Liu Yifeng smiled and said nothing more.
The middle-aged man immediately paid and got into his car with the large watermelon.
He had to make three trips before he could drive away.
And so, Liu Yifeng weighed watermelons while Tongtong calculated the prices for him, eliminating the need for him to use a calculator.
Tongtong quickly became famous.
Many people watched in amazement as Tongtong calculated prices on the spot, exclaiming that he was a genius.
Soon, the entire carload of watermelons was sold out in just over two hours, with only one left.
He planned to take it to the fruit store owner to taste, and then discuss cooperation.
Otherwise, no matter how much he boasted about how delicious his watermelons were, they wouldn't believe him.
Looking at his bulging wallet, stuffed with cash, Liu Yifeng was about to calculate the total earnings when Tongtong's voice rang out.
"Dad, we earned seventeen thousand, three hundred and twenty-six yuan from selling watermelons today."
Liu Yifeng stopped counting the money, his eyes wide as he stared at Tongtong. He could remember all that?
He had sold over fifty watermelons, and they had gone through more than thirty people to be sold.
He himself could barely remember the price of each individual watermelon sold.
Let alone the total sum of so many watermelons.
Tongtong was only three years old, yet he possessed such incredible memory and astonishing calculation skills. It was truly amazing.
Although he hadn't counted himself and didn't know if the amount was correct, he trusted Tongtong's ability. If he said he earned that much, then that's what he earned.
"Tongtong, you're so smart. From now on, when Dad sells watermelons, will you stay by Dad's side and calculate the money for me?" This would save him a lot of time and increase their father-son interaction.
"Okay!" Tongtong nodded.
Looking at the last remaining watermelon, Liu Yifeng was about to close the trunk and head to various fruit stores to discuss cooperation.
Just then, Su Wanru, who had made the first sale of the day yesterday, reappeared.
"Hello, are you still selling this watermelon?" Su Wanru asked politely.
Liu Yifeng remembered Su Wanru; he could attribute the smooth sales of his watermelons to her initial purchase.
But hadn't she just bought two watermelons yesterday, weighing over a hundred catties combined? How could she have finished them in just one night? How many people did she have at home?
Thinking this, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you finish the watermelons you bought yesterday?"
Su Wanru: "I shared the watermelons with my company's employees, and they all said they were exceptionally delicious.
I came to find you today specifically to discuss cooperation. Do you have many more watermelons?"
Liu Yifeng hadn't expected business to come to him so proactively. He immediately said, "I'm not entirely sure of the exact quantity, but conservatively speaking, there are at least three hundred thousand catties of watermelons, and likely more."
His watermelons were all over forty to fifty catties each. A single vine produced about ten large watermelons, or even more.
After setting aside the more than six hundred large watermelons for the villagers, there were still at least three hundred thousand catties remaining.
These were all his own estimations.
Upon hearing that there were so many watermelons left, Su Wanru, who had maintained a neutral expression, showed a hint of surprise and delight.
"Then sell them all to me. I'll take them all."
Liu Yifeng's eyes widened. "You want all of them? May I ask what business you are in?"
"Have you heard of Bai Guo Yuan?" Su Wanru replied without answering his question directly.
"Bai Guo Yuan? You mean the national chain store that sells fruit?" Liu Yifeng asked uncertainly.
Su Wanru nodded. "Yes, I am the Vice President of Bai Guo Yuan. We have over a thousand chain fruit stores nationwide, so we can easily sell your three hundred thousand catties of watermelons."
Liu Yifeng never expected that by casually buying some watermelons, he would get to know the Vice President of Bai Guo Yuan.
Bai Guo Yuan was very well-known in the country, and they sold high-end fruits, many of which were imported from abroad, with prices easily reaching over ten yuan per catty.
If his watermelons were sold in her stores, their perceived value would automatically increase.
At that point, it wouldn't be a problem to sell them for ten yuan per catty, let alone six.
