Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Father's Favoritism 20
Zhuozhuo stood on the stone table in the yard, squinting at the white sun in the sky, rubbing his rumbling stomach. "Zhao Hongwei, Zhuozhuo is hungry."
Don’t talk about the base, just fill your stomach first.
Zhao Hongwei picked up Zhuozhuo and asked, "Shall we eat first?"
"Yeah." Zhuozhuo nodded happily, then sighed with a pout, and said slowly, "Zhao Hongwei, you can't sell food while eating."
"Well, you have to eat carefully when you eat, otherwise you will choke." Zhao Hongwei locked the door and went to find Ma Xia and the doll. He quickly looked around the situation on the road and familiarized himself with the surrounding environment.
Zhuozhuo was watching too. She'd initially been looking for food to eat, but then she realized these people weren't eating at mealtime, but were selling food. Aren't they hungry? This question popped into Zhuozhuo's little head, and she began to ponder it seriously.
She first used her own situation as a benchmark, and then realized that adults and children are different. For example, Zhao Hongwei would not cry if he skipped a meal, and Zhao Hongwei would not tear his mouth apart from gnawing on pot cakes. So these adults should be the same. They can eat later or earlier, and then sell food to make money during meal times.
Zhuozhuo's eyes lit up; she had discovered a major business secret! She leaned close to Zhao Hongwei's ear, cupped his face with her hands, and excitedly whispered, "Zhao Hongwei, we can sell things while we eat!"
"ah?"
"We eat early, so we can sell our products when everyone else is eating." Zhuozhuo pointed at the restaurants and food stalls. "Just like them!"
It took Zhao Hongwei a moment to realize what Zhuozhuo meant. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he pulled the kid out of his rut. "But selling clothes is different from selling food. Food only has business during meal times, but we have business all day long. We can't sell clothes during meal times."
"Ah..." The light in Zhuozhuo's eyes dimmed. He slammed his head on Zhao Hongwei's chest in frustration and became withdrawn.
Seeing that the little girl had been motionless for a while, Zhao Hongwei was worried that she was too shocked. Just as he was about to say something to comfort her, the little head on his chest suddenly lifted up and almost hit his chin.
Zhuozhuo regained his energy, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Zhao Hongwei, Zhuozhuo has another idea!"
"What did you think of?"
"Make money! Let's sell separately and not together! Zhuozhuo and you eat first, and Uncle Ma and Tongdong eat later! This way, there will always be someone selling clothes."
The more Zhuozhuo thought about it, the better she felt this was. She was so smart that she couldn't help but applaud herself.
Zhao Hongwei smiled and encouraged, "Yes, this idea is great. How did Zhuozhuo come up with it? I'm going to give you a bonus."
"Hehehe." Zhuozhuo twisted around happily, patted Zhao Hongwei's shoulders with his little hands, and said in a baby voice: "Go, hurry up, pick up Uncle Ma, pick up everyone."
"Let's fly!" Zhao Hongwei cooperated very well. He ran with Zhuozhuo in his arms. Listening to her cheerful laughter, he put her on his neck and rode her.
Zhuozhuo hugged Zhao Hongwei's head tightly, startled by his sudden speed, slowness, and sudden turns, causing him to burst into laughter. Zhuozhuo, being tall, could see far ahead. When he spotted Ma Xia and the puppet waiting there, he waved his hands and shouted, "Tongtong! Uncle! Zhuozhuo is here! Daddy's here too!"
Zhao Hongwei, the hardworking and dedicated headmaster, was immediately overjoyed. The little girl was calling him "Daddy" again! He knew he had to play with her more and make her laugh more, so their father-daughter bond would grow stronger.
Ma Xia was shocked by the two men's appearance for a moment, and then forced himself to remain calm. He had a premonition that his brother would do more things that would surprise him in the future.
The newly rented house was empty and covered in dust. They had to buy pots, pans, tables, chairs, benches and other utensils themselves. They decided to eat out, and Zhao Hongwei would still treat them.
At the dinner table, Zhuozhuo, who loved eating, had no appetite. He excitedly danced and explained his plan, which received strong support from Ma Xia. His cheeks were stuffed, and he said vaguely, "Zhuozhuo, after dinner, you and your dad go to bed. After you've rested up, I can take over. There won't be many people at noon, and I can handle it alone."
