"Okay. My husband's first condition is that he will be the exclusive distributor to both wholesalers and retailers outside of Beiwang but the rest of the whole of Zichen for a year. You are to make it six months, then if you like his business, you add another six months to it.
Meaning, he will be the only one to supply to the whole of our country except the capital city. You are allowed to supply to only those based here. You cannot sell in bulk to other such competitors who trade outside the capital.
The second condition is that, he will always give you a down payment and give you time to make his orders during this period, but you are to make sure to complete his order first before you serve the other customers of yours who came later.
He requires that you treat this with utmost good faith here. These are all. Now let me hear your conditions please. I will make sure to relay them to him too.", Mama Jin said.
Yun Lui was thinking about what he had just heard. It sounded fair and good but he needs to discuss with his family first.
There was something that this person before him said that caught his attention.
It fits perfectly into his future plans. He wondered why he had asked for only year.
Though that one year is the maximum duration of such deals, that he can afford to give anyone right now since he only has a year, before he and Papa Chi become partners.
Is it a coincidence or is it something else? He thought he should voice it out before more doubts are created. "May I ask, why only a year? I mean, why is he asking to do this with me for only a year?", he questioned.
"Oh, yeah. I also asked him about that but I didn't understand and still don't understand the logic he gave me. I think he'll be the best person to explain that to you better.", Mama Jin explained. "So now, what are your conditions?", he asked Yun Lui.
"I only have one condition. It has to be satisfied even before I decide whether or not I want to have a business with him. That same condition when satisfied, will determine whether or not I have other conditions.", Yun Lui stated.
"And what is this one condition that everything is depending on?", Mama Jin asked.
"It's that he brings me a copy of his sales and purchases books for the last three years and to study them for about a week. I need certain informations to determine whether or not he is worth the deal.", Yun Lui stated.
Mama Jin was shocked. Asking for such books from a business man is like asking a politician to let you look into his heart and soul when he's rallying for votes. He'll rather lose all of his votes than to let you do that. Ah well, he is only the mediator. He inform his husband and leave the rest to him.
"Okay. I'll inform him.", he answered Yun Lui.
"Then we'll like to take our leave if you don't mind.", Yun Lui said and both he and Muchen, who was also shocked at his request, got up.
"Sure please.", Mama Jin said. He escorted them to outside of his compound and they said their byes.
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"So what do you think, father?", Yun Lui asked his adopted father that evening after telling him everything.
"I think it's a good deal but are you sure that asking for his books won't deter him from going through with it. I don't think that you should do anything that'll mess it up. It benefits you more.", Papa said.
"Darling, why did you ask for those books?", Mama asked as she rejoined them. She had left half-way in the conversation, so she missed the part where Yun Lui explained his reasons for asking for those books.
"Mom, it's for a number of reasons. One is to see if he was willing to take the risk of trusting me with them. Two, is so that I can check the quantity of goods that he is able to sell and see how often he restock. His collection times and the actual sales turnover for each month." Yun Lui explained.
"Oh okay. But can you reconsider that? I don't really think that it is necessary to check those books.", Mama Chi said.
"Lulu, I really don't think that you should look at those books. They're too sensitive to his business. And even those reasons you gave are not worth it.
Look at it this way, he has never dealt with a product like yours which do not even exist yet, so how is his previous performance going to reflect on yours?
He is now going to market them for you. He is going to cater for all the marketing and distribution costs and don't forget, advertisement.
He promise to give you down payments before you even make the products, where are you ever going to get this offer from a total stranger?
He is even only asking you to do this for the first six months and then reassess things and decide whether or not you'll go into another six months. What do you have to lose here?
You have the liberty to supply those here, so even if he makes no sales during the period, you're still good.
It's not like you can supply the whole of the capital even within those six months let alone extending to other towns. You have more to gain and almost nothing to lose here.
The level of advertisement that this deal will give you by the end of your agreed period, I am telling you as someone who used to run the guild that even money cannot offer you that. Because he has invested his money, he'll make sure that he sells the products.
I personally see this deal as something that will pave way for what you and your father planned. And luckily he asked for only a year altogether. How perfect can it be. It's almost uncanny.", Mama Chi said.