"Fine, but only if I'm satisfied. If I'm truly not satisfied, you can't stop me from looking for a job myself. How about that?"
Ding Yun knew that prolonging this argument would likely result in a low probability of her parents agreeing.
While she could leave home and find ways to support herself or earn money, she truly couldn't bear to hurt her parents who were very good to her and acted out of genuine concern, even if they didn't fully understand.
Therefore, a compromise was necessary.
"Alright, I'll do my best!"
Xiao Haizhe also feared that further demands might cause his daughter to become rebellious, so he nodded.
He then began to inquire about Ding Yun's preferences, asking what kind of work she was interested in and what she could accept, so he could have a direction.
After all, finding a job often involved connections.
Wasting connections by searching blindly without a clear direction, finding something she didn't like, then another thing she didn't like, would not only be a waste of favors but also trouble his friends for nothing!
Facing Xiao Haizhe's questions, Ding Yun hesitated for a while before replying with difficulty, "Not too busy or too tiring.
It's okay if the salary is a bit low to start. I'm just worried about not doing a good job and causing trouble for others. Maybe I shouldn't. I'm not really sure what I want to do, let alone what I'm capable of doing."
"Oh, right. The other day I was shopping and saw many people setting up stalls selling things on the pedestrian bridge. They sold all sorts of items. How about I go to the fruit wholesale market, buy some fruit, and sell them? I can treat it as an experience, interact with more people, and see if I can adapt."
The sudden change of mind was mainly because Ding Yun genuinely didn't know what kind of work she wanted to do at that moment.
Whether it was a cashier assistant or other jobs, they didn't seem to offer much freedom. If she went to work in a factory, it would probably be even more tiring and less free, making it better to stay at home.
So after thinking, she had a sudden change of heart.
She decided she wanted to start a small business.
Although she might have to deal with urban management, it was definitely more free than a regular job. As for losing money or making a profit, Ding Yun felt that with the energy magnification lens, it shouldn't be a problem.
"Uh... your ideas change one after another.
Fine, but be careful. I'll give you five thousand yuan first. Take your time. Don't buy too much fruit at first, just buy some you like. If you don't sell it, we can eat it at home.
Or maybe I'll have your mother accompany you tomorrow.
Have your mother go with you to the wholesale market..."
Ding Yun's sudden change of plans made Xiao Haizhe feel even more unreliable. However, considering his daughter had finally made a request and it was just setting up a small stall, not opening a storefront, the potential loss wouldn't be significant.
So, he eventually agreed, but still worried about her and wanted his wife to accompany her for sourcing and selling.
"No, no, I can do it myself.
The fruit wholesale market isn't far from our place, and neither is the pedestrian bridge. It takes less than half an hour to get to each place.
Please let me try it myself.
I can do it!
Dad! Dad, please..."
Ding Yun insisted, grabbing her father's arm and shaking it back and forth, a rather reluctant plea.
"Oh, alright, alright, I agree!
But be careful, okay? Remember to look at the traffic lights when you walk, and absolutely do not try to rush. Even if the light is green, look left, right, and ahead. You're watching the lights, but others might not be."
"Also, don't buy expensive fruit. Choose the cheaper ones, and ones that last longer. Definitely don't buy expensive things like cherries. People who buy things on the pedestrian bridge generally don't want to spend a lot of money on fruit. If you buy them, they won't sell."
"You can go to the bridge yourself and see what others are selling, then sell similar items!"
"And..."
Although Xiao Haizhe agreed to Ding Yun's request, he couldn't help but add many more reminders.
From crossing the street to what kind of fruit to buy.
He explained everything clearly.
He was worried about her safety on the road, and also about her failing in business and becoming discouraged.
He was nagging, but it was out of a parent's deep concern.
Ding Yun didn't want to argue with him on this matter, intending to prove herself through her actions. She listened attentively, nodding, maintaining filial piety.
Afterward, of course, it was about giving her money and having meals.
The next day, Ding Yun woke up early, washed up, greeted her parents, and rode her bicycle to the local fruit wholesale market.
By then, the wholesale market was already bustling with activity. Movers were moving goods, transporters were transporting goods, and buyers were buying goods. The early start and busyness were almost comparable to vegetable wholesale markets everywhere. It was lively.
