I am farming in the real world

Chapter 100: Eye-Opening (Subscription Requested)

Zhang Chengcheng was startled by the wood list that Chen Jue handed over, and fearing she might have misread it, she immediately called her old father, Zhang Peng, who was chatting with several wealthy businessmen in the booth.

"How old are you? Still so easily surprised!"

"Chengcheng, I think you should come out with me more often to train on the front lines," Zhang Peng said with a chuckle, revealing the expression of a loving father doting on his precious daughter.

However, when Zhang Peng took the wood list and glanced at it, his originally calm and composed face instantly became incredibly interesting!

"Fifty-centimeter diameter birch wood?"

"Are you kidding me! Young man, are you sure your Red Star Trading Company didn't misrecord the data?"

As the chairman of Pengcheng Wood Industry Group, Zhang Peng had started his business from scratch more than ten years ago, and he knew the parameters of these wood raw materials like the back of his hand.

Leaving aside the pine wood with an eighty-centimeter diameter, just take the birch wood on this list, a fifty-centimeter diameter is simply unreasonable.

Because birch trees are a fast-growing economic tree species, especially in the fertile black soil of the Northeast, they can grow two to three meters in just one year with patient cultivation.

But despite its vigorous growth, making it very suitable as a raw material for wood processing, birch trees have a significant drawback: their diameter is generally narrow.

Although mature birch trees can reach a height of 27 meters, they typically only have a diameter of twenty or thirty centimeters, as thin as chopsticks for frying dough sticks.

Good quality birch wood circulating in the market is, at most, about forty centimeters in diameter.

A fifty-centimeter diameter is practically aiming for a world record!

Because the thickest birch tree ever discovered by humans is only about fifty centimeters in diameter, and it's a long-lived individual that has grown for over 300 years.

"Old boss, this list was copied for me by my cousin. The diameter data on it was measured on the spot using the raw wood, and there's no room for fakery!"

"If you don't believe me, look! We even brought a sample over." Chen Jue waved his hand, instructing Tie Laoliu, who was following behind, to open the bag and take out a cross-sectional slice of birch wood.

"My goodness! Is this birch wood?"

"The grain and luster do look like birch!"

"When did birch trees grow so wide?"

As soon as this raw wood-colored slice was taken out, it immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers.

Including the wealthy businessmen who had been discussing business cooperation with Zhang Peng, they also quietly came over to watch the excitement when they heard the commotion at the booth.

In particular, the dense annual rings, resembling rolled paper, sparked heated discussions among the onlookers.

Zhang Peng took the sample slice, roughly estimated the diameter of the birch tree, and then touched the fine, natural grain on it, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes: "Good! Good wood! Such good material hasn't been seen on the market for at least a decade!"

Top-quality birch logs like this can be used to make the highest-grade wood veneer furniture or wood flooring in the building materials industry.

Not only is it expensive, but it's also extremely rare, and it's very uncommon to see it circulating on the market.

Because high-end wood raw materials are not as easily obtained as other industrially manufactured cement and steel building materials, requiring extremely long periods of time to plant and cultivate.

Many of the common woodworking strips and wood flooring on the market are made from fast-growing economic forests that are 5 or 10 years old.

No one would ever use such old trees that have grown for who knows how many years, because doing so would be a complete waste.

Seeing that the boss was knowledgeable, Chen Jue chimed in, "Of course, it's good wood! My cousin contracted a large old forest farm in the Russian Far East. It's all virgin forest, with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used. If any chemical fertilizers or agricultural residues are detected in my wood, I'll give you all the wood for free!"

As soon as these words came out, the timber merchants who had gathered around also stirred.

"All virgin forest?"

"Could it be from a nature reserve in Russia?"

"Are you willing to sell such good stuff?"

"Little brother! Do you have any more lists? Send me one to take a look?"

"That's right, little brother! Let's add each other on WeChat and chat."

Seeing these competitors wanting to snatch the business, Zhang Peng's face immediately changed, replaced with an enthusiastic smile, and he pulled Chen Jue towards the negotiation area inside the booth.

He also gave his precious daughter and several employees of the booth a wink, asking them to form a human wall to persuade the onlookers to leave.

After all, the competition at this trade fair is fierce, and it wouldn't look good for anyone if business disputes were to break out.

"Mr. Zhang, please be merciful!"

"Remember to leave some good stuff for us!"

"That's right, Mr. Zhang! You're eating all the meat, you have to let us brothers drink some soup, right?"

The timber merchants joked, and several of them even squatted outside the Pengcheng Wood Industry Group's booth, watching the subsequent developments.

Meanwhile, Chen Jue, who had sat down on the sofa in the negotiation area, was now comfortably drinking the iced cola that the staff had handed him, watching the middle-aged boss in front of him calculating the price of the wood on the list with the computer, muttering to himself: "Birch, over 30 diameter, 2000 per meter… Red pine, over 60 diameter, 3500 per meter… Black walnut, over 40 diameter, 9000 per meter…"

Chen Jue immediately stopped him: "Wait, Mr. Zhang, the wood on my cousin's list is all high-end wood with large diameters! How can you calculate it based on the price of ordinary materials on the market?"

Zhang Peng immediately explained: "Don't worry, brother! I'm just roughly estimating it. Later, when we go to your cousin's forest farm to see the materials, we can discuss the specific price in detail."

According to the Pengcheng Wood Industry boss, the price of large-diameter wood is very opaque in the market due to the extreme scarcity of the supply.

Like antiques and jewelry, each buyer has their own set of pricing methods.

After all, this stuff is not like ordinary construction materials that are sold in batches. You can easily find a listed price online or in the market, and the premium value is very large.

Coincidentally, their Pengcheng Wood Industry Group specializes in processing high-end wood products, supplying luxury furniture brands and luxury car and yacht brands, and has its own pricing database.

Naturally, they welcome high-quality logs like those from Red Star Trading.

However, after tapping away on the computer and writing a series of numbers on the back of the wood list, a look of emotion appeared on Zhang Peng's face.

Including Zhang Chengcheng, who was watching her father sweat and calculate, she also showed a dumbfounded expression when she saw the number: "A total of more than 90,000 cubic meters of top-quality materials, even if calculated at market price, it will cost at least 630 million in funds!"

"This doesn't even include the premium. If you add a 50% premium, wouldn't this deal be worth 1 billion?"

Thinking that this deal far exceeded the working capital of her Pengcheng Wood Industry Group, Zhang Chengcheng, who had originally looked down on this crowded trade fair, immediately started breathing heavily!

She felt that this trip out with her father had truly broadened her horizons!

Guaranteed first update~