After closing shop each day, Zhang Tianxing, his body weary, would sigh, "So tired, but there's money to be made, I can still push on."
Wen Qing and Li Fang had already gone home early. Two pretty female students being out alone was a dangerous prospect.
To prevent any accidents, Zhang Tianxing had even equipped himself with pepper spray and a stun gun, effective anti-wolf tools.
No matter what, one should not harbor ill intentions, but must be on guard. If something were to happen, there would be no time to buy regret.
Looking at the sales figures these past few days, the barbecue crayfish business was on the right track. Zhang Tianxing didn't have high demands; as long as each person could pocket fifty yuan a day, that would be enough. It seemed there were more customers than he had imagined.
In 1999, this amount was significantly higher than average wages. However, it was hard-earned money. Busy from dawn till dusk, they could only earn this much.
In this sweltering summer, while others enjoyed ice, drank beer, and ate watermelon, he had to stand before the grill for days, roasting skewers. It was truly sweat-inducing, only those who had worked in this line of business would know how much sweat was shed in a single night.
However, in order to make money, Zhang Tianxing had quantified each skewer. "If I roast one skewer, I earn one jiao. I must roast this skewer well."
"If this skewer is burnt, I lose one jiao. That's two jiao out of pocket. So, this skewer must be a success on the first try, no mistakes."
Small businesses succeed or fail based on subtle details. Competitors don't always have the same profit margins.
This is precisely the logic. If the details are done well, your business will prosper. If the taste is good and the place is clean, people will be willing to spend their money here.
Why eat anywhere else? It's all about enjoyment, and money is spent everywhere. Naturally, people will seek out better places.
With repeat visits, Zhang Tianxing's barbecue stall gained a reputation.
"That young master's skills are excellent, much better than his second uncle's."
"Exactly! Those spicy crayfish are superb. They're the first in our county to make them."
"No wonder they're making money. They were the first to eat the crab."
"The waves keep getting higher. Those who open up the market first deserve to be rewarded."
"So, it's only right that Zhang Tianxing is making money."
Zhang Tianxing, using his free time during the day, wrote several articles, extolling the culture of crayfish.
He intended to broaden the fame of crayfish. A single county was not enough for Zhang Tianxing; he desired a larger market.
He wanted to promote crayfish to Zhonghai City, and even nationwide.
Handing over the recipe to Yan Ruyu was Zhang Tianxing's first move.
The pieces were now in play, and the results were starting to bloom.
At this point, the popularity of crayfish could already be seen from the county level.
Striking while the iron was hot, Zhang Tianxing spoke with his second aunt, Wu Li, about the precautions for fresh aquatic products. The key was freshness. The aquatic product store was also doing well.
This way, crayfish would have a distribution point in the county.
Mainly, they sold to ordinary people. For big clients, delivery was provided. The profit was still in the small-scale business.
However, the biggest shortage at the moment was manpower. The path to making money was laid out before Zhang Tianxing.
Wu Li, seeing Zhang Tianxing walk in, said happily, "Our family's university student is here! Xiao Xing, you have a good eye. The business of this aquatic product store is really good."
Zhang Tianxing cut to the chase, "Auntie, it's mainly because Second Uncle manages it well. Whether the goods sell depends on customer recognition. It shows that everyone recognizes our crayfish."
Hearing Zhang Tianxing's words, Wu Li smiled, "Xiao Xing, don't flatter me. I know your Second Uncle well. He was fine before, but ever since his hands started shaking, I've been worried about your Second Uncle. Fortunately, we have you."
"Alright, Auntie, we're family, no need for formalities. A booming business is inevitable, and it still requires your and Uncle's hard work. We're a bit short-handed here; you can consider hiring someone for deliveries."
Wu Li nodded and then said, "Actually, some people in our village have already started selling crayfish in the county. We're not the only ones anymore. Do we need to change our prices?"
"No price reduction. We're building a brand, focusing on quality, not price," Zhang Tianxing rejected the idea of lowering prices.
Followers had appeared. The county was just too small; villagers always had relatives in the county.
It was impossible to monopolize the crayfish business. We just need to get a piece of the pie.
"That's true. You see, we mainly supply to restaurants now, but how many people eat at restaurants? Our shop focuses on freshness and quality. We can sell some seasonings or something. As long as we don't lose money, that's fine."
Hearing this, Wu Li couldn't help but look up at Zhang Tianxing, "Okay, I'll listen to you." She then casually asked about Zhang Tianxing's college entrance exam results.
"I think it's okay. I'm just waiting for the results to see if I can get into a school." Zhang Tianxing chuckled.
As it turned out, his second aunt was a master of handling external affairs. His second uncle's restaurant had slowly grown with his aunt's support, and this aquatic product store was also thriving.
...
Waking up in the morning, Zhang Tianxing rubbed his eyes and stretched lazily. Being young was good; he had only slept five hours and felt refreshed.
Without a word, he stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth, hopped on his bicycle, and set off to find his second uncle. He needed to see how the crayfish acquisition was going. Only with crayfish could they discuss other matters.
Upon arriving at his second uncle's house, Zhang Tianxing was stunned.
What was going on? People were coming and going at his second uncle's house, all carrying plastic buckets and mesh bags.
Zhang Tianxing couldn't believe his eyes. Were all these people here to sell crayfish?
Liang Cheng, upon seeing Zhang Tianxing, was very happy. He only managed to say, "Come in, rest a bit. We'll talk after I finish dealing with these."
Zhang Tianxing looked at the chaotic crowd, "Second Uncle, you go ahead and be busy."
Since his rebirth, many things had changed, so Zhang Tianxing was also uncertain about his college entrance exam scores. He wondered if they would be the same as in his previous life. If only that were the case.
Then he could choose any school nationwide. The thought was wonderful.
It seemed he would have to be careful when filling out his college applications in a couple of days. Huh, he had simply opened a barbecue stall to make money, and the members were all talented students.
Ah, that was a good gimmick, but it was useless in this small county. It would probably cause a stir when the acceptance letters arrived.
He estimated that the current buzz was not as high as the topic of "how to make delicious crayfish."
Crayfish barbecue had become the center of discussion in the county these past two days.
Zhang Tianxing had not expected the crayfish storm to rise so quickly.
Zhang Tianxing took several letters and walked to the post office, dropping them into the mailbox.
He didn't know how far crayfish could go in the future. However, Zhang Tianxing's thought was how to improve the lives of those around him through his own efforts.