On the opposite bank of the Sunlight City River, after experiencing a small incident with Xiao Wang, Zhang Wei finally arrived at his destination after taking a long detour with his parents. They had set up a rice stall on the roadside about a couple of hundred meters from the vegetable market.
Seeing his parents' worried expressions, Zhang Wei vaguely understood that they were concerned about their business not doing well. Previously, they had issues with the location, and another reason was that it was their first time running a business. They were too shy to shout out to attract customers and were simply waiting for customers to come to them.
His uncle had been selling rice for a year or two and was already familiar with the business, plus he had many old customers, which allowed him to sell around 1,200 jin (about 600 kg) of rice daily. Zhang Wei's family was different; they were just starting out with no old customers, and their worn-out clothing made them less appealing, so it was normal for business to be slow initially.
Zhang Wei realized they needed some self-promotion. His parents were too shy to shout, so he decided to take on the task himself. Of course, he wasn't just shouting randomly; he noticed that he should target those who seemed like housewives or those who weren't in a hurry.
"Excuse me, auntie, would you like to buy some rice?" Not long after setting up the stall, Zhang Wei spotted a woman in her thirties or forties walking by and called out in a sweet voice.
Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin were initially worried that their business would still be poor in this new location. They were surprised to hear Zhang Wei's voice and quickly stood up, smiling at the woman.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then turned around and smiled at Zhang Wei, "Little friend, you're selling rice at such a young age? How much is your rice?"
"This one is eight…" Zhang Aiguo was about to say eight mao (0.8 yuan) per jin, but Zhang Wei quickly interrupted, "Pretty auntie, this one is eight mao five per jin, and that one is nine mao five per jin. Since you're the first customer today, I'll give you a discount of five fen (0.05 yuan) per jin."
Most people wouldn't refuse a discount, so Zhang Wei exaggerated the prices a bit and made it seem like a good deal. In reality, the woman wasn't particularly pretty; calling her "pretty auntie" was akin to calling women "beautiful" in modern times. However, people in this era were quite simple and innocent, and it wasn't common to see someone as thick-skinned as Zhang Wei.
Hearing the words "pretty auntie," the middle-aged woman beamed, "Who taught you to do this? Give me fifty jin of rice, will you deliver it?"
Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin exchanged glances, as they were unfamiliar with the area.
"Of course," Zhang Wei quickly replied, "My dad isn't very familiar with the roads, just lead the way."
"Alright, alright," the woman seemed quite pleased and even pinched Zhang Wei's cheek.
Zhang Wei smiled brightly; although he disliked having his face pinched, he had to endure it for the sake of the family business.
Watching Zhang Aiguo ride away on his bicycle to deliver the rice, Cheng Lin pondered for a moment.
"Xiao Wei, how did you come up with the idea to shout for customers?"
Recently, she had been feeling that her son was acting strangely. Not to mention the incident with Doctor He, just looking at the situation with Xiao Wang, what kind of child would be so cunning? Not just children, even adults rarely had such devious thoughts.
Seeing how much more effective Zhang Wei was at attracting customers compared to his parents, Cheng Lin was puzzled. If he were fourteen or fifteen, it would be understandable, but he was only five! How extraordinary!
However, no matter how extraordinary he was, he was still her son, Cheng Lin thought.
Zhang Wei felt a pang of anxiety, realizing he might have overdone it, so he quickly put on a silly grin, "I learned it from Uncle. Doesn't he do the same to attract customers?"
Cheng Lin remained confused but decided not to dwell on it. After all, no matter how extraordinary he was, he was still her son!
As she dismissed her thoughts, another customer approached to inquire about prices. Cheng Lin hurriedly chimed in, "Sir, which type of rice would you like? This one is eight mao five, and that one is nine mao five."
After speaking, Cheng Lin regretted her words. She had meant to say eight mao and nine mao, but her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of how extraordinary her son was
As they continued their conversation, Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin found themselves puzzled. They compared their son to other five-year-olds who were always thinking about playing or asking their parents for hugs or water. In contrast, their son was completely different, showing no signs of childish behavior and instead coming up with cunning ideas to outsmart others.
Zhang Wei felt a bit speechless; these tactics seemed outdated to him. For instance, he recalled the internet jokes about breaking up couples on Valentine's Day or lying next to cars to commit fraud. After experiencing the complexities of modern society, he found these methods rather ordinary.
With more customers arriving, Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin gradually forgot their earlier discussion. They were busy, and after taking their son's advice, their business improved significantly. Although it wasn't as good as Zhang Jianguo's, it was much better than the previous days!
By the time they closed up shop at six in the evening, Zhang Wei casually remarked, "Mom and Dad, we must have sold around a thousand jin of rice today, right?" He did a quick mental calculation and estimated that it was about that amount, mostly sold at the increased price.
Cheng Lin happily counted the money and said, "After deducting costs, we made a profit of one hundred and fifty yuan today!"
Seeing his parents' ecstatic expressions, Zhang Wei couldn't help but smile. Earning one hundred and fifty yuan was no small feat; after all, his father earned only about twenty yuan a day working as a carpenter on the construction site. The profit they made in one day was what his father would earn in a week!
…
In their rented farmhouse, Zhang Aiguo was in high spirits. He bought a bottle of yellow wine and cut off five pieces of pig's head meat, though he jokingly scolded Cheng Lin for being extravagant.
Zhang Wei knew his father was happy, as his eyes sparkled with a sense of achievement. Although he felt excited, he didn't want to be blindly optimistic. He understood that such good days would only last until early 1998 when street vendors would flood Shanghai, and the city management would be relentless in their crackdowns, often coming by once or twice a day.
