Back To The 80s-Chapter 451 - 461: Counter Calculation_1

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaobei became cautious and said with a smile, "Mr. Huang, when did we ever agree to deliver the goods for you?"

Huang hesitated on the other end of the phone, then said, "The contract clearly states that you assume responsibility for the transport of the goods."

At that moment, Gu Xiaobei couldn’t agree to find a truck to help in transportation. The loss of twenty thousand in goods last time had made her extremely cautious about deliveries. Because of this, she had paid special attention to the delivery method clause in the contract. It stated that Party A would assume the freight costs, but didn’t specifically state who would find the truck.

This contract was made in duplicate, with Gu Xiaobei holding the original and Huang holding a carbon copy.

When Gu Xiaobei received the contract, she conducted a meticulous analysis of the most disputed clauses; first, the payment method, second, the delivery date, third, the delivery method, and lastly, potential penalties due to a breach of contract.

When Qin Li was drafting the contract, her unfamiliarity with contractual language led to many instances of ambiguous and colloquial phrasing. Consequently, when writing the clause on delivery, she had written that Party A would bear the freight costs instead of the transport of goods. A single word had changed the entire meaning.

Usually, when customers from neighboring cities came to pick up the goods, saying they would cover the freight costs meant delivering the goods to the vehicle at the station. After paying, they would have the goods delivered to the customer.

Upon hearing Huang’s claim, Gu Xiaobei immediately rebutted, "Mr. Huang, the contract clearly states that we can pay for the freight, but we’ve never agreed to find a vehicle to handle the transportation."

Huang had clearly not considered this. Without the contract in front of him, and not having read it closely at the time, he hesitated and said, "I’ll look at the contract when I get back. But you can’t cheat."

Gu Xiaobei twirled the phone cord around her finger, refusing to relent, "You can research the contract all you want; if you don’t pick up the goods by tomorrow, you’ll be in breach of contract. Remember, no deposit refunds."

Hurriedly, Huang ended the call and dialed Yang Tianhua, to inform him of the current situation.

Yang Tianhua frowned and said to his brother, "That woman, Gu Xiaobei, is sly. She doesn’t deliver goods, letting Huang pick them up himself. She just bears the freight."

His brother pulled out the contract from the drawer and gave it a close reading. After a few moments, he shredded the contract into tiny pieces, his face livid. "What an idiot! He missed a single word and now he’s going to pay for it. Tell Huang, forget the goods. Let’s see what Gu Xiaobei does with fifty thousand in inventory!"

After hanging up, Gu Xiaobei had a hunch that Huang would try to avoid payment. If that was the case, then this fifty thousand contract order was a trap and somebody was trying to set her up.

Upon leaving the post office, Gu Xiaobei rode straight to the carton factory, asking them to urgently deliver the thirty thousand gift boxes she had ordered within the next few days.

When Qin Li presented her with the contract, Gu Xiaobei had already begun thinking of an exit strategy. What if the party defaulted on this order, leaving her stuck with the goods? Glancing at the calendar, guessing the date of the Mid-Autumn Festival, she had placed an order for thirty thousand gift boxes at the carton factory, requesting her own design and text be printed on the boxes. Due to a cash shortage, each box was fifteen cents more expensive.

At the beginning of August, she had visited several major state-owned enterprises and provincial government departments, getting in touch with the individuals in charge of procurement. She informed them that she was launching a very suitable and generous Mid-Autumn Festival gift box for this year and invited them to select their favorites in the store on September 2nd. At the same time, she hinted that the profit margin would be even greater than the last time.

On the 31st, Huang called to say that he no longer wanted the goods but hoped they could work together in the future.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei return from the post office with a heavy expression, Qin Li worriedly asked, "Did something go wrong, Sister Xiaobei?"

Gu Xiaobei looked at Qin Li, her expression serious and said, "Mr. Huang doesn’t want these goods."

Qin Li paled in shock. Having an entire warehouse full of products would be disastrous. If they couldn’t sell them all at once, the poor storage conditions here could easily cause the tea to become damp, which would cause significant problems later on. Furthermore, now that autumn has arrived, rainfall could become more frequent.

Gu Xiaobei was purposely trying to give Qin Li a little scare because sometimes, you need to learn lessons the hard way.

"So, what should we do now?" Qin Li was momentarily panicked. She then calmed herself down and said resolutely, "I’ll start scouring the nearby markets starting from tomorrow, to see if anyone wants to buy. If we can sell some, that would be good. For the remaining inventory, let me bear the losses and I’ll pay you back slowly."

Gu Xiaobei laughed. In the face of a crisis, the first thing Qin Li thought of was remedying the situation instead of crying and complaining, which showed that she was maturing. It was just a matter of time. "Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of a solution. But if something unusual happens again in the future, you must think more carefully. When drafting a contract, ensure that you use a formal written language instead of oral language. Also, never agree to clauses unfavorable to us, such as including delivery. Delivery is quite disorganized these days. If the goods get lost on the way, we’d have to bear the responsibility."

After hearing Gu Xiaobei’s words, Qin Li felt relieved and then a bit embarrassed as she self-reflectively said, "I was afraid he would back out at the last minute, that’s why I was eager to handle the deliveries."

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Xiaobei taught Qin Li how to standardize contracts, how to seek benefits and avoid disadvantages during business negotiations and how to avoid risks.

"Remember, as long as we firmly believe that our products are good, we won’t be afraid of not having a market. Rushing things has never been good for business. The competition will become more and more intense, more and more brutal in the future. We can only keep a low profile, keep fighting steadily, and take it slow. Just as we eat one mouthful at a time, we’ll also earn money one bit at a time. No one can get fat in one bite," Gu Xiaobei patiently told Qin Li.

Qin Li, a thoughtful girl, vowed after this instance to be more cautious in future. She assured, "Sister Xiaobei, I’ll remember. I won’t be so hasty in the future. Do you have a good way of dealing with these goods?"

Gu Xiaobei smiled and nodded: "The carton factory will deliver thirty thousand gift boxes tomorrow. You’ll know by then."

After the two finished discussing in the room, Gu Xiaobei said to Chen Zhao, "Chen Zhao, ask the girls to come over tomorrow morning. If their neighbors or friends want to work, let them find some more."

Chen Zhao was surprised, "Sister, the tea leaves have already been packed. Why do we need more people?"

"Just like we did before the New Year, to fold gift boxes. But this time, the quantity is greater, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is only half a month away, so the time is even tighter," Gu Xiaobei said with a smile.

After their discussion, she and Qin Li went to their store.

Xiao Hong was standing at the entrance of the store, observing the unloading of mooncakes across the street. When she saw Gu Xiaobei and Qin Li coming over, she quickly signaled for Gu Xiaobei to take a look.

As soon as Gu Xiaobei turned into their alley, she spotted the mooncakes being unloaded across the street. Rather than feeling surprised, she thought they were a bit late.