Chapter 92: Finding the Source of Goods

Chapter 92: Finding the Source of Goods

Li Yi didn't seem to care about the shop owner's performance at all. He spoke directly: "Boss, I'm not an outsider. It's not that easy to fool me!"

"To be honest, this refrigerator is obviously second-hand! Let me ask you this—do you dare to let me see the copper pipes inside the refrigerator?"

The moment the shop owner heard this, his expression changed immediately! He hadn't expected Li Yi to be so knowledgeable.

Li Yi was right. The refrigerator did look brand new on the outside, but if you took a closer look at the copper pipes, you could immediately tell it was assembled from used parts.

"I say, young man, you can eat anything, but you can't talk nonsense!" the shopkeeper retorted.

Then he added, "This refrigerator is not a second-hand product, just a nice way of refurbishing it! Do you want it or not? If you really want it, I can give you a discounted price of one thousand yuan! How about it?"

Wei Sanpao, who was standing beside Li Yi, scratched his head in confusion.

"What's going on here?" he wondered aloud.

Wasn't this refrigerator originally priced at 2,600 yuan? It made sense for the price to drop to 2,500 yuan, but why was the price suddenly lowered to 1,000 yuan?

Li Yi immediately guessed that the shopkeeper must be guilty of something, otherwise, there was no way he would offer such a low price.

However, would Li Yi really spend 1,000 yuan on such a second-hand refrigerator?

The answer, of course, was no!

"Third Brother, let's go! We'll check out the next store," Li Yi said, turning away.

Wei Sanpao stood there for a moment, stunned, but quickly followed Li Yi out of the shop.

Once outside, Wei Sanpao couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yi, that refrigerator was only 1,000 yuan! The price is so low, why not just take it?"

Li Yi slapped Wei Sanpao lightly on the back of his head and whispered, "Didn't you hear what I said? That's a second-hand refrigerator! And it's assembled!"

"So what? Can't it be used?" Wei Sanpao asked, shrugging.

Li Yi shook his head. "You really don't get it, do you? Let me tell you, even if it costs 500 yuan, this refrigerator is still overpriced! Plus, there's probably something wrong with the quality—it might even leak!"

When Wei Sanpao heard this, his face immediately turned sour.

"Brother Yi, is the shopkeeper really going too far by selling something like that?"

Li Yi sighed helplessly. "That's more of an issue for the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, not something we can control."

"Let's head up to the second floor of this exhibition center and see the refrigeration machinery."

Wei Sanpao nodded and followed Li Yi, though he still felt a bit disgruntled.

The quality of some people in Haidong City really left much to be desired!

— — —

The second floor was filled mostly with large refrigeration machinery, and the moment Li Yi stepped onto the floor, his attention was immediately drawn to the rows of equipment.

The entire second floor was laid out in an open-air market style, giving it the feel of a bustling trading center.

Li Yi scanned the brands and finally spotted what he was looking for—LG refrigeration machinery!

LG, a South Korean brand, had already become one of the leading companies in Asia by the 1990s. By the 21st century, LG would be an international powerhouse in home appliances, though it would be less well-known in some countries at the time.

When Li Yi stood in front of the store, he straightened his collar, adjusted his appearance, and turned to whisper a few words to Wei Sanpao.

After hearing this, Wei Sanpao scratched his head, still uncertain. "Brother Yi... do you think this will work? Will they believe us?"

Li Yi patted him on the back and replied confidently, "Trust me, there's no problem. Just follow my lead and put on a serious face, alright?"

Wei Sanpao nodded uncertainly, then stood up straighter, his expression becoming more serious.

Seeing his friend ready, Li Yi was satisfied. He walked toward the store with confidence, his hands clasped behind his back.

The store was quiet, as refrigeration machinery wasn't exactly a consumer item. Only large businesses, like slaughterhouses or food factories, would typically need such equipment, so it was no surprise that there were few customers at this time.

The shopkeeper was lounging on a recliner, watching the news on an old black-and-white television.

As Li Yi entered, he cleared his throat. The shopkeeper immediately straightened up and turned his attention to the visitors.

"Hello, gentlemen. Are you here to check out our equipment?"

Li Yi smiled, nodding. "We're from the Jiangnan Meat Factory. We've been entrusted to order a batch of refrigeration machinery, and we were wondering if you could fulfill a custom order."

At the mention of a "custom order" for a meat factory, the shopkeeper's attitude immediately shifted to one of seriousness.

"Of course we can do that!" the shopkeeper replied, his demeanor more professional now.

"We've got overseas direct sales here. If the foreign manufacturers agree to your customization request, there won't be a problem!"

Li Yi let out a quiet sigh of relief. If customization was possible, that would make things much easier. He had been worried the shopkeeper might refuse.

The shopkeeper smiled, inviting them inside. "Please, come in. You're so young, yet already handling factory orders. Very impressive!"

Li Yi smiled and said, "What's wrong with being young? This gentleman here is the son of the director of the provincial meat processing plant!"

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Ah, Mr. Wei, I see! That's much easier to work with!"

Li Yi walked further into the store, continuing, "We're restructuring our factory. But there's a lot of meat left, and it's not practical to store it in large-scale freezing machinery, so we're looking for smaller units—about 370 liters or 361 liters."

The shopkeeper furrowed his brows. Though he wasn't fully familiar with the technicalities, he did know that the smaller models were very close to the import bans imposed by the country.

"Sir, I understand if you need a larger refrigeration unit, but smaller ones, like the ones you're asking about, are harder to import. They're banned by customs."

Li Yi smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's fine. We're well aware of the country's policies. It's only the smaller units that are restricted. Anything over 360 liters is classified as refrigeration machinery, which is allowed."

The shopkeeper nodded, still a bit unsure but willing to proceed. "So, how many units are you looking to order?"

Li Yi thought for a moment before responding, "We'll start with 200 units. We want to test the quality first. If the machines meet our standards, we'll be looking for long-term cooperation."

The shopkeeper's eyes sparkled at the mention of 200 units. That was a sizable order!

Li Yi added, "Can we contact the manufacturer first? We're in urgent need of these machines."

The shopkeeper nodded eagerly, then turned to head into the back room, presumably to make a call to the manufacturer.

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