At the end of August 2024, the summer heat had not yet fully faded, and the streets of Futian No.1 District in Yiwu City, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, were still bustling with activity. As a world-renowned small commodity distribution center, every inch of this land seemed to be permeated with business opportunities. Merchants from all over the world shuttled back and forth, and different skin colors and languages intertwined to form a vivid picture of foreign trade. The inconspicuous coconut-themed café downstairs of Building 20 was my favorite place to stop during busy breaks. The warm yellow lights and rich aroma of coffee could always temporarily dispel the fatigue of rushing around.
At around three o’clock that afternoon, after finishing the coordination work for a batch of goods, I walked into the café exhausted, ordered an iced Americano, and sat down at a window seat. Outside the window, pedestrians hurried by, trucks roared back and forth, and from time to time, I heard Chinese and foreign languages mixed with various accents—this was the most ordinary daily life in Yiwu. I held the cold coffee cup, staring at the busy traffic outside the window, and my thoughts had just begun to wander when a familiar accent suddenly drifted into my ears. It was not standard Chinese, nor was it common English, but a discourse with the unique rhythm of Central Asia. What was even more wonderful was that the intonation and pronunciation details of that accent were so similar to what I heard in my hometown.
I suddenly turned my head and looked in the direction of the sound. There, sitting at a table not far away, were two middle-aged men. They were dressed in simple business casual clothes, with two cups of coconut coffee on the table and a thick product catalog spread out in front of them, talking in low voices with their heads down. Both were tall with deep features, high noses, and eyes that exuded the shrewdness and calmness unique to businessmen. Their conversation was natural and cordial, and that familiar accent, like an invisible thread, instantly drew me closer to them. Having worked hard in a foreign land for many years, I had long been used to hearing all kinds of unfamiliar languages. Suddenly hearing such a familiar accent, an indescribable sense of familiarity surged in my heart, as if I had met a long-lost old friend in the vast crowd.
After hesitating for a moment, I still stood up, held my coffee cup, and walked over slowly. Perhaps it was the courage brought by the familiar accent, or the initiative developed from years of running business, I smiled and nodded at them, greeting them in Chinese with my hometown accent: “Hello, excuse me. I heard you talking just now, and your accent sounds very familiar. I took the liberty to come over to say hello.”
To my surprise, when the two heard my greeting, they were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and smiled, and then replied in fluent English: “Hello! Nice to meet you! We are glad to hear such a friendly greeting here.” Their English had a slight native accent, but their enunciation was clear, and there was no obstacle in communication. I smiled embarrassedly and explained: “My hometown is near Central Asia, so I feel very familiar with your accent. It’s like meeting fellow villagers in a foreign land.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, I learned that their names were Kurshad and Hasan, and they both came from Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan in Central Asia. They had come to Yiwu this time to purchase a batch of small commodities to sell back in their country. As the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe is an important commercial and trade hub in Central Asia, and Yiwu was the core destination on their procurement list. Knowing their purpose, my heart moved. I remembered the company brochures I always carried with me, so I took out two from my briefcase and handed them to them with both hands: “I run a small commodity wholesale business here. These are our company’s brochures, which include many hot-selling products. Maybe they can meet your purchasing needs.”
Kurshad and Hasan took the brochures and read them carefully. They talked in low voices in their native language while reading, nodded from time to time, and occasionally pointed to the product pictures on the brochures to ask me for details. I patiently answered them in English, explaining in detail everything from product materials and specifications to prices and minimum order quantities. When they saw several household daily necessities on the brochures, Kurshad’s eyes lit up, and he said to me in English: “We are particularly interested in household items, such as the multi-functional storage boxes and kitchen utensils. Do you have these products in stock now?”
Hasan also added: “We need products with good quality and reasonable prices, because we will sell them in the local market in Dushanbe. The demand for such household items is very large there.” Hearing their clear purchasing needs, I was filled with joy. These products were exactly the main products of our company, with sufficient inventory, which could fully meet their requirements.
I immediately said: “Don’t worry! These products are all in stock. I can take you to see the samples right now if you want, or I can bring them here for you to check immediately.” Kurshad and Hasan looked at each other and both showed surprised expressions. Hasan said: “That’s great! If it’s convenient for you, can you bring the samples here? We still have some other products to check later.”
