My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 146 Little Sister
This matter is somewhat risky, but Zhou Jiye still feels it's worth taking the gamble.

Although it was his first time dealing with the other party, Zhou Jiye had a very high level of trust in the latter because of his relationship with Zhang Bo and Xiang Heng.

Moreover, although 100,000 yuan was a huge sum for them, it was nothing to Zhang Bo and Xiang Heng. Besides, Zhou Jiye and his team had personally inspected the Sanyo single-cassette four-speaker tape recorders; they were all original, high-quality products. As long as they could acquire them and transport them back, they were sure to make a profit.

But Zhou Jiye never expected the profit to be so high. According to his original estimate, a tape recorder priced at 122 yuan would sell for a little over 300 yuan in Shanghai. But who would have thought that Xu Guoqing could negotiate a price of 380 yuan, which is almost the same as the price in department stores now.

"How can this be the same? Don't forget, department stores require receipts for tape recorders, and everyone knows how difficult it is to get a receipt. Besides, ours are original imports, and we sell them for 380 without a receipt. These are all imported goods, so it's normal for them to be more expensive. In fact, if we sell them cheaply, people will think there's something wrong with our goods." Xu Guoqing replied with a smile. Zhou Jiye and Lao Wen thought this made sense, and selling things at a higher price meant more profit for them. If this deal went smoothly, they could earn more than 200,000 yuan.

Although the profit margin of tape recorders is not much higher than that of ordinary products sold today, such as jeans, bell-bottoms, digital watches, and microphone mirrors, if calculated based on the actual profit margin per unit, the latter is actually higher.

However, you can't calculate it that way when doing business. Although the profit margin on ordinary goods is indeed higher, the value of a single item is far less than that of something like a tape recorder.

You know, a pair of jeans sells for a little over 20 yuan these days, but to achieve sales of nearly 380 yuan, you would need to sell at least 19 pairs of jeans.

If it's something like a digital watch or a microphone, it goes without saying that these things only sell for around ten yuan now, so you'd have to sell even more.

From this perspective, selling one tape recorder is equivalent to selling nineteen pairs of jeans or forty or fifty digital watches and microphones, which is incomparable.

That's how business works; depending on the scale, the profit margin of a single item cannot be equated with the overall profit.

The tape recorder, being a high-value and rare commodity, was far more profitable than investing in ordinary goods, considering sales, profits, and overall capital recovery. This was the main reason why the three of them ultimately decided to invest so much money in this project.

After mentally calculating the profit from this batch of goods, they became even more excited, especially since they had already been drinking. Although the goods hadn't arrived yet and hadn't been sold, the sale was practically a done deal. In a few days, they would resell the goods and get the money. Just thinking about such a large profit made their eyes light up.

"It's a pity that this deal is only for one time. Once it's done, it's over," Zhou Jiye couldn't help but sigh, a sentiment echoed by Xu Guoqing and the others.

While tape recorders are valuable items, these goods are quite sensitive. They were lucky to secure this batch, as the other party happened to have some in stock. Obtaining more wouldn't be so easy; these goods are different from others. The other party was honest with Zhou Jiye and his team, explaining that sourcing them was very complicated, making a long-term business unrealistic unless Zhou Jiye and his team could directly establish connections in Lingnan, something they simply couldn't do.

"I'm very satisfied with the result now. If we can't do this, we can do something else. As long as this path exists, what can't we do?" Old Wen was quite content and said this happily. Xu Guoqing agreed with him and then asked Zhou Jiye, "I remember the other party said last time that they had some other goods on hand?"

"Correct!"

"I'm thinking, after this batch of goods is finished, we should go again to check out the specific sources of goods and find some other suitable ones to work with. What do you think?"

"That's fine!" Old Wen readily agreed, and Zhou Jiye also expressed his agreement, and he already had some ideas in mind.

When he went to inspect the goods last time, he noticed a batch of Nike and Adidas sneakers in the warehouse. These were all big brands, and the quality was very good. Moreover, they were completely different from the sneakers currently available in China. Not only were they stylish and comfortable to wear, but they also used leather instead of the canvas used in mainland sneakers. Such trendy sneakers should have a good market.

In addition, Zhou Jiye also noticed boxes of imported cigarettes on display. These were still a rare commodity, and he specifically asked about the price, which was unbelievably cheap. If the tape recorder was just a one-off sale, perhaps he could start with these products to test the waters for sales.

The three continued their conversation on this topic, each sharing their own perspectives.

Just then, Xu Guoqing, who was smoking, glanced unintentionally at the window beside him. But just that glance made him freeze for a moment, and then he suddenly stood up.

"Aqing, where are you going?" Old Wen called out to Xu Guoqing as he got up and headed outside.

"I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back!" Xu Guoqing said, then strode towards the door and quickly left the restaurant.

"What's wrong...?"

Old Wen looked at Xu Guoqing's hurried departure with great curiosity. At this moment, Zhou Jiye turned his head and looked out the window. He saw that Xu Guoqing left the restaurant and walked straight ahead without stopping.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Guoqing stopped two people on the road. The two people, a man and a woman, both looked very young. The man was clearly taken aback by being suddenly stopped, and then seemed at a loss for what to do. The young woman was also surprised to see Xu Guoqing suddenly appear, but her surprise quickly returned to normal. Then they stood there and started talking.

"Brother Wen, look!"

"Strange, what's she doing here? And this man...?" Old Wen also turned around and looked back, his face showing surprise when he saw Xu Guoqing talking to the man and woman. "Do you know these two people?"

"I don't know the man, but I do know the woman," Lao Wen said.

