Chapter 245: Chapter 242: Buying Goods

It was past three o’clock when Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang returned to the station. The trains back to East Market had stopped running after three.

Li Xiangyang took her to the No. 2 Guesthouse. It was a three-story building, and the ground floor was lined with storefronts. There were restaurants, shoe stores, and clothing shops, and every store was filled with customers.

The two of them went to the registration desk and, after asking the clerk, learned that Zhou Xiaohong and Chen Dongming hadn’t checked in yet.

Li Xiangyang took out a letter of introduction and booked two rooms, telling the clerk they were expecting two more people.

The clerk told them that when the other two arrived, they could simply come register with their own letter of introduction.

After registering, Li Xiangyang asked him which floor the wholesale spice vendors were on.

The person at the registration desk told them the spice vendors were in a few rooms toward the back of the first floor.

A woman in her thirties with shoulder-length hair led them to the second floor. The two rooms were next to each other. Each room had two single beds, a desk, and two chairs.

After the attendant left, Lin Lan inspected the sheets and pillows on the bed. They looked like they had just been changed and seemed clean enough.

Li Xiangyang came over from the next room and said to Lin Lan, “Little Lan, why don’t you rest for a bit? I’m going to go downstairs and take a look.”

“Let’s go together.”

Lin Lan picked up her army satchel, and the two of them went downstairs together, heading for the rooms at the back of the first floor. They could smell a strong aroma before they even got there.

As they got closer, they saw that the doors to the wholesale spice rooms were all open. Inside, burlap sacks were piled high. In one room, a few men were gathered around, playing cards.

Li Xiangyang and Lin Lan went from one to the next, asking about prices. They walked to the room in the farthest corner, where someone was in the middle of buying goods.

Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang walked in. The slightly balding owner glanced at them but continued to pack the other customer’s order.

Lin Lan picked up a few pieces of star anise to examine them. “Boss, how much for the star anise?”

The boss chuckled. “We don’t sell in small quantities.”

“If we wanted to buy a small amount, we wouldn’t have come here!”

“This gentleman is in a hurry. If you two could wait just a moment.” The boss spoke as he deftly finished packing the goods, took the payment, and saw the customer off.

Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang looked around and noticed there were several types of star anise. Some had a strong fragrance, while others were milder.

The boss returned and, smiling, looked at them. “For the star anise, do you want the kind from Guang Province or the local Sichuan kind?” He then picked up two types of star anise that looked identical. “This one is from Guang Province, mostly used for medicinal purposes. This one is from Sichuan, more commonly bought as a daily seasoning.”

Lin Lan took them and had a look. She thought the star anise from Guang Province was larger, while the local kind was smaller. “Is there a price difference between the two?”

“The Sichuan kind is cheaper, the Guang Province kind is more expensive. For everyday seasoning, the Sichuan one will do just fine.”

Lin Lan asked about the prices of a few other spices and found they were cheaper than the other vendors. “We’re buying for everyday seasoning. Can you tell us your prices?”

After quoting his prices, the boss even showed them his ledger. “You can rest assured about my goods. They’re absolutely genuine and fairly priced.”

Lin Lan looked at Li Xiangyang. “What do you think?”

Li Xiangyang said, “Boss, we’re opening a new shop and will be buying in large quantities. If you can lower your prices a bit more, we’ll buy from you.”

The boss looked at Li Xiangyang with a troubled expression. “Brother, to be honest with you, I just started here not long ago myself. I have few regular customers, so my prices are already the lowest they can be. Any lower, and I won’t make a profit.”

Lin Lan smiled. “We came all the way from East Market, and the shipping fees are expensive. You have to give us at least a small discount.”

The boss smiled and shook his head. “East Market isn’t that far. I’d advise you not to ship it. It’s a hassle, not to mention things can get lost. Trust me, once the goods are packed, I’ll find a porter to help you carry them to your vehicle, and I’ll cover the porter’s fee.”

Li Xiangyang looked at him. “Lower the price a bit more, and we’ll be your regular customers from now on.”

The boss hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’ll take another two cents off each item. Any lower than that, and there’s no deal.”

“Done!” Li Xiangyang agreed readily.

The smiling boss asked for their names and told them his surname was Ge and his given name was Changfa.

Li Xiangyang complimented him on his business acumen. The pair followed Boss Ge’s advice and selected all the spices they needed. They gave Boss Ge a small deposit and told him they were staying in Room 203 on the second floor and would be back to pick up the goods tomorrow morning before they left.

Boss Ge smiled. “No need for a deposit. You can pay in full tomorrow morning when you pick up the goods.”

“Alright then!” Lin Lan put away the order form. As she and Li Xiangyang left Boss Ge’s shop, they saw Zhou Xiaohong and Chen Dongming standing at the registration desk, asking if they had arrived.

“Sister Zhou, we’re here!” Lin Lan called out.

Zhou Xiaohong walked over with a smile. “I thought you were still at Old Chen’s place!”

Lin Lan smiled. “We’ve already bought all our spices.”

Zhou Xiaohong looked at them in surprise. “Wow, you two work fast!”

“We only stayed at Old Chen’s for a little while before coming here.” The group chatted and laughed as they went upstairs, pushed open the door to one of the rooms, and sat down.

Chen Dongming said with a laugh, “Mingxuan’s clothing business is really booming. A whole new group of customers came in right after you left. Little Hong and I even helped out for a bit.”

Just as he and Zhou Xiaohong were leaving, another wave of people arrived. Xu Mingxuan had originally planned to see them off but couldn’t even get away.

Zhou Xiaohong picked up the conversation. “Mingxuan told us that when sourcing goods, we shouldn’t just look for the cheapest price. We have to pick better quality materials to get more repeat customers.” She then looked at Lin Lan. “Little Lin, Mingxuan is going to Yangcheng City next Wednesday, and I’m planning to go with him. What are your plans?”

’Zhou Xiaohong felt that Xu Mingxuan’s business was what you could really call a business, while what she and Lin Lan earned was just hard-earned money. Braving the wind and rain all year round, as she got older, her back and legs couldn’t take standing for long periods. Especially on damp, rainy days, they would ache as if pricked by needles.’

’A hospital check-up revealed she had severe rheumatism, and the doctor told her to avoid contact with water as much as possible, or her joints could swell and become deformed in the future.’

’She had already discussed it with Chen Dongming on the way here. While they still had the energy to hustle, they would work hard for a few more years to save up more money. They wanted to buy a storefront for each of their children, and then save a little for their own retirement so they wouldn’t be a burden to their kids later on.’

’Lin Lan realized today was also a Wednesday, which meant they would only have a few days to prepare if they were to go. She hadn’t asked Li Xiangyang if he had set a time with Uncle Da yet.’

She turned to Li Xiangyang. “Xiangyang, what do you think?”

Li Xiangyang said, “The time I arranged with Uncle Da is for next Sunday, so you’ll have to go ahead first.”

Zhou Xiaohong nodded. “Then we’ll go on ahead.”

The four of them talked for a while. Lin Lan and Zhou Xiaohong washed their faces, and seeing that it was getting late, they all went to the station to buy tickets without even having eaten dinner.

When they arrived at the train station’s ticket hall, the four of them were dumbfounded. Now *this* was a crowd; the line for tickets snaked all the way out of the hall.

Li Xiangyang said to Lin Lan and Zhou Xiaohong, “Brother Chen will wait in line. I’ll take you two back to the guesthouse first. If you’re hungry, just eat downstairs. Don’t wait for us.”

Zhou Xiaohong nodded. “Okay, that works. We’ll go back first, order some food, and then come back to relieve you.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep