HPDBC Chapter 50 Expanding the Scale
Chapter 50 Expanding the Scale
The next morning, Zhang Beichuan went to Baijia Market, rented a shop, mailed out the materials needed for the business license, and then returned to 1986.
After 1986, instead of rushing back, he went to a gold shop in the county town and spent 2000 yuan to buy about 50 grams of gold.
"Xiao Chuan, you're back so early today?"
Lan Baojun, who was about to restock the counter, looked at Zhang Beichuan who came in through the back door and asked.
"Yeah, my friend picked me up halfway today, so it was a bit faster." After saying that, Zhang Beichuan put the tricycle in the yard and strode ahead.
Zhang Dequan had just seen off a customer when he turned around and saw Zhang Beichuan.
"How's it going? There are more eels than usual today. Have you taken any?"
"We've made our move." Zhang Beichuan took a breath and continued, "Third Brother, let's go back together at noon. We need to add some more men."
"The more the better? Can we possibly have that many?"
A big question mark appeared in Zhang Dequan's mind. A few days ago, his youngest brother asked him to go back to the village to find more people to catch eels. Now he can gather about 160 jin a day.
If we add more people, how many kilograms of eels will we need per day?
"Third Brother, my friend has landed a huge order to supply the provincial capital. He needs at least 300 jin a day, and he might need even more later."
Zhang Beichuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes gleaming.
"In another month or so, the quality of the eels will be poor, so we need to seize the opportunity to get them."
"Okay, okay..."
Just past noon, Zhang Beichuan and his father had a quick bite to eat, told the three Lan brothers to watch the shop, and then rode their bikes back to Shihe Village.
Lan Xiuying, who was drying hay in the sun, heard the clanging and clattering of bicycles and tricycles in the distance and subconsciously turned around to look.
"Honey, Xiao Chuan, why are you two back at this hour?"
Zhang Dequan, who got off his bicycle, briefly explained the situation.
"You want so many eels?" Lan Xiuying was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth.
"We need not only eels and loaches, but also river fish, with eels being the primary focus," Zhang Beichuan added.
Considering that catching eels would take a lot of time and that they needed to be kept fresh, Zhang Dequan didn't linger.
"Xiao Chuan, you stay home and rest for now. I'll ride my bike to find someone to ask."
Upon hearing this, the villagers offered to help catch eels and deliver them to Zhang Dequan's house, promising to buy them for two cents a pound. Everyone agreed without hesitation.
The main reason is that the money is too easy to earn, and people simply can't refuse it.
At this moment, Zhang Beichuan, under the pretext of going to the toilet, turned around and ran back to 2026.
Since we're going to do seafood wholesale, we'll need a lot of equipment and containers.
Buying these things costs money, and right now he's completely broke, so he has to exchange some money first.
Zhang Beichuan, holding the gold he had bought that morning in 1986, contacted the dealer who had first acquired the gold.
He sold 52.6g of gold at a price of 1350 yuan per gram.
"Brother, it's 71052 yuan in total. Shall I transfer the money to you?"
Zhang Beichuan nodded, and then a text message arrived with a ding.
【招商银行】您帐户6999于04月01日入帐71052元，余额71056.38元......
"Alright, I'll be going now. Remember to contact me if you need anything else next time."
Zhang Beichuan nodded slightly, and after watching him get into the car, he went directly to the basement and drove straight to Baijia Market.
Yesterday afternoon, he saw a shop in the market that specializes in selling second-hand aquaculture equipment. He planned to go there first to order the equipment and make preparations in advance.
Five temporary aquatic holding boxes with refrigeration, a set of aeration equipment, and a set of water circulation treatment equipment cost 36000 yuan in just one morning.
"Brother Xiaochuan, what's your shop number in the market? I'll have the installer from the shop come over this afternoon and I guarantee you'll be able to use it normally by tomorrow."
"Stop at number 28 in the seafood section, could you please pack it for me now?"
The owner of the aquatic equipment company knew he was in a hurry, but he didn't expect it to be this urgent.
"All the chefs in the shop are out right now..."
