Chapter 270: Foam Box

Chapter 270 The Foam Container Scheme

Su An said to Liu Hongtao, "Brother Tao, I've handed you this order. Why don't you negotiate first while my brother and I go withdraw the money?"

Liu Hongtao replied, "No rush. Let’s visit two more shops first, then I’ll go with you."

Su An paused, then nodded, "Alright."

By the time they closed deals for sunglasses and styling mousse, many merchants had already opened for business. Su An, followed by two security guards, headed toward the nearby postal savings bank.

Ren San kept an eye on the people around them while also staying wary of Liu Hongtao.

They withdrew two-thirds of the cash, stuffing it into a grimy, worn-out sack before leaving the post office.

After paying for the previously negotiated deals at three shops and collecting the goods, Liu Hongtao loaded them onto his diesel three-wheeler and took them to the freight station at the expo entrance to arrange for transport.

Once the first batch of shipments was processed, even the initially cautious Ren San started trusting Liu Hongtao.

Shipping procedures took time—verifying goods, filling out forms, and waiting in line. By the time this batch was handled, it was already 11 a.m. Liu Hongtao checked his watch and gave a decisive wave, "Let’s eat!"

After eating their fill, the three headed back into the market. Taking advantage of the lunchtime lull, Liu Hongtao, fired up, went another round of hard bargaining.

By the end of the day, Su An had spent around 25,000 to 26,000 at the trade fair, while Liu Hongtao earned nearly 2,000 in fees.

After closing the last shipment, it was past 4 p.m., and all three were exhausted.

Having followed Liu Hongtao all day, Su An counted her blessings that she had hired him. The 2,000 spent was absolutely worth it—otherwise, just the carrier fees alone would have cost who knows how much.

Liu Hongtao wiped sweat from his forehead, "That’s it for today, right?"

Su An nodded, "Yes, the market business is done. The rest is what you mentioned earlier."

Liu Hongtao waved his hand, "No rush on that. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. I need to pick up more inventory anyway—that warehouse is far from here. Let’s call it a day. Hop in, I’ll take you back!"

Su An hesitated, "Brother Tao, tomorrow’s payment will be in cash, right?"

"What do you think?"

"Then wait for me a bit longer. I’ll withdraw the cash and take it home." After Liu Hongtao’s diligent efforts all afternoon, Su An’s trust in him had grown significantly.

"I’ll go with you," Liu Hongtao said, following Su An into the post office.

The post office was crowded. Su An took a number and waited, but Liu Hongtao stopped her, "Why bother with this? With so many people, who knows how long it’ll take. Come with me."

He led her to an empty counter, called out to someone inside, and soon a young woman emerged. After a quick exchange, he turned to Su An and explained, "This is my senior’s wife. We used to have tea together often. She’ll take care of it for you."

Su An’s face lit up—It's all about who you know.

This time, Su An’s funds had been transferred in three installments. After today’s purchases at the market and Liu Hongtao’s commission, she had spent nearly 27,000, leaving one last withdrawal of 13,000 in cash.

This sum was the entire budget for electronic products. Liu Hongtao was right—Nothing ventured, nothing gained. She was ready to bet it all.

To ship, you just needed to register the address, name, contact details, and item value at the shipping counter. After attaching this information to the goods, comprehensive shipping paperwork had to be filled out with an ID.

After all the goods are inspected and sealed without any issues, a machine will print a cargo consignment receipt for the sender.

Once the goods arrive in City A, An’an will go to the designated collection point to claim them by presenting the consignment note or receipt, along with identification and other information. The consignment fee will be paid at this time.

An’an packed the money into a black plastic bag, rolled it up inside the dirty, worn-out sack, and tucked it under her arm.

Liu Hongtao drove An’an and her brother back to Granny Liang's place. After agreeing to pick them up early the next morning, he left.

"Sis, it’s still early. Why don’t you go upstairs and freshen up first? I’ll go to the street corner to buy two meals. They sell roast duck rice and braised pork rice there. Which one do you want?"

An’an, carrying the money, hesitated to wander around. "I’ll take the roast duck. Get back quick after buying it."

Ren San nodded. "I’m just a boy—nothing’ll happen to me. Besides, didn’t Granny Liang say this urban village is pretty safe?"

An’an went upstairs to put the money away, got hot water and asked Granny Liang for her immersion heater to warm it. The water was barely warm when Ren San returned with two meals.

"Sis, look," Ren San held up the meals for her to see.

"Check out this box."

"Sis, this is foam. I asked the boss—said it’s really cheap and just came out this year. Even the railways are switching to these now. Should we bring some back to City A?"

"If we have this, Auntie’s stall would boom. Plus, we could sell it to other food vendors. Think about it—so many street food stalls use oil paper or lotus leaves, but those can’t hold hot food well."

"Take our rice tofu, for example. We have to use ceramic bowls, so folks can’t take it to-go—they have to return the bowls after eating. And since we don’t have a shop, people have to eat standing on the street. With this, they could take it home or buy it for their families."

An’an’s eyes lit up. Foam boxes hit the market by ’86? Though unhealthy and bad for the environment, they were dirt cheap, handy, fast, and even helped prevent the spread of diseases.

"Did the vendor say where to get them?"

Ren San grinned slyly. "I wormed it out of him. There’s a workshop right in this urban village—it’s a collective asset of their community..."

An’an smiled. "Smart kid. Go clean up... Eat up first. Tomorrow, on our way back, we’ll get a batch for Mom."

"Hey, Ren San, tomorrow I’ll go with Brother Tao. You stay here and ask Granny Liang—"

Before she could finish, Ren San refused. "No, I’m coming with you!"

An’an handed him the chopsticks. "We don’t know what this trip will be like, and there’s some risk involved."

Ren San insisted urgently, "That’s exactly why I should go. Auntie fretted about you going solo—she wanted us to stick together. I’m young, but I pull my weight. Two heads are better than one."