Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away
Chapter 195: One hundred ninety-five the price is really too high! _1

Chapter 195: One hundred ninety-five the price is really too high! _1

At the thought, Mr. Gu’s confusion cleared suddenly.

So it was her.

He picked up the phone, "Hello, you’re speaking."

Li Aifang’s somewhat nervous voice came from the other end.

"Hello, hello, it’s Li Aifang here, the family member of that little girl in the bed across from your daughter-in-law, the one in the fruit business!"

Li Aifang was afraid that Mr. Gu wouldn’t remember her, so she introduced herself very clearly in one breath.

From her tone, one could tell that she likely wanted to discuss something urgent with Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu took his hand off the steering wheel, leaned back in his seat, and then said with a smile, "Oh, it’s you. You’re calling me, what’s the matter?"

What a composed demeanor, feigning ignorance despite knowing quite well, but still pretending to be unaware, waiting for the other party to speak up first.

The person on the other end spoke in a low and forced voice, tinged with a hint of nervousness.

"It’s like this, Mr. Gu, I want to discuss with you about that batch of imported cherries you have, could you sell them to me?"

Li Aifang had been tossing and turning for days on end.

Ultimately, she thought of what was, for the current stage, the best strategy for herself, though a bit risky; only by doing so could she ensure her cherries were not affected.

That was to take all the imported cherries in Mr. Gu’s possession and hold them in her own hands first.

At the same time, to contact all sales channels and try to sell the cherries she had as quickly as possible.

Then, to start selling the imported cherries that came from Mr. Gu’s stock.

Only by having Mr. Gu’s imported cherries in her hands could she ensure he wouldn’t make a move and compete with her for business.

As long as he didn’t make a move, she was confident that there wouldn’t be a second business with cherries of higher quality than hers.

By then, she could sell the cherries that came from Mr. Gu, and by doing so, she could make double the money!

However, there were risks, such as holding the stock for too long leading to the goods becoming moldy or rotten, which might entail a certain loss for herself.

But such a loss would definitely be less significant than if Mr. Gu were to compete with her.

That’s why Li Aifang made this call to Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu chuckled and said honestly, "I have quite a few cherries here."

Presently, he didn’t have many cherries in hand, after all, it was just from two trees, but his fruits were available daily, a steady trickle.

Li Aifang wanted to monopolize his fruits, but he feared she might not be able to accomplish that.

On the other side, Li Aifang was a bit anxious, "Mr. Gu, how much do you have on hand right now?"

Mr. Gu thought for a moment, "Maybe about five or six hundred pounds, or possibly seven hundred."

After all, these things were always ripening, bearing fruit— who knew how much there actually was.

Li Aifang hesitated, "Well then, Mr. Gu, I’ll take the entire batch you have in hand, what do you think?"

Mr. Gu blinked, "Of course, that’s fine by me."

He was in the business of selling fruits, so why wouldn’t he sell if she wanted to buy?

"However, as you know, my cherries are imported, and the price..." Mr. Gu paused halfway, as he always preferred not to be the first one to make a price offer.

This would mean setting a concrete price, and he would rather wait for the other party to make an offer!

Li Aifang clenched her teeth.

"Let’s do it this way, the regular cherries in my shop cost eight per measure, and with logistics and rent included, they sell at twelve. Since yours are imported, I’ll just give you a straight price of twelve, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Gu chuckled.

He had bought cherries for Tangtang last time for twelve, and his were at least double the size; if he sold them at this price, it seemed like a bit of a loss.

"Actually, I don’t think you need my cherries. Let’s each sell our own and not interfere with one another, what do you say?" Mr. Gu said with a smile.

Even if I take them to the street myself, with this quality, I could easily sell them for thirteen yuan a piece. With such a large size, let alone thirteen, there are people who would buy them for fourteen.

But Li Aifang started with an offer of twelve for me, and frankly, I wasn’t interested.

When Mr. Gu made that comment, it really put Li Aifang in a tight spot.

"No, Mr. Gu, how about thirteen? Will thirteen work for you?"

Li Aifang’s voice trembled; she was almost desperate to the point of tears.

If Mr. Gu bought these cherries, there might still be a way out for him.

As long as he became my competitor, then my family’s cherries would be truly doomed.

This was going to be a loss, and if things went south, it could mean losing everything. Her anxiety was genuine.

Mr. Gu spoke indifferently, "How about this, a fixed price of fourteen."

To tell the truth, if it weren’t for the fact that Ji Pianran and her daughter had once been ward mates, I would have even hesitated at fourteen.

Fourteen!

My own cost price for these cherries was only eight yuan, and Mr. Gu was asking for fourteen right off the bat, was he trying to double his money?

At this price, even the tastiest cherries might not sell.

After all, isn’t the consumption level obvious?

If I purchase them for fourteen yuan, I definitely need to mark up the price to make a profit; it’s impossible not to earn a single cent!

But then, how am I supposed to raise my price?

Fourteen yuan, that’s the price of two catties of meat. In today’s society, the majority are poor!

Even if I don’t earn a profit, I can’t guarantee everyone would be willing to buy.

Li Aifang hesitated. For her, the price was a bit too high.

With such a price, she had no idea how to sell them.

But if she didn’t take up the deal, what was she supposed to do with the cherries she already had?

Her mind was in utter chaos.

"Mr. Gu, I think you’re a smart man and you probably have guessed why I want to buy your cherries," said Li Aifang with an uneasy tone.

"I’m well aware, and I do have sympathy for your situation, but there’s nothing I can do. Business is business, and it has always been this way. You should understand that," Mr. Gu’s words were harsh but helpless.

Sympathy is one thing, but business is another. Who in the world doesn’t struggle?

There are too many people who have a hard time, and one cannot give up an opportunity to make money just because of a brief encounter.

Is he not just someone who wants to make money too?

Li Aifang took a deep breath, her voice filled with resignation, "Let me think about it again. A cost price of fourteen is indeed too high."

Li Aifang was a forty-year-old who had clawed her way up in the business world. Although irritated, she knew Mr. Gu was right.

She just didn’t know what would be the best course of action.

The first time she met Mr. Gu, he gave her the impression of being very family-oriented, personable, kind to others, handsome, and pleasant to deal with.

Li Aifang mustered her courage and spoke her truth to Mr. Gu.

Speaking honestly with a competitor, she had never done something like this in her many years of living.

"To be honest, I’m really facing a tough situation this time. If we truly become competitors, I might be beaten without any power to fight back."

"The price of fourteen, given the quality of your cherries, isn’t an issue at all. But as a businessperson, we also have to consider our audience, right?"

This was the point that troubled her the most right now.

Whether a product sells well depends partly on its quality but also on the size of its target consumer base.

With this price, she knew there wouldn’t be many in her audience.