Star Tycoon

Chapter 2: A Wide Variety of Goods
Lai Cai Convenience Store has resumed business.

The next day was the first day of official business, and a customer came in at nine o'clock in the morning.

"Boss, do you have any cigarettes?"

"No."

The customer left quickly and won't be coming back.

An hour later, a child walked in.

"Buy ice cream."

"No."

The child left quickly and won't come back.

Tian Ersan felt this was not a solution.

"The stock is incomplete, but what if we spend money to restock and then can't sell it?"

"Given the current situation, we don't get many customers a day, and even if they buy things, we can't sell them; they're all stuck with us."

"Luckily, people tipped me during the live stream. Being handsome makes it easy to make money. I earned twenty yuan in one day."

Compared to the business of a small shop, the results of live streaming are better.

In this era, most people prefer to remain anonymous and discreet online rather than reveal their true selves.

Many people are very socially anxious and shy, and they lack confidence in their appearance, so they are even unwilling to speak into a microphone.

Tian Ersan had no intention of doing business while live streaming. During the day, he would watch cartoons and edit videos, then publish the spliced ​​animations on the website to build a fan base.

I'll start the live stream when I get back upstairs at night.

While I was watching an animated film to find material, someone else came in.

"Welcome!" Tian Ersan called out, then looked up and saw that it was an acquaintance.

Zhou Fa came over again yesterday, looking a bit dirty. As soon as he entered, he said, "Give me a bottle of Coke."

"Okay! Wait a minute!" Tian Ersan quickly went back to the yard and soon came out with a bottle of cola.

Zhou Fa took it and felt it was a bit cold, so he asked curiously, "Did you buy a refrigerator?"

Tian Ersan smiled and said, "No, there's a well in the yard. I put a few bottles of drinks there to cool them down a bit."

Zhou Fa twisted open the can of cola, took a sip, and found it quite good.

"You have a well at home? My family has running water."

Tian Ersan smiled and said, "Only old houses have wells. Do you want to wash your hands? There's no hot water in the yard, but there is cold water."

Zhou Fa suggested, "Okay, I'll wash my hands and go back for dinner. You can get some beer; I and a few other mechanics nearby like to drink beer, this cola doesn't quench our thirst."

Tian Ersan accepted the suggestion. "I'll go ask the delivery guy this afternoon. In our lousy county, it's hard to buy genuine instant noodles, cola, or beer. They're all fake."

Zhou Fa understood this as well. After all, he was a young man who had worked in big cities and returned home, and he was well aware of all the bad things about his hometown.

In small towns, you can always buy all sorts of counterfeit goods at local shops. They're mostly homemade products with fake production dates, so they're only good for general reference.

Zhou Fa quickly went back to eat and rest. He has a wife and children, and he also needs to keep an eye on the shop and wait for business.

After Tian Ersan got tired of sitting, he rode his tricycle out to buy goods.

Zhou Fa was lying in front of his rented street-front shop. There was a awning in front of the shop to keep out the rain, so he could work and rest under the awning on rainy days and hot days.

I put a deck chair by the door so I can lie down and wake up when someone comes by while I'm sleeping.

Zhou Fa was lying down playing on his phone when he saw the orphan across the street pushing the old man's tricycle used for collecting scraps out.

Are you going out to collect recyclables?

Zhou Fa thought of the most likely scenario.

That shop looks like it has no business; it'll be hard to even get a meal sooner or later.

All Zhou Fa could do was buy a bottle of Coke or some cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar; he couldn't help with anything else.

Not long after, Zhou Fa saw the child return, and wave at him while holding up two bottles of beer.

Zhou Fa felt something was off, and since he had no business at the moment, he went over to see what was going on.

Zhou Fa asked, "Why did you buy so much beer?"

"Of course I'll sell it. I'll sell it for the same price as everyone else." Tian Ersan said, taking a bottle of beer worth more than ten yuan and walking into the house.

Zhou Fa had nothing else to do, so he helped him push the car into the house.

"Won't you lose money selling it at the original price?"

Tian Ersan explained, "In short, we need to retain our customers first. We can sell beer at the original price. We need to retain the owners of the car and electric vehicle shops nearby. Besides, I bought several bottles, and they gave me a two-yuan discount. If we sell them all, we can still make a profit."

The chubby young man felt embarrassed after hearing this, and said, "Then can you chill two bottles for me? My wife and I drink two bottles every night."

"Okay! No problem!" Tian Ersan made good use of the well resources and retained his first long-term customer.

