"Yes, the weather is getting hotter and hotter. It's about time to buy a freezer." Comrade Lao Du agreed.
"That's right, Dad. We can buy a freezer and freeze some ice cream to sell. If the weather gets hotter, we can buy some beer and ice. There will definitely be more people buying beer in the summer." Du Chen continued to give suggestions.
"Wife, come here. I have something to discuss with you." Comrade Lao Du turned around and called to his wife in the house.
"What's the matter?" Du Chen's mother came out with a rag.
"Wife, the second brother said we need to buy a freezer so we can sell ice packs, ice cream, beer, etc. when the weather gets hot. What do you think?"
"Isn't the freezer expensive?"
Du Chen's mother was a little tempted, but she was worried about whether the money was enough.
"Mom, let's not buy new ones. Let's go to the flea market. There must be second-hand ones."
"What about the quality?" Du Chen's mother was still a little worried.
"We can try it out before we buy it, then find a repairman, pay him some money, and choose with us to pick a good one."
Du Chen was very confident buying second-hand. Later, when he opened his shop, he bought many used appliances, and they were all good. Moreover, people now take good care of these household appliances. For example, the dust covers on televisions are now extinct and can no longer be seen.
"Okay, Lao Du, how about we go to the city tomorrow?"
Du Chen's mother is also a decisive person. Once she makes a decision, she will execute it immediately.
"Okay, then let the two kids look after the store tomorrow. We can go early and come back early."
Comrade Lao Du doesn't care. He doesn't have to work on Sundays anyway, so it doesn't matter what he does.
"Mom, we've been open for about half a month now. How's the income? Have you calculated it?"
Du Chen suddenly became curious about the store's profitability. He guessed that it was making money, but he didn't know how much.
"Go away, kid, what are you asking about? Go read your book." Du Chen's mother was hiding something and didn't want to say anything.
"Mom, just tell me. It was my idea to open this store. You should give me some idea about it." Du Chen continued to nag his mother.
"Wife, tell me, I'm also curious after hearing what Lao Er said." Comrade Lao Du also said from the side.
Usually, the financial power of the family is in the hands of Du Chen's mother. Comrade Lao Du is responsible for making money to support the family, and the rest of the family expenses, big and small, are managed by Du Chen's mother.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you guys quietly, but keep your mouth shut and don't tell anything! Especially not your son or your brother!"
"No problem, Mom. I'm tight-lipped and I won't say a word."
Du Chen swore immediately.
"Excluding the cost of goods but not the rent, our family makes a profit of about 500 yuan in half a month!" Du Chen's mother said quietly to the father and son, suppressing her excitement.
"That's about 30 yuan a day. Book rentals and sales have the highest profit margins, snacks and exercise books are average, and stationery has the lowest. With a discount of about 12 or 13 percentage points, that's about 300 yuan a day, right, Mom?"
Du Chen calculated for a long time and then looked up and asked his mother.
"About the same, but you forgot about the Walkman and cassettes, which have the highest profit..."
"Yeah, I forgot about that, but I don't think my income will be that high in the future. Walkman sales will definitely decrease. I guess I'll only sell about ten units a month."
"That's not bad. I'll be satisfied if I can earn four or five hundred a month." Du Chen's mother said with a smile.
"No, we need to add more merchandise and sell something with higher profits. Mom, tomorrow you and Dad will go to the city to ask about the price of footballs, basketballs, and ping-pong balls."
Du Chen was still not satisfied. His father earned about 500 yuan a month, and his mother also earned about 500 yuan from running a store. It was just the income of an ordinary double-iron trader, which was still a big gap from what he expected.
"Second brother, don't be anxious. Look around you. How many couples are working? Take your time. The high-profit items are hard to sell. They're all students. How can they afford that much money?"
Comrade Lao Du educated him and said that he felt it was good enough for a couple to earn a thousand yuan a month.
Du Chen just felt that it was not cost-effective to sit in the store and work for one person all day, but if his parents were satisfied, then he would just do it for now and work on it later.
In the afternoon, when Du Bin was about to finish school, Du Chen's mother hurried to the school for a parent-teacher meeting, and Du Chen and his father continued to stay in the store.
"Dad, are you busy at work now?" Du Chen asked his father because he had nothing to do.
"It's okay. Now I don't have to go out to drive the car. I just stay at the unit every day. If the car breaks down, I will arrange for the mechanic to fix it. There is nothing else to do." Comrade Lao Du replied while reading a novel.
"Dad, is your company's repair shop profitable?"
"Profitable? Not profitable. I just want the vehicles to be in good condition. I repair cars for companies, and the companies buy all the parts themselves. Those mechanics are paid a fixed salary, and the parts have nothing to do with them."
"Why are you asking that?"
Comrade Lao Du was a little confused.
"Listen to me first, Dad. Were the accessories ordered by the unit or by you?" Du Chen did not answer Comrade Lao Du's question, but continued to ask.
"Some common parts are ordered from the city by the company. I order special parts that are hard to find. What's wrong with that?"
Comrade Lao Du became more and more curious about why Du Chen asked this.
"Did you pay extra for the accessories you ordered?"
"No, I just ordered it and the company transferred the money directly..."
Du Chen looked at his father speechlessly. He was too honest.
"Dad, what about the cars of other companies? Do they also repair them themselves?"
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