Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

However, before pretending to go to the carpenter's shop, Xu Bei went to the nearby grain depot to find Da Hei.

When we arrived, we found Big Black unloading sacks with several loaders.

It has to be said that this guy is dark-skinned, strong, and has a lot of strength. He's a good worker and clearly does the work more easily than the others.

Xu Bei thought he was alright at fighting, but when it came to carrying sacks, he might not be able to beat him.

Dahei threw the bulging sack weighing over 100 jin onto the grain stack, wiped the sweat and dust off his face, turned around, and immediately saw Xu Bei standing at the door.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he grinned broadly, revealing a bright smile. "Da Bei, when did you get back? Why didn't you say anything?"

Xu Bei smiled as he watched his childhood friend run towards him. "I got off the bus yesterday morning, but I was too busy to come find you. I saw you were busy just now, so I thought I'd call you later and didn't say anything."

"What's there to be busy about? We're all just working for the government!" Dahei chuckled, casually brushing the dust off his work clothes. "Let's take a break and find somewhere outside to have a good chat. I don't even know how your trip to the provincial capital went."

"It went even more smoothly than I expected." Xu Bei said succinctly as he walked with Da Hei out of the grain depot, explaining the procurement process.

Hearing this, Dahei kept sighing, "You're really brave and lucky, going off all by yourself."

I got off the bus to grab some breakfast, and by sheer coincidence, I overheard someone mentioning a place that sells jeans. I went there and not only bought jeans, but also managed to get other items from them.

"If it were me, I'd be in big trouble. The farthest I've ever been in my life is to my maternal grandmother's house, which isn't even in the provincial capital. I wouldn't know where I am after getting off the bus, let alone go shopping; I'd probably get lost."

"That's not necessarily true. Human potential is limitless. We can go out and train more often when we have the chance." Xu Bei wants to expand and strengthen his business in the future, so he definitely needs a few trusted confidants. Da Hei, who he grew up with, is undoubtedly among the candidates, and he is happy to train him well.

Unfortunately, Big Black hadn't yet grasped the implied meaning. Instead, he chuckled and asked, "So, how many times have you come back? When are you going to open for business? The New Year is just around the corner after Laba Festival, so you'd better hurry up."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the day after tomorrow." Xu Bei didn't specifically ask someone to calculate the date; he just thought any day would be good. On the way to get the business license framed, the mother and her two children decided to open the business on the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month.

Big Black immediately clapped his hands and laughed, "The day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow is fine! Is there anything else I can help with? I'll lend a hand too."

"I don't need it for now, but I certainly won't be polite when I do."

Xu Bei changed the subject, "By the way, after I got back, my mom handed over the money for the stools you sent. How many more have you ordered but not delivered in the last couple of days?"

Dahei grinned broadly, "Fifty-eight. I met with Guodong yesterday; he and his mother didn't order as many as we did, about forty."

"Not bad. You've made over five yuan after delivering it." Xu Bei paused, then said directly, "I'm in a hurry to get to my boss's place, so could you go and tell Guodong?"

Dahei immediately laughed and said, "No problem. You should go to the boss's place quickly, and it would be best to bring back a lot of chairs. We'll go pick them up after get off work at noon."

Xu Bei came over to let everyone know he was back, and also to ask Da Hei and Chen Guodong to come to his house to pick up the goods later. Having achieved his purpose, he didn't stay long and left quickly.

When Zhao Fengying and the others returned home at noon, Xu Bei had already pretended to have brought back a bunch of stools and several newly made portable folding tables from the boss.

Several people immediately became excited and curious, surrounding it and touching and looking at it.

"Wow, the table is finished. It looks pretty good."

"It's foldable. This style is good; it doesn't take up much space."

"Although I get a 1.5 yuan bonus for each one sold, I don't know if they'll sell well."

"How would you know if you don't try? When we first started selling stools, we weren't sure either, but look what happened, they sold really well."

Especially with the New Year approaching, many households will be busy, and some might want to buy a new table. Selling just one table is equivalent to selling fifteen stools; it's a good deal no matter how you look at it.

"That's absolutely true. Selling one is equivalent to selling more than ten."

Later, Dahei and Chen Guodong also arrived at the house.

Besides offering their opinions on the newly made table, the two also expressed their admiration and respect for Xu Bei and his team's rocket-like speed of work.

"My mom has been thinking about this these past few days and was planning to come visit your aunt to comfort her. Who would have thought that her business is about to reopen?"

"Who isn't? My mom and Xiaomei kept asking when it would be convenient for them to come over for a visit, but I kept making excuses to stop them."

I think Da Bei left on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. Today is the ninth, and they're opening the day after tomorrow! We absolutely have to go and support them.

When it's open, it's better to have a lot of people and a lively atmosphere than to be deserted. Xu Bei naturally wouldn't refuse, "Okay, then you all should go early, and we'll have a good meal together at noon."

Because they were in a hurry to deliver the stools and earn their commission, the two of them didn't linger and each took more than twenty stools and a sample folding table and left.

After Xu Bei and his mother finished tidying up, they went back to the shop to continue their work, and he boarded the small train bound for the city.

Several days have passed since I last delivered goods to Old Scar.

Although he could guess that the other party must be anxious and probably looking for him everywhere, Xu Bei remained calm and unhurried.

After all, only he could supply these wooden stools, and he couldn't send them too quickly or in too many quantities to arouse suspicion; caution was the best policy.

After getting off the bus, Xu Bei also brought a portable folding table with him on his sled when he went to Lao Ba's house.

This time, when they knocked on the door, it was Old Scar himself who answered.

Upon hearing that it was him, one could sense his excitement and hurried footsteps even through the door.

"My dear brother, I've finally got you here after all this time!"

"I regretted it so much before. I didn't leave any way to contact you. It's like searching for a needle in a haystack. I just can't find you at all."

After the other party opened the metal-clad door and the two met face to face, Xu Bei smiled and said, "Sorry, brother, I had to go out on business and didn't expect to be delayed. Also, my buddy made a folding table and brought it over to show you."

Even if Old Scar was dissatisfied, he dared not speak out, and dared not offend the supplier. Moreover, his attention had already been drawn to the table with its clear texture and polished smoother than a mirror.

"It's alright. Everyone has their moments, I understand. Brother, let's come inside and sit down to talk slowly. I also want to take a good look at this table."