Chapter 3 Making money is really not easy

After leaving the Fanhuali community, Jiang Qin headed straight for home.

The 120-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment, with a living room on the left and a kitchen on the right, held nearly all of Jiang Qin's fondest memories.

His mother, Ms. Yuan Youqin, was wearing an apron and cooking. The sound of her chopping board was as loud as it could be. It was obvious she was cooking meat, bone-in meat.

His father, Jiang Zhenghong, sat on the sofa, reading the newspaper, humming "Clouds of Hometown," his slippers swaying on his toes.

Feeling this familiar warmth, Jiang Qin couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

After years of drifting in Shenzhen, he felt like a rootless duckweed. This was where he was born and raised, and this was his home, irreplaceable anywhere else.

Seeing his parents suddenly look younger was truly a strange feeling. "Dad, is this young body still working well?"

Jiang Zhenghong narrowed his eyes and gave him a puzzled look. "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you done with the exams?"

Ms. Yuan Youqin also poked her head out of the kitchen. "How's it going? Are you confident?"

"I've already got one foot in the door to a key university."

"You brat, you're so confident. Are you serious?" Ms. Yuan Youqin eyed him with a hint of suspicion. Jiang Zhenghong was quite respectful: "You've got something in mind to say that. Let's have a nice drink tonight!"

Jiang Qin waved his hand and refused outright: "Dad, I've made up my mind. I want to start a business during this summer vacation. I can't waste any time."

"Start a business?"

"It's about making money."

Ms. Yuan Youqin thought for a moment: "Then after dinner, you can wash the dishes. I'll give you five yuan for each bowl and ten for each pot."

Jiang Qin sighed, but didn't argue: "You can let me wash the dishes. How about three hundred yuan in total?"

Jiang Zhenghong looked up suddenly after hearing this: "Such a good deal? Then I'll do it!"

"Go away, three hundred is enough for me to buy a new set. I wash dishes every day and no one ever gives me three hundred. Go wash your hands and eat!"

"Ah, my business failed before it even began."

Jiang Qin sighed, washed his hands, and returned to the table to have dinner with his parents. Before going to bed, Yuan Youqin emerged from the bedroom and pressed five Mao Zedong notes into his hand.

Ms. Yuan knew, as she knew, that graduating from high school was like a wild horse running wild. Even gathering with classmates and singing required money. Her previous offer of five yuan for washing dishes was just a soft-hearted gesture.

Looking at the five hundred yuan in his hand, Jiang Qin's heart ached slightly.

What big entrepreneur only had five hundred yuan in initial capital? But five hundred is five hundred; it's better than nothing.

"Ms. Yuan, you'll be the chairman's mother from now on!"

"I'm content with you being the general manager. Oh, by the way, I asked your uncle this afternoon. Are you going to Zhengfang Driving School in a few days?"

"Let's talk about driving later. I have something important to attend to."

Jiang Qin took the money and returned to the bedroom. He opened his computer, found Guo Zihang's QQ number, and told him to meet him at Zhongxin Street early the next morning.

Guo Zihang asked him what he was going to do, but Jiang Qin didn't say directly, simply saying he had five hundred yuan, which made the greedy guy cry out, "Brother." After agreeing on tomorrow's action, Jiang Qin casually opened Baidu, intending to check the news online, hoping to refresh his memory about key milestones like demolition and reconstruction, policy changes, the stock market, and market premiums, in order to prepare for his fortune.

But before the page even loaded, his gaze stopped at his QQ friends list.

Is Chu Siqi's chat box pinned?

Jiang Qin moved his mouse over it and immediately unpinned it. He then locked his profile and changed his non-mainstream profile picture.

After doing all this, he glanced at his signature, and at a glance, it was all over the place: "Three Bedrooms, One Living Room."

[I love you, what's it to you?]

Awkwardly, Jiang Qin slapped his forehead, quickly deleted it, and replaced it with yesterday's song.

After changing his signature, Jiang Qin noticed that Chu Siqi, whose profile picture had been gray, was suddenly online. Her profile picture was flickering, clearly indicating a message. He casually clicked on it, took a quick look, and then closed it, feeling bored.

The other party asked him why he had suddenly closed his profile and ordered him to open it immediately, saying he wanted to give it a try.

