80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

The next day, Liu Da and Li Xiangyang woke up bright and early. They carried the goods to the guest room where Lin Lan was staying, bundled everything up securely, and then went downstairs to eat.

Liu Da ordered peanut and pork bone congee, shumai, and large steamed buns. Lin Lan took out the mushroom sauce and fermented bean curd they had brought along, and the three of them enjoyed a comfortable breakfast.

Liu Da said to Li Xiangyang, "We’re going to the warehouse. Lin Lan will stay here. When Hongjun gets here, tell him to drive to the warehouse."

Lin Lan readily nodded. "Okay, you two go on ahead. I’ll wait for Hongjun and his men here."

Liu Da and Li Xiangyang got up and headed for the main entrance. After a moment’s thought, Li Xiangyang turned back and added worriedly to Lin Lan, "Little Lan, we won’t be back until this afternoon. If you get hungry, just go downstairs and get something to eat."

Noticing Liu Da’s teasing smile, Lin Lan shot Li Xiangyang a playful glare. "I know."

Li Xiangyang and Liu Da left the guest house and headed toward the train station.

Liu Da told Li Xiangyang that the man he’d contacted was named Zhang Zemin, who was also from Sichuan Province. He looked simple and honest but was actually very shrewd. Liu Da had tried to sound him out a few times but had failed to learn who was supplying him with the goods.

But his prices were even lower than the smugglers’. Liu Da figured Zhang Zemin must have someone in customs, giving him access to goods that had been seized and confiscated.

Li Xiangyang lowered his voice. "The clothes in Yangcheng City are so cheap. The department stores and clothing factories order in much larger volumes, so their cost should be even lower than ours. Why do they sell everything for so much and still require ration coupons?"

"I’ve seen the styles at the department store, and they aren’t even as nice as the ones you and Little Lin stock."

As he spoke, Liu Da lit a cigarette and passed it to Li Xiangyang. "Think about it. They have so many people on their payroll. The purchasing agents skim a layer off the top, then their superiors skim another layer. After all that skimming, layer by layer, by the time the product hits the shelves, even a piece of homespun cloth costs a fortune."

Li Xiangyang thought for a moment and realized it was true. He raised and butchered his own pigs, yet he still had to give the slaughterhouse a cut. But when all was said and done, the profit he made from selling each pig was higher than the slaughterhouse’s.

When they arrived at the train station, a short, plain-looking middle-aged man with an honest face waved at Liu Da.

Liu Da walked up with a smile. "Brother Zemin, have you been waiting long?"

Zhang Zemin smiled good-naturedly. "I just got here myself." He then looked at Li Xiangyang. "And this is?"

Liu Da said, "My nephew, Li Xiangyang."

Li Xiangyang smiled and extended his hand. "Good to meet you, Uncle Zhang."

Zhang Zemin returned the smile and shook Li Xiangyang’s hand. He then led them to a motorcycle with a sidecar. After weaving through several streets, he pulled up to a small courtyard house, hopped off to open the gate, and then drove them inside.

Zhang Zemin closed the courtyard gate and said to Liu Da, "Old Liu, this shipment is especially good. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied once you see it."

Liu Da smiled and nodded. "Quality goods are easy to sell."

Zhang Zemin took out a key, unlocked a side room, and pushed open the door. Li Xiangyang saw that the room was piled high with cardboard boxes and wooden crates.

"Old Liu, you said you wanted some big-ticket items last time. I got you some refrigerators and a few color TVs... Motorcycles are in high demand, so I only managed to get five."

"Thank you, thank you!" Liu Da was thrilled, thanking him again and again. Five motorcycles were already more than he had expected.

As he spoke, Zhang Zemin pulled out an inventory list. "You take a look at the prices. I’ll show the goods to Brother Li."

"Alright." Liu Da took the list and said to Li Xiangyang, "Take a look. I asked Old Zhang to get you some quartz watches, mechanical watches, cassette recorders, radios..."

