Chapter 212: Chapter 205: Companions are Enemies

Just like that, Tang Zhijun managed to sell five tape recorders early in the morning. These sales accounted for five hundred tapes, and the other loose sales amounted to an additional four to five hundred tapes.

He delivered the five machines directly to the buyers, stating that once the machines have been tested and confirmed to be working, the payment can be made. A hand with money for a hand with a machine.

Later, when other people also wanted to buy tapes and have a tape recorder included, Tang Zhijun noted down their names, promising to bring both the tapes and the recorders the next day. After all, if the tape recorders weren’t sold, they could still be used.

By the time Tang Zhijun returned home, Chen’s father had already left, having rushed back to his own stall.

Tang Zhijun placed the money he had on him on the ground.

The total amounted to over three thousand, which was pure profit for them.

“How did you make so much?” Tang Zhinian was astonished.

At this point, Tang Zhijun’s teeth were practically gleaming as he excitedly shared his business strategy of selling tapes to his older brother.

“You are really…” Tang Zhinian was at a loss for words regarding his younger brother. It was bold to give away tape recorders – those things cost a hundred bucks each.

But Tang Zhijun had thought of it and decided to take the risk – and it paid off.

The profit from just those five tape recorders amounted to over a thousand yuan, that’s not even considering other sales.

“Big brother, I think we should sell in the wholesale market here,” Tang Zhijun proposed.

“Why?” Tang Zhinian didn’t understand, why not sell at home? It would also give him a chance to see his children. His own daughter, Yuxin was all grown up, but Sisi was still so small. How could Tang Zhijun be so relaxed about this?

“Big brother, think about it,” Tang Zhijun pulled Tang Zhinian down to sit. Though Tang Zhinian had experience from his younger days, compared to Tang Zhijun’s agile mind, he was far from clever.

“This business we’re doing, wasn’t it brought to us by brother Chen?”

“Yes,” Tang Zhinian nodded, “Exactly.”

“Brother, you know they say ‘business is like a battlefield, and your competitor is your enemy.’ We’re doing exactly the same business as Brother Chen. It might not seem like much for once or twice, but as time goes by, if our business takes away his customers, it won’t be pleasant. Wouldn’t it be disappointing if our good relationship was ruined over this?”

Of course, Tang Zhinian didn’t want that. He wasn’t the type to forsake old friendships for business. If it came to that, he would rather not have started the business at all.

“Therefore, brother,” Tang Zhijun continued, “We shouldn’t take Chen’s business. The tape business won’t last forever, we can switch to something else later. As long as it doesn’t conflict with Brother Chen’s interests, we can sell whatever we want.”

“And brother, look,” Tang Zhijun pointed at the money he had earned, “we make more money here in the south than our small hometown. We just need to change locations. This big southern market, I’m not afraid we can’t make money.”

“See, I made nearly three thousand in a day. If we both sell separately, and each of us sells more, isn’t it possible to make ten thousand a day? It’s a short journey to restock here, and if we can’t sell everything, we can negotiate with the supplier, thus saving us from unnecessary expenses. Doesn’t it sound great?”

After some thoughts, Tang Zhinian agreed that it did make sense. As long as it makes money, it wouldn’t matter where they did the business. Moreover, it wouldn’t harm his relationship with old Chen, so they shouldn’t compete for the Qing’an market.

Having discussed this, the decision was set. They called home to tell their families that they were going to do business here and might not be back for a few days.

First thing on his mind, as soon as Tang Zhijun started making money, was to have a telephone installed at home. It wasn’t convenient to always have to go a store to use a phone. If he and his brother had to spend most of their time outside, not seeing their little daughter Sisi for days, she might even forget their voices if they couldn’t call her.

This was unacceptable. Just imagining his precious daughter forgetting about him made Tang Zhijun’s heart feel as though it was being scratched by a cat’s paw. It was unbearable.

Even though Sisi wasn’t his biological daughter, she was dearer to him than his own blood.

When Sisi was young, she was afraid of the cold and was as thin as a monkey. But he held her in his arms every day to keep her warm, using his own body heat. He milked sheep every day, painstakingly raising the tiny child until she grew up. How hard it was to be a father, did anyone else realize?

Hence, he had decided he would find a dowry for his daughter in the future, ensuring not to let anyone bully his Sisi.

The next day, the two brothers each carried a thousand tapes and went to set their stalls. The location was where Tang Zhijun had scouted the day before and their stalls were not far from each other’s.

They played the most popular songs of the time on the tape recorder. Dozens of neatly arranged tapes along with posters of celebrities were used for advertising. They also had offers like buy five get one free, buy ten get two free, and buy one hundred get a tape recorder free, attracting many young people.

The younger generation nowadays were not poor, and people in the south were more open to new things than those in the north, so business was more lucrative here.

Furthermore, the approach of the Tang brothers, with offers like buy one get one, gave people a substantial incentive. Within a short while, Tang Zhijun sold two tape recorders while Tang Zhinian sold one, and listings continued to sell sporadically.

By the end of the day, the brothers had sold all their tape recorders and earned a tidy sum. Over the past two days, they had made close to ten thousand yuan.

Tang Zhinian was aware of the risks of keeping such a hefty sum in their lodgings, so he and Tang Zhijun decided to deposit it, leaving only enough for restocking tapes.

The next day, the two brothers went to restock and sell tapes again, repeating the same offers – buy five get one free, buy ten get two free, buy one hundred get a tape recorder free. Within their telephone conversations, Tang Yuxin told them about a raffle they were having at school.

This sparked an idea in Tang Zhijun’s opportunistic mind. He wrote numerous tickets and placed them in a box, marking the box with a big “prize” sign.

Customers could have one drawing chance for every five yuan spent, two drawing chances for every ten yuan, and prizes included tapes and small rubber bands. The grand prize was a large color TV, though of course, Tang Zhijun was not so foolish as to include many grand prize entries in the box. Most of the prizes were rubber bands and tapes. The rubber bands were cheap, they could give away as many as they liked.