Ch 77: The World’s Number One Resort

“Is there a reliable transportation company in Jinshi?” Tang Huai poured a cup of tea, contemplating the next steps. While they had lost contact with Zheng Chenghe, the business of selling Tang’s fruits had to continue.

“There is, but the cost could be high…” pondered Pang Dafu. The use of transportation vehicles and a warehouse had been unplanned. While arranging a warehouse was manageable, immediately finding a transport company willing to deliver goods from Jinshi to Shengze on short notice was another story.

“Manager Tang, maybe we could try contacting Xinxin Wholesale again?” Pang Dafu suggested, despite the setbacks, seeing collaboration with Xinxin as the easiest option.

“No need.” Tang Huai shook his head, glancing at his phone. He was friends with Zheng Chenghe, and while the calls had gone unanswered, Tang Huai also tried reaching out via WeChat. However, just like before, there was no response.

Tang Huai thought Zheng might be busy, but just five minutes ago, he saw Zheng’s latest post on his social feed.

Zheng Chenghe: “Yaya Hot Pot on Subai Road is quite good.” [Selfie] [Hot Pot]

Zheng was ignoring calls while happily eating hot pot in Shengze?

Tang Huai usually had a good temper, but seeing this post made him quite annoyed.

“The cost of transportation isn’t an issue,” Tang Huai replied, regaining his composure and refocusing on their conversation at the table.

Currently, the growth in island currency via Douyin was slow. In Tang Huai’s plan, the unique characteristics and benefits of Sora Fruits would generate a significant amount of island currency. Compared to that, transport fees were a minor concern.

“I’ll make some calls,” Pang Dafu offered. Seeing that Tang Huai had made up his mind, neither he nor Wu Kun pressed further. They both knew Tang Huai to be a decisive individual.

“Thank you,” Tang Huai said sincerely. Whether it was the earlier maritime trade or the current warehouse situation, Pang Dafu had been a great help.

“We’re brothers. No need to be so formal,” Pang Dafu waved off the thanks. Though older by over twenty years, he called Tang Huai “brother” without any awkwardness.

Tang Huai smiled. After ordering another round of drinks, they eventually finished dinner and went their separate ways. By then, it was already eleven at night.

Tang Huai glanced at the time and followed the assistant back to the hotel in Jinshi.

…

“Pudding Bird, Feifei Cat is now in my hands…” As Tang Huai opened the door to room 608, he was greeted by a distinctly cartoonish voice from inside.

The suite was well-equipped, with both a living room and bedroom. After turning on the lights, Tang Huai noticed the television was on, and sitting right in front of it was a golden-colored dog.

It was Da Huang.

Seemingly unaware of Tang Huai’s arrival, Da Huang continued watching the TV intently.

Tang Huai glanced at the screen. It was showing an episode of Pudding Bird and Golden Dog, a popular domestic cartoon depicting the rivalry between Pudding Bird and the goofy Golden Dog, beloved by elementary school students across China.

“Just watch, but don’t mimic it…” Tang Huai said, placing his coat on the sofa. In the storyline of Pudding Bird and Golden Dog, the golden dog played a silly villain.

“Woof!” Da Huang finally acknowledged Tang Huai with a bark before focusing back on the TV.

It was the climactic showdown between Pudding Bird and the Golden Dog—how thrilling!

“After this, it’s bedtime.” Tang Huai gave Da Huang’s tail a light squeeze. After a day’s rest, Da Huang had finally recovered from his seasickness.

“Woof!” Da Huang responded without taking his eyes off the screen. Not saying anything further, Tang Huai headed to wash up and then laid down to sleep.

Staring at the hotel ceiling, Tang Huai began pondering the next steps for selling Tang’s fruits. Although wholesalers like Xinxin were easy to find, after this incident, his desire to work with such partners had diminished.

…

“Ring, ring, ring—” At six in the morning the next day, Tang Huai was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. He groggily opened his eyes, and upon seeing the caller ID, he quickly came to his senses.

The call was from Zheng Chenghe.

Tang Huai answered the call.

