Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

Early the next morning, a red cloth tent was set up in front of the mobile phone shop. Two long tables were pushed together, with stacks of flyers on them. The two laid-off women that Xiaojuan had hired, wrapped in military overcoats, each carried a cloth bag stuffed full of flyers.

"Big sister, focus on the bus station and the farmers' market," Xiao Juan instructed. "Give one to everyone you see, especially those carrying luggage and those buying New Year's goods. You have to give them one."

"Don't worry, young lady!" a woman chuckled. "We know this job like the back of our hand!"

At 7:30, the flyer team set off. Two women, one running east and the other west, handed out flyers to everyone they met: "Look at this! Dexing Communications' year-end mega sale! Deposit 100 and get 158 ​​yuan worth of credits!"

At the same time, Xiaoling posted the group-buying poster she had worked on overnight on the glass door. It was red with yellow lettering and could be seen from afar: 3 people group-buying discount of 50 yuan, 5 people group-buying discount of 100 yuan, plus a free New Year's gift package!

Just after eight o'clock, the first group of people came into the store. It was a man in his forties, wearing a work jacket and holding flyers in his hand.

"Is it true that you can get 158 ​​yuan off for every 100 yuan you deposit?" the man asked.

Xiao Juan quickly went up to him: "Brother, it's true! Look, it's written in black and white on this poster."

The man pondered for a moment: "If I save up 100, what kind of machine can I buy?"

Xiaoling flipped through the price list: "Brother, except for these two popular models which are excluded, all other models are fine. Look at this TCL 2188, the original price is 1200, but if you deposit 100, you only need to pay 1042, saving 58 in total!"

The man counted on his fingers: "1200... minus 58... 1142... minus 100 for the deposit... 10042... OK! I'll deposit 100!"

After issuing a receipt and receiving the money, Xiao Juan noted the first deposit in her ledger. The man pocketed the receipt and left, beaming with satisfaction.

At nine o'clock, a second group of people came into the store—three young men who looked like coworkers, their work clothes still stained with oil.

"How do you guys group buy this?" the leader asked.

Xiaoling quickly introduced, "Three gentlemen, the three of you are enough for a group order. Whichever one you like, each of you will get a discount of fifty yuan."

The three of them lingered around the counter for a while before finally choosing three TCL 1988 laptops. The original price was 980 yuan, but after the group purchase, it was 930 yuan each, saving them 50 yuan. Xiao Juan quickly issued the invoices, collected the money, and registered the group purchase information: "Leave your phone numbers, and I'll let you know about any future promotions."

"Okay!" The three of them left happily, clutching their new phones.

By 10 o'clock, seven or eight groups of people had already entered the store. Some were asking about deposits, others inquiring about group orders, and a circle had formed in front of the counter. People queuing to pick up rice cookers at the Bird store across the street kept glancing over here.

Xiao Juan was sweating profusely from her busy schedule, and Xiao Ling's voice was hoarse from talking so much. Awei came from the company to help, and was immediately surrounded by customers as soon as she entered the door.

"Miss, can we get a group order from several companies? My brother in Tieling also wants to buy something."

"Ma'am, when can I pick up the goods after paying the deposit?"

While answering questions, Awei maintained order: "Everyone, please be patient, one at a time! Group orders must be registered with our store, but you can buy on behalf of relatives and friends! The deposit can be used to pick up the goods at any time, before the 28th of the twelfth lunar month!"

Just as they were busy, the door was pushed open again. A man in his fifties walked in, wearing a dark gray jacket and carrying a leather bag under his arm; he looked like someone in charge.

"Where is your manager?" the man asked.

Avi quickly went over: "Hello, I'm Avi, the manager. How can I help you?"

The man pulled out a business card: "I'm Old Chen from the trade union at Kaiyuan Machinery Factory. I heard you have a group-buying promotion here?"

"Yes, Chairman Chen, please have a seat." Awei brought over a stool.

Old Chen sat down and put his briefcase on his lap: "Our factory did well this year, and we're thinking of giving some year-end bonuses to our outstanding employees. If we give cash, no one really sees it; if we give gifts, we need something practical. I heard you get cheaper phones through group buying?"

Xiaoling leaned closer: "Chairman Chen, the more people there are for this event, the cheaper it gets."

"Alright then." Old Chen pulled a list from his briefcase. "These twenty-three outstanding workers will each receive a TCL 1988. How much cheaper can you offer?"

Awei quickly calculated in her mind, but her face remained expressionless: "Chairman Chen, if five or more people share the order, each person will get a discount of 100. Your group of twenty-three... I'll ask the boss, and we'll give each person a discount of 150! The original price was 980, but the group price is 830."

