Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

As soon as the family meeting ended, the atmosphere in the house immediately changed. A tense yet expectant feeling filled the air.

This wasn't about buying a pot of hot water for a few cents; it was about betting the entire family's savings on a high-stakes gamble with an uncertain future.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Luo Xinde put on his thickest cotton-padded coat, tucked two packs of cigarettes into his pocket, and went out. He was going to find Uncle Chen to discuss renting a tractor.

Li Minxia then took stock of all their belongings at home. Besides the 960 yuan, she also dug out some loose change that she had saved for visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year, which she had hidden at the bottom of a box, and rounded it up to a total of 1,000 yuan. This was their entire start-up capital.

Luo Xiyuan and Luo Wen were not idle either. Relying on her memories from her previous life, Luo Xiyuan wrote and drew on a piece of paper, listing the items that needed to be purchased.

"For pork, it must be pork belly and pork shoulder; these two types sell the best."

"Cabbage is in short supply in every household right now, so we can order more."

"Potatoes and radishes keep well and are inexpensive, so they're good to have with this dish."

"Tofu! Yes, and more tofu! During the snowstorm, soybeans couldn't be transported in, and the village's tofu workshops shut down long ago. Now, if anyone has fresh tofu, it'll be snapped up like crazy!"

As she wrote, she explained to Luo Wen, "In business, you can't just buy whatever is cheapest; you have to consider what people need most. In this situation, basic needs are the key."

Luo Wen nodded repeatedly, taking out a small notebook and writing down all the words his sister used—"essential needs," "costs," and "profits"—that he didn't understand but found impressive. He felt that his sister was now like a martial arts master, and he was the little page responsible for recording the secrets.

More than an hour later, Luo Xinde returned, his face beaming with joy.

"It's done!" he announced excitedly as he walked in. "I talked to Uncle Chen, and he agreed! We can borrow the tractor for a day; we'll pay for the gas ourselves, and we'll give him an extra fifty yuan for rental. He also said he can come with us; he knows the way!"

This result was even better than Luo Xiyuan had expected. Uncle Chen's willingness to go along meant having an extra strong laborer and an experienced driver, greatly increasing the safety factor.

"Dad, you're amazing!" Luo Xiyuan praised sincerely.

Luo Xinde was a little embarrassed by his daughter's praise, and chuckled, "I just told him our family's plan, that we would pay back the money we owed him before the new year once we made some money. He thought it was a good idea and agreed."

"What about the road? What did Uncle Chen say?" Li Minxia asked hurriedly.

"Uncle Chen said that the village chief led people to shovel snow on the main road to town this morning, and it should be barely passable by noon. We'll set off this afternoon, perfect timing!" Luo Xinde said.

Everything was exactly as Luo Xiyuan had predicted.

"Okay, let's divide the tasks now." Luo Xiyuan took out the list she had written and began to assign tasks.

"Dad, you and Uncle Chen are the main force in this operation, responsible for purchasing and transportation. This is the purchasing list, which shows approximately how many kilograms of each item we need, as well as my estimated wholesale price. You can try to negotiate with the shopkeeper and save as much as you can."

She handed the list to her father, Luo Xinde, who took it solemnly and looked at it carefully.

"Mom, you and Luo Wen will be in charge of the rear. Once the vegetables arrive, we'll definitely have to sort and pack them overnight. We'll be going to the market to sell them first thing tomorrow morning, so tonight will be very busy."

Li Minxia nodded: "Don't worry, I'm good at this."

"Me," Luo Xiyuan pointed to herself, "I'm in charge of getting a good spot at the market. Market stalls are first-come, first-served, and there will definitely be a lot of people tomorrow, so we have to grab a prominent place."

"You're just a young girl, is it really okay for you to go and reserve a spot?" Li Minxia asked, somewhat worried.

"Mom, don't underestimate me." Luo Xiyuan smiled. "I'll go now and say hello to Uncle Wang, the market manager, and make a reservation with him. By the way, I also want to check things out and see if anyone else in the village has thought of doing this business."

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. This is a lesson she learned from business dramas.

A family is like a finely tuned machine, with each cog having its own specific task.

After lunch, Luo Xinde and Uncle Chen started the hand tractor. With a loud, sputtering roar, the blue iron machine, carrying the hopes of the whole family, slowly drove out of the village, belching black smoke, and headed towards the town.

Luo Xiyuan put on a cotton-padded coat and walked alone to the market at the east end of the village.

The village market is actually just an open space. On the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of each month, villagers from the surrounding area spontaneously come here to set up stalls and sell their own vegetables, eggs, or handicrafts.

The market was deserted after the snow, with only thick snow covering it. Uncle Wang, who managed the market, lived in a small bungalow next door.

Luo Xiyuan knocked on Uncle Wang's door.

"Oh, it's Xiyuan. What's up?" Uncle Wang was a kind-looking man in his fifties.

"Uncle Wang, I'd like to reserve a stall with you," Luo Xiyuan said, getting straight to the point.

