He wasn't shocked by the price because it was too expensive, but because it was too cheap.
Generally speaking, calendars were rare items in Jiangbei, so selling them for one or even more than one yuan was not considered excessive.
Posters and couplets were similar; one was still rarely seen, and the other could serve the function of a calendar.
Even at wholesale prices of one to two mao, this was by no means a scam.
A round trip meant a profit of several times over. Shipping costs were negligible back then, and the distance between Jiangbei and Wanghai was only about four hundred kilometers. This was clearly a foolproof business, wasn't it?
"Two trucks, especially the calendars. Get me a lot of these. Overall, give me about two thousand five hundred yuan worth of goods. That's not a small amount, is it?"
Yu Zhou pondered for a moment before stating the figure.
Before the deputy factory director could react in surprise, he added, "If the sales of this first batch are high, I'll order more later. Of course, this is only before the Spring Festival. These items have their largest market demand before the Spring Festival."
Yu Zhou's words made the other man beam with joy. He no longer looked down on Yu Zhou for wearing a factory uniform.
He insisted on treating Yu Zhou and his companion to a meal, pulling them along.
Qin Siyue's influence was indeed a factor, but the order was certainly not small.
A single business deal worth over two thousand yuan was not a small business in the early nineties.
With so many calendars, couplets, and desk calendars, how could Yu Zhou possibly sell them all?
"Yu Zhou, aren't you being a bit too aggressive? Can you really sell all these goods by setting up a street stall for a month? I don't think it's reliable," Qin Siyue, who had wanted to speak while the deputy factory director was present, had not said a word.
Only when the man went to arrange the banquet did Qin Siyue ask with shock, "So many goods, even if it were me, I'm not sure I could sell them all if I went back to Jiangbei.
What's more, it's just street stalls. Getting rid of a whole truckload of paper products before the end of the year would already be considered a good achievement.
Doesn't Yu Zhou know this? If he does, isn't this business deal a bit too aggressive?"
Yu Zhou naturally understood her thoughts. In fact, he was well aware that if he only relied on street stalls, selling all the paper products on this truck would be almost impossible.
However, he didn't believe that the goods on this truck would truly go unsold.
This was because he clearly understood the high demand for these paper products, and he had already figured out their sales channels before coming here.
"Don't worry, Siyue jie, I have my own plans. There won't be a situation where I bring them back and can't sell them."
Yu Zhou smiled mysteriously. Sometimes, wasn't it a skill to be able to "flay the sheep" from a single person?
How vast was Tai Long Light Industry? It had over a thousand employees alone.
As a company transitioning from a state-owned enterprise to a private one, wouldn't they give out gifts for the New Year? And what could be more suitable than couplets, calendars, and desk calendars before the Spring Festival?
He didn't even need to think. As long as he brought these items up, and if Song Qing didn't have his own channels, this matter would definitely be settled.
Moreover, even if Song Qing had already arranged New Year's goods, there were many state-owned enterprises transitioning to private ones in Jiangbei now. It wouldn't be difficult to sell this truckload of paper products.
At most, he would need to be a bit thicker-skinned and make more trips.
Isn't that what making money in business requires?
Only by demonstrating his own capabilities could there be deeper cooperation in the future. In other words, even if these two to three thousand yuan were lost, so what?
As long as Qin Siyue was firmly convinced that he, Yu Zhou, could indeed be her partner, it would be worth it even if twenty thousand yuan went down the drain, let alone two thousand yuan.
"If you have a way, that's good. But I still feel it's a bit of a gamble!"
Qin Siyue clearly didn't know what method Yu Zhou would use and still spoke with some concern.
At this point, Yu Zhou didn't bother to explain.
Now that things in Wanghai were almost completely settled, it was time to go home.
He hadn't expected to seal a deal before leaving. Such luck was what he had always yearned for.
Contacting the freight truck, the freight costs in this era were indeed incredibly cheap.
One hundred yuan per truckload. The two truckloads would arrive in Jiangbei four to five days later.
Yu Zhou readily paid the deposit and made the arrangements. After all these tasks were completed, the whole day of busyness finally allowed him some rest.
Packing up all his personal belongings in the hotel, Yu Zhou and Wu Dabiao were finally ready to head home.
Of course, the most important items were the ten sets of full-page subscription warrants, as he would have to come to Wanghai again at the end of the year for these.
And that would be the time for harvesting. Yu Zhou, who already had a plan, had no intention of selling all the subscription warrants directly.
The most profitable approach wasn't to try his luck in the stock market after winning the lottery.
These matters would be discussed when he came to Wanghai next time.
By then, he might have transformed into a millionaire.
"Ge, the train is tomorrow night. Why are we packing our things now?"
"And aren't you going to use this quilt? You've sewn everything into it, so what will you cover yourself with tonight?"
In those years, even in Wanghai, winter nights were bone-chillingly cold.
They used two quilts: one was the hotel's, and the other was their own, for disguise.
But seeing Yu Zhou pack everything, Wu Dabiao was puzzled. What was his brother trying to do?
"Tomorrow morning, I have to attend a salon with Siyue jie. She told me when we parted ways today."
"So, you'll stay home and watch these things. If I wait until I get back to pack, there won't be enough time."
"While you're guarding the place, make sure you keep a close eye on this quilt of mine! You can lose anything else, but not this quilt, understood?"
Yu Zhou looked at Wu Dabiao with amusement. Fortunately, he had come along. Otherwise, Yu Zhou really didn't know what he would do.
Would he have to carry the quilt to the salon that Qin Siyue was attending?
That was an exclusive circle, and many people wanted to go but couldn't.
"Ah? Then why don't we go back with the freight truck? That would save on travel expenses!"
Wu Dabiao was dumbfounded. To this day, he couldn't understand his boss's logic.
He was overly thrifty on things where it wasn't necessary to save money, yet unexpectedly extravagant when it came to saving. Train tickets cost dozens of yuan.
Yu Zhou didn't answer, but his expression conveyed three words.
Unsafe!
It was that simple.