Because many of the ancestors of this city came from outside the Great Wall to the Northeast, the accents are very mixed, and there are all kinds of terms of address. Some people even call their uncle "Dada". Qin Xiaoyu didn't think much of it.

The next day, after everyone finished breakfast, Commander Zhou went to work first, and Qin Xiaoyu saw him off at the door, calling out "Big Brother!"

Zhou Xing's mother looked at her with surprise.

"Little Fish, come here." Zhou Xing's mother's expression turned serious.

"What's wrong, Auntie?"

"You call me Old Zhou, why do you call me Auntie?"

"What's wrong?" Qin Xiaoyu was completely bewildered, while Zhou Xing's mother had already stormed off.

"Who told you to call my dad 'Big Dad'?" Zhou Yue asked, puzzled.

“He said it himself last night.”

“In my dad’s hometown, dad is called ‘Da Da’ (大大). My mom is just being picky. You can decide what to call him yourself.” Zhou Yue smiled.

"..." Qin Xiaoyu realized she had been tricked. It was a little hard to call her "Mom," but not calling her "Mom" seemed like an option too.

"Little Fish, what are we going to do with this TV?" My cousin-in-law looked at the color TV with worry.

"We still have to post ads." Qin Xiaoyu was also a little troubled about posting ads.

Her shop is privately owned. Leaving aside the question of whether selling color TVs is legal, she's competing with state-owned stores for business, and people might find fault with her. Besides, color TVs aren't like radishes and cabbages; they're not something you can just hawk on the street.

A jeep pulled up in the yard. Qin Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat, but she was relieved when she saw Staff Officer Zheng and another officer jump out of the car.

"Officer Zheng, what brings you here today?" Qin Xiaoyu greeted him with a smile.

"I heard you have color TVs here, I'd like to buy one. My colleague wants one too," Staff Officer Zheng said bluntly.

"Great! Here's an insider price for you, 50 yuan off each one. You can choose!" Qin Xiaoyu was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

Soldiers are known for their efficiency; they moved two units without even unpacking them.

Qin Xiaoyu only remembered to ask after seeing him to the door, "How did you know I sell color TVs? Did Aunt Zhou tell you?"

"At the morning meeting this morning, the commander said that if anyone needs anything, they should go and buy it quickly, and leave will be approved immediately."

Qin Xiaoyu then realized that Commander Zhou hadn't been making small talk last night; he was trying to get information out of her. He was really going to great lengths for her, just like a father. He certainly didn't call him "Big Brother" for nothing.

You know how proud he is; he never bows his head to beg for anything. It's truly rare that he's willing to set aside his pride for Qin Xiaoyu.

People from the military came one after another, and the sales of color TVs opened up, with dozens of units sold quickly.

Little Fatty's face also lit up with joy, because it was agreed that the bill would be settled after ten meals, and he had seen his money back, so he came to work as Qin Xiaoyu's laborer every day.

However, relying solely on military personnel is a minority, so Qin Xiaoyu still needs to find ways to expand the market.

She glanced at the calendar; the Lunar New Year was on February 20th, and there was still a month until then—a perfect time for sales, and she couldn't miss the opportunity.

There hasn't been much snow lately, and the flu is rampant. I heard that Grandma Zhang caught it too, and fearing she might infect her grandson, she went back to live in her bungalow.

Her bungalow wasn't far from Qin Xiaoyu's shop. Qin Xiaoyu bought some canned fruit and went to visit her. Seeing that she was still watching black and white television, she knew what was going on.

When Qin Xiaoyu was in trouble, Grandma Zhang helped take care of the child without asking for a penny. She remembers this kindness.

The next day, Qin Xiaoyu asked Tang Long to help move a color TV over.

"Why would an old lady like me want to see anything colorful? My son offered to buy it for me, but I refused. It's just in the way!" Grandma Zhang still had that same temper.

"Go ahead and watch, it's time to enjoy life when you're old, isn't it?" Qin Xiaoyu told Tang Long to connect the color TV, and the two of them left in a hurry.

Not two days later, Grandma Zhang's son suddenly came to visit.

"Brother Zhang, what brings you here?" Qin Xiaoyu guessed that he had come to express his gratitude.

"I only found out you sell color TVs when I went to my mom's. My colleague's son is getting married and he can't get a color TV voucher. He's so desperate, please help him out." Brother Zhang slapped down the money and took a color TV back home.

Needless to say, Qin Xiaoyu offered her an insider price again.

The military and civilian life are two separate things. Brother Zhang works in a government agency, where people generally have higher spending power. Hearing that Qin Xiaoyu has a color TV and can offer a 50 yuan discount, people started asking him to come to their door.

In the end, Zhang Ge became too embarrassed to speak up. Qin Xiaoyu noticed this and took the initiative to say to him, "Brother, you're helping me out. Don't worry about selling it; I won't lose money."

And so, a thousand televisions were sold, a number that increased exponentially.

"Girl, you're really something! Qi Si was right about you. Do you still want it? I can still get more stock!"

Qin Xiaoyu thought about it. The logistics were slow now, and it would take at least twenty days for Xiao Pang's next batch of goods to arrive, which would be just two or three days before the Chinese New Year. She should be able to sell some of it. Besides, after the New Year, there would be another peak wedding season, so there would still be a market for it.

She came up with a solution: as more and more people came to buy color TVs, she decided to start a pre-sale. Customers who wanted to buy would pay a deposit of one hundred yuan.

A customer came in that day and kept pestering her to take the demo unit away. Qin Xiaoyu talked to him for a long time until her mouth was dry, so she had to sneak upstairs to avoid trouble.

"Is Manager Qin here?" Someone knocked on her office door.

She thought for a moment before realizing that she was Manager Qin. From Principal Qin to Manager Qin, she had quite a few titles.

The man at the door was very tall and upright, somewhat thin, with a familiar face and piercing eyes. He looked to be in his forties.

"Little Fish, don't you recognize me?"

"Third Uncle?" Qin Xiaoyu blurted out, her eyes welling up with tears. She had searched the host's memories; those who should have been her family all had painful pasts. Only this third uncle was the light in her life, the only person who was kind to her.

Qin Xiaoyu's father cheated on her when she was just over one year old, so her biological mother disappeared after the divorce. Her maternal grandparents transferred all their hatred onto Qin Xiaoyu, treating her extremely harshly.

Only her third uncle could lend a helping hand and offer assistance when she was in trouble.

"Come in quickly, Uncle San, it's been a long time." Qin Xiaoyu warmly welcomed her uncle into the house and busied herself making tea and pouring water.

"Don't bother, I was just passing by and heard you opened a shop, so I came in to take a look," Uncle said with a smile.

"Third Uncle, let's keep in touch often. I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to visit you. I'm so sorry." Qin Xiaoyu presented a cup of tea with both hands.

"I heard you've been selling color TVs lately?"

"Yes, does Third Uncle need one? Let's move one over later." Qin Xiaoyu readily agreed.

"Ha, I don't need it. I still have twenty of them sitting at home."

"What?" Qin Xiaoyu was surprised that her third uncle had become a business rival.

“You’ve got a thousand units, and you’ve all lowered the price by fifty yuan. How can others sell them? It’s not just me; many people are stuck with inventory, but the quantities are small, maybe five or ten units at a time,” Uncle San sighed.

"I see." Qin Xiaoyu was only thinking about her own shipments and hadn't considered the market. She fell silent.