Touch it again? How many years have I heard such an old saying? Do you want to go back?

The next morning, the sky was clear, the sun was warm, and the breeze was gentle.

Jiang Qin rode his bike to the pedestrian street on Pingyang East Road.

This street is considered the most prosperous commercial pedestrian street in Jeju City. Before the renovation of the old market was completed, it was a prime location where all kinds of vendors competed for their space. However, due to the fierce competition and fierce price wars, the goods here were relatively cheap.

Guo Zihang, thinking about the five hundred yuan in Jiang Qin's pocket, pedaled quickly and arrived at the meeting point sweating profusely. "Brother Jiang, what are you going to do with the five hundred yuan in your pocket? I've never been to a bar before, why don't we go and experience it!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Did you see that guy selling boxed lunches? Go ask him how much they cost."

Guo Zihang looked in the direction Jiang Qin was pointing, his face instantly pale. "We're having boxed lunches for lunch?"

Jiang Qin narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything directly. "Go ask first. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."

"Oh."

Guo Zihang walked over sullenly and asked the price. Prices weren't too high in 2008. A boxed lunch with a poached egg was five yuan, one with some minced meat was seven, a chicken leg was nine, and a chicken leg with a poached egg on it was eleven.

Jiang Qin checked the time, thought for a moment, and tossed the owner two hundred yuan, telling him not to ask questions and just do it.

He then found two cardboard boxes, packed some of the prepared boxed lunches into them, and took Guo Zihang to the internet cafe street. Pushing open the door of one of the internet cafes, Jiang Qin first pulled out a bag of Yuxi tea he'd bought on the way and handed it to the network administrator. Then he began selling his boxed lunches. The online geeks who'd been online all night were starving, but didn't want to go out to eat. Seeing the food delivered to their doorsteps immediately piqued their appetite.

Though the boxed lunches weren't anything special, they were still better than instant noodles, right?

So, he sold the five-yuan ones for seven, the seven-yuan ones for nine. In the end, all but two of the chicken drumsticks and poached eggs remained; the rest were gone.

From seven in the morning to one in the afternoon, the two of them made three trips back and forth, switching five internet cafes, and raising prices twice in between.

Guo Zihang was exhausted, panting with his tongue hanging out, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Jiang Qin's back was also drenched with sweat. He squatted on the side of the road, wiping his sweat and counting the money. The 200-yuan lunch box sold for 378 yuan, leaving two boxes of chicken drumstick rice, perfect for two people each.

In reality, he wasn't doing this for the money, but mainly to clarify his thinking. It now seemed his thinking was sound, and he could make money, but the profit margin was too thin.

However, Jiang Qin wasn't disappointed. How much profit could he expect from a 200-yuan initial investment?

It couldn't possibly be tens of thousands.

He had never done business before his rebirth, and he was doing this today just to get a feel for making money.

But to be honest, it was a bit of a loss. Yuxi alone sold five boxes, which meant he'd lost over 100 yuan upfront, and then half a day's work. The two of them were exhausted, and only got a little over 70 yuan.

But what if the initial capital was larger, and he could trade something valuable? Doubling down on 78 yuan wouldn't be bad.

Jiang Qin pulled out five ten-yuan bills and handed them to Guo Zihang. The Dogecoin immediately stopped complaining about being tired and instead, clutching the money, shouted "Thank you, brother." "Brother, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Bullshit! I'm dying of exhaustion. I only made seventy-eight, and I gave you fifty. The rest is just enough for a pack of cigarettes."

Jiang Qin cursed, but inwardly, he was still thinking about his first pot of gold.

Where could he earn his first pot of gold?

Those reincarnated Dogecoins in online novels easily became big businesses, so why couldn't it be so difficult for me?

If nothing works, I'll go back and convince them to sell their house and buy Bitcoin and Moutai stock.

Just then, the lunch box chef, wielding a spatula, approached. He stared at Jiang Qin for a moment, then approached mysteriously, offering him a White General.

"How much did you sell that two hundred yuan lunch box for?"

Jiang Qin took the cigarette and raised his head calmly: "Four hundred and sixty."

Guo Zihang, standing nearby, was stunned. Wasn't it three hundred and eighty?

But seeing Jiang Qin's calm demeanor, he didn't dare speak. He swallowed and lowered his head.