Pass By, Pass By, Don't Miss the Opportunity

After securing the venue, Fang Bai only then remembered he didn't have a loudspeaker.

A loudspeaker was the soul of street vending; as long as the sound was passionate and the content unique, it could always draw the attention of passersby.

Thinking of this, Fang Bai rode his bike to look for one, eventually buying it at a general store.

Not long after returning to his rental, he saw his father coming back on a tricycle, the outer frame reinforced with wooden boards and a few plastic tie-down straps purchased.

Once the tricycle arrived, Fang Bai ordered the goods to be loaded.

So far, a total of 30 televisions had been repaired, and Fang Bai planned to move them all over—quantity would attract attention.

First, they laid cardboard on the tricycle bed, then placed the TVs, starting with the large ones at the bottom, layering smaller ones on top.

A single tricycle could only hold a few TVs, but luckily the distance wasn't far; a few trips wouldn't be a problem, no need to rent a vehicle.

Fang Bai led the way, his father rode, two part-time student helpers pushed from behind, and the two girls followed.

Arriving at the venue, they unloaded the goods, and Fang Bai had everyone spread a solid blue waterproof tarp on the ground before placing the TVs on it.

Fang Bai and the girls stayed to watch the goods, arrange the merchandise, and set up the antenna, while the others went back to move more TVs.

They deliberately placed a 32-inch Panasonic color TV in the middle-back of the stall. After powering it on and adjusting the antenna, a clear picture appeared in no time.

Passersby came and went, very curious about what Fang Bai and his group were doing. Seeing the large color TV, it instantly caused a stir.

A 29-inch imported Panasonic Hua Wang had a market price of 12,000 yuan and was already the largest color TV size available domestically; very few people had ever seen one.

As for a 32-inch color TV, it was likely that hardly anyone in the country had seen one—it wouldn't normally be promoted domestically for another ten years.

Fang Bai had only managed to find this one 32-inch color TV; it seemed to have been damaged by lightning, with extensive circuit board damage, but fortunately it could be repaired.

He guessed that this 32-inch color TV had just been released overseas, otherwise it wouldn't have turned up among the electronic waste imports.

Before long, dozens of onlookers had gathered around the stall, many murmuring among themselves.

"Wow, such a big color TV, I've never seen one before."

"The biggest color TV I've ever seen is a 21-inch; one this big is a first for me." When locals talked about TV sizes, they said "cun" instead of "inches."

This "cun," of course, wasn't the traditional Chinese unit of 3.33 centimeters, but 2.54 centimeters per inch.

"What are they doing? So many TVs—are they planning to sell them?"

"They must be selling TVs, setting up a stall."

Most people just watched quietly; after all, a large color TV was too expensive, and they didn't dare touch it—what if they broke it and had to pay for it?

On Fang Bai's side, he then turned on the TV and adjusted the channel.

In later years, selling TVs meant powering up all the display units and playing the same program on all of them, creating a gathering effect that attracted more people.

In the middle, they placed a 32-inch large color TV, with a 21-inch color TV on each side, all connected to the same antenna.

After setting up five TVs, his father delivered a few more, along with price tags.

Fang Bai had the two girls place the price tags in front of the TVs. Once the audience saw the prices, they realized Fang Bai and his team were really selling TVs.

Still, the audience couldn't believe how cheap those TVs were.

"Heavens, a 21-inch color TV is only 1,100 yuan! That cheap?"

"Yeah, it's cheap, but it looks a bit old—why is that?"

"A 17-inch black-and-white TV is only 150 yuan, half the price of a new 14-inch one."

"A 29-inch color TV is 2,500 yuan, a 14-inch color TV is 368, a 14-inch black-and-white is 78—so cheap."

Seeing the price tags, the audience realized this was a TV sale, and the prices were incredibly low.

Fang Bai noticed the crowd's expressions and was surprised at how stunned they were.

Next, he turned on the electronic megaphone, and a tempting voice covered dozens of meters around, drawing even more passersby to watch.

"Come one, come all;

If you pass by, don't miss the chance;

All imported high-end brand TVs, quality guaranteed, 80% off the original price!

Originally 1,680, now not 998, not even 680.

Now only 368!

You heard right, just 368!

Imported color TVs you can't buy in the country—you can get them here!

They won't break in three or five years, and you can pass them down to the next generation!

Not a family heirloom, but no home can do without one.

As long as you own a color TV, you're the brightest boss in the whole village."

The voice on the loudspeaker was Fang Bai's own; he had recorded it a few times, imitating the tone of a TV sales host.

