pdf-ebookys Chapter 518 Next, we'll be in trouble.
Chapter 518 Next, we'll be in trouble.
Li Xiangyang looked at Lao Tian, who was stamping his feet in anxiety, and understood perfectly well what was going on. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Uncle Tian, don't worry." Li Xiangyang stood up and patted Old Tian on the shoulder. "Fatty Ma can't hold on any longer. It's probably impossible to get him to buy at a high price later, but we can still make one last profit."
Old Tian's eyes lit up: "Boss Li, do you have any ideas?"
“It’s very simple,” Li Xiangyang lowered his voice. “You guys keep going to his place. It doesn’t matter if you come empty-handed; I’ll make up the difference. We’ll completely ruin his reputation.”
The next morning, the area in front of Fatty Ma's purchasing station became lively.
A dozen or so villagers, driving horse-drawn carts and carrying loads on their shoulders, lined up early in the morning. Each person didn't have much goods, but the sheer number of people made up for it.
Looking at the long line outside, Wang Jianshe felt a pang of worry: "Boss, with so many people, what are we going to do about our limited stock?"
Although Fatty Ma was somewhat surprised, he still forced a smile and said, "Following the rules, we'll only accept fifty catties a day, no more."
Upon learning that the quantity was still limited, the entire purchasing station descended into chaos.
"I brought so much, why shouldn't they take it?"
"Exactly! We've come all this way, and you're just going to refuse to accept our packages?"
"Isn't our time valuable?"
"We demand an explanation!"
The villagers surrounded Fatty Ma, bombarding him with questions.
Some demanded compensation for travel expenses, some demanded compensation for lost wages, and some even threatened to file a complaint with the Administration for Industry and Commerce.
Fatty Ma was surrounded, his face flushed red, but he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
The farce lasted until noon before it finally ended.
The news quickly spread to several nearby villages and also reached Li Xiangyang's purchasing station.
Upon hearing the report, Wang Ergou laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Xiangyang, that was a really cunning move! Fatty Ma must be so angry he'd vomit blood!"
Li Xiangyang remained calm: "This is just the beginning. Have them continue tomorrow, and remember, each person's goods should be more varied."
"Should we continue?" Wang Ergou asked worriedly. "Wouldn't that be going too far?"
"Too much?" Li Xiangyang sneered. "When he dealt with us, he didn't consider whether it would go too far. Since he wants to play, then we'll play along to the end."
The next day, a group of villagers gathered again in front of Fatty Ma's purchasing station.
This time there were even more people, and everyone had a very diverse range of goods.
And so, the morning passed, and they had only received goods from three people, haggling over prices until they were exhausted.
What's worse, the villagers started finding fault with it.
"Is there something wrong with your scale? I feel it's inaccurate."
"Have you checked the quality of this medicinal herb carefully? Don't accept inferior goods as superior ones."
"Is your warehouse damp? My goods can't get damp."
Every problem takes time to solve, and disputes may arise at every stage.
In the afternoon, Fatty Ma finally snapped.
"Enough!" he roared as he stormed out of the office, yelling at the villagers, "Are you here to sell goods or to cause trouble?"
The villagers looked completely innocent: "How are we nitpicking? We're just trying to ensure the quality of the goods!"
"Exactly, we're considering the interests of both sides."
"Mr. Ma, that's not right of you. How can you lose your temper with a customer?"
Faced with the villagers' "well-intentioned reminders," Fatty Ma was so angry that he couldn't speak.
He finally understood that these villagers were just there to cause trouble!
But he had no evidence, and on the surface, the villagers' demands seemed reasonable. You can't prevent people from inspecting the quality of the goods, or from asking about the price, can you?
This kind of insidious, subtle form of violence is more painful than direct confrontation.
For several days in a row, Fatty Ma's purchasing station was almost unable to operate normally. Villagers came to "sell goods" every day, but each time there were various problems, disputes, and delays.
Moreover, these villagers are very "civic-minded" and often promote the benefits of Li Xiangyang's purchasing station to the people queuing behind them.
"Li Xiangyang's place is so convenient; it's never this troublesome."
"Yes, the service was excellent and the efficiency was high."
"The key is fair pricing and honest service to all customers, young and old."
These words, when they reached Fatty Ma's ears, felt like needles pricking his heart.
Finally, on the fifth day, Fatty Ma completely broke down.
"I quit! I'm not taking any more money! All of you get out!" he shouted hoarsely, pointing at the villagers outside the door.
The villagers exchanged glances, silently packed their things, and left.
After everyone left, Fatty Ma slumped into a chair, his face deathly pale.
Wang Jianshe cautiously asked, "Boss, what do we do next?"
Fatty Ma gave a wry smile: "What else can we do? We have to admit defeat."
"Admit defeat?"
"What else can we do but admit defeat?" Fatty Ma shook his head. "Li Xiangyang's move was too ruthless. On the surface, the villagers haven't done anything wrong, but in reality, they've made it impossible for us to move an inch."
Wang Jianshe wanted to say something, but Fatty Ma waved his hand: "Forget it, we can't beat him. Let's pack up and get ready to close down."
When the news reached Li Xiangyang, he was at the purchasing station counting goods.
"Xiangyang, Fatty Ma is closing up shop!" Wang Ergou excitedly ran in to report.
Li Xiangyang nodded, his face showing no hint of smugness: "As expected."
"Shouldn't we celebrate?"
"What's there to celebrate?" Li Xiangyang put down the ledger in his hand. "We just managed to keep our business afloat; there's nothing to celebrate."
Wang Ergou was puzzled: "But we won!"
"So what if we win?" Li Xiangyang looked out the window. "In business, there are no permanent enemies, nor permanent friends. Today Fatty Ma lost, but tomorrow there might be Fatty Zhang or Fatty Li. What we need to do is not defeat our opponents, but make ourselves stronger."
Wang Ergou nodded thoughtfully.
Li Xiangyang continued, "Furthermore, although Fatty Ma's methods are unethical, he's not entirely evil. After he closes down, if he's willing to come and help us, we can consider giving him a chance."
"What?!" Wang Ergou's eyes widened in surprise. "Xiangyang, are you out of your mind? He's our enemy!"
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "Precisely because he's our enemy, he understands our weaknesses better. If we can turn him into a friend, it will only benefit our business."
Wang Ergou thought for a moment and had to admire Li Xiangyang's foresight: "You're right. But would Fatty Ma be willing?"
“That depends on his choice.” Li Xiangyang stood up and patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder. “Alright, don’t think about this anymore. The matter with Fatty Ma is settled. Now, the trouble is with us. At the current acquisition prices, if we don’t have new channels, we’ll end up like Fatty Ma.”