Chapter 135

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Shen Yao had no children to care for at the moment, so she and Xie Ci'an simply treated school as home, competing with each other in their studies.

Meanwhile, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, who had left Jing Shi for Guang City, saw different scenery along the road.

First they took a long-distance train; although the carriage was cramped and stiflingly hot inside, along the way they encountered pickpockets stealing wallets, people falsely claiming them as children, and even a pretty girl grabbing them and weeping for help... Wow, so what Mom said was all true.

The children were so shocked they couldn't close their mouths, yet they looked more spirited than ever.

On the contrary, the several adults were terrified out of their wits; Tian Na and Yuan Li kept Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan close by their sides, bringing them along wherever they went.

Fortunately, they arrived in Guang City smoothly afterward; their group first found a guesthouse to stay at, then ate some breakfast special to Guang City, before splitting into two batches to wander around.

Compared to trendy clothing fabrics, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan preferred uncommon electronic products.

So they chose to go with Xie Shangjin, Shen Zizai, Yuan Li, Shen Ning, and Shitou and the others to a famous local electronics mall.

Tian Na and Grandmother-in-law Zhou took the remaining people to look at the garment factory and fabrics they had taken a fancy to earlier.

"We'll gather at the mall entrance nearby at noon."

"Remember, if you don't know how to buy, don't open your mouth; say you don't know whatever they ask."

Seeing that among the crowd of men only Yuan Li was a woman (Yuan Yuan was too small to count), Tian Na turned and directed her words at her.

Yuan Li nodded, "Rest assured, I know what I'm doing; I'll make sure they don't spend money recklessly."

Reform and Opening Up had only begun not long ago, yet quite a few people were riding the trend to come south to make money.

The things here were not only cheap and good quality, but also fashionable and novel.

It was said they were styles transmitted from across the river, and taking them out gave plenty of face.

Grandmother-in-law Zhou advised Yuan Li not to manage too strictly, "If you really like something, buy one each, don't buy too many."

"The waters here are deep; our trip this time is mainly for observation and learning."

Finally going out without needing all sorts of documents, Grandmother-in-law Zhou, who had been suffocating in Jing Shi for so many years, really needed to enjoy herself.

The few older people chatted with each other, while the others stood honestly in place without moving.

Pedestrians passing by merely glanced a few times before withdrawing their gazes.

How to put it? People like this could be seen every day locally, nothing novel about it.

"Let's go, let's go take a look too."

Although Guang City seemed livelier than Jing Shi, crowds of people were everywhere.

Yuan Li held Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan's hands, had Shen Zizai walk in front to lead the way, and the few of them headed straight for the electronics mall in the distance.

The foot traffic at the electronics mall was much less than outside, and this three-story small building before their eyes was especially lively.

Upon entering, the few small ones were first attracted by a row of pretty frog mirrors placed at the doorway.

Coincidentally, the mirrors were quite cheap; calculated out, each costed a little over one yuan.

Shitou and Mutou, who had been admitted to university and already had a little private fund, were the first to unable to resist spending money.

Shen Ning followed closely behind, while Shen Zizai and Xie Shangjin, grandfather and grandson, were itching to act.

As for Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, held by Yuan Li, they had already struck up a conversation with the middle-aged man selling frog mirrors and even pumped him for the daily sales volume.

Yuan Li:...

"Grandma, this place really makes money; just retail alone can sell over a hundred a day, not counting occasional large wholesale."

After deducting daily expenses from such income, the remaining profit could account for more than half.

"You two are still children, not allowed to talk nonsense."

Yuan Li listened with her heart pounding; it turned out selling small goods was so profitable.

No wonder in Jing Shi over the past half year, more and more people dared to go out and set up stalls.

Although most were currently farm vegetables and fruits, if this continued, once the opening was made, the popular goods in Guang City would all pour into Jing Shi.

Compared to Guang City, Jing Shi was still somewhat remote in geographical location.

The simplest example: the clothes and pants popular on Guang City's streets nowadays hadn't really been seen in Jing Shi yet.

Before coming, Yuan Li had thought the electronics city was a place selling various large furniture and appliances.

But once they were actually there, she realized everything was sold inside, just with more electronic products.

Things like electronic watches, electronic radios, cassette players that could play tapes, and plastic small speakers that made voices louder... Yuan Li was right now like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, finding everything novel wherever she looked.

Not yielding to Yuan Li were Xie Shangjin and the others; among them, the calmest were Shen Zizai, who ran all over Jiangnan and the north year-round, and Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan.

