"It's alright!" Song Hao said after a moment of silence, "We've already done what we were supposed to do today. Although the other side can still remain calm, the results should become clear tomorrow."
"What if they still don't make a move tomorrow?" Tang Yu asked.
“There will be a breakthrough,” Song Hao said, “because our opponents are speculative businessmen!”
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhifa was furiously making a phone call to Li Quan.
“Old Liu, things have gone wrong! Sure enough, a large quantity of goods that we didn’t know about has entered March Street. Do you remember the pharmaceutical factory that produces ‘Gastrodia elata oral liquid’? Their product wasn’t selling well in the market, so they switched to other products a year ago. But they still have 60 tons of Gastrodia elata stored in their warehouse. These past few days, the bulk of the transactions in March Street have all been from them,” Zhang Zhifa said dejectedly.
"What!" Li Quan on the other end of the phone was clearly shocked. After a long while, he asked nervously, "Is the source of this information reliable?"
"It's almost certain. My men have been keeping an eye on things in March Street these past few days. They recognized one of the purchasing agents from that pharmaceutical factory and found out what happened. They've already sold dozens of tons to Tianyitang, and another factory has also bought 10 tons. Today, a convoy from Tianyitang that was buying Gastrodia elata left March Street and returned to their factory. They even had banners on the trucks. It seems that Tianyitang initially targeted us, but after that factory's stock entered March Street, they changed their focus. After a few days of counter-speculation, they successfully brought down the price. At this rate, Tianyitang will buy up all of that factory's stock, and combined with the available stock on the market, that should be enough to meet their production needs. They won't need our stockpiles for the time being. I knew those purchasing agents from Tianyitang who came to see me today were incredibly arrogant. They only chatted briefly before leaving with mysterious smiles. What should we do now?" Zhang Zhifa said anxiously.
“This…” Li Quan hesitated for a moment and said, “The purchasing agent from Tianyitang also contacted me today. They should still be interested in the goods we have. What you said might be a smokescreen deliberately released by Tianyitang. It’s not like they have fifty or sixty tons of Gastrodia elata ready for them to buy. Don’t rush, wait a little longer.”
"Old Liu, let me tell you, what was a lie has now become a reality. If we don't sell it off soon, we'll lose money," Zhang Zhifa said somewhat unhappily.
"Wait a little longer!" Li Quan gritted his teeth and said, "Even if Tianyitang buys up all the gastrodia elata on the market, it will still be less than a hundred tons. They will come after us again. Tell Liu Shun to hold on. I don't believe we can't outlast Tianyitang this time."
Zhang Zhifa put down the phone, shook his head, and said, "What kind of logic is that? We're about to lose money, and you want us to persevere! Persevere my ass!"
That night, Song Hao was awakened from his sleep by a series of urgent knocks on the door. Thinking something had happened, Song Hao quickly got up and opened the door, only to find Tang Yu, A Long, Li Xin, and others, all with excited expressions on their faces.
"Song Hao! I have good news for you!" Tang Yu said excitedly, "Liu Shun from Haozhou, Anhui, just informed our purchasing staff last night that he is willing to sell his 30 tons of Gastrodia elata to Tianyitang at a price of 90 yuan per kilogram."
"Excellent!" Song Hao exclaimed in delight. "With one leg broken, the other two will fall as well. It seems the news we released today and the convoy returning to Tianyi Hall loaded with other medicinal herbs we acquired have stunned Liu Shun. After so many days of hard work, we've finally succeeded! Notify Haozhou to make the deal with Liu Shun tonight. By dawn, it will be too late for Li Quan and the others to stop us. Tomorrow, we'll continue our operation in March Street for another day, making it difficult for them to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Some secrets can only be kept from them for a while. By the time they realize what's going on, it will be too late."
"I'm hungry! Ah Long, Li Xin, let's prepare a feast to celebrate!" Song Hao shouted.
March Street, the twelfth day.
Song Hao, who had been celebrating for half the night, hadn't even slept for two hours when Tang Yu woke him up again.
"Song Hao, Zhang Zhifa from Hehuachi in Chengdu just contacted our purchasing agent and is willing to sell his 40 tons of Gastrodia elata to Tianyitang at 90 yuan per kilogram. It seems he already knows that Liu Shun has sold it and can't wait any longer," Tang Yu said happily.
Lying in bed, Song Hao didn't show much excitement upon hearing this, as everything was already expected. Still half-asleep, he lazily said, "Tell Zhang Zhifa that we've reached our purchase target, but we can still buy all of his goods. However, the market has changed; the price is 85 per kilogram. Take it or leave it. When Li Quan comes to us again, lower the price to 80. And delay the decision for a few hours. Also tell him it's up to him; new goods will be on the market in a few months, so let his 50 tons of goods rot in the warehouse."
"Oh! Don't listen to me." Song Hao suddenly sat up, still with his eyes closed, and said, "Notify the purchasing staff in Anguo to prepare everything in advance. When Li Quan contacts them, give them a perfunctory answer, but finalize the deal and execute it immediately, the sooner the better. Those people are shrewd; they'll find out some things soon enough. We must finish the deal before he understands the truth." After saying that, Song Hao slumped back onto the bed and fell asleep again.
Tang Yu smiled and said, "I understand. You can get some more sleep. No one will bother you anymore." After saying that, she looked at Song Hao affectionately, turned around and gently closed the door.
That noon, Li Quan roared at Zhang Zhifa on the phone: "Liu Shun shipped the goods to Tianyitang last night! He sold them all at 90 yuan per kilogram! That idiot, why couldn't he have waited a few more days? The market will be completely sold out soon."
