Making Money Is Really Not Easy

Making Money Is Really Not Easy

After leaving Fanhuali Community, Jiang Qin headed straight home.

The 120-square-meter three-bedroom apartment, with the living room on the left and kitchen on the right, held nearly all of Jiang Qin's fondest memories.

His mother, Ms. Yuan Youqin, was wearing an apron and cooking. Her chopping board rang loudly with every strike; it was clearly meat, and the kind with bones.

His father, Jiang Zhenghong, sat on the sofa reading the newspaper, humming "Hometown Clouds" while one slipper swung from his toes.

Feeling that familiar warmth, Jiang Qin could not help but sigh with emotion.

After drifting in Shenzhen for years, he had truly been nothing more than rootless duckweed. The roots that had raised him were here, so this was home—a home nowhere else could replace.

Especially now that his parents had suddenly become younger. The feeling was truly strange.

"I'm back!"

Jiang Zhenghong narrowed his eyes and glanced at him. "Finished your exams?"

Ms. Yuan poked her head out from the kitchen as well. "How was it? Feeling confident?"

"One foot is already through the doors of a key university."

"You brat, talking so big. Is that true?" Ms. Yuan gave him a slightly suspicious look.

Jiang Zhenghong was much more supportive. "If he dares say something like that, he must have some confidence. Tonight, father and son, we'll have a good drink!"

Jiang Qin waved him off. "Dad, I've decided. I'm going to start a business during Summer Vacation. I can't waste a single moment."

"Start a business?"

"Make money, basically."

Ms. Yuan thought about it. "Then after dinner, wash the dishes. Five yuan per bowl and ten yuan for the pot."

Jiang Qin sighed without arguing. "Fine, I can wash the dishes and pots. How about you pay me three hundred yuan in total?"

Jiang Zhenghong suddenly looked up. "There's a deal like that? Then I'll do it too!"

"Get out of here. Three hundred is enough for me to buy a whole new set. I wash pots and dishes every day, and no one gives me three hundred. Go wash your hands and eat!"

"Alas, this king's venture has collapsed before it even began."

Jiang Qin lamented, washed his hands, then returned to the table and ate with his parents.

Before bed, Yuan Youqin came out of the bedroom and stuffed five Chairman Mao bills into his hand.

Ms. Yuan knew it too. Graduating high school was like a wild horse breaking free of its reins; meeting classmates, singing karaoke, all of it cost money. Telling him she would pay five yuan per dish had merely been her way of acting tough while being softhearted.

Looking at the five hundred yuan in his hand, Jiang Qin felt a slight sting in his heart.

What great entrepreneur ever started with just five hundred yuan? Still, five hundred was five hundred. Better than nothing.

"Ms. Yuan, from now on, you'll be the mother of a chairman!"

"I'll be satisfied if you become a general manager. Oh, right, I asked your Maternal Uncle at noon. In a few days, you're going to Zhengfang Driving School to learn how to drive?"

"Driving lessons can wait. I have something important to do lately."

Jiang Qin took the money back to his bedroom, turned on the computer, found Guo Zihang's QQ number, and told him to meet at Central Street early the next morning.

Guo Zihang asked what they were doing, but Jiang Qin did not tell him directly. He only mentioned that he had five hundred yuan now, making the guy howl and call him brother.

After arranging the next day's operation, Jiang Qin casually opened Baidu, planning to browse the news and try to awaken memories of key moments involving demolition and redevelopment, policy changes, stock market conditions, market premiums, and the like, all in preparation for getting rich.

But before the webpage had even finished loading, his gaze stopped on the QQ friends list.

Chu Siqi's chat window was pinned to the top? Jiang Qin moved the mouse over it, unpinned it immediately, locked his QQ Space, and changed his cringe old profile picture while he was at it.

After doing all that, he happened to glance at his status message. One look, and he practically clawed out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

I love you. What does that have to do with you?

So embarrassing. Jiang Qin slapped his forehead, quickly deleted it, and replaced it with a line from "Yesterday's Song."

After changing his status, Jiang Qin noticed that Chu Siqi, whose avatar had just been gray, had suddenly come online. Her avatar was flashing too, clearly indicating that she had sent him a message.

So he casually opened it, took one look, then closed it without the slightest interest.

She asked why he had suddenly locked his QQ Space, then ordered him to open it again so she could visit his space.

Visit his space? How many years had it been since he had heard such an ancient phrase? Why not go run errands at a restaurant too? The next morning, the skies were clear and endless, the sun warm and the breeze gentle.