“Boss Tang, I’m really sorry. There was an issue with the transport team yesterday, and I was too embarrassed to contact you…” came the voice of Zheng Chenghe, sounding sincerely apologetic.

Tang Huai: Heh.

Zheng sounded very earnest, but judging from his activity on social media yesterday, he didn’t seem to feel embarrassed at all. As an adult, Tang Huai found Zheng’s excuse laughable.

“Boss Zheng, I need a real reason,” Tang Huai interrupted before Zheng could finish. He didn’t want to waste time with pointless excuses.

“Manager Tang, Xinxin Fruits has started cooperating with Youlan Trade. Youlan wants an exclusive deal…” Zheng was taken aback by Tang Huai’s straightforwardness.

Youlan Trade also dealt in the fruit business, but unlike Xinxin, Youlan operated nationwide as an importer of premium fruits. With the overall improvement in the economy, the market for high-end fruits had opened up rapidly, offering much higher profit margins than regular fruits.

Zheng had previously reached out to Youlan Trade several times, but Youlan had strict requirements for its partners, and they hadn’t been able to reach an agreement. Just when Xinxin thought the deal was off the table, Youlan unexpectedly contacted Xinxin… Previously focused on the northern market, Youlan now sought to expand into the south.

“Manager Tang, I’ll have our finance department return the 50,000 deposit to you,” Zheng added. Since Xinxin and Tang’s fruit business hadn’t signed a formal contract, there was technically no breach of contract. Of course, both parties knew the real situation.

“Tang…”

“Boss Zheng, did Xinxin and Youlan sign the contract last night?” Tang Huai cut in before Zheng could continue.

He recalled the social media post from yesterday.

“Yes.”

Zheng hesitated but finally admitted. Xinxin and Youlan hadn’t solidified the deal in a contract yet, which was why Zheng had avoided responding to Tang. He wanted to keep both options open… in case the deal with Youlan fell through, Tang’s fruit business would be a backup.

Zheng’s little scheme was quite calculated.

Now that the deal with Youlan was finalized, Zheng decided to officially reject Tang.

“Let’s terminate the cooperation between Tang’s fruit business and Xinxin,” Tang Huai said five seconds later. He was referring to their ongoing partnership.

“Manager Tang, this won’t affect our current cooperation…”

Zheng understood what Tang Huai meant. The two had been working together for a year and a half, with Tang’s fruit store regularly purchasing fruit from Xinxin Wholesale. Though a small-scale store, it was in a prime location, catering to a relatively affluent neighborhood, and with Tang’s excellent service, it bought about 50,000 yuan worth of goods each month…

If possible, Zheng didn’t want to end this partnership.

“I’ll handle the financial settlement. I wish Xinxin Wholesale prosperity in its business,” Tang Huai interrupted, and then he hung up.

Business is like a battlefield, and Zheng’s double-dealing had taught him a lesson. Although Sora Fruits was just a part of Great Tang’s overall development plan, after surviving a shipwreck and managing the island thereafter, Tang Huai felt slightly annoyed but not discouraged.

The advantage of Sora Fruits lay in their variety and taste. He was confident that, even without Xinxin Wholesale, his fruits would still find a market.

After that phone call, the time had slipped to seven in the morning. Tang Huai washed up and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Today was going to be a busy day.

…

“Boss Zheng, isn’t this a bit too much?” While Tang Huai was enjoying his breakfast, in a fruit warehouse in Shengze City, Huning Province, Zheng Chenghe lit a cigarette. Next to him, a young man in his twenties hesitantly spoke. The young man was the accountant for Xinxin Wholesale and had dealt with Tang Huai many times before.

“What’s wrong with it? This is how business works. Sora Island is selling trendy fruit; at most, it’ll be hot for three months. In business, you can’t just focus on immediate profits; you have to think long-term…”

Zheng Chenghe waved dismissively. He had signed a three-million-yuan purchase contract the day before. The fruit would go through the Shenzhen customs, and Zheng planned to head there today with the quality inspector. If the fruit passed inspection, they could immediately pay the balance and load the goods.

