Sales Preparations

By dinner time, Fang Bai closed up the shop and went with his father to the Old Restaurant to order food.

"Son, is Tingting not coming over after school?" Fang Shi sat down at the table and poured tea for himself and his son.

Fang Bai replied, "Dad, it's up to her. She probably hasn't been coming out these past couple of days." Sometimes he was too busy to even eat dinner, and with his younger sister waiting, she likely didn't want to disturb him, so she stayed away.

After the father and son finished eating, as they walked back toward their rental, Fang Shi said, "Eating out every day costs too much. The rental has a kitchen—we can just buy some groceries and cook ourselves."

"It doesn't cost that much. We're busy all day—when would we have time to cook?"

"Tomorrow there'll be more people. Eating at a restaurant will cost over ten yuan, but cooking at home only takes a few yuan."

"The food we cook might not suit everyone's taste. That restaurant's dishes are decent and reasonably priced," Fang Bai explained, understanding his parents' desire to save money. "Dad, just take your time getting used to it. If we have dozens of people in the future, we can't possibly cook ourselves—we'll have to hire a chef or eat at a small restaurant outside."

"Then do whatever you think is best."

After their meal, the father and son strolled along the street for a while before returning to the rental.

Back in his room, Fang Bai sat down and thought about how to sell the TVs.

He planned to sell them at a street stall, but realized several issues needed solving.

First, customers buying second-hand TVs would definitely worry about the warranty period—what if it broke down a few days after purchase? Fang Bai didn't have a real physical store. Could he use his current rented shop as a repair shop? Absolutely not! If customers saw that, they'd realize the TVs were completely assembled from e-waste imports—refurbished junk! They'd likely demand a refund and return. So he'd have to keep the shop's main door closed most of the time, only opening the small door, so not too many people knew he was assembling imported e-waste here.

Second, setting up a street stall meant he'd need to tap into someone else's electricity, which was a bit troublesome but manageable.

Third, he had no cardboard boxes to pack the TVs. There was no time for that now; he'd order from a box factory once he had more funds.

Fourth, transporting the TVs—he'd need to buy a tricycle or rent a vehicle. Customers would worry about moving the TVs themselves. Delivery and installation? That didn't seem like Fang Bai's problem. Back then, who delivered TVs when you bought them? He slapped his forehead—he really didn't need to offer delivery. Of course, if he could, sales might be better, but without the means, customers could just hire a tricycle to haul them home. They probably wouldn't worry about the TV not making it there.

There were plenty of other details Fang Bai needed to sort out. He talked it over with his father to keep him in the loop, since the old man would be on the front lines selling. Fang Bai liked to plan ahead and anticipate problems, so he could avoid risks and surprises, and wouldn't panic when things came up.

"Dad, if the street stall doesn't sell well, we'll have to try opening a shop."

"Mm, you handle it. I don't really get this stuff." Fang Shi saw his son interviewing people and organizing tasks methodically—something he couldn't do himself—so he decided not to interfere, just listen, and focus on the work. He could shoot the breeze normally, but when it came to the family's future, he wouldn't mess around.

The next morning, the part-time students arrived on time to repair the TVs. Six people came today. Fang Bai had them open the TV backs first, then he drew out the problems and had them fix them. These students had all been interviewed by Fang Bai and had some basic electrical skills and hands-on ability. After a brief explanation, they knew what to do. Assigning tasks only took a little time, and then he slipped into the next room to read, telling them to call him if they had issues.

He sent his father to scout nearby areas for a good street stall spot and to buy the necessary tools.

That day, the six part-time repair workers fixed and cleaned 21 TVs.

It was their first day, so efficiency was a bit low. Fang Bai's requirement was five TVs per person per day, repaired and cleaned. Getting 21 done on the first day barely met his standards.

He planned to test the waters selling in Oubei first, tapping into the local residents' purchasing potential.

The plan was good, but things changed.

By evening, Fang Shi returned and reported to his son, "Son, the busiest spot is outside the Bus Station. Right nearby is the Passenger Terminal, with people coming and going all day—tons of them."

