A small plot of land in a mountain village

The cycads are blooming, so the two bought some to put at the entrance of the restaurant, and then placed a few more pots inside. This would attract many cycad enthusiasts who would come to see the cycads, and they would at least have to treat themselves to a meal! The two were making a very clever plan.

Zhang Niu quoted a price of two thousand yuan per pot, which was really high.

The fat man almost gave a thumbs up and shouted, "Great!"

There's always room for bargaining when prices are quoted. The two of them don't look like restaurant owners at all; they look more like middle-aged women haggling with a vendor while buying clothes at a market.

Zhang Niu was naturally a dealer, but the two Boss Wang were really good at bargaining, managing to reduce the price from two thousand to one thousand eight hundred.

This was naturally Zhang Niu's defeat. The other guy was a seasoned veteran, while he was still a newbie. He quickly tried to find an excuse for himself.

The cherries weren't ripe, so they could only pack some cycads to take back. The two of them had come in a small car, so they had to borrow Fatty's work vehicle. It seemed like they could only pack four pots. The cycad's leaves were too long, and it would be a waste to cut them off, so they had to make do with what they had.

Four cycads, two red and two white, the symbolism is quite nice. Zhang Niu thinks the red ones look better; some have straight flower stalks, and some are even round. It seems he's bought quite a few of this type of cycad.

The fat man's work vehicle seems to have really become a freight truck. With nothing else to do, the fat man naturally wants to go to the county town for a stroll and check if he won the lottery last time.

Just after noon, the fat man drove back in his utility vehicle, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Zhang Niu was loosening the husks of sugarcane by the pond when Fatty ran over, laughing.

"What's got you so happy? Did you win the lottery?" Judging from the fat man's joy, one could guess what was going on.

"No wonder I saw magpies calling in the trees and cycads blooming when I went out that day. I only found out I won the third prize of 2,000 RMB when I went to the county town."

Damn, this guy's luck is too good. He can win the lottery just by buying a random ticket? I seriously doubt this fat guy's character.

"The iron tree is blooming, what an auspicious day! I won the lottery without even buying a ticket, and it was even a quick pick! My luck is off the charts!" The chubby man exclaimed happily before rushing into the house.

With this fat man around, he couldn't even peel the sugarcane in peace. He buried the peeled sugarcane under the sugarcane, leaving the sugarcane segments exposed. These segments were only about the size of a middle finger. Every morning, Zhang Niu would carry a bucket of water from his spatial storage to water the sugarcane.

The sugarcane growing by the pond is so thick that peeling off the husks is no easy task that can be done in a day. The pond is now surrounded by green sugarcane leaves, thankfully the distance between the sugarcane and the plant was relatively wide when they were planted.

After peeling away a lot of the loose skin, I looked back and found that the fat man had started fishing for blackfish. Blackfish are hard to catch, so this guy can only fish for blackfish that are easy to hook. A blackfish weighing seven or eight pounds is not enough for the fat man to finish by himself.

. . . . . . .

"Loaded onto the truck—"

Just a few days later, the second batch of cherries started to ripen. The village aunties were busy early in the morning. With the experience of packing cherries last time, their efficiency was much higher this time. However, no children came to help this time, as they were all in school.

This time, the plastic baskets containing cherries weighing around 1,000 yuan were filled with several hundred kilograms of early-ripening plums, which were mixed in with the cherries as a bonus. This treatment was only available to those who bought earlier.

I learned this method from watching a buy-one-get-one-free promotion on TV.

On his second visit to the Da Senlin Fruit Wholesale Market, Zhang Niu no longer had the same excitement as before; he seemed to be gradually growing up and becoming more sensible.

Inside the security room at the entrance of the Great Forest, a blond young man saw the truck parked outside and exclaimed, "Huh? I feel like I've seen this truck somewhere before. Oh right, isn't that the truck that sells cherries?" He immediately jumped up, thinking, "Now I can really make a good impression on my boss."

With 500 baskets of cherries, this bearded man was happy every day. Apart from selling about 400 baskets of cherries, he gave the rest away to build relationships. His interpersonal relationships improved a lot, and he got many things done.

The five hundred or so baskets of cherries sold out quickly, so my younger brother stayed there from morning till night to keep watch, and he would notify us as soon as there was any news. Being close to the source, he got the best deal.

In the market, the vendors who bought cherries last time made a small profit. But as soon as these cherries were put on the market, discerning citizens bought them by the basketful, and the vendors regretted not buying more and watching their money slip away.

For several days, everyone kept their eyes on the corner spot, afraid of missing the opportunity, which was a great chance to make a fortune. They were all eager to seize the opportunity.

"Boss, the young man selling cherries is here." He picked up the phone and dialed.

This news came just in time. Many friends have been asking if there are still cherries left these past few days, leaving Big Beard at a loss for words. He's been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the cherry-selling young man.

The bearded man, who was still fast asleep in bed, jumped up abruptly upon hearing this, making the glamorous woman lying next to him think something had happened.

"Cherry's here, what a VIP!" He took out a wad of cash from the safe and put it into a black bag.

He then gently kissed the alluring woman's small face, saying, "You sleep well, I'll hurry back from buying the goods." He put on his clothes and rushed out the door.