Ding Yun was not familiar with the area, so she naturally couldn't go to a specific vendor she knew. To avoid being cheated, she deliberately walked around and browsed.
She also listened carefully to others' discussions.
And the prices they were paying.
After much deliberation, she finally chose a stall and bought a large box of small-sized winter dates.
The box weighed twenty jin (about 10 kg) net, costing only sixty yuan.
On the market, they could be sold for about five yuan per jin.
Generally speaking, as long as they were sold, there would be no loss.
However, after receiving the box of winter dates, Ding Yun didn't immediately take them to the market. Instead, she bought plastic bags and an electronic scale, essential items.
Then, she found a secluded corner and enlarged the small-sized winter dates in the box by three times, turning them into large-sized winter dates. Only then, with some effort, she lifted the winter dates, which now weighed over sixty jin, tied them securely to the back of her bicycle, and rode directly to the pedestrian bridge, where many small vendors were selling their goods.
For the same variety of winter dates, the price difference between small and large sizes was quite significant. The size Ding Yun had now would sell for at least sixteen yuan and eighty fen per jin in high-end fruit supermarkets, and some even cost twenty-three yuan and six fen.
However, Ding Yun's stall was not a high-end supermarket.
So, she didn't dare to price them too high, marking them at nine yuan and nine fen per jin.
Meanwhile, next to her, an old man was selling small winter dates from a large cart, priced at five yuan per jin.
Although the prices differed by double, Ding Yun's dates should theoretically have been harder to sell. However, in reality, her dates sold quite well. Many older people passing by might have chosen the cheaper, five-yuan-per-jin small dates.
But younger girls and boys,
or young couples,
most of them were willing to buy Ding Yun's dates.
Some even praised Ding Yun's dates for being large, well-sized, and cheaper than those sold in fruit shops. In short, despite Ding Yun's price being double that of the old man's, the reviews were quite good.
The reason was simple: most small dates on the market were selling for five yuan per jin at that time, so the old man's price offered no significant advantage. Most people just bought them incidentally. But large-sized dates like Ding Yun's were rarely sold by small vendors, who usually had to buy them from large supermarkets or fruit shops.
And the prices in large supermarkets and fruit shops
were generally no less than fifteen or sixteen yuan per jin, and some didn't even let you pick, packing them by the jin.
Compared to that, Ding Yun's were cheaper.
And felt much more worthwhile.
As for the taste, how much difference could there be between large and small winter dates of the same variety? Some large dates might just look big but be less sweet than small ones, so Ding Yun's dates tasted acceptable.
In addition, young people were more willing to spend money.
Sometimes they would buy two or three jin at a time or round up the amount.
Therefore, Ding Yun started selling around eight in the morning and finished selling all sixty jin of the enlarged large winter dates by just past eleven in the morning. During the selling process, to ensure she wasn't short-changing customers, Ding Yun actually gave a little extra with each portion. So, although she sold sixty jin, she only charged for fifty-eight jin.
The total revenue was five hundred and seventy-four yuan.
After deducting the cost of plastic bags and the electronic scale,
she made a net profit of nearly three hundred yuan.
However, she couldn't say this outwardly. After all, with such large dates, no one would believe her if she said the cost price was three yuan, let alone the difference in weight after enlargement. So, Ding Yun reported to her parents that the cost price was eight yuan per jin, and excluding the electronic scale, the profit was less than a hundred yuan.
This finally put her parents at ease somewhat.
And then, of course, it was to continue the business.
As for what specifically to sell, Ding Yun didn't limit herself to just winter dates. She based her sales on the season and specific prices, choosing small-sized fruits that were cheap to acquire and tasted good, then enlarged them to sell at a higher profit.
Besides selling fruit, Ding Yun occasionally bought one-yuan crabs (costing eight yuan per jin) and, using the magnifying lens, enlarged them to three or four liang (about 150-200 grams) each, selling them at the price of three or four liang crabs.
Some that were perfectly intact
were intentionally had legs broken off by Ding Yun before selling.
This was because the price of a complete crab and a damaged crab was different. If Ding Yun sold a complete crab at the price of a damaged one, it would undoubtedly offend many local merchants.
For example, a two-liang female crab, if it had all its legs, could sell for at least forty-eight yuan per jin on the market. But if it was missing legs, it would struggle to sell for thirty-eight yuan.
