1994: Starting with unpaid leave

The next morning, feeling refreshed, Dong Jianguo got up early and rode his bicycle to Wufu Market, which was not far from his home.

I had already bought soy milk and fried dough sticks when I got back.

After dropping Xiuyun off at home, he immediately spotted Erzhuzi squatting at his doorstep smoking.

"You're here so early?"

"Of course! Where did you go so early in the morning, Jianguo?"

"What else can I do but take your sister-in-law to work?"

After parking the bicycle outside the gate, Dong Jianguo opened the gate and led Erzhuzi into the yard.

"You went gambling again yesterday, didn't you?"

Erzhuzi shook his head: "No, that son of a bitch Zhao Ruidong heard I got my salary and came looking for me, but I ignored him!"

Although Dong Jianguo instructed Erzhuzi to keep a low profile when contacting others to collect their wages, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't still show off and leak the news.

Dong Jianguo had anticipated this.

In contrast, Dong Jianguo was more surprised that Erzhuzi didn't go to play mahjong.

He gave a thumbs-up: "Great! So where did the money go?"

Erzhuzi scratched his head sheepishly:

"I didn't spend much; I just followed your example and bought some meat for my mom too."

"Brother Jianguo, guess what? This is the first time in my life that my mom has ever cried in front of me. Her crying really got me excited, and I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep."

"Since you asked me to come to your house to help out this morning, I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask what your plans are for the future?"

Dong Jianguo raised an eyebrow at him: "What can I do if I don't have any ideas? And what can I do if I do?"

Erzhuzi puffed out his chest:

"Brother Jianguo, I've already lost my job, and I don't want to just drift along aimlessly anymore. If you have any ideas, I'm ready to work for you wholeheartedly! I may not have much else, but I have plenty of strength."

"If you don't have any ideas, then let's think about what to do together in the future."

"I feel at ease working with you."

Dong Jianguo nodded upon hearing this.

Not all gamblers are utterly wicked. People like Erzhuzi, who are not inherently bad and whose backgrounds are well-known, are actually suitable to be recruited to help out.

"I do have a business to make a living..."

"I'll do it with you!"

"Damn it, you didn't even ask if it's a business of murder and arson!"

"That's impossible! Brother Jianguo, you wouldn't do such a thing!"

Dong Jianguo chuckled and, without hiding anything from Erzhuzi, briefly explained how he had a way to get eggs.

"There are two types of jobs here. In one, I'm the boss and you're the employee. I'll pay you a fixed salary every month. But the money I pay you will definitely be more than you would earn in a factory."

"There's another type of job: distribution. I'll give you 200 jin of eggs each time at 2 yuan per jin. You have to find a place to sell them yourself. You keep all the money you make from the sales. But I'm not responsible for buying back the eggs if you can't sell them. You have to bear the profits and losses yourself."

What kind of job are you planning to do?

Erzhuzi stared blankly, unsure of what to do for a moment.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Brother Jianguo, I want to work with you first, and once I've learned how, I'll try selling on my own. What do you think?"

Dong Jianguo nodded directly: "Your salary at the factory is 120 a month, right? I'll give you 240 a month."

"Huh? So many?!"

"This money isn't given away for free!"

He pointed to his own yard:

"This will be a temporary warehouse from now on. Starting tomorrow at noon, eggs will be delivered here, and it will be about once every two days, with each delivery weighing over a thousand kilograms. You will be responsible for unloading the goods."

"When selling eggs, you also need to load the remaining stock onto the tricycle and take it to sell. All of that has to be done by you. Any problems?"

"No problem, it's not a brain-intensive job! It'll even keep you healthy!" Erzhuzi happily agreed.

He used to be bored out of his mind, having nothing to do all day at the factory. Now that he has something to do, he's actually quite excited.

"Hmm, I still need a tricycle. After you finish cleaning the yard, go buy one, and I'll reimburse you!"

After saying that, Dong Jianguo directed Erzhuzi to get busy.

Throw away or dismantle anything useless in the yard, and soon a space will be cleared out to store egg cartons.

After Erzhuzi returned on his secondhand tricycle, which he had bought for over a hundred yuan, Dong Jianguo and Erzhuzi split up again, searching for potential small restaurants to cooperate with, with their home as the center.

Eggs don't keep for long, and each delivery brings in thousands of kilograms of eggs, putting considerable pressure on sales.

While the morning market at Wufu Market can sell some of the goods, sales are not very stable.

If you can secure the restaurants around your home, you'll have secured a stable distribution channel.

The two of them rode their bikes for an entire afternoon, but the results were not ideal.

Despite Dong Jianguo's flowery words, promising not only lower prices than the market price but also home delivery, the small restaurant owner was shrewd enough that it was difficult to persuade him to place an order without actually having the goods.

In the end, only five small restaurant owners verbally reserved 100 jin of eggs at a price of 2.1 yuan per jin.

And this is before the deposit has even been paid.

But for Dong Jianguo now, even a fly's leg is meat.

Having a reservation is better than having no one want it...

The two ran around all morning the next day, and the total weight they had planned finally exceeded 200 jin (100 catties).

At noon, the freight car used by the railway bureau's farm appeared on the dusty road at the entrance of the alley, much to the eager anticipation of Dong Jianguo and Erzhuzi.

When the car arrived, Erzhuzi, who was standing by the roadside, waved frantically.

The driver acted as if he didn't see it, and drove past more than half of the car before finally stopping.

"Damn, this driver's hands are way too clumsy..."

Erzhuzi, who was originally a driver in the factory, muttered discontentedly.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Dong Jianguo whispered a warning, then leaned close to the truck driver's window and said, "Sir, I'm here to unload eggs. Could you please drive the truck into that alley over there so we can unload the eggs?"

To everyone's surprise, the driver glanced sideways at the entrance of the alley and shook his head: "No, the alley is too narrow, my car can't get in."

"Besides, the road near your house is so bad, it almost broke my car..."

Erzhuzi, standing nearby, volunteered, "Driver, how about I drive the car in..."

"Who do you think you are? You think you can just drive a government car like that?! Who's going to take responsibility if something happens?!"

"What did you say?!"

When someone choked him, Erzhuzi's eyes immediately blazed with fury.

If Dong Jianguo hadn't pulled him back, there might have been a bloody incident during the first unloading.

Fortunately, Dong Jianguo was prepared.

His years of experience working in Shenzhen are invaluable; he's a master at dealing with all sorts of people.

With a quick gesture in his pocket, he had already pulled out two ten-yuan bills:

"Sir, you must be tired from the journey. I'll buy a pack of cigarettes later. Could you please help me drive the truck to my doorstep? That way we can unload the goods faster and it won't delay your return home."

"You're clearly a seasoned pro; even the most challenging alleyways can't stop you!"

Upon seeing the banknotes, the driver's eyes lit up, and his previous arrogance vanished instantly.

He smoothly slipped the money into his jacket pocket and waved it at the two of them:

"Oh, it's not about the money."

"Get in the car and buckle up, I'm taking you there! Today I'll show you what a top-notch driver is all about!"