Chapter 220: Finding a Partner
Translator: Lonelytree
When Zeng Yaozu put the strawberry into his mouth and took a bite, his eyes immediately widened in surprise.
He chewed twice and then exclaimed, “This is the best strawberry I’ve ever eaten.”
Xiao Lingyu’s eyes lit up when she heard that. She asked with a smile, “Young Master Zeng, it sounds like you’ve tasted many kinds of strawberries before.”
“I have!” Zeng Yaozu said, “I have eaten all the top ten varieties of strawberries, for example, Fengxiang, Hongyan, Nufeng, Gui Nu Gan, and so on. They are fresh, red, and tender. The taste is slightly sour, sweet, and has a hint of fragrance. People love them.
“However, after having your strawberry, even though it is not ripe yet, it is already better than all those strawberries! The size is huge, and the taste is amazing. Boss, how did you grow your strawberries? How can they be so delicious? They are simply the best. The taste is super sweet and fragrant. It leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips, and the aftertaste is endless!”
After saying that, he turned to study the strawberry field. He narrowed his eyes. “But this is strange. I don’t think I’ve seen this strawberry variety before.”
Xiao Lingyu didn’t understand strawberries. She bought the strawberry seeds at random at the seed station. After that, she planted them in the farming space. Xiao Lingyu had to admit she didn’t know anything about growing strawberries. So she bought some books to read on it. However, the spring water had eliminated the dregs from her strawberry seedlings. Even she couldn’t tell what variety they were now. However, she did remember the girl at the seed station saying the strawberry seeds came from the Liao Province’s Dongdan City.
Dongdan city in Liao Province was the top ten strawberry cultivators in China. It was also China’s agricultural center!
Dongdan was part of the mountainous range of the Liao Province. It was part of the Changbai mountain range. It had rich water resources, a humid climate, abundant rainfall, and plenty of light. It was suitable for the growth of strawberries. Dongdan strawberries are famous for their beautiful appearance, bright color, rich fragrance, and sweet and sour taste. Most of the strawberries planted at Dongdan are in the Hongyan variety.
Therefore, the seed she bought was most likely Hongyan.
Xiao Lingyu answered Zeng Yaozu, “This is Hongyan!”
“Hongyan?” Zeng Yaozu said in surprise, “But I’ve never tasted a Hongyan like this before!”
Xiao Lingyu explained, “Young Master Zeng, this is indeed a Hongyan. However, my planting technique is somewhat different from Dongdan city. It involves cleansing and purification. The technique improves the taste.”
Zeng Yaozu nodded.
He only knew how to eat strawberries, but he did not know how to plant strawberries. Therefore, he was an amateur when it came to technical problems.
Xiao Lingyu asked again, “Young Master Zeng, since you are a strawberry connoisseur, how do you think I should price my first batch of strawberries?”
“You’re asking the right person!” Zeng Yaozu said, “I know the prices of all strawberry varieties because I eat them often. For example, Dongdan’s Hongyan strawberries are the best strawberries in our country. Their first batch is the most expensive. One kilogram of them can be sold for 120 to 200 RMB. They are really expensive. That is because the first batch is usually very limited in numbers. Not many people can afford them.”
Mother Xiao and Father Xiao found it unbelievable when they heard that a kilogram of strawberries could reach between 120 yuan and 200 yuan.
They planted so many strawberries. If they only sold one Mu of strawberries, they would get hundreds of thousands already! Was strawberry that profitable? Father and Mother Xiao had no idea.
They thought Xiao Lingyu was disheartened due to Chen Ran’s betrayal, so she returned home to farm. They thought Xiao Lingyu was farming as a way to adjust her mood. She was doing it for fun. However, their daughter had made a lot of money from farming already.
They had already earned around three hundred thousand RMB just from selling the vegetables from the six Mu of land. They hadn’t even included the vegetables from the farming space. This was something they didn’t dare to imagine in the past.
The six Mu of strawberries was worth much more than the vegetables. They also had a higher yield. If everything were sold, no, even if they just sold half of these, they would still be able to earn hundreds of thousands. It was terrifying!
Because it might expose their daughter’s farming space.
Zeng Yaozu continued, “Your strawberries taste better than Dongdan Strawberries. Yours is also the first batch. If you ask me, they should cost more than 120 RMB per kg. Honestly, they should cost at least 200 RMB per kg. But…” At this point, he frowned, “However, your strawberries are not famous. How do you plan to sell them if no one knows about them? Boss, do you have any seller for your strawberries?”
It was impossible to sell all the strawberries in retail. She needed a wholesale partner! Otherwise, how was she going to sell the tens of thousands of kilograms of strawberries? They would be left to rot in the ground. That would be such a pity.
However, Zeng Yaozu knew Boss Xiao wouldn’t be so unreliable. She must have already found a wholesale partner before she planted so many strawberries.
Xiao Lingyu said a little embarrassedly, “To be honest, I still haven’t found a wholesale partner.”
“Ah?” Zeng Yaozu was shocked. “The strawberries are almost ripe, but you don’t have a partner? Do you plan to sell them through retail?”
Xiao Lingyu smiled, “That’s actually my plan!” She had sold six Mu of vegetables through retail. But of course, the six Mu of vegetables contained many different varieties. Their price was also more acceptable to the public.
However, strawberries were different. Good strawberries were very expensive. They could reach up to hundreds of RMB per catty. Ordinary people couldn’t afford them. The target market was much smaller. Could Xing Yin County digest Xiao Lingyu’s six Mu of strawberries? It was impossible.
