sinovels Chapter 1972 Purchasing Station Grades and Sells Ginseng
Chapter 1972 Purchasing Station Grades and Sells Ginseng
Chapter 1972 Purchasing Station Grades and Sells Ginseng
Upon entering the supply and marketing cooperative, the aroma of light and sweet melons became even stronger.
There were no customers at the supply and marketing cooperative in the afternoon; a group of employees were gathered together, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed cantaloupe.
Upon seeing the people enter, a man in his forties placed the unfinished cantaloupe he was carrying on the counter, walked towards Zhao Jun and the others, and asked with a smile, "What would you like to buy?"
This attitude is very good, mainly because Zhao Jun and his group are almost all wearing Dacron.
Zhao Jun pointed to two baskets of melons in the shade against the north wall and asked, "How much are the melons?"
"Fifteen cents," the man said. "Each one is guaranteed to be sweet."
"So expensive?" Zhao Jun was taken aback. The forest farm store sells cantaloupes every year from the end of July. The employees would buy a few to take home after get off work. But at that time, they were only eight or six cents each.
"This is my first bite of the year," the man laughed. "It's incredibly sweet."
Hearing this, Zhao Jun stepped forward, picked up one, smelled it, and then looked at the man and said, "I'll take both baskets."
"What is this?" The man was taken aback. A female sales clerk said, "Please leave some for us."
Fresh produce inevitably suffers some spoilage. These two baskets of melons, for example, weigh about 130 to 140 pounds. It shouldn't be a problem for the employees to divide them into 10 or 20 pounds each.
The person who had spoken to Zhao Jun earlier must have been the manager of the supply and marketing cooperative. He quickly took over the conversation and said to Zhao Jun, "Our employees all said that these melons are so good, we should buy some."
“Buy it.” Zhao Jun knew this, and quickly said, “You guys pick them up first, and give me the rest when you’ve picked them all up.”
"You..." Hearing that Zhao Jun's words didn't sound like a joke, the man asked in surprise, "Why are you buying so many? Are you going to sell them?"
"I'm not selling, I have a lot of family members," Zhao Jun said, waving to the sales clerks over there and saying, "Come on, you can pick them up."
The female sales clerks didn't stand on ceremony; they took out triangular bags from the counter and started picking up melons.
Zhao Jun and the others weren't in a hurry; they just watched the two sales clerks pick them up.
At this moment, an older woman, in her fifties, said while picking up the pieces, "We'll pick the smaller ones and leave the bigger ones for you."
Normal cantaloupes usually weigh over half a pound, with some even reaching a pound. In these two large baskets, there are very few small cantaloupes weighing only two or three ounces.
These two women didn't even pick the big ones; they only picked the small ones that weighed two or three ounces.
But as soon as the woman finished speaking, Zhang Yuanmin laughed and said, "Big sister, that's the main melon, it's the sweetest."
The two women picking melons were taken aback. The supply and marketing cooperative manager smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "They're all sweet, they're all sweet."
As he spoke, he took two melons out of the basket and handed them to Zhao Jun, saying, "These two are free, you can try them."
Zhao Jun smiled, took the melon, and put it back in the basket, saying, "Let's soak it for a while, then we'll taste it."
The two women picked out about ten pounds of melons. Zhao Jun looked at the supply and marketing cooperative manager, who pointed to the basket and said, "The peel weighs about six and a half pounds. We'll deduct the weight before weighing, and then it's yours."
He meant that the basket weighed six and a half pounds. In Northeast China, there's no bamboo, so baskets are made from tree bark or branches. This thing definitely can't be priced the same as a melon.
Zhao Jun nodded upon hearing this, then waved his hand to signal Li Baoyu and Xie Chen to lift the basket onto the scale.
The two baskets weighed a total of 142.5 jin. Weighing it, we deducted 13 jin from the two baskets, and then calculated it at 15 cents per jin, for a total of 19.35 yuan. The manager took 19 yuan from Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun picked four melons out of the basket and said to the manager, "Could you please get me a basin? We'll wash a few and eat them first."