Old Chen chuckled, picked up the calculator on the counter, and pressed a few buttons: "Twenty-three units, eight hundred and thirty per unit... nineteen thousand and ninety. Great, that's an auspicious number! When can I pick up the goods?"

"Pay the deposit now, and you can pick it up tomorrow!" Avi said.

How do I pay the deposit?

"One hundred per person, totaling two thousand three. The remainder will be settled upon pickup."

Old Chen took out a wad of cash from his briefcase and counted out 2,300 yuan: "Here, this is the deposit. I'll bring the finance department over tomorrow to issue a proper invoice for the rest."

Xiao Juan's hands were trembling slightly as she took the money and counted it one bill at a time. Two thousand three hundred yuan, twenty-three mobile phones—a huge order!

Awei quickly called Fan Debiao: "Brother Biao, the machinery factory's union ordered twenty-three TCL 1988 units! The group purchase price is 830 yuan per unit!"

Fan Debiao on the other end of the phone was also taken aback for a moment: "How many units?"

"Twenty-three units! The deposits have all been paid!"

"Okay, I understand." Fan Debiao paused for a moment, "Prepare a special gift for Chairman Chen... that TCL genuine leather phone case, and also get him a pack of Yuxi cigarettes. We need to maintain good relations with the factory's purchasing team."

"Okay!"

After hanging up the phone, Awei said to Old Chen, "Chairman Chen, our boss said he'd like to give you another small gift as a thank you for your patronage."

Old Chen laughed heartily: "You guys do a great job! I'll definitely come back to you for any future purchases from the factory!"

After seeing Old Chen off, the shop was in an uproar. The customers' eyes widened when they heard about the huge order for twenty-three tables.

"Girl, I'll give it my all! I'll get my aunt and my maternal aunt to come!"

"Count me in! Several people in my workplace want to buy one!"

Xiao Juan and Xiao Ling were so busy they barely had time to breathe, filling out page after page of registration forms.

At noon, Fan Debiao came to the store to check on the situation. As soon as he entered, he was stunned by the scene before him—more than a dozen people were gathered in front of the counter, some paying deposits, some consulting about group orders, and others just watching the spectacle. Across the street, at the entrance of the Bird store, the queue was sparse.

"Brother Biao!" Xiao Juan exclaimed as if she'd seen a savior when she saw him. "I'm so busy!"

Fan Debiao rolled up his sleeves: "I'll help. Where's Awei?"

"Sister Wei went to the bank to deposit a deposit. She received almost seven thousand yuan in cash this morning."

Just then, the door opened again. A middle-aged woman, in her early forties, with a perm and wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, entered. Her face was rosy, and she brought with her a strong smell of alcohol.

The woman squinted and looked around the shop. When she saw Fan Debiao, she grinned and exclaimed, "Oh my god, Fan Debiao! It really is you!"

Fan Debiao looked up and froze: "Guiying?"

The woman who arrived was none other than Guiying, the owner of Guiying Flavor Restaurant. She was the same Guiying who had argued with Fan Debiao in the previous life, the same Guiying that Fan Debiao had said would be even better if she were taller, slimmer, and had fairer skin. And so, the two of them had an absurd marriage.

At that moment, Guiying swayed over and slapped Fan Debiao on the shoulder: "What's wrong, don't you recognize me?"

Fan Debiao smelled the alcohol on her: "You...did you drink at noon?"

"I had a few drinks!" Guiying waved her hand. "A few old friends came over at noon and we ate at the restaurant across the street. They insisted on having a couple of drinks with me. I just finished drinking and passed by your place. I saw the sign and came in to take a look."

As she spoke, she leaned against the counter, her eyes scanning the shop: "Wow, Fan Debiao, business's booming these days! You've even opened a mobile phone store?"

"Just a small business, enough to make a living," Fan Debiao said. "You're here to look at your phone?"

"Come and take a look," Guiying hiccuped. "My crappy phone should have been replaced a long time ago. I heard you have some kind of promotion?"

Just then, Awei returned from the bank. As soon as she entered, she saw Guiying leaning against Fan Debiao, paused for a moment, and then walked over.

"Brother Biao, the cash is deposited." Awei said, naturally standing on the other side of Fan Debiao. "And this is...?"

Guiying turned to look at Awei, then at Fan Debiao, her eyes narrowing: "Oh, who's this girl?"

"I'm Awei, Mr. Fan's assistant," Awei said with a smile. "Ma'am, would you like to look at your phone? Let me show you around?"

Guiying didn't reply, but looked Awei up and down, then suddenly laughed: "Girl, you and Fan Debiao... are boss and employee?"

Avi blushed slightly: "Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise, there are many more," Guiying said meaningfully. "I know Fan Debiao. Back in Victoria, quite a few young girls were swooning over him."

Fan Debiao quickly tried to smooth things over: "Guiying, are you going to buy the phone or not? If not, don't delay our business."

