Chapter Seventy-Five: Red Fire

  The man sitting next to Zhao Juan wore a suit made of gray cotton, washed so clean that it had turned slightly white. He had a square-shaped face, a pair of thick and black eyebrows, and very bright eyes, looking like an honest person at first glance.

  Two people sat not far nor near, with a gap of about a fist in between, occasionally chatting, but the way they looked at each other like a pair of lovebirds, what were they up to? Song Jie took one glance and figured out that their relationship was not ordinary.

  She didn't know what the man's character was like, but he looked quite dignified, and she couldn't help thinking that he might be a scoundrel inside. Song Jie felt a sour taste in her heart, it wasn't pleasant at all, feeling that her mother was being taken away from her.

  Song Jie shouldn't have been so heartbroken, after all, she had lived for so many years. But who let her be an orphan in her previous life? She had finally experienced the warmth of family, and now someone was going to take it away from her again; how could she possibly feel good about that?

  Song Jie also knew that Zhao Juan was very beautiful and young, and would eventually find another partner. She just needed time to adjust. If Zhao Juan didn't marry for her sake all her life, she would definitely feel more miserable.

  Knowing the truth was even worse than not knowing, Song Jie walked back and forth with her head down, silent. Zhou Muya had also discovered Song Jie's mother's secret and didn't dare to speak either, she could only accompany her in silence, the only sound being the collision of stationery against backpacks along the way.

  Song Jie was lost in thought all the way home, her mind racing with wild ideas, but she managed to compose herself before arriving home, so no one would notice anything amiss.

  When they arrived at Song Jie's doorstep, Zhou Mu Ya refused to move: "Song Jie, I'm not going in. You go in yourself."

  "Don't go, come in and play, you haven't finished your homework yet."

  "No, I won't go. I won't tell anyone about your mom's thing." Zhou Muya said hesitantly and then turned around and ran away...

  Song Jie looked at her fleeing back, a black silhouette, and wondered if she had said it was a secret. Good grief, she ran faster than a rabbit. However, Zhou Muya really meant well.

  She had already figured it out on the way, when the sky wants to rain and a girl wants to get married, no one can stop this thing, and it's meaningless to be sentimental for no reason. Just do what you should do, can't be too naive.

  However, her family members still don't know about it, and Song Jie doesn't plan to spill the beans. She'll wait and see what kind of person that man is before saying anything. Hopefully she won't end up with a wolf in sheep's clothing.

  Back home, the whole family was busy, Zhao's mother was busy killing chickens and fish. Zhao's father was busy boiling water, with his feet off the ground. What's going on? Is someone coming to visit? With Wang Yiran's heavy schoolwork, she rarely comes back on weekends, and Xiaobao has also returned home, so who is it that's coming?

  She walked into the living room and took a look. Her dusty little uncle was sitting on the chair.

  "Little uncle!" Song Jie called out from afar.

  Zhao Tong saw his niece coming back, he was so happy that he ran over in three strides and two steps, picked up Song Jie and spun her around for several rounds.

  "Hehehe" Song Jie laughed happily, the gloom in her heart had vanished.

  "Let go, Nini has grown up, don't always tease her like when she was a kid." Zhao's mother scolded with a smile already on her face, her son is finally home.

  Zhao Tong has been busy finding a store for some time, and the store has been found. Then, without stopping, he took Xiao Jia to Guangzhou to purchase goods, and today they unloaded the goods at the store before returning home.

  Seeing his son suffering, Zhao's father and mother hurriedly made some food to supplement him. Song Jie also found that the originally not-fat uncle was even thinner this time, with a beard on his face. His cheekbones were exposed.

  But looking at Zhao Tong's happy appearance, I guess this time's gain is quite good.

  As expected, during dinner, Zhao Tong told everyone about his trip to Guangzhou, and Song Jie was indeed not surprised.

  This time Zhao Tong went to Guangzhou, originally unfamiliar with the local people and land, and took so much money, almost got cheated by others. Fortunately, he was clever and escaped, otherwise he would have really lost this time.

  The person who reminded him at first was actually a profiteer of electronic goods and became his benefactor. All his goods were taken from that person.

  Zhao Tong also left a heart, went to the wholesale place in advance to inquire about the price, and heard that it was cheaper than the price. After careful consideration, the quality was not bad either, he only knew that he had met a good person.

  The whole family returned home with a full load, and Zhao Tong dared not to delay on the way. He ate dry rice balls with cold water and rushed back home without stopping.

  One can't know the difficulty of traveling without leaving home. After going out, Zhao Tong not only gained knowledge but also recognized the cruelty of human hearts, which will be very helpful for his future path.

  After finishing dinner, Zhao Tong fell asleep as soon as he lay down, really exhausted.

  He slept until late morning, and the sun was already high in the sky. His mother had specifically instructed that no one was to disturb Zhao Tong, allowing him to sleep in.

  At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhao Tong finally got up. After a good night's rest, he was young and energetic again.

