bayedsolid Chapter 11 Talking Business
Chapter 11 Talking Business
Xia Shiyu didn't pay attention to the stares of others. More and more people gathered. At first, they were mostly regular customers, but later most of them were new customers who also joined in the fun.
Although they didn't buy much, just a pound or half a pound, the scene became a bit chaotic with so many people. Xia Shiyu also had to be careful that someone might try something funny, which made her even busier.
"Everyone, please don't rush, come one by one. Also, this is a WeChat group I created. If you want to buy vegetables from my family later, you can scan the QR code to join the group. I will send out notices in the group."
In this age of smart technology, even the elderly often carry a smartphone, so some people are scanning the QR code for the WeChat group that Xia Shiyu printed out.
"Sigh, boss, your group is full."
Many of the first group's 200 members were already full, so Xia Shiyu quickly created another group.
After a busy period, Xia Shiyu had sold about half of her vegetables, but by then there were fewer people. She thought it would be better to take Yu Juan to another place to sell.
If they change locations, they'll get a whole new batch of customers. Faced with a price of 8 yuan per jin (500g), many people stopped in their tracks and didn't linger.
After thinking it over, they realized that this wasn't a solution, so the two of them decided to borrow their cousin's kitchen and offer some samples to attract customers.
Xia Shiyu told Yu Juan to wait there, and she would bring some groceries and ride a shared electric bike there herself.
Ye Wan was a little surprised to see Xia Shiyu in the past, because a few days ago when Xia Shiyu said that the vegetables at home were ready, she couldn't wait and asked her husband to take her to the countryside to pick up a batch of vegetables. So she didn't ask Xia Shiyu to bring her vegetables today.
Ye Wan wiped her hands with a tissue. "Xiao Yu, what brings you here? Weren't you selling vegetables today?"
Xia Shiyu took the water spinach she had brought inside and explained, "Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry to bother you. You know our vegetables are a bit expensive, so I thought I'd bring some over so everyone could try them and then we'd buy them."
Ye Wan suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean this? It's okay, it's okay, you can use it. Actually, you can just give me a call and I'll bring it to you."
"Thank you for your trouble, cousin-in-law. I can do it myself." Xia Shiyu walked into the kitchen, intending to just make a simple cold water spinach salad.
In no time, she had prepared a large bowl. When Ye Wan saw Xia Shiyu off, she said, "Xiao Yu, you should try to cooperate with some big restaurants or supermarkets later. Otherwise, if you sell them like this, it will take a long time and is a waste of time and energy."
Xia Shiyu nodded, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I've thought about it. But since today is the actual harvest, I'll sell some at the market first. I'll contact buyers later."
Ye Wan saw that Xia Shiyu had a plan in mind, so she didn't say much. Since her family started using this dish, even though the price had increased, there were still many customers vying to eat it, which showed that the dish had great potential. Therefore, she had high hopes for Xia Shiyu.
"Okay, take your time. I'm busy here, so I won't see you off."
Xia Shiyu quickly returned, and at that moment, someone was still negotiating the price with Yu Juan.
"Boss, could you make the price a little cheaper?"
"I'm not the boss, so there's no way I can offer a discount."
During the argument, Yu Juan saw Xia Shiyu return and quickly greeted her, "Xiao Yu, over here."
"Okay, Mom, I'm here." Xia Shiyu stepped forward and said to the uncle who was bargaining, "Uncle, we don't bargain. And look, this is a cold dish I just made with our own vegetables. You can try it; it tastes really good."
When the uncle saw Xia Shiyu coming over, he said the same thing. He knew that he probably wouldn't get a good deal. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, a pair of chopsticks was handed to him.
Thinking it was quite novel, he took a bite. Instantly, the crisp and delicious water spinach, combined with the sauce, burst in his mouth, and his eyes lit up. He savored it more carefully, feeling that it became more and more fragrant with each chew. After swallowing it, he felt a little regretful.
Xia Shiyu had already taken the dishes back and was looking at him with a smile.
The uncle sighed, "Your dishes are really delicious, I'll buy them!"
As expected, Xia Shiyu's tasting attracted a lot of people. After all, no vegetable vendor in their market had ever cooked their vegetables and put them out for people to taste before, so everyone wanted to come and join in the fun.
But once you've tasted this dish, you're almost reluctant to leave. It would be a shame not to buy such a delicious dish.
So after much hesitation, I gritted my teeth and bought the vegetables in front of me.
Meanwhile, someone repeatedly confirmed with Xia Shiyu, "Young lady, is this the same batch of vegetables you just gave us? You can't lie to us."
"Don't worry, Auntie, the dish will taste exactly the same. If you're a good cook, it might even taste better than mine. If I'm lying to you, you can contact me directly in the WeChat group or call the police."
Xia Shiyu said frankly.
This sight reassured the residents who had bought their groceries.
After the tasting was over, only about 150 kilograms of the more than 2,000 kilograms of vegetables remained. Xia Shiyu thought for a moment and then took Yu Juan to find a wholesaler.
She went directly to the big hotels in the city, wanting to cooperate with them.
She told her mother to wait there while she went up to talk to her.
The receptionist smiled politely as she entered and said, "Hello, is there anything I can help you with? Do you need to book a banquet?"
Xia Shiyu also politely said, "Hello, I would like to talk to your manager about a business deal."
The receptionist paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, please wait over there while I go find our manager."
A short while later, Xia Shiyu saw the hotel manager walking over.
"Hello, miss, how can I help you?"
Xia Shiyu glanced at the manager who was walking over, stood up, looked at the nameplate on the lower left corner of his clothes, and smiled. "Manager Wu, I'd like to discuss a business with you."
Manager Wu's expression was quite normal when he heard this. After all, their hotel often negotiates cooperation with others, so he asked Xia Shiyu to go with him to another place to see what business Xia Shiyu wanted to discuss.
Xia Shiyu stated his purpose directly, "Manager Wu, my surname is Xia. I came to ask if you need any vegetables. I currently have a batch of bok choy and water spinach."
Manager Wu was taken aback at first, realizing that she had come to discuss buying vegetables with him. However, he immediately shook his head, "I'm sorry, Ms. Xia, our hotel already has a long-term supplier and we don't need any other vegetables for the time being."
Xia Shiyu was not discouraged when she heard this, but said, "Manager Wu, if possible, I think you can have the hotel chef come out and try it. I think you will like my family's dishes."
Then I called my mom and asked her to bring in some dishes. "Manager Wu, these dishes are a token of our sincerity. You can try them at home and give me your feedback. This is my phone number."
Xia Shiyu handed over a note, saying that she should make some business cards later to make things better.
Manager Wu initially wanted to refuse the vegetables at his feet, but after a moment's hesitation, he took both the vegetables and the note. He figured there was no harm in giving it a try. However, when he tried to pay, Xia Shiyu refused, saying that he could come back for more if needed later.
When they came out, Yu Juan asked a few more questions, "Will it work, Xiao Yu? These big hotels all have partners. Why don't you go find some small restaurants? Your cousin-in-law should be happy to help."
Xia Shiyu shook her head, "It's okay, Mom. I believe we can succeed in this collaboration. If we don't succeed, it's nothing. We'll just lose some vegetables."
Then Xia Shiyu planned to send the remaining vegetables to some large stores, not too many, just two or three, because she wouldn't have enough produce from her fields later. However, just as she was about to do this, someone messaged her on WeChat.
"Mr. Xia, how about we discuss a business deal?"