Chapter 308: Holy Cow, This Time I'm Really Going to Make a Fortune!

Chapter 308: Holy Cow, This Time I’m Really Going to Make a Fortune!

  The third month of the lunar calendar.

  Deng Shirong rode his motorcycle to Shuhe Town, where he planned to negotiate the purchase of jackfruit with the locals.

  This year, Deng Shirong's expenses would be greater than any previous year. First, there was the 30-acre plot of land in Nanning's Chaoyang Square, which had already been designed, and he had signed a contract with the provincial architectural design institute for 3.68 million yuan.

  Although the payment could be settled based on the progress of the project, he wouldn't need to pay it all at once, this amount would still be due this year.

  Additionally, Deng Shirong wanted to buy a Santana sedan for his eldest son, which would cost 200,000 yuan, bringing the total to 3.88 million yuan.

  Currently, the second and third floors of the Shuifeng Restaurant in the county town were being renovated. His eldest son had the money for the renovation, but once it was finished and they started stocking up, they would need a substantial amount of money.

  After all, this wasn't the future where competition among manufacturers was fierce. If you opened a large supermarket, you wouldn't need to pay for the goods upfront; the manufacturers would deliver them eagerly and let you pay after selling them.

  Moreover, the 6,000 yuan he borrowed from the bank for the first time this year needed to be repaid. Although this amount was negligible, the 800,000 yuan loan he would take next year would also be due.

  Currently, he had only 2.15 million yuan in cash, leaving a significant funding gap. He naturally needed to plan ahead and find ways to make more money.

  Thus, Deng Shirong decided to try his hand at the jackfruit business.

  Jackfruit is a famous fruit in the south, and the climate and soil in Bobai County are very suitable for its growth. According to historical records, jackfruit has been widely cultivated in Bobai since the early Tang Dynasty. The "Guangxi Traditional Foods" book mentions that Bobai's jackfruit production is the highest among all counties in Guangxi.

  The main production areas for Bobai jackfruit are Shuhe, Longtan, Songwang, and Dongping towns, with Shuhe Town's Lingjiao (which currently belongs to Shuhe Town but will become an independent town next year along with Shuangwang, Shuangfeng, Daba, and Shabei) producing the highest and best-quality jackfruit.

  Currently, Bobai jackfruit is sold throughout Guangxi and is also exported to neighboring provinces like Guangdong, Hunan, and Guizhou.

  If Deng Shirong were to purchase jackfruit, he wouldn't sell it in these neighboring provinces but would instead sell it along with other fruits to more distant places.

  Of course, it was only March, and the jackfruit wasn't yet ripe. Deng Shirong came early to find a suitable local person, offer him some profit, and entrust him with the task of purchasing jackfruit.

  It must be said that in this era, riding a Jialing 70 motorcycle was more impressive than driving a Rolls-Royce in the future. As Deng Shirong rode into Shuhe Market, he received a 100% turnaround rate, with many people looking at him with surprise and envy.

  After arriving at Shuhe Market, Deng Shirong asked a random person for directions and then drove his highly anticipated motorcycle toward Lingjiao.

  ...

  No matter the era, there are always smart people.

  In the countryside of this era, anyone with a slightly clever mind had already become a ten-thousand-yuan household.

  As a well-known fruit merchant in Lingjiao, Ding Qiang was undoubtedly one of these smart people. He started buying various seasonal fruits from the village four years ago and reselling them for a profit. While this wasn't unusual now, it involved significant risks four years ago.

  Because Ding Qiang was willing to take risks, he quickly became the village's only fruit buyer.

  Most villagers were happy to sell their fruits to him, as the price was the same whether they sold to the supply and marketing cooperative or to him. Why would they go through the trouble of selling elsewhere?

  The third month of the lunar calendar was the season for ripe raspberries, but the number of raspberry plants in Lingjiao was so small that it wasn't worth the effort.

  Therefore, Ding Qiang had some free time during this period. He had no other hobbies besides drinking, and with the money he had earned over the years, he had achieved a life of eating and drinking freely.

