"This won't do. Never mind if you are Chen Yang's brother; even if this radio belonged to Chen Yang, I'd still have to pay."
"Even between brothers, we settle accounts clearly. I was just afraid of being ripped off. Now that I know you're your nephew-in-law's brother, I'm relieved. But the money, it should be whatever the price is."
"If you don't take the money, I won't buy it."
Shen Xiaoxia said, reaching for her pocket. Her husband and son both wanted a radio, and she wanted to show off a bit too.
After all, her eldest son had already started working at the aquatic products station. Buying a radio would make it seem like their family's conditions were acceptable. She also wanted to quickly find a wife for her eldest son.
Zhang Weiyang glanced at Chen Yang, who also gave a wry smile. His aunt's personality was like this. Relatives are relatives, but she wouldn't shortchange anyone on money owed.
This kind of person, who knows boundaries, understands reason, and is grateful, was someone Chen Yang was happy to deal with.
If he had the means, he'd be happy to help his cousin out.
"Aunt, then I won't be coy. Twenty yuan is fine. If I were selling to someone else, I'd definitely make a profit. But you're Yang Ge's aunt; if I profit from you, I'd have no face to see anyone ever again."
Zhang Weiyang, being sharp, quickly came up with a compromise.
They sold these Panda brand radios for seventy yuan each. However, since it was Chen Yang's aunt, selling at that price was naturally inappropriate.
But he couldn't price it too low either. The worst used radios he sold for thirty yuan. Selling for ten or fifteen yuan would be ridiculous.
"Aunt, Weiyang and I are brothers. How could he profit from you? If you feel obliged, then just make us a good meal today. This kid Weiyang didn't even say hello when he came. He probably went hungry all day yesterday."
"If Aunt wants to show pity, then make him something to eat."
Shen Xiaoxia wasn't foolish. She knew what a thirty-yuan radio looked like, and what this Panda brand radio in her hands looked like. It couldn't possibly be cheaper than thirty yuan.
But since both Chen Yang and Zhang Weiyang had said it to this extent, if she insisted further, it would be entirely lacking in familial warmth.
"Alright, Aunt will go buy groceries. Yangzi, you and Weiyang will have lunch at home today. Your Uncle will be home too, and he can have a drink with you both."
However, Shen Xiaoxia was also thinking that she must prepare some hearty dishes today to let Chen Yang and Zhang Weiyang eat well; she couldn't let them go hungry.
After giving twenty yuan, Shen Xiaoxia happily hugged the radio and went home.
With such a beautiful radio, her eldest son would have more face when going on blind dates. It would save people from looking down on her as a mother without a job and with meager savings. Su Shi Novels
"Brother, our aunt is a straightforward person."
Zhang Weiyang rubbed the twenty yuan in his hand and put it into his small travel bag. This bag was sewn for him by his girlfriend. Yesterday, he sold over ten units, and this small bag already contained several hundred yuan.
"Weiyang, what do you think of our aunt?"
Chen Yang glanced at Zhang Weiyang, a thought suddenly forming in his mind.
"Brother, are you suggesting we make our aunt the distributor for Liuhe County?"
Zhang Weiyang's eyes suddenly lit up at his words. It was true; with Aunt Chen Yang's straightforward personality, she would be an excellent hand at business.
"My aunt has nothing to do at home, and with her personality, she's good at talking about business, no less than us."
The more Chen Yang thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. Furthermore, entrusting this business to a relative would not only help his aunt earn money but also give him and Zhang Weiyang more peace of mind than entrusting it to outsiders.
"Then we'll talk to Aunt about it over lunch."
"I think we should just give Aunt a commission. That way, Aunt doesn't have to invest capital."
"For those around thirty yuan, we give Aunt one yuan commission per unit sold. For those sixty yuan and above, we give Aunt two yuan commission per unit sold."
Zhang Weiyang's thoughts raced. Entrusting the business to Chen Yang's aunt made it much more trustworthy. He could treat her as his own sales channel for direct sales.
He would supply these directly to Shen Xiaoxia, so she wouldn't need to put up capital. He would give her a commission for each unit sold.
"Good. You talk to Aunt about this later. Just don't say this business is mine."
His aunt's family wasn't well-off. Over the years, his aunt had no work, and her husband's salary supported their family of five.
The grain they received as aid was all saved from the family's own rations.
Before her eldest son entered the food factory, his aunt had tried to arrange a partner for him, but no one looked favorably upon their family's financial situation.
Even now that her eldest son had a job and things were a little better, Zhao Wukang still had two younger brothers, and his aunt was jobless.
Their financial situation was still somewhat precarious. Otherwise, his aunt's family wouldn't have considered buying a radio to enhance their image at home.
Chen Yang thought that if his aunt could earn some money to supplement their household income, their family's life would improve a bit.
"Brother, don't worry, I can keep a secret."
Zhang Weiyang continued to hawk his wares. Meanwhile, after Shen Xiaoxia returned home, she turned the radio volume up to the maximum.
Listening to the radio, she was already thinking about her future daughter-in-law.
The families living nearby heard the sound and stealthily crept over to peek.
"Donglai's wife, does this radio work well?"
The woman next door, leading her child, looked at the radio in Shen Xiaoxia's house with unconcealed envy.
"Lan Hua, listen to this sound, it's top-notch."
"I see there aren't many left on the stall. If you miss this village, you won't find this shop again. Even though it's old, as long as it works, that's enough. If you have more money, then forget I said anything."
"State-run department stores sell them for one hundred and twenty yuan a unit, and you still need industrial coupons!"
Having benefited from Zhang Weiyang, Shen Xiaoxia naturally spoke highly of the radio.
Hearing her words, the few families who were still hesitating became anxious.
They quickly rushed back to discuss. In this era, it was different from later times. Tens of yuan was a large sum of money. They had to discuss it with their spouses before daring to buy.
Not everyone was like Shen Xiaoxia, who managed the family's money, and whose husband and son both wanted it. Moreover, the seller was her nephew-in-law's brother. If it weren't for this, Shen Xiaoxia wouldn't have dared to buy it alone; she would have had to consult her husband.
Here, Zhang Weiyang and Chen Yang hadn't been chatting for long when a couple rushed over.
"How much are these radios?"
The man ran over, slightly out of breath. There were fewer radios than yesterday. They might truly be gone soon. Zhao Donglai's wife hadn't lied.
"The ones in the front row are thirty yuan each, the middle ones are forty, and these in the back range from fifty to seventy, mainly depending on the brand and condition."
Zhang Weiyang pointed to the radios and spoke quickly, already very proficient.
"Didn't you say it was only thirty? Why are there radios for sixty or seventy?" The man heard this and glanced at his wife.
"She has thirty-yuan ones, doesn't she? New ones are definitely more expensive. State-run department stores are still one hundred and twenty!"
The man's wife was not to be outdone and quickly relayed what Shen Xiaoxia had told her earlier.
"This thirty-yuan one is too old. I think this forty-yuan one, this Red Star brand one, it's quite new. Why don't we buy this one?"
Hearing his wife's words, the man didn't argue. Everyone understood. Buying the cheapest one felt a bit undignified. Forty yuan was only ten more, but it was much newer and looked more impressive!