This was a huge deal. Now, right after the new year, if he managed to sell off this batch of fruit, Xinxin’s gross profit would be at least one million yuan…

Xinxin Wholesale had a profit-sharing deal with Great Tang’s fruit business, whereas Youlan Trade had given them full agency rights. Comparing the two, there was more risk on Youlan’s side. However, Youlan’s high-end fruit was renowned nationwide, and if it sold well, it would definitely bring more profit than Tang’s fruit.

Thinking of this, Zheng Chenghe felt quite excited.

The young accountant opened his mouth but ended up saying nothing. What he was concerned about wasn’t profit but integrity. Tang’s fruit business had cooperated with Xinxin for a year and a half; this was clearly a case of their boss acting unethically…

The young accountant sighed.

“Business is cutthroat.” Perhaps this is why Zheng Chenghe could be the boss, while he remained just an accountant.

…

“Manager Tang, we found a transport team. It’s Daqing Transport; they’ve been hauling cables for Da Fu Cable Factory…” While Zheng Chenghe was eagerly heading to Shenzhen, Pang Dafu was reaching out to some of his contacts and finally secured a transport team willing to head to Shengze.

The gross weight of the Sora fruit was ten tons, and with packaging and plastic wrap, it totaled around twelve tons. They needed five trucks in total.

“Thank you, Mr. Pang.” After signing the contract with the transport team, Tang Huai sincerely thanked Pang Dafu. The transport costs were about 20% higher than usual, but given Tang Huai’s sudden need and the fact that it was still the holiday season, the price was fair.

“No need to be so polite,” Pang Dafu replied nonchalantly.

Pang Dafu had known the owner of Daqing Transport for many years. Now that Tang Huai had found a transport company and Daqing Transport had secured a job, Pang Dafu himself was able to earn some goodwill out of this—truly a win-win-win situation.

Tang Huai smiled.

Later that afternoon, Tang Huai met with the truck drivers, and they shared a meal together. By the afternoon, the trucks arrived at the warehouse as scheduled.

Tang Huai hired about a dozen workers nearby, and soon, the unloading and loading of the goods were in full swing.

This time, Tang Huai brought nearly ten types of fruits, including bananas, pineapples, mangosteens, and cherries. The fruit boxes were sourced from Mexico, with the Sora AIs handling the harvesting and packaging.

The AIs were highly efficient, and each fruit box was neatly taped and sealed.

The port workers began loading at 3 p.m., and it wasn’t until 6 p.m. that they finished. During the loading process, Tang Huai also gifted three boxes of cherries each to Pang Dafu and Wu Kun to express his gratitude for their assistance.

Wu Kun had tasted Sora fruits before, so he accepted the gift without hesitation. However, Pang Dafu felt a bit embarrassed, knowing that cherries in China were sold at a hefty 50 yuan per pound.

Pang Dafu felt awkward about accepting the gift, but Wu Kun, noticing his hesitation, took the boxes for him. Seeing Wu Kun’s mysterious expression, Pang Dafu couldn’t help but be curious. Judging from Wu Kun’s reaction, these Sora cherries seemed to be quite extraordinary. He planned to try them out when he returned home that night.

“I’m heading back now. See you in half a month,” Tang Huai said as he checked the cargo and bid farewell to Pang Dafu and Wu Kun around 7 p.m., once the 12-ton load of fruits was properly packed.

The drivers from Daqing Transport worked in shifts, driving day and night without breaks, and were expected to arrive in Shengze in three days. Since Sora fruits required storage arrangements, Tang Huai had to return early to make some preparations.

“See you in half a month,” Pang Dafu replied, handing Tang Huai several local specialties from Jin City, such as mahua (fried dough twists). Although these treats couldn’t compare in value to the three boxes of cherries Tang Huai had given, they were a gesture of goodwill.

“Thank you,” Tang Huai said, accepting the gifts with a smile.

After some brief conversation, the Daqing transport convoy set off first, while Tang Huai and Da Huang, accompanied by the assistant, headed to the Jin City airport.

Tang Huai had booked a night flight, expecting to arrive in Shengze the next morning.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️