  In the afternoon, Zhao Tong took Song Jie, who had been lazy all along, out and rode a bike to the newly rented storefront.

  Song Jie took a look at this place, which is not far from the department store, and there are many people passing by, making it a good place to do business. Entering the door, there is an area of about 200 square meters, with two floors upstairs and downstairs.

  Zhao Tong had already tidied up the counter and other areas early on, arranging everything in a neat and orderly manner without looking cluttered at all.

  All yesterday's goods were placed in the warehouse at the back. For safety, Zhao Tong added another layer to all the doors, after all, the cost was not small.

  Song Jie entered the door and heard a noise upstairs. Looking at Zhao Tong's completely unsurprised expression, she knew that this was her younger uncle's partner.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, soon Xiao Jia walked out from upstairs, and he arrived even earlier than Zhao Tong.

  Several people arrived at the warehouse, which was packed with goods. Zhao Tong and Xiao Jia started moving the cargo outwards. Song Jie couldn't help much and could only stand by and watch.

  The things that were moved down included not only electronic tables, but also some radios, speakers, calculators, and even a few large black-and-white TVs.

  Things have been moved down, Song Jie started helping to arrange things, which is faster. According to the different prices, they are placed in different places, very easily.

  After tidying up and sweeping the floor, the whole room became bright and clean. Song Jie looked at the watch in the display window and said: "Little uncle, why not put a price tag on it? Wouldn't that make things clear to customers?"

  Zhao Tong heard it was right, and then found a few pieces of regular cardboard to write the price on, and stuck them on the glass display case.

  The gate had long been hung with a sign, and the words were still written by Zhao's father himself: Xintong Electronics.

  Next thing is to wait for tomorrow morning's opening. A few people are a bit bored, this afternoon has only passed half, how can we close the door and go home?

  Song Jie walked around the store and suddenly understood. Some small tricks were very popular later on, and they could be used as reference. She mentioned it to Zhao Tong.

  For example, when selling things, music can be played through speakers to attract people's attention. When selling large items, a watch or cassette tape can be given away. At the beginning, a lottery activity can also be organized, and prizes will be awarded to those who win.

  She just saw that the cost was only a few dollars, but when it was sold, it was several times higher, which is very in line with the Chinese people's love of taking advantage of small bargains.

  Song Jie also proposed a membership card system, but it's not suitable for the current stage. When there are more varieties in the store, it will be used and will have a better effect.

  When selling things, the attitude must be good, and after-sales service must keep up. Even if there is no after-sales service now, it will have to be added later. In addition, you also need to register your store name.

  A few small points, Zhao Tong was like a sudden enlightenment, these are some inconspicuous suggestions, but not something ordinary people can think of. Zhao Tong directly called Song Jie a business genius, making Song Jie speechless, who would have known that these tactics would become popular later on?

  The next day, Song Jie originally wanted to follow along, but her suggestion was rejected, and she could only go to school with a long face.

  But Zhao Tong's business that day was indeed very hot, and when the time came, after setting off firecrackers, Zhao Tong put on the tape, which contained some popular songs.

  The originally quiet street suddenly boiled over, with everyone following the sound. Some curious people took a look and said, "Oh, it's a new store", walked in and saw some new electronic products inside.

  Not only can you buy things and get a free gift, but you can also participate in a lucky draw, with the biggest prize being a TV set.

  Everyone has seen this, wanting to buy a small thing and win a big prize. Naturally, more people came to buy, fortunately, Zhao's mother went that day, otherwise Zhao Tong and Xiao Jia would not have been able to handle it.

  Thanks to Zhao Tong's cleverness, he also bought several boxes of soap as prizes on the same day. Almost every five people could win a bar of soap, and everyone was very satisfied.

  Zhao Tong also lost a lot of money, and actually put in a TV ticket prize, but it was drawn by a middle-aged man. Now it's good, one spreads to ten, ten spreads to hundred, more and more people come to the store, and they sell more too.

  It wasn't until evening when the crowd gradually dispersed that they could take a break and close up shop.

  One by one, their waists couldn't straighten up anymore. After checking the goods and bills, Zhao Tong carefully calculated that he had actually earned more than 4,000 yuan in just one day. The cost of that TV was only over a hundred yuan, which could almost be ignored.

  At first, Xiao Jia was opposed to Zhao Tong using the TV as a bet, fearing that they would lose money in the end. As it turned out, he was convinced and impressed, and still thought his good brother had bigger guts, no wonder he could make such a big deal.

  Zhao Tong also thought this business was very good and had a promising market prospect. On the spot, he gave Xiao Jia 2000 yuan as an advance payment of bonus, which he accepted, after all, there was still a crying child to be fed at home.

  In the evening, Zhao Tong accompanied his father to drink a few cups of wine, and the two men's good mood was beyond words. Song Jie, although she couldn't see it with her own eyes, felt some regret, but she was still extremely happy.