ask if anyone has come to sign a contract to buy vegetables from us,” Qiao Mei said.

“Plenty of people have come by! Most of them are from the government canteens and school canteens. There are also a few supply and marketing cooperatives who want to buy watermelons and strawberries. I’ve already made a list and am just waiting for you to come and take a look!” Sun Tian said as he handed the list to Qiao Mei.

It clearly stated the items that these people wanted to buy, the quantity and the proposed payment arrangement. Most of them had asked to purchase on credit. In this era, particularly for government contracts, they would usually settle the bill quarterly or yearly. They would sign an IOU and then make payment later.

However, there was also a drawback to this arrangement. Some of these government units could not even make ends meet. In the end, at the stipulated deadline, they could not afford to make full payment. Sometimes, they could not even afford to pay the salaries of their employees! In the end, the issue of the payment would be left unsettled and the seller would be left waiting.

This was a particularly important point for Qiao Mei since the prices of her vegetables and fruits were many times higher than the market price. In the event that someone decided to take advantage of this loophole, she would not have any recourse at all, so she must nip this issue in the bud.

“Uncle Sun, we can still sell the goods at the price we agreed on previously, but they have to pay cash when they come to collect the goods. If they make things difficult for you, just say that it’s my instruction and they won’t be able to rebut. Our vegetables also need to be classified into different grades. The different grades will be priced differently and will only be available to specific buyers,” Qiao Mei said earnestly.

“Grades? Why do vegetables need to be classified into different grades?” Sun Tian asked curiously. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

“The varieties we grow are specially cultivated to be sold overseas. These are all top-quality vegetables, so of course we have to price them differently. Since we are doing this on a small scale, it means there’s a limited supply. As you know, that which is rare is dear,” Qiao Mei explained.

The cabbages sold in the market cost 5 cents a pound but the cabbages at Qiao Mei’s place cost 30 cents a pound. Given that the price is six times higher, it would definitely make the consumers feel uncomfortable, so they had to give the consumers a reasonable explanation. Moreover, the quality and nutritional level of the vegetables sold at Qiao Mei’s place were much better than those sold in the market.

In another two years, there would be a surge in the number of well-to-do families in the capital. When one was poor, one just wanted to have enough to eat and clothes to wear. Once one had money, one would start to pursue quality. Qiao Mei believed that her vegetables would become very popular in less than half a year. Not only would the government and schools come to buy her vegetables, but many well-to-do families would also want to order vegetables from her.

Qiao Mei had already made plans to ask Lu Huai to expand his business and buy several vans to do delivery around the capital. As long as the buyer bought a certain amount of vegetables from Qiao Mei’s place, they would deliver the order to the buyer’s doorstep!