  At that moment, Ding Qiang was drinking with his two sons. Just as they were enjoying themselves, he suddenly heard the sound of a motorcycle outside.

  He recognized the sound because he owned a motorcycle himself.

  Initially, he thought it was a wealthy person passing by, but the sound of the motorcycle stopped at his front door. Curious, Ding Qiang put down his chopsticks and went outside.

  Seeing the brand new Jialing 70 motorcycle parked at his front door, Ding Qiang couldn't help but feel envious. Although he owned a motorcycle, it was a Happiness 250, which was more than half the price of a Jialing 70.

  After taking a quick look at the motorcycle, Ding Qiang asked, "Aibiao, who are you looking for?"

  The person was none other than Deng Shirong, who smiled and asked, "Aibiao, I'm here to see Mr. Ding Qiang. Is this Mr. Ding's house?"

  Ding Qiang nodded and said, "I'm Ding Qiang. Who are you, Aibiao? What brings you here?"

  Deng Shirong replied, "I'm surnamed Deng. I've heard that Mr. Ding is a well-known fruit merchant in this area. I'm here to discuss some business with you."

  Hearing that business was on the table, Ding Qiang warmly invited him in, "Ah, Mr. Deng, I was just drinking with my sons. Come in and join us; we can talk while we drink."

  Deng Shirong smiled, "I'm driving, so I can't drink. You continue, Mr. Ding; it won't affect our business talk."

  Ding Qiang waved it off, "Mr. Deng, just have a little drink. It's fine, really."

  In this era, traffic regulations in the county town were much more relaxed compared to the future. There was no such thing as a drunk driving check, especially for motorcycles, which didn't even require a driver's license (there weren't many motorcycles in the entire county, so there was no point in checking). This kind of enforcement didn't start until the 1990s.

  Therefore, Ding Qiang had no concept of not drinking and driving for safety.

Deng Shirong waved his hand and said, "Mr. Ding, there's no need to be so formal. You go ahead and drink; I have some other matters to attend to after we talk."

Seeing that the other party had no intention of drinking, Ding Qiang didn't insist. He invited Deng Shirong in and asked, "Mr. Deng, what business do you want to discuss with me?"

Deng Shirong came straight to the point, "It's like this: I want to purchase jackfruit in your area, Lingjiao. I know you are a well-known fruit merchant here, so I thought I'd ask you to help me with the procurement. Are you interested, Mr. Ding?"

Ding Qiang didn't answer directly but smiled and asked, "Mr. Deng, at what price are you planning to buy the jackfruit?"

Deng Shirong understood immediately. He wanted to see how much profit could be made as a middleman and whether it was worth the effort.

Before coming to see Ding Qiang, Deng Shirong had already found out that the current market price for jackfruit was 25 cents per pound, while the supply and marketing cooperative offered 12 cents per pound. Last year, Ding Qiang also paid the villagers 12 cents per pound.

As for the price Ding Qiang got when he resold the jackfruit, Deng Shirong didn't know. However, he guessed that Ding Qiang only made a small profit as a middleman, probably around 14 to 15 cents per pound.

Of course, this was just a guess, but he thought it wouldn't be far off.

Deng Shirong planned to sell the jackfruit to distant provinces, so he didn't mind the small price difference. To motivate Ding Qiang, he offered a very high price, "Mr. Ding, both of us know the market price and the cooperative's purchase price. I won't haggle with you. I'll offer you 16 cents per pound, ensuring you make a profit. And I'll buy as much as you can procure."

Upon hearing this, Ding Qiang's eyes lit up. Deng Shirong's guess was right; others only paid him 14 cents per pound, allowing him to make a 2-cent profit, which was already a good deal for him.

Don't underestimate these 2 cents. The jackfruit production in Lingjiao is very high, and his village is the highest producer in the area. Last year alone, his village produced over 300 tons of jackfruit, bringing him more than 12,000 yuan in income.

