My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 109 Bringing People
After hearing Xu Guoqing's explanation, everyone expressed their understanding, saying that it was indeed a solution.

Lin Ying especially felt that Xu Guoqing was right. Although commercial housing has not yet appeared, with the relaxation of many policies for the private sector and some social changes, the possibility of private housing sales being gradually opened up in the future is not out of the question.

Besides, there's always a way around policies. Even if private sales are prohibited, private transactions are still possible if both parties agree. It's just that the transfer procedures are a bit more complicated. This problem might be difficult for others, but it's not a problem for Xu Guoqing.

“Brother Qing’s concerns are not without merit. It’s inconvenient to take so much money to Lingnan all at once. Even if you do take it there, it will be difficult to transport it back. Don’t forget, last time we went there, we had to pay for tea to arrange the shipment. If we take 50,000 yuan directly, that’s almost 200 pieces of goods. So many goods are too conspicuous and troublesome to transport. If something goes wrong and the goods are lost, that’s one thing, but if something happens to the person, it will be too late to regret it.”

Lin Ying said this from the side, and Zhou Jiye said that this was indeed a problem. Last time, fifty pieces of goods were too much trouble. Two hundred pieces of goods were too risky. Although the returns were high, the risks were also high!

Old Wen thought about it carefully, and his feverish mind gradually calmed down. He realized that he had indeed not considered things thoroughly, and that the risk was indeed quite high.

"But isn't 15,000 a bit too little?" Old Wen asked. "I've heard that some people are already thinking about going to Lingnan to check it out these past few days. Maybe some people have already started heading there. If that's the case, it won't be long before more and more people go to Lingnan. With more people, they'll bring back more goods, and then business definitely won't be as good as it is now. Isn't doing business all about having something unique? If there are too many similar products on the market, our business will be affected."

Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying had discussed this issue before, and their views were the same as Lao Wen's.

The reason is actually very simple, just like when they were setting up a stall in the market. Back then, it was Zhou Jiye's family who sold old hens. Zhou Jiye could sell dozens of old hens every day, and he didn't have to worry about selling them. The profit was also good.

However, since before the Lunar New Year this year, there have been many more people in the vegetable market who also collect old hens and even ducks from the suburbs to sell. Among these people are farmers from the suburbs, as well as unemployed youths who returned to Shanghai after being sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution and could not find jobs.

They all saw the viability of this business and thus all got involved. They even lowered prices to compete for business, creating fierce competition among themselves. This brought great competition to Zhou Jiye's business in the vegetable market.

The reason Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying voluntarily gave up their tea egg stalls at the vegetable market and outside the movie theater was precisely for this reason. And now, their situation selling these goods is almost exactly the same as before. As time goes by, a wave of people heading south will definitely surge throughout Shanghai. More importantly, it's already early summer, and the official establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone is not far off.

Not only others, but even Xu Guoqing's friend Awei had similar thoughts. Even though he made a lot of money from Xu Guoqing and his group this time, from a profit perspective, getting goods from others was far less profitable than buying them himself. Besides, the information about where Xu Guoqing and his group got their goods and where they went before was impossible to keep secret. People could guess by asking around.

The essence of being a middleman is profiting from channels and information asymmetry. Once the channels become transparent, the information asymmetry disappears, and the subsequent exorbitant profits cease to exist.

Although their business is different from Zhou Jiye's and his group's original business of selling old hens and tea eggs, the market is larger and the profits are considerable. Even with more competitors, the impact is limited, and they can continue this business for at least a few more years without much trouble.

"Brother Qing, has your friend Wei contacted you these past few days?" Lin Ying suddenly remembered something and asked Xu Guoqing.

"Awei?" Xu Guoqing nodded. He had looked for him, but what happened?
Lin Ying asked, "Did Awei contact you to inquire about the supply channels? Is he also interested in going to Lingnan to get the goods directly?"

"How did you know?" Xu Guoqing was a little surprised, but he laughed as soon as he said it. Did he even need to ask? Putting himself in Wei's shoes, he would definitely have the same idea if he were Wei.

"Brother Wen, Brother Qing, I think since this is the case, it's better to guide than to suppress. After all, Awei is Brother Qing's friend. It's better to let others take advantage than to let our own people benefit. Why don't we take the initiative to invite them to go south together? What do you think?"

Lao Wen and Xu Guoqing exchanged a glance, and after careful consideration, they realized that Lin Ying's suggestion was not without merit.

Now that some people are already preparing to go south to get the goods, it's impossible to stop them. Even if Xu Guoqing doesn't tell Awei about the channels, with Awei's brains and his gang of underlings, he can easily find a way to get the goods by making a trip to Lingnan, even if he doesn't have a friend like Achang there.

Instead of doing that, why not do a good deal for Awei and take him with us on this trip south? That way, with more people going, it'll be much safer traveling together, and the risk of picking up the goods there will be significantly reduced. Plus, Awei can owe them a favor, and we can agree on a unified price for shipping back to Shanghai, avoiding unnecessary price competition that would reduce profits. Wouldn't it be better to work together and make money?