Shen Zizai had some experience but not much, and could keep his mind steady.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan had learned a lot from books; although they lacked practice, they had sufficient theoretical knowledge, and talked about military strategy on paper with great fluency.

"Grandma, I want to buy that one."

Tuan Tuan pointed at a square box; beside the box were placed several palm-sized tapes.

Yuan Yuan's eyes lit up; she also wanted one.

Yuan Li went over and asked the price, but was frightened into stepping back when they opened at 350.

So expensive?!

"Big sister, this price really isn't expensive; you can go ask at the Huaqiao Store or the department store, they're all more expensive than this."

The seller was a young man, short in stature but with lively eyes.

At a glance one could tell these two children had taken a fancy to this thing; in his words he kept promoting how good this thing was, convenient to listen to tapes and clear recording, a genuine brand product made abroad.

"Then why is it being sold here?" Yuan Yuan caught a loophole in the other's words.

Tuan Tuan stepped forward. "This one is fake; the label isn't pasted correctly."

The letters on it are all printed backwards; it absolutely cannot be genuine goods.

The vendor:...

Yuan Li was also very surprised, holding onto her two grandchildren and not letting go.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan couldn't tell the atmosphere was off; they kept analyzing seriously, finally bargaining the other party down from 350 to a bone-breaking price.

145

These words were spoken by Shen Yao: an item's price, on the basis of being cut in half, continues to be discounted by about twenty percent. (Author Mom shops exactly like this)

The price can fluctuate up and down within this range, because you can't let the other party make nothing at all—that way, no business can be done.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan calculate quickly in their heads; the price of 350 was finally settled at 140, but because they truly liked this recorder in their hearts, they decided on this basis to add another 5 yuan.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan looked at the vendor with smug faces, thinking in their hearts that the other party would definitely sell it to them.

Unexpectedly, in some situations, pointing out flaws is not a useful bargaining excuse.

"Grandma, why is that vendor angry? What we said wasn't wrong."

Tuan Tuan was puzzled; the three grandparents and grandchildren were driven away by the furious vendor, and the business naturally came to nothing.

"Perhaps it's because the truth is too harsh," Yuan Yuan puffed her little cheeks, "Dad said, sometimes you can't tell the truth."

Tuan Tuan sighed like a little adult, "Adults are really troublesome, but we can't tell lies."

Yuan Yuan agreed, "Yeah, adults are so hard to understand."

The two siblings chatted back and forth, while Yuan Li, standing in the middle leading them, had her mouth open and shut; who could tell her why things had developed to this point?

Hiss

Weren't they just out for a simple stroll and to see the world?

Could it be that I misunderstood?!

Yuan Li watched Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan bargain all the way, dazed; some things could be bought, some deals couldn't be made, but Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan didn't have too much obsession; perhaps they valued the process more.

However, "It's almost time; we should go back to gather."

Yuan Li hadn't forgotten the time she had agreed with Tian Na, Grandmother-in-law Zhou, and others.

She couldn't be late, especially with so many people here; if she really missed it, there would be no benefit.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan each held some small items in their arms, all bought successively at the electronics city.

"Grandma, let's go back."

Coincidentally, they could call Xie Shangjin and others on the way; with Shen Zizai watching, they hadn't spent much money, only Shi Tou and Mu Mei bought two Frog Mirrors.

"Hey, that big sister, big sister, big sister"

Yuan Li turned her head and saw a short young man waving at her.

Huh?

Tuan Tuan recognized him; he was the young vendor who had just gotten angry.

"You, what's the matter?"

Yuan Li spoke in a muffled voice, feeling the other party looked somewhat familiar, and besides, Shen Zizai and others were by her side, so she wasn't afraid of trouble.

The man grinned, rubbing his palms, his words all about Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan.

Yuan Yuan spoke, "You want to sell us a recorder?"

Tuan Tuan shook his head, "145, no price increase."

The young vendor:...

"Uh, no, I was thinking, we can do other business."

What 145? To bring in these few sets of recorders, just the raw material expenses were more than that; selling at this price would be a huge loss.

The young man's name was Bai Wuchang; hearing it sounded like it meant free, but the person was completely different from his name—he was the type who would charge for even a cup of water.

This time, the reason he was willing to cut into his own profits to do business with Yuan Li, precisely speaking, with Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, was entirely because he saw that these two children were young and naive, and additionally had sharp eyes and could spot problems.

After explaining his thoughts to Yuan Li, Bai Wuchang called several people into his small store to discuss in detail.

Don't look at how his store here was only ten-plus square meters; being able to buy it successfully still cost him most of his life savings accumulated over these years.

