Chapter 41

Chapter 41: First Update
Qian Yu took two five-yuan pencil cases and one premium fifteen-yuan stationery box from her mother. Since the eldest, second, and fourth branches of the Huang family all had children attending school now, these three items would be sufficient in number upon their return. However, the disparity in quality would likely keep Grandmother Huang worrying for quite some time.
Qian Qing chuckled secretly; her sister was certainly no fool. With just a slight hint, she had instinctively mastered the art of innovation.
Turning around, Qian Qing immediately began preparing for the trip. This journey south was unlike her previous visit to the provincial capital; it was almost entirely uncharted territory.
She planned to visit two places this time. The first was a small town home to manufacturers of face towels and handkerchiefs. According to what those few people had mentioned last time, many of the small factories there were now struggling under pressure from competitors in Yangcheng, leaving most of them financially stretched. Qian Qing intended to make the trip to see if she could snag any bargains.
The second destination was Yangcheng itself, located at the southernmost tip. As the province closest to Hong Kong, Yangcheng served as a bellwether and was among the earliest and fastest-developing cities in the region.
Calculating it all, the money on hand wasn’t just tight—it was extremely tight. Although she had already repaid Lao Ding’s five hundred yuan, and Chen Xinran had generously offered her a thousand yuan to use freely until the Lunar New Year, Qian Qing still only had four thousand yuan in total.
Summer would be better; the clothes are light and easy to carry, cheap enough per piece to stock up on more, yielding higher profits.
Winter clothing posed a greater challenge; not only was it inherently expensive and bulky to transport, but people generally owned very little of it. In some struggling households, a single padded jacket might last an entire winter. Moreover, many others bought their own fabric and sewed garments at home using treadle sewing machines, drastically reducing market demand.
Qian Qing counted the money in her hands, her pale fingers turning the bills over and over.
Zhou Hao returned from the water room and, seeing her face clouded with worry, leaned in close.
Qian Qing set down the money, then took Zhou Hao’s head in her hands and shook it gently. “Zhou Hao,” she said, “I’m so poor.”
Zhou Hao: …
Wait a minute—you hold the family’s entire financial lifeline in your hands, clutching wads of cash, yet you’re complaining about being poor to me, someone who survives on a monthly allowance?
Qian Qing counted on her fingers as she explained to Zhou Hao, “I plan to split the money into two parts. One portion will go toward stocking up on clothes—ideally as much as possible, since once the weather turns cold, it’ll be harder for me to make trips south again. I also need to set aside enough cash to snap up any bargains that come along. If I stumble upon something great but can’t buy it because I’m short on funds, I swear I’ll cry my eyes out!”
Zhou Hao gently pulled down the hand of this little money-obsessed woman: “Do we really have to push ourselves this hard?”
Qian Qing spoke earnestly, “It’s not really about striving; it’s just that I’d hate to miss such an opportunity. Besides, I truly enjoy the feeling of making money.”
Before marrying Zhou Hao, many people around her called her foolish, saying that with her looks she could have easily made a living, yet she insisted on marrying into a worker’s family, destined for a life of hardship. But Qian Qing thought otherwise. Did marrying someone mean just sitting idle and waiting for good fortune to fall from the sky? In this world, such easy blessings were mostly traps.
After marrying Zhou Hao, her own convictions grew ever clearer; guided by intuition, she bought and sold, engaged with all manner of people, and witnessed the full spectrum of human character—a joy far beyond what those others could ever comprehend.
Zhou Hao fell into thoughtful silence, while Qian Qing, after venting her frustrations, moved on. She had too much to do to dwell on complaints; among her most pressing tasks was arranging the delivery and transportation of goods.
These days, neither small cars nor large trucks are safe. I’ve heard that in some villages, people deliberately drag trees into the middle of the main road, waiting for a vehicle to approach. Then they step forward, pretending to be passersby, and demand a “helping fee” from the driver.
There are also unreliable drivers who collude with others to steal the cargo owner’s goods, disappearing completely along with both the person and the merchandise, never to be found again.
Even worse, some travelers flaunt their wealth by carrying visible riches, only to vanish entirely themselves, leaving no trace behind.
Calculating it this way, the only relatively safe option is still the train. Therefore, Qian Qing decided to bring Lin Xiaohui onto her team.
Lin Xiaohui doesn’t accompany every shipment, so Qian Qing planned to store the goods in the staff rest area only during the trips Lin Xiaohui was on duty. She didn’t even feel comfortable leaving them in the cargo hold, having heard far too many stories of people venturing into business who ended up not making a profit but instead losing half their life’s savings.
While some of those stories were undoubtedly exaggerated, the facts remained clear: success was always the exception rather than the rule, and wherever there was profit to be made, risk inevitably followed. The higher the potential profit, the greater the risk one had to bear.
Therefore, Qian Qing decided to approach Lin Xiaohui with a straightforward business proposition. Since she intended to borrow space from her, and for the long term at that, it was best to discuss the arrangement with her in advance.
Qian Qing deliberately chose a day to visit Lin Xiaohui during her break. Before coming, she had already done her research: the route Lin Xiaohui regularly worked passed through Y City all the way to Yangcheng, also going by the small town Qian Qing needed to reach. However, the stop at that town was extremely brief, requiring someone to meet and transfer the cargo midway.
Qian Qing: “This should be the only trip to the small town; we’ll be accompanying the cargo.”
The most important place is still Yangcheng.
Lin Xiaohui worked as a train attendant, and her family was quite well-off, living in the railway staff quarters. Their living room was adorned with stylish lace sofa covers and even boasted a rare Panda-brand television. Her husband also worked for the railway; the couple barely saw each other, spending most of their time aboard trains.