The Bus Station was only three or four hundred meters from their shop. From the intersection on their street, turn a corner and walk south for a hundred or two meters, then another few dozen meters south to the Passenger Terminal. Near the Bus Station was a street that served as the main route to and from the city center, with pedestrians streaming by. Plenty of vendors set up stalls there. Fang Bai knew the spot well—he took the ferry from the Passenger Terminal when coming back from the city to Oubei. The people commuting daily between Yongjia County and the city had decent financial means and purchasing potential.

The only downside was that everyone was rushing in the morning, with little buying interest. Nothing would sell then—it'd be better to set up near a vegetable market. But the foot traffic was huge, and in the afternoon, most people had time on their way back. The target was commuters to and from the city, not people catching buses at the station. If he was going to set up a stall, it had to be on that main road. Only an idiot would sell TVs right at the bus station entrance. As long as he did good promotion and sparked people's desire to buy, someone would eventually make a purchase.

Now that I'm setting up a stall, I don't need to worry about the Chengguan as much—just have to keep an eye out for petty thieves.

The public security in Wen City is pretty good. If this were somewhere else, Fang Bai would really be afraid of thugs and gangsters causing trouble.

After thinking it through, Fang Bai said to his father, "Dad, let's settle on that spot. We'll go set up the stall after lunch tomorrow. The only hassle is finding a place to run the power line."

"We'd better buy a tricycle—it'll be more convenient for hauling goods."

"Alright, I'll go buy it tomorrow. You stay home and study."

"Mm. After you buy it, take it to one of those auto repair shops to modify it so we can load more stuff." Fang Bai pulled out his backpack and took out a thousand yuan to hand to his father.

A tricycle wouldn't cost that much, but he gave his father extra—there were too many places that needed money.

Fang Shi took the stack of ten-yuan bills, feeling their weight. He hoped his son's business would take off quickly and recoup the investment.

The next morning, Fang Shi rushed out to take care of things.

Around nine o'clock, the two girls in charge of sales arrived, and Fang Bai went over some precautions with them again.

Besides them, there were also two male students responsible for watching the site and moving the TVs.

These two guys looked rough and rugged—just from their appearance, ordinary punks wouldn't dare mess with them.

They could serve as gatekeepers and haul goods—perfect fit.

With money paving the way, he hoped everything would go smoothly without trouble.

That was Fang Bai's thinking: spend a bit more, make more connections with people who could help, avoid trouble when possible, but not be afraid of it when it came.

After marking the TVs that needed repair today, he rode out on his bike to inspect the site and get a feel for things.

A little while later, he arrived at the Dock. In the distance, the Oujiang River rippled gently, carrying a faint lapping sound.

On the river, boats shuttled back and forth, piled high with cargo. The gaps at the bows and sterns were crowded with people crossing between the two banks.

At the dock, people came and went, and goods were stacked like mountains.

Workers in tattered clothes and worn-out shoes carried loads with shoulder poles, their sweat soaking through their undershirts. They were busy but their eyes were determined, occasionally letting out a shout to boost their spirits.

The scene at the dock made Fang Bai feel the vitality and energy of this era. Having come to this time, he too wanted to ride the waves and carve out a career.

To create a more comfortable life for himself and his family, and also to contribute a little to this country.

After watching for a while, Fang Bai turned his bike around and headed back, arriving at the street near the Bus Station.

He circled the area and found plenty of empty spots suitable for setting up a stall.

The open space in front of a Small Restaurant looked especially good. Fang Bai went straight to talk to the boss. First, he offered a cigarette and chatted a bit to lower the other man's guard, then got down to business.

A few minutes later, Fang Bai and the restaurant owner reached an agreement.

Fang Bai said he'd run the power line from the shop, paying five yuan a day for electricity, which also covered renting the space in front of the store. It wouldn't interfere with the boss's business, and it might even bring in customers and boost his reputation.

The other man was a businessman, so Fang Bai had to communicate with him on business terms—he couldn't let the guy take a loss.