My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 143 I Have People or Not
"That's how it is. It's not that I didn't want to contact my family, it's just that there were no other options at the time. To put it bluntly, we had to hide from people when we went out on the street back then," Zhou Jiye said, sounding slightly exaggerated.

"That's true, safety first."

Old Wen nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something and asked Zhou Jiye, "You just said you got a Hong Kong ID card? So you're considered a Hong Kong resident now?"

“Yes.” Zhou Jiye grinned and said, “I can be considered an overseas Chinese. You can say that you have overseas connections because you know me? Hahaha, but you should know this identity. You can’t go out and show off, since I didn’t come back through official channels.”

"Brother Wen, let's just keep this to ourselves and not mention it again," Xu Guoqing reminded him from the side. Old Wen nodded to indicate that he knew the importance of the matter.

"By the way, what are your plans for this trip back?" Xu Guoqing asked. "Did Lin Meimei tell you? After you disappeared, she proposed to quit. Wen Ge and I tried to persuade her, but she insisted on quitting. We really had no other choice..."

"I know about this." Before Xu Guoqing could finish speaking, Zhou Jiye said, "I'm really sorry that she quit and made you all worry. But even if she hadn't quit, I would have made her quit. After all, you can see her belly. She's due to give birth in a little over three months, and it's really inconvenient for her to continue doing this job."

"And what about you?" Old Wen asked from the side, "It's one thing for Lin Daiyu to withdraw, and it was an accident that you weren't there at the time, but now that you're back, what are your plans?"

"Hehe, is that even a question?" Zhou Jiye said with a smile, "Of course we'll continue working together! It's one thing if I don't come back, and it's another thing if I do. Besides, I'm about to become a father, and I still need to earn money for baby formula and to support my child. I can't just stay at home and rely on my wife to support me, can I? Brothers, please help me out. For the sake of our previous friendship, please lend a hand to your brother again."

As he spoke, Zhou Jiye clasped his hands together and bowed, looking pitiful.

"Go to hell!" Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen laughed and cursed at the same time, their faces showing a relaxed expression.

Zhou Jiye's disappearance had always been a source of anxiety for them, especially for Xu Guoqing, who felt deeply guilty about it. Now that Zhou Jiye had finally returned safely, a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. However, because of Lin Ying's previous withdrawal, he felt very sorry for Zhou Jiye. Now that Zhou Jiye had said this, clearly indicating his stance, Xu Guoqing was completely relieved.

"Then let's do it this way, just like before. If we brothers are of one mind, our strength can break metal!"

"Brothers united, their strength can break metal!"

The three of them clasped hands tightly and laughed heartily.

"By the way, Brother Qing, I went to see Brother Wen today and found that there are more and more stalls in the market now, and the prices of things have dropped quite a bit. Brother Wen said that the competition is a bit fierce now, and price reductions are inevitable. What do you think about this?"

Xu Guoqing nodded and said, "That's true. Actually, when we went to Lingnan last time, there were already signs of it. After Awei and the others came back, they set up stalls in several markets. Within half a month of their return, some other quick-thinking people started doing the same thing. Especially these days, more and more people are heading south."

"Not long ago, the special economic zone was established in Shenzhen, and the policies in Lingnan became more open, so the number of people going to Lingnan to run their own businesses suddenly increased significantly."

"From Shanghai to Guangzhou in Lingnan, the round trip by train takes about five days, and at most a week, if you include the time spent picking up the goods in Guangzhou. These people are like ants moving house, carrying large and small bags on their shoulders and in their hands, calling on friends and relatives. As a result, the goods on the market are not as rare as before, and the competition has naturally increased a lot."

"Moreover, everyone knows what sells well and what makes money, so they all rush in and buy similar goods. In this situation, there are too many similar goods on the market, and you simply can't sell them if you don't lower the price. If you can't sell these goods here, you can buy them from other places. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Zhou Jiye said he understood and pressed for details about the current profit situation. Xu Guoqing didn't hide anything from him, telling Zhou Jiye that although the current profit was lower than before, it didn't have a big impact, since they were still making money. However, when they first started in this industry, they could achieve up to five times the profit, but now achieving a little over three times the profit was considered good. Furthermore, given the ongoing development of this situation, they estimated that profits would further shrink, and the competition would likely intensify soon.

"Profits have dropped a bit, but this business is really profitable. To tell you the truth, we mainly rely on volume, so overall it's still pretty good. Just ask Brother Wen. During your time in Hong Kong, we made two more purchases. Although the profit per product is lower, the large volume and fast turnover mean the overall profit is still decent."

“Aqing is right. Actually, everyone in this business isn’t stupid. Even though prices have been lowered, some bottom lines can still be maintained. The selling prices are all about the same, so everyone can make a living.”

"Isn't anyone trying to sell at a lower price?" Zhou Jiye asked curiously.

Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time: "Yes! Of course we have some. Last month, some guy took a batch of goods and sold them off at a low price. Do you know what happened after that?"

