Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 132 - 132 133 Strong_1

?Chapter 132: Chapter 133 Strong_1 Chapter 132: Chapter 133 Strong_1 Muniang and Eryang entered a small private compartment inside, where a servant promptly came up to pour tea; their hospitality was quite comprehensive.

Muniang did not beat around the bush and directly took out the yellow watermelon and the watermelon radish from Eryang’s basket. She had intentionally brought one of each variety this time, precisely to let the shopkeeper sample them. As for the other two varieties produced by Tianzhuang, both vegetables, they were naturally meant to be sold to restaurants.

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened upon seeing the oddly shaped watermelon radish: “What is this?”

Muniang took a knife and split the melon open: “This is a new variety of watermelon called the watermelon radish. Don’t be fooled by its small size; the taste is better than that of a regular watermelon.”

The shopkeeper was amazed, having never seen anything like it before. He immediately took a piece to try, and then praised profusely: “What a treasure! Both novel and delicious, it’s sweet and flavorful, and what’s more, it’s such a rare novelty!”

Muniang smiled and said, “This is just one variety. I’ve got another type of watermelon, take a look, this is the yellow watermelon.” Saying this, she had Eryang cut open another large watermelon, revealing its yellow-orange flesh.

The shopkeeper was mesmerized, clicking his tongue in wonder: “Truly extraordinary! At this time of the year, watermelons are already a hot-selling fruit. If we were to introduce these two novel varieties, the demand would be significant. It’s just that I wonder how you managed to cultivate such rare produce?”

Muniang smiled: “If I told you that, how would I make any money?”

Far from feeling awkward, the shopkeeper admired Muniang’s straightforward manner and said with a laugh, “That was presumptuous of me, haha.”

“Shopkeeper, you are a clever man; you can surely see the business opportunity here. I approached Chen Ji Fruit Shop because of its renowned name, specifically to discuss this collaboration with you. Are you interested?”

The shopkeeper had already eaten several bites, seemingly unable to stop. Seeing this, Muniang knew what the outcome would be, but she waited for the shopkeeper to speak up. Suddenly realizing, he wiped his mouth and said cheerfully, “Of course, that’s natural. Young lady, just tell me how much stock you have? I’ll take it all!”

Eryang said with a chuckle, “My wife has plenty, at least two thousand can be brought forth. You’ll take them all?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up: “All of it, all of it!” Chen Ji was not limited to this single store; there were others in different counties too. Besides being so novel, if these were placed in every store, wouldn’t they sell out rapidly?

“As for the price, what do you think?” Muniang asked.

After a moment’s thought, the shopkeeper said, “The watermelons here usually go for two hundred wen per kilogram. Your variety is novel, so I’ll offer you more—three hundred wen per kilogram. How does that sound?”

Why else would people in ancient times who could afford fruits be from wealthy households? A single watermelon was so expensive; buying one could cover an ordinary family’s expenses for a month. Watermelons were especially pricey among fruits, mainly because they were difficult to grow in the region. Many wealthy families would even hire skilled gardeners to meticulously care for and hopefully produce just a few sweet melons.

Muniang, however, said, “Shopkeeper, this price may hardly satisfy me. You should know, it has taken me the better part of a year to nurture such sweet melons. Moreover, any novel item that comes onto the market always receives extra favor. I’m afraid you won’t just be increasing the selling price by a mere one hundred wen, right?”

With an embarrassed smile, the Shopkeeper responded as if a lie had been exposed, “Then what do you think is a fair price?”

“Four hundred wen per kilogram!”

The Shopkeeper’s expression soured, “Four hundred wen? That’s double the price of ordinary watermelons, not to mention watermelons are heavy! For four hundred wen a kilogram, one watermelon would weigh seven or eight kilograms!”

Muniang showed no signs of backing down and said firmly, “Shopkeeper, you are a wise man. You can guess the market demand once these watermelons are available. I can assure you that every single one of my melons is delicious. You shouldn’t doubt the value of these fruits. If you think I’m simply spouting nonsense and asking for the moon, I’ll have to find another fruit shop to partner with. After all, Chatu Town isn’t just your domain; there are always people who know the goods.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Let’s not be hasty!” the Shopkeeper blurted out anxiously upon hearing this. As a merchant, he naturally wanted to buy these novel varieties at as low a cost as possible, but to fall out with her over a small amount of silver would be a great loss, “Let’s discuss this calmly, no need to rush.”

Muniang’s stance only grew firmer; she wasn’t a woman without wit. She understood that she was truly in the driver’s seat now—it wasn’t she begging the Shopkeeper to buy her melons, but the Shopkeeper begging her to stay.

“Shopkeeper, don’t try to employ roundabout tactics with me or say something like let’s meet halfway at three hundred and fifty wen. I’m just a simple village girl. I like to deal straight, and I won’t budge no matter what. The value of these fruits is clear as day. Even if I’m asking for four hundred wen per kilogram, you definitely won’t take a loss. It’s just a matter of whether you’re willing to make the money or not,” she declared.

The Shopkeeper was dumbfounded—was this young woman really just a village girl? How had she seemed to read his mind and see through his intentions as if she had x-ray vision? He had indeed planned to negotiate circuitously at first, then suggest meeting in the middle, but she had put things so bluntly that for a moment he didn’t know what to say.

With a resigned sigh, the Shopkeeper gave in, “All right, all right! Four hundred wen it is. I must say, I’m impressed by your ability.” He was a seasoned player in the marketplace, yet he had taken such a fall with this young woman—a blow to his pride if word got out.

Only then did Muniang flash a sweet smile, as if her assertiveness had been just an illusion in the Shopkeeper’s mind, “Well then, shall we sign a contract or something? I’ll have my people deliver the goods tomorrow.”

The Shopkeeper waved his hand and had his assistant bring paper and a writing brush. He drafted the contract himself and had Muniang review and nod her approval before they both pressed their fingerprints onto it.

The Shopkeeper took out a silver note worth a thousand taels, “This is the deposit. Once the goods arrive tomorrow, I’ll pay the rest.”

“Agreed. I’ll have my people bring the goods over tomorrow morning. I reckon there’ll be more than a thousand each of the yellow watermelons and the radish watermelons. We’ll weigh them on arrival and settle the payment then,” she confirmed.

The Shopkeeper nodded and then said suddenly, “By the way, Chen Ji can purchase all of your radish watermelons and yellow watermelons. Could we ensure that you don’t supply these fruits to anyone else?”

Muniang laughed heartily, “Of course, that’s no problem. As long as Chen Ji is sincere with me, I have no intention of finding another buyer. Rest assured.”