Chapter 115: Payment Received

The next day.

The early morning world was clear and bright. Sunlight filtered softly through the thin mist, gently bathing everything in a warm glow. Wang Qiang’s mood was as pleasant as the weather.

He first hired a van to go to the wholesale market. A thousand pairs of jeans weighed over a thousand kilograms—too heavy for a tricycle. The shop owned by Mrs. Xu had everything well prepared. Last time, Wang Qiang had chosen various styles and sizes of jeans, and this time she matched the proportions accordingly.

Quite satisfied, he loaded the goods onto the van.

Then, Wang Qiang took the van to the arcade shop. The young owner, Li, was already waiting at the door. Wang Qiang paid 1,400 yuan, then carried twenty gaming machines and seventy boxes of game cards onto the van, heading toward Luohu Railway Station.

Around ten o’clock, at the shipping department, Wang Qiang confirmed the shipment details of the gaming machines with Luo Jiacheng from Weijia Electronics. Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Qiang shipped the jeans and gaming machines together.

After finishing everything, he had a late breakfast.

Around eleven-thirty, he boarded the train back to Shanghai.

...

Two days later.

Shanghai, North Square.

Just past seven in the morning, the train finally arrived.

Feeling as if his whole body was about to fall apart, Wang Qiang rubbed his aching shoulders and rushed to a nearby phone booth to make a call. Initially, he wanted to call Old Zhu, but then he recalled that Old Zhu’s motorcycle couldn’t handle such a large cargo. Besides, his dealings with Old Yao were meant to be kept secret from Old Zhu. So, Wang Qiang changed his mind and dialed Old Yao’s number directly.

“Hey, Brother Yao, this is Wang Qiang.”

Old Yao immediately asked, “Oh, Xiao Wang, have the jeans and gaming machines arrived?”

“Yes, yes, they’re here at the North Square of the train station. Can you come by with a van to pick them up? There’s quite a lot. Since we’re dealing secretly, I can’t let Brother Zhu know. What do you think?” Wang Qiang said.

“I’m coming right now,” Old Yao sounded excited. “My friends have been urging me to get those jeans for days. Finally, they're here! Xiao Wang, you’re really capable, it’s like you can get anything.”

Wang Qiang laughed, “Look at you praising me. Next, you’ll be asking me to bring down the stars and the moon. I’m not that talented.”

“Haha, you’re really funny. Okay, I’m on my way. See you in ten minutes. By the way, if these jeans sell well, I might order more next time. Is that okay?” Old Yao asked eagerly.

Wang Qiang had long suspected that Old Yao wanted to profit off others, so he wasn’t surprised. “Sure, we’ll talk then.”

They hung up.

Wang Qiang was pondering. Old Yao would probably settle the payment soon, and that would be another over ten thousand yuan earned.

Money was coming in.

Should he invest in some mobile communication devices now?

Wang Qiang’s first thought was to steel himself and buy a bulky cellphone. Then what? What else to buy? Well, what else indeed? Of course, he’d be there clutching the big phone, munching on steamed buns with pickles. With a net worth of just around ten or twenty thousand yuan, buying a bulky cellphone? That would likely require going to a developed country like the U.S. or Japan.

Better to start with a pager.

Even before the money arrived, Wang Qiang’s mind was already racing. Communication tools were crucial. But before that, there was one thing to handle. He hurried back to the shipping office and tore up all the shipping receipts. He couldn’t let Old Yao know where he sourced the goods from; otherwise, he probably wouldn’t be able to make money off this clever man again.

Soon, Old Yao rushed over.

Together, they loaded all the goods onto the van.

...

The van was driving along the highway.

Old Yao, smoking a cigarette, asked, “Hey, what’s the deal with those single arcade machines?”

Wang Qiang yawned in the passenger seat, not hiding anything. “Brother Zhu and I are partners in an electronics business. Those single arcade machines will be delivered to others.”

Old Yao’s eyes brightened. “How much can you make from all those single arcade machines?”

“Not much,” Wang Qiang replied vaguely.

Old Yao wasn’t satisfied. “Not much? How much exactly? You can tell me, I’m your brother, what can’t I know?”

“Just a few thousand yuan.”

“Three thousand is a few thousand, five thousand is a few thousand. How much is it really?”

“There’s a red light, Brother Yao, stop, stop.”

“Don’t change the subject, just tell me.”

Old Yao kept pressing.

Wang Qiang, tired of dodging, wished he had just spent the money to hire a car. So he deliberately understated the amount, “About three or four thousand yuan.”

