Sister Fang

When I glanced at my phone, I saw that it was a call from Fu Xiaomei. I answered, and she told me she had already arrived at the Qingxi Economic Development Zone. Only then did I remember my promise to accompany her to look at foreign trade surplus stock.

I had been feeling dispirited, but since she was already here, I decided to wait for her. I turned to Xiao He and said, "A friend of mine wants to purchase some surplus foreign trade goods. Could you show her around?" Xiao He asked, "How big is the order?" I replied, "It might be several hundred thousand dollars." Xiao He frowned a little and said, "Such a small order is quite a hassle." I said, "If you don't want to, I'll just call her and tell her not to come."

Xiao He considered for a moment. "Wait, let me call Manager Jin," she said. She dialed Jin Yulian, and after a brief conversation, she turned to me. "Manager Jin said, since it's a friend you introduced, she'll let me handle it. If they're interested, we'll sell to them—just to give you some face."

Hearing this, I thought perhaps Jin Yulian still had feelings for me, and maybe there was still hope for us. I then called Fu Xiaomei, telling her I would wait for her at the company entrance. After a few minutes, a white BMW pulled up. The driver was a woman in red, about thirty, with both attractive features and an air of refinement.

Fu Xiaomei arrived in her car and introduced her as Ms. Fang, her mentor, who had come along to inspect the goods. It was clear Fu Xiaomei, being inexperienced, brought her mentor to avoid being taken advantage of.

I courteously addressed her as Sister Fang, and after a few pleasantries, we led them in to see the products. Sister Fang had a decade of experience in foreign trade; she was efficient and discerning, and in no time they had selected what they wanted, though there were still some details to discuss.

I left them to it and took a box of cash to the Third Hospital. As I was about to leave, Sister Fang said, "Xiaofu said your name is Shui Feng and you can give us a fifty percent discount."

I felt embarrassed. "Sorry, Sister Fang, but I don't make the decisions here. It depends on what the boss says."

She nodded. "A fifty percent discount is a lot to ask for, given our order isn't huge. How about sixty percent of the price?"

I replied, "Sister Fang, let me check how much stock you want, and I'll call to ask."

She answered, "I'll need about seven hundred thousand dollars' worth, Xiaofu needs two hundred thousand, so together that's nine hundred thousand. For convenience in packaging and to avoid leftovers, let's round it up and take a million dollars' worth. How does that sound?"

I could see Sister Fang was reliable and considerate; she understood the hassle of splitting and repacking goods, so she opted for a rounded order.

I called Jin Yulian and explained the situation. She picked up and said, "Since they're your friends, of course I'll give you face. Hand the phone to Xiao He; I want to give her some instructions."

Jin Yulian's tone was normal, as if she'd forgotten last night's unpleasantness. Perhaps she'd cooled down—I felt somewhat relieved, thinking there was still hope for us.

I handed the phone to Xiao He, who spoke briefly with Jin Yulian. Then Xiao He returned my phone and told Sister Fang and Fu Xiaomei, "Our boss said, since Shui Feng introduced you, you can have a forty percent discount. When would you like to pick up the goods? We'll help you with the loading."

Sister Fang smiled. "We'll come pick up the goods soon and will wire the payment into your designated account." She paid a deposit and signed the contract.

With the deal sealed, Sister Fang and Fu Xiaomei were both delighted. Sister Fang thanked me warmly, saying she was very satisfied with the generous discount. She then invited me to lunch as her treat.

I replied, "A friend of mine was in a car accident and is in the hospital; I need to go to the Third Hospital to pay the deposit."

Sister Fang smiled. "My cousin works as a doctor there. How about we give you a ride, and I’ll visit him too?"

"That would be great; sorry for the trouble," I said.

Jin Yulian's earlier kindness had lifted my spirits, which had been gloomy all morning.

Sister Fang drove, Fu Xiaomei sat in the passenger seat, and I sat in the back. In the car, Fu Xiaomei chatted away excitedly with Sister Fang, clearly thrilled about sealing the deal. I guessed she stood to make a considerable profit—after all, a million dollars' worth of goods were now being bought for only six hundred thousand. After expenses, they'd net at least three hundred thousand dollars. Fu Xiaomei herself would probably earn at least ten thousand dollars, a substantial sum for a newcomer in foreign trade.

Not long after we arrived at the hospital, Fatty Wang called, asking if I'd gathered the money. "Yes," I said, "two hundred thousand." He replied, "That's great! I’ve also copied the video, though I didn't have time to watch it." I said, "I'm already at the hospital. See you inside."

At the hospital, I first paid a hundred thousand as a deposit, considering how serious Ironhead's injuries were.

Sister Fang took Fu Xiaomei to find her cousin, and to my surprise, her cousin turned out to be Ironhead's attending physician—a stroke of unexpected luck. Thanks to Sister Fang's introduction, the doctor was much more polite to me. He informed me that Ironhead was recovering well and could be transferred to a general ward tomorrow. I thanked him profusely.

Though the general ward was much cheaper, it required someone to look after the patient.

Just then, Fatty hurried in. Seeing me talking to two beautiful women, he looked a bit jealous and didn't bother to greet me warmly. I was used to his moods and introduced everyone.

When Fatty learned that Sister Fang’s cousin was Ironhead’s doctor and that Ironhead would soon be moved to a general ward, his attitude towards me improved at once. I also told him I'd already paid the deposit. Instantly, his jealousy vanished; he clapped me on the shoulder and said, "We'll take turns looking after Ironhead."

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