I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 16 Unexpected Discovery

"No rush." ​​Zhang Beichuan waved his hand. "There are two urgent things: first, find a suitable shop, and second, obtain a sole proprietorship license after renting it."

"Why don't you leave the shop business to me?" Lan Baojun volunteered.

Things had already come to this point, and Zhang Dequan couldn't say anything more.

"Xiao Chuan, Bao Jun is quite familiar with the county town, so he'll definitely handle it without any problems."

Zhang Beichuan nodded. "Alright, then I'll leave this to Brother Baojun."

"By the way, are there any requirements regarding the size and location of the shop?"

Lan Baojun smiled and pressed on, after all, it was the first time he had done something, so he had to ask clearly and get things done properly in order to live up to the trust placed in him.

"I think the Jiefang Road area is quite lively. Whether we sell lighters now or expand our product range in the future, it's a good place."

He paused, then continued, "As for the size, it would be best if it were a shop in the front and a yard in the back, so that everyone would have a place to stay."

The advantage of doing this is that Zhang Beichuan will have a private space, making it convenient for him to travel back and forth to 2026 to move things over, and also having a place to store goods.

"Okay, I'll start asking around this afternoon."

With the deal settled, Lan Xiuying looked at her brother's confident expression and then at her husband's smiling face, and she couldn't help but smile too.

With noon fast approaching, Zhang Beichuan used the excuse of needing to go back to the provincial capital to get some goods to sell in order to earn some money.

Yesterday, I bought a box of Fangjian swords for 50.4 yuan, using the 130 yuan lighter I paid for it, plus the 5 yuan Lan Xiuying gave me.

He now only has less than eighty yuan left in his pocket, which is not enough to cover the rent for the shop he will be renting.

But when the old lady heard that Zhang Beichuan had found a temporary job for his youngest son, Baojun, and offered him 80 yuan a month, she grabbed his arm and refused to let him leave.

"Child, it's almost noon, have some lunch before you leave."

Zhang Beichuan looked at his great-grandmother, both amused and exasperated. "Auntie, I really don't have time today. I have to go back to the provincial capital to get some goods, and I'm in a hurry to buy a ticket at the train station. If I'm late, I'll miss my train!"

Upon hearing this, the old lady realized that important matters needed to be addressed.

But this child has helped so much, what kind of talk is it to let him go hungry to catch the train?

"Yingzi, go and get two cans of yellow peaches that Lao Yao bought for me. They're in the cupboard." Turning to Zhang Beichuan, she said, "Child, instead of eating, take these cans with you. Eat them on the way, they'll have something to eat."

Seeing how enthusiastic his great-grandmother was, Zhang Beichuan couldn't possibly refuse the old lady's kind offer.

"Okay, I'll do as you say and take it with me. I'll come to see you again when I have time."

"Good, good, good child."

Lan Xiuying, who went inside to get canned food, came out quickly.

"Xiao Chuan, take this." After saying that, she counted out twenty yuan from her pocket. This money was for Daya and Erya's school fees. "You need money to buy tickets, right? Take this money. It's good to have money even if you're poor."

Faced with this hot potato, Zhang Beichuan couldn't refuse. A train ticket to the provincial capital would cost at least ten yuan, and if he didn't take it, he would be exposed.

"Okay, I'll take it for now. Including the 5 yuan from yesterday, it's 25 yuan in total. Consider it a loan, and I'll pay it back to my sister-in-law when I get back from the provincial capital."

"You've helped your brother so much, what's there to repay!" Lan Xiuying glared at him. "Be careful on the road."

"Youngest brother, business isn't urgent, it'll take a day or two. Be careful on the road." Zhang Dequan walked over and patted his younger brother on the shoulder.

"Brother Xiao Chuan, just focus on getting the goods. Leave the shop to me. I'll give you a satisfactory answer when you get back from the provincial capital."

"Okay, then I'll be going now." Zhang Beichuan nodded to the group, then said to Chen Xiuzhi, "Auntie, I'll come see you next time."

"Hey, drive carefully!"

The old lady escorted him to the gate of the courtyard and watched him disappear into the alley.

After leaving the Lan family, Zhang Beichuan found a secluded alleyway, made sure no one was around, and then, with a thought, returned to 2026.

After arriving home, he packed 50 flint lighters and 20 piezoelectric lighters into his canvas bag, then turned around and went back to the alley in 1986.