A three-liang complete female crab would start at sixty-eight yuan, with prices reaching one hundred yuan per jin for some. Crabs weighing over four liang were usually sold by the piece,
with one hundred to one hundred and eighty yuan per piece being normal.
But if legs were missing, they would depreciate significantly.
They would be sold at a discount of at least twenty to thirty percent.
And many people in their area specifically raised crabs, so there was a large supply of damaged crabs. Every year, when the season arrived, crab farmers who raised crabs would bring their less marketable damaged crabs to the market, and the prices were quite favorable.
The cheapest might be less than half the price of complete crabs.
Male crabs might even sell for only ten to twenty yuan per jin.
Ding Yun took advantage of this opportunity to join in. After all, there were many people selling damaged crabs on the market; she was just one of them. Besides, her sales volume wasn't very large, so who would specifically investigate her source?
After operating like this for over half a year, Ding Yun had saved a considerable amount of money, and finally convinced her parents that she could indeed support herself and live independently, and that she had no other deficiencies, just like a normal person, perhaps even better.
Originally, Ding Yun thought that from then on,
she would have more freedom.
But reality proved her wrong. After realizing she was no different from a normal person, her parents' first reaction, besides joy, was that it was time to arrange blind dates for her.
"No, Dad, Mom, you're too hasty!
I've only been normal for a few years, less than three years in total, haven't I? Isn't this like forcing a three-year-old child to go on a blind date? What you're doing is immoral. I disagree. I definitely won't go!"
Regarding the short recovery time, Ding Yun would twist it in whatever way benefited her. Before, for the sake of freedom, she emphasized her actual age. Now, to avoid blind dates, she emphasized her "sober" age.
This dual standard switching was quite impressive!
"You..."
"Yunmeng, what do you want then?
Are you going to wait until you reach the legal marriageable age to consider blind dates?"
Even Xiao Haizhe, who was usually good-tempered,
asked with some helplessness at this moment.
He didn't want to argue with his daughter, but some things were unavoidable and he couldn't rest easy.
"Well, that's not impossible..."
Although she felt guilty, Ding Yun still insisted.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The legal marriageable age is twenty. If we go by what you say, wouldn't you only consider blind dates in your late thirties? Who would want you in their late thirties!
We're talking to you seriously.
We're not joking.
What will you do if you don't get married? How will you support yourself in old age without children? Are we doing this for ourselves?
We're doing it all for you!"
Her mother, Huang Juan, was even more displeased because she hadn't expected her daughter to say that. These words were no different from telling them directly that she didn't want to get married!
But Ding Yun calmly replied,
"You already arranged my old-age care before, didn't you? I'd live in a nursing home when I got old.
Why are you changing it now?"
"We had no choice then, did we?
If we had a choice, why would we have thought about sending you to a nursing home when you got old?"
"Sigh, I know what you're worried about.
You're worried that I won't have enough money when I'm old and no children to take care of me. But these things aren't guaranteed to be solved by finding a husband and having a child. And I'm not old yet. What if I become a female tycoon in the future?
As long as I have money, old-age care won't be a problem.
I'll work hard to make money in the future.
So, you don't need to worry so much!"
"How can we not worry?
What if you get dementia when you're old? What if you become bedridden? Even if you have money, without children to visit you,
who knows if the nursing home will have any ill intentions?
I heard that the elderly who have children visiting them regularly and those who don't have different treatment in nursing homes, even if they pay the same amount."
"When I'm old, things will surely improve in that regard. And can you wish me some good luck?
Why do you keep assuming I'll get dementia or be paralyzed?
I think the probability of dementia and paralysis might not be as high as encountering a scumbag or unfilial descendants. And can you not treat marriage and having children as purely utilitarian acts, done solely for the purpose of old-age care decades later?
I'd rather not have a marriage without feelings.
Because that would feel more agonizing to me."
"Why are you so stubborn? How many years of school have you had? How many years online? How did you learn all this?"
...
After a lengthy debate, Ding Yun's few words ultimately decided the outcome, leaving her parents speechless.
"What if my child is like me? What if my condition is hereditary, and the child won't recover?
The doctor said my recovery was a miracle...
I dare not hope for a second miracle..."