Bai Wuchang valued the future development of the electronics city; even if he only took a few orders a day, the money from selling them was enough to earn back his daily expenses with some left over.

"Big sister, and several big brothers, this matter can be considered."

Just a few orders plus instruction manuals; it won't take much time.

I'll give a lump-sum price of 200; that's really not a small amount."

Bai Wuchang had good eyesight; he could tell Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan were with Yuan Li, so he simply spoke up promising huge profits; with the meager income of most people nowadays, who wouldn't agree?

"No."

Bai Wuchang:... Doing it on purpose, right?

"Big sister, this is really not cheap; you go out and ask around yourself—hiring a university teacher wouldn't cost 200."

Bai Wuchang felt wronged; this was the first time he thought of cheating them out of less money, but the other party simply wouldn't buy it.

Yuan Li retorted, "Then why don't you find those university teachers, but instead come to my family's two children? Doing it on purpose, right?"

Could it be he wanted to set a trap to deceive them, making them mistakenly think they could earn money, while actually playing tricks behind the scenes, and in the end having to pay out of pocket to compensate?

For this trip to Guang City, Yuan Li had made a lot of anti-fraud efforts in private.

When someone opens their mouth talking about giving money to do business, Yuan Li simply doesn't believe it at all.

Bai Wuchang:...

Bai Wuchang himself had to admit that he did find the two children on purpose, but not to cheat them on purpose; he just wanted to save some money.

Hiring a university teacher is indeed not expensive, but university teachers are difficult to deal with.

By the time they ask this and that, chat about east and west, would his business still be doable?

Sighing, Bai Wuchang chose to come clean, finally asking whether this business could actually be done.

"Yes, but the price is too low; you have to give us a tape recorder for free."

Tuan Tuan touched his chin, his chubby face looking very pinchable.

Yuan Yuan pointed at the one they had taken a liking to from the start, "I want this one."

Bai Wuchang:...

Bai Wuchang forced a smile, "Fine, as long as you change the brand and instructions to match."

Giving up, as long as this batch of goods could be sold smoothly, he wouldn't lose too much himself.

"... This, little friend, is what you said correct?"

Bai Wuchang touched his chin, turned to look at his own branded four-not-like tape recorder again, hesitating in his heart.

Tuan Tuan was speechless, Yuan Yuan helpless, the same sentence echoed in both their little heads: this big brother was a bit silly.

"This brand was originally made in Japan, but I suggest you change it to a Hong Kong brand, or a German brand would also do."

Tuan Tuan pointed out the problem directly, "Besides, your tape recorder's core is German-made; slapping a few Japanese symbols on it is even stranger."

Yuan Yuan advised Bai Wuchang not to make a pointless struggle, "Whether from the perspective of selling goods or the tape recorder itself, the brand you slapped on makes no sense."

The two were legitimate children of the Machinery Factory, and their biological father was even a mechanical expert in this field.

Tape recorder? If there were parts, they could take it apart and assemble it themselves.

Bai Wuchang:...

The so-called employ without doubt, doubt without employ.

Bai Wuchang originally just wanted to spend money to get a bargain; it made no sense to spend money and not believe it, that would be wasteful.

The three finally exchanged a few words, then gathered together chirping and discussing for a while.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan helped Bai Wuchang reorganize the new brand and instructions, then accepted the 200 yuan gift and the tape recorder before leaving.

Oh, to make this deal, Yuan Li and Tian Na and others' originally scheduled gathering time had to be postponed.

Fortunately, the ending was perfect; even though they were two hours late, Tian Na and the others weren't idle, they visited all the places they wanted to, and although Yuan Li didn't get to shop, she made money.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan also generously spent money to treat the grown-ups to a relatively late lunch.

After eating, they returned to the guesthouse to rest; Tian Na and Grandmother-in-law Zhou heard Yuan Li finish talking about Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan's ability to make money on their own, and opened their mouths to praise them for doing well.

"But is there any risk in doing this? Selling fake goods is deliberately framing people."

Tian Na was afraid Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan wouldn't understand, so she hurriedly explained some of the reasoning.

Tuan Tuan waved his hand, "No, Grandmother, the tape recorder is real," it just didn't come through proper channels and had been second-hand modified by certain craftsmen.

But the tape recorder's core materials were fine; at most, the casing was replaced with cheap goods.

"The instruction manual we gave him is written very clearly; in terms of price, it's very suitable."

Yuan Yuan nodded, "Right right, Dad said that as long as money and goods are equal, it's not cheating people."

Bai Wuchang's original price definitely wasn't suitable; appropriately lowering the price and then matching their new brand and instructions, it could completely be described as good quality and cheap.