Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Fatty Chen gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, his face contorted with pain: "Two hundred and seventy, that's the most I can go! Any more and I won't make a single penny of profit!"

Zhao Lei chuckled inwardly, but on the surface he still pretended to be troubled and spoke with a wry smile.

"Since Brother Chen is so sincere, let's compromise and settle for 280 yuan."

"Brother Chen, if you're willing, I'll leave this truckload of goods here and close the deal today."

"If you think I'm selling it for too much, I'll take a day off tomorrow and try my luck in town."

These words completely grasped Fatty Chen's thoughts, proving to be a killer move.

Fatty Chen immediately backed down and waved his hand in agreement.

"Hey, alright, alright! Hey Lei, what are you saying!"

"Brother, I have no choice. This money isn't my personal money; it's public business. All accounts have to be registered and reported."

"If the price is too high, the government won't accept it, and I'll have to cover the loss myself. Please understand. Two hundred and eighty is fine, that price is very reasonable!"

Zhao Lei then stopped feigning difficulty and nodded with a smile.

"That's more like it, Brother Chen. You help your brothers make money, so naturally your brothers won't treat you unfairly."

"And I also brought other treasures with me today."

Upon hearing that there was more treasure, Fatty Chen instantly perked up, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he eagerly pressed for answers.

"Oh? There's something good here? What kind of treasure?"

Zhao Lei raised his hand and patted the cloth bag at his waist, his tone indifferent.

"Brother Chen, didn't you smell something? Ever since I came in, there's been a peculiar smell, hasn't there?"

Upon hearing this, Fatty Chen suddenly snapped out of his reverie and began to think back carefully.

Ever since Zhao Lei approached the supply and marketing cooperative, he had vaguely smelled a strange, indescribable odor.

However, since the two had been haggling over the price, his attention was entirely focused on the price, and out of politeness, he didn't ask any further questions, thus completely ignoring the smell.

When Zhao Lei pointed it out, he immediately realized what was going on.

"Hiss, Lei Zi, you know what? I felt something was off from the start, there was a weird smell. Turns out you brought something good!"

Zhao Lei didn't hold back, and directly reached into the cloth bag at his waist and took out three things that were tightly wrapped in layers of oil paper.

Looking at the three bulging things on the table, Fatty Chen frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

"What is this?"

"Musk! Brother Chen, you should have heard of this stuff, right?" Zhao Lei said casually.

Upon hearing this, Fatty Chen's eyes widened instantly, and he slapped his forehead with wild joy.

"Oh my! Yes, yes, that's the smell! You actually managed to get musk?!"

Zhao Lei casually unfolded one of the layers of oil paper, revealing a musk sac covered in brown down and in perfect condition to everyone.

In an instant, that unique, rich, and highly recognizable aroma filled the entire supply and marketing cooperative.

Fatty Chen took a deep breath instinctively, and was immediately choked by the strong smell, coughing repeatedly.

"Cough cough cough... Yes, yes! That's the smell! Authentic musk!"

The next second, his gaze was fixed on the musk pouch on the table, unblinking, his eyes filled with greed and eagerness.

Standing to the side, Qin Bowen was secretly shocked to see the usually calm, shrewd, and meticulous Fatty Chen in such a state of disarray.

Previously, my brother-in-law and several sisters-in-law had always said that musk was priceless, but after seeing Chen Pangzi's reaction today, they truly understood just how precious and rare it really is.

Fatty Chen carefully picked up a musk sac and gently kneaded it with his fingertips.

It has a moderately soft and firm texture, and you can clearly feel the firm and plump kernels inside.

He endured the strong smell and gently parted the slightly closed musk sac opening, releasing an even stronger fragrance that filled his nostrils.

But he completely ignored the pungent smell and carefully examined the kernels inside.

Judging from its feel, color, and fullness, this musk sac, about the size of a duck egg, is quite substantial and of excellent quality.

The extraction technique was skillful and experienced, leaving no damage whatsoever, perfectly preserving the most original and pure quality of the musk.

Fatty Chen then opened two more oil paper packages and examined them carefully, becoming increasingly shocked.

The remaining two musk sacs are only larger than small, and their fullness, integrity, and appearance are all of the highest quality, indicating that the amount of musk inside is definitely considerable.

He turned his head sharply, staring intently at Zhao Lei, his voice filled with excitement.

"Bro! Are these all? Are there any more?"

Zhao Lei pointed to the faint traces of blood remaining at the base of the musk sac and slowly spoke.

"Brother Chen, these are all fresh goods that just came down from the mountain."

"These two are ones I just took down from the mountain today. The one you have is from yesterday; the bloodstains haven't completely dried yet."

Fatty Chen quickly examined the area carefully and indeed found traces of fresh blood. He immediately gave Zhao Lei a thumbs up, his face full of admiration.

"Brother, you're really something!"

"Musk deer are already rare and difficult to hunt, and you not only managed to hunt them successfully, but you also managed to remove such a fine musk sac intact!"

"I've run this supply and marketing cooperative for so many years, and I've bought countless mountain products and wild game, but this is the first time I've ever seen musk of this quality!"

Zhao Lei smiled faintly, his tone calm.

"Brother Chen, could you give us an estimate for these musk sacs?"

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I know the value of this thing."

"If your price is too outrageous, I'll just take it directly to the county town to sell, without wasting any time."

Fatty Chen's heart sank suddenly, and he instantly saw through Zhao Lei's thoughts.

The bargaining over the cured meat earlier was Zhao Lei's way of setting the stage and warning me, clearly telling me that he knows the market and wouldn't lose out.

Now, he has brought out his true trump card, proceeding step by step with ease and skill, demonstrating a level of tactical acumen and composure far beyond that of ordinary people.

At this moment, he no longer dared to underestimate the young man from the mountain village in front of him.

The problem now fell squarely on Fatty Chen's shoulders.

If the offer is too low, Zhao Lei will definitely turn around and leave, and this huge deal will fall through.

The price was too high, and I was afraid it would exceed Zhao Lei's expectations, resulting in a loss for myself.

For him, this was a real psychological battle.

Musk is a rare and precious commodity, rarely seen in rural markets, and has no fixed local price; the market price depends entirely on the buyers and sellers.

Fatty Chen's mind raced as he quickly began to calculate in his head.

Each musk sac weighs over 200 grams, and after removing the fur and impurities, the pure musk essence weighs at least 20 to 30 grams.

According to current market prices, one gram of musk costs around 24 or 25 yuan.

In other words, a single musk sac can be worth between five and seven hundred yuan!

This is absolutely a huge sum of money, a huge amount of capital!

You should know that the two full baskets of smoked wild boar meat, plus a bunch of pheasants and rabbits, only cost 280 yuan in total, which is not even worth half a musk pouch.

The profit margins are simply astonishing!