Transmigrated & Triumphant: Defying Destiny's Chosen One-Chapter 477 - 35: [Adding more 1 for the leader of the Light Blue Alliance]
Ning City Hua Jia Lane.
When mentioning Chen Changhai, everyone will give a thumbs up, calling him a kind-hearted person! But after praising, there’s always a sigh, "The young man isn’t one to settle down..."
Why?
No job!
In these times, city life without being a cadre or a worker, what girl would want to marry?
Every month, just the ration, enough not to starve.
Luckily, good connections aren’t for nothing; often friends from all around offer help, making Chen Changhai’s life manageable. When you think about it, isn’t that a skill?
...
The residents of Hua Family Lane have been neighbors for decades. Chen Changhai does exceptionally well with secrecy, never letting those around him know the undercover activities he engages in—after all, he knows well that the closer people are, the more likely jealousy arises.
To be safe, he never develops clients nearby.
However, at the moment, he’s tidying up his belongings—having stayed home for a month, finally finding another opportunity, now he needs to go out, maintain connections and relationships, and meanwhile, develop new customer groups...
If Chu River was an authentic Mountain and Sea Star traverser, she would realize that Chen Changhai, despite his ordinary appearance, was in fact a remarkable man who developed online trading in the 1970s!
Connecting people, stabilizing relationships, making one-third of the prepayment through postal remittance, when people from all places send things to him, he then settles the amount, and sells according to demand...
Though nowadays the inability to withdraw across regions leads to inefficiency in postal remittance, and the progress can’t compare to the local black market... But, safety!
It’s incredibly safe!
No one in these times could imagine he was engaged in online trading, right?
He managed to organize the business single-handedly, increasingly expanding, undeniably a real skill!
This time, it’s about time to go out and find sources again!
And just at this moment, Chu River came in.
...
The speculative trader’s family condition is decent, with a small courtyard by itself, the setting similar to any other household in the world, ordinary with no special features.
But, Chu River had seen him board the train with just a cloth bag, inside were parcels filled with resources not easily purchased even with money.
Chen Changhai was also surprised—as a competent businessman, his memory was exceptional.
The lady before him appeared like a country girl, yet strong and shrewd, especially the way she spent money, a sheer extravagance!
It practically touched Chen Changhai!
Moreover, someone from the military district was driving to pick her up!
Chen Changhai was delighted, setting aside the half-packed bundle, enthusiastically saying, "Oh, Mr. Chu, how nice of you to come over?"
...
But Chu River had no time for pleasantries.
Burdened by the responsibility of providing for her family, she needed to make money urgently—after all, her beloved snacks, biscuits, candies, milk powder, dates, white rice flour, all cost money!
"You have experience, tell me, what items are both expensive and easy to sell right now?"
There are many things easy to sell.
Chen Changhai wouldn’t brag, he could quickly offload a basket of sweet potatoes on the local black market. But to be "expensive" and "easy to sell"...
A client making a request for the first time, he doesn’t take it lightly, instead contemplating carefully: "Definitely those not available in department stores or general stores, like face creams from Shanghai, long dresses, high demand!"
However, those aren’t considered expensive.
Chu River had no interest in businesses requiring high volume for profit!
But, Chen Changhai then noted, "The ’three revolutions and one sound’ actually suits well, expensive and easy to sell... but too large, wealthy folks dare not easily buy."
This isn’t right either, nor is that.
Chu River looked at Chen Changhai, saying, "You’re not up to it!"
The speculative trader faced professional insult for the first time.
He racked his brains, thinking your range is too broad... but ultimately couldn’t come up with anything.
Planned economy not only planned the economy but also people’s thoughts and horizons. The speculative trader had traveled far and wide, but truly thinking of unconventional ideas—the business he engaged in was the most unconventional!
Until Chu River saw the newspaper pasted on Chen Changhai’s wall.
It was an old, yellowed newspaper, but the colors inside were still vivid.
[Chairman watches Dongfeng brand car]
She looked at the old red-and-white car, suddenly asking, "If such a car was made, would it sell well?"
Chen Changhai shuddered!
"My goodness, do you know what you’re saying?"
This is...this is that car!
He wanted to laugh at Chu River’s delusional idea but couldn’t help longing for the beauty of owning a car, ultimately hesitating:
"With what to make? I heard cars need gasoline, need engines."
Chu River glanced at him, "Who said it has to be real? Can’t you make a fake one? Wooden shell, aluminum shell, identical appearance, just smaller, palm-sized."
Chen Changhai, a grown man, preserved that newspaper so well, apparently having a special feeling for either people or cars.
Chen Changhai thought it over, realizing that even with just a wooden shell, he couldn’t resist the temptation...
But... how to make it?
Building a car requires both technology and tools.
