mijobooks Chapter 7 Selling Fish on the Black Market
Chapter 7 Selling Fish on the Black Market
"Hello comrade, crucian carp is 2 mao per jin and carp is 15 mao per jin."
"Smell it, they were just caught from the lake yesterday, they're incredibly fresh."
Li Xiangyang's rhetoric was very skillful.
If he doesn't say it, no one would be able to tell that he's a first-time seller.
As he spoke, he picked up a carp, lifted the gill cover to reveal the bright red gills inside, and let the middle-aged man smell them.
Li Xiangyang originally wanted to quote the supply and marketing cooperative price: 12 cents for crucian carp and 10 cents for carp.
But after thinking about it, I realized it wouldn't work.
This is the black market, no tickets are needed, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, it's reasonable to raise prices a little.
and,
Quoting a higher price gives customers room to negotiate.
"Okay, they smell pretty fresh. Give me all four of the big ones."
By the way, you don't need a ticket, right?
The middle-aged man readily agreed and ordered four large carp.
Li Xiangyang was taken aback.
Was the price quoted too low...?
So decisive, buying four big carp at once...?
"Young man, what are you standing there for? Weigh it up and give it to me quickly."
The middle-aged man urged impatiently.
His eyes darted around.
"Four carp, 18 jin in total, 15 cents per jin, that's 2.7 yuan. I'll also give you two crucian carp, the meat is very fresh and sweet, please take them home and try them."
Li Xiangyang threaded four large carp onto reeds and handed them to the middle-aged man.
After finishing, I thought about it and gave him two more crucian carp.
Don't even mention these days,
Even in later generations, someone who could buy four large carp in one go would definitely be a big customer.
and,
Judging from his padded jacket, which had no patches and his 3/7 hairstyle, he must work for some state-owned enterprise. We'll probably have to deal with him again, so we need to maintain a good relationship.
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment.
He didn't show any emotion on his face, but he secretly glanced at Li Xiangyang while handing over the money.
Then he hurriedly moved on to the next stall.
"This young fishmonger? He looks so young, but he's actually quite capable."
No sooner had the middle-aged man left than an elderly woman in a floral plaid dress approached, and like before, she whispered in Li Xiangyang's ear:
"Young man, how much are these crucian carp? Are they fresh?"
Li Xiangyang repeated the process to the old woman.
"Crucian carp costs 20 cents a pound...? That's expensive. The supply and marketing cooperative only sells them for 12 cents a pound."
"Auntie, you can't compare, I don't need a ticket."
"Besides, the lake is frozen over now, and it took several of us a whole day to get this little bit up. We're just earning a pittance from hard work."
The old woman shook her head, still trying to bargain.
Li Xiangyang knew that if you didn't offer this kind of customer a discount, she could haggle with you for two hours.
In the end, they definitely left without buying anything.
It severely impacted his business.
of course,
What she wanted wasn't a very low price, but the pleasure of haggling down the price.
In later generations,
There's this guy named... "Pinduoduo!" who's mastered this trick.
What Li Xiangyang lacks is not fish, but customers.
If we can give her a discount, she'll definitely brag about how good she is at bargaining when she gets back, which is like indirectly advertising for her.
So, I pretended to be embarrassed:
"Auntie, I can see you're genuinely interested in buying fish, so how about this: we each compromise. If you buy five jin of crucian carp, I'll give you another jin for free."
Li Xiangyang did some mental calculations: five catties for 2 mao, plus a free catty, would be six catties of fish for 1 yuan.
In total, they would get 16 or 17 cents per pound.
That's quite acceptable.
If word gets out, and others are willing to buy 5 jin of crucian carp at once, he'll give them an extra jin and still make a profit. If they can't buy 5 jin, he'll still charge 2 mao per jin, so he won't lose money!
really,
The old woman originally wanted to buy 3 catties of crucian carp, but when she heard that she could get an extra catty if she bought 5 catties, she bought 5 catties directly.
As it was the only fish stall in the entire black market and his first day selling fish, he sold very quickly, clearing out over 60 kilograms of fish in less than an hour.
The white-haired old man selling soap next door was extremely envious.
"Young man, your fish stall is doing well; it sells quickly and the prices are high."
"Sigh, Uncle, I earn my money through hard work. In this sub-zero weather, my brothers and I have all suffered frostbite while trying to catch these fish."
to be frank,
"I've earned this little bit of money, and I still need to buy them medicine. I don't even know if it'll be enough!"
