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

At four o'clock the next morning, it was still pitch black, and the whole village was still immersed in a quiet slumber. But the lights in the Luo family's house were already on.

The family slept for less than three hours before struggling to get out of bed. After a quick wash, they didn't even have time for breakfast before starting their hectic preparations.

Luo Xinde and Li Minxia were responsible for loading the vegetables and meat that had been sorted the night before onto the tractor. Bundles of cabbage, bags of potatoes and radishes, and pork and tofu cut into appropriately sized pieces and wrapped in clean cloth.

Luo Xiyuan was making preparations. She found a plank and some wooden strips and asked Luo Xinde to help her nail them together to make a simple foldable shelf. This way, when they arrived at the market, the goods could be arranged in an orderly manner, looking professional and tidy.

Luo Wen, meanwhile, was checking the final quantity and cost of the goods in his small ledger.

"Sister, we bought a total of 300 catties of cabbage, which cost 2 mao per catty. 200 catties of potatoes, 15 mao per catty. 100 catties of radishes, 1 mao per catty. 50 catties of pork, the wholesale price is 5 yuan per catty. 50 boards of tofu, 1 yuan per board." He read the numbers he had written down, his little face serious.

Luo Xiyuan listened from the side, quickly calculating in her mind.

总成本：白菜60元+土豆30元+萝蔔10元+猪肉250元+豆腐50元= 400元。

Adding the 60 yuan for car rental and fuel, the total cost was 460 yuan. They had 500 yuan left as a reserve fund and change.

"What about pricing? Sister, how much do we sell it for per pound?" Luo Wen asked the most crucial question.

Luo Xiyuan pondered for a moment. Pricing is an art; if it's too high, no one might buy it; if it's too low, there's no profit.

"We're selling cabbage for 50 cents a pound," she said. "That's more than double the cost, but only 10 cents more than the usual 40 cents a pound at the market, so everyone can accept it. These are special times, and at this price, there will definitely be people scrambling to buy it."

"Potatoes are selling for four cents, and radishes for three cents. Both are more than double the price."

"Tofu, this is a rare find, it's 2.5 yuan a board!"

"What about pork? Pork is the most expensive."

"Pork..." Luo Xiyuan thought for a moment. In her memories from her previous life, pork prices soared after the snow disaster, quickly reaching more than ten yuan per kilogram. But she couldn't set the price too high; she had to proceed gradually.

"Pork belly, eight yuan a pound. Lean pork from the foreleg, nine yuan. Ribs, ten yuan!" She set the final prices.

This price was significantly higher than the cost, but lower than her expected market price. Her strategy was to initially sell at a low profit margin but quickly recoup funds, and to establish a good reputation among the villagers that "the Luo family sells fair prices."

Reputation is more important than short-term profits.

At five o'clock in the morning, all the goods were loaded onto the truck. Luo Xinde started the tractor, and Luo Xiyuan, Li Minxia, ​​and Luo Wen climbed onto the truck bed and sat next to the goods.

The rumble of the tractor once again shattered the tranquility of the village. Carrying the hopes of the family, the tractor headed towards the market at the east end of the village.

When they arrived at the market, it was still dark. They were the only vehicle in the entire open space.

Luo Xiyuan jumped out of the car and found Uncle Wang, whom she had arranged to meet yesterday. Uncle Wang opened the door with a yawn and looked at them with admiration when he saw that they had really arrived so early.

"Okay, you can set it up there." He pointed to the most conspicuous spot at the entrance.

The family immediately began unloading the goods and setting up their stall.

Luo Xinde set up the folding shelves designed by Luo Xiyuan, while Li Minxia deftly arranged the vegetables and meats on them one by one. The cabbages were piled up into a small mountain, the potatoes and radishes were packed in two large baskets, and the pork and tofu were placed in the most conspicuous position, covered with a clean gauze.

Luo Xiyuan found a piece of plywood, wrote the price list on it with charcoal, and placed it next to the stall, making it easy to see at a glance.

Everything was ready, and dawn was breaking.

The family brought hot water and steamed buns from home and ate a simple breakfast in the cold wind.

"Will anyone come?" Li Minxia asked nervously, rubbing her hands together. This was her first time being a boss, and she was feeling very anxious.

"Yes, Mom, just wait and see how much money you make," Luo Xiyuan said with a smile, trying to comfort her.

Sure enough, around six in the morning, people began to appear at the market. They were mostly elderly men and women who were used to getting up early and wanted to take advantage of the smaller crowds to see if there was anything new or interesting at the market.

When they saw the dazzling array of fresh vegetables and pork at Luo's stall, everyone was stunned, and then their eyes lit up with surprise.

"Oh my god! Fresh vegetables!"

"There's meat too! It's pork!"

An older woman walked over quickly. She could hardly believe her eyes and reached out to touch the plump, fresh cabbage.

"Brother, how much are your vegetables?" she asked Luo Xinde excitedly.

Luo Xinde was still a little nervous and pointed to the price list next to him.

The older woman leaned closer to take a look: "Cabbage is 50 cents... potatoes are 40 cents... pork is 8 yuan... Wow, not expensive at all! It's about the same as before the snow disaster!"

Her shout immediately attracted a larger crowd.

"It's really not expensive! Quick, give me two cabbages!"

"I want five pounds of potatoes!"

"Is the tofu fresh? I'll take two slabs!"

The Luo family's stall was instantly surrounded by a huge crowd!