"Here, come on in." The manager beckoned Zhao Jun to come inside. There was a washbasin on the counter, filled with clean water.
“This water is clean,” the manager said to Zhao Jun, pointing to the basin. “We wash our clothes here.”
Zhao Jun stepped forward and soaked the melons in water. It must have been dry lately, because the melons were all quite clean.
While rubbing the surface of the melon with his hands, Zhao Jun asked the manager, "Master, what is your surname?"
Zhao Jun didn't know if the person in front of him was Bi Dongsheng, but his way of doing things—buying goods first and then building a relationship—was something no one could criticize.
"Ah, my surname is Zhu," Manager Zhu said. Zhao Jun pressed on, "Master Zhu, may I ask you where the supply and marketing cooperative's purchasing station is located?"
"It's right behind here." Manager Zhu pointed to the north window and said, "If you go around to the back street from the east, you'll see that courtyard. There's a red paper on the door that says it's for sale."
"Want to sell?" Zhao Jun asked. Manager Zhu replied irritably, "They don't collect much stuff in a year, and then they take up such a big yard."
At this point, Manager Zhu pointed to the area where miscellaneous items were piled up to the west and said, "The boss said to have them tidy it up and store it in the house."
"Ah..." Zhao Jun heard this and kept it in mind.
By this time, he had finished washing the melons, and Li Baoyu and the others had already loaded the two baskets of melons onto the cart. Zhao Jun went out and divided the four melons among himself.
Two people each took turns punching the melon, and it cracked open, splitting into roughly two halves.
Most of these melons are oval or short-ovate in shape, with a milky white base color that is yellowish, with light yellow-green lines and tiny light green spots.
The flesh is milky white, and the part near the core is slightly sandy.
The flesh of the melon contains seeds, so you have to shake them out when you eat it, otherwise the seeds will be expelled the same way you ate them.
With a crisp "crunch," Zhao Jun took a bite, and the juice immediately filled his mouth. A refreshing fragrance flashed by, followed by a cloying sweetness.
It's sweet but not cloying, and crisp and delicious.
Zhao Jun ate half a melon in a few bites, and not only him, but everyone else was also a little unsatisfied.
But they had important business to attend to, so Zhao Jun called everyone to get in the car and said, "Let's go to the purchasing station first, and we'll eat when we get back."
“Yes,” Zhang Yuanmin agreed. “Go back and press some cold water on it, then pluck it a little more, and it will taste even better.”
"Why bother pressing down cold water?" Wang Qiang laughed. "Don't you have a refrigerator at home?"
“Yes.” Zhang Yuanmin laughed and followed Zhao Jun into the jeep.
The two cars headed east, onto the next street, and soon arrived in front of a large courtyard.
This courtyard is not as large as the Zhao family courtyard, but it is still two or three hundred square meters. The courtyard is empty, neither planted with vegetables nor parked. Further inside is a row of large tile-roofed houses, which looks like there are seven or eight rooms.
At the entrance of the compound, a sign that reads "Mountain Products Purchasing Station" hangs on the left, and a red paper with the words "This compound is for sale" written in calligraphy is pasted on the right.
"Uncle," Zhao Jun glanced around and asked Wang Qiang, "How's this yard?"
"The courtyard... it's alright, I guess." Wang Qiang didn't say it was good because the courtyard was too ordinary in the mountains. They had built quite a few houses, but Wang Qiang knew that his nephew was buying the courtyard to host a large meeting for the bosses and merchants who came to buy ginseng.
In Wang Qiang's view, his chamber of commerce is not short of money and should buy a small building like Wu Baoguo's.
"This courtyard is great!" Zhao Jun kept praising it as he looked at the yard. If he bought this courtyard, he could build several houses around it, and then wait for the demolition and redevelopment in twenty years—wouldn't that be wonderful?
After Zhao Jun agreed, no one said anything.
Zhao Jun led the way, and the group went straight to the house. Just as they were about to enter, someone appeared at the door and asked, "What are you doing here?"