“What Lin Meimei said makes sense. I think we can give it a try.” Old Wen was the first to nod in agreement. Xu Guoqing thought for a moment and also nodded. As for Zhou Jiye, needless to say, he was just there to make up the numbers today. Lin Ying’s words represented his opinion. Since the three of them agreed, why should he object?

They immediately began discussing the plan and decided that Zhou Jiye, Xu Guoqing, and Lao Wen would head south this time. Lin Ying, being a woman, was not suitable to stay in Shanghai. As for the money they would carry, they wouldn't bring 50,000 yuan; 30,000 yuan would be enough. Any more would be inconvenient and impossible to carry. The rest of the money would be divided among the four of them in the next couple of days, giving them some financial flexibility. In addition, Xu Guoqing would go and inform Awei to ask how many people he wanted to join them on the trip south. They would prepare to depart in a few days.

"Really?" When Awei heard Xu Guoqing tell him that he was going south to Lingnan in a few days and asked if he would like to go with him, he could hardly believe his ears.

"What? Didn't you try to subtly inquire about channels from me the other day? What's wrong? You don't want to go with me today?" Xu Guoqing teased with a smile.

"How could I? Of course I'd love to!"

Ah Wei scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. He had indeed asked Xu Guoqing a few days ago, but Xu Guoqing neither agreed nor disagreed, and ultimately did not give him a conclusion.

These past few days, Awei has felt that Xu Guoqing is probably unwilling to share the distribution channels. After all, when he got the goods from Xu Guoqing, he said that he would only take the goods and not ask about the source of the channels.

But times have changed. Since getting a batch of goods from Xu Guoqing last time, they sold out in just over two weeks. This batch of goods made Awei a lot of money.

Ah Wei never expected that these goods would have such high profits and sell so well. Compared to this business, their previous business was not only risky but also less profitable. How could Ah Wei not be tempted?
Originally, Awei thought the matter was off, but these past two days he'd been thinking about whether he should take a trip to Lingnan with his men. Since Xu Guoqing and his group could find a channel, he should be able to too. Even if the purchase price was slightly higher, it would be worth it. As long as the goods were shipped back to Shanghai, that would be money! He couldn't just watch a potential opportunity go unprofitable, could he?
"By the way, what are the conditions for taking us there? Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. We're family, so it's best to make things clear beforehand." Awei asked this question amidst his excitement.

Xu Guoqing laughed. This was the Awei he knew. He immediately told Awei about their plans. He told Awei that going together was no problem, and he could share the distribution channels with Awei once they got there. However, there were two things to keep in mind: first, when getting goods there, they had to abide by the local rules, neither causing trouble nor being afraid of trouble. Everyone should act together; it would be better for everyone.

Awei agreed without hesitation.

As for the second point, which is the situation Lin Ying mentioned about shipping goods after they arrive in Shanghai, it is recommended that everyone try to keep prices consistent when shipping according to the type of goods. Don't engage in price wars to speed up the shipment, otherwise you will lose your own profits.

“I can guarantee that myself, but I can’t guarantee others.” Awei said with some difficulty, “To be honest with you, I’ve heard rumors these past few days that some people are preparing to go south. They’re probably going to Lingnan to get goods. As for whether they can find a channel or how they sell them after they come back, I can’t control that at all! I can only control myself and my men at most. As for the others…”

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Guoqing waved his hand and said, "That's enough. We don't need to worry about those stragglers. Just take care of yourselves. Besides, even if we do manage this kind of thing, it can only be done for a while. No one can guarantee what will happen in the long run. I'm just asking you, can you deliver this batch of goods at the same price as me?"

"There's definitely no problem!" Awei patted his chest and said, "You can rest assured about this little thing. If you find that the prices of the goods I sell are not right, you can do whatever you want with me. I, Awei, am not someone who doesn't understand the rules. I keep my word, so you can rest assured."

"Okay! That's settled then. We're planning to leave the day after tomorrow. Please make the arrangements as soon as possible in the next couple of days. Remember to bring your letters of introduction and money. Also, let me know in advance how many people you're going with, and I'll book their train tickets. Be careful when choosing who you're going with; don't bring just anyone, only reliable people."

"no problem!"

Ah Wei readily agreed, saying he had his own way of getting the letter of introduction, so there was no need to trouble Xu Guoqing. As for the person, indeed, as Xu Guoqing said, he had to be careful in choosing.

"Oh, right." After finishing his business, Xu Guoqing suddenly remembered someone and instructed Awei, "That kid Amin you introduced last time is pretty good. Remember to bring him along. He's quite clever, and I like him."

"Haha, why don't you take him in and let him follow you around from now on?" Awei readily agreed and then joked.

Xu Guoqing didn't say yes or no, just smiled. Although he did think highly of A Ming, he was still undecided about whether to take him in. The reason he specifically brought him up this time and asked A Wei to mentor him was simply because A Ming had done well last time, and he was giving the kid a chance. A Ming had a leg problem and his family was poor, so this was a way to help him out. As for what would happen in the future, that would depend on his own performance.

(End of this chapter)