"Please help me, I'll add an extra 500 yuan for the installation fee!"
The main issue is that Zhang Beichuan won't stay in 2026 indefinitely, and after the equipment is installed, it needs to be tested, which takes time both internally and externally.
Upon hearing this, the boss immediately burst into laughter.
Installing equipment is a very simple job. It mainly involves debugging the equipment. It only takes two or three hours, and you can earn an extra 500 yuan. Who wouldn't be tempted?
"Alright, I'll install it for you myself!"
With the seafood shop owner personally taking charge, and the shop having both water and electricity, the setup was completed in just three hours.
After setting up the equipment in the shop, Zhang Beichuan went to the nearby GG company and spent 800 yuan to make a signboard—Beichuan Seafood.
I stopped by a nearby shop and bought a recliner.
By the time the GG company personnel finished installing it, it was already 6 PM.
"Boss, we'll be going now."
Zhang Beichuan handed a cigarette to each of the masters, locked the roller shutter door, and ran back to 1986.
And here, less than ten minutes had passed.
In the afternoon, when my mother and her two daughters came home from school, they saw that the yard was full of children from the team, as well as some villagers who had come from other groups after hearing the news.
After all, this is too rare. In the past, there were no people willing to pay money to buy eels, which were so rare that even eating them was difficult.
Many villagers who were unaware of the specifics wanted to come and see for themselves.
Everyone watched with smiles as Zhang Beichuan, Zhang Dequan, and the other two deftly weighed the items and settled the accounts.
"Come on, Da Hu and Er Hu, you two weigh 26 jin today, that's 5.2 yuan."
The villagers who had been watching the spectacle started shouting as they saw Zhang Beichuan actually hand the money to the two boys from the Sun family.
"Xiao Chuan, are you still buying eels tomorrow? My kids are always running around wildly, could we let them catch some too?"
Zhang Beichuan looked up at the woman, and while doing his calculations with paper and pen, he said...
"Sure, I'll buy any eel as long as it's the right size and fresh. I also buy loach and fish, but not much for now, at 2 or 8 cents per pound."
"In addition, it's best to keep the caught eels in clean water at home overnight."
Upon hearing this, the villagers nodded, looking at the children in front of them. Some had as little as one yuan, while others had as much as five or six yuan.
Everyone immediately stopped watching the spectacle and ran home, planning to catch some with their children that night, raise them overnight, and bring them over the next afternoon.
They were so eager, afraid that if they went to the fields too late, they would catch fewer eels.
Xiaoli, Xiaoju, and Xiaocui, seeing their parents working up a sweat, dropped their schoolbags and rushed to help.
It wasn't until almost 7:30 p.m. that the children who had received the money gradually dispersed.
Zhang Beichuan wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. On the ground were more than a dozen buckets filled with eels, weighing a total of 254 jin (127.5 catties).
Because the notification was given at the last minute, the number of people today is not very large.
He believed that by tomorrow, the number would be much greater than today's.
Afterwards, Zhang Beichuan discussed tomorrow's arrangements with his grandparents.
Tonight, he will ride his tricycle to take the eels to the county town. Zhang Dequan will stay in the village tomorrow to help with the collection of eels. Once a certain number are collected, he will make a trip to the county town.
"Xiao Chuan, can you manage to go to the county town by yourself? These eels, plus the water, will weigh over 300 jin (150 kg)."
Zhang Beichuan looked up, saw the worry in his grandmother Lan Xiuying's eyes, and smiled.
"Sister-in-law, 300 pounds is no problem. Riding a bike isn't like carrying a heavy load on your shoulders. Don't worry."
Once he leaves the territory of Shihe Village, he can simply ride his bike back to the county town without having to pedal back himself.
Zhang Dequan thought about it and figured it shouldn't be a big problem.
"Yingzi, why don't you go and get some food for Xiaochuan? After he eats, I'll take him to town."
Lan Xiuying nodded and quickly started preparing dinner.
As night fell, a magical scene appeared in Shihe Village.
In the past, many of the women who used to cool off at the village entrance have disappeared. Instead, they have all lit torches and taken their children to the fields to catch eels.