Zhuozhuo then remembered that after dinner, the puppets would leave, leaving only three of them. If they split into two groups, someone would be left behind. Selling alone wouldn't be a big problem, but the city management would catch them, making it difficult for one person to quickly pack up and run away.
Oh, how worrying! Zhuozhuo frowned and thought deeply about the solution.
The three people who had been keeping an eye on her noticed immediately, but kept quiet, hoping to see what she could come up with. Ma Xia sighed inwardly. Zhuozhuo already looked like his brother, and now that she had copied his demeanor and little gestures, they looked even more alike. Would Zhuozhuo grow up to be the second Zhao Hongwei?
Zhuozhuo came back to her senses from her thoughts and was suddenly met with three pairs of eyes. She immediately put her surprise to the back of her mind and said proudly, shaking her head, "Zhuozhuo has an idea. We don't have enough people, so we can pay people to sell clothes together. This is called... hiring!"
Zhao Hongwei was stunned. He'd been thinking about the same thing Zhuozhuo was puzzling over, but he hadn't quite figured it out yet. Business wasn't so busy right now that two adults couldn't handle it, so he just had to take it one step at a time. His mindset had always been so conditioned that he'd never considered hiring anyone. But now that Zhuozhuo had brought it up, it was like the fog that had been enveloping his mind had been lifted, and he suddenly understood.
The biggest advantage of hiring someone is not that it makes use of the meal time, but that it frees him from the complicated work of selling. He can go back and forth to Haicheng to purchase goods and sell all the goods to others, which greatly improves efficiency.
9972 glanced at Zhao Hongwei and knew that he had taken Zhuo Zhuo's words to heart.
In the original plot, Zhao Hongwei used Ma Xia's home as a warehouse base, quickly leaking his sourcing location. Many people in the small county began buying goods, rapidly saturating the market and triggering a price war. Zhao Hongwei's profit per purchase plummeted to one-tenth of its original value, and his sales cycle lengthened threefold. Realizing this wasn't sustainable, he shifted gears, abandoning retail and becoming a middleman.
Zhao Hongwei used all his savings and took out a bank loan to buy a large truck. He then hauled clothing, food, appliances, and other goods from Hai City and distributed them to businesses in the small county. He quickly became the county's largest supplier, eliminating the need for manual porters. He then set his sights on other counties, purchasing more large trucks and repeating the same pattern. Within six months, he had established two fleets and founded a freight company.
What followed was the legendary first half of Zhao Hongwei's upward life.
Now, thanks to Zhuo Zhuo's suggestion, Zhao Hongwei had completed his mindset shift at least three months earlier. If he could successfully follow the path outlined in the plot at this point, keeping the source of goods confidential and taking advantage of the astonishing profit margins, who knows how much wealth he could have amassed.
After dinner, the puppet left resolutely and refused Masha's offer to take him to the station. He just walked to the corner of the alley under his gaze, then immediately put the puppet away and returned to Zhuozhuo's mind.
Zhuozhuo vaguely sensed the movement and hummed.
[Shh, baby, go back to sleep. I’m back.]
It would have been fine if it hadn't spoken, but as soon as it spoke, Zhuozhuo woke up. She didn't open her eyes, but only asked in her mind, "Tongtong, is Zhao Hongwei back?"
Hiring someone wasn't something you could do casually, especially since they had to keep the source of the goods secret. Zhao Hongwei decided to look for someone he knew. This person was his elementary school deskmate, Wan Hai, with whom he had a close relationship. However, Wan Hai's family was at home, so he wasn't very free to move around, so Zhao Hongwei didn't look for him initially.
The two haven't been in contact much recently, and Zhao Hongwei doesn't know what Wan Hai is doing recently or whether he is at home at this time. So he let Zhuo Zhuo sleep at home and he went to find someone himself.
But how can Zhuozhuo sleep!
Zhuozhuo was like someone waiting for a parent to buy their favorite puppy. She was so excited and eager that she almost burst into song to express her overjoyed feelings. She had been lying in bed, watched over by Ma Xia, and had finally managed to fall asleep, but 9972 broke her sleep. She didn't want to sleep anymore and wanted to run to the door to greet him.
