Era: Rise from the Wilderness

"Most of them are 'thank you for your patronage' or small prizes worth a few cents, such as a bar of soap, a towel, or a bag of laundry detergent."

"But the key point is!"

He emphasized, tapping his finger lightly on the kang table, "We'll set up a few, not many, just three or five 'grand prizes,' and the prizes have to be attractive enough!"

"For example, a brand new 'Phoenix' or 'Forever' bicycle!"

"A dual-cassette recorder, either a 'Yanwu' or 'Xingqiu' brand!"

"We could even be bolder and set a grand prize: a Jialing motorcycle, or an 18-inch black and white television!"

The scene he described made Fu Chao and Ding Dong hold their breath and stare blankly.

Bicycles, radios, motorcycles, televisions!

These were all "big-ticket items" that ordinary families dreamed of in the early 1990s!

"Then, we'll get a big cardboard box tied with red ribbon, or ask a carpenter to make a big, colorful spinning wheel to put all these lottery tickets in."

Li Yunjing gestured dramatically: "Two yuan for one scratch or one spin. For the grand prize, we'll buy, borrow, or rent one, and place it in the most prominent spot, polishing it until it shines, to attract everyone's attention!"

"Small prizes are also piled up on the side, making them look more affordable and giving people the feeling that the odds of winning are high."

Ding Dong's eyes lit up as he listened, and his breathing became a little rapid. He had already begun to imagine the lively scene of crowds of people vying to scratch the prize.

But then a practical question popped into his head, and he blurted out, "What if someone gets incredibly lucky and wins the grand prize, taking home a bicycle and a TV? Wouldn't we be left with a huge loss?"

"You probably won't even get your initial investment back, right?"

He's good at math and has already begun to instinctively worry about profits and losses.

Li Yunjing and Fu Chao looked at Ding Dong almost simultaneously, as if he were an idiot.

The meaning in his eyes was complex and hard to decipher, containing helplessness and a sigh of "How could you be so naive?"

"You pig-brain!"

Fu Chao couldn't help but slap Ding Dong again, this time with a little more force, hitting him on the back of the head with a soft "smack".

Fu Chao chuckled and teased, "The prize tickets for that grand prize won't actually be mixed in with those 'Thank you for your patronage' and 'soap and towel' slips!"

"Or perhaps they did release it, but our own people already made markings that only we can understand!"

"When the crowd is at its peak, and the place is packed with people, we'll have our chosen 'shills' pretend to scratch the ticket randomly, exclaiming, 'Wow! I won a bicycle!' Then they'll happily claim their prize with fanfare, just for everyone to see!"

"This is called the 'demonstration effect,' or 'fishing'!"

"Do you understand?"

"That grand prize, after going around in circles, is back in our hands tonight. We'll put it out again tomorrow to catch the next wave of fish!"

Ding Dong let out an "Ah!" and drew out the sound, his eyes widening and his face showing a mixture of sudden realization and excitement.

He opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he managed to stammer out, "I... damn it!"

"So that's how it is!"

"This...who could have imagined this!"

"This is...this is a lie..."

He didn't dare to say the last "子" aloud, but the meaning was already quite clear.

Fu Chao ignored Ding Dong, who was still in shock, and turned around abruptly, staring intently at Li Yunjing, his eyes filled with indescribable shock.

He looked Li Yunjing up and down again, as if he were truly getting to know this brother he had been classmates with for several years for the first time.

I usually just thought he was a little clever, his grades were inconsistent, and he was fairly righteous. I never expected him to have such a "vicious" scheme hidden in his heart!

"Li Yunjing, oh Li Yunjing,"

Fu Chao smacked his lips, his tone complex, tinged with disbelief, "How come I never realized before that you were so quick-witted and capable?"

"You actually managed to come up with this kind of 'using minimal force to achieve maximum effect' technique?"

He used the word "pondering," clearly believing that this was Li Yunjing's own "invention."

Li Yunjing smiled, a smile that held a maturity beyond his years. He gently shook his head: "This wasn't my idea. In other places, especially along the southern coast, people have already been doing this at those bustling temple fairs and markets, and it's incredibly popular!"

"I saw it with my own eyes at the market in the urban-rural fringe area there. The scene was truly spectacular. There were huge crowds, and the sound of gongs and drums filled the air. People lined up to buy lottery tickets, their eyes fixed on the color TV and the motorcycle. They were throwing in the tickets, which cost two yuan each, as if they were free."

To increase credibility and to conceal the source of his "advanced" knowledge, Li Yunjing told a detailed lie without batting an eye, full of details that made it hard to doubt.

"I've been paying close attention to this area since I came back. I've looked at all the markets in town... and so far no one is doing this."

He traced a circle on the kang table with his finger, as if defining his sphere of influence. "This is the opportunity! A piece of untapped land! Whoever strikes first will grab the first wave of money!"

"You know everything perfectly, from the idea to the operation, you've even figured out how to use the 'tuoer' (a type of coin)."

Fu Chao took a deep breath and stared intently at Li Yunjing: "Wouldn't it be better if you secretly ran this money-making scheme and found two absolutely trustworthy people?"

"Why drag me into this and take a share of the profits for nothing?"

This was the biggest doubt that always lingered in his mind.

While loyalty and brotherhood are important, when it comes to this kind of seemingly lucrative business that could generate quick profits if handled properly, he can't help but be cautious and suspicious.

When faced with interests, even brothers may turn against each other, let alone classmates.

Li Yunjing seemed to have anticipated this question, or rather, he had been waiting for Fu Chao to ask it.

"Old Fu, you're right. The fewer people who know about making money, the better. You can only make a fortune by keeping quiet."

He first acknowledged Fu Chao's concerns to show his understanding, "But this is not something that one person, or even two or three people, can accomplish quietly and make a big difference."

"First, you need start-up capital: printing lottery tickets, buying those decorative prizes, renting venues, renting vehicles—all of these cost money."

Li Yunjing counted on his fingers and said, "I can't gather them all by myself."

"Secondly, we need manpower."

"Once the stall is open, someone needs to shout out the prizes, someone needs to maintain order, someone needs to act as a 'shill' to lead the way in scratching the prizes, and someone also needs to prevent anyone from causing trouble."

"Can I manage all this by myself?"

"Third, and most importantly,"

Li Yunjing paused, his gaze sharpening: "We are, after all, students, young and inexperienced."