Zhang Yang wiped the sweat off his forehead and glanced at his phone. It was a call from Zhao Bingguang.
He decisively answered the call.
"Hey? Brother Zhao, what's up?"
"You rascal, why haven't you made a move? A lot of fishing buddies in the group are looking to order Rice for Making Wine from you. Why haven't you responded? I haven't seen you fishing at the Wen River bend either! What have you been up to lately?"
"Uh, I've been busy setting up a fishing gear store these past two days! There was so much going on today that I didn't have time to check the QQ group! I'll do it right away!"
"Stop, hold on! Did you say you're opening a fishing gear shop? Where? Where is it? Don't hang up yet!"
Upon hearing Zhang Yang mention the fishing gear store, Zhao Bingguang perked up.
"It's right in our town, over at Jianhua New Street! On the street behind the town government, called Mingyang Fishing Gear, and the signboard is already up!" Zhang Yang spoke truthfully.
"Alright, got it. You're at the shop, right? I'll pack up my gear and head over!" Zhao Bingguang hung up the call.
About twenty minutes later, old Zhao parked his Honda CR-V in front of Zhang Yang's shop.
He got out of the car, swaggered into the shop, and began to look around.
"Not bad, you kid. Quietly set up a fishing gear store! It looks pretty legit!" Zhao Bingguang remarked.
"Hehe, feeling my way across the river, just messing around! How's the fishing at Wen River been today? How about water? I haven't bought any tea-making equipment yet, so let's do with some bottled water!" As he spoke, Zhang Yang grabbed a bottle of Ice Dew and handed it over.
"You should definitely get a proper tea setup! Now that you have this shop, it'll be a perfect spot for us guys to drink tea, chat, and hang out!"
"You're always welcome! It's a small business, can't do everything at once, just slowly improving step by step! Since you're here, give me some advice before the official opening, would you?"
"Sure, let me take a look for you!"
Zhao Bingguang wasn't shy; he got up, hands behind his back, and walked around the shop a few times. By the serious look on his face, he was definitely looking for flaws.
"Overall, the merchandise selection is quite appropriate; you've even considered entry-level and mid-to-low range fishing gear!
If I have to nitpick, there's a lack of high-end stuff! You could stock more bobbers from Song Jielin or rods from Dijia; these items are profitable, high quality, and won't offend customers!
I'd say to steer clear of Gold Vision though. Although it's a well-known brand, there's too much counterfeit, and if you make a mistake when purchasing, you'll end up annoying customers!"
Upon hearing old Zhao's evaluation, Zhang Yang scratched his head a bit helplessly, "I totally agree with you, but budget is tight. I'll have to wait until I earn some more money to restock!
To tell you the truth, I didn't take a penny from my family to open this little shop, it's all funded by what I earned selling boxed meals and Rice for Making Wine by the Wen River!
I just settled the payment for stocking goods, which was seventeen thousand, and I've got fifty-seven bucks left in my pocket, not even enough for a meal!"
Facing Zhang Yang's financial woes, old Zhao didn't show any disdain and thoughtfully said, "Entrepreneurship, it's normal! When I started my stall at the Small Commodities Market, I was worse off than you! In just over two months, you've earned enough to open a store, that's impressive!"
Zhang Yang took out a packet of Baijun cigarettes and handed one over. After lighting up, he said, "For now, the plan is to start small in town here. If things go well, maybe I'll look for a place in the city later! Everything is still uncertain; I'll just take it step by step, run this shop for a year or two first!"
Zhao Bingguang nodded, "Not aiming too high is the right move, easier to turn a small ship! So, since you've opened for business, as your brother, I'm obliged to support you somehow!
My friend spoke well of Dijia's large fish rods, and I've wanted to buy one for a while. Get me a set in sizes 4.5m, 5.4m, and 6.3m. I'll be your first customer to bring you good luck!"
"Alright! I'll get that sorted for you!" Zhang Yang agreed boldly without hesitation.
In a few light and easy words, the deal was sealed. The two didn't haggle over the price or talk about freebies or discounts, maintaining a high level of understanding.
Zhang Yang took down one of each size of the "treasures of the shop" that he had just placed on the shelf, skillfully wrapped them up with the luxurious braided rod handles, then carefully tied the rod tips with a lighter and handed the rod bags to Zhao Bingguang.
"467+617+785, for a total of 1869 bucks, but round it off to 1800! Not throwing in any line sets, you're not short of those. Pick a bobber you fancy from the display board, consider it a gift from your little brother!"
Zhang Yang, holding the calculator, quickly came up with the total price of the three rods with a few clicks.
He rounded it off and added a bobber as a gift. The most expensive in the shop is the Hong Kong Infinite's Fish Heart series, known as Song Jielin's bobbers according to old Zhao, which retail for 120 each. A thoughtful gesture covering both surface and substance.
"Really a gift? Then I won't be polite! You should know I don't use cheap bobbers!" Old Zhao said with a hearty laugh.
"I said a gift, so it's yours! Pick whichever model or bobber you like and take it with you! In the business of running a shop, I'm definitely making money selling rods—the market is there, a sale is a sale, it's the same whoever comes by—but gifts are about camaraderie!" Zhang Yang smoothly replied.
"Alright, your style of doing things matches my temper. If I recall correctly, you're twenty this year, right? Mind waiting a few more years to date someone? My daughter just started high school; maybe later we could become in-laws?"
"Haha, cut it out! I see you as my big brother, but you want to be my father-in-law! Isn't that trying to take advantage of me?"
Zhang Yang replied with a hearty laugh, not taking old Zhao's suggestion seriously at all.
Joking aside, old Zhao happily picked a medium-sized carp bobber from Song Jielin's exhibit and found a case to pack it. Then he took out his wallet to pay the bill.
After buying the rods, the two chatted for a while longer. Noticing Zhang Yang still had a lot of loose ends to tie up in the store, old Zhao didn't linger much longer, found an excuse to leave early, and reminded Zhang Yang to let him know when the opening day was set, promising to be there to support!
Watching old Zhao's car drive away, Zhang Yang looked at the 1800 bucks in his pocket, feeling a touch of gratitude.
Giving help in a crisis is better than adding to a feasting table; old Zhao definitely didn't lack rods, yet he bought a whole new set, significantly alleviating Zhang Yang's current cash crunch.
With this money, he could now afford to get tea sets and tables!
Pondering for a moment, Zhang Yang quickly dove back into work.
To quickly earn back profits after opening, after receiving the goods, Zhang Yang needed to carry out various processing tasks.
For instance, typical consumables, such as primary fishing line sets and hand-tied hooks, traditional seven-star floats line sets, needed to be sorted and hand-prepared by the store owner according to different models and lengths.
Stocking up on consumables was just the first step; he'd need a lot of time to produce them to ensure the shop always had ample inventory.
Currently, Zhang Yang had just started making them, and with no stock yet in dozens of models, he kept his head down and got busy.
When one person is focused on doing something, time flies fast. When Zhang Yang looked up again, the outside had unknowingly turned dark.
Having already skimped on lunch, Zhang Yang rubbed his rumbling stomach, set down the work, checked around the shop, cut off the electricity and water, locked up, and rolled down the shutters before riding his bike homeward.