Li Xiangyang immediately started playing the victim.
The biggest fear with this kind of business that requires no initial investment is that someone will get envious and follow suit, causing the price to plummet.
"Uh-huh…"
The white-haired old man nodded, seemingly believing but not quite.
Li Xiangyang knew that the explanation he had come up with on the spot was not convincing enough.
So they changed the subject again:
"By the way, Uncle, are the stalls here permanent?"
"It's not fixed; many people come every few days."
"And you? Do you come here every day? Are you always in this spot?"
"I come here every day, and the location is usually around here. Why are you asking?"
"Uncle, I have two crucian carp here. Stewed cabbage with crucian carp is very nutritious. You can take them home and stew them for your grandson; it will help him grow."
As Li Xiangyang spoke, he picked up a reed, strung the last two crucian carp on the stall together, and handed them over.
After the old woman in the plaid dress left, he immediately decided that he would need to set up a fixed stall from now on.
Just right,
The old man lives nearby and arrived early, so I can help him reserve a spot.
"Oh dear, I can't bear to part with them... You all worked so hard to catch these fish to sell for money."
"It's alright, take it. Meeting you is fate, consider it a small gift. I'll be coming here often, so I'll need your help!"
After some pushing and shoving,
The silver-haired old man accepted it.
and,
He tactfully said that from now on, he would reserve a spot for Li Xiangyang at the stall next to his every day.
that's nice!
He seems to be an honest person.
At last,
When Li Xiangyang got up to leave, the old man still felt a little bad and insisted on giving him a bar of soap worth 3 cents.
Li Xiangyang didn't refuse; he would just give him a few more fish if there were any leftovers in the future.
Friendships can only be formed through give and take.
……
While Li Xiangyang was thriving in the treacherous black market, Li Xiangdong was anxiously waiting in a quiet, deserted alley.
He kept circling the carriage.
They were worried about not being able to sell all the fish, and also worried that their younger brother would be caught by the city management team.
Every now and then, he would stand on the carriage, tiptoe, and peer towards the black market.
My palms were sweating from anxiety...
Fortunately, Li Xiangyang didn't stay long selling fish before he sold them all and came back.
"Brother, I'm back."
"Oh... Ah... Brother, you're back? That's... that's wonderful! I was so worried about you."
Li Xiangdong sighed deeply and slumped into the carriage as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Brother, you can rest assured about what I'm doing. Look... it's all sold out."
As Li Xiangyang spoke, he picked up the sack, shook it, and said with a hint of boastfulness:
"Brother, guess how much money we made on this trip?"
"5 pieces...?"
"wrong!"
"5.5 yuan...?"
"That's not right either, shall we guess again?"
"Could it really have sold for 6 yuan...?"
Li Xiangdong fiddled with the empty sack, still somewhat incredulous.
"Here, calculate it yourself."
Li Xiangyang handed a dozen small bills to Li Xiangdong.
「1块钱，1块1毛，2块1毛，2块6毛……10……10块5毛钱？」
Li Xiangdong was shocked.
As he counted the money, his tone of voice changed, and his hand holding the money trembled slightly.
"No, no... you mean it can only sell for 6 yuan? How come so many were sold?!"
"Hehe, I told you, 6 yuan is a conservative estimate. I looked around today and we're the only fishmonger in the whole black market, so we're bound to raise the price."
Li Xiangyang grinned and patiently explained.
After listening to Li Xiangyang's words, Li Xiangdong's gaze towards him changed from doting to admiration.
feel,
The reason Li Xiangyang used to be lazy and gluttonous was entirely because he had no opportunity to develop his talents.
He was born to be a businessman.
"Brother, what are you thinking about? Let's go back."
"Okay, sure. Right, we need to hurry back. We should catch as many fish as possible before the blizzard blows today."
Before leaving, they spent an extra half hour scouting the town's coal miners' compound, state-run restaurants, sugar factories, and other state-owned factory dormitories.
Li Xiangyang knew this in his heart.
People who set up stalls on the black market are all very shrewd. Before long, someone will definitely imitate them and start catching fish to sell.
When,
Not only will it not fetch a good price, but it will also be very difficult to sell. Therefore, he needs to plan his next steps in advance.
When doing business, you have to think three steps ahead for every one step you take.