"Reserving a stall?" Uncle Wang was taken aback. "The market doesn't open until tomorrow. Why are you here so early? Besides, with this heavy snow, there's no guarantee that many people will come to set up stalls tomorrow."

"It will happen, it definitely will," Luo Xiyuan said confidently. "Uncle Wang, I'd like to reserve the biggest and most eye-catching spot right at the entrance. I'll pay the stall fee."

Uncle Wang, seeing that she didn't seem to be joking, asked curiously, "What are you going to sell tomorrow? It's such a big deal."

"Selling vegetables and meat," Luo Xiyuan said without hiding anything. "My dad and the others went to town to buy supplies."

"Going to town to buy goods?" Uncle Wang was surprised. "The road is open now?"

"Soon. Let's get there first."

Uncle Wang looked at the little girl in front of him, and his eyes changed. In all his life, he had never seen such a spirited child. He thought for a moment, then nodded: "Alright! That spot is reserved for you. You can pay the stall fee tomorrow after you've made your money."

"Thank you, Uncle Wang!" Luo Xiyuan had achieved her goal.

Instead of going home immediately, she strolled leisurely around the village. She mainly visited the homes of a few other relatively wealthy or shrewd families in the village.

She saw that the Li family, who ran a small shop at the west end of the village, had their gate tightly closed and were not making any noise. The Zhang family, who owned a small truck at the south end of the village, had their truck covered with a thick layer of snow, clearly showing no signs of leaving.

It seems that most people either haven't realized it yet, or they feel the risks are too great and dare not take action.

She was now certain. Tomorrow at the market, they would likely dominate the market.

Back home, Li Minxia and Luo Wen were preparing burlap sacks and ropes for the evening.

"Sister, how are you?" Luo Wen greeted her immediately when he saw her return.

"Everything went smoothly." Luo Xiyuan gave him a reassuring look.

What followed was a long wait.

They waited for their father and the tractor to safely transport the family's hopes back from town.

Time passed second by second, and the sky changed from bright to dark, and then from dark to complete blackness.

Li Minxia kept walking to the door and looking out, muttering, "Why aren't they back yet? I hope nothing happened on the way?"

"Mom, don't worry, Uncle Chen is here. He's an experienced driver, he'll be very reliable." Although Luo Xiyuan was also worried, she had to remain calm and reassure her family.

Around 8 p.m., just when the family's hearts were in their throats, the familiar "putt-putt-putt" sound finally came from afar.

"They're back! They're back!" Rowan was the first to jump up.

The family of three rushed out of the yard.

On the dark, snowy road in the distance, two bright lights were approaching, and the roar of a tractor grew clearer.

When the blue hand tractor, loaded with a full load of goods, stopped in front of her house, Luo Xiyuan felt her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

Inside the truck bed, covered with a thick tarpaulin, you could still smell a mixture of fresh vegetables and raw meat.

Luo Xinde and Chen Bo jumped out of the car. Both of them had red cheeks from the cold and frost on their eyebrows, but their eyes were full of excitement.

"We're back! We've bought everything!" Luo Xinde announced loudly, rubbing his hands together.

"Hurry! Unload the goods while they're still hot!" Uncle Chen urged.

Li Minxia and Luo Xiyuan immediately stepped forward and lifted the oilcloth.

A whole car full!

Lush green cabbages, radishes covered in dirt, round potatoes, large chunks of pork wrapped in plastic sheeting, and several large slabs of tender white tofu!

These ingredients, which are usually the most ordinary, are, at this moment, like a truckload of glittering gold in Luo Xiyuan's eyes!

The whole family had no time to celebrate and immediately threw themselves into the busy work of unloading the goods.

Basket after basket, bag after bag, they carried all the goods into the house.

After seeing Uncle Chen off and paying the rent and fuel costs, the Luo family closed their gates, turning the place into a temporary vegetable processing plant.

"Dad, take a rest and have some hot water. Mom and I will sort them." Luo Xiyuan looked at her father's frozen hands with heartache.

"It's okay, I'm not tired!" Luo Xinde waved his hand and joined the sorting team.

A family of four, gathered around a small mountain of vegetables, began working through the night.

Remove the rotten leaves, sort them by size, tie the cabbages together with straw rope, and cut the pork into small pieces according to the cut of meat...

Everyone was working diligently, and the only sounds in the room were the rustling of clothes and the clattering of vegetables.

Luo Wen was small and weak, so he was responsible for taking a small scale, weighing the cut meat and tofu piece by piece, and then writing down the weight on a small piece of paper next to him.

Li Minxia is an expert in this field. She buys vegetables at the market all year round and is very familiar with them. She is quick and efficient, and is good at sorting and bundling everything.

Looking at the bustling scene before her, Luo Xiyuan was filled with emotion.

This is her family. Simple and hardworking, they can unleash boundless power if given the opportunity.

That night, the lights in the Luo family's house stayed on until the early hours of the morning.

When all the vegetables and meat had been sorted, packed, and neatly stacked in the corner of the room, the whole family finally collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.