stjorthotic Chapter 54 Future Planning
Chapter 54 Future Planning
In the afternoon, Zhang Beichuan went for a stroll in the city. As soon as he returned to Beichuan Department Store, he saw Lan Baojun and the other two beaming with joy.
"What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"
Lan Baojun looked up at him, then walked over with a smile.
"Xiao Chuan, guess how much money we made this morning?"
Zhang Beichuan glanced at Lan Baojun, then at Lan Baoqiang and Bao Hong, who were also unable to suppress their laughter. He estimated that their daily income was only a little over four hundred.
"Can you reach 600 today?"
"We've already sold 526. If we sell a little more this afternoon, we might reach 700 today!" Lan Baojun said excitedly.
Zhang Beichuan nodded. If it really could reach 700, that would indeed be the highest single-day sales figure besides the opening day of Beichuan Department Store.
Seven hundred a day was already a lot in the eyes of Lan Baojun and his ilk, but he still felt it was a bit lacking.
Kitagawa Department Store, a department store should naturally have different kinds of goods. So far, the store only has three categories, which is definitely not enough.
In 2026, you can get your hands on secondhand old-fashioned TVs there, but they were still in high demand here in 1986.
But he knew that as time went on, people's curiosity would gradually fade, and the county market, being only so big, would gradually become saturated.
These days, he's also been thinking about what to do about the future of this place in 1986.
There are indeed many good things in 2026, but some things are too ahead of their time, and it would be too conspicuous to bring them over.
Relying on Beichuan Department Store to smuggle some gadgets for 2026 can make money, but it's not a long-term plan and it's hard to scale up.
An overly diverse range of products, or products that are too advanced, can easily arouse suspicion.
I really want to make something of myself here; this small-scale approach isn't going to work.
To truly establish a foothold in 1986, one must have their own industry, be able to establish a foothold, expand, and benefit the local community.
But if you really want to invest in building a factory and introduce some outdated technologies from 2026, you not only need money, but also need to have some understanding of the relevant industries.
This put Zhang Beichuan in a difficult position for a moment, and he felt anxious, but he still smiled.
"That's really good."
Seeing Zhang Beichuan laugh, Lan Baojun casually asked a question, then took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Is everything alright in the city? Are all the eels sold out?"
"Sold out. I need to go back to Shihe Village soon." Zhang Beichuan said, subconsciously taking the cigarette.
Lan Baojun nodded, feeling much more at ease. He casually picked up a lighter from the counter that was being shown to customers, lit it, and handed it over.
Looking at the orange flame presented to him, Zhang Beichuan felt as if a flame had been ignited in his mind as well.
Lighters were high-tech in 1986, but in 2026, they're just a standard industrial component costing a few cents.
If we had established our own lighter factory here in 1986, we could not only have reduced costs and boosted the local economy, but also have made lighters available to foreign countries more quickly and earned foreign exchange from the West.
This is much more profitable and meaningful than dealing in small gadgets.
"Xiao Chuan?" Lan Baojun called out, seeing him holding a cigarette and looking lost in thought. "What are you thinking about? Oh, by the way, Zhou Jing from the clothing store across the street came looking for you this morning. She said she wanted to talk to you about something, and she did it quite mysteriously."
Zhang Beichuan snapped out of his reverie, flicked off the cigarette ash, and prepared to find time to seriously consider opening a factory.
"Zhou Jing? She's looking for me?"
"Yes, they didn't say anything specific, they're being very secretive. Should I have her come over?"
Zhang Beichuan quickly went through the thought process. He didn't have much interaction with this neighbor, so why was he suddenly showing up at his door in such a mysterious way, as if he were someone who couldn't be seen by others? He was a little curious.
"Okay, let her come."
Lan Baojun stood at the door and nodded to Zhou Jing, who was looking inside.
Zhou Jing knew that Zhang Beichuan had returned, so she temporarily closed the shop and took a long detour before finally reaching the back entrance of Beichuan Department Store.
Hearing the knock, Zhang Beichuan opened the door and got straight to the point.
"Did Boss Zhou want to see me about something?"
Zhou Jing looked around to make sure no one was in the alley, then glanced at Lan Baojun, who was there to watch the commotion, before speaking.
"Boss Zhang, this isn't the place to talk. Why don't you let me go inside?"
"Alright." After leading the person inside, Zhang Beichuan casually closed the door. "Boss Zhou, can you tell me now?"
"Boss Zhang, I have some information that might be useful to you."
"What news?" Zhang Beichuan asked, looking at her curiously.
"About Zhao Xueming and his gang," Zhou Jing's voice lowered, "the other day they were stalking me in my shop, like they were observing you. I overheard them talking, and it sounded like they were plotting something, like they were going to take action against your shop."
Zhang Beichuan's heart tightened, but his face remained calm.
"Why did Boss Zhou tell me this?"
Zhou Jing sighed, "Boss Zhang, I won't lie to you. In all my years in business, the people I hate most are like Zhao Xueming. They bully and monopolize the market just because they have some connections."
Seeing that Zhang Beichuan didn't react, she paused for a moment and continued.
"I... I do have my own ulterior motives, of course. I want to buy some nylon stockings from you to resell. But I know you definitely won't just distribute your stock to others, so I was thinking, if I can help out, maybe..."
Zhang Beichuan understood; Zhou Jing was trying to exchange information for a cooperation opportunity.
"Did Boss Zhou hear the specifics of what they were going to do?"
"They didn't say exactly what they would do. I heard this morning that they're planning to find a quiet time in the next few days to trap them like turtles in a jar."
Zhang Beichuan's heart skipped a beat. A while ago, he learned from his great-uncle Lan Baojun that Zhao Xueming and his gang had been causing trouble while he was away.
After being shocked by my great-uncle one by one, no one has bothered me these past few days.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Xueming was not staying put; it seemed he was observing the patterns of Beichuan Department Store.
I wanted to take advantage of the quieter times, like at night or in the early morning, to go to someone's house to clean myself up.
It's not that we're afraid of bad hooligans, it's that we're afraid of hooligans with education, who come up with all sorts of stratagems!
Just when I was worried about how to take them all in one go, this opportunity came along.
He wanted to see who the real bastard was.
After calming down, Zhang Beichuan looked up at her and made up his mind.
Anyway, nylon stockings are easy to get, and Zhou Jing kindly reminded me that otherwise I might have been tricked, so I didn't mind agreeing to her request.
When I get back to 2026, I'll have to find some used TVs and stuff, then I won't need to use nylon stockings to attract customers anymore.
As long as the TV is on every day in the store, it's more attractive than playing any game.
"Boss Zhou, thank you in advance for this. The nylon stockings are no problem; how many do you want?"
When Zhou Jing heard that he had agreed, she immediately beamed with joy.
"Could you give me some this time? If you need to buy more later, could you bring me some too? The price... you can decide the price."
"Okay, 1.2 yuan per pair. I won't pay you right away. Once Zhao Xueming's matter is resolved, I'll bring you two thousand pairs next time I go on my next order."
At 1.2 yuan per pair, if sold at 2 yuan per pair at Beichuan Department Store, there is still a profit of 0.8 yuan.
Zhou Jing smiled so hard her face wrinkled, realizing that he didn't want to give it to her this time because he was afraid Zhao Xueming and the others would find out. She quickly said...
"Okay, I'll do as you say."