To get this script right, Fang Bai had recorded it over and over countless times, but it still lacked that street vendor karaoke king vibe from later years.

If it were later times, hearing such an ad, Fang Bai wouldn't even want to listen—he'd find it too noisy.

But in this era, it was absolutely stunning.

Before they could even finish listening, the two girls couldn't help but burst out laughing. Passersby were also drawn in by the novel lines, listening over and over again.

The people of Wen City were highly sensitive to new things, so one after another, they walked over to the stall to take a look.

"Miss, a TV at twenty percent off—is it really that cheap?" someone in the crowd asked.

As the salesperson, Li Meng replied enthusiastically, "Yes, big brother, every TV here is just twenty percent off!

Of course, these are test units from TV factories in developed countries. Some of them were manufactured a few years ago and show signs of use, but the quality is fine—you can verify it right here."

Both salesgirls were juniors in college, with decent looks.

The one with a slightly rounder face was Li Meng, and the other was Chen Xiaofang.

Fang Bai had chosen them mainly for their sharp tongues and quick wits.

He didn't pick beauties—in this era, overly pretty girls tended to stir up trouble, and Fang Bai didn't want any hassles in his business.

"Miss, what's a test unit?" a curious onlooker asked.

"Well, auntie, TV factories run various performance tests to check the lifespan and functions of the TVs. All the parts are original factory parts—just a bit older in version, but still quite advanced for domestic use," Li Meng replied earnestly. These TVs were actually refurbished units, but they worked fine. Still, the lines Mr. Fang had given them were a bit misleading to the common folks.

Fang Bai had explained to them that they were original factory goods, just refurbished—otherwise, how could the price be so low? The sales pitch wasn't really deceptive.

Besides, they weren't passing off inferior goods as top-quality, nor were they lying to customers that these were brand-new sets.

"Test unit" was a compromise term. If they called them electronic waste cobbled together from foreign junk, probably no one would buy.

But claiming they were new? Fang Bai didn't have that thick a skin, and he didn't want to cheat people.

Refurbished units at twenty percent of the original price—that wasn't unreasonable.

"Oh, so is there any quality guarantee?"

Li Meng followed the script: "You can test them on the spot, and they'll last a few more years without issue.

If you find any quality problems after buying, you can bring them back for a full refund.

Folks, if you're interested, feel free to come take a look."

Fang Bai had prepared answers for all the questions customers might ask.

If something came up that wasn't covered, the girls would have to wing it.

With her call, many in the crowd leaned in to examine the TVs.

The crowd kept growing, now over a hundred people. Fang Bai hadn't expected so many, so he had two sturdy laborers manage the scene and sent word with his father to have two more repairmen help him push the cart and rush more stock over.

"Miss, can you lower the price a bit? This 14-inch color TV at 368 bucks is still too expensive." A man in his forties asked Li Meng from the crowd.

Li Meng put on a pitiful tone: "Uncle, we're already selling at a loss—can't go any lower.

This batch is limited; once it's gone, it's gone."

The man pulled out his money from a big bag and showed it to Li Meng, looking helpless. "Miss, I really want to buy this 14-inch color TV, but I only have 360 bucks on me, and I need to keep some for the trip back."

"Tell you what, uncle, wait a moment—I'll ask our boss."

With that, Li Meng walked over to Fang Bai and briefly explained the situation.

This was also a sales tactic Fang Bai had taught them: when facing a customer with strong buying intent, don't turn them down outright.

"Asking the boss" was just for show—she could decide on her own.

Fang Bai said, "Alright, sell it to him for 350. Most people don't carry that much cash when they go out—keep that in mind. When you're selling, remind customers we'll be here every other day, so they can prepare the money in advance.

But also be careful—with so many people now, keep it short. Too much talk and you'll get overwhelmed."

With Fang Bai's approval, Li Meng walked back to the man with a smile. "Uncle, our boss said considering your situation, we can let it go for 350.

Honestly, 368 was already a loss—buying it is a steal."

"You sure know how to talk, miss. I'll pay up and take that 14-inch color TV." Seeing the crowd so thick, the man figured if he hesitated even a little, someone else might snatch it up.

Li Meng wrote him a sales slip, took the cash, handed it to Fang Bai, and told the man he could take the TV.

"Miss, no packaging?"

"Uncle, just so you know, this is a test unit—it's been opened before, so there's no manual or box.

If there's a quality issue, we'll be here every other day for a while—you can bring it back for a full refund."

Hearing Li Meng's assurance, the man stopped worrying about the packaging and just made sure to carry it home carefully.

Seeing someone pay and haul off a TV, many others started asking about prices, their buying desire stirred up.