Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 218 Fly Camp Dog Gou

Feng Jun was momentarily taken aback; he truly hadn’t considered the factor of personal relationships.

The words spoken by Zhang Caixin sounded somewhat unreasonable: Was having sufficient goods really a reason to justify arrears?

But upon closer thought, this twisted logic astonishingly held up. The jade industry was hugely profitable, and the most difficult part was securing the mines. Once you have the resources, mining didn’t cost much at all.

Therefore, there wasn’t really an issue of tying up a lot of capital.

The high price of jade didn’t lie in the raw stones; it was the various stages of the distribution process that consumed massive profits.

Knowing that Feng Jun had an ample supply of jade and not tapping into the channels, of course, people would assume his profits were startling. Under such circumstances, wasn’t it normal for them to ask for credit?

So although Feng Jun felt that this reasoning was somewhat bizarre, he couldn’t immediately say that she was wrong.

After pondering it for a bit, he finally spoke firmly, “I had thought that this was an exclusive deal and should be easy to manage. I really didn’t expect to have caused you such great confusion, and for that, I am truly sorry.”

Zhang Caixin shook her head and responded with the same seriousness, “No, my sister meant to say that this deal is already quite good, much easier than she had imagined. It’s just that there’s no way it could be completely effortless… Is making money ever easy?”

“Then I have a suggestion,” Feng Jun spoke again, “Just treat it like how you sell jade to me: cash on delivery, and those who don’t agree can get lost… With the goods in our hands, are we afraid they’ll rob us?”

“Do you think I haven’t made that suggestion to my sister?” Zhang Caixin looked at him irritably, “Everyone wants to do business smoothly, but…”

“My sister says she doesn’t get where your confidence comes from. She only knows that she doesn’t have the same level of confidence… Do you have endless supplies of jade? Or are you confident you’ll always have control over that mine?”

Feng Jun was at a loss for words; indeed, Sister Hong wasn’t like him, who had an entire plane of jade as a backup, which allowed him to be so reckless.

Her considerations were truly about being precise and meticulous, the real attitude needed for doing business.

He fell silent, but Zhang Caixin hadn’t finished speaking. “Recently, you were thinking about selling jade in the capital city, right?”

Feng Jun vaguely felt that he had done something wrong and could only give a dry laugh.

Zhang Caixin paid no attention to his embarrassment, “Everyone says you’re about to open a second jade sales point, but there’s strong resistance in the capital city, so… they’re also pressuring my sister to lower her prices.”

As Feng Jun listened to her complain again and again, he grew a bit annoyed, “How about this: as a gesture, I will refuse to sell to those who attempt to push down prices or change payment methods… and if it irritates me, I might just quit the jade business altogether.”

“Let me finish,” Zhang Caixin interjected without any courtesy, “My sister doesn’t have the same boldness as you, but when it comes to those taking advantage of the situation, she won’t indulge them either. So, for a while, very little jade was sold, but she still had to maintain the funds on the books…”

Only then did Feng Jun understand the full picture. Sister Hong’s previous failure to pay wasn’t just because he hadn’t proactively asked for the money. There was an important reason: she wanted to show those jade buyers that she wasn’t short of cash!

Was this stance necessary? It really was. The money Sister Hong earned from selling jade might not just sit in the company’s accounts; it could very well be in her personal accounts. But with the abilities of modern banks, investigating these things was too easy.

A long time ago, the secrets of these major clients were no longer secrets within the financial system.

It was then that Feng Jun finally asked, “How much jade has your sister sold now?”

“Over three billion,” Zhang Caixin replied nonchalantly, “This time, my sister said that if you’re in urgent need of money, you can take two billion. The rest, to deter petty thieves, must also leave a billion on the books.”

“There’s no need, really,” Feng Jun shook his head, “Tell her, I said that I won’t be withdrawing money for a long time to come and I’ll send over another large batch of jade. I only have one request… Those not sincere in buying can get lost!”

Honestly, Zhang Caixin quite liked his suggestion; being young, she favored such clear-cut dealings. However, she understood very well that her sister took many factors into consideration, “But what if they resist and we can’t make a deal for several months?”

“Then we won’t do it, what’s the big deal?” Feng Jun snorted dismissively, “Your sister, sometimes she thinks too much. If I were you, I would just take a three-month break and see who gets anxious.”

“I like your suggestion, but it’s not possible,” Zhang Caixin spread her hands in a helpless gesture, “The New Year is approaching, and it’s peak sales season. How can you ask us to take a three-month break?”

“If I tell you to take a break, you take a break,” Feng Jun declared decisively, “No worries, even if the jade business doesn’t work out, I have other deals for your sister. Don’t act like you’ve never seen money before.”