"Who is this woman? Could she be Brother Aqing's girlfriend?" Zhou Jiye's gossip instincts were burning brightly as he eagerly asked.

Old Wen chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, this is Aqing's sister, my cousin!"

"what!"

Zhou Jiye was taken aback. He had initially thought the woman was Xu Guoqing's girlfriend, and seeing the dramatic scene of two men seemingly vying for one woman, he was just about to watch the drama unfold. But after hearing Lao Wen's explanation, he realized the truth: the young woman was actually Xu Guoqing's sister, and he had been mistaken all along.

However, Zhou Jiye quickly perked up again because he saw Xu Guoqing and his sister exchange a few words and then suddenly start arguing for some reason. The argument became more and more intense, and the man stood by helplessly trying to persuade him, but Xu Guoqing wouldn't listen at all. He pointed at the man and cursed at him. Then, Xu Guoqing's sister stomped her feet in anger, grabbed the man, and turned to leave.

Xu Guoqing rushed forward to stop them, but his sister ignored him completely. After yelling at him, she grabbed the man and quickly left. Watching them walk away, Xu Guoqing subconsciously took a few steps in the direction they went, but quickly stopped again, staring blankly as they walked further and further away. In the end, Xu Guoqing stood there alone, looking somewhat lonely as he watched their departing figures.

"This is...?" Zhou Jiye saw all of this and was surprised. At the same time, he asked Lao Wen, "Is this man Brother Aqing's sister's boyfriend? What's going on with Brother Aqing? Is he breaking up a couple? Does the brother-in-law not like his sister's husband?"

"I don't know!" Old Wen also looked bewildered. Last year during the Spring Festival, they went to visit Xu Guoqing's family together, but his younger sister wasn't home. Later, he was busy with business and didn't have time to visit her. It had been almost a year since they last saw each other.

Both of them were completely bewildered, exchanging glances, unsure of what was going on. A short while later, Xu Guoqing returned, his steps heavy, his face showing deep thought. However, once inside the restaurant, he quickly regained his composure, forcing a smile as he returned to his original seat.

"Brother Qing, just now..." Zhou Jiye saw that Xu Guoqing was pretending to be fine, but his brows were still slightly furrowed, so he couldn't help but ask.

"What? You saw it?" Xu Guoqing glanced at Zhou Jiye, then looked at Lao Wen beside him.

Seeing the two nod silently, Xu Guoqing gave a bitter smile, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and sighed.

"So what if they see it? They're not outsiders anyway."

“When did my little sister start dating? Was that guy her boyfriend? Ah Qing, really, my little sister is nineteen this year, right? I remember she graduated and started working a few months ago, right? Isn’t it normal for a girl to have a boyfriend at this age? Why are you making such a fuss about your personal feelings?” Old Wen advised from the side.

Xu Guoqing gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "There are some things you don't know. It's not as simple as just dating."

"Not dating? This man...?" Old Wen asked in surprise.

Xu Guoqing waved his hand and said, "Don't misunderstand, this man is my little sister's boyfriend. Actually, if they were just dating, I wouldn't have reacted so strongly. What you said earlier is right, it's normal for a girl to have a boyfriend when she gets older, and my little sister will eventually get married, she's not young anymore."

"Then why are you still...?" Upon hearing this, Lao Wen was even more puzzled.

With a sigh, Xu Guoqing explained the situation to Zhou Jiye and the others. After listening to his account, Zhou Jiye and Lao Wen finally understood why Xu Guoqing had reacted that way.

It turns out that this man was my younger sister's high school classmate, and the two had actually been secretly dating since school. The man's family was quite well-off. Although they had suffered some repercussions a few years ago because of their "class background," in recent years, with the opening up of policies, families with overseas backgrounds have become highly sought after.

The two had always had a good relationship and a solid foundation of affection. If it were only for these reasons, Xu Guoqing wouldn't have objected. The problem was that recently, his younger sister suddenly started making a fuss at home, saying she wanted to go abroad. Xu Guoqing and his parents were shocked. His sister had only recently graduated, and her current job was something Xu Guoqing had painstakingly arranged for her through connections. It was a good company, an easy position, and the salary was decent. She'd only been working there for a few months; why was she suddenly thinking about going abroad?

I later found out that the younger sister's idea of ​​going abroad came from her boyfriend.

Because her boyfriend's family has overseas connections, they are now trying to arrange for him to study abroad. Perhaps because of love, or perhaps just her own desire, the younger sister feels that wherever her boyfriend goes, she should go too, and she's been clamoring to go abroad as well. Xu Guoqing's parents strongly oppose this, believing that it's too risky for a young girl like her to go abroad, especially since she's unfamiliar with the place and what if something happens?
And so, the family directly rejected the younger sister's idea of ​​going abroad, and warned her to break up with her boyfriend as soon as possible. No one knew whether he would come back after going abroad, and no one could predict how things would develop in the future. It was better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time.

On the surface, the younger sister reluctantly agreed to her parents' request after much persuasion, but in reality, she was determined to go abroad with this man. Xu Guoqing was unaware of all this. He had always thought that his younger sister and this man had broken up, but unexpectedly, he suddenly saw them strolling on the street, and their intimate manner still suggested that they were deeply in love.

Seeing this, how could Xu Guoqing stand it up? He quickly went out and stopped them, asking directly what had happened. Unexpectedly, the younger sister not only ignored his advice but also got into a big argument with Xu Guoqing in the street because of this, and finally dragged her boyfriend away. This incident made Xu Guoqing very upset and gave him a headache.

(End of this chapter)