"Don't push, don't push! There's enough, there's enough!" Li Minxia didn't expect the scene to be so lively. She quickly stood behind the stall and started weighing vegetables for people.

Luo Xinde was in charge of chopping the meat. He picked up the cleaver and swiftly and cleanly chopped the meat.

Luo Wen, holding his money bag, was in charge of collecting money and giving change. His little mind worked incredibly fast; one hand collected the money, the other gave change, all the while calling out, "Next, five dollars and thirty cents, ten dollars for you, four dollars and seventy cents in change!"

Luo Xiyuan stood on the periphery, maintaining order while loudly promoting her own products.

"Grandpas and grandmas, uncles and aunties, come and take a look! Fresh vegetables and pork, just brought back from town! Fair prices, no cheating! With the snowstorm blocking the roads for so many days, everyone's been short of food. Hurry up and buy some to treat your kids!"

Her voice was clear and resonant, and her words were both sincere and considerate, which touched the hearts of the onlookers even more.

The scene was more exciting than anyone expected.

In less than an hour, all fifty slabs of tofu they brought were sold out. Many people who missed out were filled with regret, lamenting that they had arrived too late.

Pork was selling like hotcakes. Pork belly, in particular, was almost completely sold out.

Cabbage, potatoes, and radishes are in high demand and short supply.

Just as Luo's business was booming, a few other scattered vendors began to arrive at the market. They sold nothing more than some homemade pickled vegetables or a few frozen chickens. When they saw the sea of ​​people in front of Luo's stall, they were all dumbfounded, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

"What's gotten into the Luo family? Where did they get so many good things?"

"I heard they drove their tractor to town yesterday afternoon. They're incredibly reckless!"

"Judging by this performance, he'll probably make at least a thousand or eight hundred today!"

Various murmurs arose in the crowd, but none of this affected the Luo family. They were too busy to even have time to drink water.

Around 10 a.m., the market was bustling with people. The queue in front of Luo's stall had already snaked around several corners.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the crowd.

"Make way! Make way!"

At the west end of the village, Mr. Li, who runs a small shop, and his son squeezed into the market, pulling several baskets of wilted cabbages and a few pieces of meat that didn't look very fresh on a cart.

They had clearly seen the Luo family's success, and overnight they tried to get some goods from elsewhere, hoping to get a share of the profits.

"Vegetables for sale! Fresh cabbage! 45 cents a pound! Cheaper than theirs!" Mr. Li's son shouted at the top of his lungs.

He wanted to use a price war to steal business.

Sure enough, some villagers at the back of the line who hadn't bought any vegetables yet began to waver and headed towards Li's stall.

Li Minxia and Luo Xinde were getting anxious.

"Don't panic," Luo Xiyuan said calmly. She clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Fellow villagers!" she shouted, "When buying things, you can't just look for a penny or two cheaper! You can all go over and see for yourselves, can you really say the quality of their vegetables is the same as mine?"

Pointing to the plump, fresh cabbages on her stall, she said, "My dad personally went to the biggest wholesale market in town yesterday and picked them out head by head! Guaranteed fresh! Look at his cabbages, aren't they almost wilted?"

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed, and sure enough, the cabbages on the Li family's cart had yellowed and wilted leaves, and their appearance was far inferior to those of the Luo family.

"And there's meat!" Luo Xiyuan continued, "My pork comes from a legitimate slaughterhouse, and it's stamped! Their meat's origin is unclear; are you all comfortable eating it?"

After she said that, the villagers who had originally wanted to take advantage of the situation all hesitated and returned.

"That's right, Luo's girl is right! We can't skimp on food!"

"That Mr. Li is really dishonest, trying to fool people with this substandard product!"

Mr. Li and his son blushed and paled as they were told off. Their goods had been bought at a high price from a middleman, and their quality was indeed poor. They had hoped to make a quick buck amidst the chaos, but Luo Xiyuan had exposed their scheme in just a few words.

Their stalls instantly became deserted and no one paid any attention to them.

The Luo family's business continued to boom.

By noon, all the 300 jin of cabbage, 200 jin of potatoes, 100 jin of radishes, and 50 jin of pork they brought had been sold out!

After the last piece of pork rib was sold, Li Minxia looked at the empty stall, still somewhat dazed.

"Sold...sold out?"

"Mom, it's sold out!" Luo Wen excitedly hugged his bulging money bag, his face flushed.

Luo Xinde leaned against the tractor, panting heavily from exhaustion, but an irrepressible smile lingered on his face.

Looking at the empty stall, Luo Xiyuan felt a weight lift from her shoulders, finally relieved.

She walked over to her younger brother and asked, "Xiaowen, have you figured it out yet? How much money did you make today?"

Luo Wen had been impatient for a long time. He opened his account book and, in an almost reverent tone, read it aloud, word by word:

"Total sales this morning... 1085 yuan!"

One thousand and eighty-five yuan!

After deducting the cost of 460 yuan, their net profit for one morning was as high as 625 yuan!

Upon hearing this number, Luo Xinde and Li Minxia were stunned for a long time.

Even if the couple worked hard for a month, they wouldn't earn that much money together!

Li Minxia's hands were trembling as she touched the heavy money bag, and tears streamed down her face without warning. These weren't tears of sadness, but tears of excitement, joy, and the bittersweet relief that had finally come.

Luo Xinde walked over, put his arm around his wife's shoulder, and his eyes reddened.

Looking at her parents embracing and her younger brother grinning foolishly while clutching a money bag, Luo Xiyuan felt her eyes well up with tears. This was the life she had always wanted.