From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

My cousin froze, his eyes widening: "Do it yourself? You're planning to open your own food delivery station?"

I shook my head: "No, if he can block me in the food delivery market, he can easily ruin me even if I open a food delivery station."

I took a deep drag of my cigarette and said, slowly and deliberately, "So I'm planning to switch tracks and become a courier."

My cousin looked at me with disbelief: "Are you crazy? You've never delivered packages before, you have no experience, no connections, no channels, opening a delivery station right now is too risky!"

"If you haven't done it before, you can learn. I've been pushed to the brink, I have no choice but to give it my all."

My cousin silently took a few puffs of his cigarette, his brows furrowed, and carefully examined me.

After confirming that I wasn't acting on impulse, he asked seriously, "Are you serious? Or is this just a momentary lapse of judgment?"

"Really." I nodded solemnly.

"Then let me ask you, where do you get the delivery truck? Do you have the money? And how could someone with absolutely no experience like you possibly get involved?"

"We'll figure out a way to get the money; at worst, we can take out a loan."

After a pause, I continued, "I saw on my WeChat Moments the other day that Liu Dong, who used to run the food delivery station, is planning to transfer ownership of a courier station. I'm thinking of going to talk to him about it."

My cousin squinted and nodded, saying, "That's right, I saw it too."

My cousin thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Fine! If you're really serious about doing this, I'll quit my job right away and work with you!"

Before I could respond, he quickly added, "But let me make this clear first, I don't have a single penny of working capital. I have two children to support, and the pressure is too great. I can only help you with the work; I don't have any money to invest."

I know my cousin meant well, and he was indeed in a more difficult situation than I was.

I smiled and waved my hand: "You should focus on delivering food and save up some money first. You can come over after my station is settled and operational."

"No way!" my cousin said righteously. "I can't wait until you've done well before adding to your success! When it comes to people and things, you have to help in times of need. You're going through the toughest time right now, I have to be there for you!"

Seeing his stubborn look, I was both amused and exasperated, and finally nodded with a smile in agreement.

That night, I lay on the small, simple single bed in the hotel, unable to sleep.

My mind is filled with preparations for the courier station.

Actually, this wasn't just a whim of mine.

A month ago, when I saw the news on my WeChat Moments about a former food delivery station manager transferring his courier station, the idea had already taken root in my mind.

At that time, I was short of money, and I hadn't completely broken up with Li Meng, so I didn't dare to risk all my options.

But now, all concerns have vanished.

More importantly, the 100,000 yuan reward that Su Qing transferred to me in advance can serve as my first start-up capital for turning my business around.

In dire straits, a golden opportunity arises.

This is my only chance to turn the tide.

I didn't sleep well at all last night.

Lying in bed, all I could think about was opening the courier station.

I don't know if I have enough money.

A startup capital of 100,000 yuan is neither a lot nor a little.

If an ordinary person were to save money diligently, it would be enough to securely save for several years.

But if I were to use that money to start a business, it would be a gamble with everything I had, a complete and utterly head-on bet.

But I am perfectly clear-headed; this is my only way out now, there is no other choice.

Fang Heng has already completely blocked the entire food delivery industry in Longjiang City.

I'm basically doomed to never make it this way in my life as a deliveryman.

Working in a factory, day after day on the assembly line, with no future in sight, means you'll never be able to turn your life around.

Rather than spending your whole life subservient to others and being bullied, it's better to take a chance and fight back.

The next morning, I sent a WeChat message to Liu Dong, the former manager of the food delivery station, to arrange a meeting to discuss the transfer of the courier station.

Liu Dong quickly replied to the message and arranged to meet at a teahouse near the station.

Liu Dong is in his forties and has been in this industry for over a decade. He is slick and worldly, and only cares about money.

When I was a food delivery driver, he exploited and deducted money from my pay quite a bit. He wasn't a bad person, just a bit materialistic.

After I finished getting ready, I headed straight to the teahouse.

When I arrived, Liu Dong was already sitting in the private room waiting for me.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and his gaze instantly settled on my neat and presentable new clothes.

Completely taken aback, I stood there stunned for a long time.

No wonder he was surprised.

In his memory, I will always be that disheveled, low-level food delivery worker, simple and down on my luck.

Now that I'm dressed neatly and have shed my former embarrassment and dishevelment, it's no wonder he didn't recognize me at first.

I didn't offer any further explanation, and simply said, "Brother Dong, it's been a long time."

Liu Dong didn't ask any more questions, took out a cigarette and handed one to me, then lit one for himself.

"Are you really interested in taking over that courier station and running it yourself?" he asked bluntly.

I nodded slightly, but before I could speak, he chuckled, his tone clearly showing disdain:

"Xiao Lin, I'm not trying to discourage you, but delivering food is just about physical labor, while running a delivery station is a legitimate business. These are two completely different things, with worlds apart in terms of barriers to entry."

"Think about it carefully. Do you have the capital? Do you understand operations and management? Do you have connections, channels, and customer resources?"

I raised my hand to interrupt him directly, my tone crisp and decisive: "Nobody is born knowing how to do business; experience can be learned gradually. Dong-ge, don't beat around the bush, just give me the actual price."

Liu Dong squinted, looked me up and down for several seconds, and then suddenly laughed:

"Alright, you've gotten a lot tougher since I last saw you."

He suppressed his smile and confessed, "To be honest, the station is located in the East Industrial Zone, where there are three other express delivery outlets clustered within a five-kilometer radius. The competition among them is fierce, and business is tough."

As he spoke, he sighed, feigning helplessness:

"I was in a moment of madness and invested over 200,000 yuan to take over the business. I worked hard for half a year, losing money every month. I didn't make a single penny and even lost money. I lost almost 100,000 yuan, including my principal and interest. Now I just want to cut my losses and get rid of it as soon as possible. I'm willing to let anyone take over."

I picked up my teacup, took a sip, and my mind raced with calculations.

"What's your price?"

"The entire set of equipment, two delivery trucks, six months' rent remaining, and the regional agency rights are all included in this package for a flat price of 150,000 yuan," Liu Dong stated decisively.

150,000.

My heart sank instantly.

I currently only have the 100,000 yuan in start-up capital that Su Qing gave me.

Moreover, acquiring a site is only the first step; subsequent operations, consumables, and turnover all require money.

To operate normally, at least 50,000 yuan of working capital should be reserved, and the overall budget should be at least 200,000 yuan.

However, the remaining 100,000 yuan that Su Qing had promised would only be settled after the month-long cooperation ended.

Right now, I simply can't come up with 150,000.

Seeing that I remained silent, Liu Dong assumed I couldn't produce any money. He casually glanced at his watch and said with a sneer:

"I told you long ago, running a website is very expensive, don't mess around if you don't have the resources."

"If you don't have money, don't waste my time."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to leave.

I immediately said, "Brother Dong, you already said you're planning to sell at a loss, so asking for 150,000 seems inappropriate, doesn't it?"