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Chapter 482: Chapter 482: Buy Tickets
As Tong Yao expected, the minute Shi Yan’s store reverted to normal price, customers vanished like smoke into thin air. Conversely, her storefront was now flooding with customers.
Watching Wenwen hustling around elated her. Having been closed down for so long, she felt guilty about collecting her paycheck, but now things were finally looking up. Based on the current situation, in just a few days of business, she’d be able to make up for the losses.
Business had returned to the same scale as before the tea shop across the street appeared; it was booming.
Haggard, after watching their shop return to solitude, Shi Yan and Lin Man wore faces like a dyspeptic stomach. Conversely, the shop assistants were in good spirits. After a week of hard work without increased pay, and bosses throwing tantrums about earnings, they yearned for some downtime.
Being shop assistants, they hoped for less business, after all, who wouldn’t prefer getting paid without having to work?
"These people are so heartless. We offered them free tea, and now the minute we hike the price, they immediately dart off to Tong Yao’s tea shop. What’s the difference between them and an ungrateful pack of wolves?" Enraged, Lin Man raged at Shi Yan as they observed their shop.
These people had enjoyed their generosity for so long that now, when they would have been expected to return the favor, they turned to Tong Yao’s shop instead.
With a grim expression on his face, Shi Yan fiercely said, "Let Tong Yao have her moment, once we make some money, I will slash down prices until Tong Yao’s shop shuts down for good."
Lin Man glanced sidelong at him, "You claim to have a good relationship with Xiao Mingqiang, yet, the second money comes into the fold, people shy away in fear. They are reluctant to lend you money to undercut Tong Yao’s tea shop."
If only Xiao Mingqiang were supporting them, they could’ve driven Tong Yao’s tea shop out of business.
Shi Yan was skeptical of Xiao Mingqiang’s help but the thought of him lending money for outside trading mitigated it to an extent. He reasoned, "We can’t say that, without Mingqiang’s help, where else could I have found money for outside trading?"
Even though he claimed to be selling televisions and watches, once bought at higher prices, they are sold at a meagre sum, barely fetching any money.
If it had not been for Xiao Mingqiang’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to distribute this month’s salaries.
As he continued to defend Xiao Mingqiang, scoffing coldly, Lin Man interjected, "He is now a big boss, don’t for a moment imagine your relationship to be the same it was when you started outside trading. Let me tell you, if you don’t strive to earn money, even meeting Xiao Mingqiang will become challenging." 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Hearing this, Shi Yan’s face darkened. This was a fact he was well aware of. Even if Xiao Mingqiang didn’t look down on him, he would still feel inferior.
After a moment of reflection, he said, "Now that you have received your visa, let’s check the goods. If everything is in order, we can leave in a couple of days."
Upon hearing about the international trip, Lin Man looked somewhat relieved. Despite excited about it, she felt somewhat anxious given that it was to a foreign land she had never visited before.
After surveying the markets, Shi Yan quickly located a source for his goods. Having traded several times, he knew what was lucrative and easy to sell as if it was the back of his hand. The only mystery was whether they would run into trouble this time.
...
After Guo Jinnian received her visa, she couldn’t wait and immediately took a train to Kyoto. This trip, she had brought along a surprise for Tong Yao.
This was the second time Tong Yao received Guo Jinnian at the Railway Station. However, unlike her previous visit, this time she came alone.
When she saw Guo Jinnian carrying a hemp bag larger than her from Jiang City, Tong Yao was stunned. It had not occurred to her that Guo Jinnian could be so bold.
As Guo Jinnian put the goods in front of Tong Yao, she chuckled, "How about that? Are you surprised?"
"Surprised? My brain cells are about to dry up," said Tong Yao as her eyes focused on the merchandise, "You’re not telling me this entire bag is filled with hairpins, are you?"
Guo Jinnian shook her head, "Not entirely, there are also bracelets. You mentioned that these things sell well overseas, right? Since things are cheaper in Jiang City compared to Kyoto, I brought some along. You will not believe how cheaply I got these."
Handing over the purchasing list to Tong Yao, as she scanned it, her eyes lit up. Since the advent of online shopping in her previous life, small items were readily available at lower prices. Most online businesses dealt in these items which were immensely cheaper.
"Let’s bring the goods to my place! Tomorrow we can buy train tickets. While we’re at it, we can visit the local markets to see if there are other items we could carry along. During our trip, we should try to haul as much as possible."
Tong Yao didn’t want to take frequent risky ventures. The idiom ’those who walk by the rivers often get wet shoes’ popped into her mind.
"Alright."
Guo Jinnian nodded in agreement with Tong Yao’s idea.
Tong Yao offered to help Guo Jinnian carry the goods, however, Guo Jinnian declined, "With your frail physique, it would be better if you stayed away from such heavy lifting. I can manage."
After saying this, she bent down to lift the bag as if hoisting a bag of cotton. Astonished by her strength, Tong Yao understood why Guo Jinnian was so fearless while traveling.
Even men rarely matched up to that strength.
On their return home, Guo Jinnian dropped the goods in a corner and gasping for breath she asked, "Is there anything to eat? I’m starving."
"I can make you some noodles!" replied Tong Yao.
"Sure, I am not choosy about my food. Anything on the menu is fine by me."
True to her word, Guo Jinnian did not complain about the food. She ate a large bowl of noodles that Tong Yao prepared. They debated for a while and Tong Yao speculated that hankies could be a potential hot sell. But since she had never sold those before, she wasn’t sure.
After their discussions, they decided to carry a few along keeping in mind they were cheap and wouldn’t incur significant loss if not sold.
Having fluency in English, Tong Yao was not worried about the language barrier. Although Guo Jinnian had a limited academic background, her courage, coupled with Tong Yao’s companionship, she wasn’t worried either.
After a good day’s rest, they journeyed to the railway station to purchase tickets. Given that many people were headed to E Country, tickets were difficult to come by. After half a day in queue, they managed to get their hands on a seat, three days later.
"Finally, we managed to get it. Why are so many people traveling abroad," Guo Jinnian gasped for breath coming out of the crowd. She had thought very few people were traveling abroad.
"It seems very lucrative nowadays, many people have become wealthy because of this."
As they walked out of the railway station, Tong Yao then went on to analyze, "Did you notice people buying tickets? They were subtly dressed, yet had a watch on their wrist and wore leather shoes. It was clear they were rich folks trying to be low-key."
In those days, genuinely wealthy people preferred to keep a low profile while traveling long distances. Flashing wealth was believed to be an unsafe practice.
Unaware of these subtleties until now, upon getting enlightened by Tong Yao’s analysis, Guo Jinnian contemplated, "Should we consider looking a bit shabby then?"
