Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"Tingwei, come down here," Wang Hanli called back.

"Dad, my stomach suddenly feels uncomfortable, so I won't come over. You two talk." He spoke in a natural tone, as if he were genuinely in pain.

If we really go there and run into Li Jiayu, there's no guarantee we won't slip up. With unclear relationships and unknown backgrounds, who can take the blame if things go wrong?

"Oh, then you can rest in the car for a while." Wang Hanli didn't ask any more questions and walked straight ahead with Qi Zhendong. The cooperation was already settled; whether they knew each other or not wasn't something to worry about right now.

Wang Tingwei watched the two figures disappear into the distance, his fingers unconsciously tapping the steering wheel twice.

He stared at Li Jiayu's profile and muttered to himself, "Hopefully... it's just ordinary contact."

Li Guoshu was also in the refrigerator business, and his first thought was that he was in the same industry. But then he realized that with such a large business, he couldn't succeed without a strong backer.

If Xu Damao really relied on Li Jiayu...

His Adam's apple bobbed.

He was present the day his cousin Wang Tingxuan went to jail. No one explicitly said who submitted the whistleblower letter, but rumors had already reached his ears long afterward.

He didn't believe it then, but now he dares not gamble anymore.

Qi Zhendong and Wang Hanli approached Xu Damao's side. After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Hanli introduced Qi Zhendong to Xu Damao.

Li Guoshu and Li Jiayu glanced at it briefly before looking away, paying no further attention.

Li Jiayu had heard of Wang Hanli's name but had never met him in person; Xu Damao only called him "Boss Wang," so Li Jiayu didn't connect the man in front of him with Wang Tingwei's father, whom he was planning to deal with.

Qi Zhendong has lived in the United States for many years, and among his peers in Shanghai, very few people can recognize him.

"Mr. Xu, congratulations on your grand opening! May your business flourish!"

Wang Hanli had just finished introducing Qi Zhendong when he offered his congratulations.

"Haha, thank you for your kind words. I'll be at ease if we can sell it for 800,000 today."

Xu Damao lowered his tone, which was unusual for him.

A while ago, ten appliance stores in Qingdao opened on the same day, and their total sales on the first day barely exceeded 800,000 yuan. Now, the long queues outside are even denser than in Qingdao. Xu Damao is confident... Today's figures will definitely break records. These words sound modest, but they actually carry a strong sense of confidence.

When the accounts are presented, everyone will be astonished.

"Don't worry, Mr. Xu. With so many people, 800,000 won't be a problem."

Wang Hanli was quick-witted; after a rough estimate, he had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Then I'll take your words as an example."

Before Xu Damao finished speaking, the store door opened and the crowd surged forward, scrambling to squeeze inside and heading straight for the coupon counter.

One coupon, 10% off.

"Don't rush! Line up!"

"Sir, you've already received yours, you can't take any more."

"Step back! Don't push!"

"..."

"Let's go in and take a look."

Wang Hanli nodded to Xu Damao and Qi Zhendong, then stepped inside.

What he really cared about was how many Venus refrigerators had been sold.

Li Guoshu and Li Jiayu stood to one side. He only nodded to them and didn't look at them again.

The two men were in their early forties. In Wang Hanli's eyes, they were just two young people who had never been to a shopping mall or handled cash. They had nothing to do with each other, and it wasn't worth bothering to pay attention to them.

"Are you coming in?"

Xu Damao turned around and asked a question.

Both of them shook their heads.

It's packed with people inside; going in is pure torture.

Furthermore, the Xiangjiang refrigerators they distribute have long been established in the north. Before coming to Shanghai, they had already calculated that as long as the distribution was adequate and their reputation remained positive, sales would be good. There was no need to keep an eye on things on-site.

As soon as Xu Damao turned around, he was swept into the store by the crowd.

After the person had walked away, Li Jiayu opened the car door, turned to Li Guoshu with a smile, and said, "Uncle, I heard you bought a villa for a pregnant woman? Was it your doing?"

He had just taken the time yesterday to ask Lei Zhenguo if things had been settled, and in the process, he learned about Tian Tian.

"Nonsense." Li Guoshu got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. "That's someone Guoxin is keeping on the side. My sister-in-law found out, and she came to Shanghai this time specifically to keep it from them. She's pregnant, and has two other kids at home. She really had no other way to make a living, so she came here..."

He recounted Tian Tian's story verbatim.

"Uncle Guoxin, this is too wild!" Li Jiayu whistled.

Having two children plus a pregnancy means starting a new life from scratch.

That's really something.

"You have the nerve to say that about him?" Li Guoshu glanced at him sideways. "Don't you have one on your head too?"

"I'm different," Li Jiayu shrugged. "If I were to really get married, I'd cut all ties cleanly. I'm clear-headed."

"You think you're so smart?" Li Guoshu scoffed. "Who took Wang Tingxi away from the disco that night?"

"Oh, I've met her parents."

Li Guoshu spoke casually, but he was not at all uneasy.

"What?"

"Uncle, are you serious?"

Li Jiayu was taken aback; he really hadn't expected this.

He had previously mentioned helping Li Guoshu find a partner, but the other party only said "let's talk about it in two years," which he always considered a hobby.

"We've already seen it all, so what's the difference between real and fake?"

Li Guoshu was unwilling to discuss the matter in detail and simply brushed it off vaguely.

He did have feelings for Wang Tingxi… He wanted to get close to her, to be intimate with her, and to sleep with her whenever he saw her. But marriage? Twenty-three was too early. He drew a line for himself: if they were still seeing each other frequently and were deeply in love after he turned twenty-five, then marrying her wouldn't be difficult.

