Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 513, Section 103: One shouldn't be too greedy (Seeking monthly votes)

Cai Kaisheng remained silent, mentally calculating the profit from the oyster orders, as well as the supply prices of fish maw, bird's nest, and ready-to-eat shark fin canned goods.

After calculating everything, I realized that I only supplied the goods and advertised, and spent all other marketing costs on that, saving a lot of money!
Since there's a score to settle, let's agree to Handsome Boy's victory.

"Since Chi Sheng has already thought of something for me, I won't nag or be long-winded anymore!"

"But let me make this clear from the start: there are minimum purchase quantities for all three types of canned goods—shark fin, sea cucumber, and fish maw. If you purchase less than that, the price will not be the one we agreed on!"

"Furthermore, everything we agree on must be reflected in the contract and protected by law."

Cai Kaisheng took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and spoke.

Monofilament raised his glass, agreeing to all of Cai Kaisheng's requests.

With time running out and the task heavy, Dan Sijie and Cai Kaisheng quickly finished their meal and returned to the law firm with all the contracts. Cai Kaisheng also called his lawyer to Luo Wenjin's law firm to prepare for a late-night work session.

Both parties acted quickly, finalizing all the contract details in less than three days.

Chi Mengli did not show up. This was a small business, and he didn't need to be involved. Besides, his special status would only cause trouble if he appeared in the newspaper. So, Xiren represented Chi Mengli at the signing ceremony and signed the contract.

The senior vice president of Jardine Matheson Insurance and representatives from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce attended the signing ceremony, as the Japanese Chamber of Commerce also signed an order with Daily Fresh for abalone, snow crab, and sea urchin.

These orders combined totaled 170 million yuan, making them the largest orders in the past three years.

The Commerce and Industry Bureau needed such a large order to boost the morale of Hong Kong's industry and commerce. The Chief Secretary for Chinese Affairs attended in person, and major media outlets flocked to the scene. The name "Daily Fresh" suddenly became highly sought after.

The advertising company acted quickly, with its daily promotional posters for the Lunar New Year being displayed at every booth in the Yau Tsim Mong district. The company also hired a group of South Asian paper distributors to print over 100,000 flyers.

Flyers alone are definitely not effective; housewives just treat them as waste paper.

Chi Mengli thought of Walmart's promotional methods, which included designing a coupon section on the flyers. He also drew inspiration from the discounts and promotions offered by e-commerce websites in later generations.

The strategy is to offer discounts of 5 yuan off purchases of 49 yuan, 8 yuan off purchases of 79 yuan, and 30 yuan off purchases of 199 yuan, and it is also announced that points earned during the Lunar New Year promotion will be doubled.

Of course, this was just an appetizer. Chi Mengli also brought out her trump card, which was to double the deposit. If you deposit 300 yuan, you can get 50 yuan for free; if you deposit 500 yuan, you can get 200 yuan for free; and if you deposit 1,000 yuan, you can get 500 yuan.

This is a promotional method that Hong Kong has never used before, and it's beyond just causing a huge stir.

Housewives who were planning a big New Year shopping spree received the flyers, cut off the coupon section with scissors, took out their banknotes from the tin box, and ran to the nearest Riri Fresh supermarket to pre-deposit their money.

Deposit 1,000 yuan and you can earn an extra 500 yuan, plus coupons and double points. You definitely can't miss out on such a great deal.

You should know that if you start a door-opening business now, you might invest a thousand yuan and work for three to five months, but you might not even earn five hundred yuan.

Daily Fresh's Chinese New Year mega sale immediately became the focus of all of Hong Kong.

Chi Mengli immediately seized the opportunity and announced that Riri Fresh was preparing for an IPO, would enter Kowloon Club, and would open another 20 stores this year.

Such high-profile promotion made Daily Fresh a cash cow in the eyes of Central Securities and other financial companies. The retail and service industries are the engines of economic growth. As the saying goes, "ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring," and the financial sector has the keenest sense of smell.

Some are happy while others are sad. Fa Shunxing has secured a new order, but the Wen family's Tiantian Fish Farm is getting restless. The most profitable items in the order have already been snapped up by others. Fu Wenpei immediately tried to contact Wen Hailiang and urged him to make a decision as soon as possible.

Night had fallen, the sea was calm, but undercurrents were surging.