Last time, Big Beard bought cherries through a friend's connections, but this time many of the market's big customers are eyeing these cherries.

Zhang Niu and Fatty's batch of cherries had just arrived at the place where they had been before, and the news of the cherries' arrival quickly spread throughout the market, attracting all the big merchants.

The fat man chuckled as he looked at the vendors around him. "Looks like your fragrant cherries have made a name for themselves."

"Yes, you can tell just by looking at these vendors; they're all here for these cherries."

Baskets of cherries were stacked at the back.

"Looks like there are quite a lot of cherries this time. I wonder how much they'll sell for, and how much the price has gone up."

"Yeah, I didn't bring much money this time."

Many vendors are saying that a price increase is inevitable.

When Big Beard arrived, the place was already packed with people, and he barely managed to squeeze in.

I was thinking of going up and striking up a conversation, but seeing that there were people all around, I decided against it.

The fat man and Zhang Niu whispered to each other for a while, and many vendors around them were curious about what the two were still discussing.

"When will these cherries go on sale? Tell us quickly, or we'll just be giving them away for free."

"Yes, we're here to buy cherries, not to wait for the time to pass."

These are all small vendors stirring things up. Some of the more financially capable ones, like the one with the big beard, aren't in a hurry. Many people are watching coldly, thinking that shouting is useless; these days, money is what matters.

"Everyone, please be quiet—"

Zhang Niu's shout immediately silenced everyone around him.

"I don't need to say much about the aroma cherries from last time, everyone knows the market price of aroma cherries! This time, more people bought them than last time. If we sell them by the basket again, it would be a bit unfair to everyone. So, we've decided that this time, we won't sell the cherries the same way as last time."

"Why? This isn't fair!" Zhang Niu had only spoken halfway when a vendor shouted.

Many people felt this made sense. Instead of selling it according to the previous price per basket, they came up with a new trick, which seemed like they were raising prices.

The bearded man didn't react much; he'd brought plenty of money, so he was sure to get a good meal.

Looking at the noisy crowd, Zhang Niu frowned. He didn't know what to do.

The fat man gave the bearded man a look, asking him to help Zhang Niu, since Zhang Niu was young and there were still some things he couldn't do well.

"Damn it, if anyone makes another sound, believe me, I'll drag you all out one by one. If you don't have money, don't whine and cause trouble." The bearded man saw the fat man wink at him and knew what it was about.

The bearded man's shout silenced the surrounding vendors; everyone had forgotten about this local bully. Now they'd really angered this powerful figure; their lives were in for a rough time.

Zhang Niu was very grateful for Big Beard's shout: "This time, we will acquire the goods at the auction price. The highest bidder wins. Each set consists of fifty baskets, with a starting price of 30,000 and an increase of 3,000 for each bid."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the room.

Auctioning cherries was a rare occurrence in the wholesale market. Apart from the vendors complaining, the wealthy individuals laughed.

This place is for rich people, so many vendors started gathering together, ready to buy some cherries. The aroma of the cherries would boost sales and also help sell other fruits.

Big Beard hadn't expected this to be an auction, but he still called home and told his wife to hurry up and send the money over, otherwise he was afraid he wouldn't be able to buy many cherries.

The cherry auction will begin in half an hour. This will give everyone ample time to withdraw their money. There is an Industrial and Commercial Bank of China branch right outside the wholesale market.

It was Fatty who suggested the auction. The market for fragrant cherries is good. If you sell them at the price, you won't be able to raise the price much. Why not set a price and auction them off? Rich people aren't afraid of high prices.

This idea suddenly dawned on Zhang Niu. The fat man's idea was brilliant; selling the whole basket would significantly increase the price. After a brief, hushed discussion, the two agreed on the price.

Many vendors began to squeeze out of the crowd to withdraw money from the bank; they really couldn't participate in this auction without money.

"Sister Min, don't you think that young man is very clever? He even came up with this method," the beautiful Meixian asked Sister Min, looking at Zhang Niu.

"This was probably Fatty's idea. This young man is still a bit inexperienced and can't quite handle the situation yet."

"No way! Min-jie, where did you find out?" Mei-xian didn't expect to hear this.

Minjie withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "This fat guy is probably a seasoned businessman. Didn't you see him talking to that young man from time to time? Even though we were far apart, we could still hear a little bit of what he was saying."

"Big sister, you're really something. If it were me, I'd actually think this young man is more capable."

"You have to be careful when you see people and things, so that you can discover many things that you don't understand."

"Sister Min, do we think we can win the bid for this batch of cherries this time? The beauty salon's cherry supply is almost sold out, we need to hurry up and replenish it, or the business we just started will collapse again."

"Let's go out and get some more money, so we're more likely to succeed." He turned and walked outside.

The fat man immediately spotted the two striking figures in the crowd: beautiful women with lovely voices. It turned out he'd been eavesdropping the whole time.

However, what Sister Min said is quite right. No wonder she is the owner of the beauty salon; she is well-informed and has a keen eye for detail.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the crowd began to stir; the exciting moment had arrived.

Zhang Niu looked around at the vendors and figured it was time to start the auction.

P.S.: Three chapters today (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!).