She paused for a moment. Although carrying goods for others violated regulations, many train attendants would, to varying degrees, help relatives and friends transport items; some would even identify promising merchandise themselves, purchase it, and then sell it through their relatives.
Her entire family worked on the railways, all relying on railway jobs, so naturally they had no such relatives; previously, she had only occasionally brought back some southern fruits or newly styled clothes for friends.
Qian Qing straightforwardly offered her a price of one hundred yuan per shipment, with additional charges for larger quantities. She also thoughtfully mentioned that someone would accompany the cargo on every trip; all she needed to do was find a safe spot on the vehicle to store their goods, without worrying about anything else.
Calculated this way, earning a hundred yuan per trip is quite tempting.
“Alright, as long as someone from your side can accompany the cargo each time.”
Lin Xiaohui had thought it through clearly: if she were to transport goods alone each time, the earnings wouldn’t be worth the risk. She held a proper job after all; how could she keep an unblinking watch over someone else’s cargo? Moreover, if she actually went ahead with such a scheme and was reported, she might very well lose her job entirely.
Having someone accompany the shipment changed everything. They could simply claim the person was a relative, merely lending a hand to find a place to store the goods. Even if her supervisors found out, it would be no issue; who doesn’t have relatives?
With the cooperation settled, Qian Qing finally felt at ease.
Lin Xiaohui spoke somewhat shyly, “About that chili sauce you gave me last time, I wonder if your auntie would be convenient enough to make a few more bottles?”
Qian Qing was slightly surprised: “Already finished?”
That can’t be right. Even eating it at every meal, that small bottle should have lasted half a month, shouldn’t it?
“It was finished long ago. You don’t know—the moment you gave me that first batch, it was gone. After that, I felt too embarrassed to ask you for more. My colleagues all said it was delicious and kept asking where I bought it.”
Lin Xiaohui had spent years traveling and had tasted all sorts of delicacies, yet that small jar of chili sauce still brought her genuine surprise.
The spicy aroma was rich and complex, hinting at numerous flavor-enhancing ingredients within, along with white sesame seeds and crushed peanuts. Train meals were rarely appetizing, but at moments like this, all one needed was a steamed bun split open and generously slathered with the chili sauce in the middle. Ideally, the bun would still be warm to the touch; paired with the sauce, it was simply irresistible. The fragrance even drew over the train conductor, who couldn’t resist scooping out a large spoonful for himself.
“Of course, we can’t let Auntie suffer a loss. Each of us colleagues will buy three jars and pay for them.”
Qian Qing’s eyes lit up; this sounded like a promising business opportunity. Just a few days earlier, her mother had mentioned wanting to earn some money by selling food items. It seemed fate had delivered the perfect solution right when they needed it most.
“Alright, I’ll go ask my mom about this price…”
Lin Xiaohui calculated based on the chili sauce sold at the supply and marketing cooperative: “How about three yuan per bottle? What do you think?”
Qian Qing pinched her own hand tightly. No wonder people always said those working on the railways had money—they truly did! How much could one bottle of chili sauce possibly cost to make? At most, maybe one yuan in costs, yet reselling it could fetch three yuan!
Lin Xiaohui still thought like a consumer: “The chili sauce at the supply and marketing cooperative costs over two yuan, but none of them taste particularly fragrant, and they don’t contain sesame seeds or peanuts. The chili sauce your aunt makes clearly has good ingredients added—I can even taste those little fried tofu cubes in it, right? It must also be quite labor-intensive to prepare. So let’s settle on three yuan per bottle. Could you ask your aunt to hurry up and make at least twenty bottles first? To be honest, lately while driving our trucks, we’ve completely lost our appetite.”
Train attendants spend most of their time on board and usually make a habit of bringing along small jars of familiar homemade condiments, yet none compared to that bottle of chili sauce—its saltiness perfectly balanced, even the chili seeds within fragrant and delicious.
Delighted, Qian Qing modestly adjusted the price: “Two yuan fifty per bottle. Since you’re buying in bulk, let’s match the supply cooperative’s rate.”
Lin Xiaohui was thrilled. Qian Qing subtly added, “That chili sauce is great for stir-fries too. I’ll throw in two extra bottles; ask the cook to use some when preparing meals on the train. You spend all day aboard; you can’t survive on plain steamed buns forever.”
These words struck straight at Lin Xiaohui’s heart. She immediately grabbed Qian Qing’s hand and began pouring out her woes: being a train attendant might look glamorous, but it was exhausting. Every trip required constant vigilance, with poor food and little sleep. When she first started years ago, she couldn’t even sleep after disembarking, always feeling as if she were still floating on the sea, rising and falling, unable to close her eyes.
Qian Qing, who in later years would be hailed as a paragon of emotional intelligence, immediately began sharing with Lin Xiaohui the hardships of doing business. Within moments, their bond deepened considerably; Lin Xiaohui even gifted her several small ornaments said to be from the south—tiny plastic figures in various colors.
By the time Qian Qing managed to extricate herself and return to the oilfield, twilight had already begun to drape the horizon.
More than twenty minutes had passed since Zidi No. 1 Primary School let out. At the window of Mother Qian’s small shop, aside from a few children still picking out candies, hardly anyone remained.
Beside the small iron stove roasting sweet potatoes at the doorway, Qian Qing used a pair of fire tongs to fish out a tiny red sweet potato for herself.
Blowing hard as he went, he rushed inside to find Mother Qian.
“Panting—Mom, did Brother-in-law come by?”
Mother Qian tucked the money away, handed candies to a few children at the window, and watched them skip off into the distance. “Yes, he did. Right now, he’s probably taking Qianqian and your sister to the supply and marketing cooperative.”
Qian Qing tossed aside the sweet potato peel, placed her hands on her hips, and boasted to her mother, “Mom, didn’t you want to start a food business? I’ve found you a great opportunity.”