“We'll see about that!”
Even though he already believed Chen Lishu’s words in his heart, Jiang Weiguo couldn’t lose face. He dropped a harsh remark and turned to leave.
…
Lin Qi arrived in Pengcheng on the fourth day. Compared to the prosperity of Yangcheng, Pengcheng was slightly inferior at the moment, but compared to the inland areas, it was full of vitality.
Construction sites were visible everywhere, bicycles flowed endlessly, and people carrying shoulder poles rushed to work. Many foreigners could even be seen on the streets.
Although it was his first time traveling far from home, Lin Qi had grown considerably since he started doing business with Chen Lishu and had more exposure to people and events. He had shed his initial greenness and now handled matters methodically.
After getting off the bus, he first called Chen Lishu, and then followed the address of the guesthouse given by Li Yuanchao.
Li Yuanchao had arrived in Pengcheng two days before Lin Qi. The day after his arrival, he had scouted the garment factory and then inquired about the factory’s operations from people around. Only with a general understanding could he have confidence when negotiating prices.
Once everything was prepared, he returned to the guesthouse to wait for the person.
“Excuse me, who is Li Yuanchao?”
When Lin Qi pushed the door open, Li Yuanchao was chatting with the other two people in the same room. Not sure which one it was, Lin Qi scanned all three people in the room.
“I, I am Li Yuanchao. Lin Qi, right? I’ve been waiting for you.” Li Yuanchao came over and shook his hand.
“It couldn’t be helped. You saw it when you arrived, right? There are too many people coming here to work or to strike gold. It’s impossible to get a single room. I’ve booked a bunk bed for you too. Big rooms are lively and cheap.”
Li Yuanchao explained as he led Lin Qi to his bunk, then pointed to the position next to him, indicating that was where he had booked for Lin Qi.
“Thanks.”
Lin Qi sat down and casually placed his carry-on bag on the head of the bed.
“Is there anything valuable in there?” Li Yuanchao nudged his chin towards the bag and discreetly glanced at the other two, asking in a low voice.
Lin Qi understood and smiled, saying, “Just two changes of clothes.”
The money and passbook were kept close to his body inside his clothes.
“By the way, are you hungry? It’s getting late. Let me treat you to a meal.” After resting for a while, Li Yuanchao got up. This was not a place to talk; with too many eyes and ears, it would be more convenient to talk outside.
Lin Qi didn’t say anything and got up to go with him.
Pengcheng was one of the earliest places to implement reform and opening up. There were quite a few street vendors and shops. The two found a relatively quiet place to sit, ordered some food, and started chatting while eating.
“I discreetly asked some of the factory workers about the garment factory. The price they signed for the jackets and woolen coats seems to be twenty. Based on my experience, we should be able to get them for eighteen or nineteen.”
After all, they were leftover stock, and there would be some difference in quality and workmanship compared to export products.
Lin Qi nodded, “Let’s go take a look after we finish eating.”
“Don’t you need to rest for a day?”
Lin Qi smiled, “It’s fine, sitting on the train isn’t too tiring.”
Soon, they finished eating and went to the bus stop to wait for the bus to the garment factory.
Li Yuanchao saw Lin Qi staring curiously at a few people sweeping the street nearby and explained, “See the words ‘Hong Kong escapees’ on their clothes? They are people who tried to sneak into Hong Kong and were caught. Escaping to Hong Kong is a trend now. I heard that one can earn over ten thousand yuan there a year, while we only earn a few hundred yuan.”
“That much?” Lin Qi was truly surprised to hear Li Yuanchao’s words, a difference of dozens of times! “Let me tell you, they were just unlucky. Among so many escapees, at least half were successful,” Li Yuanchao said, a glint in his eyes.
He had heard a lot about Hong Kong these past two days, and some of those who had been repatriated said that Hong Kong’s prosperity was unimaginable, gold was everywhere, it was simply a paradise on earth.
The bus soon arrived, and the two boarded without further conversation.
The leaders of the garment factory heard that the two were coming for leftover stock and their attitude was quite enthusiastic. They personally took the two to the workshop and showed them the samples currently being produced.
The jackets came in two colors, gray and army green, and the woolen coats were plaid.
“Don’t worry, what you see now is what the finished product will be like. I guarantee it.”
Lin Qi took the clothes in his hand; the quality felt very thick. He exchanged a look with Li Yuanchao. The remaining thing was to negotiate the price.
Li Yuanchao spoke first, “What about the price?”
The other party held up two fingers: “The other party’s pricing is twenty, and it’s the same price for you.”
“After all, it’s leftover stock, and we don’t need to say too much. We’ll accept any defects. How much do you have? See if you can give us a better price.”
The other party frowned, “How much do you want to buy them for?”
Lin Qi looked up, “Fifteen.”
Hearing Lin Qi offer only fifteen, the leader was so angry he stood up directly, “I’ve never sold at this price here. If you don’t want to buy sincerely, then leave.”
Seeing his agitation, Li Yuanchao quickly smoothed things over, “You asked us, so we gave you a price. We definitely have sincerity, that’s why we came all this way.”
The other party’s expression softened a little, and he sat back down, “Since you’ve come all this way, I won’t make things difficult for you. The lowest is eighteen.”
Li Yuanchao looked at Lin Qi, his eyes asking for his opinion. Lin Qi frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, “How many goods can you provide?”
“A thousand jackets, five hundred woolen coats, possibly over five hundred. Currently, the conservative estimate is five hundred.”
“Sixteen. This is the highest price I can approve. If not, I’ll have to give up.”
Lin Qi spoke with a serious demeanor, and the other party began to hesitate.
But for over a thousand pieces of clothing, a difference of two yuan per piece meant over three thousand yuan difference, causing him to hesitate.
“Sixteen is too low. You can ask around again.” After a while, the other party still refused Lin Qi’s offer of sixteen, but his attitude was no longer as forceful as before.
Li Yuanchao looked at Lin Qi. Seeing him nod, he smiled and said again, “It’s a pity not to reach an agreement after coming all this way. Why don’t we meet halfway? Sixteen yuan and five jiao. That’s within the budget, right?”
The other party also looked at Lin Qi along with Li Yuanchao.
After a while, as if making a big decision, Lin Qi finally nodded, “Okay.”
Thus, both parties finally reached an agreement at sixteen yuan and five jiao. After signing the contract, Lin Qi paid a 30% deposit first, and the rest would be paid after the goods were shipped.
Outside the garment factory, Lin Qi and Li Yuanchao looked at each other and smiled. The latter even gave Lin Qi a thumbs-up, filled with admiration, “Brother, you’re amazing. If you hadn’t thought of this idea for me to cooperate with you, and could hold your ground at the critical moment, I estimate it would have cost at least seventeen to close the deal.”