…
Chu Tianshu was a lazy person.
Lazy in limbs, but not lazy in mind.
He pursued efficiency in everything he did, only wanting to make money quickly.
With such high production volume, the wholesale route was still necessary to sell the goods quickly.
But scattered wholesale to fruit shops and small stores was just small-scale—something to do when short on money.
Now, he needed to find larger, more stable buyers.
Places with long-term, high demand for fresh produce included supermarkets, farm produce markets, hotels, restaurants, fruit shops, and other food-related establishments.
In comparison, supermarkets and farm produce markets had the highest and most stable demand.
Chu Tianshu decided to try his luck one by one, hoping to sign long-term agreements.
“How lucky to be reborn in early summer!”
Summer, with its hot weather, was the peak season for fresh produce demand.
Chu Tianshu opened his phone’s map.
All the supermarkets and farm produce markets in the entire town were clearly visible.
Qinglong Town was relatively densely populated, with two farm produce markets, which were essentially large vegetable markets.
As for supermarkets, there were two Hualian stores and three RT-Mart stores.
There were also other lesser-known chain supermarkets that had opened less than a year ago, but their business was reportedly just average. These were not within Chu Tianshu’s consideration.
Following the order of proximity, Chu Tianshu loaded a tricycle with watermelons and tomatoes and headed first to the nearest Nandangkou Farm Produce Market, which also happened to be the largest in town.
…
Selling vegetables and selling fruits were similar but not exactly the same.
Chu Tianshu wasn’t very familiar with the ins and outs of farm produce markets, but he didn’t plan to follow any rules either.
For instance, some suppliers and vendors might already have signed agreements?
It didn’t matter. If it worked out, great; if not, he’d just move on to the next one.
Chu Tianshu drove his tricycle directly inside.
In 2015, you could still get away with this. A few years later, it wouldn’t be possible.
Nandangkou Vegetable Market wasn’t an open-air market but was housed indoors.
Spanning several hundred square meters, it was filled with fixed stalls—and these stalls cost money, renting for tens of thousands a year.
Even at two or three in the afternoon, piles of various vegetables were still stacked high, vibrant reds and greens creating a delightful sight.
Chu Tianshu had propped up a large cardboard sign on his tricycle, with the words “Fresh Produce Wholesale” scrawled messily on both sides.
Passersby cast curious glances his way.
Chu Tianshu didn’t feel the slightest bit awkward or uncomfortable.
If you want to make money, why worry about pride?
A few middle-aged and elderly people stopped to comment briefly: “These melons look pretty good.”
Some vendors noticed too but went back to chatting.
Chu Tianshu wasn’t in a hurry; he’d just arrived. As long as he wasn’t kicked out, it was fine.
He simply drove his tricycle slowly around the market.
Soon, more vendors were drawn in.
A female vegetable vendor called out loudly, “Hey, what are you selling? Just watermelons and tomatoes?”
Chu Tianshu smiled and replied, “That’s right! Come take a look, sis! Free delivery to your door.”
The female vendor had initially spoken to him because he wasn’t bad-looking.
But the tomatoes on his tricycle did look strikingly red, so she walked over for a closer look.
She asked a few questions, and Chu Tianshu patiently answered them.
Once one person started asking, nearby vendors came over to see what was going on. After all, joining in on the excitement was free.
Upon closer inspection, they were quite surprised: “These tomatoes are really good—big and red.”
One person reached out and squeezed one: “Very red, soft, and springy. Not artificially ripened.”
After selling vegetables for a long time, they could tell at a glance whether the produce was naturally ripe or artificially ripened.
Artificially ripened tomatoes have a lighter red hue, sometimes even yellowish, with a greener area near the stem.
They feel very firm to the touch and have no fragrance at all. The skin is thick, the juice is scarce, and they taste extremely sour, lacking the charming balance of sweetness and tartness.
Another vendor examined them carefully and said, “They really are good.”
Chu Tianshu picked up a tomato and forcefully split it in half.
Instantly, red juice dripped down like rain, and the unique aroma of tomatoes wafted through the air.
“See? Authentic sandy pulp,” Chu Tianshu showed it to them, then took a bite. “No wonder my wife loves tomatoes the most.”
Sandy-pulp tomatoes are fully ripe, incredibly sweet and flavorful, with an endless aftertaste.
The other half of the tomato was taken by a vendor and eaten.
“Yi, Qiao Ba Di Hen~” the person remarked.
More and more vendors gathered around.
Calling friends and companions, everyone chattering at once.
Chu Tianshu secretly felt relieved. Luckily, no one brought up the “rules”… probably because the other suppliers weren’t there.
He kept answering questions: “Where did I get them? That’s a secret, of course. Can’t tell you.”
“Watermelons and tomatoes are both two yuan per jin, can’t go any lower. The quality speaks for itself!”
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty more in stock. I brought one cartload to test the waters…”
“Stable supply, no problem all summer long!”
These vendors were impressed by the quality of the goods.
But since it was their first time cooperating, they weren’t entirely confident. Besides, they still had other stock on hand.
“I’ll take 100 jin first to see how it goes! If it sells well tomorrow, we’ll talk more.”
“I’ll take 50 jin to test.”
“I want 200 jin!”
Although Chu Tianshu really wished for a big spender to buy out his entire stock at once, he still carefully recorded these smaller orders in his notebook.
He wrote down the vendors’ names, phone numbers, and quantities requested right in front of them.
“How about the watermelons?”
A middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd and patted one of the watermelons.
The atmosphere was heating up, and Chu Tianshu’s tomato orders had already surpassed a thousand jin.
In high spirits, he said, “Let’s cut one for everyone to try.”
The man casually picked up a watermelon and sliced it open.
A vibrant red interior greeted the eye, with juice overflowing.
The ripeness was perfect—any more would be mushy, any less would lack sweetness.
Chu Tianshu handed out slices of watermelon to the surrounding vendors, smiling as he said, “Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your business. From now on, we’re all friends.”
The middle-aged man glanced at him, then took a big bite directly from his slice.
All around, there were murmurs and praises: “Mmm, mmm hmm!”
“So sweet, my goodness~”
“Delicious!”
The vendors here weren’t highly educated and couldn’t quite describe the taste in their mouths.
It was just— incredibly sweet, delicious to death!
The middle-aged man said, “I want five hundred jin of watermelons and five hundred jin of tomatoes every day. Can you guarantee that?”
Chu Tianshu was slightly surprised. “Five hundred jin of each every day?”
The man: “Yes!”
“I can guarantee it, but, big brother, with that much stock every day…” Chu Tianshu smiled.
If it doesn’t sell out, the follow-up cooperation would still fall through, right?
The man looked at him calmly, with a slightly cocky expression.
A vendor nearby laughed and said, “This is our top boss! He has other stalls elsewhere, and restaurants too.”
Chu Tianshu thought about it and realized he was right—he only handled wholesale.
If things became unstable, he could always sell to others.
“I can provide a stable supply. Thank you, big brother.” He also noted down the information of this agricultural market’s top player.
Zhang Bei.
Zhang Bei said, “Give it to me for one-fifty.”
Chu Tianshu showed a troubled expression: “At that price, I won’t make much profit… How about one-eighty?”
His batch of goods would definitely be sold at a higher price by them. The profit margin was certainly much larger than with ordinary goods.
Zhang Bei thought it over and didn’t argue further: “Alright then!”
Chu Tianshu stayed for another ten minutes or so.
A few more people placed orders through WeChat, having others help them reserve the goods.
Chu Tianshu calculated—the current orders totaled 2,200 jin.
That added up to a full four thousand yuan!