A yacht with its searchlights on arrived at Wan Chai Pier. The crew secured the yacht by tying ropes to iron posts and then lowered the sampan with railings into the water.

Wen Hailiang, dressed in fishing gear, stepped from the sampan onto the wooden plank. His bodyguard and driver, who was standing nearby, quickly went up to him and handed him the trench coat he was carrying.

"No need, Ah Yong, my body can handle it. The weather is getting warmer!"

Wen Hailiang didn't wear a trench coat. Instead, he stretched and stomped his feet. Being at sea all the time, the humidity was high, and even the dehumidifier on the yacht wasn't very effective.

"Master, Black Tiger has arrived. He's waiting by the roadside and says he wants to see you."

"Madam said she has already prepared the sweet soup and is waiting for you to return."

Having said everything he needed to say, Ah Yong, clutching his trench coat, took a step back and continued to play the role of a background character.

Wen Hai nodded, strode forward, and led A Yong away from the parking area towards the parking lot.

Black Tiger had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and was kicking a crushed aluminum can with his foot. The two thugs beside him were also constantly cooperating with Black Tiger.

"Wen Sheng, it's been a long time!"

Upon seeing Wen Hailiang appear, Hei Ahu kicked the can away, walked up with a smile, and greeted Wen Hailiang.

"Ah Hu, you're really energetic! Your boss is also very energetic, so what's up? Is your boss planning to get involved with Bian Kexin Huachen?"

Watching the can leave, Wen Hailiang made a joke, but then changed the subject to the large airplane that Chi Mengli had been working on recently.

Spitting out the cigarette butt, Hei Ahu scratched his head in frustration and replied, "What the hell! Sheng-ge's brain is sharp; his ideas turn faster than an electric fan."

“I’m just a gangster, not a high-earner in Central. I can’t keep up with Brother Sheng.”

"However, I just received some information related to this seafood order. I wonder if Mr. Wen would like to hear it?"

Follow Handsome Sheng's line of thinking, stop joking!
Hei Ahu admitted he didn't have the ability, but he still managed to uncover some inside information, though he didn't know how much money Wen Hailiang was prepared to spend.

Is there a breeze blowing on me?

Upon hearing Hei A Hu's words, Wen Hailiang became interested. He hadn't kept up with the two fast trains, Dragon Palace Nightclub and AKB Company, because he was afraid that Handsome Sheng would take risks.

After all, neither boxing nor entertainment venues were the Wen family's main businesses.

But the seafood business is different; it's the foundation of the Wen family's business. Because they were slow to act, their old rival, Fa Shun Seafood, snatched away their three most profitable businesses. The remaining businesses were all high-volume, low-profit projects.

"Tell me about it, I'd like to know some inside information too."

Wen Hailiang took off his sun hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked Hei Ahu to tell him what was going on.

"Wen Sheng asked me to speak, so I definitely have to. But let me make this clear from the start: I got this information for 100,000 yuan. Once Wen Sheng hears it, that money will fall on his shoulders."

This intelligence was indeed bought by Black Tiger, but it didn't cost 100,000 yuan; it only cost 10,000 yuan. It was revealed by Xi Zai's younger brother.

"One hundred thousand yuan! It seems this intelligence is quite valuable. Tell me about it. Whether it's useful or not, this one hundred thousand yuan is mine."

Now is a critical moment. Business intelligence is of utmost importance. We must uncover all of Handsome Winner's secrets.

A mere 100,000 yuan! Wen Hailiang didn't even care. He told Hei Ahu to hurry up and tell him that he was going to meet with Liangzai Sheng soon to discuss business. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.

“People close to Brother Sheng said that he needs a large sum of money recently. There are some problems with the three plots of land he bought in Shau Kei Wan. He wants to connect them into one piece and needs to buy several plots of land from the Tang family.”

“Ninth Sister has always been against Brother Sheng, but Brother Sheng has never been able to do anything about Ninth Sister and can only try to settle things with money.”

“Brother Sheng wants to squeeze some money out of Ri Ri Fresh to make up for the shortfall in Shau Kei Wan.”

Upon receiving the money, Black Tiger didn't hide anything and directly told Handsome Sheng about his recent financial situation.

They're short of cash to buy land!
Wen Hailiang immediately realized that Liangzai Sheng's recent strange behavior was actually a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul!
Young people are unreliable; they always want to get rich quick!
"I'll have someone send you cash tomorrow. Checks need to be registered now, which is a bit inconvenient!"