Just like there were buyers for clothes costing a thousand yuan, while ten yuan clothes were also wearable.
Yet, many people were willing to spend one thousand or ten thousand for high-end clothing.
It wasn't necessarily about how comfortable the clothes felt, but rather the pursuit of brand and status.
Wealthy individuals buying fruit were similar; they enjoyed a high-quality lifestyle.
Moreover, the taste of his watermelons was something no one could refuse.
"This is my business card." Fearing Liu Yifeng might doubt her identity, Su Wanru immediately took out her business card from her bag.
Yesterday, after taking the purchased watermelons back to the company, she had called some of the company's high-ranking executives to her office.
She had her secretary cut open the watermelons and distribute them for everyone to taste. The feedback was unanimously positive.
Although they were in the fruit business and had tasted all sorts of watermelon varieties, they had never tasted one with such excellent flavor. Furthermore, these watermelons were large, green, and exceptionally appealing visually.
Just looking at the surface of the watermelon made one's mouth water.
After tasting, it was even more irresistible; one wanted more after finishing.
Therefore, Su Wanru expressed her desire to import this variety of watermelon for sale, and everyone wholeheartedly agreed.
Even when Su Wanru mentioned that she had bought them for six yuan per catty, costing her six hundred yuan for two watermelons, they still had no objections. The taste of the watermelon was well worth the price.
Besides, their fruit stores were already catering to a high-end clientele.
The most expensive fruits could cost over a hundred yuan per catty, and sometimes they were still in short supply, let alone watermelons at six yuan per catty.
So, as soon as work ended, Su Wanru rushed to the wet market, hoping to find the watermelon seller, only to discover he had already left.
She asked the elderly lady next door and learned that the vendor had left after selling his fruit.
Knowing that he would return early the next morning to sell fruit again, she skipped work that day and went straight to the wet market, almost missing him again.
This demonstrated how popular the watermelons were.
Liu Yifeng took the card. It read: Su Wanru, Vice President, Bai Guo Yuan Headquarters.
He had to admit, the name sounded pleasant.
"Hello, Ms. Su. To be honest, I was indeed planning to find someone to cooperate with and sell my watermelons. Otherwise, relying on retail sales, it's hard to say when they would all be sold.
However, as you can see, my watermelons sell out as soon as they're available, with people rushing to buy them even at six yuan per catty.
So, if you want to purchase my watermelons, you probably won't be able to get them at six yuan per catty." Liu Yifeng stated the facts.
Su Wanru had anticipated that he wouldn't agree to sell them to her at six yuan per catty, so she asked, "Then, at what price per catty do you intend to sell them?"
"Eight yuan per catty!" Liu Yifeng extended his hand, making an 'eight' gesture.
Su Wanru's expression didn't change much upon hearing the price; she wasn't intimidated by it.
"Eight yuan per catty is acceptable, but you must agree to sell your watermelons exclusively to Bai Guo Yuan. If you breach this agreement, you will be liable for a ten million yuan penalty." The reason she set such a high penalty was to prevent Liu Yifeng from selling to anyone else.
To make a profit, one had to monopolize the market. If only she sold them, then the pricing would be up to them.
Liu Yifeng thought that selling to anyone was the same, and the price of eight yuan per catty exceeded his expectations.
He had originally planned to negotiate down to seven yuan if she wasn't willing to pay eight yuan per catty.
Unexpectedly, this Ms. Su agreed so readily, so there was no need for him to dither. "I can sell exclusively to you, but on the condition that you purchase all the watermelons I have.
Otherwise, if you can't sell the watermelons and I'm unable to sell them to others, they'll be left unsold, and I can't afford to lose money."
"Alright, I will have the legal department draw up a contract shortly, and we can sign it this afternoon." Su Wanru was not worried about the fruits not selling.
"Then please leave your phone number, and we can contact each other by phone then." Liu Yifeng said.