Before seven o’clock the following morning, Zhou Kun received a call from Xu Yang.
“Hey, Kun, when will you arrive at the store?”
“Even if you want to replenish stock, you don’t have to come so early. I haven’t opened the store yet!” Zhou Kun was clearly displeased with the fact that he had been woken up by Xu Yang.
“Um, a customer of the restaurant likes your watermelon and would like to buy some from you. So, I gave him your contact number. That’s fine, right?” asked Xu Yang who was referring to Zhao Yuandong’s friend, Chen Peng.
“That’s it? That’s not an issue at all. Did you wake me up early in the morning to tell me about it?” Zhou Kun felt that Xu Yang was at fault.
“Uh, that person is now in front of your shop.”
“Damn it, he must be out of his mind! It’s so early!”
Actually, Zhou Kun just woke up too late. After all, which wholesaler wouldn’t get up early in the morning to replenish stock?
When Zhou Kun reached the entrance of the store, he saw that Chen Peng was already there.
In fact, Chen Peng did not get any sleep at all the night before.
Originally Chen Peng thought that the chef of Xiang Banquet had used some special techniques to make the watermelon juice that delicious. Zhao Yuandong then called Xu Yang and only after hearing Xu Yang’s explanation did he know that the watermelons were good in quality.
After getting Zhou Kun’s contact information from Xiang Banquet private restaurant, Chen Peng didn’t have the appetite to continue eating. He headed straight back to the store with the watermelon.
He got his subordinates to start making some fruit tea with Zhou Kun’s watermelons, and he realized that the quality of the fruit had increased greatly.
Hence, he had been calculating the costs in the store, trying to research and develop new products, and considering the matters about the sales.
The night was too long for Chen Peng, and he had been fantasizing about the new drinks that he could create to beat his competitors. However, he was also afraid that the quality of Zhou Kun’s watermelons, which were in large quantities, could not be guaranteed. He was afraid that his fantasy might not come true.
The paranoid Chen Peng ended up suffering from insomnia, and he finally made it to about five in the morning. Chen Peng then decided to go to the address that Xu Yang had given him. However, to his surprise, the fruit store had yet to open.
Hence, Chen Peng waited for another hour or so, and finally, he couldn’t wait any longer. He called Xu Yang, which led to the earlier scene.
“Mr. Zhou, you’re here. My surname is Chen, and the staff at Xiang Banquet private restaurant recommended the watermelons of this place to me,” Chen Peng said, eagerly trying to establish his purpose of visit.
“How many would you like to buy? If you want 20 to 30 watermelons, I do have enough in the store now. If you’d like to get more, I’ll have to go to the cold storage warehouse to collect the additional stock.”
“Can I see the goods first?” What Chen Peng was most worried about was that Zhou Kun’s goods might not be up to the standard of the watermelons served at Xiang Banquet private restaurant. After all, Xiang Banquet private restaurant had always been known as a luxurious restaurant, and it was normal that fruit stores might selectively supply better stock to them.
“Okay, I’ll cut one open now and let you taste it.”
While speaking, Zhou Kun picked a random watermelon in the store and prepared to slice it open. Chen Peng looked at the watermelons in Zhou Kun’s store silently, only to discover that they were about the same size. In terms of appearance, they were similar to the ones that he had brought back from Xiang Banquet private restaurant.
As Zhou Kun’s hand rose and fell, the watermelon was crisply and neatly cut into two halves. Unsurprisingly, they were of the same quality as the one Chen Peng had brought back yesterday.
“This watermelon doesn’t seem to have many seeds. Is it the same for the rest?” Watermelon seeds would also affect the taste of the product, so Chen Peng specifically asked Zhou Kun that question.
“My watermelon is special. Look at the single line on the skin that is aligned to the row of seeds inside. Cut along it and you will find that there is only a row of seeds inside. After picking the seeds off, the whole watermelon would be no different from a seedless one.”
Chen Peng did not expect Zhou Kun’s watermelon to be that special.
In fact, the seeds were a drawback to juicing fruits like watermelon.
The so-called seedless watermelons that were currently available on the market, had some immature, soft and white seeds, to a certain extent. Although squeezing them into juice wouldn’t affect the taste, it would produce certain impurities, which those who were picky with their food wouldn’t like.
“There are no white seeds either?” Chen Peng asked excitedly.
Zhou Kun answered firmly, “None.”
Chen Peng took a bite of the watermelon that Zhou Kun handed to him.
It was the right taste he was looking for!
That was exactly what the watermelon that he had brought back from Xiang Banquet private restaurant, tasted like!
“How many watermelons do you have?”
The last thing Zhou Kun wanted to hear right now was that question.
Why? Do I not look like a fruit wholesaler? Why is everyone asking me how much stock I have? Is he trying to buy all my stock?
“About twenty-odd tons.”
“Twenty-odd tons!?! Great, wonderful!”
“Mr. Zhou, I heard that this melon is sold individually, is that true?” Xu Yang didn’t mention the actual price of the watermelon yesterday. He simply said that the price was higher and that they were sold individually.
“30 yuan each.”
“30 yuan each?” Chen Peng quickly calculated the cost in his head.
The watermelons in front of him were evenly-sized, each weighing about 2.5 kilograms to 3 kilograms. Even a 2.5-kilogram would weigh 2 kilograms after having its skin removed. Each cup of juice would require 300 grams of watermelon. Including the waste, 1 watermelon could be used to produce 6 cups of watermelon juice. The cost price would then be 5 yuan per cup.
Although the cost was about twice as expensive, he could still profit from it. Most importantly, the watermelon could increase the reputation of his store. That was what Chen Peng was most concerned about.
“Mr. Zhou, I’d like to have a hundred of these watermelons,” said Chen Peng who immediately requested to purchase a hundred watermelons. He had to make his drinks known in Tong City.
Chen Peng came in a van today. He planned to bring all the watermelons back on the spot if they were of good quality. He would then use the watermelons in his shop that day.
After quickly completing the transaction, Chen Peng asked on his way out, “Mr. Zhou, can these watermelons be stored for a long time? I mean can they be transported over a long distance?”
“These watermelons are thick-skinned. It won’t be an issue to transport them over a long distance. If you have a cold storage truck, the watermelons will remain in the same condition as they are now, regardless of which city you transport it to.”
“Alright, Mr. Zhou, the quality of these watermelons are wonderful. We definitely have to cooperate,” Chen Peng said before he left. He did not forget the pleasantries.
Zhou Kun did not know that Chen Peng was the owner of a national beverage store chain whose branches were open in top-notch cities across the country. Chen Peng operated all the stores by himself, and there were no franchisees.
Chen Peng had already made up his mind. Once his business in Tong City was on track, he would use Zhou Kun’s watermelons in all the stores in the country that belonged to him.
Zhou Kun sent Chen Peng away. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to take a nap in the store. However, his mobile phone rang again and the caller was none other than Zhou Kun’s biggest customer, the elderly lady Huang Fang.
“Little Zhou, I’d like to purchase some watermelons. Do you have any watermelons for me?”
Watermelons again?
Even wholesalers don’t stock up so quickly.
“Yes, yes, yes, there are plenty of watermelons.”
“I’m buying watermelons for my own family’s consumption this time. Little Zhou, is it convenient for you to deliver now?”
“You bought so many watermelons previously. Have you finished them all?”
There were tens of watermelons. Even if she were to eat them for all her meals, it shouldn’t have run out so soon, right?
Or has she brewed all the watermelon?