What is her family background?

"Let me think about it for you."

Li Jiayu immediately straightened up.

The Li family has deep roots in Shanghai, and not just anyone can enter their home. He didn't want to call a woman he didn't know "Auntie."

"All I know is that they live in the municipal government compound."

"What's your last name?"

"king."

king?

Li Jiayu's mind raced through a list of names... Wang Hancheng, the secretary-general, Wang Zhenbang, the discipline inspection commissioner, Wang Qiming... all of them had the surname Wang.

He pressed further, "What's your name?"

"Wang Tingxi".

Holy crap!

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel.

"Uncle, you're awesome!"

"You just landed in Shanghai and already won over the daughter of the 'Loser'?"

Li Guoshu was stunned and couldn't respond for a moment.

At the same time, inside the electronics store.

A young female saleswoman stood next to the Venus refrigerator, holding up an English instruction manual, her voice clear and bright:

"This is a Venus refrigerator made in the USA, with all core components imported. It cools quickly, is quiet, and consumes little electricity. The design is a new model from this year's Milan Design Show, featuring a double door and a variable temperature zone, and supports remote temperature control via mobile phone..."

The saleswoman couldn't read a single word of the English labels, so she relied entirely on her eloquence to explain them clearly, breaking them down sentence by sentence.

"Comrade, could you give me a discount on this refrigerator?"

About thirty people gathered around the booth. A man in his early fifties spoke up, his voice loud and clear.

All appliances are clearly priced. A wooden sign stands in front of the Venus refrigerator: 3900 yuan.

"Yeah, let's lower it a bit."

"Comrade, loosen your grip, give me 900 less, and I'll take one right away."

As soon as she finished speaking, the people around her remained silent, but their eyes all swept over the middle-aged woman... She really dared to speak up. Nine hundred yuan, she even cut off the change, without batting an eye or breaking a sweat, without even hesitating.

The saleswoman paused for a moment, then laughed: "Ma'am, nine hundred really won't do. The factory price is already close to three thousand, plus the tariffs, customs clearance, and warehousing costs for goods shipped from the US... You do the math, even if we sell it at a loss, it'll still be more than that."

She paused, then raised her hand and held up five: "Alright, since it's the first day of business, I'll give you a 50% discount. Just for good luck."

"One hundred! 3800, a round number is easy to remember, I'll buy it!"

The old man who spoke first answered the question decisively. His eldest son was studying in the United States and was a big fan of the brand. He had already decided on it and was just waiting for an opportunity to place an order.

"Selling it for 3800, we'll work for free." The saleswoman frowned and shook her head. "We won't make a penny, and we'll even lose money on our labor."

"Let's lower the price by another ten dollars, making it 3840. That's really the bottom line."

"3800, pay now." The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick, neatly stacked wad of ten-yuan notes, worth at least seven or eight thousand. Someone who could afford to send his son abroad to study wouldn't be clueless.

The saleswoman bit her lip, pinched her palm with her fingertips, and pretended to struggle for a moment: "...Fine. Let's make it a good start with the first sale."

"Comrade, I want one too, 3800!"

"Me too!"

"Save one for me!"

"..."

Once the first order was placed, the crowd immediately came alive. Bargaining erupted, with the price stuck at 3800; no one pushed it down or up.

In less than half an hour, more than twenty people had registered and paid. Outside the store, people were still pouring in, clutching money and staring intently at the silver-gray Venus.

Qi Zhendong, Wang Hanli, and Xu Damao stood on the outermost circle, their faces unable to contain their expressions, their lips constantly curling upwards.

Xu Damao paid them 3000 yuan per unit and sold them for 3800 yuan, making a net profit of 800 yuan; for twenty units, he would earn 16,000 yuan.

Qi Zhendong and Wang Hanli's costs are even lower... The factory price is 600, plus a tariff of 100, totaling 700. They sell it for 3800, making a profit of 2300 per unit. Twenty units would be 46,000, close to 50,000.

If you sell 100 units a day? That's 230,000 a day. Over a year, that's more than 80 million.

(Of course, it's unrealistic. But the thought alone warms my heart.)

And then consider the entire northern market... 100 million is not a dream.

Their chests burned, their ears turned slightly red, and even their breathing became a little heavier.

Wang Hanli turned to Xu Damao and smiled, "Boss Xu, would you do me the honor of having dinner together tonight?" His tone carried a subtle hint of respect.

Xu Damao waved his hand: "Sorry, Li Guoshu and Li Jiayu have made plans. Let's do it another day."

"Oh dear, Mr. Xu is busy, I understand," Wang Hanli replied immediately, showing no sign of urgency.

Before he finished speaking, three more Venus appliances were signed. Xu Damao glanced at them discreetly and made a mental note of them.

Before the morning was even over, this store had already sold fifty-two units. The situation at the other nine stores hasn't been tallied yet, but judging by this momentum, it shouldn't be much worse.

Shanghai is an open and pioneering city, and its people have plenty of money. After waiting for almost a week, the city has become very popular. Venus is an American brand with a well-known name, shiny exterior, and instruction manuals printed like picture books... It's expensive, but people trust it.

In the evening, Xu Damao finally made a phone call: "Boss Wang, Boss Qi, report the other nine stores. Venus sold the most, between 50 and 70 units each. Send another thousand units over."

American products are indeed very popular in Shanghai and Beijing. Consumers are quick-witted, have deep pockets, and recognize foreign brands; with these three factors combined, price becomes a guarantee of trust. In smaller inland cities, a domestic two-door car costing 300 yuan would probably sell faster.

"Alright, Mr. Xu!" The two responded readily, their voices ringing with excitement.