Considering the purchasing power of that era, these two types of lighters could cater to different groups of people.

For ordinary families, you can sell them a flint lighter priced at 8 yuan each; for wealthy people, you should definitely recommend a piezoelectric lighter priced at 15 yuan each.

After arriving at Jiefang Road, Zhang Beichuan lingered for a while this time, making sure he didn't see the same people who had been watching him last time, before finally starting his stall business.

While waiting for customers, he was also thinking about what else to bring over to sell.

Three turns and one sound?

Zhang Beichuan clicked on the lighter repeatedly while pondering something.

Bicycles and sewing machines were both too big. In 1986, they were in short supply, but they were also troublesome to use.

Televisions and radios are relatively small, but the technology of televisions and radios in later generations is too advanced, which can easily cause problems at present.

After much thought, he finally fixed his gaze on the digital watch on his wrist.

This thing is small and doesn't take up much space, and it's easy to move around.

Moreover, by 2026, the technology will be mature enough that electronic watches with overly complex functions will not be needed; simply telling time should be sufficient, and the cost will be low.

A middle-aged man passing by, seeing Zhang Beichuan pressing the lighter repeatedly, curiously squatted down.

"Comrade, how much is your self-heating lighter?"

Zhang Beichuan quickly regained his senses and glanced at the black faux leather handbag the man was carrying; the edges were already worn.

"The piezoelectric lighter I have here costs 15 yuan each; it's a high-end product from the coast."

"15?" The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then returned to normal.

Yes, such a high-end lighter should cost this price.

"How do I use this?"

Zhang Beichuan gave him a brief lesson on how to use it and how to adjust the flame size.

The middle-aged man liked it very much, but then he thought that buying a lighter for 15 yuan was a bit of a luxury. Wouldn't it be better to just cut seven or eight pounds of meat for the family?

Seeing the middle-aged man put down the lighter and was about to leave, Zhang Beichuan quickly took out a flint lighter from his pocket.

"Comrade, take a look at this."

The middle-aged man, who was about to leave, stopped and watched as Zhang Beichuan gently flicked the flame, causing it to leap up.

"This is a grinding wheel type, used like a kerosene lighter, but it doesn't need to be refilled. One lighter can last for more than six months."

"How much is this?"

"These are cheap, 8 yuan each."

The middle-aged man took it and tried it several times. The flame was steady, and it was indeed more convenient than a kerosene lighter.

"Eight dollars...can you lower the price a bit?"

Zhang Beichuan smiled and shook his head. "Comrade, this is really the lowest price. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and you'll see that kerosene lighters need to be refueled, which is inconvenient. These lighters of mine were brought all the way from the coast, so they weren't cheap."

The middle-aged man looked at the two lighters in his hand, touched his pocket, wanted to buy them, but was still a little reluctant.

"Comrade, you see, a lighter costs 8 yuan, which seems expensive, but if you calculate it, it only costs 1 yuan a month at most. If you calculate it by the day, that's 3 cents, about the same as using matches, and it's also respectable to have it in your hand."

The middle-aged man thought about it and realized that it made sense. He then took out eight crumpled one-yuan bills.

"Okay, here's a grinding wheel. If it works well, I'll come back to you next time."

"Alright!" Zhang Beichuan promptly collected the money and delivered the goods.

I stayed on Jiefang Road until noon and sold 8 flint lighters and 2 piezoelectric lighters for 94 yuan.

Considering that Lan Baojun was coming here to look for a shop in the afternoon, and that it was so hot at noon in the summer that it made people's scalps tingle, there were fewer and fewer people.

Zhang Beichuan left Jiefang Road directly, intending to go to the department store to inquire about watch prices and take a closer look at the prices of goods in this era.

The department store is a three-story building with a dusty gray exterior.

As Zhang Beichuan entered, a smell mixed with the scent of fabric and mothballs wafted towards him.

The lobby on the first floor is spacious, with rows of glass counters along the wall. Salespeople sit behind the counters, some knitting with their heads down, and others lazily chatting with customers while leaning on the counters.

His gaze swept across the area, intending to find a place that sold watches first, but he had only taken a few steps inside.

A bright, glittering light on the left suddenly caught his eye—it was a gold jewelry counter.

For the first two seconds, Zhang Beichuan didn't react; he was only focused on whether the gold jewelry looked good or not.

But the next second, when he saw a gold necklace priced at 380 yuan, he suddenly felt his throat go dry and swallowed.