1986: Old Stories in Northeast China

"Little brother, what medicine do you want? Do you have a prescription?"

When they arrived at the store of the state-owned medicinal materials company, the old man sitting behind the counter took the initiative to greet him.

"I'm not here to buy medicine, I'm here to sell clubs. Do you accept them here? What's the market price?" Chen Tiezhu asked.

"Little brother, clubs are not sold like this. You have to look at the appearance and the weight. Have you brought it?" The old man asked with a smile.

Chen Tiezhu didn't waste any words and took out the bark roll from his arms.

The old man took it and gently unfolded the bark roll, "Did you pick it yourself, or did you leave it at home?"

"I picked it myself." Chen Tiezhu said.

The old man glanced at him, "Such a young ginseng buyer is rare."

"What a pity, I thought it was wild ginseng. This is wet ginseng, or ginseng under the forest. It's not big, it won't sell for much money." The old man gently pushed away the moss and said calmly.

Chen Tiezhu smiled but said nothing, which is also a common method used by businessmen. But he didn't expect that the state-owned medicinal materials purchasing company would actually play such a trick.

"I'm old, and I'm a little bit wrong. This is wild ginseng, but it's still too small, it's wet, and the quality is a bit worse." The old man made up his mind.

"Is it calculated by gram, or the whole one?" Chen Tiezhu asked with a smile.

"If it's calculated by gram, you are not suitable. After all, the weight must be reduced by at least 50% after the collection. I'll make the decision and give you a discount. The whole root is 150 yuan, and private sellers outside can't sell it for this price." The old man said.

"It's not very practical." Chen Tiezhu said as he rolled up the ginseng.

"Little brother, don't dare to say that. Even if we are selling corn, don't we have to remove some water? Your ginseng is really too watery." The old man said.

"Dried ginseng has its advantages, and it is easy to preserve. But what about raw ginseng? It also has its wonders. People with both qi and blood deficiency can take it more effectively. I wonder if what I said is right or not?" Chen Tiezhu said with a smile.

"I am ashamed. It seems that I have met a real expert. I am sorry for my tricks." The old man clasped his fists, but his face remained calm.

"It doesn't matter. One buys and one sells, it should be like this. Whether you buy this ginseng for your own use or something else, just pay the money. I can sell it if you are satisfied with the price." Chen Tiezhu said indifferently.

He pointed out the old man's thoughts directly, just because he didn't want him to continue to play the mysterious fist, and also wanted to find out the real price of this ginseng.

"Little brother, it is true that I want to buy it for my own use. There is a relative at home who can use it. I have spent all my family money on medical treatment over the years. I will give a high price, two hundred and thirty yuan." The old man said.

Chen Tiezhu didn't respond at all. He rolled up the ginseng and put it in his arms, and walked out with Doudou.

"Brother, the price can be negotiated. Two hundred and fifty... No, two hundred and seven..."

"Brother, why are you like this? Don't leave..."

...

No matter how the old man shouted, Chen Tiezhu's steps were firm.

He gave the old man a chance. He was not honest, but he couldn't blame himself.

"Brother, are you here to sell ginseng? What price can you give for the old coffin stuffing? Help you find a good buyer?"

Just after walking out of the pharmacy, a middle-aged man with a beard came over.

"How much commission?" Chen Tiezhu asked.

"Brother is a wise man, but I don't take commission from you, because you are my God of Wealth. I only take commission from buyers, and I have to make money in the open." The middle-aged man with a beard said with a smile.

"Seven years old and good quality raw ginseng, can anyone eat it?" Chen Tiezhu said.

"Brother, you have finally found the right person. A friend's grandfather is about to celebrate his birthday, and he can sell it for a good price." The middle-aged man with a beard was delighted.

"For this year, as long as the quality is not too bad, it can always be sold for more than 300 yuan. As for how much it can be sold for, I won't interfere. Brother, talk to the buyer directly. What do you think?"

"Sure, lead the way." Chen Tiezhu nodded readily.

The middle-aged man was still a little conservative. He estimated that the price of this ginseng would be at least between 350 and 400 yuan. If he met someone he liked, he could get a higher price.

However, he was doing business with middlemen, and it was impossible for him to raise the price all at once.

At least he felt that he was much more honest than the old man in the store.

Following the middle-aged man, turning left and right, he came to a billiard hall, and Chen Tiezhu also became more vigilant.

Being able to open such a large billiard hall in a small county town in this era, with a video hall next to it, is not an ordinary person.

"Little brother, you are the boss here. Those who can eat this ginseng are rare in our county.Even after the reform and opening up, people don't have that much money in their pockets. "The middle-aged man said.

"That's true. If my family didn't need money, I would have kept the ginseng for myself." Chen Tiezhu nodded and followed the middle-aged man in.

The billiard room was also filled with smoke, and there were quite a few people playing. A quick glance showed that there were at least seven or eight billiard tables.

"Second brother, there is a happy event. Isn't our old man going to celebrate his birthday? It just so happens that this little brother is going to play the club. "

After coming to a middle-aged man with a purple clay teapot, the bearded man said respectfully.

Chen Tiezhu took a look at the man called the second brother and knew what was going on.

Sure enough, the routine is hard to guard against.

I thought the bearded man was a decent middle-aged man, but it turns out that he is in the same group with the old man in the drugstore.

Although the second brother in front of him is a little more wealthy, his eyebrows and eyes are also somewhat similar to that of the old man.

"What kind of club is it? Old Liu, you can't fool me with junk." The second brother spoke.

"What you said, no one dares to fool the second brother, right? Seven-year wild ginseng. Little brother, take out the club. "The bearded man said hurriedly.

In fact, Chen Tiezhu was going to leave directly, but after thinking about it for a while, he took out the ginseng.

He needed money, and it was not easy to find other sales channels in the county. If the second brother could give a similar price, it would be fine.

"I thought it was something else, but it's just this nonsense?" A little bald man next to him said with disgust.

"Second brother, who is in charge of buying ginseng?" Chen Tiezhu asked with a smile.

"You..."

"Dalong, take a rest on the side, it's none of your business."

The little bald man just opened his mouth, and the second brother waved his hand.

The little bald man glared at Chen Tiezhu fiercely and said nothing.

"Little brother, I don't know much about the ins and outs here. If Big Lao Liu says it's a sure thing, then it's a sure thing, quote a price." The second brother took a sip of tea and said with a faint smile.

"Five hundred. "

Chen Tiezhu uttered the two words lightly, with a smile on his face.

As soon as the offer was made, the crowd around him suddenly became quiet.