"Buy it! Of course I'll buy it!" Guiying pulled out a hundred yuan from her pocket and slammed it on the table. "I'm buying that Xiaxin A8!"

Fan Debiao frowned: "The Xiaxin A8 isn't participating in the promotion; it's a best-selling model..."

"What the hell are you doing?" Guiying's voice rose, the alcohol seeming to be taking effect. "Are you pretending with me? Fan Debiao, what are you pretending for with that flat, shovel-shaped head of yours? Just because others aren't involved doesn't mean I can't! Back when you were cooking for me, I took good care of you! Have you forgotten?"

The customers in the store were all looking this way, and some covered their mouths and laughed.

Fan Debiao's face turned bright red with embarrassment: "Guiying, keep your voice down... that was so long ago..."

"Whenever it happened is another matter!" Guiying got more and more excited as she spoke. "Before, when you, Fan Debiao, were short of people... you'd use me to relieve your boredom. Now that you're the boss, you're talking to me about rules?"

Awei listened from the side, her smile unchanged, but her eyes held a different glint. She stepped forward, standing between Fan Debiao and Guiying: "Sister, we do have rules here. But if you really want to buy it, I can apply for a gift for you..."

"No need!" Guiying waved her hand, stared at Awei for a few seconds, and suddenly laughed, "Girl, you're quite protective of him, aren't you?"

Avi smiled and said, "I'm the store manager, so I have to uphold the store's rules."

"Rules?" Guiying snorted. "Let me tell you, girl, you have to keep a close eye on Fan Debiao. He'll disappear without a trace if you're not careful. He used to work for me, and I'd often not be able to find him for days on end..."

Fan Debiao couldn't take it anymore: "Guiying! Are you going to buy it or not? If not, get out of here, we're busy!"

Guiying was startled by his shout, and seemed to sober up a bit. She looked at Fan Debiao, then at Awei, and suddenly laughed: "Fine, fine, I'm leaving. Fan Debiao, you've really made something of yourself, alright."

She turned to leave, but turned back at the door. "Oh, by the way, my restaurant is still open. Come over for a meal sometime. I'll cook you a couple of dishes, and we can... have a drink."

The door closed, and the store was quiet for a few seconds.

Xiao Juan asked softly, "Brother Biao, who is this?"

Fan Debiao wiped his sweat: "A friend of mine... let's get to work!"

Awei glanced at Fan Debiao, said nothing, and turned to organize the receipts. But her movements were noticeably heavier.

Around 3 PM, things finally quieted down a bit in the shop. Xiao Juan and Xiao Ling slumped in their chairs, panting heavily from exhaustion.

"Brother Biao, we really put out the fire across the street today," Xiaoling said. "They were all gone this afternoon."

Just as Fan Debiao was about to speak, the door opened again. Liu Qiang and Wang Fang returned from their trip to the retail store, both looking rather grim.

"Brother Biao, there's a problem," Liu Qiang said. "The retail store owners are all panicking when they hear that our own store is having a promotion."

Wang Fang added, "Especially those shops on the mobile phone street, they say our group-buying activity has lured away all their customers. Some people have threatened that if we don't give them an explanation, they won't buy a single item from us next year."

Fan Debiao lit a cigarette: "How are their sales today?"

"Sales haven't been affected much," Liu Qiang said, "but the bosses are unhappy. They say we're acting as both wholesalers and retailers, competing with ourselves."

Fan Debiao took a drag of his cigarette and thought for a moment: "Here's what we'll do, Victoria, tomorrow night, I'll treat all the retail store owners to dinner. Two tables, we can chat face to face."

"Can you explain it clearly?" Wang Fang asked.

"We have to keep talking even if we can't figure it out." Fan Debiao flicked his cigarette ash. "We need to do business, but we can't damage relationships. We need to come up with a way to smooth things over."

After closing for inventory at dusk, the day's results were in: deposits collected totaled 7,200 yuan, 41 units were sold through group buying, and 23 units were ordered from the machinery factory. Including shipments from the retail store, total sales for the day exceeded 120 units.

Xiao Juan and Xiao Ling were so tired they didn't even have the energy to talk, but their faces were beaming with smiles.

"Brother Biao, we really made a killing today!" Xiaoling said.

As Fan Debiao looked at the account book, his mind was on the retail store owners and Guiying's situation.

After packing her things, Awei walked over to Fan Debiao: "Brother Biao, Sister Guiying...you seem to know her quite well?"

Fan Debiao coughed lightly: "I worked at her restaurant for a few months before. She's a nice person, but she doesn't watch her mouth when she's drunk."

"I can tell," Avi said casually. "So you're really going to eat at her place?"

"What are you eating for? I'm busy," Fan Debiao quickly said. "Let's go, let's close up shop and go home."