Fang Shi gripped the motorcycle handlebars, feeling the roar of the engine reverberate in his ears.
He could feel the wind whistling past his ears, bringing with it gusts of fresh air.
Having a motorcycle made everything so real, so exciting.
My son is amazing!
Along the way, he also felt the envious glances of passersby. He slowed down, driving carefully, knowing he had to cherish this vehicle.
However, his strange behavior was too much for a young man cycling by the roadside.
Why are you riding so slowly? What are you thinking? Do you want cyclists to eat your dust?
Motorcycles aren't meant to be ridden like this; you need to be passionate!
Make the bicycles eat your dust!
The young man saw Fang Shi riding incredibly slowly, pulled up alongside him, and couldn't help but say,
"Bro, you're riding that motorcycle slower than I'm riding my bicycle. You need to hit the gas!"
"My son bought it for me; I'm not used to it yet!" Fang Shi said proudly.
"Then your son is really impressive, a big boss, huh?"
"Just a small business, haha."
The young man who struck up the conversation was mercilessly deflated. He worked himself to the bone for a hundred yuan a month; buying a motorcycle would take years. And this guy's son bought it for him, so his son must undoubtedly be a big boss.
Fang Shi rode his motorcycle leisurely back home. When he reached the village, familiar villagers were very surprised to see him on a motorcycle.
"Fang Shi, did you just buy a new motorcycle?"
"Eh, where would I get the money to buy one? It's not my bike." Fang Shi could show off generously outside, but back in the village, he had to be low-key. His son had told him this, otherwise people would get jealous.
"Brother Shi, whose motorcycle is this?"
"Borrowed from someone, it's second-hand."
Fang Shi rode a little further, and when other villagers asked, he answered them casually, not mentioning he had bought it himself.
Besides, he wasn't wrong; his son paid for it, and he was borrowing his son's bike to ride.
He sped up and returned home.
Liu Fengqing was slightly surprised to see her husband ride back. She knew her son was arranging a refurbished motorcycle for him, but she hadn't expected it to be ready so quickly, or that he'd already learned to ride it.
She admired the motorcycle for a while, then called her husband to help pack things and tie what needed to be moved onto the vehicle.
One trip wouldn't be enough; it would probably take several. Luckily, they had the motorcycle now. Two trips a day, and they could move things slowly.
...
At eight o'clock in the evening,
Fang Bai and his parents tallied the sales of the second batch of televisions.
The second batch of televisions arrived on November 3rd, and today was already November 14th.
During this period, many students had other commitments, delaying repair progress and sales, but it was not a major issue.
Fang Bai couldn't spend all his time selling televisions; otherwise, he wouldn't have time to read.
Another reason was that T City Yaming Electronics Recycling Company wouldn't sort things that quickly. If he went too early, there wouldn't be enough good televisions for him to choose from.
Doing it about once every half month was sufficient and didn't interfere with his studies.
The five hundred televisions they brought back were just repaired and cleaned today.
Fang Bai estimated that they had assembled about 240 televisions, of which 190 were color TVs and only 50 were black and white.
Among the color TVs, 21-inch color TVs were the majority.
For the first round of the second batch, 60 televisions were sold: 35 21-inch color TVs, 10 14-inch color TVs, 2 29-inch color TVs, 8 17-inch black and white TVs, and 5 14-inch black and white TVs. Some televisions had discounts, resulting in actual revenue of 48,700 yuan.
The second round of the second batch, on November 10th, a Saturday, sold 58 televisions, with actual revenue of 46,650 yuan.
The third round of the second batch, on November 11th, a Sunday, sold 60 televisions, with actual revenue of 47,700 yuan.
The fourth round of the second batch, scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, November 15th, still had 62 televisions remaining, with estimated revenue of 50,900 yuan.
The estimated revenue for all four rounds was 193,950 yuan, minus labor costs of approximately 1,100 yuan, transportation fees of 500 yuan, and other expenses of about 500 yuan, mainly for food, stall fees, and miscellaneous items.
The procurement cost was 21,000 yuan.
The estimated actual profit was 170,000 yuan.
Sales times were now fixed for Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays or Thursdays, with about 60 televisions at each stall.
After tomorrow's sales, if everything sells out smoothly, Fang Bai's personal wealth will reach 270,000 yuan.
