Over there, Will was shouting through his sales pitch and laying chunks of beef on the table: "Dear Xiao Fei, I must admit, I didn’t have much hope before I came. You know, your cows here are all farm-raised, and your expectations for meat quality aren’t all that high."
He turned to address the middle-aged woman: "You see, dear Linda, our detour this fine morning might have been worth it, don’t you think? With these slabs of beef, our restaurant will no longer be subpar, we might even do better... Now, all that’s left is the final step. Dear Xiao Fei, if you could just wait a moment, I’ll be right back."
Ignoring the blush on the woman’s face, he quickly ran back, grabbed a small knife and hurried back. He carefully cut a slice from a piece of beef, marveling it under the light: "See, its marbling is so beautiful, the white against the red, it’s the best food bestowed upon us by heaven..."
Meanwhile, Yan Fei watched in shock as Will took the thin slice of beef and stuffed it in his mouth...
Even as a dinosaur, Yan Fei, who rarely ate raw meat, found it baffling to see this foreigner savoring the beef in his mouth for ages before swallowing it down: These foreigners really are savages...
"So, dear Xiao Fei, can we discuss our formal business now?" The foreigner who had just tried the beef spoke up. "Before we begin, I have some good news and some bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"
"It doesn’t matter, good or bad, what would you like to say?" Yan Fei responded nonchalantly. You’ve complimented the beef, what’s left is determining the price. If it’s cheap, this will be our last transaction...
"Alright! Dear Yan, you’re young, you shouldn’t be so indifferent." Yan Fei’s indifference disappointed the foreigner. "The good news is, your beef really is top-notch. Although it hasn’t been strictly evaluated, from my experience, while it doesn’t quite match up to the marbled meat that tops the market, it’s certainly superior in quality."
"And the bad news?" Yan Fei remained unfazed. Good always accompanies bad, and the foreign man was likely gearing up to haggle prices.
"The bad news is, even the best quality beef here may not fetch the highest prices." The foreigner’s response confirmed Yan Fei’s suspicion. So, he wants to haggle?
"If we were in my country and you could offer this quality of beef, there would be at least a few banks or financial institutions willing to lend you money to become a rancher. But here, it’s not feasible. What’s more unfortunate is that China is not yet a member of the WTO, your beef might not find a market willing to accept it..."
Are you kidding? I’m just trying to sell some beef and you’re bringing up organizations and foreign markets? Yan Fei was skeptical. He hastily urged him: "Let’s just talk about the price!"
"Dear Yan!" Seeing Yan Fei’s look of disbelief, the foreigner grew anxious. "I’m serious, you know. When it comes to beef, I rarely joke. I know you’ve not been raising cattle for long... what I want to say is, you should aim for a larger scale, better conditions, and elevate this beef into top-tier ingredients. Wait for China to join the WTO, let more people taste your beef..."
I have no clue how any of this has anything to do with the WTO or what it’s worth. Plus, if you offered a higher price, I would be more motivated to expand production! Right now all I know is, if your offer is too low, we won’t see each other again—Yan Fei grumbled internally.
"Young man, Will is serious. I can vouch for him. When it comes to beef, he rarely jokes. Your beef is undeniably the finest we’ve encountered since we’ve been back in the country, no contest." The middle-aged woman beside the foreigner attested.
Unfortunately, Yan Fei wasn’t interested in whether he jokes or not, he just cared about getting a good price for his beef.
Seeing Yan Fei did not believe him, the foreigner said helplessly: "Alright! I suppose your age limits your vision. Maybe in your eyes, just thinking about selling your beef in the Provincial City is a big step! But I believe you should have a broader perspective, and the world doesn’t just consist of China..."
"Like you said, that’s a consideration for the future!" Yan Fei retorted impatiently. "Let’s just discuss the price!"
"Alright alright!" The foreigner conceded. "Hang on, I need to grab my tools."
"You know how to use that?" Yan Fei was genuinely surprised to see the foreigner clumsily handle a large scale to weigh the beef.
"It’s not that surprising, dear Xiao Fei." The foreigner said matter-of-factly. "When I first arrived, I used to procure beef in your local wet markets. But I realized after several failed attempts, I couldn’t find the quality of beef I desired. So, I delegated that job..."
Although there was just under two hundred catties of beef, the foreigner weighed each piece meticulously. Yan Fei was taken aback by the chef’s competence—he could distinguish which part of the cow each piece came from and grouped similar pieces together accurately.
Then, while calculating the weight, he would discuss the price with the woman beside him. His high offers left Yan Fei briefly excited, until the woman would pull out the restaurant’s pricing guide and prove his offers were unrealistic.
Neither of them shied away from openly debating the price in front of Yan Fei. Eventually the worn-out foreigner surrendered: "But dear Linda, don’t you feel that such a price for this grade of beef is a disgrace?"
"But if we charge prices like that, we’ll go bankrupt instantly!" the woman referred to as Linda responded helplessly. "Dear Will, I know you’ve made sacrifices. For an elite chef like you to be stuck in a third-rate restaurant, it’s pitiful. But we must consider the reality..."
"No no no Linda, dear, being with you, I don’t feel wronged at all." Will’s remark made Yan Fei cringe. "I simply want to show these beef products the respect they deserve. Maybe... maybe we could hold a tasting event, invite all our acquaintances over. You know, there are still some of my fellow countrymen who would love to come for steak. But due to lack of access to prime-quality beef, they prefer cooking at home..."