9972 felt she had committed a heinous crime, and since the little one finally had time for a nap, how could she not? She decided to satisfy her burning curiosity and projected a picture of Wan Hai, a medium-sized, slightly plump man, into her mind. "Look, baby, this is Wan Hai, another capable assistant to Zhao Hongwei. Zhao Hongwei will definitely find him later, because he's just finished his parents' funeral and is living a decadent life at home."
Wan Hai was more cautious and educated than Ma Xia, and was a greater help to Zhao Hongwei. However, Wan Hai later killed seven people to avenge his sister, and then committed suicide at the graves of his parents and sister.
Sigh.
9972 paused and realized that Wanhai’s sister might still be alive at this time. If Zhao Hongwei could change Wanhai’s trajectory, could he save Wanping?
9972 wants to know.
Very much.
9972 understood why Zhuozhuo couldn't sleep. It was also worried about it and wanted to secretly conduct a remote detection, but it didn't want to violate the rules for such a small matter, and was very conflicted.
Zhuozhuo had no idea what 9972 was doing. After satisfying her curiosity, she fell asleep in an instant due to sleepiness, leaving 9972 alone looking at the courtyard gate like a wife-waiting rock.
When Zhuozhuo woke up, the quiet sunlight was ablaze. She felt a sense of panic, as if she had slept too long and had lost track of time. She called out to Zhao Hongwei, but when she got no response, she felt like crying. Just as she started crying, a young girl with pigtails pushed the door open and stood there cautiously. Her voice was clear and crisp, "Zhuozhuo, wake up! Your father's out selling clothes. Your Uncle Ma is in the yard. Can I take you to him?"
"Baby, this is Wan Hai's sister, Wan Ping. Zhao Hongwei hired them. Wan Hai will be responsible for selling goods, and Wan Ping will be responsible for taking care of you." 9972 knew the answer and was satisfied.
Zhuozhuo stopped crying, wiped away the tears with the back of his hand, looked at Wan Ping for a while, and rushed to the bedside, "Big sister, Zhuozhuo is looking for Zhao Hongwei."
Wan Ping quickly agreed.
Zhuozhuo continued, "Go find Zhao Hongwei and sell clothes. Zhuozhuo has finished his medicine, so he can sell clothes now."
Wan Ping, who understood the situation, did not rashly stop him. "...Okay, let's go take a look first."
After being carried out by Wan Ping, Zhuozhuo discovered that there were many new and old furniture in the yard. A towel was thrown on a cabinet, and Ma Xia was digging the ground with grunts, and several kinds of vegetable seedlings were placed next to him.
Zhuozhuo blinked and looked at it, and suddenly felt that she would live here in the future. She stretched her neck to look, and Wan Ping immediately carried her over.
"Uncle Ma, plant watermelons. Zhuozhuo likes to eat watermelons."
Ma Xia grinned, "It's too late to plant watermelons now. I planted late cucumbers, which are also delicious."
"Okay." Zhuozhuo stared at him digging the soil and really wanted to come down and dig with him, but after hesitating for a while, he decided to sell clothes to make money. After all, the soil was here and he could dig it anytime.
Zhuozhuo complained that Wan Ping was too thin and her bones were jarring. She also felt that she would collapse if she couldn't get out of the alley, so she insisted that they get down and walk on their own. She asked Wan Ping to walk slower, then she ran to the door, pushed it open, and squeezed out, only to see Zhao Hongwei and a slightly plump man walking back, one in front and one behind.
The two men didn't have any cargo on them, and their expressions were heavy and sad. The slightly fat man even wiped his eyes, as if he was crying.
Zhuozhuo recognized Wan Hai. She quickly ran over, hugged Zhao Hongwei's legs, and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Zhao Hongwei? Where are your clothes? Did you lose them?"
Zhao Hongwei picked up Zhuozhuo and nodded solemnly, "Yes, all gone."
Zhuozhuo was suddenly overwhelmed with grief, tears immediately flowed, and he burst into tears.
Zhao Hongwei's eyelids jumped and he strode into the courtyard. Wan Hai followed him in immediately and locked the gate. He looked out through the crack in the door like a thief, looking at Wan Ping and Ma Xia with a look that seemed to be both crying and laughing, which scared them so much that their faces turned pale.
Zhao Hongwei walked into the house without stopping, covered Zhuozhuo's mouth, and whispered in her ear: "Baby, don't cry. The clothes are not lost. They have all been sold. We made a lot of money."
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