Besides, it’s quite laborious for an individual to make, and the price... it’s just a toy, the price won’t go up!
But Chu River obviously had an idea—
"Get me a few cans of paint, red, white, and black."
"I’ll make this car."
Then, before Chen Changhai could voice an opinion, he reached out and started digging in his pocket again: "Whatever food you have, give me some... Oh, right, get more smooth aluminum and iron sheets."
Steel is a vital resource, but aluminum isn’t as strict. Thinking about the kids at home, Chu River wasn’t panicking at all right now.
Sigh.
It’s just that there is nothing available these days, and the scrutiny is strict everywhere, so nothing out of line can be done. Otherwise, if there were materials, Chu River could whip up something valuable in no time, and getting rich wouldn’t be just a dream.
...
Dragging a sack of stuff from Chen Changhai’s place, when Chu River returned to the hospital, Shi Suifeng had already arranged for accommodations—
"Little He, tonight I’ll stay with Gu An, take Gu Ping and Yun Baoni to sleep, come over tomorrow to relieve me."
Chu River nodded, reaching into the bag and pulling out a packet of candy: "Have some."
There are only a couple of sugar coupons every month, and not many food tickets either, so Chu River simply took them all from Chen Changhai. Thinking about how the other party patted his chest assuredly with the money, Chu River was now full of confidence about the future path to make money.
She was even eager to share it: "You guys need to grow well, I’m planning a big move next, and I need your help!"
Said with such fervor, the three kids were assured, even Gu An, who was awaiting surgery, was filled with bravado: "Auntie, I can do it!"
It’s not like his hand is broken, it’s just a leg, he can still work!
Chu River still had some conscience, not to the extent of exploiting a child with a broken leg. She quickly comforted him: "No worries, my big niece and nephew are coming in a couple of days, we’ll have enough manpower."
She rarely showed kindness, trying to comfort a few children, but didn’t expect the three kids to exchange glances, feeling even more pressured by the crisis.
...
"You’re planning to make toy cars?"
It’s actually a pretty good idea. Shi Suifeng had seen a comrade spend a dollar to buy his kid a tin frog, very well aware there was a huge profit market in this.
But... whether it was a tin frog or whatever material for little cars, firstly, without enough molds, they couldn’t even make the shells.
Chu River sighed: "Making cars is much simpler than making other things."
For instance, she initially thought about making watches or tape recorders... but couldn’t even get the hands for watches or the buttons for tape recorders.
On the other hand, cars... Old Zheng had enough tools. As long as she had materials, she could use the tools, of course.
Moreover, she had already memorized the shape, with some modifications, as long as the size was right, she could assemble it tightly without a single screw.
This, though never done before, she was quite confident about.
Most importantly, a car could be sold for a high price.
Shi Suifeng didn’t really understand this, but roughly comprehended that maybe it didn’t need screws, somewhat similar to a carpenter’s tenon-mortise structure for making furniture.
Alright then.
Let Little He go ahead and work on it.
"What else do you need? I have some connections, I can help think of a solution."
What was lacking?
Chu River thought for a moment: "Find a good carpenter, a bamboo craftsman would do too. Or can you find that kind of transparent plastic sheet?"
Nowadays, even plastic was under planned economy.
For instance, Chu River, to bring meat, specially went to the department store to buy a plastic jar, which was way more expensive than ceramic ones.
But for car windows, can’t cut up jars, right? There’s meat in them.
...
Thinking about making money, Chu River was already eagerly starting to draw designs, while back in her distant hometown, the postman delivered a telegram early in the morning:
"Da Dan, who is Da Dan? There’s a telegram for you!"
Da Dan just got a beating yesterday.
No big deal.
Just yesterday, practicing cooking, he wasted the family’s last two ounces of oil—what do those two ounces represent?
Anyway, worth more than him, the precious grandson.
After a good scolding at home, Da Dan was still walking with his butt sticking out.
Daya was in a rebellious state now—doing chores as usual, eating like before, but just not working. If scolded, she would run away and disappear without a trace. How could the Old Chu Family tolerate such rebellious behavior from a girl?
Just as they were preparing to intervene, who knew the rebellious little girl would burst out crying: "I’m secretly writing to Auntie, asking her to come back and work, she used to do all this before..."
How could that be allowed?!
Having emptied the family savings to send this jinx away, if she used Daya as an excuse to come back... is the family abundant with food and drinks or rich?
Plus, with Da Dan constantly covering and changing the subject, and now not being the busy farming season, Daya’s days were somehow muddled through.
But, it couldn’t last long.
Chu the Fourth had rested at home for a while, forgotten the pain, and recently started smiling at Daya again—
Just a girl, although a bit young, but... selling two or three times a year, that’s money too!
