“Mr. Liu, please have some tea!” the housekeeper said, bringing a freshly brewed cup.
Liu Yifeng took it. “Thank you!”
“I’ll go back to my work then. If Mr. Liu needs anything, you can just call me!” the housekeeper said with a smile.
Liu Yifeng nodded. “Okay!”
Sitting on the living room sofa, Liu Yifeng took a few sips of tea and then left Zhao Dewang’s house for the warehouse. He wanted to check on the pomelos to see if there were any changes.
Opening the warehouse door, Liu Yifeng looked at the pomelos scattered on the ground and a satisfied smile spread across his face, because the pomelos had indeed grown a little bigger.
Although not significantly, they were growing, and that was a good thing.
Just then, he received a call from Su Wanru: “Mr. Liu, that foreign businessman contacted me. He said he’s returning to his country at the beginning of next month and asked if we still have pomelos to sell him. I wanted to ask when the pomelos you bought last time will be ready for sale?” She knew that pomelos needed time to grow.
Liu Yifeng calculated the time. It was the eighteenth of this month, and next month would be in twelve days. Adding these two days, it would be about two weeks of growth for the pomelos, roughly half a month as Tong Tong mentioned. They should be ready for sale.
“Which day exactly does he leave next month?” Liu Yifeng asked.
Su Wanru replied, “He should be leaving on the fourth. Once he’s finished dealing with matters at his branch company here, he needs to return to his country to handle the affairs of the head office.”
“That’s enough time. Tell him I guarantee we’ll have the pomelos ready for him!”
With Liu Yifeng’s affirmative reply, Su Wanru was reassured. “Okay, I’ll hang up then. He’s waiting for my response.”
Confirming that the pomelos would grow further, Liu Yifeng closed the warehouse door and went to the orchard to check on the progress of the tangerines.
Zhao Jiazhu was trimming excess branches. Seeing Liu Yifeng arrive, he stopped his work. “Boss, why are you here? Do you need anything?”
Liu Yifeng smiled and shook his head. “No, you carry on. I’m just here to take a look!”
As he spoke, he casually picked a tangerine, wanting to taste it.
This tangerine was truly large, two to three times the size of a regular one. Its peel, like the pomelos, was exceptionally thin. Most importantly, the tangerines were already ripe.
This meant that as long as the taste was good, they could be sold directly. Furthermore, it was the season when tangerines were just coming into the market, and their price would be higher than when sold later. Therefore, if he could sell them before the peak season, he could earn a bit more money.
Before he could even finish peeling the tangerine, he broke off a segment and tasted it. The flavor was as he expected, still so sweet, sweet to the core. Most importantly, the tangerines were plump, the flesh juicy, and the peel as thin as paper. These were absolutely top-tier tangerines, and they would surely be very popular if sold now.
“Boss, I’ve tasted these tangerines. There’s no sourness, and they’re large. Should we consider selling them? I’m worried they might overripen and spoil if they grow any longer!” Zhao Jiazhu said from the side.
Liu Yifeng had the same thought. “I’ll contact Manager Su shortly and ask her to come over for an appraisal!”
Since they planned to sell, it was best to sell them soon. The tangerines had probably reached their limit in size, with some weighing seven or eight liang each, and even a few ‘tangerine kings’ appearing, weighing a full jin, larger than apples. They probably wouldn’t grow much more, and tangerines spoil easily, so it was better to sell them early.
He wasted no more time and immediately called Su Wanru.
Su Wanru, seeing that it was Liu Yifeng calling, answered immediately. “Mr. Liu, is there something else?” They had just spoken on the phone.
Liu Yifeng got straight to the point. “Manager Su, the tangerines in my orchard are ripe. Could you come over when you have time?”
Upon hearing that the tangerines were ripe, Su Wanru became excited. “Really? I’ll be right there!” 138 Reading Network
She had been cooperating with Liu Yifeng for so long and knew that anything he grew was profitable. Now that the tangerines were ready for sale, she could add another brilliant achievement to the company’s record.
