1994: Starting with unpaid leave

"So...do we have to move too?"

"No need! It's not that complicated!"

Dong Jianguo shook his head:

"Some residential areas have those simple tin shacks, which don't cost much to rent. When someone in the family has free time, they can go there to open a shop. At night, the tin shack is locked, and there's not much to worry about."

In 1994, Hecheng in Northeast China was not very developed. If you wanted to do some small business to make a living, the tin-roofed houses and bungalows around these residential areas were always the first choice.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious: it gets as hot as an oven in the summer and as cold as an ice cave in the winter. Even if you light a stove for warmth, you still have to wear cotton-padded clothes inside.

It was tough, but compared to being poor, it seemed like this kind of hardship was nothing.

Dong Jianguo looked at Master Wang:

"Master Wang, if I remember correctly, your wife is currently at home doing nothing, right? Let me do some calculations for you."

Imagine you and your spouse set up a tin shed together. During the day, she stays in the shop selling eggs, while you continue to ride your tricycle out to sell eggs on the street.

I'll sell 400 jin (200 catties) of it in her tin shed, and you'll sell 200 jin (100 catties) on ​​your tricycle, just like before! But that's still 600 jin (300 catties)!

Earn two cents per pound, that's 120 a day!

That's 3600 for a month with 30 days!

Even if the rent for the tin shack is 600 a month, you can still make a net profit of 3000.

If we could sell a few more…

Master Wang, his face flushed, clutched his chest and waved his hand at Dong Jianguo: "Little Dong, stop talking, you're getting all worked up..."

He was really getting a little carried away.

Earning 3000 a month, you can become a millionaire in three months. Anyone would be confused by that.

When he first approached Dong Jianguo, he simply wanted to start a small business to support his family.

Unexpectedly, there's been an unexpected bonus!

Dong Jianguo smiled and didn't continue to provoke Master Wang, but instead turned to look at the others:

"The score is right here; you can do the math yourselves."

"Besides, I don't think we necessarily have to sell only my eggs. As long as you find suitable products, selling them together is no problem! Anyway, all the profits are ours!"

What do you guys think?

The six or seven workers from the textile factory at the dinner table exchanged glances, all seeing eagerness in each other's eyes.

After all, the future that Dong Jianguo described to them was simply too tempting!

A worker tugged at the collar of his work clothes, revealing his chest covered by a vest:

"Sure, this is a great business opportunity! My wife's been bored at home with nothing to do!"

With one person taking the lead, others followed suit and expressed their opinions:

"Damn it! That knitting factory is getting more and more outrageous lately. They've put our workshop on extended leave! My son still needs to go to school, and those are all places that cost money. If we don't earn more, my son won't be able to hold his head up high at school!"

"Brother Dong, we're on your side!"

Dong Jianguo shook his head and corrected them, saying:

"You're not working for me, you're working for yourselves!"

"To be honest, having some business experience isn't a bad thing. If things continue like this, the factory will go out of business sooner or later. If you want to live a better life, you have to rely on yourself."

"That's right! We have hands and feet, we can do anything to support ourselves! We have to put up with those bosses' awfulness at the factory!"

"Damn it, they all talk a good game, but when it comes to paying wages, they all shut up! It's better to work hard and earn our own money than listen to their nonsense!"

After the workers had vented their frustrations, Dong Jianguo had a detailed discussion with a few of them about the precautions for selecting a site later.

First, try to choose a densely populated residential area or dormitory area. Second, visit the area frequently, preferably where there are no other egg vendors nearby. Most importantly, after choosing a location, register it with the vendor to avoid competing for customers and affecting egg sales.

"When we're together, we're a blazing fire; when we're apart, we're countless stars! While I can't make any promises, I hope everyone here can make money!"

We ate and chatted for a while, and by the time we parted ways, it was already 1 p.m.

After seeing everyone off, Dong Jianguo called out to Erzhuzi, who was walking at the back of the crowd.

"Brother Jianguo, what's up?"

Dong Jianguo gestured for him to sit back down at the table: "Do you have any ideas?"

"Huh? What ideas could I possibly have! Just tell me what to do and I'll do it!"

"My brother and sister-in-law haven't had much to do lately, so I'm planning to go home and discuss with them whether we can set up a tin-roofed house to do business."

"As for myself... I really haven't thought about it."

Erzhuzi's eyes were still full of sincerity, just like when he first started doing business with Dong Jianguo.

He was quite satisfied with his earnings.

Although the base salary is only a little over 200, there is an additional 200 bonus, which adds up to more than 400 a month, which is already quite good.

Moreover, Dong Jianguo didn't take all the money from selling first-laid eggs. Starting from his third time selling first-laid eggs independently, he would receive a commission of 2 mao (0.2 yuan) for every jin (0.5 kg) of first-laid eggs sold.

The commission income is already much higher than the sum of salary and bonuses.

"You mentioned before that you would sell eggs on your own in a month, but now you don't mention it anymore, so I'm guessing you're satisfied with your current earnings?"

"Of course!" Erzhuzi grinned sheepishly, his eyes full of sincerity.

Dong Jianguo nodded, then shook his head:

"But I'm not satisfied; the profit margin on eggs is still too thin."

"I'm planning to go out for a while, would you like to come with me?"

"Sure, no problem!"

……

The appliances that Dong Jianguo ordered were delivered on time in the afternoon.

A 21-inch Peony TV costs 2000 yuan.

Haier refrigerator, 2500 yuan.

Powerful washing machine, 1300 yuan.

Just those three main items cost nearly 6000 yuan.

As for the VCD player he initially wanted to buy, Dong Jianguo hasn't bought it yet.

Even Dong Jianguo felt a pang of pain as he calculated that most of the month's business profits had been spent.

However, the pain vanished instantly when he and his wife, Xiuyun, carried their blankets and clothes into their new home that evening.

"Why are there so many TV channels? Did you get cable TV?!"

"Wow, the refrigerator! Now we can buy more of your favorite popsicles in the summer!"

"A washing machine...I've wanted to buy one for ages!"

Xiuyun frantically went from room to room, comparing the differences between the house and the one she had seen last time.

New furniture, new appliances, and a tangible sense of happiness in her new life unfolded before her like a brand new painting.

Dong Jianguo followed behind her with a cheerful smile.

Seeing Xiuyun's appearance, she looked just like a carefree and innocent child!

"Be careful, don't let the baby slip out in your excitement!"

"Nonsense! Don't scare me!"

Xiuyun was startled by Dong Jianguo's words, and her expression suddenly changed.

"What's wrong?" Dong Jianguo hurriedly helped his wife up.

"No...it's just...it feels like there's a fish swimming inside my stomach..."

"Is this a child kicking me? It feels just like what my older sister described..."

Xiuyun nervously grasped Dong Jianguo's hand, feeling a mixture of joy and bewilderment.

Upon hearing this, Dong Jianguo smiled and said, "Perhaps this little one wants to tell her parents that she likes this new home too."

Xiuyun pressed down on Dong Jianguo's restless hand: "You can touch the child, why are you touching him up there?"

Dong Jianguo grinned at his wife: "I'm just worried that the kids won't have enough food in the future..."

Xiuyun blushed: "Get lost, you're never serious. I'm going to make the bed..."

Dong Jianguo nodded knowingly to his wife, "Honey, hurry up!"