This purchasing station has a sign that reads "Mountain Products Purchasing Station," meaning it buys everything from the mountains, such as bear bile, deer antler, lingzhi mushroom, earthworm, wood ear fungus, mushrooms, and so on.
But at this time of year, deer antlers are no longer available, and autumn fungus and mushrooms haven't been harvested in large quantities yet. Hazelnuts and pine nuts haven't matured yet, and leather pelts aren't ready for harvest either.
It's not hunting season yet, so bear bile is out of the question. Therefore, this is the off-season for this purchasing station's business.
The only things that can be collected are Ganoderma lucidum and wild ginseng.
Compared to wild ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum is worthless. And this purchasing station has offended all the ginseng gangs and ginseng sellers in the area; nobody comes to sell ginseng to them anymore.
Therefore, this purchasing station never gets a single business a day.
"Master, is Station Chief Bi here?" Zhao Jun asked. The man lifted the curtain made of cardboard and wire, and greeted Zhao Jun, saying, "Aren't you my brother Zhao Jun?"
Zhao Jun smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with Bi Dongsheng, who then invited Zhao Jun and the others into the house.
The group entered the room and found it to be large and spacious. On the counter, which was over ten meters long, there were only two boxes, the contents of which were unknown.
On the wall, the old man's portrait was in the center, while three leather items hung in the corner.
When the Zhao family members saw those pieces of leather, they couldn't take their eyes off them.
They recognized that one of the three pelts was a lynx pelt, while the other two were leopard pelts.
"Wait..." Zhao Jinhui couldn't help but speak, but Lin Xiangshun pulled him hard.
Realizing what was happening, Zhao Jinhui quickly shut his mouth. At this moment, Bi Dongsheng noticed the strange behavior of the Zhao family gang. He followed everyone's gaze and then smiled at Zhao Jun and the others, saying, "Who knows what happened? Last year, there were so many leopards and lynxes. When there are too many of these things, they become worthless."
He's right. Last year, Zhao Jun's lynx pelts were all stuck with him. He bought them for 3,000, but when he transported them to Hebei, Wen Hongchang only offered him 3,000. Seeing that he couldn't make a profit, Zhao Jun stopped selling them.
As for the price changes of leopard skin through normal channels, Zhao Jun didn't know, but he did know that his Zhao family gang was selling it for increasingly higher prices.
But now is not the time to talk about this. Zhao Jun followed Bi Dongsheng inside. Bi Dongsheng pulled out a long bench from behind the counter and spent a lot of time settling the eight members of the Zhao family down.
"Brother Dongsheng, don't bother." Seeing that Bi Dongsheng was about to pour them water, Zhao Jun quickly stopped him, saying, "We're all family, no need to be polite."
"That won't do!" Bi Dongsheng picked up a cup and started making tea. Zhao Jun looked around and casually asked, "Brother Dongsheng, are you all alone here?"
“There are three more people,” Bi Dongsheng said. “They went home for lunch, and I’ll keep an eye on them here.”
After saying this, Bi Dongsheng turned to Zhao Jun and asked, "Hey, brothers, have you eaten yet?"
“We’ve already eaten, we came here after we finished eating.” Zhao Jun said, standing up to take the teacup that Bi Dongsheng handed him.
After distributing the tea to everyone, Bi Dongsheng then distributed cigarettes.
After a brief chat about everyday things and finishing his cigarette, Zhao Jun got straight to the point, saying, "Brother Dongsheng, I promised you that stick, and I've brought it to you."
When Li Baoyu and Xie Chen entered the room, each of them was carrying a steamed bun with a stick on their back, which Bi Dongsheng noticed.
When Zhao Jun brought up the matter, Bi Dongsheng laughed and said, "Brother, thank you."
"Brother Dongsheng, there's no need to be so polite." Zhao Jun laughed, "We used to have that kind of relationship with Director Bi and my brother-in-law, but from now on, aren't we brothers too?"
“That’s right, brother!” Hearing Zhao Jun’s words, Bi Dongsheng shouted, “If you ever need anything in the city, just come and find me.”
