"That won't do at all. You went to a lot of trouble to get this. How can I take something you value so much?"
Ding Yiping dodged the offer, quickly shaking his head.
In his position, every word and action had to be carefully considered. Unlike Liu Dalong, who had likely met an unfortunate end, Ding Yiping might not have been a famous incorruptible official in Jiangbei, but judging by his subsequent rise and the eventual scale of his supply and marketing cooperative, he was definitely not a bad person, at least not outwardly.
"I'm truly like a cow chewing on peonies. Look at my teacup; whether it's good or bad tea, it's always filled to the brim. It's a waste to give such fine tea to me."
Yu Zhou persisted, and he was speaking the truth. Yu Zhou had always been a tea enthusiast, but he wasn't one for affectation. He only felt satisfied when he could taste the bitterness. It was precisely because of this that he felt it was indeed a waste of good tea in his hands.
"No, no, we're different from you. You private factory owners can be as extravagant as you please. But if we officials accept gifts, someone will come knocking within half a month. You can't get me into trouble."
Ding Yiping remained firm, unwilling to face complications over half a jin of tea. Although he knew that accepting the tea would deepen his relationship with Yu Zhou, it was best to avoid such matters.
"I didn't say I was giving it to you as a gift! How much did it cost? I'll sell it to you at the original price. Is that acceptable?"
Yu Zhou's eyes darted as he spoke. He was willing to put in extra thought to strengthen his relationship with Ding Yiping. Hearing this, Ding Yiping's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed. If he refused now, after Yu Zhou had gone this far, it might lead to friction between them.
"Boss Yu! I've come today first to congratulate you. Second, I have something I need your help with."
After some pleasantries, Ding Yiping didn't linger on the topic and got straight to the point.
"You need my help?"
This remark surprised Yu Zhou. Even Jiang Jie, who had already been given permission to leave early to rest, was taken aback. Although her pregnancy wasn't yet obvious, as a close friend of Song Qing, Jiang Jie had already been designated as the godmother. Song Qing was even more concerned than Jiang Jie herself at times, almost preventing her from working. If Jiang Jie hadn't insisted, she might have been on paid leave at home. She understood Yu Zhou's business and knew Ding Yiping was the director of the supply and marketing cooperative and Yu Zhou's customer. What could a customer possibly need from a factory?
"It's like this: I'd like to sign a contract with your factory. From now on, can you supply melon seeds to our district on a limited basis?"
Ding Yiping, finally stating his purpose, spoke with confidence. This wasn't a major issue. In fact, Ding Yiping could have easily negotiated directly with the factory using his connections without involving Yu Zhou. However, to show respect to the new factory director and to foster a better relationship, Ding Yiping had no hesitation in coming to Yu Zhou's home. He used the occasion of congratulating Yu Zhou on the addition to his family as a pretext to solidify their connection.
"Of course, I won't let you lose out. I can't do much about the ex-factory price, but if you have any new products in the future, and if they are dried fruits, I'll buy as much as I can. I'll fully support your new product launches and inventory clearance."
With this tempting offer, even Yu Zhou was somewhat astonished. What was going on? Not only was Ding Yiping seeking cooperation, but he also wanted preferential supply to his cooperative? Did this mean the melon seeds were selling well?
"So, the sales of melon seeds have met expectations."
Yu Zhou said slowly. Such cooperation was easily within his power to grant. However, Ding Yiping himself didn't seem to take it lightly. Why was he acting so deferential? It was because he saw Yu Zhou's potential and wanted to deepen their relationship. Yu Zhou understood this clearly, and Ding Yiping also knew it well. Who wouldn't be happy with a win-win cooperation?
"More than met expectations, they've been explosive!"
"Almost every one of my subordinate supply and marketing cooperatives sells a lot of stock daily. If we hadn't ordered enough in advance, we might not have even had enough for our own sales. In just one week, the inventory is almost cleared. This is two-thirds faster than our projected time. Do you think I'm not anxious?"
Ding Yiping didn't hide anything, taking sales data out of his briefcase for Yu Zhou. While others might conceal such information, Yu Zhou, as the factory owner, would easily infer it from his procurement frequency. Moreover, presenting this now was a gesture of goodwill.
After a brief glance at the sales data, Yu Zhou took a deep breath. He had thought clearing the stock in half a month was ambitious. Who would have imagined that a district supply and marketing cooperative, along with its subordinate cooperatives and other channels, would clear almost all the delivered goods in just seven days?
"Our purchasing manager is already preparing to pick up the goods from your factory tomorrow. Don't short us this time. We need five hundred boxes..."
Seeing Yu Zhou's expression, Ding Yiping said directly. He didn't want his supply and marketing cooperatives to be out of stock of the popular melon seeds for their customers. He had eaten plenty of them himself; they were delicious and perfect for snacking while watching TV. Naturally, he knew Yu Zhou had put a lot of effort into this product. His current concern was production capacity and potential delays in procurement for various stores.
"Don't worry, I'll prioritize supplying you even if I have to limit others..."