Zhang Zemin was happy to do business with them. He smiled and said, "Actually, the smaller items are easy to get. Just give me a heads-up next time, and I’ll arrange it for you."

"We’d appreciate that, Uncle Zhang."

Zhang Zemin opened three small cardboard boxes, which contained mechanical watches, digital watches, and quartz watches. He then opened a larger crate that held Sanyo single-deck cassette recorders, telling Li Xiangyang there were five boxes in total, with four units per box. After that came radios, hair dryers, quartz clocks, and even some calculators and watch batteries.

Li Xiangyang’s head was spinning. He’d never dreamed that items requiring ration coupons back in East Market would be piled up here in crate after crate.

Zhang Zemin pointed to the boxes and said to Li Xiangyang, "If you take this whole lot, I’ll give it all to you for sixteen thousand."

’My brother-in-law told me to sell it for fifteen thousand two hundred,’ Zhang Zemin thought. ’I’ll add eight hundred for my trouble. With what I’m making from Liu Da, I can clear two thousand yuan today.’

’A Sanyo cassette recorder goes for five or six hundred yuan at the department store,’ Li Xiangyang thought. ’And that’s if you can even get one, not to mention needing foreign exchange coupons. Just by selling the cassette recorders, I’ll make back most of my investment. Everything else will be pure profit.’

He glanced over at Liu Da, who gave a slight nod. "Alright," Li Xiangyang said. "I’ll take it all."

Zhang Zemin clapped Li Xiangyang happily on the shoulder. "Excellent! You’re a decisive young man. Next time you need a shipment, just give me a shout ahead of time."

Li Xiangyang smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Uncle Zhang."

Next, Zhang Zemin and Liu Da went to inspect the motorcycles and other goods. Li Xiangyang added two bicycles, two sewing machines, and two twelve-inch black-and-white televisions to his order.

****

Back at the guest house, Lin Lan organized all the receipts and updated her accounts. Last night’s haul had filled several large bags but had only cost them a little over two thousand yuan. She planned to wait for Li Xiangyang to get back, then head over to West Lake Road to stock up on even more goods. She wanted to make one more trip in the last month of the lunar year, before the New Year holiday.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Lin Lan quickly shoved everything into her backpack. "Who is it?"

A booming male voice replied, "You must be Xiangyang’s girlfriend? I’m Duan Hongjun. I’m looking for Uncle Da."

Lin Lan hurried to open the door. A tall, brawny man stood in the doorway, looking to be at least six-foot-five. She smiled and said, "Uncle Da said he was going to see Uncle Zhang. He told me to have you drive to the warehouse to meet them."

"Alright!" Duan Hongjun acknowledged before turning and leaving.

Around noon, Li Xiangyang, Uncle Da, Duan Hongjun, and his men all returned to the guest house. Liu Da and Duan Hongjun’s group went to the restaurant downstairs to order lunch.

Li Xiangyang went upstairs to update Lin Lan. "Little Lan, all the goods are loaded on the truck. Hongjun and his men are resting tonight and leaving tomorrow morning. Uncle Da asked me to help escort the truck."

Lin Lan looked at him with concern. "The roads aren’t safe. Shouldn’t we just ship it all by freight?"

"Uncle Da got motorcycles and refrigerators... There are too many thieves who break into freight cars on the trains. Shipping it isn’t safe." Li Xiangyang pulled Lin Lan down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Don’t worry. We’ll have weapons in the truck. Nothing will happen."

Lin Lan could only nod. She looked at him and urged softly, "You have to be careful. If worst comes to worst, the goods don’t matter. Just make sure you’re safe."

A warmth spread through Li Xiangyang’s chest. He squeezed Lin Lan’s hand. "Since we’re with Uncle Da and he has the truck, let’s go check out a few other markets this afternoon. We can use up all the money we brought to buy more stock and save ourselves from having to make another trip."

Lin Lan smiled. "I did the math. We only spent a little over two thousand on those huge bags of goods last night. It’s a good idea to spend the rest of our money on more stock. It’ll save us from having to be on the road so often."