Surprise! The rough husband is the hidden boss of the period literature

Chapter 384 A Time of Great Change

"Can you sell your machines?" Wolfgang asked in broken Chinese.

The others were somewhat disapproving and hadn't quite grasped what this person was saying when Xu Qinghuan spoke in D language, "Of course we sell, we can sell in large quantities, do you want some?"

Upon hearing Xu Qinghuan's accent, Wolfgang felt as if he had met someone from his hometown. "Of course, how much does one of your machines cost?"

He pointed to the threshing machine and asked, "Can you sell it to us?"

Wolfgang is a salesman for the Hans Group. He came to China this time just to see if there were any business opportunities. Since he couldn't speak the language, he originally thought he would just be there to watch the excitement.

Xu Qinghuan and he had a very pleasant conversation, and this beautiful oriental girl left a deep impression on him.

"Using machines to farm is naturally more cost-effective than using people to farm. Although the initial investment in machines is high, labor is a long-term consumable. Otherwise, why would the United States use textile machines on such a large scale?"

“Xu, you’re absolutely right. This is a view I’ve always agreed with. Country D also has machines like yours, but transporting them from Country D to here across the strait is not an easy task. The cost of shipping them by sea is high, and they’re also prone to rusting.”

The dampness at sea and the three-month shipping cycle prevent cash flow, resulting in significant losses for merchants.

Under Xu Qinghuan's persuasion, Wolfgang plans to sell the machine to Indu, which is still a member of the Eagle Federation. The gap between the rich and the poor is huge, and the wealthy upper class would rather spend money to buy the machine than hire the dirty lower class.

This is a golden opportunity for Wolfgang.

"How many machines are you planning to sell to us? We need both harvesters and threshers. Could you send us two thousand of each initially?"

Xu Qinghuan smiled without saying a word.

"Xu, what do you mean? Are you afraid I won't pay? This is your first time at the South China Trade Fair, isn't it? We are very honest businessmen. If you have doubts about us, it will be a great hurt to me." Wolfgang put on a sad expression.

Jiang Xingye couldn't understand what he was saying, but he had a feeling that this man was flirting with his fiancée.

He stepped forward, put his arm around Xu Qinghuan's shoulder, and stared at Wolfgang with a cold glint in his hawk-like eyes.

Wolfgang was so shocked that he took a step back, as if he could sense the wolf king's gaze.

“This machine costs three thousand US dollars each. If we have two thousand units, that would be six million US dollars. If you need it, we must sign an agreement. We need to receive a 40% deposit before we can start production, and we must receive the final 60% balance before shipping.”

Wolfgang paused for a moment, while Xu Qinghuan smiled, seemingly unconcerned that the six million dollars would go to waste. "I'm sorry, I don't believe in integrity. Like your people, I only believe in contracts!"

Looking at the beautiful girl's composed demeanor, Wolfgang asked, "Is this machine shop yours? If it is, I'm willing to pay a 50% deposit first."

Xu Qinghuan said, "It's not mine. All the factories currently belong to this country. We don't have any private factories. Also, the deposit is only 40%. We treat everyone equally and won't target any one person."

“Xu, have you ever been to my country? Your D language is excellent, and you even have a slight accent from my hometown.” Wolfgang noticed her frown.
"Don't worry, I didn't mean anything by it. I haven't been back to my homeland for a long time. When I hear you speak, it's like I'm standing on the streets of Berlin. I'm willing to sign an agreement with you."

Xu Qinghuan hadn't worn high heels in a long time, and standing for a while made her a little tired. She leaned back slightly against Jiang Xingye and chatted happily with Wolfgang.

Finally, Xu Qinghuan quietly found out the man's background and learned that he had only come to see the situation in China and explore business opportunities.

Since there's business to be done, he naturally doesn't want to make a wasted trip.

This man was essentially a global trader, buying low and selling high. Perhaps it was their accent that made them feel closer, but he told Xu Qinghuan that the wealthy people in India were all foolish. Their country's industry was underdeveloped, and they were willing to pay exorbitant prices for any machine that looked high-end. He said that if Xu Qinghuan sold a machine to him for three thousand US dollars, he could resell it in India for five thousand pounds, and it would even cause a frenzy.

Regardless of whether he could cause a frenzy of looting, Xu Qinghuan had Qiao Xinyu summon people from the Foreign Trade Bureau, and signed the first contract with Wolfgang in the name of Shangjiang Machinery Factory, with a total value of sixteen million US dollars.

Three thousand US dollars for a thresher and five thousand US dollars for a harvester are just random quotes from Xu Qinghuan.

She simply estimated the cost, inquired about the current price of a car in the United States, and then converted the Chinese yuan into US dollars based on that price.

The exchange rate at that time was 7.2, meaning one US dollar was worth 7 yuan.

The price of a most basic hand tractor is about 3000 Chinese yuan.

When the people from the Foreign Trade Bureau saw the price quoted by the Shangjiang Brigade, they were dumbfounded.

But seeing Wolfgang sign the contract so readily and pay the deposit so generously, everyone was quite puzzled. Where did this big fool come from, and how did he let the Shangjiang Brigade get such a bargain?

The transaction amount of sixteen million US dollars instantly made the Shangjiang Brigade famous throughout the entire exhibition hall.

People from a textile factory in Shanghai went to the Foreign Trade Bureau in tears, saying, "Last year they made a promise and asked us to speed up production. We didn't even have a holiday on New Year's Eve. We rushed to finish these jobs, but they just said they didn't want them anymore."

What can the Foreign Trade Bureau do? The South Asia Trade Fair has been held for so many years and has facilitated a lot of business, but Chinese companies have also suffered losses and been cheated every year.

They were too eager to make money.

Putting aside everything else, a single order like the Shangjiang Brigade's, worth over ten million US dollars, would be an incredibly lucrative business in China. A machinery factory like this in Shanghai could support itself for ten years without doing anything.

This is a casino. If you bet right, everyone lives a life of luxury. But if you bet wrong, like the Shanghai Textile Factory, you'll lose everything.

"Is there some language barrier? Find someone who can speak well to communicate with them. Since they agreed on everything before, why are they saying they don't want it now? What are we going to do with all that cloth?" Gong Zhijie said.

Zhou Xinyan followed behind Chen Hongtao, lowering her head with some guilt. She had come with the Shanghai business delegation and had been practicing her language skills for more than half a year. She had even interned for a while last October. Although she wasn't fluent, she could still handle ordinary communication.

Having no other choice, Chen Hongtao had to take Zhou Xinyan with him to find that American devil.

If murder weren't illegal, he would have killed that bastard long ago.

Xu Qinghuan was talking to Jiang Xingye. The two were very close and whispering, "Now that we've secured this order, we don't need to rush things anymore. You should study hard, and I think maybe the college entrance exam will be held earlier."

Let's focus on our studies for now, so that we'll have ample time to adapt when policies change in the future.

Jiang Xingye didn't say anything, but squeezed her hand. He was determined to keep the "Shangjiang" brand firmly in his grasp. This business deal was negotiated by his fiancée, and he would keep the factory firmly in his hands should anything change in the future.

When the time is right, he will surely be the one to seize the opportunity.

When Chen Hongtao and Zhou Xinyan arrived, they saw Xu Qinghuan discussing business with those American swindlers.

James said, "Beautiful lady, we need a thousand pieces of each of these styles. Do you sell them? The price is negotiable."

First update!