Chapter 30: Legendary
Zhang Yunqi was tormented and couldn't sleep all night.

Wang Guibing, that bastard, actually found him a whore. What good stuff could there be in such a shabby place? Zhang Yunqi could smell the smell of vulgarity without turning on the lights.

Without saying a word, he kicked the pheasant out. Lying on the bed, Zhang Yunqi suddenly remembered the popular movie "Beijingers in New York" in the early 90s. There was a line in the movie that left a deep impression on him: "If you love him, send him to Shenzhen, he may get rich; if you don't love him, send him to Shenzhen, he will definitely betray you. Everyone here is unreliable, every man may be a client, and every woman may be a prostitute."

Such remarks are of course absurd, but they also reflect, in a way, the mixed crowd in Shenzhen during that period.

The next day, when Zhang Yunqi got up, Wang Guibing was already waiting for him. He brought two rice rolls. The two ate and chatted. Zhang Yunqi asked him which factory produced this Tetris handheld game console?

Wang Guibing said, "Shenglong Electronics Factory. I used to work there. This kind of handheld device is actually very cheap. The factory price is only 15, but there are certain requirements for shipment. The factory will not ship less than 800 units."

One unit costs 15 units means 800.

Zhang Yunqi didn't have that much money, so he asked, "What about other channels?"

Wang Guibing smiled and said, "I've arranged for you to meet an old employee of the sales department of Shenglong Electronics Factory, Liu Zhiqiang, at Huaqiangbei this morning. He has a way to get the goods out, but as for the price, we need to discuss it in person."

Zhang Yunqi suddenly felt that it was a wise decision to bring Wang Guibing out on this trip.

After breakfast, the two took a bus to Huaqiangbei.

After getting on the bus, Zhang Yunqi found a seat at the back and sat down. Just as he was sitting down, he heard two people talking loudly in front of him. One of them, a guy in ragged clothes, said, "I have a shipload of goods arriving at Shekou Port tomorrow. How much do you want?"

Another guy, who was also dressed in rags, said with disdain: "Doing business? Isn't that a waste of money? I just bought more than ten acres of land in Baoan. You can make a lot of money in real estate, brother!"

The conversation between the two made Zhang Yunqi laugh.

This was Shenzhen in 1992. Like a rapidly expanding loaf of bread, countless companies were established every day, and countless people came to this small fishing village on the South China Sea with their dreams and border passes in hand. Legends of getting rich overnight were floating in the wind, and conversations similar to these two brothers could be heard all over the streets of Shenzhen.

The tricycle swayed as we arrived at Huaqiangbei.

In the 90s, Huaqiangbei was once very prosperous. As the largest wholesale market for knockoff and parallel-imported mobile phones in the country, Huaqiangbei and Zhongguancun have always been known as "Zhongguan in the north and Huaqiang in the south" in the industry. However, although they are the "two heroes of mountains and rivers", their development is diametrically opposed. Later, Zhongguancun transformed into an innovation base, not only successfully whitewashed itself, but also gained a lot of reputation and was called the "Silicon Valley of China". It must be said that the decision-makers in Zhongguancun are quite far-sighted. On the other hand, what about Huaqiangbei? It can only be described as "once you have seen the sea, you will never be satisfied with the water".

Of course, Huaqiangbei is still a gold-digging land full of opportunities. Many electronic product companies of a certain scale are located here. Walking along the street, you can see shops selling various electronic products everywhere.

Led by Wang Guibing, Zhang Yunqi came to a small restaurant. The restaurant was not big and the environment was very poor. The chairs were all simple plastic stools. The room was filled with the smell of fried food and business was very slow. There was only one young man in a gray suit sitting inside.

When Wang Guibing saw the young man, he whispered to Zhang Yunqi that he was Liu Zhiqiang.

Zhang Yunqi nodded and walked in with Wang Guibing.

Wang Guibing only knew Liu Zhiqiang, but as a worker in the processing workshop, he had no relationship with the sales department staff. The purpose of this meeting was only one, to do business. He introduced Zhang Yunqi to Liu Zhiqiang, and the three of them chatted for a while. Zhang Yunqi knew that this guy was a kickback-taking veteran.

Every company's rules and regulations have their pros and cons. Shenglong Electronics Factory's rule of not shipping less than 800 units also has loopholes, which gave sales employees like Liu Zhiqiang the opportunity to make a fortune, because they have plenty of ways to get the goods out, such as saying hello to a certain customer, changing a number in the account, and the goods can be shipped out of the factory openly.

Generally speaking, customers with good relationships will still sell this little face, because the sales staff will reciprocate by giving some preferential treatment the next time they purchase goods, such as arranging for faster delivery, slightly more favorable prices, etc.