Zhang Wei was well aware that his father had been quite ambitious in his youth, but after experiencing several setbacks, he had become more complacent. It was crucial to help his father maintain that drive!
During dinner, Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin discussed ways to improve their business. However, with their limited experience, they couldn't come up with many good ideas.
As Zhang Wei enjoyed his meal—consisting of pig's head meat, vegetables, and potatoes, which was better than the previous days—Cheng Lin suddenly said, "Xiao Wei, do you have any suggestions? Please share them with your dad and me."
Zhang Wei was taken aback; he hadn't expected his parents to ask for his opinion. After thinking for a moment, he hesitated between being overly clever or playing dumb.
But whatever, he thought. It was time to change the status quo. Zhang Wei had suffered through enough hardships; if being unconventional meant being unconventional, so be it. He was already accustomed to it.
"Let's write the prices on some small cardboard signs and stick them in the rice. Then we can get a big board to advertise free delivery for purchases over thirty jin. That way, we won't have to shout all the time," Zhang Wei suggested.
"Hmm, that sounds good. My throat is sore from shouting today," Zhang Aiguo said, taking a bite of pig's head meat.
"I'm not done yet." After swallowing his food, Zhang Wei continued, "On the big board, we should also write that if you buy fifty jin, you get three fen off per jin, and if you buy a hundred jin, you get five fen off per jin."
"Wait, won't that cut into our profits?" Cheng Lin immediately shook her head in disagreement.
"Aren't we already charging five fen more than Uncle's
**Business Strategies**
As they discussed, both Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin were somewhat puzzled. They noticed that most five-year-old children were preoccupied with playing or being clingy to their parents, asking for hugs or water, while their son was different—he was not interested in such things and seemed to have a knack for devising cunning plans.
Zhang Wei felt a bit speechless. He thought these methods were quite outdated, considering what he had seen in modern society. For instance, the online jokes about breaking up couples on Valentine's Day, pretending to be hit by a car to extort money, and so on. After experiencing the ups and downs of society, he found these tactics rather ordinary.
As more customers arrived, Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin gradually set aside their earlier discussion. They became increasingly busy, and after following their son's advice, their sales significantly improved. Although it wasn't as good as Zhang Jianguo's stall, it was a massive improvement compared to the previous days!
By the time they closed up at six in the evening, Zhang Wei casually remarked, "Mom, Dad, we probably sold about a thousand jin of rice today." He had calculated it carefully, and this number seemed accurate, especially since most of the rice was sold at the increased price.
Cheng Lin happily counted the money, saying, "Today, after deducting costs, we made a profit of one hundred and fifty yuan!"
Seeing his parents so delighted, Zhang Wei couldn't help but smile. Earning one hundred and fifty yuan was no small feat; after all, his father made only about twenty yuan a day working as a carpenter. The money they made in one day was what his father would earn in a week on the construction site!
…
In their rented farmhouse, Zhang Aiguo was in high spirits. He bought a bottle of yellow wine and cut off five pieces of pig head meat, though he also scolded Cheng Lin a bit for being wasteful.
Zhang Wei could see the joy in his father's eyes, sparkling with a sense of accomplishment. Although he was excited too, he didn't let his optimism blind him. He knew that such good days would only last until early 1998, when street vendors would flood Shanghai, and the city management would almost obsessively clear out stalls one to two times a day.
Zhang Wei understood that his father had been quite ambitious when he was younger, but after facing several setbacks, he had become more complacent. He needed to ensure his father maintained that drive!
During dinner, Zhang Aiguo and Cheng Lin continued discussing how to improve their business. However, their limited experience meant they couldn't come up with many good ideas.
Zhang Wei quietly enjoyed his dinner, which included pig head meat, vegetables, and potatoes—better than the meals of the past few days, fortunately boosted by their good sales today.
Suddenly, Cheng Lin said, "Xiao Wei, do you have any suggestions? Please share them with Mom and Dad."
Zhang Wei was taken aback; he hadn't expected his parents to ask for his opinion. After thinking for a moment, he hesitated between being overly dramatic or playing dumb.
But whatever, he decided to change the status quo. Zhang Wei had grown tired of living a hard life, so he thought, why not be a little bold? He had already acted out several times before, so what was a few more?
"Let's find some small cardboard pieces to write the prices on and stick them in the rice. Then, we can get a big board to say that deliveries are free for purchases over thirty jin. That way, we won't have to shout so much," Zhang Wei suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds good. My throat is sore from shouting all day," Zhang Aiguo said, chewing on a piece of pig head meat.
"I'm not done yet," Zhang Wei swallowed his food and continued, "On the big board, we should also write that if someone buys fifty jin, they get a discount of three fen per jin, and if they buy a hundred jin, they get a discount of five fen per jin."
"Wait, wouldn't that cut into our profits?" Cheng Lin immediately shook her head in disagreement.
"Aren't we already five fen more expensive than Uncle's stall?" Zhang Wei said casually.
"Right!" Cheng Lin, who had at least completed high school, quickly understood. She happily kissed her son's cheek and exclaimed, "My son is so smart!"
Zhang Wei chuckled inwardly. It wasn't that he was exceptionally clever; these were just marketing strategies that had been overused in modern society. He hadn't even mentioned the tactics like "blowout sales" or "50% off" yet. However, selling rice was a different matter since the profit margins were too slim, and the market price was quite stable.
With a little adaptation, it might work, Zhang Wei thought, his eyes sparkling with ideas.