Really buying 20 million catties

"Chen Yu, you rascal, you must be joking again," Qiu Guoqing remarked.

"Uncle Qiu, I genuinely want to buy some," Chen Yu replied.

"Really?" Qiu Guoqing asked.

"Yes," Chen Yu confirmed.

"20 million catties?" Qiu Guoqing repeated for clarity.

"Exactly," Chen Yu affirmed.

"Are you sure?" Qiu Guoqing pressed.

"Absolutely," Chen Yu replied with certainty.

Qiu Guoqing was bewildered. Buying several thousand or even tens of thousands of catties would be normal. But purchasing a whopping 20 million catties, equivalent to 10,000 tons, was nothing short of terrifying.

"Chen Yu, why are you buying so much?" Qiu Guoqing asked, still baffled.

"You said, Uncle Qiu, that the current wholesale price for navel oranges is just one cent per catty. I thought, with such a low cost, I could sell them to other provinces and maybe make some profit."

"My goodness," Li Yan remarked, putting down his chopsticks. "Chen Yu, even though I've never done business, I believe there's more to it. Who will buy so many navel oranges? Who can handle such a massive quantity?"

"Of course, I'll sell them to the people of our country. Even though 20 million catties sounds like a lot, it's actually not enough for the entire nation."

"But someone still has to collect them."

"I have a plan for that."

Chen Yu, with his modern way of thinking, didn't intend to follow traditional methods.

"Uncle Qiu, by the way, the navel oranges haven't been harvested yet, right?"

"They'll be ready soon. Harvesting starts on November 15th, just a few more days."

"Then how should I handle these 20 million catties? I'm not very familiar with this."

"If you're serious about this, I can help you contact some friends at the Agricultural Bureau. Also, do you have a warehouse?"

"Well, I don't."

"No problem. Warehouses are easy to find, and I can inquire for you. Of course, it will come at a cost."

While Qiu Guoqing spoke confidently, he had his doubts. It seemed unrealistic for this young man to suddenly want 20 million catties of navel oranges, especially since he appeared unfamiliar with the business.

However, despite the seeming audacity of the plan, Chen Yu was undeterred.

Every profession has its experts.

This world had numerous opportunities, and there was no need for him to be a master of all trades.

He just needed to know that navel oranges could be profitable and that he could find a sales channel.

As for the rest, he could rely on others.

With that in mind, Chen Yu brought the bundle of cash from the side and handed it to Qiu Guoqing. "Uncle Qiu, I don't know much about this, so here's a down payment of 100,000 yuan for now. You can hold onto it."

Originally, the money in his bag was meant for other purposes, but it had unexpectedly turned into an investment for navel oranges.

"This won't do," Qiu Guoqing hesitated to accept the cash.

"Uncle Qiu, don't worry, the money isn't for you. What's there to be concerned about? You mentioned renting a warehouse, and I don't have one. Renting a warehouse costs money, and besides, navel oranges haven't been harvested yet. Securing a supply of navel oranges also requires funds. I'll use this portion of the money for renting a warehouse and reserving the navel oranges."

"In that case, fine."

Considering the situation, Qiu Guoqing nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Uncle Qiu, could you see if you can help me find some people to assist?"

"With so many navel oranges, you'll definitely need help. Forget it; I'll help you all the way. I'll find an expert in navel oranges for you. I promise they'll help you smoothly purchase 20 million catties of navel oranges."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Qiu."

Raising his glass, Chen Yu toasted Qiu Guoqing once more.

...

"Guoqing, you're really helping Chen Yu buy navel oranges?"

"Why not? Could he manage to buy 20 million catties of navel oranges on his own?"

"It's not that. I mean, don't you think this is too hasty?"

"I think so too."

On the way home, Li Yan frowned and expressed his concerns to Qiu Guoqing.

"Well, if you think the same, why are you helping him? Of course, I'm not saying we shouldn't help him. I mean, this kid is so young. Who decides to sell navel oranges with just a casual suggestion? And he's starting with 20 million catties. If he can't sell them all, he'll be in tears."

"Whether he cries or not, I don't know. But, look, he's already paid the deposit. There's no faking that, is there?"

"You're right."

"Since it's not a fake, there shouldn't be any problem with this purchase. Plus, with his arrival, many fruit farmers won't have to let their navel oranges rot at home. It's like solving a major livelihood problem for the county."

Qiu Guoqing was a dedicated official. Even though he was only the director of the tax bureau, he didn't hesitate to assist the county with significant welfare projects.

So, when Chen Yu asked for his help, he readily agreed.

"Heh, aren't you worried he'll lose money?"

"If he does, it'll be a lesson for him. But, Old Classmate, I think this kid is remarkable."

"Oh, remarkable? What's so remarkable about him?"

"Old Classmate, do I need to spell it out? Look at him, he's a high school student, and he's managed to create such a large company. Do you know where their website '5173' ranks nationally?"

"What's their national ranking?"

"27th."

"They're ranked 27th nationally. That's impressive."

"Of course, if it were just that..."

"What else is there?"

"Did you hear Chen Yu's idea about the navel orange industry a while ago? I won't hide it from you; our County Chief Lan has been contemplating the navel orange industry's potential lately."

"Really?"

Li Yan opened his mouth, but then fell silent. Each of them went home separately.

...

The next day.

"Dad, why are you up so early to go to the store today?"

"I'm not going to the store today. I have to visit the county's Investment Promotion Office."

"Why are you going there?"

"They say the county is preparing for a promotional event for local specialties from Xinfeng. I thought, since our snail variety, Snail Beauty is also a local specialty of Xinfeng, I'd sign up and see if we can promote our snails to other provinces."

"Dad, that's impressive! You're already thinking of promoting them to other provinces."

Chen Yu gave his father, Chen Simian, a big thumbs up.

His father indeed possessed a talent for business. Recently, he not only secured franchisees from all the surrounding areas of Ganzhou but also expanded fully into the whole of Jiangxi. Now, he was even considering working with the government to promote their product to other provinces.

But this idea was a good one. If the promotion went well, it could be quite promising.

"Alright, I'm off."

Feeling embarrassed by his son's praise, Chen Simian smiled and picked up a briefcase before heading out.

Chen Yu watched his father with a satisfied smile and then went to Chenyi Square.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

As soon as he entered the office, he heard Zhang Jianming's excited voice.

"What's with the clanging? Zhang, how's the progress on the reciprocal links for our web pages?"

"I was just about to tell you about this."

Zhang Jianming was clearly thrilled. "Let me tell you, I contacted the heads of several websites like Tianya, Shuimu, MOP... They were all very enthusiastic, and they added reciprocal links to our website on the same day."

"That's excellent; the speed is impressive."

"Hehe, I didn't expect it to be this fast."

"But of course, 5173 is no pushover. Reciprocal links are beneficial for us, and they also benefit them. It's a matter of simply adding a link, and it's done in a matter of minutes."

"Right, right."

Zhang Jianming nodded eagerly.

However, deep down, he was still extremely excited. He hadn't expected 5173 to be on an equal footing with websites like Tianya and Shuimu.

"But Tianya and the others were quite warm, while Sina, Sohu, NetEase... they were rather aloof and ignored me."

"You even contacted the major portal websites?"

"I just wanted to give it a try, but it turns out they said we're not at their level."

"Wow..."

Chen Yu was overwhelmed with emotions. "Jianming, focus on building relationships with the major websites for now. In a while, I might have some big plans in store."

"Sure, I'll continue to stay in touch with them and build relationships."

Zhang Jianming nodded repeatedly, displaying the demeanor of someone who was eager to become friends with the bigwigs of these websites.