"Xiaobai, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Jiang Xiaobai pour a bottle of ice water over his head, the Moron looked dumbfounded.
Jiang Xiaobai let out a long sigh and said, "Nothing, let's go collect the lobsters."
"Then get in the car, I'll drive you there," the Moron said.
"No! I'll drive you!"
Having just finished watching a Japanese romance action film, Jiang Xiaobai only wanted to exert more energy. If he exhausted himself, he wouldn't think about those things. It's understandable, at his age, it was time to start fantasizing about matters between men and women.
It was already noon, those unsold lobsters were being sold off cheaply. Jiang Xiaobai came to collect the lobsters, and the price was only a third of what it was in the morning. Buying low and selling high, he aimed for the price difference. The lower the purchase price and the higher the selling price, the more money he made.
At this time, most of the lobsters were nearly dead. Sellers like Zhao Sanlin were not few, and they would sell as long as they got money.
When he came to purchase lobsters yesterday, Jiang Xiaobai had only a little over 500 yuan. Today, his capital had increased by over ten times. He bought all the lobsters from the town's sellers, spending a total of more than 1,500 yuan.
After purchasing the lobsters, Jiang Xiaobai poured the water he brought onto them. Soon, the lobsters, which were almost dying, all came back to life.
Zhao Sanlin was stunned by this miraculous scene.
"Brother Zhao, do you want to make money?"
Hearing Jiang Xiaobai's whistle, Zhao Sanlin came back to his senses.
"What did you say?"
"I asked if you want to make money?" Jiang Xiaobai repeated.
"Of course, I do," Zhao Sanlin said, "Do you need my help to transport these lobsters back home?"
Jiang Xiaobai smiled and said, "This time, it's not home. I want to transport them to the county. I'll give you... two hundred yuan, deal?"
"Deal!"
Zhao Sanlin agreed without hesitation. Two hundred yuan was not a small amount for him. If he could bring home an extra two hundred yuan, he could have some liquor and a small stir-fry meat dish.
There were a lot of lobsters to transport. Only with the Moron's and Zhao Sanlin's two tricycles could they barely manage. Despite looking dumb, the Moron had a lot of strength, a point where Zhao Sanlin couldn't compare. By the time they reached the county, Zhao Sanlin's legs were numb. He kept complaining on the way, asking Jiang Xiaobai for more money.
On the way to the county, Jiang Xiaobai called Li Chao from the Xinmin Market to ask if he wanted lobsters. Li Chao wanted to inspect the goods first, and as long as they matched the quality from yesterday, he would definitely take them.
When they reached Xinmin Market, Li Chao brought a group of seafood sellers to inspect the goods. They were all experts and knew after a few glances that these were wild lobsters with fresh and tender meat, much better than those farmed ones.
"Buddy, how much per pound?"
Jiang Xiaobai countered, "How much do you usually pay per pound?"
Li Chao said, "Usually it's thirty-five. How about you sell at this price?"
Jiang Xiaobai shook his head. He would never sell at thirty-five per pound.
"Boss Li, those you buy are farmed lobsters. Mine are wild ones. You know the price difference between farmed and wild ones in the market better than I do. Additionally, look at the size of my lobsters. If you sell at seventy per pound, they will sell out immediately. I genuinely want to do business with you. I'll give you a number, if you can accept it, we proceed. If not, we'll collaborate next time." Jiang Xiaobai said, "One price, forty-five!"
"Hold on."
Li Chao called the seafood sellers to the side, and they discussed. After a while, Li Chao came back, smiling, "Buddy, happy cooperation."
The two shook hands, marking their first successful business transaction.
"You have a lot of goods here. I might not be able to sell them all. I can only take half. If you had come in the morning, I wouldn't even have enough what you have."
"No problem, Brother Li. Even if you wanted one pound, I would still sell it to you."
All the lobsters from Zhao Sanlin's tricycle were weighed. Li Chao calculated the price, then handed over a thick stack of banknotes to Jiang Xiaobai.
"Buddy, this is fourteen thousand, count it."
Jiang Xiaobai carried a canvas bag, took the money from Li Chao, and put it into his bag, smiling, "No need, I trust you, Boss Li."
Zhao Sanlin's eyes turned red. Jiang Xiaobai had bought the lobsters for 1,500 yuan and sold half of them for fourteen thousand. What a massive profit that was! Over ten thousand yuan was more than he could earn from months of hard work.
"Brother Zhao, here's your four hundred yuan." Knowing Zhao Sanlin felt uneasy, Jiang Xiaobai gave him an extra two hundred yuan.
The extra two hundred yuan immediately washed away Zhao Sanlin's uneasiness. He was a simple man with little ambition.
"Xiaobai, thank you."
"Alright, Brother Zhao, you should head back now," Jiang Xiaobai said.
"What about the rest..." Zhao Sanlin looked at the lobster load on the Moron's tricycle.
Jiang Xiaobai said, "Don't worry about that. Hurry home. Have a drink and take a nap. Reenergize yourself. Tonight, your wife will definitely be in a good mood."
"Get lost, kid!" Zhao Sanlin cursed, but he laughed happily, pedaling his tricycle away, humming a tune.
Jiang Xiaobai and the Moron pedaled their tricycles to the Food City, arriving at the Another Village Lobster Restaurant. Jiang Xiaobai walked in and saw a woman in her thirties, wearing a black ultra-short leather skirt, legs crossed, playing with her phone.
"Is Boss Lin here?"
The woman looked up, revealing a heavily made-up face that seemed somewhat garish, but she was still barely considered a beauty.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, I came to see Boss Lin. He told me to come back when I had lobsters," Jiang Xiaobai said.
The woman stood up immediately, smiling, "Oh, it's you. My husband Lin Yong mentioned you. Your lobsters are really good. The customers said they tasted better than usual last night."
"Oh, so you're the sister-in-law. I'm Jiang Xiaobai." Jiang Xiaobai extended his hand.
"I'm Zheng Xia."
They shook hands, and Zheng Xia followed Jiang Xiaobai outside, seeing a tricycle full of lobsters.
"I'll take all of these," Zheng Xia said.
"So many… Can your restaurant consume them all tonight?" Jiang Xiaobai said, "Sister-in-law, you don't have to take all of them just to help me."
Zheng Xia said, "I'm worried there won't be enough. Last night's lobsters ran out. Customers complained about the taste differences when we served other lobsters. In the future, bring all your lobsters directly to me. Even if I can't sell all of them myself, I'll help you sell the rest."
"Really? That's great, Sister-in-law, thank you so much," Jiang Xiaobai said gratefully.
Zheng Xia called a few staff members from the store. They started busying themselves, weighing the lobsters. Zheng Xia counted out fifteen thousand yuan for Jiang Xiaobai, saying, "Here, bro, keep it safe."