Unexpectedly, even such a modest figure surprised Old Yao, who glanced at him with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

Wang Qiang feigned ignorance, looking out the window.

Old Yao’s eyes flickered. Taking advantage of the red light, he hinted pointedly, “Is the money you two make together enough? If not, I can put up a hundred or two hundred thousand yuan. We can grow the business bigger and stronger. Small-time deals aren’t worth it, right?”

Since Old Zhu’s warning, Wang Qiang had been wary of Old Yao, but hearing this, his heart skipped a beat.

Indeed.

It wasn’t easy to make money from small deals.

If he had a few hundred thousand yuan on hand and found the right buyers, the speed of making money would increase tremendously.

It was hard not to be tempted by Old Yao’s offer of partnership. Wang Qiang considered the pros and cons. He currently had little cash on hand; partnering with Old Yao would mean more working capital immediately. As long as they found good buyers, the business could scale up significantly. But what about control? Old Yao would provide most of the funds and would surely want to know the supply channels. What if he pushed Wang Qiang out later?

Wang Qiang’s worries weren’t unfounded. Third parties often pushed out the original partners. Take Wang Shi of Vanke, founder of a huge real estate empire—he ended up being ousted. So Wang Qiang was determined to maintain control and not be recklessly tempted.

Seeing no response, Old Yao coaxed further, “Running a business alone isn’t the way. You, me, and Old Zhu could each put in some money and start a company. I and Old Zhu put in more, you provide the supply. With less money from you, we split the shares equally. How about that?”

Wang Qiang hadn’t made up his mind and replied vaguely, “Let me think about it.” He looked up and saw the green light. “Brother Yao, you can go now.”

“Alright, think it over carefully.” Old Yao started the car.

...

About ten minutes later.

The van stopped outside Baihui Clothing.

Wang Qiang jumped down first. “Brother Yao, shall I help you carry the jeans inside?”

Old Yao waved his hand, smiling, “No need. I still have to deliver some to friends later. Come on, let’s go inside first. I want to settle the payment with you.”

Wang Qiang blinked. “Aren’t you going to check the jeans first?”

“Oh, I took a quick look at the train station. No problem.” Old Yao closed the van door and walked toward the store.

Wang Qiang followed.

Inside, they saw a fashionable woman in her thirties sitting behind the counter.

She had an oval face and was quite attractive.

Old Yao introduced as soon as he entered, “This is your sister-in-law.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang greeted her proactively, “Hello, sister-in-law.”

The woman nodded politely but indifferently.

Old Yao frowned slightly. “Shu Yue, this is Xiao Wang. I’ve told you about him many times.”

“Oh? This is Xiao Wang?” Shu Yue, who had been indifferent, immediately smiled broadly, stood up, and said, “I finally get to meet you in person! Old Yao talks about you all the time, says you’re so capable at such a young age, hehe.” She beamed. “Old Yao, you go talk with Xiao Wang a bit. I’ll make him some tea.”

Wang Qiang hurried to say, “No trouble.”

“No trouble at all. Have a seat.” Shu Yue went inside.

Actually, Wang Qiang was a bit puzzled. He had seen the thermos placed in a corner of the counter. Why run inside to make tea?

A little later, he understood.

While chatting casually with Old Yao, Wang Qiang suddenly saw Shu Yue come out holding a small leather wallet and hand it to Old Yao.

Old Yao took the wallet, smiling, “You still owed me 11,300 yuan from last time. It’s all inside. I’m giving you the wallet along with the money. Check it over.”

Wang Qiang’s heart raced. He glanced outside to make sure no one was around, then opened the zipper and quickly counted. Exactly 11,300 yuan.

“That’s right. I’ll return the wallet to you later.” Wang Qiang said.

The payment had finally arrived.

And that 11,300 yuan was pure profit.

Holding the money, Wang Qiang felt genuinely happy. Even the tea Shu Yue served tasted especially sweet. Adding the previous 3,200 yuan, this trip earned him a total of 14,500 yuan from Old Yao.

This was real business.

In the past month, from selling fish to selling arcade machines and running the game room, he had only made 12,800 yuan.

Now, a single deal brought in 14,500 yuan. How could he not be pleased?

Wang Qiang was more determined than ever to pursue wholesale. It saved time and effort and brought faster returns. Just the thousand pairs of jeans, gaming machines, and game cards had earned him such a sum. And there were still single arcade machines not yet delivered to Wei Hong, which would bring another windfall.

Moreover, Wang Qiang had a plan in mind: if he could fully open sales channels for both electronics and home textiles, he believed the money would come even faster in the days ahead.