Now, this Mr. Deng was offering a 2-cent higher price than the buyers from Guangdong. If this year's production matched last year's, his income would double. This was a stroke of luck he couldn't resist.

Moreover, Mr. Deng made it clear that he would buy as much as Ding Qiang could procure, allowing him to expand beyond his village and even to other villages. Procuring 1,000 tons would be entirely possible.

Just thinking about it made him excited!!!

Ding Qiang knew the offer was very sincere, so he didn't push for a higher price and agreed immediately, "Mr. Deng, you're a man of your word. This deal is settled. I guarantee to procure enough jackfruit for you."

With the verbal agreement, they then discussed some details.

For example, each jackfruit must weigh at least 4 kilograms, and they would not accept poor-quality, worm-infested, or wet-packed fruits.

To reassure Ding Qiang, Deng Shirong even gave him a 1,000-yuan deposit, which he wasn't worried about.

With this 1,000-yuan deposit, Ding Qiang felt much more secure. After all, in this era, no one would joke around with 1,000 yuan; this deal was as real as it could be.

Half an hour later, Deng Shirong got up to leave, "Alright, Mr. Ding, we've discussed everything. I'll be on my way. I'll come back in May to pick up the goods."

Ding Qiang politely offered again, "Mr. Deng, have some food before you leave!"

"No need, I have other matters to attend to. I'll be going now."

"Alright, take care!" ...

After leaving Lingjiao, Deng Shirong returned to Shuhe Town, had a bowl of rice noodles, and then drove his motorcycle to Wendi Town's Maqing Farm.

Maqing Farm, like Baping Farm, was a state-owned farm and was the highest producer of Shixia lychees, with an annual production of over 200 tons.

Since Deng Shirong planned to make more money this year, he naturally wanted to procure some lychees, which were very profitable.

By around 3 PM, Deng Shirong finally arrived at Maqing Farm.

Having worked with farms before, Deng Shirong was quite familiar with the process. He contacted the farm manager, explained his intentions, and they began discussing the purchase price.

In the end, Deng Shirong and Maqing Farm agreed on a price of 0.30 yuan per pound.

This price was the same as Baping Farm, which had previously offered 0.29 yuan per pound for two consecutive years, with this year's price increasing by 1 cent.

Deng Shirong didn't mind this, as he sold the lychees at seven to eight times the purchase price, making the 1-2 cent price difference negligible.

After reaching the agreement with Maqing Farm, Deng Shirong politely declined their hospitality and rode his motorcycle away, feeling quite satisfied.

...

After finishing these tasks, Deng Shirong made a trip to Nanning.

The provincial architectural design institute had already completed the design, and Deng Shirong prepaid 10% of the funds, allowing the construction of the building he was eagerly anticipating to begin.

Next, Deng Shirong started gathering information to contact billiard table manufacturers and place an order.

To his surprise, there were no billiard table manufacturers in the entire Guangxi region. Moreover, the price of billiard tables was higher than he had initially estimated. If he bought the tables at this price, the billiard hall would not be profitable.

Even if they made a profit, it wouldn't be much, just a waste of time.

After all, in this era, it's not like in the future where playing a game of billiards for an hour costs ten to twenty yuan. In this era, if you charged fifty cents an hour, few people would have the economic means to come and play every day.

So, Deng Shirong directly abandoned the immature idea of opening a billiard hall.

Anyway, his son and daughter-in-law would be busy opening a supermarket, so the third floor could remain empty for now, or it could be used as a warehouse for the supermarket. They could start a new project later when the right opportunity arose.

...

On a long-distance bus heading from Bobai to Guangzhou, four people—Deng Changyuan, Ou Guohua, Deng Changdong, and Ou Guofang—were seated on board.

They had taken Zhang Xiuping's advice and, after the Spring Festival, had come to the county town to start a clothing store.

Deng Changyuan and Ou Guohua's two children had been taken by Ou Guohua to her parents' home, where her parents and siblings would help take care of them.

As for Deng Changdong and Ou Guofang's two children, since Deng Changdong was the eldest son and his younger brother was not yet married, his parents and younger siblings would naturally help take care of the children at home.