"what happened?"

"Hehe..." Xu Guoqing stubbed out his nearly finished cigarette in the ashtray, pointing and laughing, "Just like that, he got taught a lesson as soon as he showed his face. This guy's trying to ruin everyone's livelihood! No business can operate like this. That very night, someone broke his leg, and his entire shipment was ruined with smears. He's still lying in bed at home." "Ah! That's serious?" Zhou Jiye was startled. Wasn't this a bit too much?
"Is it excessive?" Xu Guoqing sneered: "If someone breaks the rules of the industry, they're just thrown into the pot. In the past, this would have been considered lenient. It would have been good enough if they hadn't thrown him into the Huangpu River to feed the fish. This is just a lesson. He's lucky to have this result."

"Hey you two, you weren't involved in this, were you?" Zhou Jiye thought it made sense. If those who broke the rules weren't punished, no one could do business anymore once this precedent was set. This was for the best. However, this wasn't a good thing in the end, and if the police found out, it would be illegal. Looking at Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen's expressions, Zhou Jiye couldn't help but ask.

"Don't worry, this has nothing to do with us. It was someone else who did it. But as for who it was, I don't know, Brother Wen doesn't know either, and we don't want to know."

As they spoke, Xu Guoqing winked at Zhou Jiye with a knowing look. Old Wen stood by, smiling and silent. Seeing their expressions, Zhou Jiye gave them a thumbs up, a gesture of admiration.

"By the way, are you picking up the goods now or going to Ma Village?"

“We haven’t gone there for a long time.” Xu Guoqing shook his head and said, “After the incident last time, the people in Macun have become much more restrained. I’m also worried about another incident. In addition, the policies have been relaxed since the establishment of the special economic zone in Lingnan. Achang has directly found local connections and can get goods directly from the special economic zone. Although the price is slightly higher than in Macun, it’s more reliable. Plus, we don’t have to open blind boxes like in Macun. We can get the goods directly according to our needs. So now we have Achang order the goods locally, and then we arrange a time to go there to make the transaction and then transport the goods back.”

"What kind of goods are you selling? Are they the same ones you sold before?" Zhou Jiye asked, recalling the goods that Lao Wen's stall had sold today and the goods that Xu Guoqing's stall had sold on Fengyang Road.

"More or less. There are a few new products, and some styles have been adjusted, but the actual stock is basically the same."

Zhou Jiye pondered for a moment, then asked, "By the way, is Achang able to get other goods from Lingnan now?"

"Other goods? What goods?"

"For example... electrical appliances?"

"Electrical appliances?"

"Yes! It's things like televisions and tape recorders. Do you remember those cassette tapes we had before?"

"I remember! Of course I remember!" Old Wen nodded and said, "I still have more than a hundred tapes that I haven't sold yet. But recently, there are a lot of tape recorders on the market. I often see Gangdu carrying a four-speaker device and wandering around the street, playing music from the speakers at a blast, like a lunatic."

"As for televisions, they are rare items. Televisions in department stores not only require coupons and are extremely expensive, but they are also often out of stock. Currently, only people with overseas connections bring them back directly from abroad, or you can buy them from overseas Chinese stores using the newly issued foreign exchange certificates. They are rarely seen on the market."

At this point, Lao Wen sighed, "We've also considered getting our hands on this stuff, but Achang doesn't have the connections. We inquired about it when we went to Lingnan not long ago, and it turns out these are in high demand in Guangzhou too. So, are you planning to look for a way to get them?"

"I do have this idea, but it's unclear whether it will work out." Zhou Jiye didn't dare to make a guarantee.

Although Zhang Bo had given him a contact number through Xiang Heng, telling him to contact the other party if he wanted to get any goods in the future, Zhou Jiye wasn't sure if the other party could actually provide those products. Moreover, he hadn't had a chance to contact them yet, and he had no idea how capable the other party really was.

However, from today's conversation with Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen, I learned that if we continue to rely solely on the sales of the existing products, it's not impossible to resell them back and forth, but the profit margin is starting to decrease, and the competition is becoming increasingly fierce. If we continue like this, the profit margin will probably be very thin in a few years, and then it won't be very meaningful to continue in this line of work.

Moreover, both clothing and other items are influenced by trends, especially the former, which tend to have very short lifespans.

Once the trend fades and the style becomes outdated, it will be difficult to sell.

Xu Guoqing mentioned earlier that they are gradually shifting from high-profit single-product strategies to volume-driven strategies to maintain a certain level of profitability. This approach seems feasible, but it carries significant risks. Large quantities of goods can easily become unsold due to changes in design, style, and fashion trends, leading to cash flow problems and negatively impacting the future.

After much thought, Zhou Jiye suddenly remembered the appliances he had asked Xiang Heng to buy when he returned. If he could get a batch of appliances to sell, it would be a channel that no one else had. Moreover, appliances have higher profit margins and are easier to sell, so it might be a good idea.

(End of this chapter)