Jiang Qin rode his bike out to the Pedestrian Street on Pingyang East Road.

This street was considered one of the busiest Commercial Pedestrian Streets in Jizhou City. Before the old market redevelopment was completed, it had once been prime territory where all kinds of vendors fought fiercely for a spot. But because the competition was too intense and price wars were brutal, things here ended up relatively cheap.

Because he was thinking about the five hundred yuan in Jiang Qin's pocket, Guo Zihang pedaled furiously. By the time he reached the meeting spot, he was drenched in sweat.

"Jiang Ge, how are you planning to spend that five hundred yuan? I've never been to a bar before. How about we go experience one?"

"Quit talking nonsense. See that uncle selling boxed meals over there? Go ask how much his boxed meals cost."

Guo Zihang followed the direction of Jiang Qin's finger, and his face instantly went pale. "We're eating boxed meals for lunch?"

Jiang Qin narrowed his eyes and did not explain. "Go ask first. Don't worry, I won't treat you badly."

"Okay."

Guo Zihang trudged over and asked about the prices. Prices in 2008 were not too high yet: boxed meals with shredded potatoes cost two yuan, ones with a little minced meat cost three, Chicken Leg with shredded potatoes cost five, and Chicken Leg with a fried egg cost six.

Jiang Qin checked the time, thought for a moment, then tossed two hundred yuan to the Boss and told him not to ask questions—just make the meals.

Then he found two cardboard boxes, packed up some of the prepared boxed meals, and brought Guo Zihang to Internet Cafe Street.

After pushing open the door of one of the internet cafes, Jiang Qin first pulled out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes he had bought on the way and handed it to the Webmaster. Then he began selling the boxed meals. The internet-addicted fools who had been gaming all night were starving, yet did not want to go out for food. Seeing meals delivered right to them, they immediately craved them.

There was nothing special about boxed meals, but they were still better than instant noodles, right? So the two-yuan meals sold for four, the five-yuan ones for seven, and the six-yuan ones for nine. In the end, aside from two Chicken Leg-and-fried-egg meals, everything sold out.

From seven in the morning until one in the afternoon, the two of them made three trips back and forth, visited five internet cafes, and raised prices twice along the way.

Guo Zihang was exhausted, panting with his tongue out as sweat dripped nonstop from his forehead.

Jiang Qin's back was soaked through as well. Squatting beside the road, he wiped his sweat and counted the money.

Two hundred yuan worth of boxed meals had sold for three hundred seventy-eight. In the end, two Chicken Leg meals remained, just enough for one each.

He had not done this to make money, really. The main purpose was to sort out his thinking. Now it seemed his idea was workable—money could be made—but the profit margin was too thin.

Still, Jiang Qin was not disappointed. With only two hundred yuan in capital, how much profit could he expect? It could not possibly be tens of thousands.

Before his rebirth, he had never done business. Pulling this stunt today had been entirely to experience what making money felt like.

But honestly, it was a bit of a loss. He had given away five packs of Yuxi alone, which meant he had already put in over a hundred yuan. Then they had spent half the day on it, worked like dogs, and only earned a little over seventy in the end.

But what if the capital were bigger? What if he flipped something valuable? Doubling seventy-eight was actually pretty good.

Jiang Qin pulled out five ten-yuan bills and handed them to Guo Zihang. The bastard immediately stopped complaining about being tired, clutching the money and repeatedly thanking him.

"Bro, are we doing this again tomorrow?"

"My ass. I'm exhausted, and we only made seventy-eight. I gave you fifty, and what's left is barely enough to buy a pack of cigarettes."

Jiang Qin cursed as he spoke, but inwardly he was still calculating how to earn his first bucket of gold.

Where could he earn that first bucket of gold? Those reborn bastards in webnovels could start huge businesses whenever they wanted, so why could he not? If all else failed, he could go home and persuade his parents to sell the apartment, then dump everything into Bitcoin and Moutai stock.

Just then, the Boxed Meal Chef came over holding a spatula. He stared at Jiang Qin for a moment, then leaned closer with a mysterious expression and handed him a White General cigarette.

"How much did you sell those two hundred yuan worth of boxed meals for?"

Jiang Qin accepted the cigarette and looked up without changing his expression. "Four hundred sixty."

Guo Zihang froze beside him. Wasn't it three hundred eighty?

But seeing how calm Jiang Qin was, he did not dare say anything. He swallowed and lowered his head.