Chapter 460: Market Recruitment

Sure enough, just as Ye Yaodong had predicted, the merchants and fishmongers entering the market all made a beeline for that bighead carp first thing. Whether they bought it or not was another matter, but it was so rare that everyone had to come over to join the fun, see something new, and show their support.

As a result, the foot traffic at the surrounding stalls also increased significantly. Although their target was that fish, after looking at it, they had to start browsing from the surrounding stalls.

Ye Yaodong priced his own scallops at the same good price as the day before, 3 mao 6 for the large ones, 2 mao 8 for the small ones. In any case, what he was selling was the idea that you get what you pay for.

The others also knew that their large ones had small ones mixed in, along with some empty shells, so they didn't dare to ask for such a high price. They were all honest country folk.

There were also a few scattered stalls in the market selling scallops. One of them had a particularly large quantity of goods, and he heard that several cars were parked at the entrance. Ye Yaodong strongly suspected that this one was the person cooperating with their village's dock.

Although they had a lot of goods, thanks entirely to the foot traffic brought by that fish, their speed in clearing stock was also impressive—they sold out before dawn.

Although Ye Yaodong's prices were high and he didn't allow haggling, he was also the fastest among them to clear his stock. Large foot traffic was one thing, a glib tongue was also an advantage, but the most crucial point was that he sorted his goods cleanly.

These merchants and fishmongers weren't buying wholesale for the first time. They knew perfectly well what the scallops looked like yesterday, so if they bought again, they would inspect them even more carefully to avoid being taken advantage of.

Ye Yaodong's scallops were sorted carefully and cleanly, the buyers were satisfied, and they bought decisively. Amid the envy of others, his goods were wheeled on a flatbed cart to the transaction point to queue up—the transaction point was right next to the merchants' entrance.

At this time, not many merchants and fishmongers had entered yet, the market wasn't very lively inside, and there were only two or three people queuing at the transaction point.

Ye Yaodong, however, noticed a wooden board nearby with the words "Investment Promotion" written on it. The content below wasn't very clear to read; he only saw the two largest characters, "Investment Promotion."

In a little while, it was Ye Yaodong's turn. He couldn't be bothered to turn around and look at the sign—he had to sell these goods first.

After weighing, the money was calculated on the spot. Their wholesale market charged a commission of three points each from the buyer's and seller's transaction amount—3 yuan deducted for every 100 yuan.

Ye Yaodong's large scallops, 2 big bags totaling 262 jin, sold for 94 yuan 3 mao 2 fen. These unshelled ones were particularly heavy. The small ones, one and a half bags totaling 202 jin, sold for 56 yuan 5 mao 6 fen. In total, he sold 150 yuan 8 mao 8.

Adding the goods he sold to Acai yesterday morning, worth about 120 yuan, with the scallops inside priced at roughly 56 yuan, once he got back he could collect another batch from the ground cages. This typhoon couldn't have come at a better time.

After paying the commission to the transaction point, Ye Yaodong happily pocketed the money, and folded up his burlap sacks to put them away neatly.

Then he went to look at that recruitment sign right away, grateful that he had attended literacy classes and could recognize basic commonly-used characters.

Written crookedly on it were the address of the new wholesale market, expected to be completed by the end of the year, with surrounding shops open for recruitment. Those interested should contact the transaction point.

Seeing that things weren't busy around him, Ye Yaodong quickly went up to ask the person who had just weighed his goods, and casually pulled out two more cigarettes.

"Brother, getting up to work so late at night must be pretty tough, huh?"

The middle-aged man, seeing that there weren't many people in line, let someone else do the weighing, took the cigarettes, and said, "For Hukou, nothing to be done about it. This job is still relatively simple. What do you need?"

Ye Yaodong smiled and pointed at the recruitment wooden board in the corner. "How exactly are you recruiting for this new market?"

"Oh, that one. The higher-ups say it's 3,000 yuan per shop. It was only put up the day before yesterday, and hardly anyone has asked about it. I don't know if it's because not a single one of them can read."

He mulled it over in his mind. 3,000 yuan wasn't exactly expensive. His house back in the countryside had cost nearly 1,000 yuan to build, and with the foundation costs, it was over 1,000.

After all, this was a shop in the city. Renting a stall here to sell goods meant 3 yuan deducted for every 100 yuan. Selling goods here regularly for a month would mean 90 yuan deducted, and 1,000 yuan a year—equivalent to 3 years' rent.

Buying one for the long term was also a good deal. Moreover, once bought, even if he didn't use it himself, he could rent it out. Given the rate of inflation, it would be worth something no matter what. The fact that no one was asking probably meant illiteracy was the majority.

"Brother, how big is the shop? And how long is the usage term?"

"About 30 square meters, I guess. They didn't seem to say how long it could be used—you'd have to ask. It should be that the shop can be used for as long as the market exists?"

Ye Yaodong had a rough idea about property rights, but laws weren't yet perfect in this era. There probably wasn't any talk of a 40-year term for shops, so the usage period for a purchase now shouldn't be short.

(Not sure if this is right, those who know can leave a comment and I'll revise it)

He didn't know how to do business, nor did he know the ins and outs of it, but thanks to his previous life, buying property and shops could never be a loss.

If he had the money, buying a few plots of land around the city would be even better. He might not know how to do business, but could he not know how to buy land?

He just lacked the money, that's all!

