In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

Wang Xingguo didn't interrupt. He could sell his chicken and duck eggs to anyone, as long as they paid the right price. He didn't care who it was.

Wang Xingguo had not kept count of the exact number, but these were all eggs laid by chickens and ducks recently, and the number was certainly considerable.

After discussing it with Uncle Niu, the two of them started counting the quantity at a price of 20 cents for each egg and 25 cents for each duck egg.

One hundred and thirty chicken eggs and one hundred and twelve duck eggs, totaling fifty-four yuan and forty cents.

After paying Wang Xingguo, Niu Ye pulled him over to the table where there were fried peanuts and cucumber salad as appetizers.

Seeing this, Wang Xingguo knew that Master Niu needed his help, so after having a couple of drinks with him, he took the initiative to ask, "Master Niu, I've now become a porter for the state-owned transportation company. The job is settled, and I have plenty of free time. Just let me know if you need anything."

Old Niu chuckled and said, "Hehe, you little rascal, you're so clever, nothing can be hidden from you. Here's the thing, Old Niu really has something to ask you this time, but I don't know if you'd be willing to do me a favor."

Wang Xingguo cupped his hands and said, "Uncle Niu, you flatter me. I have to remember your kindness for helping me get the tricycle. If there's anything you need, just let me know, and I, Wang Xingguo, will never refuse if I can do it."

Grandpa Niu gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Brotherly! I won't mince words. Here's the thing: an old friend of mine has facial paralysis and needs eels as a medicinal ingredient. We don't have them in the city, and although they're available in the countryside, I don't have connections to find anyone to help me get them. I was thinking, Xiao Wang, you're capable, but I don't know if you could help me go to the countryside and collect some eels? I know this is a bit difficult, but I've asked many people, and it's impossible to get these things during this busy farming season. Besides, the eel blood needs to be fresh; dead eels not only won't work, but they might even have the opposite effect. So I'm really at my wit's end. Could you do Grandpa Niu this favor?"

Wang Xingguo frowned and explained, "Uncle Niu, it's not that I don't want to help you, but you probably don't know why others aren't. The temperature is over 30 degrees Celsius now, and this eel won't survive long at that temperature. Plus, the bumpy transport route will cause internal injuries to the eel, making it die even faster! That's the most important reason; no one is confident they can bring the eel back to you alive."

Upon hearing this, Old Niu quickly asked, "Young Wang, you're an expert, right? Do you have any way to bring it back alive?"

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xingguo replied, "It's not that there's no way, but the cost is too high. If the eels aren't rotten, they can sell for 1.5 yuan per jin (500g), but if you want them alive, the cost will at least double. This isn't the first time I've dealt with you, Master Niu; I'm straightforward and honest. I can't cheat you. If you offer 3 yuan per jin, I'll get you as many as you want. If you think that's too high, then it'll be 1.5 yuan per jin, but you'll still have to pay for the dead ones. Is that acceptable?"

Upon hearing this, Old Niu slapped his thigh and said happily, "Good! You're really capable, Xiao Wang. At the price of three yuan per pound of live eels, get me thirty to fifty pounds. I don't know how much eel blood is needed for the medicinal ingredient, so the more the better."

Wang Xingguo raised his glass, clinked glasses with Master Niu, and drank it all in one gulp. That was it.

Three yuan per pound?

Wang Xingguo doesn't even charge three cents a pound!

The reason eels die so quickly is because the temperature is too high!

He has the space to handle the bumps and the space to regulate the temperature in the fishpond, so it's impossible for the eels to die.

However, these experiences were gained later. At that time, people transporting eels were afraid that the eels would die, so they filled all the buckets with water.

Moreover, they don't know how to change the water, so most of the eels either die from internal bleeding due to the bumpy ride or from lack of oxygen!

That's right. When transporting eels, there must not be too much water, otherwise the eels will die from lack of oxygen.

As long as the water is shallow and not too much, and covered with a damp cloth to block the sun's intense rays, and the water is changed occasionally, the mortality rate will not be particularly high even if the water is outside all day.

Sometimes that's just how it is; information is money!

So many people who deal in these things know that eels are worthless; they're just worthless.

Local restaurants in Beijing almost never serve eel dishes. Northerners generally regard eels as "long worms (snakes)" and avoid eating them. Many elderly people are superstitious and believe that "eels cause rheumatism and relapse into old illnesses." This is an inherent prejudice in northern cuisine.

Therefore, the only use of eels is in medicine!

Of course, some people from the south who have settled in Beijing also eat eel, and Huaiyang cuisine restaurants also serve eel dishes.

Unfortunately, due to ingrained traditional prejudices and taboos, even rural people in Beijing don't catch eels to eat, let alone catch them to sell.

So, while people in the south know how to transport eels, very few people in the capital do.

Wang Xingguo knew that he had seen an introduction to this topic on short videos in his past life, which taught him how to prepare eels so that they wouldn't die so easily.

After drinking for a while, Wang Xingguo asked, "Brother Niu, do you know anyone who sells private houses? I'd like to buy a small detached house, with four or five rooms. My small business needs a quiet place to operate.

Master Niu nodded and said, "That's true. Look at my yard, it's isolated, with no neighbors in front, behind, left, or right. If I had any neighbors, I wouldn't be able to run a gambling den."

Wang Xingguo nodded and said, "It's all thanks to Master Niu's foresight that he found such a good place. And what I admire most about Master Niu is that you don't act as the dealer, you only pump the water."

Master Niu laughed heartily and said, "Haha, what do you mean? Why do you admire me for this?"

Wang Xingguo said seriously, "Master Niu, while being the bookmaker can certainly earn more, gambling in the long run inevitably leads to losses, and sooner or later someone will go bankrupt. But if you only take a cut, no matter how much others lose, it has nothing to do with you, while you can steadily make a profit. This is called a steady stream of income. Master Niu, you truly have great foresight!"

Old Niu nodded repeatedly, a smug look on his face. "At first, my brothers didn't understand. They thought we weren't earning enough from this kind of commission. But I've been in this business for so many years, what haven't I seen? I know that greed knows no bounds, and you can't bite off more than you can chew. You can only take what you're entitled to; you can't be too greedy. Greedy people never have a good ending. In my whole life, I've seen too many people lose their lives because of greed..."

Wang Xingguo wasn't just saying it; he genuinely admired Master Niu.

Among all the people he knew, this person was the only one who, despite being in the grey market business, turned it into a platform!