Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Lost to a Little Sister Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Lost to a Little Sister Bai Dan didn’t take Bai Zhi straight home. Instead, he took her to see the stove and pots she had been longing for quite a while.
In the small stall, there were two stoves and two iron pots, one with a flat bottom, and another also flat but deep, perfect for frying things. The flat one even came with a lid, great for making pan-fried dumplings.
There were also a few bamboo chairs, which were just the right height to go with the stoves, and two bamboo tables. Bai Dan must have prepared these for several days.
Bai Zhi’s eyes became a bit sore as she looked. She had merely mentioned wanting to fry potatoes and make pan-fried dumplings, but her grandfather had arranged everything for her. This was what it felt like to be doted on and protected. It felt wonderful.
“Do you like it?”
Bai Dan rubbed his hands together, looking nervously at his granddaughter. He wasn’t sure if he had bought the right things, but it didn’t matter; if not, he could just exchange them later. He was well acquainted with Old Man Tie.
“Uh-huh.” Bai Zhi nodded vigorously, her voice thick with emotion.
When facing Bai Da and the others, she could be indifferent, or even ignore them, but toward her grandfather, she felt nothing but moved.
Bai Zhi suddenly hugged Bai Dan, clutching at his clothes, blinking to stop the tears from falling. It would be too embarrassing if they did.
“Grandpa, thank you. This is exactly what I wanted. I really, really love it.”
That was how she felt at the time, not even sure about what kind of pots to buy, but her grandfather had thought of everything for her.
“I’m glad you like it, but we can’t use the pots like this. We need to take them home and get them set up properly.”
Bai Dan patted his granddaughter’s head and went to put the two pots into the carrying basket, ready to fix them up for her when they got home.
“Your Green Bean Cakes sold out too. It was that same young lady who asked us to visit her shop. It’s the one at the intersection up there, with the glass display case. Let’s have a look, and maybe I’ll buy you a cake to take home. How does that sound?”
Although he asked, Bai Dan was already planning to make the purchase.
Cakes are soft and fluffy, and everyone loves them. He once had a slice at his nephew’s house, and it was deliciously soft and tasty. He liked it, so undoubtedly his granddaughter would love it too. He must buy it.
Every time he walked past there, he would take a glance at the pretty display. Today, since they were delivering Green Bean Cakes, it looked even better. They even had cakes shaped like peaches. He asked about the prices, and even the small ones were 30 yuan.
That was too expensive, but maybe he could get a small one for ten yuan just for his granddaughter to enjoy. It was made with eggs, nutritious.
“Grandpa, let’s go now then. It would be great if we could establish a long-term cooperation.”
Bai Zhi blinked her eyes in excitement. It seemed promising. Even if it was just a few pounds each time, she was willing. A mosquito’s leg might be tiny, but it’s still meat. She didn’t plan to sell them herself anymore. It would be enough to supply the cake shop where they could preserve freshness. If they didn’t sell out in one day, they’d sell in two. If she made too many and couldn’t sell them in one day, she would have to eat them herself, which wasn’t as good as frying potatoes.
The grandfather and granddaughter each had their plans. When they arrived at the cake shop, the young lady was weighing Green Bean Cakes for a customer, smiled at them, and gestured toward the chairs to the side.
Bai Dan took a look; the shop was clean and hygienic. Holding so many things, he felt embarrassed and was just about to leave when Bai Zhi pulled him back.
Bai Zhi shook her head at her grandfather and pulled him to sit down on the side. They were there to talk about a partnership; there was no need to feel embarrassed. She knew her grandfather probably felt uncomfortable going in, but it was unnecessary. When she opened the door, she was welcoming guests, right?
It wasn’t long before the young lady came over and poured water for both of them.
“Young lady, I asked Grandpa if I could talk to him, but Grandpa said you should do the talking yourself. I think your Green Bean Cake is really nice. Can I purchase it wholesale from you?”
The sister got straight to the point with a sincere smile on her face. Bai Zhi had no choice but to be straightforward too.
“Sure, but what wholesale price are you thinking of? If it’s beyond my bottom line, I won’t agree. Go ahead and quote a price.”
Bai Zhi certainly didn’t believe she would offer five yuan per pound. If it really was five yuan, that wouldn’t be a wholesale price, would it?
The young lady snapped her fingers and looked at Bai Zhi with great admiration.
“Little sister, you’re straightforward, so I’ll speak frankly. 3.8 yuan per jin, how about twenty jin at one time?”
Bai Zhi frowned upon hearing the price—it wasn’t that there was no profit, but it was too little for her to accept.
“Sorry, sister, I cannot accept that. Since you appreciate my product, you should understand that I use ample ingredients and the process is not simple. I would rather sell it myself at that price.”
If the price for her hard work was unacceptable, it would be better not to bother at all, and twenty jin was certainly not a small amount.
“We can talk about it, so what’s your final price?”
The young lady was not surprised that Bai Zhi had declined the offer, as she was merely stating a price for them to negotiate further.
“Four yuan, my bottom line is four yuan.”
Bai Zhi thought it over and offered a fair price, knowing well that the young lady would sell it for more than five yuan in her shop; this was common knowledge.
“We deliver the goods the day before each market day, twenty jin at a time, how does that sound?”
It would be too late on the market day itself, so the day before was best, given that she could also sell fried potatoes during the market.
The young lady didn’t answer immediately but sat there with a furrowed brow, stroking her chin and thinking hard. Bai Dan was starting to get anxious. If she didn’t agree, would Xingxing be upset? He looked at Bai Zhi, considering whether to suggest lowering the quantity. However, he saw Bai Zhi firmly shaking her head at him.
Since Xingxing had made up her mind, he no longer worried. Bai Dan regained his composure and glanced at the cakes in the shop, which looked very pretty. Which one should he pick out later?
The young lady had thought that the girl would become anxious after such a long silence from her side, but instead, even the old man was fidgety while she remained resolutely shaking her head. When the young lady looked over, the girl was even smiling confidently at her without relenting.
Ah, are young girls nowadays this shrewd?
Continuing to stall would surely not change the situation.
Just as the young lady was about to make a decision, Bai Zhi stood up, prompting a surge of hope in the young lady’s heart—could it be that she was going to lower her price?
Bai Zhi got up and walked over to the grandfather.
“Grandpa, let’s go home. It’s just about time to catch the bus. Sister, we’ll be leaving now.”
Without waiting for the young lady’s response, Bai Zhi began to leave with Bai Dan, seemingly indifferent about whether they would cooperate or not.
“Wait a minute!”
The young lady immediately called out to stop Bai Zhi, who paused, her back to the young lady, revealing a faint smile.
The first one to speak loses; Bai Zhi understood this principle well. She could afford not to sell the Green Bean Cake, so there was no need to rush.
Because the moment you show eagerness, you inevitably have to make concessions.
The young lady stomped her foot in mild frustration—she had lost, proving to be less composed than the young girl.
“Little sister, let’s make it four yuan then.”
Who made her lose her composure and speak first?