The son wasn't lying; at the fishing spot, if there weren't thirty people, there were at least more than twenty. Judging from their attire and the cars parked by the roadside, they were indeed there specifically for fishing.
"This rice for making wine you mentioned, does it really have such a high profit? Costing two yuan to make and selling for 15? Why can't others make it themselves? Aren't you just using some cheap rice wine and corn grits to soak it?" Zhang Guofu continued to inquire about the details.
Zhang Yang smiled and explained: "Do you see what's in this wine? It's all Chinese medicine ground up in a blender! Corn grits and rice wine might be cheap, but they don't know my recipe!
The depth and breadth of Chinese medicinal recipes are not just for curing diseases; they can be used for fishing too!
This secret recipe for soaking rice for making wine is startlingly effective at attracting fish. To be honest, just selling fish at the night market earns me more than working odd jobs!"
"Where did you get this recipe? Don't tell me you just made it up!"
Zhang Yang chuckled and fibbed, "A few days ago, an elderly grandpa came to fish at the bend. At noon, when I went home to eat, our family made chive and egg pancakes, and seeing he hadn't eaten, I brought him two! The old man thought I was genuine and told me the secret recipe before he left!"
"Really?"
"Of course, if you don't believe me, ask my mom!"
The matter of making chive pancakes was true, which made Zhang Yang's mother subconsciously nod.
This cleared up most of Zhang Guofu's doubts.
"Do you intend to sell this forever? Yes, spring is a good time for fishing carp as they are easy to catch, but this business isn't long-term; when it gets hot, what then? No matter how high the profit, if there's no sales, it's still zero, right?
It's good to find ways to earn money; it shows you've grown up and understand the importance of money! But doing this is unstable, it's fair to say it's a business subject to the whims of nature; what if you can't sell it?
Besides, even if you do make money, it won't sound good. The folks in the village will still think you're idling without a stable job. How will you find a wife in the future?"
Facing his father's concerns, Zhang Yang continued, "I've considered these things too!
Fishing does have seasons, but it's not as exaggerated as you think. From the end of March to November, there are people fishing by the river every day!
Today, there are dozens of people fishing at the bend, right? What about further upstream and downstream? How many people are fishing then? When it gets hot, considering all the night fishing, how many are there?
This bait is used in large quantities; once it's used up, it needs to be bought again. It's a long-term business.
As long as my product is effective, the basic sales are guaranteed!
Besides, I wasn't planning to only do this. When I've earned enough seed money, I can look for other opportunities.
These wealthy and leisurely fishermen have seen more than us ordinary folks. Just hearing a bit of the news they casually drop would be enough to live comfortably!
I know you want me to work for my own good, but even you said, working as an odd job laborer barely earns fifty a day. Even doing a technical job like security, it's only about three thousand a month, roughly a hundred a day!
If I sell just eight packs of rice for making wine a day on average, I can earn that much! With such a big Wen River, is it so hard to use eight packs daily?"
Numbers don't lie; after this explanation, Zhang Guofu's ingrained beliefs were completely shaken.
Nobody wants their son to work as a laborer on a construction site all his life if there are better options; Zhang Guofu certainly doesn't want his son to suffer.
"Dear, after Yangyang calculated it, it seems better than being a laborer!" Zhang Yang's mother, who had been silent, spoke up after listening patiently.
Zhang Guofu glanced at his son and nodded, "Since your mom supports you, I'll hold my judgment for now. If you want to try, then go ahead for a while!
But I have three conditions: if the business doesn't do well later on, you can't just focus on fishing and waste time!
We're not a wealthy family. In a few years, we also need to consider building you a new house and getting you married, which is a large expense!"
"Alright! I'll definitely work hard! Mom, Dad, you're so wise, I knew you'd support me!"
With his parents' support, Zhang Yang was overjoyed.
"Since you use this corn grits to soak rice for making wine, don't sell it! We have thousands of pounds at home; you can take it to the mill to process!"
"No problem! Leave it all to me!"
...
After a round of communication, Zhang Yang finally gained his parents' full support, and the burden weighing on his heart was completely lifted.
His dad came home early in the morning, so the Zhang family's lunchtime was earlier too. After lunch, Zhang Yang checked the time; it wasn't even noon yet.
Thinking about the situation at the bend, Zhang Yang called Zhao Bingguang.
When Zhang Yang called, Old Zhao was hesitating.
Normally when going out to fish, they were used to eating whatever for lunch, but yesterday they had hot dishes and drinks, making it hard to return to the previous tough conditions.
At this moment, Old Zhao hadn't eaten and was wondering whether to drive out for some hot food.
When Zhang Yang called and chatted briefly, Old Zhao, knowing he had finished his own work, suggested, "Since you're coming over, could you do us a favor? None of us have eaten yet; could you bring some hot food and water? We'll split the cost!"
"Sure, no problem! How many of you are there? I'll organize!"
"Hold on a second, let me call out and check. Quite a few familiar faces joined today; let's see who hasn't eaten!"
About five minutes later, Old Zhao had counted the numbers. Besides a few who brought their own food, 17 people agreed to share the meal cost, with a meal standard of 15 yuan per person!
Without further ado, Zhang Yang rode to the deli.
After some busy work, Zhang Yang brought back a bunch of hot meals and dishes in a thermal box to the riverside.
The prices at the village deli weren't high, and in the low-priced environment of 2012, you could buy a lot of cooked food for over two hundred yuan.
There was chicken, fish, meatballs, and meat, hot meat dishes, fresh steamed white buns, and hot water. Eating by the river with fellow fishers was much better than munching on cold bread.
"This deli sure is cheap! If this were in the city, today's meal wouldn't come out to less than five hundred!" Liu Shulin said with a smile while helping set up the dishes on the fishing platform.
Zhang Yang smiled, "Things are indeed cheap in the village; if you all enjoy it, I can help get it for you every day when I have free time!
The deli in the village may not taste great, but it's clean and good value for sure!"
At this moment, Old Zhao, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, spoke up, "I reckon, since we have to eat something anyway, why don't you consider managing the lunch for everyone? Better for you to earn the meal money than the deli!"
Whether Old Zhao said this thoughtfully or casually, the suggestion struck Zhang Yang deeply, opening a clear path for making money!