Zhang Caixin was visibly tempted; she tilted her head to think for a moment, then pulled out her mobile phone, “I’ll call my sister.”

At this moment, Sister Hong sat in the teahouse sipping tea with someone, a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He was tall with a corpulent body, a slightly balding head, and dressed reasonably well. However, his face was riddled with pockmarks, giving off an uncomfortable vibe.

The man spoke in a thick Beijing accent, “Director Zhang, for the mere sixty-odd million, our company has sent three groups of people. We’re extremely sincere, and now that I, as the boss, have come personally, if there’s no generosity on your part, where’s my dignity?”

“You’re a director, but so am I,” Sister Hong said with a smile. “We had already reached an agreement, but your company insisted on changing terms at the last minute, putting me in a difficult spot.”

“We thought you were interested in expanding into the capital,” the middle-aged man said straightforwardly, not one to tiptoe around a matter of only a few tens of millions, “thinking it would be more convenient to buy locally.”

“Hehe,” Sister Hong chuckled dryly, “People in the capital are not welcoming us, so we decided not to go.”

“No problem, if you won’t come to Zhengyang, we can come to you,” the man said with a smile. “We’ve taken the risk of offending people to come all this way, Director Zhang, you mustn’t let us down.”

“I, Zhang Weihong, have never let a friend down,” Sister Hong stated grandly.

However, her expression hardened the next moment, “But you’ve gone back on your word before. It’s cash on delivery; that’s non-negotiable, and we can’t go by your pricing… Fairness is mutual; you can’t expect others to act honorably if you don’t do the same.”

The middle-aged man didn’t like this line of talk. His special trip to Zhengyang was supposed to establish good relations with Zhang Weihong and purchase jade at a lower price, but as the saying goes, it’s a buyer’s market now, and those with money call the shots.

Sister Hong’s jade was of high quality and low price, but there were other sellers, no need to sell oneself short.

Since it’s business, why not stick to business and avoid needless verbal lashings?

Thus, he expressed his displeasure, “Director Zhang, with that kind of talk, you’re being unreasonable. Your price is a bit lower, but…”

“It’s not just the price that’s low,” Zhang Weihong interjected proudly, “My goods are top-quality.”

“There’s no need to discuss whether the goods are good,” the middle-aged man said bluntly. “We’ll buy according to the grade of your goods. I haven’t downgraded the quality. Is there any point in saying this?”

In his view, the quality of Sister Hong’s goods wasn’t the pressing issue, since he was pricing according to the respective grade.

“Of course, there’s a point,” Sister Hong responded with a smile, “To find someone else in the whole of Huaxia who can offer as much high-grade jade as I can… you won’t find a second one.”

“Alright,” the middle-aged man didn’t want to argue further, “My point is, your goods do have their unique aspects, but there are also some other risks. Taking on your goods entails an additional safety cost… I’m based in the capital after all.”

He was, of course, referring to the pressure coming from Young Master Dou’s side.

“Hehe,” Sister Hong laughed dismissively, so dismissive she didn’t even bother to respond. That excuse had been chewed over by everyone – harped on repeatedly until others were nauseated, let alone her.

To put it plainly, it was this: if there weren’t these risks, it wouldn’t be your turn to pick up a bargain.

The middle-aged man knew what her laughter meant and steeled himself, “Fine, I won’t haggle over the price anymore. The payment will be spread over four installments, following a ‘three-three-three-one’ schedule, if that works we can sign the contract today.”

“I’m sorry,” Zhang Weihong smiled lightly, “Cash on delivery, full payment upon receipt of the goods. We do not accept installment payments nor do we deliver.”

“Director Zhang, your words really show a lack of sincerity,” the middle-aged man’s face darkened, “As far as I know, some of the contracts you signed recently included installment payments.”

Sister Hong certainly knew he was right, but she didn’t have much regard for the man before her: You act in bad faith first, yet still expect the same terms as others have… How could that be possible?

So, with a feigned smile, she said, “That’s rather tough. We always have tight cash flow on our books. Maybe in the future, when it’s a little less tight, we might consider installment payments… but that’s just a maybe.”

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man almost spat out a mouthful of blood in frustration: Stop kidding, you’ve got hundreds of millions lying in your accounts, and you’re telling me you’re short on money?

Zhang Weihong kept a significant amount of cash on hand to show outsiders she was financially sound. If she’s still telling people she was short on money under these circumstances, then clearly, money wasn’t the actual issue.

Indeed, what she was doing equated to pointing at the man’s nose and telling him: So what if you know I have money? I won’t accommodate you anyway!

The middle-aged man was so frustrated he couldn’t even speak; he gave the table a light tap, “Director Zhang, if that’s your stance, then our cooperation will have to be put on hold.”