When they do their line of work, there's no time for them to run around empty-handed. Su country's textiles are backward, but they're not lacking in fur raw materials. Every household has at least three or four fur coats in winter.
A single otter fur collar in domestic stores costs three to four hundred yuan, not to mention this is mink fur, so the price is even more considerable.
The goods he brought this time were exchanged for five pieces of fur and seven hats. If he added a few hundred yuan, it would be more than enough to exchange for a hundred cashmere sweaters.
Liang Chunsheng's eyes couldn't leave the fur materials and hats in his hands. The fur color was pure and lustrous, looking like good quality.
However, his knowledge of fur materials was only superficial. Although he didn't understand, Liang Chunsheng knew that judging the quality of a fur material solely by its appearance was impossible. Especially when a piece of fur material was worth several hundred yuan, he couldn't afford to take responsibility if he misjudged.
"Comrade Sun, I apologize, but your fur materials are indeed excellent. However, we are not considering them at the moment. If you are interested in our cashmere sweaters, we can discuss the order quantity and price."
Paying directly was not a profitable deal. Sun Wu smiled and steered the conversation back to the fur materials.
"It's definitely not cost-effective for you to come back empty-handed. I can guarantee that the materials sold on the market now are definitely not as good as mine. I can give you a cheaper price. Four hundred yuan for a piece of mink fur, and forty yuan for each hat. You definitely won't lose money."
In those days, those who could afford fur were all wealthy and noble. It was impossible for him to sell all the goods he exchanged in a short period. Conversely, cashmere sweaters were sold very quickly in the opposite market. Exchanging them with Liang Chunsheng was the most cost-effective choice.
Liang Chunsheng was not foolish. Sun Wu would not do anything that was not cost-effective, which meant that the actual price of the fur materials was definitely much higher than the price he quoted, otherwise, he would not have recommended them so enthusiastically.
Understanding the key point, Liang Chunsheng became even more resolute and refused to budge. Either buy them with cash, or the deal was off if not.
"How about this, who did you ask last time? You can ask again this time. What if your superior is willing? Wouldn't that be missing a great cooperation opportunity?"
However, no matter how hard he tried to persuade him, Liang Chunsheng remained firm. Helpless, Sun Wu asked him to inquire about his leader's opinion.
Liang Chunsheng hesitated. Chen Lishu was definitely a woman with her own opinions, and perhaps she had other plans.
"How about I make this call with you? If there's anything you don't understand, I can add to it, or I can speak to him myself."
Liang Chunsheng finally nodded. "Alright then."
When the two went to make the call, Chen Lishu was in class. Zhao Qiuyue answered the phone. Knowing that Chen Lishu would be back for lunch, she specifically asked for the phone number and told Liang Chunsheng the approximate time to call back. Then they hung up.
When Chen Lishu returned for lunch, Zhao Qiuyue briefly told her about Liang Chunsheng's call and gave her the phone number she had kept.
Chen Lishu dialed the number on the paper. Shortly after, Liang Chunsheng's voice came from the receiver.
"...He wants to exchange that batch of fur materials for our cashmere sweaters. Yes, five mink furs and seven otter hats. I don't know much about this, so it's hard to determine the quality."
As Chen Lishu listened to Liang Chunsheng's explanation, she also began to ponder.
Currently, the domestic fur market was relatively scarce. Artificial farming would only develop later, but the prices had always been high.
According to her understanding, Su country was a major fur exporter. Judging by the current national conditions, even the best fur materials would not be as expensive as Sun Wu quoted.
Besides, even if the price was as he said, it would be too expensive to transport it back to the provincial capital, and she wouldn't be able to sell it quickly.
"The price naturally differs between cash transactions and bartering. Normally, for over a hundred pieces, the price is thirty-eight yuan. If you pay with goods, it's forty-five yuan. Let him choose between the two settlement methods."
Upon hearing Chen Lishu's words, Liang Chunsheng's eyes lit up, and he was even more impressed with Chen Lishu.
He had been worried before. If he agreed, it would definitely not be cost-effective for him. If he didn't agree, the order for a hundred pieces might be lost. Now, Chen Lishu's move was equivalent to putting the initiative back in his hands, handing the choice over to Sun Wu.
After hearing Liang Chunsheng's relay, Sun Wu smacked his lips and finally forced out a bitter smile.
He had been dealing with Su country for many years. To be honest, this batch of materials was not the best, but it was more than enough to fool those who didn't know the business. The price was also not as high as he had stated, after all, the goods he brought this time were only worth a few hundred yuan.
With Chen Lishu's arrangement, he was now in a dilemma.
Originally, a wholesale cashmere sweater was thirty-eight yuan for a hundred pieces, but now it was forty-five yuan, an increase of seven hundred yuan.
Sun Wu hesitated for a long time, and finally chose to agree to Chen Lishu's proposal and exchanged one hundred cashmere sweaters at the price of forty-five yuan.
...
When Liang Chunsheng returned with the goods, it was already late December. Chen Lishu specifically came to the store to take a look.
To be honest, Chen Lishu didn't know much about furs. However, wearing mink later became a local fashion trend. Although she couldn't afford to buy it, many people around her wore it, and she had also envied and touched it. The five mink furs brought back by Liang Chunsheng were soft to the touch and had good luster, so the quality should not be too bad.
And those seven otter fur hats, with their dense guard hairs, also looked good.
"Is this otter fur? It doesn't look quite like it. A relative of mine has a coat with an otter fur collar, and just the collar alone cost three to four hundred yuan. This fur looks like marmot fur." Wang Aixiang was also relaying what others had said. In fact, she didn't understand either, as fur materials were so expensive, and very few people had actually come into contact with them.
"No matter what it is, it looks decent. Let's put the hats in the store to sell first. The shearling hats in the store cost more than twenty yuan, so we'll sell ours for forty-five." After the three of them studied them for a long time and couldn't figure anything out, Chen Lishu finally made a decision.
"As for these five pieces of fur material, Sister Aixiang, you keep them first. Tomorrow I'll go to the wool mill to see if there are any good materials to make clothes, and then use them for collars."
The most popular items on the market now were shearling hats and military long coats. A hat could be worth a month's salary, and a military long coat was comparable to a bicycle.
Formal military coats were made with ample material. Although heavy, their warmth-retaining performance was excellent. The golden buttons were adorned with a five-pointed star pattern. Paired with a shearling hat, anyone who got this set of attire would be looked upon differently and called a 'high-ranking official's child.'
Military coats were rare, especially five of them. Chen Lishu had been to the national cotton mill before, but they were in short supply and she couldn't get any. Therefore, she decided to go to the wool mill to see if there were any high-quality wool fabrics and make her own coats in the popular styles of later generations.