TL: Etude
Good Brothers
Upon hearing these words, Lin Wanqiu's face subtly changed. "Where did you spend all the money?"
Chen Jianghai pointed to the box in front of him with his chopsticks and said, "It's right here in front of you. It cost money to gather all this stuff; nobody gives it away for free."
Lin Wanqiu became increasingly puzzled.
She was somewhat baffled as to what Chen Jianghai intended to do with all these seemingly worthless items.
In reality, she was not the sort of woman who liked to probe too deeply. However, Chen Jianghai's past behavior hardly inspired much confidence in her. She feared that he might start squandering money again and couldn't help but look somewhat worried.
Chen Jianghai, fully aware of Lin Wanqiu's thoughts, reassured her by grabbing her hand. "Wanqiu, you must believe in me. In less than a month, you'll know just how capable your man is!"
"Mm, I trust you, Jianghai. As long as you're earnest in your endeavors, I'll support you, no matter what it is," Lin Wanqiu nodded.
Although she wasn't sure what exactly he was up to, at least the money he spent had a tangible result.
...
Listening to the storytelling of "The Tale of Nine One Nine" by the late Shan Tianfang, Chen Jianghai felt a surge of excitement.
He had finally assembled his first radio.
This was completely different from fixing a broken radio to make it work; this symbolized the arrival of a chance to make a fortune.
Just then, a somewhat urgent knocking sound came from outside.
Soon after, a familiar voice rang out.
"Hey, Brother Hai, are you home?"
Chen Jianghai opened the door to find a young man with shades, a striped shirt, bell-bottom pants, pointed shoes, and long hair standing outside.
Upon seeing Chen Jianghai, the young man self-indulgently flipped his hair, seemingly very satisfied with his appearance.
Unbeknownst to him, in the eyes of Chen Jianghai, a man from another time, such an outfit was utterly outdated and terribly unfashionable.
Chen Jianghai recognized him instantly.
He was Fang Aiguo, a good friend he had known since childhood.
Fang's parents owned a small store in the county town and were among the first wave of the newly rich.
To put it in modern terms, he was a bona fide rich second-generation.
Influenced by his parents, this young man had no interest in employment; he was set on doing business and making big money.
However, he had neither capital nor ability, not even a basic sense of direction.
Talking about business remained theoretical for him; when it came to practical steps, he had absolutely no idea where to begin.
The road ahead was long and arduous.
"Oh, what brings you here?" Chen Jianghai said with a smile.
For Chen Jianghai, Fang Aiguo was considered a brother.
Speaking of which, they were essentially kindred spirits.
Both had high aspirations but were largely unsuccessful despite their age.
In his previous life, Fang Aiguo had been good to Chen Jianghai—a true buddy.
Whenever money was needed, Fang never hesitated or talked about interest.
Back in the days when Chen Jianghai was involved with unreliable friends, Fang Aiguo had often advised him to reconsider.
However, Chen Jianghai, whose eyes were clouded by the dream of getting rich overnight, was unable to heed anyone's advice. Not only did he ignore the warnings, he also completely severed the friendship that had lasted for decades between them.
In the end, the two ended up never speaking to each other again.
Even so, after Chen Jianghai was swindled out of all his assets, it was Fang Aiguo who reached out to help him back on his feet.
Regrettably, their relationship could never return to what it had been.
After entering the room, Fang Aiguo poured himself a cup of cold tea and took a big gulp, then wiped his mouth and excitedly said, "Brother Hai, I've been thinking about a new business venture lately. I was hoping to discuss it with you."
Chen Jianghai slightly raised his eyebrows and asked with feigned curiosity, "Oh? Do tell."
In his previous life, Chen Jianghai remembered that Fang Aiguo had approached him with this idea as well.
Unfortunately, Chen Jianghai had never taken it seriously, and the matter had come to nothing.
Sure enough, Fang Aiguo said, "Cassette tapes of popular songs are selling well these days, and the prices at the Xinhua Bookstore are too high. I'm planning to get some from elsewhere to sell. What do you think?"
Regarding this proposal, neither the Chen Jianghai of his previous life nor of this one were optimistic.
In his previous life, he simply had looked down on it.
In this life, his conclusion was based on ample experience.
Their current town was small, with a limited market; it was not a place where one could make a lot of money. Moreover, obtaining the goods would require traveling to coastal cities, which would be neither cheap nor convenient. It was likely that he wouldn't even make back the initial investment.
"Aiguo, listen to me, I have a better way to make money," Chen Jianghai said calmly.
Fang Aiguo's eyes lit up as he eagerly asked, "What opportunity? Tell me quickly."
Chen Jianghai took out the freshly assembled radio and placed it in front of Fang Aiguo, asking with a smile, "How much do you think this could sell for?"
"This isn't new!"
Fang Aiguo glanced at it and said, "A second-hand one should only go for about thirty or forty yuan. Brother Hai, where did you get this?"
Chen Jianghai puffed out his chest and said, "I assembled it myself. What do you say, can we make money off this?"
"Really? You can assemble these?"
Fang Aiguo stared at Chen Jianghai with disbelief, a look that mirrored one he had seen on Lin Wanqiu just a few days ago.
Chen Jianghai didn't bother to explain further and slapped the radio, "Just tell me: can we make money from it?"
"We can definitely sell it!"
Fang Aiguo nodded, "Though it's second-hand and a bit old, as long as it's functional, there will be demand. Especially if it's priced right."
"Then you handle the selling, and I'll give you a share of the profits. How about that?" Chen Jianghai said straightforwardly.
Logically speaking, Chen Jianghai could make more money if he sold it himself.
If he let Fang Aiguo help with the selling, even at the same price, the profits would be less due to the division of earnings.
But that's not how the calculations should be made.
Chen Jianghai had compelling reasons for his decision.
Firstly, he was short on time. He had to repair and collect household appliances during the day and was busy disassembling and assembling at night. There was no extra time to sell these items.
Another important reason was that Fang Aiguo had indeed treated him well in his previous life. Now, if Fang Aiguo was willing, Chen Jianghai didn't mind bringing him along for the ride to wealth. It would also cultivate a reliable lieutenant for himself.
In this world, if you want to accomplish great things, you can't do it alone.
Even Jack Ma had his eighteen Arhats!
Fang Aiguo's face lit up with joy, and he grabbed Chen Jianghai's arm, "Brother Hai, are you serious?"
Chen Jianghai nodded firmly, "Would I lie to you, my brother?"
"Alright, I'll handle the selling!"
Fang Aiguo then eagerly asked, "Brother Hai, how many do you have on hand?"
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