"So how do I buy it, how do I reserve it?"

The middle-aged man had assumed he was just asking casually, but he hadn't expected him to actually ask how to buy it. This surprised him. He looked Ye Yaodong up and down and said with a smile, "You want to buy one?"

"I want to learn about it. It's just too much money."

"If you want to buy, the supervisor will come over after dawn. Tell him then. Right now, you just need to pay a deposit and sign a contract. Once the market is built, you pay the balance."

"How much is the deposit?"

"500 yuan."

"I'll think about it. Thanks a lot."

"No problem. Buying a shop is a big deal, you do need to think it over carefully. Anyway, there's no rush. I heard it won't be finished until the end of the year."

Ye Yaodong thanked him and then walked back to his stall, thinking as he went.

The stalls in this seafood wholesale market weren't for sale—they specialized in earning commissions. If he could buy a shop outside, it would also be a good deal. Mainly, this market would be the largest seafood wholesale market in Fujian Province in the future. Even if he didn't use it himself, renting it out would be profitable.

Moreover, it was only 3,000 yuan now—he could earn money with his eyes closed. He couldn't fish for a lifetime, could he? How tiring that would be!

Buy it! Definitely have to buy it!

Since he had stumbled upon it, he had to buy one no matter what. When he was old, he could be a landlord. He'd work a few more years, save up some money, and then buy a plot of land to wait for development.

Just thinking about it made him happy. The corners of Ye Yaodong's mouth were about to split open to the back of his head.

Everyone standing in front of the stall watched him with a silly grin on his face, walking right past them, and quickly called out to him.

"Ah Dong?"

"Yaodong?"

"Ye Yaodong?"

"Huh? Huh? You're calling me? Oh, I walked right past..."

He looked left and right before he came to his senses. The daydream had been too sweet; the surrounding noise had almost failed to wake him up.

"What are you doing? Did you pick up money? We've called you several times."

"Didn't you go get weighed? How come you're only back now?"

"Been wandering around, huh?"

Ye Yaodong thought about the shop and grinned again, but then thought about not having enough money on hand. Looking at the goods everyone still had piled up there, he asked, "You guys still haven't had any movement?"

He was still 350 yuan short—he had to wait for everyone to finish selling their goods and pool some money together.

"Plenty of people asked, but after asking, they picked and chose for a while and then went to look elsewhere."

"Maybe they need to compare prices at three different places?"

"It should be; you just sold yours faster."

"I picked mine carefully; the buyers surely knew the value too. Fearing someone would snatch them first, they definitely bought early. You all just need to be patient a bit longer. It hasn't been that long; I was over there just now and didn't see anyone weighing scallops."

"Mm, it's only been an hour now. The sky hasn't even brightened yet. No rush."

Ye Yaodong spotted that pufferfish again at the diagonal corner, gestured toward it with his lips, and asked, "That top-grade flounder still hasn't sold?"

"Yes, a crowd kept asking the price. Every merchant and fishmonger who came in had to come over and ask, then after asking, they'd all shake their heads and turn to buy their other stock instead."

"This fish is a living advertisement. Better to sell it a bit later."

"Exactly..."

As time passed, the market grew livelier. Waves of noise rolled in; everyone had to shout to speak, as speaking softly made it impossible to be heard.

Ye Yaodong had already cleared his stock. He stood by the stall for a while, then, with nothing else to do, wandered around the surroundings to get a feel for the market prices.

After comparing, Ah Cai and the others were quite conscientious. The pricier items only fluctuated by three to five cents, while the cheaper ones earned even less. It was a case of small profits but quick turnover, plus they had to pay for transport and a share of the earnings to this head.

Yet, over a month, the total was considerable. They earned easily, just collecting stock, unlike them who worked themselves to death.

When he finished his round and returned to the stall, two people had already sold their goods and gone to be weighed. A queue had formed at the transaction point.

One after another, the surrounding stalls filled up and emptied out, emptied and filled again. People came and left, left and came, wave after wave.

When the sky began to lighten, Ye Yaodong had familiarized himself with the market and planned to go outside to take a look.

But as soon as he stepped out, he saw people, vehicles, and goods everywhere. A crowd rushed up to ask him, "Boss, where are you going? Want a ride? We have rickshaws, cargo trucks, and tractors. We can deliver straight to your door..."

Ye Yaodong hurriedly waved his hands and walked outward.

At night, the surroundings looked desolate. By day, they still looked desolate, yet people came and went, the air was filled with the roar of voices, and it was incredibly lively, with many small vendors too.

Some placed their goods at the door to sell to save on commission, but few stopped, since the market offered more choices.

He estimated the busiest time would be around 3 to 4 o'clock, when everyone rushed to buy stock and deliver it to the local markets.

After wandering around the entrance again, he found a bun vendor, bought seven buns, and went back in.

In that short while, everyone had sold out their goods and were all queuing to be weighed. As soon as Ye Yaodong entered, they called out to him.

One by one, they were beaming with joy, feeling this trip was worth every bit. Those who earned the least made an extra 20 yuan, while those who made more gained over 30 yuan. Mainly, they had gained a lot of experience, so coming was no loss.

However, they wouldn't know until after they sold everything and returned that they had earned more than just that; their earnings would double. Last night, the village had collected half the stock, but later, because there were too many empty shells and the quantity was too large, the price dropped by 2 fen. Of course, that was a story for later.