Sato asked directly, but Feng Zhenchang didn't answer too readily. 'Let's go, have dinner first. We'll talk about this tomorrow after we go to the site and take a look,'
Regardless of his feelings towards the Japanese, dinner was prepared very lavishly. The dishes were all very ordinary, but they were all things that could not be bought with money in the city, such as the hares and pheasants that Feng's uncle had asked Dongzhengge to deliver. They were definitely things that were raised naturally. The pheasants in particular had not been seen in the mountains for many years, but now they had finally reappeared.
Dongzhengge even laughed at the time and said, 'Do you want me to catch a snake and cook it for soup?' Feng Yiping shook his head even as he didn't say what the Japanese would think.
If you bring it over after you've cooked it, he'll eat it even if you don't say what it is. But if you tell him beforehand what it is, no matter how delicious it is, Feng Yiping wouldn't dare eat it.
The same goes for the wine. They simply went all out and used the grain wine that was brewed last year. Even the yeast was natural, without any chemicals. It was left to age for nearly a year, and it's strong and mellow. There's only one bottle, and although it doesn't make you drunk, it's very strong.
After three glasses, Sato's tongue got a little big and said, 'This wine is great!'
The three Japanese were slightly drunk, and fell asleep with the sound of frogs lulling them to sleep. They slept quite soundly, but when the morning light began to appear, someone was knocking on the door.
Feng Zhenchang was with the three children, Gao Zhiyi was with Xiaojiang, and they were all waiting downstairs, fully dressed. They said to the sleepily Japanese, 'It's a little cooler in the morning, let's go. I'll show you the fields now,'
The mist shrouded the distant mountains. The small mountain village, which was becoming increasingly modernised, had woken up. Smoke was already rising from the roofs of many houses. By the edge of the stone slab by the pond, a few old women were sitting on small stools, chatting about family matters and doing the laundry.
The brothers Wenhua and Wenhui had just herded the chickens out of the house, and were holding gourd dippers full of grain. They saw Feng Zhanchang walking with a group of people towards the village, and called out to him, running over to them. It was just as well, as they could help keep an eye on the little ones.
People were already working in the fields next to the village, and there were even more in the vegetable gardens, taking advantage of the cool weather and before they went to work to get things done.
Feng Zhenchang greeted them while leading them forward with his feet. In a field in front of them, Dongzhengge was busy hoeing the soil with a hoe, while a load of earthenware baskets were placed next to him. 'Here they are,'
Feng Zhenchang nodded, "This is the field where radishes are going to be planted, and these ones up there," he pointed to the fields on the surrounding hillsides, 'These are all radishes, but the kind we grow here are autumn radishes, which can only be planted a few days from now,'
Hearing this, Sato and the others understood why Feng Zhenchang had that expression when he heard their questions yesterday.
'Look, it's all farm fertilizer,' Dongzhengge dug a hoe in the ground, revealing the fertilizer inside, "not a single bit of chemical fertilizer,'
Sato nodded in agreement, "Good! Hard work!'
Following Dongzhengge's actions, he couldn't quite understand what was going on. He saw him raise the hoe and dig up the small slope next to him. What was he doing?
After a few hoes, what was underneath was no longer soil, but yellow mud. An opening was dug, and Feng Yiping went up to help break the mud down to reveal the radishes stored inside. It turned out to be a radish cellar.
Feng Zhenchang casually took one out and peeled it, cutting off a small piece for Sato and the others, 'Try it,'
When Sato and the others tasted it, it was indeed delicious. The kind of dried radish they had been eating must have been made from this kind of radish.
In the meantime, Feng Yiping and the others had dug up another cellar about 3 or 4 metres away. Feng Zhenchang took out another one and asked them to taste it. This one tasted much worse. If the other kind was sugarcane, this kind was sugarcane residue that had been chewed. As the old saying goes, it was a bit of chaff.
Actually, it's simple. This is a radish that has sprouted, which is also known as a hollow radish.
'Do you understand?' Feng Zhenchang asked Sato.
Sato nodded, 'The one we were given was this good,'
'Yes, not only is the raw material good, but to make your batch, only the middle best piece is used, and the slightly inferior scraps are discarded. In this way, there are more processes during production, as well as packaging. The packaging for the batch you were given is also the best. In short, don't look at them as just dried radishes, but the quality can be said to be heaven and earth. For you, everything is made with the best,'
This is of course a statement that he and his son have discussed. The main difference between domestic and export sales is that domestic sales are not as organised as export sales, with each item having the same shape.
Feng Zhenchang clapped his hands, 'We don't want to use greenhouses to grow them. We only grow them for one season each year. The output is currently limited, and domestic sales are already in short supply. As for exports, we already have customers approaching us from South Korea. So, I hope you can make a decision soon, otherwise, the share that can be left for you at that time will definitely not be much,'
These are the usual tactics used in business negotiations, and Feng Zhenchang is now very familiar with them. The Korean customers he mentioned as being interested are purely imaginary, but it won't be difficult to find a few by the time of the Autumn Fair next month.
These half-true, half-false words left the Japanese speechless. At breakfast, Feng Yiping said again, 'If you feel that this kind of high-end product is not very popular with your residents and may not sell well, that's fine. You can consider purchasing the regular kind.'
Sato immediately said, 'No, this is very good, we want this one. It's just that at this price, I sincerely hope there will be some discount,'
For businessmen, the actual purchase price is not important; what is important is whether high profits can be made. If the purchase price is high, so is the selling price, then in fact they are not that sensitive to the purchase price, especially when Feng Zhenchang and the others are hyping up something with a limited production run but a tight market.
Feng Yiping pretended to discuss the matter with his father for a while. Feng Zhenchang said, 'The profit margins for food factories like ours are really very slim. However, considering Mr. Sato's sincerity in coming such a long way, I have to show my appreciation in some way.'
'How about this: we will give your company a two-point rebate if the amount you purchase within one year reaches one million U.S. dollars. This is our way of showing our appreciation. What do you think?'
Feng Zhenchang seemed relaxed, but in fact he was nervous. If this deal was closed, then in the future, even the surrounding villages would have to grow radishes, which would be a good opportunity to benefit the local community.
This was also why Feng Yiping had not brought the two factory managers along. If they had been there, they would have been nervous beyond belief.
'Five hundred thousand, five points, for the excess, six points, and for one million or more, eight points,' Sato countered immediately. Feng Zhenchang's goodwill was not enough for him.
'We're not selling dishes in a restaurant, we're really making a small profit. One million, 2.5 points.' Bargain well! Feng Zhenchang had a bottom line in mind and was very firm with his conditions.
One wanted to buy, the other wanted to sell. After half a day of bargaining, it was finally settled: a rebate of one million, with a limit of five points. Of course, it would not be a cash rebate, but a rebate in goods.
Holding the contract in his hands, Feng Zhenchang watched the car roll over the hill behind the village. He could no longer hold back his joy. 'Go, tell your mother that at noon I'll ask your uncles to come to the house for dinner,'
The two factory managers next to him still couldn't quite believe it, holding the few pieces of paper, "You negotiated a million dollars?'
When he heard the news, Fourth Uncle, who couldn't bear to walk, came running over on his bicycle, "How much was negotiated?'
'One million,' Feng Zhanchang said with a smile, and then added the word "dollars!'
'So this means we have to get several villages involved in growing radishes!'
Mom then came running over, panting, to make sure for herself, "Is what Yiping said true?'
When they got home at noon, they were greeted with all kinds of celebratory greetings along the way. Feng Zhanchang was beaming from ear to ear!