Volume One, Chapter 5: Profits Galore! The First Pot of Gold, Secured!

“Big sister, do you know how to get to the vegetable market?” Tang Xionghua, speaking Mandarin with a Jianghan accent, asked a woman in her early forties at a small shop.

The woman immediately recognized the Jianghan accent and replied with a smile, “From Jianghan? Are you here to work or do business?”

“Ah, I’m here looking for some manual labor. I used to work at the vegetable market, so I came to ask around,” Tang Xionghua said cautiously, not telling the whole truth.

After all, it’s wise to be careful when away from home. Although 1991 marked the beginning of economic openness, the reputation of merchants wasn’t exactly flattering. Besides, they planned to sell dried small fish and shrimp at the market, a business with low barriers to entry. Revealing their intentions too openly could invite competition.

The woman sized up Tang Xionghua and his son Tang Yichen quickly, imagining a story: this man had been abandoned by his wife and had come to Chuzhou alone to make a living with his five- or six-year-old child. Quite pitiful, she thought. Probably ashamed of his situation back home, he had fled here.

“Oh my, you look like you’ve had a hard time, especially with a child in tow,” she said warmly. “Walk down this road to the second intersection, turn right, then go a few hundred meters, and you’ll see the vegetable market sign.”

She pointed out the way enthusiastically. Tang Xionghua smiled and nodded, a little embarrassed, and bought a pack of cigarettes on impulse. The woman gave him a slight discount and warned, “Smoke less, it’s not good for the child.”

After thanking her, Tang Xionghua quickly slipped away. He wondered why the woman’s gaze was filled with pity when he thought he was dressed quite neatly.

“That’s obvious—you’re carrying me, a dead weight, so you come with built-in misery,” Tang Yichen teased.

Tang Xionghua was speechless.

Ten minutes later, the father and son arrived at the vegetable market the woman had mentioned. Judging by its size, it was probably the largest nearby.

It was just past 5 p.m., not quite closing time, and the market wasn’t too crowded. They wasted no time. Tang Yichen led the way, searching for stalls selling dried fish and shrimp.

After circling around, they found that fresh stalls didn’t sell what they wanted, and only two shops sold dried goods. But these mainly offered dried mushrooms and wood ear fungus, with only small amounts of dried seafood like cuttlefish and ribbonfish.

There was virtually no dried small fish or shrimp for sale.

This had its pros and cons. The good news: no competition for dried small fish and shrimp here—it was a rare commodity. The downside: locals might not eat it and might not know the price.

Just as they were about to give up and check other markets, they spotted a middle-aged man at a stall near the entrance. He took out a small bag of dried small fish and shrimp and casually laid it out in an inconspicuous corner, not shouting to sell it—just leaving it to chance.

“Boss, how much for this dried small fish and shrimp?” Tang Xionghua asked eagerly.

“8.8 yuan per jin. How much do you want?” the man replied casually.

“What! 8.8 yuan!? Are you sure?” Tang Xionghua was stunned, thinking he’d misheard. How could it be so expensive?

“This, young man, is a rare treat—fresh river fish and shrimp sun-dried. It’s much tastier than meat and lasts for days,” the seller said. “8.8 yuan a jin isn’t expensive. If you don’t want that much, just buy a little.”

The seller was a bit annoyed. His purchase price was nearly 8 yuan, and if people didn’t like it, he wouldn’t bother selling it. The profit was low, and sales were slow. He had bought 10 jin last month and still hadn’t sold half.

“No, no, I didn’t mean that,” Tang Xionghua apologized quickly but was inwardly rocked by the revelation: the retail price here was over eight times what he paid at the town market—one yuan per jin. Eight times! He couldn’t believe it.

Controlling his excitement, he exchanged a glance with Tang Yichen. Then, following their plan, he carefully asked the seller, “Boss, I’m not here to buy small fish and shrimp—I’m here to sell. Would you like to stock some?”

He opened his burlap sack and displayed his own dried fish and shrimp.

The seller was initially annoyed but brightened upon seeing the goods. He grabbed a handful, examining it closely.

“Hey! These dried small fish and shrimp are really good—big, clean, and mostly low in bones. Different from the ones from Chu River, they must be very tasty,” the seller said, hiding his surprise. “Where did you get these?”

“From the countryside around Jianghan. My family catches them fresh from the river. Every time I come to Chuzhou, they bring me a big batch. I can’t finish them all, so I thought I’d try selling some. I have twelve jin here—much better than what you have on your stall,” Tang Xionghua responded as rehearsed.

“Oh? How much do you want for them?” the seller asked, feigning calm but ready to haggle. If he could find a better supply source, he’d be delighted. Such opportunities might not come again.

Tang Xionghua glanced at Tang Yichen, seeking his opinion. Tang Yichen silently made two gestures.

Then Tang Xionghua said, “How about 7.5 yuan? If your sales go well, I can ask my family to bring more from the countryside.”

The seller immediately shook his head.

“Too expensive. I sell at 8.8 yuan, and customers still haggle. If I can sell at 8.5, I’m happy.”

“Besides, dried goods move slowly. I have to pay rent and management fees. The profit is thin.”

“Look, I’ll take them all for 6 yuan a jin. You bring me goods directly next time. If they sell well, I can raise the price. Deal?”

Tang Xionghua and Tang Yichen were shocked. The seller was ruthless, slashing prices mercilessly!

“No, boss… I’m sure you’d sell these at 8.8 easily. Six yuan is too little—I might as well eat them myself,” Tang Xionghua said uncertainly, not knowing how to counter.

“Then keep them and eat them yourself,” the seller said, using his usual tactic of playing hard to get.

Tang Yichen made another gesture to Tang Xionghua, revealing their bottom price.

Tang Xionghua countered, “Okay, boss, let’s meet halfway at 7.3 yuan?”

“No way. I can only give you 6.3 yuan!”

After several rounds of bargaining, they finally settled on 6.9 yuan per jin.

With Tang Yichen’s suggested bottom price in mind, Tang Xionghua’s negotiation skills soared, securing a price 0.4 yuan higher than their lowest limit of 6.5.

They exchanged money for goods immediately.

Tang Xionghua sold all 12 jin of dried small fish and shrimp to the boss and received 82.8 yuan.

With a cost price of 12 yuan, that was a gross profit of 70.8 yuan!

This was a windfall!

Just bringing a small batch had earned him half a month’s wages.

As they left the market, Tang Yichen could feel his father’s palm sweating as he held his hand. His father looked visibly exhilarated.

Tang Yichen was pleasantly surprised by the price and was naturally overjoyed.

Their first pot of gold had been struck!