1The officially sealed river sand will sooner or later be released, at least in part.
But the question is, how soon is "sooner or later"?
A week? A month? Or half a year?
No one could say for sure.
However, construction developments across the regions couldn't wait. A day's delay meant a day's loss, and sand, being a basic necessity, had to be bought no matter how expensive it was.
And the more they bought, the more construction material suppliers would hoard, pushing prices even higher. The rising prices, in turn, triggered panic among the builders, who became more eager to stock up.
A perfect vicious cycle—this was the confidence that allowed Xiao Ming to quote three hundred per ton yesterday, and it was also the reason why Gao Yinghai swallowed his pride, despite feeling humiliated.
After all, he couldn't buy it anywhere else even if he had the money!
For people like him, money was much more important than pride.
As the car arrived at the construction site entrance, the old gatekeeper handed Gao Yinghai a slip of paper, saying it was left by the guy on the motorbike from yesterday.
Gao Yinghai was stunned, and then he was overjoyed.
Taking the initiative to leave contact information, even if it was just for a good scolding, represented hope.
When he received the call, Xiao Ming had just finished a set of handstand push-ups and, wiping sweat, asked, "Who is this?"
"B-Boss, hello!" Gao Yinghai said cautiously, "My name is Gao Yinghai. I... I'm the one you met at the construction site yesterday..."
"Oh," Xiao Ming cut off his self-introduction, "is Boss Gao planning to retire from the scene?"
"Ha ha..." Gao Yinghai laughed awkwardly, "About yesterday... I failed to recognize true talent. I apologise for any offense; please be magnanimous and don't stoop to my level."
Xiao Ming didn't have the patience for pleasantries, "Just say what you want."
"I want to buy your sand, of course."
"What's the market price now?"
"Two hundred and fifty-eight per ton," Gao Yinghai didn't dare lie, giving the real-time price.
"Considering yesterday's offense, I am willing to pay the penalty, a premium of ten yuan, making it two hundred and sixty-eight per ton. Is that okay?"
Xiao Ming chuckled coldly, "Sure! But I'm busy this morning, let's meet this afternoon."
"Wait... Hello? Hello?"
Gao Yinghai almost cursed as he stared at the disconnected phone.
Overnight, the price of ordinary river sand had soared by a hundred, and high-quality river sand had more than doubled.
One could say that the current market price for sand was unstable; two hundred and fifty-eight in the morning might turn into three hundred and fifty-eight by the afternoon.
With a potential half a million loss in half a day, how could he afford to wait?𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Taking a deep breath to suppress the pain in his heart, he redialed the number and, without waiting for an answer, said, "Three hundred and ten yuan, full payment!"
Xiao Ming smiled, "Please prepare a sales contract, Boss Gao, I'll be right over."
Half an hour later, Xiao Ming rode his bike into the construction site and immediately saw several black full-size SUVs parked to the left. A group of people were surrounding an elder, discussing the open ground.
On the right corner, Gao Yinghai was pacing near the pile of sand, like an ant on a hot pan.
"Boss, hello, hello! I really apologize for yesterday, I..."
Upon seeing Xiao Ming, he rushed over as if he had seen family.
"Enough, no need for pleasantries. Is the contract ready?" Xiao Ming asked.
"Yes, yes."
Gao Yinghai took out two copies of the contract from his bag.
Xiao Ming took them and looked them over carefully, saw no issue, gave his account details, and then signed the contracts.
Watching his account balance decrease by three million one hundred ten thousand, Gao Yinghai's face twitched in pain, yet he still had to smile.
Because, just knowing Xiao Ming had anticipated the sand price hike a day in advance, he was someone Gao Yinghai couldn't afford to offend.
With the deal settled and the money transferred, Xiao Ming offered Gao Yinghai a cigarette and said with a smile, "Boss Gao, a piece of advice: 'A gentleman loves money, and he earns it the honest way.'
Try to do less of those things that harm your moral virtue!"
With that, he drove off.
Gao Yinghai stood there looking dumbfounded and utterly confused.
Just then, those black SUVs previously on the left side of the construction site now stopped at the main entrance. Xiao Ming glanced at the elder chatting with the gatekeeper while smoking and slowed down slightly.
"Young man," the elder suddenly waved at him.
Xiao Ming planted his feet and took off his helmet, "Can I help you, sir?"
The elder shook his cigarette pack, "If you're not busy, how about a chat?"
The old man wasn't actually very old, probably in his fifties, with graying hair, a square face, and eyes sharp as an eagle's. He had an upright posture, a commanding presence that betrayed his high status.
Xiao Ming turned off the engine and walked over, taking the cigarette offered by the old man and commented, "This is a rare, high-quality brand, not found for two thousand a pack in markets. Quite the luxury, sir. You know how to enjoy life."
"It's just hyped up, not worth mentioning."
The old man waved dismissively, half smiling, "Just like that sand you just sold."
Xiao Ming took a drag from the cigarette and didn't reply.
The elder's eyebrows lifted, and he went straight to the point: "The gatekeeper told me that the sand was delivered by you yesterday. What was the purchase price, and how much did you sell it for today? Can you reveal that?"
Xiao Ming didn't hide it, "The purchase price was one hundred and fifty, and the selling price, three hundred and ten."
"Well done! More than double in just one day." The elder expressed his amazement, "Young man, you sure have an exceptional knack for business!"
Xiao Ming simply shrugged, "Just like this cigarette to you, not worth mentioning."
The elder looked at him intently then continued, "This plot of land is mine, I'm planning to build a mid-to-high-end eco-community here. What do you think?"
This caught the attention of nearby people who couldn't fathom why the elder was seeking the opinion of a seemingly insignificant young man—a mere sand trader.
But what happened next nearly made their eyes pop out.
Because that young man seriously shook his head and said, "The idea is good. But frankly, unless you also buy the plot of land upwind, it's doomed to fail!"