Chapter 211: Chapter 204: New Ideas for Trade

The apartment she paid through monthly payments years ago, spanning over a hundred square meters, would take her 30 years to fully pay off. By the time she completed the payments, she would have grown from a young woman into an elderly lady. She bit the bullet and paid off the remaining sum all at once, only to find out that the apartment had eventually become someone else’s home and had nothing to do with her anymore. That apartment is now worth over a million, and they now own two apartments. In the future when their financial situation improves, she intends to buy another one in Beijing. Thinking about the future property prices for homes in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, her heart aches and feels as though it’s shattering into pieces.

Therefore, the current thousand or two is already equivalent to a back payment of hundreds of thousands in the future.

She is very supportive of her father starting a business. Besides being freed from a life of toiling and drudgery, he could make more money, and his horizons and perspectives would broaden over time.

Li Tang Village had always been like a well; only a strip of the sky could be seen from there. However, the outside world offered the entire sky.

Tang Zhinian discussed the idea with Tang Zhijun. Tang Zhijun was naturally open to it. In fact, he had been keen on trying it out last time, but his older brother was only accompanying Mr. Chen to test the waters. The success of this venture remained to be seen. However, now it’s proven to be profitable, and the earlier they started, the more money they could make.

The two deliberated over the idea for a few days. When Mr. Chen visited them with a face full of happiness, Tang Yuxin knew that he had successfully sold his cassette tapes. Although each tape might only have been sold for five or six dollars, and it took three days to sell them all, at least they were all sold. This venture had likely made a sizeable profit of at least over a thousand dollars, which was equivalent to half a year’s worth of his salary. If he consistently did this, he could potentially earn a year’s worth of income in just a few months. If he worked more diligently, he could soon become a ten-thousand-yuan household, and they wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. He could then afford to buy whatever his son wanted, get his wife a gold jewelry set. He felt ashamed for having neglected his wife and son over the years. Despite earning a decent monthly wage, he had never bought any earrings for his wife. Even though Tang Zhijun was a farmer, his wife, Zhang Xiangcao, had gold earrings, necklaces, and rings. And at home, Tang Zhijun never let her lift a finger, so she almost looked as young as she did in her twenties despite being over thirty. She didn’t have to work, she wore good clothes every day, and she had a good husband.

This thought made Mr. Chen feel even sadder. Compared to Tang Zhijun, he felt like he wasn’t a good husband. How could a good husband not strive to provide a good life for his wife and children? But at least he now knew where to head in the future.

So the three of them deliberated again and bought train tickets for the day after tomorrow. This time they earned some money, so they could buy more items to sell back home.

Zhang Xiangcao started preparing their food, clothes, and other necessities for the journey several days before they were due to leave. Sometimes she would get up in the middle of the night because she had thought of something that needed to be done; otherwise, she would not be able to sleep.

Sisi knew that her father and uncle were going away to make money, so she was unusually well-behaved, quiet, and not making a fuss, not even asking her father to take her to school. Seeing Sisi behaving this way eased Tang Zhijun’s worries. Otherwise, if Sisi cried, he wouldn’t be able to refrain from crying with her.

They boarded the southbound train early the morning after tomorrow. Leveraging their first-hand experience, they headed straight for the cassette wholesaler after getting off the train.

Tang Zhijun’s mind was certainly sharp. Compared to their own honest lives as farmers and factory workers who performed the same tasks every day, his quick wit was indeed unique. He even bought a box of Peony cigarettes to give away and greet people as if they were family. Coupled with his lean physique and warm smile, he could easily put people at ease. Whenever negotiations got tough, he would respond with a smile, leaving the other party no choice but to give in. Amazingly, this strategy worked remarkably well on people. The price of cassette tapes fell from two dollars and fifty cents last time to two dollars this time. In a regular department store, a cassette tape would sell for ten dollars. Selling each for six to seven dollars would yield an impressive profit.

This time, they managed to reduce the price by fifty cents. If they bought a thousand tapes, they could earn an extra five hundred dollars.

Firm in his decision, Tang Zhijun bought two thousand tapes this time. The primary reason was that commuting was not convenient, and he also had to choose the popular cassette tapes himself. Tang Yu Xinxin and the others wrote notes for him, so he just needed to follow their advice when buying tapes.

While the factory offered to mail the tapes home, they insisted on carrying them back themselves. They were extra careful and timid when doing business.

However, being cautious was a good thing. At least their business was running steadily.

Tang Zhijun quickly formulated a plan. He took five hundred tapes and set up a stand near a university in the wholesale market. He also followed what Tang Yu Xinxin had suggested: seven dollars a box, buy five get one free, buy ten get two free, and buy a hundred get a tape recorder. Of course, the idea of giving away tape recorders was his own.

A tape recorder now costs just over a hundred dollars. If they sold a hundred tapes at seven dollars each, they could make five hundred dollars. Even after deducting the cost of the tape recorder, they could still make over four hundred dollars.

However, he was overthinking. There was a limit to how many tapes they could sell. After all, tapes were not daily necessities, like food, clothing, and sleep. As soon as everyone had a few tapes, business would naturally slow down. However, this was a minor issue. At the very least, they could still sell tapes for a year, and when they couldn’t sell anymore after a year, they would think again.

They put the tape recorder aside and paid a nearby shop ten dollars to use their electricity. They played the most popular songs of the time, and within a short while, they had attracted many young people. There were university students, high school students, and even junior high school students.

At the sight of these cassette tapes, the young people’s feet seemed to be glued to the ground — they were just too appealing. On top of that, there were free tape recorders, as long as you bought a certain amount, and they were a few dollars cheaper than in other malls.

People were immediately tempted. If the conditions were not favorable, they could pool resources to buy together. Afterward, they could use the tape recorder in the dormitory.