A satisfied Wen Hailiang patted Hei Ahu on the shoulder, indicating that he would send someone to deliver the money tomorrow.

"Thank you, Wen Sheng!"

"This is the dock rent for this week. Business has been good lately. The brothers from the Number Gang have sorted out 5,000 pieces of home appliances. Wen Sheng, believe me, I can get rid of the outdated home appliances in the warehouse in less than six months."

Black Tiger beckoned with his finger, signaling the drooling Kun behind him to bring out the bag of silver notes.

Kou Shui Kun quickly spat out the cigarette from his mouth, deftly opened the trunk lid, took out a small briefcase, and handed it to Hei A Hu.

Hei Ahu opened his briefcase and showed it to Wen Hailiang, then handed the small briefcase to A Yong, who was standing to the side.

Ah Yong took the small briefcase and quickly counted the money. The amount was not much, only 250,000 yuan in cash.

"There's no time like the present. We have cash here, so let's settle the accounts now!"

Wen Hailiang knew Hei Ahu's wicked thoughts. He took the small briefcase, counted out 150,000 yuan, and threw it to Hei Ahu: "Take good care of things at the docks."

"As I always say, let's all make money together."

"I'm going to see Handsome Sheng in a bit, want to come along?"

Black Tiger, who was greedy for money, immediately showed a happy smile, but he still had to be polite and say, "Thank you for the meal, boss. Wen Sheng, I guarantee that I will be able to clear out the outdated goods in the warehouse in less than three months."

"Wen Sheng, I won't get involved while you and Brother Sheng discuss big business. I might say something wrong and it could affect the deal."

"That's all for now, Wen Sheng! I have an appointment for tea. We can talk later."

Black Tiger didn't want to get involved in this mess. Handsome Sheng was known for his sharp eyes, and if he found out something was wrong, he would definitely be in trouble.

"Alright! I'll take my leave then, don't bother seeing me out!"

Wen Hailiang didn't want to make his relationship with Hei Ahu public, so he let Hei Ahu leave first. After Hei Ahu left, A Yong took out his car keys, drove over, and parked in front of Wen Hailiang, inviting the old man to get in.

Wen Hailiang opened the car door, got in, adjusted his seating position, and then let A Yong drive.

The business meeting was held at the Liji Restaurant on Shanghai Street.

The night shift manager of Liji Restaurant had been waiting at the main entrance. When he saw the boss's Rolls-Royce arrive, he quickly stepped forward and opened the back door as soon as the car came to a stop.

Wen Hailiang got out of the car, stamped his foot, and chatted with his old friend for a few minutes with a smile.

The night shift manager glanced at the second floor and said, "Boss, Handsome Sheng has arrived and is having tea upstairs. The dishes are ready; they're all light and simple, just what you'd like."

"The 'Top Scholar Congee' has been simmering for three hours. The broth is thick and the taste is excellent."

Late at night, nobody wants to eat big, meaty dishes; a simple bowl of porridge and side dishes is just right.

"Ah Sheng is a young man with a lot of energy and a big appetite. He probably can't keep up with me on a simple meal of congee and side dishes. Bring me a pot of stew, a hot pot, and some handmade beef tendon balls. It's been a long time since I've had beef tendon balls."

"That's it! We can't keep the guests waiting!"

After finishing his meal, Wen Hailiang went upstairs to meet the handsome Sheng, who had recently become very popular.

Hearing a series of footsteps coming from the stairs, Chi Mengli put down the newspaper in her hand and stood up. If she wasn't mistaken, it was Old Man Wen who had arrived.

"Ah Sheng, I'm sorry, the sea was rough, and we had to navigate the boat carefully. We're late for our date, please don't mind!"

Wen Hailiang went upstairs, first apologized to Chi Mengli who had welcomed him, and then continued, "Asheng, you look radiant lately, you must have a lot of good news to share, congratulations!"

"The business of Daily Fresh is booming recently, which is enviable."

Chi Mengli quickly waved her hand, indicating that she didn't deserve such praise, and said, "Uncle Wen, you're making me feel terrible. I can wait for half an hour, or even half a day."

"I went to Wong Tai Sin Temple to draw a fortune stick the other day, and the inscription was very catchy: 'Riding a swift horse in the spring breeze, one can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day!'"