Perhaps even the entire City Z couldn’t sustain six Mu of strawberries.
Moreover, this strawberry was a fragile fruit that was not easy to preserve. It was not like apples or pears. For logistics, strawberries had to be preserved in a vacuum or made into jams. Or one day of travel would rot most strawberries.
Generally, the strawberries were picked before they were fully ripe. Although the taste was a little bad, it was easier to preserve.
For fully ripe strawberries, only the rich would be able to afford them. Of course, the price was higher due to different preservation methods and so on.
Unfortunately, Xiao Lingyu’s strawberries weren’t famous. She couldn’t go around asking for a high price.
Zeng Yaozu was stunned and speechless when he heard Xiao Lingyu. ‘Boss Xiao is too rash. How can she not take this matter to heart?’
Xiao Lingyu was not worried because she had the farming space. She would store the strawberries in the farming space and take them out to sell when she found a partner. Of course, she had to be careful not to let anyone discover the farming space.
Suddenly, Zeng Yaozu had a flash of inspiration and said excitedly, “Boss Xiao, actually I’m in a group called Berry Lovers…”
“Very Lovers?” Mother Xiao looked at him suspiciously. She thought this was some kind of sex group.
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Zeng Yaozu noticed the strange look in Mother Xiao’s eyes and immediately explained, “It’s a group of people who love strawberries. We have a chatgroup. We are called the Berry Lovers.”
“Oh, I see!” Mother Xiao nodded.
Zeng Yaozu said, “All of us like strawberries. Among us are some big bosses. Do you mind if I send them your strawberries to taste? Maybe it will have an unexpected effect.”
Xiao Lingyu’s eyes lit up. She was very lucky. She was very confident in her own strawberries. Anyone who had tasted her strawberries would definitely not forget it. It was the same with her vegetables.
Xiao Lingyu smiled and said, “Young Master Zeng, that is a good idea. How about we work together?”
“Work together?” Zeng Yaozu immediately frowned and asked, “What do you mean?” He only liked eating strawberries and had never considered selling strawberries before. Even if he had that idea, he couldn’t do anything because Xing Yin County couldn’t grow strawberries.
He came to look for a job at the shop, but he instead stumbled across a large patch of strawberries. And the taste of the strawberries was the best he had ever tasted.
Once the strawberries became famous, he would definitely be able to sell them for a good price. He had access to many online sales platforms. He was very confident in the taste of the strawberries. With some promotion, he could make them very popular. With the internet becoming more common, more people turned to online shopping.
He had a woman he loved. He wanted to create a rich life for her. Therefore, he didn’t deny the chance to work with Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Lingyu had no idea this former ruffian had access to many online sales platforms. If she had known, she would have long sought out his cooperation. Of course, it was still not too late.
Xiao Lingyu smiled, “Young Master Zeng…”
“Boss Xiao, don’t call me young master Zeng. It sounds really awkward to me!” Zeng Yaozu scratched his head and said in embarrassment, “My name is Zeng Yaozu. You are older than me. Just call me Yaozu.”
Xiao Lingyu nodded and said, “Okay. I’m only two or three years older than you. You can call me sister Lingyu just like Xinxin!” Xiao Lingyu deliberately mentioned Xiao Xinxin because she knew that the young man in front of her liked Xiao Xinxin.
As expected, Zeng Yaozu’s eyes lit up, and he said happily, “Okay, Sister Lingyu!”
“We should continue to discuss the collaboration!”Xiao Lingyu said.
At this moment, Mother Xiao said, “Yu ‘Er, why don’t we discuss it when we get home? You can’t keep standing like this.”
Zeng Yaozu nodded and said, “Auntie is right!” As anxious as he was, he knew to be cautious of a pregnant woman’s health.
Xiao Lingyu didn’t object. “Okay, we can return now. Mother, these strawberries can be eaten now. They taste pretty good. We’ll pick some later and send them to Elder Gong for him to taste!” He was Xiao Tong’s grandfather, so Xiao Lingyu wanted to treat him well.
Mother Xiao nodded and said, “Alright, Yu ‘Er, let your father bring you back. I’ll pick some strawberries and let everyone have a taste first!”
After Xiao Lingyu returned home, she sat on the chair.
Zeng Yaozu looked a little anxious as he asked, “Sister Lingyu, tell me, how do you plan to cooperate?”
Xiao Lingyu smiled, “Yaozu, you know now that I don’t have a partner for my strawberries, so I can’t sell them in large quantities. But I believe you have the resources to help me with that. How about this? I’ll hand over the sales of my strawberries to you, and then I’ll give you a 10% commission. I only have one request. Whether it’s wholesale or retail, the price mustn’t be less than 30 RMB!”
Her strawberries had to be high-end, and the price must not be low. Even if it was her first time selling them, she didn’t want to sell them for cheap. Branding was very important. This was something she planned from the beginning.
Zeng Yaozu said decisively without thinking, “There’s no problem with the price.” The strawberries tasted better than Dongdan Strawberries. As long as people liked the taste, they wouldn’t mind the price.
“As for the commission…” Zeng Yaozu said hesitantly, “Isn’t it a little too high?”
“Ah?” Xiao Lingyu was a little surprised. At first, she thought he was going to say it was too low. Then, she understood this was because of Xiao Xinxin. He was helping her because of Xiao Xinxin, so he didn’t dare to take too much money.
Xiao Lingyu smiled, “It’s not high. The ratio is average. Yaozu, we might work together long term. You deserve the money.”
Zeng Yaozu thought for a moment and said, “Okay!”