"This one!" Zhang Zhifa hesitated for a moment before saying, "Old Li, Tianyitang not only bought Liu Shun's goods, but they're also continuing to buy in March Street today. The price has already dropped to 85. If we don't sell it now, we'll lose everything. Once Tianyitang is saturated, no pharmaceutical factory will be willing to take large quantities of goods within a few months. I think you..."
"Old Zhang, you're not going to give up too, are you?" Li Quan asked.
"I... hehe! Old Li, I'm really sorry, I don't have your strength. If I keep these stocks in my hands without funds to operate other products, the losses will be even greater. So, an hour ago, I sold my stock to Tianyitang." Zhang Zhifa said with a dry laugh.
"You..." Li Quan was so angry on the other end of the phone that he couldn't speak.
Li Quan slammed the phone to the ground, his face ashen as he sat on the sofa, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. Tianyitang had already acquired 70 tons of Gastrodia elata from Zhang Zhifa and Liu Shun, plus the dozens of tons they had amassed along the March Street shopping mall, so they shouldn't need his 50 tons anymore. His two friends had acted first behind his back, essentially pushing him into a corner.
Thirty-four. Those who do not depart from the fundamental principle are called Heavenly Men. Those who do not depart from the essence are called Divine Men. Those who do not depart from the truth are called Perfect Men. Those who take Heaven as their principle, virtue as their foundation, and the Way as their gateway, and who manifest in change, are called Sages. —Zhuangzi
__________
After a moment of stunned silence, Li Quan found a business card for a purchasing agent at Tianyitang, found another phone, hesitated for a while, and then dialed the number.
"Is this Xiao Wang? I'm Li Quan. I'd like to discuss the 50 tons of Gastrodia elata in my warehouse with you," Li Quan said reluctantly.
"Oh! Mr. Li. Why are you only contacting me now? It's too late. Our Tianyitang procurement target has been exceeded, and we're about to completely stop purchasing. There are still dozens of tons left on the market in March, but we're not going to take them." A nonchalant reply came from the phone.
Upon hearing this, Li Quan was startled and quickly said, "Xiao Wang, I need your help. Ask your superiors if they can buy them all; I'll give you the lowest price."
"Well, never mind, I'll ask around for you, but if it's over 80 per kilogram, I doubt the purchasing department will be interested. Let me know." The other party then hung up.
"It seems Tianyitang really doesn't want to buy my 50 tons?" Li Quan felt a cold sweat break out all over his body. The price of 80 yuan per kilogram was already close to his cost price. For a speculative businessman like him, a deal that doesn't make money is a losing deal, because he had tied up a large amount of capital and more than half a year's worth of storage in this business.
"Damn it! I always feel like something's not right here. Tianyitang made such a big move in March Street, but in the end, they still managed to take over all 70 tons of Liu Shun and Zhang Zhifa's stock. Their target is us! And several small pharmaceutical factories have already taken the opportunity to compete with Tianyitang in March Street. Did any of those factories really have 60 tons of their stock in March Street?" Li Quan pondered for a moment, then made another phone call.
"Hey, how's the investigation going on your end?"
"Boss, I've found the pharmaceutical factory that produced 'Gastrodia elata oral liquid' and contacted a deputy factory manager. We've arranged to have dinner tonight, and I'll get the truth out of him then. Fifty thousand yuan should be enough to buy a truthful answer." A man's voice came from the phone.
"Hurry, whether we make a profit or a loss in this deal depends on what they say," Li Quan instructed.
Just as Li Quan hung up the phone, another phone rang.
"Mr. Li, this is Xiao Wang, a purchasing agent from Tianyitang Pharmaceutical. I've asked my supervisor, and he said, 'Would you sell your batch of goods for 78 yuan per kilogram? If you agree, the transaction will take place in half an hour. If not, we'll buy up all those dozens of tons of Gastrodia elata from Sanyue Street today at 80 yuan per kilogram, and then cease all purchasing of Gastrodia elata. This is the final order from Tianyitang headquarters. Please give me an answer now, Mr. Li," Xiao Wang said calmly.
"This..." Li Quan was quite surprised to hear this. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said helplessly, "Alright, the transaction will be in half an hour. We'll do it as you have agreed."
After hanging up the phone, Li Quan hurriedly dialed another number and said urgently, "Hei Zi, you only have half an hour now. Find that deputy factory director immediately and sell him a truth for 100,000. No, 200,000 will do!"
"No, boss, the other party is in a meeting and we can't find him right now! Why are you in such a hurry? Can't we wait until tonight?" the other party replied.
"I can't wait a minute longer. These last half hour will determine whether we make an extra four or five million, or whether we sell at our initial investment. We must find this person immediately, give him the 200,000, and tell us if his pharmaceutical factory really has those 60 tons of Gastrodia elata in stock," Li Quan roared.
"Alright, I'll find him as soon as possible," the person on the other end of the phone replied helplessly.
Half an hour later, several purchasing agents from Tianyitang appeared before Li Quan. Li Quan glanced at the phone next to him, which was waiting for news, hesitated for a long time, and finally helplessly instructed the people next to him: "Go to the warehouse with them to ship the goods."
Upon hearing this, the purchasing agents from Tianyitang exchanged smiles, each displaying an extremely relaxed expression.
An hour later, a man returned and reported to Li Quan: "Boss, the 50 tons of Gastrodia elata have been shipped. Tianyitang has already transferred the payment to our account. It's strange, those trucks that were parked outside our warehouse yesterday turned out to be Tianyitang's fleet. It's as if they knew we were going to sell these 50 tons of Gastrodia elata to them today, and they were already prepared. There were also a lot of people who rushed to load the trucks with our loading and unloading workers, looking very anxious."
"What did you say?" Li Quan jumped up in surprise and asked, "Tianyitang's truck arrived here yesterday."