vstars Chapter 28: Securing the First Foreign Trade Order
Chapter 28: Securing the First Foreign Trade Order
Zhao Yuan continued chatting with James and Wilson about fireworks. James and Wilson praised Zhao Yuan's excellent English and gave him a thumbs up.
Zhao Yuan chatted with James and Wilson in English the entire time, covering all sorts of topics.
We talked about everything from the Forbidden City in Beijing to the ancient city of Chang'an, from Peking duck and zha jiang mian (noodles with soybean paste) to roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and even the pungent smell of stinky tofu, but its unique aroma is unforgettable. We also discussed dishes like chopped chili fish head and stir-fried pork with chili, which were so delicious you couldn't stop eating them...
James and Wilson were amused and laughed heartily from time to time; no other Chinese person had ever talked to them about so many interesting things.
It's not surprising; people of this era couldn't discuss these things. They had no idea how the beautiful scenery, delicious food, and culture of China would be sought after by people all over the world in the future. Moreover, many people of this era were excessively worshipful of foreign things, feeling inferior to foreigners at the mere sight of them. Chinese people didn't know just how wealthy the United States was at that time, so most dared not set a price, generally only twice the domestic price, thinking they were already charging a high price, and fearing the other party wouldn't be satisfied.
Zhaoyuan had a perfect grasp of these people's psychology, and all its pricing was tailor-made for them. It could be said that its prices were more than double those of Zheng Ziqi's. But Zhaoyuan provided added value to its products—their cultural significance.
“Mr. Zhao, you are the most interesting Chinese person we have ever met. You have helped us to understand China better. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
With that, Wilson took a notepad out of his pocket, wrote two lines on it, and handed it to Zhao Yuan.
"Mr. Zhao, these are my and James's office phone numbers for future contact. Mr. Zhao, please also leave your phone number with me so we can contact you directly next time we come to China."
"Okay, thank you. It's my pleasure to serve you. I will certainly do my best to be a good host and show you the profoundness of China."
As he spoke, Zhao Yuan took out a translation sheet from his bag, tore it in half, wrote down the phone number of Tu Chenglong's office at the county Xinhua Bookstore, and then handed it to Wilson.
"Mr. Wilson, Mr. James, next time you come to China, call this number and look for Mr. Tu Chenglong. He can help you get through to me. I usually get back to you the next day." (in English)
Zhao Yuan said.
Wilson took the note from Zhao Yuan, and the two of them looked at it and confirmed that they should first find Mr. Tu Chenglong, and then say that they should find Zhao Yuan, and they would be able to find Zhao Yuan.
After his cousin and Zheng Ziqi left the reception room.
"Ziqi, does the company have foreign exchange savings accounts?"
My cousin asked.
"No, but Zhaoyuan reminded me to bring the company's relevant documents and official seal, as well as my own documents."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"That's good. Go to the bank next door and open a foreign exchange account. I'll go to the office and write up the contract for you."
As he spoke, the uncle led Zheng Ziqi to the door and pointed to the left.
"Ok."
As he spoke, his cousin went to the office to write a contract, while Zheng Ziqi went to the bank next door to open a foreign exchange bank account.
After Zheng Ziqi finished processing the foreign exchange deposit, he returned to the negotiation room and pushed the door open. He saw Zhao Yuan chatting happily with James and Wilson, just like old friends.
When Zhao Yuan saw Zheng Ziqi come in, he took out the price list he had just shown to James and Wilson from his bag, beckoned Zheng Ziqi to come to his side, and then instructed Zheng Ziqi to make an appendix form exactly the same as the one he had written.
Zheng Ziqi understood Zhao Yuan's meaning, and then took the form to his cousin.
Zhao Yuan continued chatting with James and Wilson.
After a while, Uncle and Zheng Ziqi came in with the contract. The contract was in triplicate. Uncle handed one copy to James and Wilson, and Zheng Ziqi handed one copy to Zhaoyuan. Zhaoyuan took it and saw that it was a standard contract written entirely in English. Zhaoyuan read it carefully and then looked at the price list at the back in detail. He felt that there were no problems.
Zhao Yuan looked up and saw that Wilson and James had also finished reading the contract.
"Mr. Wilson, Mr. James, what items are you ordering this time? Here is the product list and price list. You just need to write down the quantities you need at the back."
Zhao Yuan turned to the last page of the product price list and said to Wilson and James.
At this point, James and Mr. Wilson both flipped to the price list, discussed marking their required quantities and total amounts on the form, and then handed it to Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan took the form, glanced at it, and wow, the total price was 12.3 US dollars.
With the help of his cousin, James and Zheng Ziqi signed the contract according to procedure, and then the cousin signed it on behalf of Yuanhang Import and Export Company. The contract was then signed, with each of the three parties receiving a copy. Wilson and James paid 70% of the order amount.
After signing the contract, everyone shook hands and congratulated each other.
After completing all the contract signing and payment procedures, everyone saw Wilson and James off.
"Mr. Zhaoyuan, next time I come to China, I will definitely visit your hometown and watch the beautiful fireworks together."
James and Wilson shook hands with Zhao Yuan to say goodbye as they left.
"Welcome, welcome! I will be waiting for you both in my hometown. Besides the beautiful fireworks, my hometown has many things that your people love."
Zhao Yuan said as he shook hands with Wilson.
After saying goodbye to Wilson and his group, everyone watched as their figures disappeared from sight.
Zhao Yuan and Zheng Ziqi suddenly became as happy as children, holding hands and jumping around in circles. This was their first foreign trade order, and they never expected to get it so dramatically. Especially for Zheng Ziqi, who rarely achieved a sales volume of 123 million US dollars in a year domestically, his joy was no less than winning the lottery.
My cousin gave Zhaoyuan a thumbs up and said.
"Zhaoyuan, young people have a bright future. How come your English is so good? Have you ever been abroad?"
"Uncle, no, I only stayed at a relative's house for a while when I was a child. He went abroad."
Zhao Yuan used the same old rhetoric.
The cousin looked at Zhaoyuan; although he didn't quite believe it, he didn't care much about it either.
"Are you going to look around, or wait for me in my office? I have another company to discuss things with later."
My cousin asked.
"Zhaoyuan and I will wander around. You go ahead and do your work, Uncle."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Alright, you and Zhaoyuan go to the China World Trade Center. There are things there that you can buy without receipts, but they're a bit more expensive. Come back at noon, and I'll treat you to lunch."
The uncle said, and then told Zhaoyuan and Zheng Ziqi to go to the left, turn right, and then turn again and they would arrive. Because in a metropolis like Huacheng, foreign businessmen gather here, so there are many things that can be bought without tickets, which is convenient for foreign businessmen.
"Thank you, Uncle. Let's have lunch together at the state-run restaurant. I just signed such a big deal, let's celebrate together, it's on me."
Zheng Ziqi had a big smile on his face.
"Okay, I'll wait for you at the state-run restaurant after get off work, and we can have dinner together then."
My cousin said.
After saying that, my cousin went upstairs to his office.
Zhao Yuan and Zheng Ziqi were in high spirits and happily went to the China World Trade Center together.