Starting out as a drug dealer in 1988

"Comrade, I am saving money."

"Well, come over here and fill out a form. How much do you plan to deposit?"

"The total is thirteen thousand."

At the counter of a bank in Ping'an County, Zhao Wenhao put his backpack on the counter, took the form and began to fill it out.

"Thirteen thousand, are you sure?"

The salesperson looked at the young man in front of him in surprise, especially at his clothes, which seemed so ordinary.

Zhao Wenhao had long been accustomed to these people's curious looks, and he didn't care at all and continued to fill out the deposit slip.

"Please count it, this is my passbook." Zhao Wenhao took out the cash and handed over the passbook.

The clerk took the passbook, opened it and glanced at it casually, then looked up at the young man in front of him again, "Wow, that's so much money."

The number on the passbook is 2.7. If you add the 1.3 this time, the total is 4.

This amount of money did not include the funds needed to build a house at home. Zhao Wenhao had already opened a separate savings account with the town cooperative and kept it there for special use.

"A group of friends are in business together. How can I have so much money by myself? I don't look like a rich man!"

Zhao Wenhao specifically explained that he really didn't want everyone to know.

Although the 10,000 yuan household is not as rare as it was in the early 1980s, for a poor county like Ping'an, 40,000 yuan is still a considerable sum for an individual.

"Oh, that's how it is!"

The salesgirl originally wanted to say a few more words to Zhao Wenhao, but after hearing this explanation, she seemed to lose interest.

The procedure was handled quite quickly. About ten minutes later, when Zhao Wenhao picked up his passbook again, the number on it had become 4 yuan.

"Today is a good day, a good day."

After completing the formalities, Zhao Wenhao walked out of the bank door briskly, still humming a song from an unknown year.

The sale of Chinese herbal medicine has finally come to an end. The next harvest of honeysuckle and bupleurum will have to wait until May of next year. I can also take a short break.

After being busy for several months, Zhao Wenhao really felt a little tired.

As for what to do in the next six months, he really hasn't thought about it yet.

However, since I have arrived in the county town, I must go to visit Fang Jianxin and Zhang Bingkun.

Besides, this time he specially brought a lot of specialties from Yangzhou and planned to send some over.

Zhang Bingkun was easy to deal with, just good cigarettes and good wine. Fang Jianxin, on the other hand, had already refused a gift last time, so Zhao Wenhao had specially brought some local specialties this time, confident that he wouldn't refuse.

The value of the items is not that expensive, mainly because they are not available in Ping'an County. It is just a token of my appreciation.

"Yang Yue, how's business?"

When we came out of the county public security bureau, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

Zhao Wenhao was riding his bicycle on his way home when he passed by Yang Yue's stall and went over to say hello.

"Hey, Mouse, why are you free today?"

The stall was deserted. Yang Yue was sitting on a small bench, bored and dazed. When he heard someone calling him, he looked up and realized it was an old classmate he hadn't seen for a month.

"I was going to do something and passed by, so I stopped by to see if you were still here." Zhao Wenhao parked his bicycle aside and walked to Yang Yue's side.

"Where else can I go? I'll just work here for now." Yang Yue's face was obviously a little gloomy, but he pretended to be relaxed and said, "But I believe there is always a way out. One day I will have my own shop."

"It's not difficult to open a shop. Just rent one." Zhao Wenhao didn't know Yang Yue's situation, so he continued, "Didn't I tell you last time that you could try making clothes? You really should give it a try. The profit margin is definitely much higher than what you're making."

"Making clothes requires capital. Do you think money will fall from the sky just by opening your mouth?" Yang Yue glanced at him with disdain.

"You probably don't need too much. You can start with some cost-effective clothing, like pedal pants. I think they're quite popular in the provincial capital, and they're not very expensive."

Zhao Wenhao was a little disapproving. The last time he went to the provincial capital, he bought clothes for his family. Among them, he chose a pair of leggings for his sister Zhao Wenjing, which cost only 15 yuan a pair.

The so-called step-on pants, also known as leggings, are made of a combination of silk and synthetic fibers.

This type of pants has a ring-shaped belt at the bottom of the trouser legs, which makes it convenient for women to step their feet in the middle.

After putting it on, it will produce a sense of stretching, making women's legs look long and slender, with a beautiful line.

Around the first half of this year, this type of pants first spread from Hong Kong Island to Guangdong Province, became popular, and gradually spread to the surrounding areas.

Zhao Wenhao remembers very clearly that this kind of leggings was popular for a long time in the 1980s and 1990s.

There was also a saying at that time: No matter how big your belly is, you have to wear leggings.

Later on, female friends basically had one each. Some of the better-off ones would even buy one each in several colors.

So far, many people in the provincial capital have started wearing such pants.

As for Ping'an County, it still seems a bit closed and not much can be seen at the moment.

Therefore, Zhao Wenhao made this proposal.

"What are pedal pants?" Yang Yue obviously didn't know what they were, but considering his own situation, he simply declined. "Forget it, I'd better stay put and set up a stall here. I can make at least fifty or sixty yuan a month."

Only at this time did Zhao Wenhao realize what was happening.

"Lack of capital? I can lend you some! Or we can become partners, I'll provide the capital and you'll be responsible for selling." Zhao Wenhao suggested again.

"If you have money, why don't you sell it yourself? Why do you drag me into it?" Yang Yue was still a little absent-minded.

"Puch..."

Zhao Wenhao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What?" Yang Yue was a little sensitive and couldn't help but frown.

"My dear Miss Yang, so-called step-on pants, also known as leggings, are worn by women. If you ask a grown man like me to sell them, I'll be so ashamed."

Zhao Wenhao pointed at Yang Yue and demonstrated to her what the so-called step-on pants looked like.

"Puch..."

After listening to Zhao Wenhao's explanation, Yang Yue finally came to his senses and couldn't help laughing out loud.

It's not that men can't sell these pants. It's just that the buyers are all women, and Zhao Wenhao really can't bring himself to sell them on the street.

However, this idea was just a sudden inspiration and was mentioned casually.

Anyway, I haven't thought about doing any other business recently. I can make some money while it's just becoming popular.