Volume One, Chapter Six: This Path Is Feasible—Let’s Begin!

To be safe, before nightfall, the father and son visited two more nearby markets.

The situation was much the same.

There were dried small fish and shrimp for sale, but not in large quantities.

One dry goods store offered high-quality small fish and shrimp, but rent was higher there, and the price soared to nine yuan per jin.

Though sales were slow, almost all the stock eventually sold.

Tang Yichen made a rough estimate: the markets near the train station served fewer than 100,000 people.

They consumed about five to six jin of goods daily.

In 1991, Chuzhou’s population was nearly seven million.

If the entire city were considered, daily consumption would be around three to four hundred jin.

Based on trends from the previous life, demand for dried small fish and shrimp was steadily rising.

If they could quickly capture roughly one-fifth of the city’s market, daily needs would be around sixty to seventy jin.

With a gross profit of six yuan per jin, daily gross profit could reach three to four hundred yuan.

Not bad at all.

Of course, the actual accounting wasn’t so straightforward…

After this round of visits, the path seemed viable.

That night, Tang Yichen and his father did not return home.

Firstly, there were no more trains; secondly, they wanted to explore farther the next day.

So they decided to stay at a hotel near the station.

Twelve yuan a night—not cheap—with rather ordinary accommodations.

But neither cared much at that point.

“Son! This will work, this will work, we’re going to make big money!”

As soon as the door closed, Tang Xionghua excitedly lifted Tang Yichen high into the air.

“Stop, stop… Dad, calm down.”

Tang Yichen was startled by the sudden lift, fearing his father might accidentally toss him out.

What on earth was going on?

Tang Xionghua shrugged and gently put his “eldest son” down.

Yet the joy and excitement on his face remained undiminished.

“Yichen, you don’t know, when I heard eight yuan eighty per jin, I got goosebumps all over! My goodness, truly amazing!”

Tang Xionghua kept babbling excitedly.

When he finally calmed down, Tang Yichen pulled out a small notebook.

Handing it to his father, he said, “Dad, here’s the information of the market owners willing to buy—addresses, stall numbers, names, and phone numbers. Keep it safe.”

They had already arranged with the merchants to deliver goods once a week and adjust based on sales.

“Alright, Boss Tang!”

Tang Xionghua was as happy as a child, already imagining himself as the boss, with Tang Yichen the behind-the-scenes partner.

Tang Yichen was speechless.

After putting away the notebook, Tang Xionghua pulled ten yuan out of his pocket.

“Yichen, this is the first money we earned together. I’m not stingy—take this ten yuan and spend it however you like!”

Ten yuan was a fortune to a five-year-old.

Ordinary schoolchildren might have a few cents in pocket money; this was a small fortune.

Thinking it might come in handy, Tang Yichen accepted it gratefully.

“Thanks, Dad, no… thank you, Boss Tang, for your generosity.”

Tang Xionghua laughed heartily.

After a tiring day, the father and son bathed and lay comfortably on the hotel bed.

They couldn’t help but discuss future plans.

Tang Xionghua’s spirit was still high.

He wanted Tang Yichen to sleep in his arms, as was his habit before, but Tang Yichen firmly refused.

“Old man, what kind of joke is that? Do I have no shame?”

“Yichen, after we finish our rounds tomorrow morning, we’ll head back in the afternoon.”

“Then we’ll talk to your grandfather about collecting all the small fish and shrimp in the village. If that’s not enough, we can buy some from the town.”

“Then get your grandfather and uncle to rally the villagers to fish and shrimp trap in the river and ponds. If we do it seriously, it won’t be hard to get a few hundred jin.”

“What do you think?”

Tang Xionghua eagerly shared his plan.

Tang Yichen thought for a moment and said, “It could work, but there are a few issues we need to think through.”

“What issues? Tell me, Yichen.”

“First, and most importantly: secrecy.”

“This small fish and shrimp business is profitable because of the isolation between urban and rural areas and poor commodity circulation. There’s no real technical or financial barrier.”

“If others find out about these huge profits, many will swarm in, and prices for buying goods will rise sharply. We won’t make much money soon.”

“So before the market saturates, we mustn’t tell anyone—not even your grandparents for now.”

…

“Makes sense!” Tang Xionghua nodded vigorously, quickly realizing the stakes.

He had been too excited to think it through.

Such a profitable venture would surely attract many, and some jealous troublemakers.

“Then we’ll find an excuse… say I have a friend in the city who runs a feed factory and needs to buy dried small fish and shrimp for feed? After all, I do have a friend with a factory in Jianghan City. As long as we don’t say it’s sold to the provincial capital, no one will know. Yichen, how’s that?”

Tang Xionghua surprisingly showed good business acumen.

This plan was perfect—Tang Yichen couldn’t think of a better one.

“That works for now,” Tang Yichen nodded and continued.

“The second issue is that maybe you’ve underestimated the market demand. We’re still some distance from the provincial capital, and transport costs aren’t trivial.”

“So I think we should rent a place in Chuzhou near the train station.”

“First, it’ll be easier to unload and serve as a warehouse; second, a place to rest, avoiding hotel costs and keeping things more discreet.”

“If there’s a suitable place, we can rent it tomorrow.”

“Sounds good! Let’s do that!” Tang Xionghua praised his son for the thorough thinking.

“The third issue is that if sales go well, you won’t be able to handle everything alone.”

“You’ll have to collect goods in the village, transport, sell, and shuttle between the county and provincial capital. When volume rises, you’ll be overwhelmed. This kind of opportunity is fleeting; if you rely only on yourself, it’ll be a huge waste.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Xionghua frowned and fell into deep thought.

Indeed…

Secrecy and expansion—how to manage both?

Tang Yichen didn’t press further; he wanted to test his father and cultivate his business thinking.

He preferred to quietly be a wealthy heir, but he had to make his father strong first…