Chapter 331: Jiang Shiying Arrives
After leaving Jiang Longcheng’s place, Li Yi didn’t go back to the shop or his rented room; instead, he hopped on a bus and headed into the city!
He wanted to check the market price for dried goods; after all, he still had over 100,000 pounds of dried mushrooms at home that needed to be sold as soon as possible!
Only after sorting this out could he relax and stay home with his wife as she prepared for childbirth!
Actually, he already had a rough idea of the market prices for dried goods—after all, that was how he’d made his fortune in his previous life.
Barring any surprises, the current price was hovering around 1.8 yuan per jin; by New Year’s Day, it would likely rise to 2 yuan, and by the Spring Festival, it would soar to 2.4 yuan.
However, since he had such a large volume to sell, flooding the market with this much stock all at once would inevitably drive the price down.
There’s no way around it—the market is still relatively small right now. Very few people can afford dried mushrooms that cost two or three yuan per pound, and a volume of 100,000 pounds would be enough to significantly impact market prices.
So, he couldn’t dump all this stock at once; he had to take it slow.
The bus meandered through the city for nearly half an hour before finally arriving near a large market that Li Yi knew very well.
After getting off the bus, Li Yi headed straight into the market!
Although it was nearly evening, the market was still bustling with people buying and selling—it was incredibly lively!
As the capital’s largest wholesale market for dried goods, it attracted not only many sellers but also many buyers.
Upon entering a familiar dried goods shop, Li Yi asked the plump man who was sorting dried wood ear mushrooms, “Comrade, do you have any hazelnut mushrooms?”
“Yes!”
“How much per pound?”
“2.4 yuan a jin!”
“That expensive?” Li Yi feigned a frown.
“These are top-quality dried goods—pure wild hazelnut mushrooms. My cost price alone is over 2.2 yuan…”
Seeing that this guy was still just as full of hot air as he’d been in his past life, Li Yi couldn’t help but tease him: “Comrade, did you really buy your dried mushrooms for 2.20? You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”
“Comrade, why would I lie to you? It’s definitely 2.2 yuan!” the portly shop owner declared, pounding his chest.
“Well, how about these? I’m selling them for two yuan and one jiao a jin. Want some?”
The portly owner eyed Li Yi closely before asking, “Comrade, you’re not seriously trying to buy my mushrooms. What’s your real agenda?”
“I have some dried mushrooms—top-quality, pure wild ones. Would you buy them?” Li Yi finally revealed his true purpose.
“1.70 per pound!” the portly shopkeeper said bluntly.
“But you just said two yuan and twenty cents a pound,” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Well… Comrade, I just took you for a novice. If you really have dried goods—as long as the quality is good—I’ll take every last one at 1.7 yuan a pound!”
Seeing that Hu the Fat was just as thick-skinned as he’d been in his past life, Li Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.
“That’s too low—it barely covers my cost!”
“Then how much do you want?”
“Two yuan at the very least!”
“No way, 1.80 at most!”
Li Yi replied immediately, “1.80 definitely won’t work. But no rush—if you think 2 yuan is acceptable, you can find me at the Grassland Beef and Lamb Shop in Beiguan Village. My name is Li Yi!”
With that, Li Yi turned and left the shop, heading to the next one!
He visited seven or eight shops in a row, but the highest offer he received was still only 1.8 yuan.
Li Yi was indeed somewhat dissatisfied with this price; after all, his costs were what they were, and anything too low simply wouldn’t be profitable.
In fact, Li Yi’s target price was between 2.10 and 2.20 yuan; he hadn’t even considered the peak price of 2.40 yuan.
Although he hadn’t found a suitable buyer, Li Yi didn’t lose heart.
He knew full well that the first batch of dried goods he’d purchased hadn’t been sold out yet, and prices hadn’t risen much.
In a few days, when people realized how difficult it was to source dried mushrooms, the price would naturally go up.
No rush—let the dust settle for a while!
……..
By the time he returned to the shop, it was already 8:00 p.m.!
As soon as he walked in, he heard Long Zhanjun say that someone was waiting for him in Private Room No. 4.
Li Yi didn’t ask any questions and immediately headed toward the private dining area.
The restaurant was pretty crowded today; more than half of the dozens of tables in the main dining area were occupied.
Even without considering table turnover, the occupancy rate alone was 70%—a figure that was nothing short of staggering for a restaurant.
When he reached the door of Private Room No. 4, Li Yi could already hear Jiang Longcheng’s loud, boisterous voice before he even stepped inside.
This guy only manages to rein himself in a little when he’s in front of me; with everyone else, he’s just the same as always.
However, after what happened last time, he generally didn’t drink at night and rarely went out partying—perhaps that was the biggest change!
Without hesitation, Li Yi pushed open the door and walked right in!
Once inside, Li Yi saw five people in the room, all of whom he knew.
Besides Jiang Longcheng, there were his second older brother, Jiang Longyin, and his third uncle, Jiang Shiying.
The other two were Ye Jianhua, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and his fiancée, Lin Ying!
Upon seeing Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng immediately exclaimed happily, “You’re finally back! If you’d been a moment later, we would’ve finished eating!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you guys to be here. Sorry!”
“No need to apologize—after all, we didn’t tell you we were coming either!” Jiang Longyin said with a laugh.
“How did you guys decide to come here for dinner?” Li Yi asked curiously.
“It was just a coincidence. I came here with my third uncle, and since I happened to see the three of you, we decided to join you at the table!” Jiang Longyin explained.
Ye Jianhua chimed in from the side, “It really is a coincidence. Ying’er and I were actually here today to deliver invitations to you and Brother Longcheng. We went to Brother Longcheng’s place first, only to find out he hadn’t eaten yet!”
“Since we still had to drop one off for you later, we figured we’d just grab a bite here. I never expected to run into Brother Jiang and Uncle San!”
“Invitations? Are you two getting married?”
“Yep!” said Ye Jianhua.
“When’s the wedding?”
“We plan to do it this calendar year!”
“Well then, congratulations to both of you on your marriage. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!” Li Yi said immediately.
“Thank you!” Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying said in unison.
At that moment, Jiang Longyin glanced at Jiang Longcheng and said, “Third Brother, look at Jianhua over there. Why aren’t you in the least bit anxious?”
Seeing the situation was getting tense, Jiang Longcheng hurriedly replied, “Why are you rushing me? It’ll be soon!”
“Talking to me won’t help. You’d better figure out how to handle Mom, Dad, and Grandpa!” Jiang Longyin said indifferently.
Jiang Longcheng ignored him and turned to Li Yi, saying, “Brother Li Yi, you better eat up. Once you’re done, my third uncle has something he wants to discuss with you!”
“Alright!”
After taking a few bites, Li Yi put down his chopsticks.
Seeing this, Jiang Longyin suddenly turned to Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying and said, “Jianhua, Ying, you two come with me for a walk!”
The two of them were smart enough to nod immediately and follow him out.
Jiang Longcheng actually wanted to stay and hear what his third uncle had to say to Li Yi, but Jiang Longyin casually pulled him out as well.
Soon, the private room was left with only Li Yi and Jiang Shiying!