"Damn, why is it so hard for us to do something out here!" Sun Xiaozhu said with a hint of frustration.
As the leader of the group, Sun Zhihai felt uncomfortable, but he knew that no matter what, he couldn't let their morale collapse. He gritted his teeth and encouraged everyone, "It's always easier at home, but things get tough when you're out. Xiaozhu, you'll understand more as you go through more experiences!"
"Brother Zhihai, we'll set up our stall to sell apples again tomorrow," Sun Ermen said, picking up his bowl of noodles and shoveling them into his mouth.
Sun Zhihai patted Sun Ermen's shoulder and said, "Yeah, we'll keep setting up our stall. We'll sell as much as we can! By the way, you go to Xiyanshan Road tomorrow and stop Dadunzi and the others from entering the city. Tell them to go to a few county towns to sell."
"Go to the county towns? Won't we sell even less there?" Sun Xiaozhu asked, puzzled.
"Less trouble, less sales, less sales. We can't afford to cause trouble, can we?" Sun Zhihai said helplessly.
Cheng Jemin listened to their conversation and felt a bit bitter. After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, how many apples are still unsold in the village?"
"I estimate there are still about ten thousand pounds," Sun Zhihai said apologetically, looking at Cheng Jemin. "Director Cheng, I'm really sorry to have embarrassed you today!"
"Don't worry about it, I'm from the countryside too," Cheng Jemin frowned. Ten thousand pounds of apples, if sold wholesale, wouldn't be a big number, but the Zhen brothers, who controlled the wholesale market, wouldn't let them in. If they sold retail, who knew when they would finish.
"Why are there still so many apples left?" It was already the twelfth lunar month. For Donghu Province, October was usually the apple harvest season, and they should have sold out by now.
Sun Zhihai handed Cheng Jemin a cigarette with both hands and said, "Director Cheng, we didn't originally grow apples. The county government wanted to build an apple production base, so our entire township started growing apples. This year, the apples were bountiful, but there's no market. The whole village relies on these apples to make a living, and now, we have no hope!"
"Since last month, we've been selling apples everywhere. Your Water Resources Department is the biggest customer I've brought in. Normally, even if we try our hardest, we can only sell a few hundred pounds."
A few hundred pounds a day, and it would be even less in the county towns. Cheng Jemin looked at the silent group and said softly, "Have you tried selling wholesale or to fruit stores?"
"At first, we did try to sell to fruit stores, but they all have their own supply channels. They either don't want our apples or offer such low prices that we can't even cover our costs," Sun Ermen said gruffly.
The few people from Sunjiagou fell silent again. Clearly, the ten thousand pounds of unsold apples were like a huge stone, weighing heavily on their hearts, making it hard for them to breathe.
Cheng Jemin looked at these honest and simple people, who were experiencing the big city for the first time, and felt a bit酸酸的 (sour). Various ideas raced through his mind. After a moment of thought, he said firmly, "You don't need to go to the county towns to sell apples tomorrow. I'll help you sell them!"
Cheng Jemin's words immediately drew everyone's attention. Especially Gu Xixi, who was sitting next to him, her bright eyes shimmering with a hint of something unusual.
"Director Cheng, you've already done so much for us today. We can't burden you any further!" Sun Zhihai hesitated and firmly refused Cheng Jemin's offer.
"Director Cheng, we can't trouble you anymore. It's getting late, you should go back to your wife," Sun Xiaozhu added hastily. The word "wife" made Gu Xixi's face turn red like a flag.
Cheng Jemin insisted, "Brother, don't treat me like an outsider, okay?"
"Director Cheng, I know you're trying to help us, but we have our hands and feet. We can't cause you any more trouble with this!"
Cheng Jemin looked at their determined expressions, scratched his head, and knew that insisting further would be futile. After a moment of thought, he said softly, "Brother, how much are you selling the apples for now?"
Sun Zhihai didn't quite understand Cheng Jemin's intention and answered casually, "Director Cheng, we sell them for four cents a pound at our stall. For big customers like the Water Resources Department, we usually sell them for three cents a pound."
"Brother, I'm not selling your apples for free," Cheng Jemin said, taking a sip of water. "I want to work with you. I plan to marry Xixi after the New Year, but I don't have enough money. I can't even rent a good place. So I want to work with you to sell the apples and earn the money for my wedding."