Zhao Jun nodded with a smile, while Bi Dongsheng continued, "Don't think that just because your brother is a small station chief, I know all the leaders, big and small, in Shanhe County."
Whether Zhao Jun believed it or not, he couldn't refute it. He could only nod and say, "That's settled then. I'll come to you if I ever need anything."
While the two were exchanging pleasantries, Li Baoyu and Xie Chen had already opened the steamed buns with glutinous rice balls.
"Let me see the ginseng my brother planted." Bi Dongsheng said as he stood up and picked up a ginseng seedling from a pile of moss, picking at the tip of the rhizome.
This ginseng seedling comes from the same place as the Sancai Ginseng King, growing near the Sancai Ginseng King. It should be a grandson of that ginseng king.
The three sections of reed form a goose-neck reed, with a smooth body and iron-wire patterns, flowing straight down.
This ginseng wasn't considered top-grade among the Zhao family's harvests, but as long as it's aged enough, its appearance won't be bad. At first glance, its wildness and aged appearance immediately come to mind.
“Okay!” Bi Dongsheng looked it over, put the ginseng back on the moss, and then said to Zhao Jun, “Brother, wait for me for two minutes.”
After speaking, Bi Dongsheng smiled and nodded to Wang Qiang and the others.
The deal hasn't been done yet, but the Zhao family gang has a fairly good impression of Station Master Bi.
Bi Dongsheng went behind the counter, took out a steelyard balance, and found a piece of soft paper.
"I weighed it myself," Bi Dongsheng said again after returning, then placed the paper on the counter and operated the scale with both hands.
He first moved the weight to zero, then lifted the scale by the knob to check if the scale beam was level, thus calibrating the scale head.
Next, Bi Dongsheng picked up the scale with one hand and placed the soft paper on the scale with the other. Then, he picked up the rhizome of the wild ginseng again and gently placed it on the soft paper.
The ginseng wasn't dry yet; its legs were spread out and its whiskers were scattered. Bi Dongsheng carefully gathered the ginseng whiskers to prevent them from scraping the edge of the plate.
After the weights were placed, Bi Dongsheng steadily held the scale knob with his right hand and slowly slid the bronze weight outward along the scale beam with his left hand.
When the copper weight was set at one or two ounces, the scale beam lifted slightly. Bi Dongsheng then moved the weight to one and a half ounces, and the scale beam became slightly heavier, indicating that it was still one ounce short.
Bi Dongsheng deftly rubbed the weight outwards with his fingertips, and the weight was firmly stuck on the 1.55 tael mark.
At the same time, the scale beam remained stable in the air, neither too high nor too low, level as a line.
“Brother,” Bi Dongsheng said to Zhao Jun, “Take a look, it’s one tael and five mace and five fen.”
"Hey." Zhao Jun stood up, glanced at it, and then nodded to Bi Dongsheng, saying, "Brother Dongsheng, no problem."
Bi Dongsheng turned around, placed the steelyard on the counter, walked a few steps to the west, picked up the ledger, took out the pen clipped to his pocket, opened the ledger and wrote on a blank page: "Fresh goods (ginseng), weighing one tael and five mace and five fen, perfect in all five aspects, in good condition, without any defects."
At this point, Bi Dongsheng paused slightly, carefully picked up the ginseng seedling, gently stroked the two jujube-shaped ginseng kernels, and then wrote after the words "no defects": "The ginseng kernels do not exceed 40%, grade four."
After writing these words, Bi Dongsheng looked at Zhao Jun and said, "Brother, this fourth-grade ginseng, in terms of weight when dried... is it about 4.1 qian, less than 2 fen, right?"
"Hmm...right?" Zhao Jun could figure it out slowly, but when suddenly asked to do it, he was completely lost.
"Brother, eight hundred yuan." Bi Dongsheng quoted Zhao Jun a price, saying, "That's all I can give you, is that okay?"
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback upon hearing this; the price was not low.
This is the money I owed for taking leave that day.