Chapter 45: Must Build a Good Relationship

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Must Build a Good Relationship

Wei Yuan was quite confident. After all, he had already compared them with the other blueberries on the market, and he was certain the ones grown in You City tasted far better.

"Boss, the display counter is all clean. Should we put out the blueberries now?" Zhao Lin asked as she walked over.

Her words caught the attention of Wei Yuan and Lin Mengxi. They looked over and saw several baskets of blueberries.

"Boss Zhang, you sell blueberries here, too?" Wei Yuan suddenly grew tense. This meant direct competition for the new blueberry variety they were heavily promoting.

Still, he was confident that his new variety tasted better, so he asked Zhang Lin, "Boss Zhang, may I try your blueberries?"

"Go ahead." Zhang Lin smiled and nodded.

He had, in fact, already guessed what Director Wei was thinking.

Receiving the go-ahead, Wei Yuan immediately walked over, grabbed a few blueberries, and popped them into his mouth without even washing them. A moment later, his expression froze. Just like that, his confidence completely vanished.

’The texture and flavor of these blueberries... our new variety is no match for them at all.’

Seeing her director suddenly fall silent, Lin Mengxi asked in confusion, "Director, what’s wrong?"

"Try Boss Zhang’s blueberries," Wei Yuan said, suddenly sounding dejected.

Just moments ago, he had felt utterly unrivaled. Now, he realized he had been foolishly arrogant.

Hearing her director’s words, a puzzled Lin Mengxi picked up a blueberry and tasted it. A look of astonishment appeared on her face, and she shot her director a questioning look.

’Didn’t the Director say our new variety was personally overseen by a professor from the Ming City Agricultural Lab? That it was guaranteed to be better than anything on the market?’

’But compared to this farm’s blueberries, the difference is enormous.’

’And what is this sweet aftertaste that lingers after you eat one?’

’It’s truly incredible.’

Suddenly, she was in a bind. The entire marketing plan she had drafted, the pitch she had prepared to persuade Boss Zhang—it was all based on the premise that their new blueberries were superior to anything else available.

’Now there was no way to even begin her pitch.’

Wei Yuan, however, was a veteran who had weathered his share of storms. He quickly composed himself and asked tentatively, "Boss Zhang, where did you source these blueberries? They’re astonishingly good."

He was desperate to know the origin of a variety so good it could render all their hard work useless.

After all, the agricultural bureau had gone to great lengths to convince the local fruit farmers to grow this new variety in the first place.

Now that all that effort seemed to be for naught, he had no idea how he was going to face those farmers.

Zhang Lin had a ready answer for this question. "Director Wei, these blueberries are a new variety from a collaboration between our Li Yuan Farm and an agricultural laboratory. They’re still in the experimental phase, though, so our daily yield is only about 550 pounds."

"As for the other details, we’ve signed a strict confidentiality agreement, so I can’t say more. However, we sell these for 60 yuan a pound, so they won’t conflict with your blueberries."

Wei Yuan didn’t press for details. After all, Zhang Lin had mentioned a confidentiality agreement. To keep asking would be tactless and would only sour their relationship.

Besides, he had already grasped the most important point: at 60 yuan a pound, they posed no threat to the new blueberry variety he was promoting.

Blueberry prices had recently plummeted again, so they were pursuing a mass-market strategy, planning to sell their variety for only 25 yuan a pound.

’And Boss Zhang did say these are still experimental and not being cultivated anywhere else... That means they’ll eventually be released for widespread cultivation, right?’

At this thought, Wei Yuan couldn’t help but ask, "Boss Zhang, do you know when this variety might be ready for wider distribution? When it is, would you consider partnering with You City? Our agricultural bureau would provide all sorts of policy support."

He knew full well that any lab capable of developing such a blueberry in partnership with Li Yuan Farm must be a powerhouse. His bureau had no way of connecting with an institution like that; otherwise, they wouldn’t have had to settle for guidance from a single professor at a Ming City lab for their own project.

Therefore, what he was trying to do now was curry favor and latch onto a powerful backer.

The whole reason they were scrambling to promote their new blueberries was that other regions were growing the same variety. Worse, their competitors had better marketing—they’d even hired a major e-commerce livestreamer to promote their product. The pressure to compete was immense.

If they could secure the rights to cultivate Li Yuan Farm’s blueberry variety in the future, it would be a tremendous boon.

But if other regions found out, everyone would want to grow a product this unique, and they would all be scrambling for a partnership.

’In terms of policy, every region can offer similar incentives within the official guidelines. In the end, won’t it all come down to personal connections?’

Building a good relationship with Boss Zhang now was the key to getting a head start.

Zhang Lin smiled, amused that Wei Yuan was already thinking so far ahead. "Director Wei, I can’t make any guarantees. But if and when we do expand, I’ll be sure to recommend our own You City. After all, I’m from You City myself!"

’In *Agricultural Tycoon*, you can eventually build an agricultural lab. If I can build one, I should be able to research how to distribute this blueberry variety, right? In that case, working with the You City Agricultural Bureau wouldn’t be a problem at all.’

"Then we’ll be counting on you to put in a good word for us, Boss Zhang!" Wei Yuan’s face lit up with delight. Even if it was just a verbal commitment for now, it was still a chance.

As they were chatting, a few female tourists noticed the blueberries on display and crowded around to ask about them.

"Are these blueberries for sale?"

"How much a pound?"

Zhao Lin didn’t know the price, so she glanced at her boss.

Zhang Lin stepped forward with a smile. "Ladies, this is a new variety of blueberry that you can’t find anywhere else. Because the texture and flavor are far superior to what’s on the market, we have to sell them for 60 yuan a pound, even with the recent price drops. But there’s no pressure to buy. Please, have a taste, and only buy them if you like them."

While her boss was speaking, the ever-observant Zhao Lin had already washed a handful of blueberries and was handing them to the tourists.

The women didn’t seem too fazed by the 60 yuan per pound price tag. After all, that was the going rate before prices plummeted. The only question was whether the blueberries were as good as he was claiming.

They took the washed blueberries from Zhao Lin and popped them in their mouths. The moment they tasted the flavor, each one of them instinctively reached for a second.

They couldn’t help it—they were just too good.

"These blueberries are amazing! Weigh some out for me!"

"I’ll take some too! The flavor is incredible!"

"It really is a new variety! I’ve bought plenty of blueberries before, but none of them can compare to these."

...

The women happily grabbed bags and began picking out blueberries. For blueberries this good, 60 yuan a pound was an absolute bargain.

Witnessing this scene only strengthened Wei Yuan’s resolve to build a good relationship with Li Yuan Farm.

He realized he had made the absolute right decision in listening to Lin Mengxi’s suggestion to contact Li Yuan Farm.

...