I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 93 Jiang Xia's Plea for Help

Looking at the empty fish tank, Zhang Xiaoli stood at the entrance of Beichuan Seafood Store, looking left and right, but couldn't see Zhang Beichuan anywhere, so she muttered something under her breath.

"Hey, this kid went to the warehouse to get some goods, where did he take them?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned her head and saw Zhang Beichuan slowly driving his bread truck toward the store entrance.

"Why did it take you so long? Didn't you say the warehouse wasn't far?"

Zhang Beichuan, who had just jumped out of the car, listened to his mother's words and quickly opened the trunk while explaining.

"A new batch of goods just arrived at the warehouse, which caused a slight delay."

In fact, he spent the whole day there in 1986, and then early in the morning he brought over some of the eels that Zhang Dequan and Zhao Weidong had sent the previous afternoon, which delayed him for a while.

Zhang Xiaoli didn't have time to ask any more questions and quickly stepped forward to help.

Working together, the mother and son quickly moved about a dozen seafood transfer boxes into the store and restocked the fish tanks.

Although it was almost noon, the Baijia Market was still more bustling than Zhang Beichuan had imagined.

I had just added some water to the fish tank when someone came over immediately.

"These eels look good. What's the price?"

"42 yuan per jin, brother, how much do you want?" Wiping her hands on her apron, Zhang Xiaoli walked over cheerfully, picked up a few eels, and said, "They just arrived, look at them, they're all so lively."

The middle-aged man bent down, examined it carefully, and nodded.

"Give me 50 jin!"

While his mother was busy catching and weighing eels, Zhang Beichuan helped by bagging them and adding oxygen.

The voice prompts from the payment software in the store rose and fell incessantly.

"2100 yuan received in my China Merchants Bank account..."

To Zhang Xiaoli, the crisp electronic announcements sounded more beautiful than any music.

While she was busy, she couldn't help but silently do the math in her head.

"This deal made a gross profit of about 400, that one about 300... In just one hour, I've already made nearly 2,000!"

Around lunchtime, the flow of people slowed down a bit, so Zhang Beichuan went to the side of the street and bought two boxed lunches.

"Mom, eat first, then rest for a while."

Zhang Xiaoli took the lunchbox, but had little appetite for it. Her eyes kept glancing outside the shop, as if afraid of missing a single customer.

"Mom, I've really seen something new today. I heard you said that wholesaling seafood was profitable, but I never imagined it was this profitable! By now, you must have made at least 30,000 yuan, right?"

Zhang Beichuan smiled; in reality, he had only earned 30,000.

Today, the Beichuan aquatic products business has been open for a long time, and with the goods delivered to Ma Ben, Wang Ping, and others, we have already earned nearly 20 yuan.

Not only are there more than 2,000 jin of eels in the warehouse, but there were also nearly 5,000 jin of eels from over there in 1986 that we haven't been able to get over.

"Mom, there are fewer and fewer people this afternoon. Let's clean up after we finish eating and get ready..."

"What are you cleaning up?" Zhang Xiaoli immediately interrupted him, pointing to the two remaining vats of eels. "There's still some left, isn't there? And look, more people are coming now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he watched as his mother dropped the lunchbox in her hand and ran out, as if afraid that the customer would run away.

After selling another twenty or so jin of eels, Zhang Xiaoli happily wiped her hands, picked up her lunchbox, and continued eating.

"Mom, no matter how profitable this business is, people can't go without rest, can they?" Zhang Beichuan said helplessly. "Think about it, it's been more than ten hours since 2 a.m., and we still have to open early tomorrow morning."

At this moment, she was full of energy, but then she glanced at her son, who looked sleepy.

"Okay, you go back and rest this afternoon. Mom will stay here and keep an eye on things a little longer. It's only noon, it would be a shame to close up shop now. Let's sell as much as we can and try to sell these two tanks. Then I'll take the subway home, and you can come pick me up when you get home early tomorrow morning."

Seeing his mother's eagerness to stay at the shop, Zhang Beichuan felt both touched and amused.

He knew that this was the first time his mother had personally experienced the feeling of a booming business and a steady stream of wealth, and the excitement and sense of accomplishment she felt made her unable to stop.

"Alright then." Exhausted, Zhang Beichuan gave in. "Mom, you can decide how to sell them. Once you've sold these, head back. Don't overwork yourself; a taxi ride won't cost much."

"Okay, okay, hurry back after you finish eating, and drive carefully on the way." Zhang Xiaoli waved her hand and turned around to greet the new customer warmly, "Boss, want to see some eels?"

Zhang Beichuan smiled and shook his head. After leaving the store, he didn't rush home. Instead, he went to the neighborhood near the warehouse to inquire about suitable apartments to rent.

Whether it's for myself or waiting for my dad to come back, it's too much of a hassle for the whole family to run from the East Gate to the South Gate.

Renting a place nearby would make it easier for everyone to take turns resting, and people wouldn't have to keep running around.

As Zhang Beichuan left the Lianjia store, he held the keys and let out a long sigh of relief.

The house is located in the same residential area as the warehouse; it has three bedrooms and two living rooms.

Although the decor is a bit outdated, it has the advantage of being close to the warehouse and market.

The rent is also reasonable, 2800 per month, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid in advance.

He's already made plans. He'll pack up and move over in the next few days so his parents can take turns resting after they finish their work during the day.

I checked the time; it was a little past five in the afternoon.

Zhang Beichuan started the van, preparing to go back to Dongmen to cancel the lease on the rented house there. Just as the van pulled out of an intersection, his phone vibrated.

He glanced at it while waiting at the traffic light and saw it was a WeChat message from Jiang Xia.

"Are you off work yet?"

Zhang Beichuan raised an eyebrow and casually replied with a message.

"?"

Immediately afterwards, the phone rang.

"Tell me the truth, were you serious about that suggestion you gave me the other day—to turn the coffee shop into a barbecue and craft beer place?"

Zhang Beichuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Of course I'm serious. What, have you figured it out?"

As he spoke, he drove the car to the side of the road and stopped it.

"Hmm." Jiang Xia's voice was steady, without his usual joking tone. "I've been thinking about this carefully these past few days, and I've also visited a few good barbecue and grain restaurants. You're right, a small coffee shop like mine simply can't compete with chain brands."

The reason for changing his mind so quickly was that Jiang Xia carefully calculated the current turnover. If they continued to hold on like this, they would lose a lot of money every day.

On the other hand, I called my mom yesterday and heard that the parts factory in our family is getting fewer and fewer orders and is not doing well.

She didn't want to admit defeat, and she was even more embarrassed to spend her family's money again, so she wanted to give it one last try.

Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Zhang Beichuan also abandoned his joking thoughts.

"Have you thought this through? This is no small matter; modifications, equipment, personnel, supplies... a whole host of things will cost money."

"I know, I just wanted to talk to you about this." Jiang Xia paused, "How about we meet at our usual spot after get off work?"

"Okay, I'll go there now."

"Okay, then I won't drive. Taking the subway will be faster."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Beichuan started the car again.

Although Jiang Xia can be a bit loud and boisterous at times, she's actually quite resilient. It seems she's really been forced into a corner this time because she's determined to change her career path.

Well, we're friends, so I'll help if I can.