In the county town, they chose to run the clothing store as a partnership rather than operating individually.

They had already rented a shop in New Market Alley, a small alley that connected Xinglong Road to the main street, a bustling area.

The clothing store had been simply renovated, and they had also obtained a business license, making everything ready except for the merchandise.

With the shop secured, Deng Changyuan and the others were finally ready to go to Guangzhou to buy inventory.

Since this was their first time buying inventory, and they had no experience, they decided to go together.

When they arrived in Guangzhou, it was just dawn.

The driver of the bus was Deng Silong from Hengmenkou Village, which was connected to Naye Village and Yangdipo Village, so they were very familiar with each other.

Seeing Deng Changyuan and the others get off the bus, Deng Silong smiled and said, "Uncle Yuan, Aunt Yuan, Uncle Dong, Aunt Dong, since it's your first time in Guangzhou, let me take you for breakfast. The breakfast in Guangzhou is really good, especially the changfen, a type of rice noodle roll. I find it particularly delicious."

Deng Changyuan laughed and said, "This is your territory. Since you say the changfen is good, let's go and try it."

Deng Changdong asked, "What is this changfen? The name sounds strange."

Deng Silong explained, "It's a steamed rice noodle roll served with sauce and condiments. It really is delicious."

Ou Guohua laughed, "I'm hungry, let's not talk so much. Let's go and eat!"

Deng Silong laughed heartily and then led the group to a changfen shop near the bus station.

They say that Guangdong and Guangxi are like one family, especially in terms of cuisine. The flavors are very similar, so the changfen that was popular in Guangdong naturally suited the taste of most people in Guangxi.

Deng Changyuan and the others praised the meal endlessly.

After breakfast, Deng Changyuan said, "Alright, Long, you should go back and rest. We need to get to work!"

Deng Silong nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go back to sleep."

Next, Deng Changyuan and the others took a bus to Gao Di Street.

Gao Di Street became a famous bustling street for individual clothing stores during the economic reforms. It was said that if you came to Guangzhou, you must visit Gao Di Street; otherwise, your trip would be incomplete.

In the 1980s, Gao Di Street was converted into a wholesale market, and the street stalls were removed. In October 1980, Gao Di Street officially opened as Guangzhou's first industrial goods market, becoming the first individual clothing market in the country. Its flexible business model and trendy clothing styles attracted merchants and tourists from all over the country.

It mainly sold fabrics, clothing, shoes, hats, and general merchandise.

Starting from 1983, Gao Di Street entered its golden age. Besides local Guangzhou residents, merchants from all over the country came to buy clothing in bulk.

Deng Changyuan and the others learned about this place from Deng Silong, the bus driver.

Deng Silong had been running the Guangzhou route for a year and a half. Although he didn't have much time to explore Guangzhou, he was familiar with the area around the bus station and had interacted with many local people, so he naturally knew about Gao Di Street.

Knowing that Deng Changyuan and the others were coming to Guangzhou to buy clothing in bulk, he recommended this place to them.

...

At 8:30 AM, Deng Changyuan and the others arrived at the famous Gao Di Street.

The four "country bumpkins" were completely stunned by what they saw.

The street was teeming with people, many of whom were carrying large and small bags. People were haggling in the shops, and deals were being made continuously. Some people were buying without even checking the style, as long as the price was right.

Clearly, these people were merchants from all over the country, just like them, coming to buy inventory.

This place, a pioneer of the economic reforms, offered everything people desired in terms of clothing, shoes, hats, and daily necessities.

Next, the four of them started to visit some shops to ask about prices.

They had already inquired about clothing prices in the county town. For example, a pair of jeans sold for 25 to 28 yuan in the county town, but the wholesale price here was so low that it was hard to believe.

If they could buy at this price and sell back home, they would make a huge profit without even trying!

At this moment, Deng Changyuan and the others couldn't hide their excitement. They looked at each other, feeling that they were truly going to make a fortune this time.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end