Chapter Sixteen: Running a Fruit Store
The advertisement is almost done.
Du Le found time to neatly arrange fifty boxes of oranges in the empty room behind the store. The fruit shop was not large, and the back room was less than 10 square meters. Obviously, most of the fruits were placed at the front of the store, perhaps there was another warehouse for fruits, but Du Le had never asked the original owner of the fruit shop, so he didn't know.
Fifty boxes of oranges, almost filling up the empty room behind, leaving barely enough space to set foot. When Zhao Quan and his family arrived, they too couldn't help but sigh in amazement. Zhao Quan felt even more deeply, although he had already witnessed the master's divine work, he still couldn't help but be astonished.
When he saw them, Du Le let out a sigh of relief and immediately arranged for them to stay temporarily in the fruit shop. Although the shop was not big enough for five people to live in, it was better than having no place to arrange for temporary residence, so they could only barely make do with it for now. Zhao Quan's mother was grateful, saying that although the shop was small, it was much better than sleeping on the streets. Moreover, at night, after closing the shop door, the front pavement could also be squeezed in.
Now in the Golden City, except for the area near the imperial palace and the Vermilion Bird Street where the ministers reside, the entire street is filled with refugees. Having a place to take shelter from the wind and rain is already quite good.
Because the refugees in Jinyang City are all civilians of Chu State, the royal family of Chu State cannot drive away the refugee civilians to avoid causing a civil unrest, nor can they make more proper arrangements for the sudden influx of people.
Du Le wasn't a native of Chu State, and he didn't have any intuitive feelings about the refugee tide. He always thought it had nothing to do with him, and in such a short time, it was impossible to walk through the entire city anyway. However, being able to make Zhao Quan express gratitude and serve him well by selling oranges made Du Le feel satisfied already.
Business is about seizing opportunities. So, as soon as Zhao Quan arrived, Du Le immediately announced his appointment as the manager of the fruit store, and all sales matters were handed over to Zhao Quan.
Although Du Le had long made it clear that the fruit shop was to be taken care of by Zhao Quan, Zhao Quan still felt a little flustered. He hadn't expected his master to entrust him with such an important task. Zhao Quan wanted to decline, but Du Le wouldn't let him refuse.
In the end, Zhao Quan could only accept it. Du Le didn't need any business genius now, as long as someone helped him sell things and make money, that was enough. The goods didn't require his procurement either, if he couldn't even sell things, that would be too ridiculous.
After appointing Zhao Quan, Du Le also invited the Zhao family and Zhao Quan's wife to help Zhao Quan sell oranges together. He also promised that one-tenth of the income from selling oranges would be given to them as a "reward".
At this point, Zhao Quan and his family were truly grateful, and Mrs. Zhao wanted to kneel down and thank him. Du Le hurriedly stopped her. After comforting the old couple, he continued to present his sales plan.
One yuan coin for three oranges, five cents per orange if sold separately.
Zhao Quan was somewhat puzzled, thinking that the current oranges could be sold for one yuan each. Du Le was too lazy to explain to him, he couldn't say that his oranges were still many, and it would be difficult to sell more if the price was high.
In Dule's opinion, oranges in Chu State should be considered a relatively valuable agricultural product, with low production and high prices, and the consumer group is not large. Suddenly taking out too many oranges is not good for selling at a high price, and it is easier to cause prices to drop. Taking the initiative to slightly lower the price may still gain a good reputation as a merchant, and also make a thin profit by selling more. However, apparently, one yuan of gold coins for three oranges does not count as making a thin profit by selling more. Dule asked Zhaoquan, oranges are actually not very valuable in the countryside, only when transported to the city can they be sold at a good price. It's just that large-scale transportation has never been convenient, and it is often sold nearby. There are no fruit forests near Jinyang City, which is also the first-class capital of Chu State, with many people and gold, plus the national difficulties, which may be the reason why fruits in Jinyang City are relatively expensive.
Being the host has its benefits, no need to explain, and those below won't ask too many questions, let alone show skeptical expressions. Du Le plans to sell only 100 boxes today to test the market's reaction. Du Le doesn't dare take out all the hundreds of boxes of oranges at once, not only because there's no space to put them, but also because it's not good to be targeted by others. These oranges are like golden coins, one by one. Being able to make money in a low-key manner and prevent large-scale losses is the long-term way to do business.
The fruit shop was not big, and Du Le's arrangements were not many. A few words were enough to hand over the task. What surprised Du Le was that relying on the original fruit shop's reputation, he had just spread the word, and there were already many wealthy people waiting at the door of the shop, just waiting for fresh fruit to be put on the table.
Fresh oranges have just been put out and were immediately snapped up by the swarms of people. The market sales situation can only be described as explosive.
Du Le was muttering to himself in his heart, wondering if these people hadn't eaten tangerines for decades.
It is a fact that since the invasion of Chu, the high-ranking officials in the capital have not tasted fresh fruit for a long time. Even if there were fruits, they would be expensive and it's hard to get fresh ones.
Earlier, the two boxes of fruit sold by the fruit shop couple almost set off a frenzy in the fruit market. The fresh oranges were bought by several wealthy families as gifts and sent to the mansions of high-ranking officials, even to the imperial palace, causing waves of envy and drooling.
One yuan for three oranges, in the eyes of the officials and nobles in Jinyang City, this price is not expensive at all. If you don't buy it quickly, it will be gone soon. You know, the armies of Qi State and Jin State are about to arrive, and it will be even harder to get fresh fruit then, so why not enjoy it first?
What struck Du Le as strange was that the upper class of Chu State seemed to be unworried about being destroyed, only the common people were in a state of panic. Perhaps the Emperor of Chu had other plans, which Du Le couldn't control.
Du Le didn't have time to think about national affairs, the sale of oranges made his heart beat rapidly. Finally, in less than an hour, more than half of the oranges were sold out.
Harvesting a pile of gold coins, Du Le roughly counted them and found that there were at least over a thousand one-yuan gold coins. Du Le put most of the gold coins into his space and looked at Zhao Quan's family who were busy selling oranges in their shop, feeling a bit uncomfortable and introspective. It's time to go home, Du Le thought to himself.
The buffer of the teleportation device had long been depleted, it's just that Du Le hadn't activated the transmission yet. When Du Le checked the status of the transmitter again, there was a small surprise, that is, the energy of the transmitter had refilled to the initial transmission energy once more.
The world's energy replenishment speed has increased significantly, which means that Du Le can now stay on Earth for a full six hours to buffer before transmitting back to recharge. This way, Du Le's freedom of activity on both sides has greatly improved.
Du Le called Zhao Quan into the back room of the store and told him straightforwardly that he would be leaving for a while, and at the latest would return tomorrow. He asked Zhao Quan to register all customers who needed fruit and take good care of the fruit shop. Before leaving, Du Le thought for a moment and finally left 50 boxes of fruit with Zhao Quan to sell slowly.
After the handover was completed, Du Le did not immediately start transmitting, but instead went to a clothing store on the street and bought two sets of long shirts, which he put into his space. Because of the embarrassing problem that would arise from transmission, Du Le didn't want to encounter it again. Returning to Earth naked would be too embarrassing, and it would easily attract the attention of the police. As for the dead person in the alleyway, no one paid any attention to it, as people lost their lives due to hunger and cold every day in Jinyang City.
Found a secluded corner, Du Le activated the positioning transmitter, selected the temporary coordinates established on the way, and confirmed the transmission.
