Chapter 32: Signing the Contract
Tong Yao tilted her head and asked, "How much per kilogram?"
The man froze. Buying milk by the kilo? Was he dealing with a big spender?
Recovering his wits, he managed to restrain his excitement as he replied, "Three cents per kilogram."
Three cents per kilogram! Tong Yao’s eyes lit up. This price was much cheaper than she had expected. She had thought that a kilogram of milk would cost at least seven or eight cents. In this era, milk production was low, and large-scale dairy farms were scarce, which made milk a bit of a luxury, just like electric fans. The high cost of production led to high selling prices, so she never expected it would only be three and a half cents per kilogram.
What Tong Yao did not know was that despite the low dairy yield, there weren’t many dairy processing plants in the modern era. Many milk-based products hadn’t been invented yet. Fresh milk had a strong smell that many people couldn’t get used to, and rural people were reluctant to drink it. So, the market demand was small.
Seeing Tong Yao silent, the man thought she found the price too high. He was anxious, unsure how to retain the customer because he wasn’t good with words. All he could do was stand there, waiting for Tong Yao’s decision. Finally, he gritted his teeth and handed her a bottle of milk.
"Miss, you can taste this first, to see if the milk is fresh. It was just milked last night."
"No, no," Tong Yao waved her hands, took out fifty cents from her pocket and passed it to the man. "Uncle, here’s fifty cents as a deposit. Starting from Monday, please deliver three kilos of fresh milk to the school’s gate every day. If I need more, I will let you know."