“Of course!” I readily agreed, picked up my briefcase, and walked quickly out of the café. My warehouse was not far from Futian No.1 District, only a ten-minute drive away. To not delay their time, I accelerated all the way. After returning to the warehouse, I quickly found the multi-functional storage boxes and kitchen utensil samples they had mentioned, packed them carefully, and then rushed back to the café without stopping. It took less than half an hour in total. When I placed the well-packed samples in front of Kurshad and Hasan, they couldn’t help but give me a thumbs up for my efficiency: “Your efficiency is really high! We are very satisfied.”
The two couldn’t wait to unpack the packages and carefully check the quality of the samples. They touched the material of the storage boxes with their hands, weighed the kitchen utensils, exchanged opinions from time to time, and gradually showed satisfied smiles on their faces. Kurshad put down the samples and said to me: “The quality of the samples is very good, which fully meets our requirements. We want to place an order for 30 pieces of each product first. Can you deliver the goods on time?”
I immediately took out the order contract, carefully filled in the product name, quantity, price, delivery time and other details, and then handed it to them: “Don’t worry about the delivery. We have rich experience in foreign trade transportation, and we can arrange the logistics to Dushanbe for you. The goods will be delivered within the specified time.” Kurshad and Hasan carefully checked the terms of the contract. After confirming that everything was correct, they readily signed their names. When I took the signed order, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment. This was not only the completion of a business deal, but also a fate brought by the familiar accent.
That afternoon, we chatted for a long time in the café. Kurshad talked to me about the customs and traditions of Dushanbe. He said that Dushanbe was a beautiful city with clear rivers and towering snow-capped mountains. The local residents were hospitable and liked to entertain guests with traditional milk tea and delicious food. Hasan shared their procurement experience in Yiwu with me. They said that Yiwu had a wide variety of commodities at reasonable prices, making it a paradise for merchants around the world to purchase goods. The only regret was that they sometimes encountered small obstacles in language communication. Meeting a supplier like me who was familiar with their accent and proficient in English saved them a lot of trouble.
We also exchanged contact information, added WeChat and WhatsApp, and agreed that subsequent matters such as goods docking, payment, and logistics would be communicated through these channels. When leaving, Kurshad shook my hand tightly and said: “Thank you very much! Meeting you in Yiwu is a great surprise. This cooperation is very pleasant, and we hope to establish long-term cooperative relations with you.” I smiled and replied: “It’s my honor to cooperate with you. I believe our cooperation will be very successful, and I look forward to your next visit to Yiwu.”
Since that day, I have kept in close contact with Kurshad and Hasan. After the goods were shipped, I promptly sent the logistics information to them, and they also kept me informed of the progress of the goods transportation. When the goods arrived safely in Dushanbe, they sent me a message immediately after receiving them, telling me that the goods were intact, the quality was exactly the same as the samples, and highly praised my service.
After that, they consulted me about other products through WeChat. I patiently answered all their questions and recommended several potential new products to them according to the needs of their local market. Although thousands of miles apart, our communication has never stopped. Sometimes it’s about confirming the details of orders, sometimes it’s about exchanging market information, and sometimes it’s just simple greetings and blessings. Kurshad would send me photos of the snow scenery in Dushanbe, Hasan would share with me the booming scene of selling our products in the local market, and I would also send them information about the changes in Yiwu and the new products of the company.
Now, nearly a year has passed since that chance encounter in the café in August 2024, and the cooperation between Kurshad, Hasan and me is still proceeding smoothly. They have placed several more orders with me, and the products have received an increasingly good response in the Dushanbe market. We have also changed from business partners at first to close friends who can talk about everything. Whenever I think of that afternoon in August 2024, in the coconut café in Futian No.1 District, Yiwu, when this cross-border fate began because of a familiar accent, I can’t help but feel emotional.
Yiwu is a city where countless encounters and separations take place every day. My meeting with Kurshad and Hasan is undoubtedly the warmest and luckiest one among them. That cup of fragrant coconut coffee and that familiar accent not only brought me a valuable order, but also made me feel a long-lost sense of familiarity in a foreign land. It also made me deeply realize that in business cooperation, sincerity and fate can often create unexpected beautiful results. In the future, I look forward to deepening cooperation with Kurshad and Hasan, and also look forward to gaining more such warm and precious fates in Yiwu, a vibrant city.
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