Whether the crayfish festival could be successfully held was not Zhang Tianxing's primary concern.
What he wanted to do most now was to deliver all the orders he had signed before school started. He had to see through the path he had chosen, even if it meant crawling.
He couldn't imagine someone shouting, "Zhang Tianxing, your phone! Hurry up and deliver!" while he was in class.
Wouldn't that make him a laughingstock at Zhonghai University?
He absolutely could not let that happen. He believed that low-key was the best policy. Get rich in secret, but never boast about it.
He intended to train his maternal uncle, enabling him and his mother to become competent managers. Then, he could perhaps comfortably become a second-generation rich kid.
Living a life where he didn't have to work for endless money – the thought alone was beautiful.
Ideals were grand, but reality was harsh.
Zhang Tianxing still had to work hard. His mother had explicitly stated that she was dedicated to the shrimp pond and wouldn't be bothered with anything else.
His most trusted subordinate had effectively gone on strike. There was nothing he could do; she was the empress dowager, someone to be appeased, not forced.
Since the empress dowager loved the shrimp pond, Zhang Tianxing would do his best to perfect it, to prevent her from getting too tired.
It seemed he had to rely on his uncle for manpower; otherwise, he had no one useful at his disposal.
Should he drop out of school? The thought briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.
He had finally gotten four years of university time to do as he pleased, without worrying about other things. He couldn't let such a holiday pass him by.
Besides, it was unrealistic for his few friends to accompany him on deliveries. The two campus beauties, for one, would never agree to travel far. It had been a difficult enough trip to the international trade fair last time.
This kind of escorting goods was even more taxing.
No, even Gao Tianming and Zhu Dayong might not be able to manage the barbecue stall properly. Forget it, it would be him and his uncle.
He was still short-handed. He mused how others who were reborn often gathered a formidable team of beautiful assistants. He had recruited two as well.
Unfortunately, they were just students. What good was high quality if they couldn't handle things independently? Right now, Zhang Tianxing needed people who could stand on their own.
But he had absolutely no one like that at the moment. His uncle and mother were his most capable direct subordinates.
Zhang Tianxing and his uncle prepared the crayfish and set off for Belarus. Many "daoyes" (cross-border traders) from China traveled to Belarus.
After delivering the crayfish, the two of them also planned to explore Belarus, see if they could bring back some goods, and earn a little extra money.
However, once they boarded the international train, they discovered all their plans were in vain.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the train was filled with Chinese "daoyes" heading to Belarus, all carrying goods.
Zhang Tianxing, relying on his youthful vigor, wandered around the train. Upon his return, he told Liang Cheng:
"Uncle, we're fools for trying to sell crayfish to Belarus!"
Liang Cheng heard the regret in Zhang Tianxing's voice and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I saw what others were carrying. Though they didn't say it explicitly, I could tell most of it was small household appliances and leather clothing. Those are much easier to transport than our crayfish and have fewer environmental requirements."
Liang Cheng nodded. Indeed. Transporting live crayfish was incredibly troublesome. The two of them had conducted numerous experiments.
Now, it all depended on whether those experiments would succeed. If live, lively crayfish turned into dead ones, they would have no one to blame but themselves.
It could be said that they were fighting a battle with their backs to the river; they could only succeed, not fail. If they failed, all their previous achievements would be in vain.
Moreover, the compensation alone would be enough for Zhang Tianxing to contend with.
Therefore, Zhang Tianxing set a rule: "Uncle, if we do transportation again, we'll deal with frozen shrimp. No more live shrimp; it's too much trouble, and the profit is too small."
Liang Cheng nodded. Live shrimp required too much worry. For the past few days, he had been dreaming of crayfish, feeling as if he had become obsessed.
The "daoyes" on the train were exchanging tips. Liang Cheng and Zhang Tianxing decided to be silent listeners.
"Uncle Ma, what are you planning to trade for in Belarus this time?"
"I'm going to trade for a couple of their military tanks to drive around."
The people around them gasped. Good heavens, this Uncle Ma was dealing with the real deal, someone with true capability.
Seeing the looks on their faces, Uncle Ma became displeased. "What are you all looking at? This is just a small undertaking. If you want to see real players, there are people who've traded several airplanes. A little tank like this is nothing. You all look like you've never seen the world."
"Uncle, you jest. Those are the veterans. You're not far behind. What goods did you bring this time?"
"What else? Tea, of course. It's easy to carry, simple to trade, and most importantly, it saves space. You can exchange for quite a bit of goods with it."
Everyone burst into laughter, accompanied by exclamations of "Uncle is brilliant!"
Uncle Ma noticed Liang Cheng and Zhang Tianxing and greeted them with a smile.
"You two look unfamiliar. Are you new 'daoyes'?"
Zhang Tianxing, a young man, smiled and replied, "Uncle Ma, is it? My uncle and I are going to take a look."
"I see you've brought quite a bit of cargo. What are your plans for it?" Uncle Ma asked with a smile.
Zhang Tianxing chuckled, "What else can we do? We'll unload it slowly when the time comes."
A burst of laughter erupted on the train.
"Where did this ignoramus come from? Knows nothing and dares to be a 'daoye'."
"It's good to be young; the ignorant are fearless."
"We've all been young. Young man, listen to my advice and go back to school. Being a 'daoye' isn't that easy."
Seeing everyone laughing heartily, Zhang Tianxing thought, "Oh no, did I forget something? Why is everyone laughing so much?"
Uncle Ma, after finally stifling his laughter, said, "Young man, don't you know? We mostly deliver our goods at the next stop. The train only stops for fifteen minutes there. You're not planning to go all the way to the final destination, are you?"
Zhang Tianxing shook his head. "We agreed to deliver at the next station, but they didn't mention it would only be fifteen minutes."
Liang Cheng's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Then why not deliver at the final station?"
A burly man next to them said, "Who wouldn't want to? The key problem is that by the time we reach the final destination, the goods become illegal and are confiscated. There are virtually no loopholes."
Confiscated entirely? That was too much. Hearing this, Liang Cheng's heart sank.
What kind of situation was this? Initially, they worried about survival rates, and now they were concerned about delivery. It seemed earning foreign currency wasn't as easy as imagined.
"Here's what I suggest. Since we're all on the same train, it's fate. I'll give you a small piece of advice: when you have to cut your losses, do so. Take back some chocolate or something. It sells very well in the big cities in China."