Starting out as a drug dealer in 1988

Although it is still hard to believe, the stacks of banknotes in my hand are real.

Wei Chunlan held the banknotes in her hands, her hands trembling slightly. "Wenhao, this is really not a problem, right? No one will come to cause trouble for our family, right? We have made so much money in just half a month. This is really not speculation, right?"

A few years ago, this would have been hard to say. After all, back then, even raising four chickens was considered capitalism. But now, in 1988, many policies have been gradually relaxed.

Not to mention anything else, even in their relatively closed county town, many privately-run businesses such as restaurants and clothing stores have begun to appear.

As for those at the forefront of reform and opening up, there are even millionaires. In the past, they would have been arrested and criticized.

"Mom, just relax. I have already learned about the relevant policies. Look, even the secretary of the aid-to-Korea branch didn't say anything, so what else could happen?" Zhao Wenhao was a little amused, but still stepped forward to explain to Wei Chunlan.

Wei Chunlan thought about it carefully and realized that it was true. Zhao Yuanchao's wife also went to collect honeysuckle. If there was really a problem, Secretary Yuanchao would definitely not let his wife get involved in the matter.

Thinking of this, Wei Chunlan finally felt relieved.

"Since we have so much money, why don't we pay off all our debts. It always makes me feel uncomfortable to owe others all the time." Wei Chunlan happily put the money back into her backpack, holding it with one hand, fearing that something might happen.

Zhao Wenhao waved his hands hastily, "That won't do."

Upon hearing this, Wei Chunlan immediately became anxious, "Wenhao, you can't do such a thing as defaulting on your debt. Although our family is not rich, we still have to be upright."

"Mom, listen to me." Zhao Wenhao was a little amused. "Our family has earned so much in just over half a month. If this gets out, do you think anyone will be jealous? If we pay the money back now, won't everyone know that we got rich from honeysuckle?

"Do you think they'll still sell it to us at the original price? There's bound to be someone who'll raise the price. By then, we'll all be from the same village, so how will you explain it?"

Wei Chunlan was a simple person, and there were no such twists and turns in her mind. But after thinking about it carefully, it was indeed as her son said.

"According to me, we should pay off those scattered debts first. As for Uncle Jianmin's family and Uncle Yuanchao's family, I will go and say hello to them and tell them to pay back some of the debt next month and pay it off in three months at most." Zhao Wenhao proposed his own plan.

What is worrying is not the lack of profit but the uneven distribution of profits. Although the villagers have made a little money by following you to sell honeysuckle, if people really find out that your profit margin, Zhao Wenhao, is so huge, it will definitely cause trouble.

Now Zhao Wenhao is thinking of taking advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune quietly instead of causing trouble for himself.

Wei Chunlan was a person without any ideas. Seeing that her son had already thought about how to deal with the situation, she naturally had nothing to say.

That evening, she paid off all the hundreds of yuan in debt she owed, and also settled the debt for the honeysuckle she had bought on credit. She also told everyone that she would continue to buy honeysuckle at the same price.

These words immediately caused a stir in Zhaojiayu.

"You know what? Zhao Aimin, following his nephew's advice, harvested over 50 kilograms of honeysuckle in three days. He made quite a bit of money."

"Yeah, even if the profit is 1 yuan per kilogram, that's still more than 50 yuan. If you make that much in three days, you're really going to get rich!"

"That's right. Didn't you see Aunt Wang taking her two sons out early this morning? Why else could it be? They received the previous payment last night. Now the four of them are out collecting honeysuckle. Even the married women are said to be arranging this."

"Don't talk about others. Didn't your wife also go out early in the morning?"

"Hehe, big brother, don't talk about second brother, we are all the same."

"You said, if we earn 1 yuan per kilogram, how much can Zhao Wenhao earn?"

"We've discussed this privately, and he can at least earn this much. By this calculation, that guy has earned at least five or six hundred yuan during this period."

"This kid used to be silent, but I didn't expect he actually has this ability. I really underestimated him."

……

Zhao Wenhao didn't know that the villagers were already talking about him. At this moment, he didn't want to move at all. He just wanted to lie on the bed and have a good sleep for the whole day.

After days of working non-stop, especially while traveling, I was constantly worried about accidents. I was so terrified I couldn't sleep well. Now that I'm home, I finally feel at ease and have a good half-day's sleep.

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. Now, the yard was once again filled with sacks in every corner.

"Mom, I'll leave tomorrow and be back in three days at most." Zhao Wenhao helped tie up the sacks and put them together.

Wei Chunlan has become accustomed to her son's behavior and won't say anything.

This time, they harvested a total of 720 kilograms. Almost all the honeysuckle in Hengtang Town had been bought up by the villagers of Zhaojiayu Island. Even parts of the neighboring town were starting to run out.

Now some people have set out to more distant villages or other towns, because Zhao Wenhao has promised that he will continue to buy and will not lower the price just because the quantity is large.

The last time he went to Yangzhou, Zhao Wenhao had already negotiated with several merchants, and selling hundreds of kilograms of honeysuckle was not a problem at all.

If such a large Chinese herbal medicine distribution center cannot even sell hundreds of kilograms of a single variety of herbal medicine, it would be better for it to close down as soon as possible.

The next day, Zhao Wenhao went out again.

Three days later, when Zhao Wenhao returned to Zhaojia Island, he did not stay for too long. He directly pulled the remaining sacks and set off again.

This cycle repeated itself over and over again, with the exception of a couple of days of rest at home, Zhao Wenhao never stopped. Until September 9st.

"Wenhao, the honeysuckle that can be harvested has basically been harvested. Some people have gone to more distant towns to collect them, but there is not much left. Judging from the situation, we can only wait until the end of October for the next batch of honeysuckle to be available on the market."

Looking at the few sacks left in the yard, Wei Chunlan felt both happy and anxious.

What made her happy was that except for the hundred or so kilograms that were just delivered, almost all the honeysuckle were sold out, while she had always worried about not being able to sell them before.

The anxious ones were worried that the honeysuckle they could harvest had almost been harvested, and if they continued like before, they would have to wait and see. This delayed their family's plan to make a fortune.

"Mom, I'll wait at home for two more days. Once I have collected 200 kilograms, I'll make my final trip. Please also help inform everyone that the honeysuckle will not be harvested for the time being. We'll talk about it at the end of October."

Zhao Wenhao didn't care. Instead, he happily ate the braised pork that Wei Chunlan specially cooked for him.

He was really exhausted during this period, feeling completely drained. It was time to take a couple of days off and prepare for other things.