There was no effort required to sell his wares, and Du Ziteng curled his lip, thinking that he wasn't too bad himself.
Zhang Liunian couldn't hear his thoughts, but he did hear his jealousy. He turned and raised an eyebrow at him, then scanned the county supply and marketing cooperative. He found there were no large items, such as sewing machines or bicycles.
To buy them, he would have to go to the South City Department Store.
"Are you selling sauce?"
The director soon appeared before Zhang Liunian. He looked at the lobster sauce in Zhang Liunian's hand and greeted him with a smile.
"It's lobster sauce, and this bottle is for tasting." Zhang Liunian opened the bottle and scooped out a large spoonful, offering it to the director.
The director, a middle-aged man with a square face, took a piece and put it in his mouth.
After eating it, he gave a thumbs up. "What kind of sauce is this? It tastes very good."
"Lobster sauce, made from the red lobsters that appeared on our street. However, my lobsters are from Daming Lake, so you can rest assured." Zhang Liunian voluntarily introduced the source of his goods.
The square-faced director was stunned. "Since it's made from those, your hands are truly skilled."
He had tasted that lobster at a restaurant, and it was indeed quite good. However, paired with this sauce, it had an indescribable flavor.
After one bite, it left him with a lingering desire to have more.
This product was truly excellent; anyone who tasted it would accept it.
"Lobsters from Daming Lake, what proof do you have?" Since they were going to cooperate, he had to clarify the origin of the lobsters.
"I have the contract for the Daming Lake lobster concession. I'll bring it to you tomorrow to see." Zhang Liunian was pleased to see his interest.
The director, seeing that he had formal documents, felt much more at ease. "Tell me about its shelf life and pricing."
"As long as it doesn't get wet, it can generally be stored for three months. Each bottle weighs two jin, and costs one yuan and fifty fen." Zhang Liunian answered truthfully.
"Three months, that's a bit short for shelf life!" Their own sauces could generally be stored for two to three years. A sudden reduction to three months was quite short for them.
Zhang Liunian covered the bottle and replied, "It's because lobster meat has been added; there's no other way."
Even this three-month shelf life was achieved after he had processed the lobsters countless times; otherwise, ordinary ones couldn't last that long.
"One yuan and fifty fen, the price is a bit high." Meat was only one yuan a jin, and this bottle of sauce was equivalent to one and a half jin of meat. At such a high price, the director hesitated.
Although the lobster sauce tasted good, if the price was too high, he was afraid it wouldn't sell well.
"You can take a smaller amount initially. If it doesn't sell within a month, I can buy it back at your price, so you don't have to worry about not selling it." Zhang Liunian knew his concerns and proactively resolved them.
As expected, with his assurance, the director immediately felt that he had no risk to bear and might even improve their performance, especially since the lobster sauce tasted so good.
"Let's start with twenty bottles to try. If it sells well, we'll find you. By the way, where will we find you then?" The director readily agreed.
"In three days, I will open a shop at the post office. You can tell the people inside that you can return or order more goods there.
If you need anything before three days, you can find my friend, Chef Mu Mingliang, at the restaurant next door." Zhang Liunian couldn't find a better contact method for now, so he could only mention Mu Mingliang.
It seems like I need to get a phone, otherwise, it's really troublesome.
"I've noted it down. Now, we can formally sign the order contract." The director was straightforward and efficient. He took out paper and pen and began drafting the order contract, most importantly adding the clause about unconditional returns if unsold.
He was very satisfied with this point.
At the same time, he was curious about what courage Zhang Liunian had to make such a promise. After all, he had never encountered such terms before, let alone heard of them.
But a young comrade dared to make such a statement, which made him admire him from the bottom of his heart.
After the contract was signed, Zhang Liunian had Du Ziteng take out twenty bottles of lobster sauce and left with thirty-five yuan.
"Brother Liunian, you're amazing. Of the fifty bottles you brought out, only fifteen are left," Du Ziteng followed Zhang Liunian, his admiration like a surging river.
"This is just the beginning." He was only distributing the goods now; he hadn't truly opened up the market yet, so it was too early to praise.
"Are you planning to sell a hundred bottles today?" Du Ziteng was puzzled by Zhang Liunian's lack of excitement.
"I don't know. I'll sell as much as I can." He planned to distribute all of the first batch of 150 bottles of lobster.
As for the subsequent situation, they would have to wait and see.
Du Ziteng stopped talking and chose to follow Zhang Liunian, taking a tractor to the market together.
He thought Zhang Liunian was going to buy groceries again and reminded him, "Brother Liunian, I remember you have a room full of vegetables at home, so you don't need to buy any."
"I don't need to buy," he said, but Zhang Liunian's footsteps did not stop.
Less than ten meters into the market, their group encountered Wang Xiao'e selling lobsters alone.
She felt a bit embarrassed to see Zhang Liunian, but she didn't leave and stood there, brazenly.
Zhang Liunian ignored her and walked directly towards Liu Xiaoxiao, the middle-aged woman who had previously called him a jinx.
She was like before, sitting at her stall with her son. However, because Zhang Liunian hadn't visited in the past few days, her vegetables had increased, and she couldn't sell them.
When Zhang Liunian arrived, her eyes lit up. "Comrade, you're here?"
Zhang Liunian nodded and, as usual, bought all her vegetables.
Liu Xiaoxiao noticed his bandaged arm and asked with concern, "Comrade, are you injured? Have those people come to retaliate against you again?"
Her words reminded Zhang Liunian of those street hoodlums. He narrowed his eyes. "Have they been to you?"
Liu Xiaoxiao shook her head. "No."
It was strange, she thought, that she and her son had been living quite smoothly these past few days without encountering any trouble. She had almost forgotten about those people.
If she hadn't seen Zhang Liunian's injured arm now, she wouldn't have thought of them.
"If they cause you trouble, you can find me next to Datang Restaurant. I will open a shop there in three days."
Alas, they were all pitiable people.
"No need, they definitely won't come again." Although Liu Xiaoxiao was used to being bullied, she still harbored a beautiful fantasy deep down.
Zhang Liunian offered no opinion and suddenly asked, "Do you plan to make a living by selling vegetables from now on?"