"My master interpreted my fortune and said that this year is my year of wealth. He said that I will have good fortune and success in my career recently. My master told me to get ready to welcome my moment of wealth."

This passage was made up by Chi Mengli on the spot. He did go to Wong Tai Sin Temple to pray to the gods and Buddhas, but the fortune slip he drew was neither good nor bad, but rather a mixture of joy and sorrow.

He drew the 10th lot, a mediocre lot, indicating that Su Qin would not pass the imperial examination. The lot read: "A moon mirror hangs in the sky, occasionally obscured by layers of floating clouds. When will the jade box reveal its light? Who can lend me a gust of wind?"

The bright moon and jade box represent the seeker's true talent and learning, implying that they are gifted, which is auspicious.

However, his talents are temporarily obscured by fleeting clouds, leading to a sense of unfulfilled potential and causing him distress.

When the master interpreted the divination, he advised me to be patient and wait for the right time, and not to act rashly.

Chi Mengli understood the divination text, but didn't believe in it. He thought that waiting for the right time was just nonsense. If you don't take the initiative, you won't even get a bowl of hot rice.

If you don't take the initiative, how can you catch the old fish in front of you?
"When people are happy, they are in high spirits; this saying is absolutely true."

"sit!"

"Are you all alone today? Not even a woman by your side?"

Wen Hailiang listened patiently to Chi Mengli's ramblings, then burst into laughter and asked Chi Mengli to sit down.

Chi Mengli sat down opposite Wen Hailiang and replied, "The gang's headquarters is right across the street. This whole street is full of my henchmen, so nothing will happen."

"Besides, there's no need to bring too many people when we meet you, Uncle Wen. We're all family here, so there shouldn't be any problems."

“By the way! Uncle Wen, you are a shareholder of Riri Fresh, and I have reserved the biggest cuts for you: scallops, sea cucumbers, and three-eyed crabs. Fa Shun Seafood has always wanted to take them, but I have left them for you, Uncle Wen.”

"Fifty tons of this quantity will guarantee you and the Wen family a fortune!"

The Typhoon Shelter style of cooking is now popular in Hong Kong's street food stalls, and many high-end seafood restaurants have also started serving Typhoon Shelter-style stir-fried seafood.

Scallops, sea cucumbers, and three-eyed crabs are all high-value seafood. Now, a pound of dried sea cucumber weighing 16 ounces costs 600 yuan, and that's not even the top-grade Liaoning sea cucumber, but rather Hokkaido sea cucumber and South Korean sea cucumber.

South Korean sea cucumbers and Hokkaido sea cucumbers have large production volumes, but their quality is generally average.

This pond of dream carp requires ten tons of dried sea cucumbers, because middle-class families always include some dried sea cucumbers in their pot dishes, and sometimes braised sea cucumbers with scallions are the grand finale dish.

Chi Mengli didn't give this lucrative piece of meat to anyone else, but reserved it for Wen Hailiang.

"Ah Sheng, you've had a lot of good news lately, and you're quite boastful. Ten tons of dried sea cucumbers? That's going to eat up all my stock."

"If I run out of stock, other fresh food supermarkets and large markets will also run out of stock. If you consolidate the supply, many people will lose their jobs!"

Wen Hailiang hadn't expected Chi Mengli to have such a big appetite. You know, the annual sales volume of dried sea cucumbers in Hong Kong doesn't even reach ten tons. After all, there's no artificial breeding program for sea cucumbers yet, so they can only be caught wild.

Without artificial breeding, prices cannot come down; high prices mean low purchase volumes.

In addition, sea cucumber is tasteless. To make it well, you definitely need to use Shandong cuisine, the northern style of seafood cooking, which is very oily and salty. Older people don't like this kind of food.

"If you value personal relationships, do you still need to do business? Do you still need to make money?"

"Uncle Wen, the consumer market and the market economy are inherently a life-or-death struggle. Being eliminated early is definitely a good thing for these stall owners!"

"The current market price is 250 yuan per jin. I'll buy the whole batch, so you'll definitely have to give me a discount. 190 yuan. Uncle Wen, I'll buy as much as you have in stock!"

The Wen family could indeed make a profit at 190 yuan per jin (500g), but Wen Hailiang still shook his head and refused without hesitation.

"Ah Sheng, the dishes are here. Try the appetizers first."