After the sales staff get the goods, they can sell them at a low price to merchants who purchase less than 800 units and easily get large kickbacks.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunqi said: "Brother Liu, what is the price of the goods you have?"

Before Liu Zhiqiang came, Wang Guibing told him on the phone that the customer who purchased the goods must buy at least 200 units, but now seeing that Zhang Yunqi was so young, he had little hope and said, "25 per unit."

Zhang Yunqi said directly that it was too expensive, could it be less? Liu Zhiqiang thought about it and asked, "How much do you want?"

"Two hundred."

"Then I'll give you 23 for one."

Zhang Yunqi said, "If I want 300 units, can you make it cheaper? If the price you give me is right this time, I will buy from you often in the future."

300 units is not a small amount. Liu Zhiqiang was a little surprised by this young man, but he was not afraid of being cheated in a transaction where he only paid for the goods. He said, "Then I'll give you 20 yuan per unit. I'm the only one in Shenzhen who sells this price."

Zhang Yunqi knew that the price could not be lowered any further, so he said to Liu Zhiqiang, "How do we get the goods?"

Liu Zhiqiang asked: "Where do you live?"

Zhang Yunqi told Liu Zhiqiang the address where he lived last night, and he said, "We will send a batch of goods at 7:40 pm. I will have someone deliver it to you, and you can give him the money then."

Zhang Yunqi nodded and said yes.

"Take your time eating, I have something else to do." Liu Zhiqiang stood up and left the restaurant without mentioning the deposit.

"This guy left in such a hurry and didn't even ask for the deposit or receipt. Isn't he afraid that we will go back on our word?" Wang Guibing said, looking at Liu Zhiqiang's back.

Zhang Yunqi smiled. This was the style of an old bird. Liu Zhiqiang acted so cautiously. How could he accept the deposit and write a receipt to give others a handle? If something really happened during the delivery, he would definitely take the blame on the deliveryman.

After dinner, Zhang Yunqi and Wang Guibing left the restaurant and wandered around Huaqiangbei for a few more rounds. They went into several stores selling handheld game consoles and inquired about the prices of the same Tetris handheld game consoles, but they were not cheap. The cheapest one was 25 yuan.

At almost 4pm, Zhang Yunqi and Wang Guibing arrived at Luohu Qingyuan. There was a dilapidated van parked at the gate. A short and thin young man stood next to the van. He saw Zhang Yunqi and Wang Guibing and asked, "Handheld device?"

Zhang Yunqi nodded.

The short and thin young man turned around, opened the van, and took out three bundles of snakeskin bags. Zhang Yunqi asked Wang Guibing to count the number and confirmed that it was correct before he gave 135 yuan to the short and thin young man. He only had yuan left on hand, which also included tomorrow's food and travel expenses.

The short and thin young man took the money, took out a business card from the pocket of his gray-black jacket and handed it to Zhang Yunqi: "Next time you need to purchase goods, please contact me. Manager Liu is not convenient."

After saying that, the short and thin young man got in the car and left.

Zhang Yunqi glanced at the crudely made business card and threw it on the ground.

Next time he purchases goods, he will look for Shenglong Electronics.

In the evening, Zhang Yunqi stood next to a propaganda poster that read "The basic line remains unchanged for a hundred years", smelled the stench of fermented grass in the air, called the Yunxi Village Committee, and chatted with his mother for a while.

During the school holiday, my eldest sister called the family and told them that my mother didn't see him come back, so she asked him why he didn't go home during the holiday.
Zhang Yunqi said that he only had three days off and it would be a bit troublesome to go back and forth, so he stayed in school.

"Then what will you eat when you live in school? It's going to be cold soon, remember to buy some thick clothes. Do you have any money left? I'll ask your eldest brother to send you living expenses someday..."

Several people clattered by, and Zhang Yunqi stepped aside to make way for them. He stuffed a mouthful of instant noodles into his mouth and said into the microphone, "Mom, don't worry, I have money in my pocket. I was rewarded for reporting the rape and murder case last time, and Uncle Ji gave me two thousand yuan, which I haven't spent yet. I'm at my classmate's house now, and we're having mutton hotpot tonight. I won't say much, um... take care of yourself, and I'll buy you and Chunlan Xiaoxiao some thick clothes later, and have my brother-in-law send them back then."

After finishing the call, Zhang Yunqi paid and went upstairs. Less than two minutes later, he came down again and said to the old man who was looking at the phone, "Uncle, you gave me the wrong change just now. You gave me one dollar less."

******
(End of this chapter)