Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Zhou Rui carefully considered both the rent and the purchase price.

Currently, the tea plantation is operating at a loss under Zhang Chengyun's management.

However, it is not entirely certain whether it will result in a profit or a loss.

Zhou Rui had just noticed a detail: the tea Zhang Chengyun brewed for him was dried tea, not fresh tea leaves that would unfurl.

In other words, Zhang Chengyun knows how to fry tea, perhaps in small quantities, but he's not a complete novice.

There aren't many possibilities left. Zhang Chengyun can't find a market for dried tea, and he has no connections, so he can only sell low-priced fresh tea leaves.

Otherwise, if you have connections, such as with a supply and marketing cooperative, you can sell the roasted dried tea to the cooperative...

As things gradually became clearer, Zhang Chengyun agreed, even suggesting that the rent could be lowered.

However, Zhou Rui didn't think so. He didn't want to take advantage of the rent and instead offered a reasonable price.

It costs 25 yuan per mu. Assuming the tea garden is exactly 20 mu, that would be 500 yuan per year.

This price is not low; it's on the higher end, considering that the tea plantation's yield isn't particularly high.

According to Zhou Rui's estimate, even if Zhang Chengyun makes a profit, his hard-earned net profit for a year will be less than 500.

This is entirely possible and reasonable. If it were really profitable, why would he transfer it to someone else?

Quoting this price won't cause any problems.

However, Zhou Rui lowered the price for the trees, a price Zhang Chengyun would not agree to. He was just offering a low price first, and they would discuss it further later.

As expected, Zhang Chengyun frowned deeply when Zhou Rui said he would buy one mu of tea trees for 120 yuan.

He was truly exhausted; he couldn't fathom Zhou Rui's intentions at all.

A thought popped into Zhang Chengyun's mind: it wouldn't be surprising if Zhou Rui asked him to give away two hundred yuan for free right now.

"Zhou Rui, what do you mean by this? One hundred and twenty yuan per mu of tea trees is far too low."

"I cannot agree to this price."

He never mentioned the rental price, only asking questions about the unfavorable conditions he faced.

Zhang Chengyun was just unlucky; he's actually quite intelligent...

Zhou Rui's mind raced, and he walked over to Zhang Chengyun's side.

"Boss Zhang, why don't you mention my rental price? It's 25 yuan per mu per year. Can you really make that much profit per mu?"

"You don't need to tell me the full details, but since things have come to this point, you should know that what I'm saying is the truth."

After Zhou Rui finished speaking, he gave the other person time to think, then walked around the table, returned to his seat, and looked at Zhang Sheng next to him.

"Master Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Sheng never expected that Zhou Rui would speak to him at this moment.

In that short time, he also sensed that Zhou Rui was not someone to be trifled with.

He even had a misconception.

You're probably the tea merchant, aren't you? Zhang Chengyun looks like a greenhorn.

"Brother Zhou, to be fair, what you said makes perfect sense."

Zhang Sheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply.

Zhou Rui's question came at a good time, so Zhang Sheng had no choice but to answer truthfully. He was a smart man; how could he not know the truth?

Seeing that people on "his side" were saying that Zhou Rui was right, Zhang Chengyun's belief wavered a little, but he still stubbornly insisted on the price of buying the trees.

"Even if it's correct, it's still a rental price. It doesn't mean I'm going to sell you my tea trees at a low price. That price is too low, absolutely not."

"Don't say any more. If you insist on buying the tea trees at this price, I won't sell them to you."

"Some of what I said earlier was indeed a bluff, but this batch of tea trees represents the culmination of my efforts over the past few years. I've watched them grow from saplings..."

"So, Zhou Rui, do you understand? Although my relationship with your family isn't great, I'll tell you the truth today: my original target price was two hundred yuan per mu of tea trees, and now you're saying one hundred and twenty, which is a huge difference."

Zhang Chengyun was speaking from the heart at this moment.

He did want to give things away, but he also wanted to pursue profit; that's human nature.

One thought after another ran through Zhou Rui's mind. One hundred and twenty yuan was just a starting point; barring any unforeseen circumstances, he probably wouldn't be able to get it for that price.

However, having achieved his goal, Zhang Chengyun proactively stated his ideal price to understand the other party's appetite, thus allowing him to control the range during the subsequent negotiations.

He was considering what price range would be appropriate for his next offer, and after a while, he finally spoke:

"Since that's the case, why don't you, Boss Zhang, give me a price? Two hundred yuan. That price is a bit far-fetched."

Zhou Rui is a shrewd old fox. At the current price and profit, it would take six or seven years to break even if you bought a mu of tea trees for 200 yuan and the business was good. But to do what Zhang Chengyun did, it would take at least ten years.

How could he possibly agree to that price? However, he decided to throw out the price he was going to offer to the other party first and test the waters.

Zhang Chengyun probably knew he was asking for too much, so he thought for a moment before saying:

"How about 180 then? Growing tea trees is very tiring, especially during the seedling stage. You have to protect the seedlings, remove pests and weeds..."

"Boss Zhang, it seems I haven't taken advantage of you enough. Here's another number: 140. I was originally only planning to pay 135, but I already raised the rental price a bit. The cost of buying the tea trees should be a little lower, right?"

Zhang Chengyun's face was grim. He had barely finished speaking when Zhou Rui pressed on, almost immediately following up on his previous statement.

Slight sweat beaded on Zhang Chengyun's forehead as he stammered. The reason he didn't bring up the rental price offered by the other party was because he knew that price was considered high at the time!

Even his initial expectation was only a maximum of twenty yuan...

He explained the price to his friends, and they were able to share a decent profit.

Perhaps it was because of the hot weather, Zhang Chengyun gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.

"Then how about... 165? I really can't go any lower, or I won't be able to explain it to my friends."

This time, Zhou Rui didn't immediately respond. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Zhang Chengyun, making the latter feel a little uneasy.

Even Zhang Chengyun didn't know why this junior's gaze made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Zhang Chengyun glanced at the opposite direction every now and then, but quickly looked away, because Zhou Rui was watching him.

Fortunately, it didn't last long, and Zhou Rui didn't remain silent any longer.

"Boss Zhang, let me remind you one more time. Right now, your yield per mu can only be considered average, or even less. You are on the verge of life and death."

"Next year, or even next year, have we raised enough money to pay the workers for this year's autumn tea harvest?"

"Don't forget, if we don't fertilize this year, next year's yield will only be lower, and it wouldn't be surprising if some plants die..."