Chapter 311 Affordable

The day after Xiao Cheng went to Guangdong Province, Yu Xiaoling and Yang Sisi came to invite Bai Lu to fill out her college application.

Yu Dongxu was also with them.

The scorching sun, like a giant fireball, baked the earth. There wasn't a breath of wind, and the air was filled with rolling heat waves. Looking into the distance, the streets seemed to be emitting smoke.

The moss in the corners of the bluestone path was withered, and the grass was droopy; an egg could cook on the ground.

Walking on the street is like roasting yourself on a hot stove, until your hair is smoking and your dehydrated, burning skin is warning you that if you keep going, you'll become a dried-up corpse.

If it weren't for the umbrella, Bailu would have suspected she would have been roasted to a crisp, since she was already in a sauna.

Xiao Cheng brought air conditioners and refrigerators with him on his trip to Guangdong Province to discuss cooperation. I really hope he can bring them back soon.

"The sun's love is too intense, I really don't want it! I'm dying of heat..."

Yu Xiaoling dared not move the umbrella even slightly, for fear that smoke would rise from above her head; her hands, which were wiping away sweat, were almost scalded.

But who can refuse the sun's "kindness"? If it doesn't scorch you until your head is burning, it doesn't prove how benevolent it is, or how selfless and great its love is.

Love all things in the world.

"It would be great if we had air conditioning."

Yang Sisi's face was also flushed from the heat, and she said in a hot voice, "With air conditioning, no matter how strong the sun is outside, it's as cool as autumn at home."

"Such amazing things exist!" Yu Xiaoling's eyes lit up. "What's an air conditioner?"

Yang Sisi wasn't quite sure either: "It should be a machine that can blow cool air at home. I saw it on TV a few days ago when they were showing a family drama."

"Even in family dramas, it's the dog days of summer. The main streets in the city are so hot they're practically steaming. The female protagonist goes to buy groceries, and her clothes are soaked with sweat, and her face is all red from the sun. When she gets home, she says she's going to turn on the air conditioner."

"The female protagonist took the remote control, just like the one we use to turn on the TV, and after pressing the buttons for a short while, her flushed face immediately returned to normal. She lay down on the sofa and fell asleep almost immediately, clearly feeling cool and comfortable..."

Yu Xiaoling's family also has a television set, which Wen Xiuyun and Yu Fugui bought from Xiao Cheng's shop.

However, Yu Xiaoling doesn't usually watch family dramas; she prefers martial arts dramas, as does Yu Dongxu.

Wen Xiuyun and Yu Fugui were more interested in making their fruit business better and their lives better, and they had no attachment to television sets, so they let their children have their way.

Therefore, even though Yu Xiaoling's family had a television, she really didn't know that air conditioning existed.

However, this did not prevent the siblings from immediately thinking of Xiao Cheng's electronics store whenever they heard anything related to electrical appliances.

The next thing I thought of was the owner of the electronics store, who was right beside me—

"White Dew!"

Yu Xiaoling's eyes lit up as she stared intently at the shop owner: "Bai Lu, does your appliance store sell air conditioners? Are your air conditioners really that good?"

Yu Dongxu looked at Bailu with anticipation, sweat dripping from his forehead, which he forgot to wipe away.

Yang Sisi finally remembered that Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu were husband and wife, and since Xiao Cheng sold electrical appliances, it meant that Bai Lu also sold electrical appliances.

"I heard you're building a new house. A new house means a new look. You must be buying a lot of new furniture, right?"

"Is there air conditioning or anything?"

Bai Lu never expected that filling out college applications would bring business to her door, so she immediately started promoting her services: "Yes."

"Air conditioning is really a great thing. When installed in a room, it can cool the whole room in less than half an hour. Even if it's so hot outside, the room can stay cool like autumn. If you prefer it cooler, you can set the temperature down and just cover yourself with a blanket at night to get through the winter."

"Xiao Cheng went to Guangdong Province yesterday to discuss cooperation. He will bring back the goods in less than three days. The goods will not only have air conditioning, but also a refrigerator. Fruits will taste better if they are frozen in the refrigerator."

"You can also buy some popsicles and ice cream to freeze and eat whenever you want. Air conditioners and refrigerators will be new in the city's appliance stores, so you can go check them out together."

Listening to Bai Lu's beautiful voice describing the future, Yu Xiaoling could already imagine a bright future.

Holding an ice cream in one hand and a remote control in the other, she sat comfortably on the sofa, enjoying the cool breeze, eating ice cream, and watching a martial arts drama – a truly idyllic life.

marvelous!

I want an air conditioner and a refrigerator!

"Are air conditioners very expensive?" Yang Sisi's question immediately brought Yu Xiaoling's frantic excitement to a halt.

The town wasn't wealthy; buying a television set used up all their savings, leaving no money for anything nicer.

Those who run businesses on the street do have some extra money.

But this does not include Wen Xiuyun and Yu Fugui.

Because the couple had recently spent the money they earned from selling roasted chestnuts on buying an electric chestnut roasting machine, they should have probably already broken even.

As for how much money they made, Yu Xiaoling and Yu Dongxu didn't know, but they guessed it wasn't enough to buy an air conditioner.

Yu Xiaoling cautiously asked Bai Lu, "We've never heard of air conditioners before, they're only seen on TV. They're not even available in the city. Air conditioners are something only wealthy families in big cities can afford, right? Can we afford one?"

Bai Lu gave her a reassuring look: "I can afford it."

The most expensive period for air conditioners was in the 1980s and earlier. Only the very wealthy could afford them; ordinary families couldn't afford them even if they spent half their life savings.

Fortunately, the late 1990s, in which they are now living, is an era of fierce competition among domestic enterprises.

From 1992 to 1995, many new air conditioner brands emerged in China, driving the trend.

Between 1995 and 2000, major manufacturers competed fiercely, and large-scale price wars broke out frequently.

Some of the companies that sparked the "air conditioner war" even adopted strategies such as "prioritizing market share over profit," causing domestic air conditioner prices to plummet. At the height of the competition, air conditioners were even available for just a few hundred yuan.

The night before Xiao Cheng set off, Bai Lu talked to him and suggested that he keep an eye on the air conditioner market outside.

It's not necessary to cooperate with the appliance manufacturer that produces televisions, although cooperating with the same manufacturer for everything would be more convenient in terms of after-sales service.

However, for major brand appliance manufacturers with lower prices, guarantees, and good reputations, separate cooperation is more suitable.

Even if you don't encounter the "several hundred yuan air conditioner price war," you can still make more money than the original price from the appliance manufacturer by selling it at a slightly lower price.

After all, making money is the ultimate goal.

The way of doing business has always been to pursue profit, so there is no need to lose big profits for the sake of useless drinks and friendships at the dinner table.

Drinking is drinking, and making money is making money. If the former can bring benefits to the latter, it's okay to have a couple more drinks.

If not, the best course of action is to decisively change partners.

"I need to save up to buy an air conditioner!"

Yu Xiaoling absolutely believed what Bai Lu, the proprietress, said: "After I finish filling out my college application, my brother and I will immediately go help our parents sell fruit and roasted chestnuts. We'll definitely be able to buy an air conditioner and a big refrigerator soon!"

(End of this chapter)