Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Old Scar laughed heartily, "Brother, you really know how to talk. Your words always make people feel good. Otherwise, how could we have hit it off so well from the first meeting?"

Xu Bei knew the other party wouldn't say these things without reason, so he responded with a few hums and haws, waiting for what would follow.

As expected, Old Scar quickly changed the subject.

"Brother, we're such good friends, I won't beat around the bush. Look how much demand we have now, and my customers are pushing the price down. Go back and tell your buddy to give me a discount. Small profits mean bigger sales, right..."

Xu Bei had anticipated this and was not surprised.

However, even if the game system's output is a risk-free business, they won't readily agree to it.

"Brother, to be honest, my buddy put in the labor and materials and took all the risks to make these things, and the price he offered was a real rip-off, with not much profit."

But we get along really well, so I can talk to him for you, but I can't guarantee he'll agree.

Old Scar hurriedly said, "It's alright, as long as you help me pass on the message, that's fine. Actually, I really want to talk in person, but you said the other party doesn't want to show up, which I understand."

Afterwards, the two finished unloading the wooden stools and tables, and Xu Bei earned more than a hundred yuan. Then, Old Scar escorted him to the gate.

He pulled the empty sled a distance before the other person turned back to the yard.

After leaving the street of bungalows, Xu Bei found a quiet place and stored the sled he had specially obtained for delivering goods in the city into the system's warehouse.

Then we went to the back alleys deep in a certain staff and family residential area, which is the area near the black market.

Unlike the last time, when he came, it was desolate and deserted, with no one in sight. Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, there were many more people selling goods and strolling around buying things.

Besides some familiar faces, Xu Bei also saw two people with southern accents selling electronic watches, and a crowd had gathered around them.

Seeing this excitement, Xu Bei certainly wouldn't miss it, and immediately joined in.

The digital watch had a black strap and a dark red display, exuding a sense of technology and mystery from another world.

One of the shorter men from the south skillfully pressed a button on the side.

With a soft "beep," numbers began to appear on the LCD screen, displaying the current time.

This silent beating is simply magical, a completely different feeling from the mechanical watches people wear today.

Another young man, also of short stature, was promoting his product in accented Mandarin: "This digital watch is a genuine Hong Kong import, selling for twenty-five yuan in Beijing. We're new to this place, so we're selling it at a loss to attract customers, only twenty yuan..."

In an era when mechanical watches often cost over a hundred dollars, electronic watches were undoubtedly attractive because they were trendy and inexpensive.

But nowadays, workers only earn a few dozen yuan a month, so selling it for twenty yuan is considered expensive.

Therefore, many people look at it, but very few actually buy it.

"Twenty dollars isn't cheap! The mechanical watches we buy are expensive, but if we take good care of them, they can last for decades. These plastic ones might break at any time."

"Yeah, then we won't even know where to get it repaired. It'll just become a piece of junk."

"If you ask me, it would be better if it were a little cheaper. Even if it breaks after wearing it for a while, it's not a complete loss."

"That's true, young man. Give me a fair price, don't try to pressure me."

"Yes, if you're really serious about selling, don't set it at twenty. It's definitely too expensive, and no one will buy it."

Amid the discussions, some people carefully held it in their hands to examine it, while others stepped forward to negotiate the price.

Xu Bei stood to the side, lost in thought, and made no move for the time being.

He vaguely remembered seeing a report somewhere that said plastic electronic watches smuggled from Hong Kong in the 1980s were very cheap, sometimes even sold by weight.

Then, even if you resell it to remote places like the North and Northeast, it can fetch a high price, more than several times the original price. Today, I've truly encountered this situation.

Xu Bei has no shortage of watches to wear, but he's not interested in digital watches.

After all, no matter how trendy a digital watch was in the eyes of others, to him, who had seen too many exquisite watches from later generations, it was no different from a child's toy.

But his mother and sisters, who had never seen or worn one before, would surely find it novel and appealing, so he wanted to buy one for everyone to wear and play with.

After a while, through the combined efforts of several people, the price of the electronic watch was reduced to eighteen yuan.

The two southerners selling electronic watches refused to budge any further.

Those who really wanted to buy it didn't want to linger in the cold, so they quickly paid and left.

People have a herd mentality; once there's a first, there will be a second.

Xu Bei watched as four electronic watches were sold, but after that, he looked at them more often than he bought any.

When only two or three people remained, he leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "How much cheaper will it be if I buy four?"

The two southerners were surprised that the tall, handsome young man in front of them wanted to buy so much, which was equivalent to the total amount they had just sold.

They immediately exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with joy, which they quickly suppressed.

"We've taken a huge risk to bring this here, and we're really losing money to gain publicity. No matter how much you buy, it'll still be the same price."

"Hey, Cheng, I see this brother is really serious about buying, let's give him a discount, consider it a gift to a friend."

The one called Acheng looked troubled and conflicted, and seemed to have made a great decision before whispering, "Okay, then I'll give you 17 yuan each."

Xu Bei himself had performed this routine many times, so he knew there was still room for price reduction. He immediately whispered, "If you guys are going to do this, then it's no fun. I don't need to buy it. It's not like you're the only ones dealing in digital watches."

After saying that, he made a move to leave.

The two of them suddenly became a little anxious, worried that they had messed things up and lost what they thought was a sure thing.

"Don't rush off, we can talk things over."

"Yes, we..."

Just then, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out from afar.

Immediately afterward, someone exclaimed, "The police are here! Run!"

"Oh my god, here we go again! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Stop dawdling and run!"

"..."

The once bustling black market instantly erupted into chaos.

The vendors scattered and fled like a flock of startled birds.

After all, seven or eight people were arrested at once recently, and everyone is afraid of being arrested, having their property confiscated, and being fined.

The two southerners who sold electronic watches were more afraid than the others.

Because these smuggled electronic watches are a clear example of speculation and profiteering, which has been repeatedly and explicitly prohibited.

But since they were from out of town and not very familiar with the area, they suddenly seemed a bit panicked and unsure of what to do.

Xu Bei hadn't bought the digital watch yet, and feeling a pang of pity, he simply beckoned the two of them to follow him...