Six waiters carrying trays quickly filled the large round table. Wen Hailiang waved his hand, signaling the waiters to leave, leaving room for conversation.

"The long-term customers of Tiantian Fish Farm are all people and connections that the Wen family has built up. In business, we should stick to what we know and not what we don't know. I, Wen, cannot be tempted by money."

"Ah Sheng, take my advice. You can't run a business all by yourself. If I say any more, those who try to do everything by themselves will eventually burst their stomachs and end up in a terrible situation!"

Wen Hailiang picked up a small bowl, filled it with a bowl of "Top Scholar Congee," and placed it in front of Chi Mengli, reminding her, "The congee is hot, be careful."

Chi Mengli's smile remained unchanged. She simply took a spoon from the plate beside her, stirred the porridge, and remained silent.

Old Wen is just playing hard to get. If he really didn't want to talk, there was no need for him to invite him to a late-night snack. Drinking porridge and eating side dishes at night would definitely cause his blood pressure and blood sugar to skyrocket. If this old sucker dies, it would really save him a lot of trouble.

"Have some vegetables! These bok choy hearts are quite good; they're organic vegetables from Luk Yu Tea House."

Wen Hailiang didn't deliberately leave Chi Mengli out of the way. He used serving chopsticks to pick up the heart of the vegetable and put it on his plate so that Chi Mengli could have a taste.

Since Old Man Wen wanted to remain calm and wait for the right moment, Chi Mengli decided to treat himself as someone who had come for a late-night snack and a chat. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, where TVB was broadcasting a boxing match featuring AKB48.

Thanks to the latest recording and broadcasting technology, every move the boxer makes in the ring can be clearly displayed on the television screen.

To achieve the best results, Chi Mengli spent a lot of money to hire a professional boxing match director from the United States, and transferred the entire recording equipment and broadcasting techniques of American boxing matches to Hong Kong without any changes.

If something doesn't suit the local conditions, change it there until everyone accepts it.

The current AKB boxing matches have very high viewership ratings and excellent viewing experience, thanks to replays, slow motion, and on-site editing by editors.

Tickets for the boxing match at Longgong Nightclub are extremely rare and hard to come by; scalpers are now specifically reselling tickets for Longgong Nightclub.

The AKB boxing matches alone brought considerable profits to the Ryugu nightclub.

Chi Mengli and Wen Hailiang chatted about the boxing match while drinking porridge. Wen Hailiang got excited and even took out some money to have someone place bets for him, but the two kept talking about romance and boxing, and never about business.

After watching the game and finishing her porridge, Chi Mengli let out a satisfied burp and said, "Uncle Wen, you are truly a master when it comes to enjoying life. I need to learn from you in the future."

"It's getting late, so I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye!"

Since Wen Hailiang wanted to play hard to get, Chi Mengli was not as cunning as this old fox. He directly used a tactic of retreating to advance. Although there are not many seafood shops selling dried sea cucumbers in Hong Kong, there are still a few.

Cai Kaisheng of Fa Shun Seafood Store privately revealed that he still has a batch of aged sea cucumbers in his warehouse. Sea cucumbers are like green tea; the fresher they are, the more valuable they are.

However, ordinary citizens have never cooked sea cucumbers and have no idea what they taste like. Dried sea cucumbers are expensive, and only true gourmets know how to appreciate them.

It's all about getting a bargain and joining the crowd; even old and worn-out goods can fetch a good price.

Wen Jiabao has already entered the game. If he doesn't take the bait this time, he definitely will next time. It doesn't matter!
"Wait a minute! Ah Sheng, we haven't finished discussing the business yet. You won't be able to sleep well if you go back."

"I don't have ten tons of dried sea cucumbers, but I can provide fifteen tons of lightly dried sea cucumbers. However, this batch of lightly dried sea cucumbers I have is top-grade Liaoning sea cucumber from Liaodong."

"Even a fool knows that Liaoning sea cucumber is expensive, and dried Liaoning sea cucumber is even more expensive than fresh sea cucumber. Each one is guaranteed to be three years old. Two of them can be stir-fried into a seven-inch plate."

"Good quality goods command high prices! This is the perfect place to source goods from all over the world."

"Ah Sheng, we're all on the same side, so I won't beat around the bush. Three hundred yuan a pound, you have to take the whole bunch!"

Old Man Wen called out to Chi Mengli, who was trying to leave, and offered his price!
(End of this chapter)