Zhou Fa then looked at Tian Ersan's computer and asked, "Do you use your computer to watch movies?"

Tian Ersan casually said, "Let's watch cartoons." Zhou paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Oh."

Tian Ersan felt something was off and didn't immediately realize what it meant, thinking it was because of something about anime/manga.

This is normal; watching cartoons is indeed childish.

But after a few seconds, Tian Ersan quickly realized what was happening.

"I know how to use computers, I can fix computers, and I can also help download movies. It costs five yuan to download one movie, domestic or foreign, romance, action, horror, Tokyo movies are all fine."

Tian Ersan casually glanced to one side and spoke casually.

Zhou Fa quickly smiled.

Men, some things are easy to understand.

"Then can you download two to my phone for me? How long will it take?"

We're all men, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about if we talk it out.

Tian Ersan quickly replied, "I'll download it to my computer first, then transfer it to your phone. It'll be quick. You can come over tonight; it'll only take a few minutes at most."

"Great!" Zhou Fa said expectantly, then went out to find something to do to pass the time.

After Zhou Fa left, Tian Ersan quickly searched for various resources and helped download several movies.

People in this era are very open-minded and will share resources with each other.

Moreover, the internet speed isn't slow; you can just leave it running in the background and download it slowly if you find the right method.

However, some people who are not familiar with computers really don't know how to download, and often spend two or three hours without finding any resources.

Men generally have a desire to collect and hoard resources, and Zhou Fa belongs to the group that is willing to pay for this.

Tian Ersan discovered that there were ways to make money everywhere.

As long as you are willing to work hard, have a quick mind, are shameless, and are not bound by outdated traditional ideas, you can make money.

Whether online or in real life, you can earn some unexpected money.

Zhou Fa arrived at seven o'clock in the evening.

"Is it ready?" Zhou Fa asked in a low voice, then added, "Two bottles of beer, please."

As he spoke, Zhou Fa put down twenty yuan.

His business is good; he repairs tires and cars, earning two to three hundred yuan a day. If he's lucky, he can make several hundred yuan by selling a battery or trading in an old electric scooter.

Zhou Fa's wife is in her early twenties. She just gave birth and is taking care of the baby at the store. She usually stays at home watching TV and playing on her phone. She also goes to large supermarkets to buy things.

No one seemed to recognize the shop, but it also felt like it had been open for a while; there was no sense of unfamiliarity or strangeness about it.

Tian Ersan took out a data cable. "Okay, give me your phone. It'll only take a few minutes."

Zhou Fa handed over a somewhat worn-out phone with several obvious cracks on the screen.

Tian Ersan thought he might be able to start a mobile phone screen protector and screen replacement business, since it wasn't difficult and the cost was very low.

"Two Japanese romance movies and one Western action movie, see if that works for you. I'll go get the beer."

After Tian Ersan finished speaking, he went to the courtyard and let the customers choose for themselves.

Zhou Fa quickly went behind the counter and clicked to preview.

After Tian Ersan came out with two bottles of beer, Zhou Fa quickly closed the interface and pointed.

"Place both of these on the list. How much is it in total?"

Tian Ersan put down his beer, sat down, and started transferring the video. "Just give me another five yuan."

Zhou Fa quickly gave him six yuan.

A few minutes later, guided by Tian Ersan, Zhou Fa found the corresponding video in the phone's file folder and quickly put it in his pocket.

"Thank you so much!"

"fine."

Zhou Fa happily took the beer home.

Just as I crossed the street to the other side, I saw Chen Ding, who runs an auto repair shop next door, walking over.

"Do they sell beer across the street? That would save me the trouble of going all that way."

Chen Ding, who is in his forties, is also a beer lover. On hot days, everyone eats and gathers outside the house. People who do physical labor don't skimp on food and are willing to eat and drink.

Originally, he planned to have his apprentice buy beer from a large supermarket 800 meters away, but after seeing Zhou Fa buy beer from across the street, he figured it was better to go to the nearest supermarket.

Zhou Fa said happily, "Yes, it's not too cold, but it's just right to be chilled. Take a look."

Chen Ding reached out and touched it, feeling that it fit perfectly. He then called out to his apprentice, who was tidying up his tools, "Xiao Li, go across the street and buy five bottles of beer."

"Okay!" Xiao Li didn't want to travel far, so he quickly agreed.

It's not that we can't afford a refrigerator; it's that most of our food is eaten within a day, so there's no need to refrigerate it.

(End of this chapter)