Their television selling stall had become famous in Wen City; citizens from the urban area specifically traveled to the stall to buy televisions.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have sold so well, with dozens of televisions selling out every time they were set up.
"You want to buy a TV? Go to Oubei Bus Station. There's a street nearby that sells them, and they're very cheap."
"To buy two-fold discount TVs, go to Oubei Bus Station."
"Color TVs start at 368 yuan, no lie, right there near Oubei Bus Station, lots of people know about it."
"Yep, he's not lying, I bought one myself."
These discussions about cheap color TVs had already spread among the people of Wen City. Fang Bai had initially considered whether to change his selling location, but now it seemed unnecessary. Oubei Bus Station could simply be established as a fixed sales point.
The restaurant owner observed his television sales. Fang Bai had added five yuan for electricity each time he set up the stall, creating a shared interest.
As long as there was any conflict on site, the restaurant owner could also step in to help.
"Dad, Mom, I have to go to T City again tomorrow. I'll be back the same day." Fang Bai sat on a chair, speaking to his parents who were sitting on the bed.
"Alright, go ahead, be careful."
Fang Shi beamed: "At this rate, earning two to three hundred thousand a month, we'll hit a million yuan in just a few months. That's a bit exaggerated."
"When people come across cheap things, they scramble to buy them. There's a shortage of goods."
Fang Bai sighed, then told his mother, "Mom, Spring Festival is in two months. Don't wait until the last minute to buy things. You might not be able to get them even if you have the money. We have money now, so for things that can be stored, we can buy them a month in advance."
"Alright, I'll think about buying them next month, son. Should we get a refrigerator to make it easier to store vegetables?"
"Dad, let's buy a refrigerator and a washing machine. And a gas stove too; burning firewood for so long has been too inconvenient." Fang Bai took out five bundles of ten-yuan notes from a drawer for his father, each bundle containing a thousand yuan.
A few thousand yuan wouldn't affect his plans. With a washing machine, his mother wouldn't have to work so hard washing clothes. Although current washing machines didn't clean perfectly, they could still save some effort.
Gas stoves weren't expensive, only two or three hundred yuan.
These appliances wouldn't cost five thousand yuan, but he also wanted to give his parents some savings. Having money on them made people walk with their backs straighter.
His Fang Bai's parents used to not keep any money on them and felt a bit inferior when going out. They had to weigh how much savings they had even to buy half a catty of pork, worrying about where the next meal would come from after this one.
Now, when his mother bought groceries, she bought as much as she liked and paid decisively.
To put it simply, money brings people dignity.
Fang Shi happily took the money, chuckling: "Alright, after we finish selling TVs tomorrow, your mom and I will go look the day after. We'll buy whatever we need."
Now that the family wasn't short on money, Fang Shi accepted his son's money without hesitation.
Since they started selling televisions, he had handled a lot more money, and he no longer spent it as frugally as before. He spent what needed to be spent, believing that the more he spent, the more he would earn.
Liu Fengqing also helped collect money and, having witnessed the speed at which wealth accumulated from selling televisions, her attitude towards money slowly changed.
It could be said that through the television business, Fang Bai's parents' attitudes towards wealth changed significantly. They realized that simply being frugal wouldn't save money; they had to find ways to earn more.
The family's mindset was slowly changing.
Fang Bai was also delighted to see his parents' changes these days.
The next morning,
Fang Bai took a bus to T City. This time, the procurement volume was similar to the second batch, around five hundred units, and the ratio of color to black and white was controlled at 4:1.
The procurement cost was 21,500 yuan, and he returned to Wen City that same evening.
Along the way, Fang Bai and Zhang Guoping drove cheerfully, recalling the experience of "picking up" a chicken by the roadside. They probably wouldn't forget it for the rest of their lives.
Zhang Guoping said that chicken was especially delicious when stewed with potatoes; the meat was smooth and definitely not fed with feed.
Fang Bai scorned him, saying that chicken that cost no money was of course delicious, and in those days, where would you find feed for chickens? It would be strange if it didn't taste good.
This time, Zhang Guoping had prepared a spare tire and repair tools in the car, to avoid being scammed again.
They departed at noon and arrived in the evening. Zhang Guoping stayed in Wen City for one night, and Fang Bai specifically treated him to dinner and drinks.
The next morning, Zhang Guoping drove back.