Gu Xixi never expected Cheng Jemin to suddenly mention their marriage. Seeing everyone's eyes on her, she felt both happy and embarrassed, and secretly nudged Cheng Jemin.
Cheng Jemin smiled and continued, "We'll sell your apples according to my plan. We'll keep the four cents per pound, and the rest of the profit will be split equally. What do you think?"
Sun Zhihai and Sun Xiaozhu exchanged glances. Finally, Sun Zhihai said, "Director Cheng, if... if that's what you mean, we can give you three cents per pound, and the rest of the profit will be yours."
"Brother, you're making it sound like we're strangers!" Cheng Jemin patted Sun Zhihai's shoulder and smiled.
Sun Zhihai was about to insist, but Cheng Jemin stood up, "Eat first, we'll discuss the details tomorrow."
After Cheng Jemin and Gu Xixi left, Sun Xiaozhu hesitated and said, "Brother Zhihai, we've already troubled Brother Cheng enough. Do you think we should let him help us sell the apples?"
"Xiaozhu, if Brother Cheng were to help us sell the apples for no reason, I wouldn't agree. But Brother Cheng has a point. He managed to get us out of the police station, so he must have connections. He'll definitely sell the apples faster than we can," Sun Zhihai said, having lived in Tianyuan City and knowing a bit more about such matters. He believed Cheng Jemin had the means to sell the apples.
If Cheng Jemin could use his connections to sell the apples for fifty cents a pound, which originally cost three cents, he would make a good profit, and they would avoid the apples going to waste. This was why Sun Zhihai agreed to Cheng Jemin's proposal.
"Brother Zhihai, if Director Cheng can really help us sell all the apples, I think three cents is a bit high. We can give him two and a half cents to help him and his wife have a good wedding," Sun Ermen said firmly, taking a sip of soup.
"I agree," Sun Xiaozhu added.
"You naughty thing, who said I'm going to marry you next year? You're just fooling around," Gu Xixi said, walking down the street and pinching Cheng Jemin's arm.
In the midst of their love, every smile and frown was a tease. Gu Xixi's eyes were full of spring, and her every movement was beautiful. Cheng Jemin felt a tickle all over and laughed, wrapping his arms around her and whispering in her ear, "Don't you want to marry me?"
Gu Xixi immediately clammed up and laughed, "Thanks, I haven't thought about it," and quickly pulled away.
Cheng Jemin stepped forward and hugged her tightly, kissing her passionately. After a moment, Gu Xixi, who had been struggling, was lost in Cheng Jemin's deep affection.
After a while, they parted, and Gu Xixi looked at Cheng Jemin's happy face and asked, "Do you really want to help them sell the apples?"
"Of course," Cheng Jemin said firmly.
Gu Xixi didn't speak but thought for a moment and said, "I have a good relationship with Sister Li from the后勤处 (logistics department). I'll talk to her and see if we can replace the New Year's benefits for the provincial office with apples!"
Seeing Gu Xixi's determined face, Cheng Jemin couldn't help but laugh. He said, "How many people are in your office? Even if each person gets a hundred pounds, that's only a few thousand pounds. We need more than that. Why don't you ask Secretary Liu to make an advertisement saying that eating apples every day is good? That way, the apples will sell faster."
"Look at you, always joking around. I'm being serious!" Gu Xixi pouted, "If you keep being so silly, I won't talk to you!"
"Okay, okay, thanks for your help, Xixi." Cheng Jemin raised his hands in surrender, "Xixi, I'm not just saying this. I'll not only sell all their apples but also earn enough to buy a house for us to get married."
Gu Xixi turned to look at Cheng Jemin, touched his forehead, and said, "Are you running a fever?"
"Go, you're the one with a fever!" Cheng Jemin pushed her hand away and laughed, "If I can earn enough to buy a house, what reward will you give me?"
"I... I'll marry you," Gu Xixi said, her face turning red as she quickly ran ahead.
Cheng Jemin quickly chased after her, feeling confident about what he was about to do.
"The stars and the moon, you all heard it, Xixi said she'll marry me!" Cheng Jemin shouted as he chased her.
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