After hanging up, she rushed over from her home.
When she arrived at the orchard, Liu Yifeng was waiting for her outside.
“Manager Su arrived so quickly!” Liu Yifeng said with a smile as he went to greet her.
Su Wanru said impatiently, “Mr. Liu, please take me to see the tangerine grove quickly. Tangerines are just hitting the market now. The tangerines in the market still have a bit of sourness, but people like to try new things, so even if the tangerines aren’t sweet enough, they still sell. If we can go to market now, we’ll dominate the entire market and make a huge profit.”
Liu Yifeng agreed with a nod. “That’s exactly what I was thinking!”
Arriving at the tangerine grove, Su Wanru looked at the tangerines, which were larger than粑粑柑 (a type of mandarin orange). Although surprised, she quickly regained her composure. After all, nothing Liu Yifeng grew was small; it would be strange if they weren’t.
“Manager Su, please pick one and try it!” Liu Yifeng said to the momentarily stunned woman.
Su Wanru snapped back to reality. She picked a tangerine with a slightly greener peel, as a yellower peel indicated greater sweetness. If even the green-skinned tangerines were sweet, then all of them would surely be sweet.
As she peeled it, she marveled at the peel, which was as thin as paper. “Won’t the peel be too thin?” she thought. However, the thinner the peel, the sweeter the tangerine. After peeling it, she tasted it, and the flavor was exactly as she had imagined, no, even sweeter. Moreover, the tangerines were exceptionally juicy, and the juice filled her entire mouth with each bite. She had never tasted such a sweet tangerine, just as she had never tasted such sweet pomelos.
Unable to get enough of one segment, she ate the entire tangerine at once. Then, without holding back, she gave a thumbs-up. “Delicious tangerines! Mr. Liu, I don’t know how to praise you. Just a while ago they were small and green, and now they’ve undergone such a transformation and grown so big.”
Liu Yifeng was most concerned about the price. “So, how much do you think my tangerines can be sold for?”
“Even ordinary tangerines, when they enter my shop, their price doubles. Not to mention your tangerines, which are large, sweet, and make people want more after eating them. I had people survey the tangerine market. Currently, tangerines outside are generally priced two to three times higher than after they hit the market, meaning they sell for about one yuan and eight to nine jiao per jin. My shop also procured a batch of tangerines imported from Southeast Asia. Their taste is indeed sweeter than those outside, but compared to yours, they are worlds apart. Currently, those tangerines are priced at five yuan per jin in our shop, and they sell reasonably well. Your tangerines should be at least double that price. I plan to sell them for eighteen yuan per jin, ten times the market price. Therefore, the price I’ll offer you for the tangerines, the same as for the pomelos, is ten yuan per jin. What do you think?” Su Wanru asked.
Liu Yifeng nodded repeatedly. “Yes, I agree. Thank you, Manager Su. Without you, even if my tangerines were delicious, it would be difficult to sell them for eighteen yuan per jin on the market. But it’s different selling them in your shop because your shop always targets high-end customers. As long as the product is good, there’s no shortage of buyers, no matter the price.” This was also why Liu Yifeng didn’t feel it was too much that Su Wanru would resell his tangerines for eight yuan more per jin. They were aiming for a win-win situation, and since his tangerines could be sold at the same price as pomelos, he had no reason to be dissatisfied. This price was already very high.
“Actually, your tangerines aren’t the most expensive. Do you know how much a single tangerine of a certain variety sold for?” Su Wanru asked.
Liu Yifeng shook his head, puzzled. “No.” He hadn’t tasted particularly expensive tangerines. The most expensive he’d encountered were one to two yuan per jin when they first came to market. He hadn’t had the chance to experience such high-end fruits before. Now he had the financial means, but he hadn’t paid particular attention to them.
Su Wanru didn’t keep him in suspense. “The most expensive tangerine sold for twenty yuan each, and it was only half the size of yours.”
Liu Yifeng’s jaw dropped in surprise. “What kind of tangerine can sell for that much?”