Chapter 5 The Unexpected Meeting

The man held a basket and plate in his clutches. He seemed to just buy them from Celia.

Wendy felt a rising fear soar through her as she watched them approach. She was anxious that they were coming to return the products. She was so nervous that she didn't know what to do with herself.

Celia looked at the girl calmly, still not knowing why they were here. She was so well versed in many situations that keeping her composure had become second nature. There was just a confidence about her in every circumstance.

"Little girl, why did you come back?" Celia asked enthusiastically.

The little girl giggled and said, "My grandfather loved the vegetable baskets and fruit plates he bought here. He wanted to buy more."

The little girl's words took Celia by surprise. She raised her head, looking at the grey-haired man. There was some sort of glint in his eyes that didn't quite match the man. Was he really here to buy more baskets?

"Do you actually make these things yourselves?" he asked kindly.

"Well, my mother actually made them," Celia answered proudly.

"My wife bought them while she was shopping. They are incredible. I've been paying close attention to you for a little while now. My name is Jasper Chen. I would like to work with you if possible," Jasper Chen humbly offered.

Hearing this shocking gesture, Wendy panicked and stuttered uncontrollably.

Celia, on the other hand, remained calm and confident after hearing what Jasper Chen said.

"Sir, we are from the countryside, and we only know farm work and how to make bamboo products. We appreciate your kind words, but I'm just wondering how we can work together?" Celia spoke with such a calm confidence, showing her character. She fixed her eyes on Jasper Chen, awaiting his response.

"My house is just over there. I noticed that you haven't even had breakfast yet, right? I haven't eaten either. Why don't we discuss all of this over breakfast?" Jasper Chen seemed like a careful man. Also, for Celia, he seemed somewhat trustworthy.

After giving it a good thought, Celia took the little girl's hand and said, "If that's the case, I don't see why not."

"Celia, I don't think that's such a good idea. We sold out the products anyway. Shouldn't we just leave?" Wendy whispered in Celia's ear. She was way too nervous to trust this stranger.

Celia knew that her mother had been through a lot of hardship and had never seen the outside world. She was all too aware of the dangers of trusting people. Celia immediately held her rough hands and said, "Don't worry, mom; I'm with you."

They eventually went to have breakfast at a place nearby. The whole morning, Celia and Wendy were starving. Before today they didn't have so much as a penny to their names so they couldn't always get the food they wanted. Today was different though. Their sales gave them a new lease on life and now they could treat themselves.

Celia and her mother each ordered a bowl of dumplings, and Jasper Chen ordered a bowl of brown sauce noodles.

"May I know your names?" Jasper Chen asked with a pleasant smile.

"I'm Celia Tang but you can call me Celia. This is my mother, Wendy Zhang. She made the products we sold all by herself."

Jasper Chen nodded and said bluntly, "Let's be frank. I like the baskets and plates you made, and I think you have great products on your hands. If you're willing to sell them to me, I'll buy as many

as I can."

"So, do you mean buy all of our products?" Celia immediately caught on. Essentially they were being commissioned to make the products and he would resell. After she calmed down, she asked, "What about the price?"

"You two obviously don't have an easy job. You and your mother have wounded hands that have been through a lot. You sell the baskets for four dollars, and I'll pay you 3.5. As for fruit plates, you sell them for 2 dollars each and I'll pay 1.5. What do you think?" Jasper Chen firmly said.

"What? But if you sell the baskets and the plates together, you won't make any money, right?" Wendy couldn't figure out what his plan was.

Jasper Chen gave a wry smile and said slyly, "This is my business. If you sell them to me, making profit is my problem. You don't have to worry about it. But you have to promise me one thing: keep the quality up. They have to be good or better!"

"Sir, don't worry about that. We assure you that we're honest and trustworthy. You've put your trust in us and we'll never let you down," Celia said sincerely as she looked into his eyes.

"In that case, I will give you a 50 dollar deposit to show my sincerity." Jasper Chen yanked the money out of his pocket and handed it over without any hesitation.

Celia didn't take the money. She smiled at Jasper Chen and asked, "Sir, we've never met each other before. We've only spoken for around ten minutes. You're just going to hand over the money without even finding out where we live or anything? Aren't you scared that we'll run away with your money?"

Hearing Celia's concern, Jasper Chen gave a hearty laugh. "Ha ha, I have met hundreds of people and the benefit of that is that I am a brilliant judge of character. To be honest, even though you make beautiful things, there will be similar products on the market. The reason I want yours is because of your outstanding personality."

"Personality? Where did you learn that?" Celia was confused. She didn't know what Jasper Chen meant and how he judged people. After all, this was only their first meeting.

"It's not really about personality. It's sort of fate. This morning you gave my granddaughter the bird free of charge. You hadn't even sold anything yet but you were willing to show her kindness. It wasn't just a trivial thing. You make money selling these birds, but you chose to give it over for free. Simply speaking, I just want to help you. What goes around comes around," Jasper Chen said calmly.

Celia smiled through the flattery. She finally figured it out. She looked at the old man gratefully and said, "That bird is worthless. I really appreciate what you're doing though. We can't take the deposit. You trust us so we'll trust you. Give me your address and we will send over the products you want in three days."

"You see the Chen's department store? That's my store. You can send the stuff there," Jasper Chen said, pointing at a large store around a hundred meters away.

Celia looked over at the store and exclaimed, "Sir, that property is huge! It has to be the largest store around."

Jasper Chen waved his hand and answered nonchalantly, "It might be."

"Can I buy something from your store?" Celia blurted out. Apparently, she had already started plotting something.

Celia always had to seize every opportunity. She refused to be a nobody. More than that, she was determined to be a rich and successful woman.