With raw materials and glass bottles, the machines started, and the syrup was heated and boiled. A batch of canned fruits was quickly and freshly produced.
Seeing the ground full of cans, Zhang Tianxing felt a sense of accomplishment. At this time, a bottle of canned fruit was only around fifty cents.
He decided to take some and try his luck by visiting the small shops in various villages. It would save on shipping costs, and if he couldn't sell them, he still had a fallback: his good brother Tuofvsky among the White Russians.
Zhang Tianxing loaded the cans onto his tricycle and headed straight for the village small shops. He arrived at a village.
Entering a small shop, Zhang Tianxing saw cans displayed on the counter and smiled. If they had stock, they were potential buyers.
"Boss, I'm selling canned fruits wholesale, interested?"
The shop owner's wife waved her hand repeatedly, "No, no. We have fixed deliveries. We don't need your no-name brands."
Hearing the owner's wife say this, Zhang Tianxing wasn't upset. He smiled and asked, "Auntie, you're so capable. Come and taste our canned fruits."
He casually opened a bottle and handed it over. The owner's wife's eyes lit up, but she said, "Don't try that trick. Even if I eat your canned fruit, I won't sell yours."
"Auntie, don't be so heartless. Even if we can't do business, we can still be friends. I sincerely invite you to taste it and give me your opinion."
After hearing Zhang Tianxing's words, the owner's wife took the bottle and scooped some with a spoon to eat.
With the first bite, the owner's wife noticed the difference from the previous canned fruits, primarily in sweetness. Could rock sugar and industrial saccharin taste the same? Obviously not.
The owner's wife said in a casual tone, "This tastes quite good, but our village is small, and we can't sell much."
Hearing the owner's wife's tone soften, Zhang Tianxing felt there was hope and seized the opportunity to ask, "Auntie, how much do you sell your canned fruits for?"
"Fifty-five cents a bottle. What are you up to?"
Hearing this, Zhang Tianxing smiled. "Auntie, I happen to know the wholesale price of your canned fruits. It seems you're not making much profit per bottle."
The owner's wife's face changed immediately. "How much I earn has nothing to do with you."
"It will soon. I'll sell you mine for forty cents a bottle. What do you say? Are you interested? You, even if you sell it at a reduced price, selling one of yours is equivalent to selling two of theirs. Besides, you've tasted it yourself, so I don't need to say more."
Zhang Tianxing made a move to leave. The owner's wife quickly called out, "Young man, don't rush. Let me think. I've also eaten a bottle of yours. Auntie isn't stingy. Give me twenty bottles of your canned fruit."
Zhang Tianxing smiled and agreed, "Alright, twenty bottles of canned fruit. I'll unload them for you."
A good start, this is good. It seems one must be grateful for what one receives and for what one eats. The ancients never lied to me.
Before Zhang Tianxing could ask for money, the owner's wife wrote him an IOU. "How about this, brother? We're a bit short of cash right now. I'll settle with you next time I come."
Damn, these rural tricks are deep! I can't believe I was tricked by the owner's wife. "Okay, this is the first order. Next time you come, you'll have to pay me in full."
"Sure, no problem. If I don't pay you then, you can take anything you like from the store." Hearing the owner's wife's cheerful response, Zhang Tianxing was speechless. She was a reincarnation of Sun Niangzi.
However, Sun Erniang ran a human-flesh bun shop, while this owner's wife ran a small convenience store. Both had a similar approach.
Fine, let's move on to the next village. Zhang Tianxing's harvest was one IOU.
With the first sale, the rest went much smoother. He visited seven villages and managed to sell all two hundred bottles on his tricycle, earning two IOUs and sixty-two yuan in cash.
Zhang Tianxing pondered for a moment. It seemed acceptable. Including labor costs, the cost for two hundred bottles was probably less than thirty yuan.
Based on this initial estimate, the profit margin had reached one hundred percent. To borrow a quote from a foreign great man, with a hundred percent profit, capital dares to tread where angels fear to go.
However, there was also a drawback: the limited capacity to absorb canned goods.
How many people in a village could afford to eat canned fruits? They were essentially rare items.
It seemed that the strategy of "surrounding the cities from the countryside" with canned fruits had some issues.
As Zhang Tianxing was riding his tricycle back, a farmer uncle stopped him.
"Brother, will you be back tomorrow?"
If someone wants goods, he'll definitely come. "Yes, I will. How many bottles do you want? I'll save them for you."
"I don't have money. I have grain. Can we trade?"
Hearing the farmer uncle's question, Zhang Tianxing was stunned. Trading grain for canned fruits... this seemed, perhaps, workable.
Zhang Tianxing considered it and said, "We can trade, but I don't have the final say on the terms. I'll have to go and get permission."
Overhearing their conversation, a rural auntie nearby walked over and said, "If we can trade grain, bring three hundred bottles directly to our village. Everyone in our village will buy them all from you."
The auntie's confident tone surprised Zhang Tianxing. Were villages this bold these days? It was beyond his expectations.
However, how to trade grain for canned fruit, and how to deal with the acquired grain were still issues, as he wasn't a grain dealer.
He had been out for a considerable time, and he still needed to contact the orchard. The acquisition of fruits could now be put on the agenda.
When Zhang Tianxing returned to the canning factory, he found that Old Luo and the other four had produced another six hundred bottles. It seemed that eight hundred bottles could be produced on the first day, which was a decent production efficiency.
But it still didn't seem to match the income from the crayfish. For the first day, this was it. What more could one ask for? This canning factory was a place that needed rebuilding from scratch.
The fruits procured by his second uncle were produced in a single day, indicating that his second uncle hadn't bought enough. In the next step, he needed to sign contracts with the orchards to secure a stable supply.
However, since he had suddenly entered the market, he could only acquire goods at a higher price. As long as there was profit and production didn't stop, it was manageable.
Zhang Tianxing excitedly arrived at Zhang Ji Barbecue Restaurant. Looking around, he saw a steady stream of customers. It seemed his second uncle and Wu Shengnan had some real talent.
At least, they weren't going downhill. He had feared that the barbecue restaurant would decline after he went to school, but it seemed he had worried too much. This also proved one thing: the apprentices Zhang Tianxing had trained were good.
Seeing Zhang Tianxing arrive, a regular customer excitedly said, "Boss Zhang, want a taste of your skills? Your craftsmanship is truly unparalleled."
"It's not bad now either. Everyone has their specialty. I plan to go to school in a few days." Zhang Tianxing then explained to the regular customers that he was going to school and that Zhang Ji Barbecue would be taken over by his second uncle.