Chapter 009 Some people are born to be middlemen

This has also led to a high social status for those selling meat in state-run markets today, as people around the world seek to curry favor with them—because they hold the power to reallocate both high-quality and low-quality resources within the planned economy

Gu Chao deduced from this that Ma Feng's business accounting mindset is still at a relatively primitive and simplistic stage, which is why he is unwilling to sell any part at a loss.

So that the butchers marry the most beautiful girls in society

However, considering the other party's age, Gu Ao also did not intend to point it out, so he accepted the money and meat with peace of mind, and then they each returned to their own homes

Gu Chao thought for a moment, unwilling to take the risk of leaving a stain on his reputation, and confirmed: "You only lend money? There is no need for a letter of introduction to exert false authority, right?"

Once again, a stalk of dogtail grass, whose origin is unknown, was inserted into the meat, as if pretending to stroll back and forth there

In fact, even many years later, when Ma Feng had achieved great success, he often reminisced about the cornerstone of his success, frequently saying, "If it weren't for the big shot teaching me how to be a person, I wouldn't have today's achievements"

In just a short amount of time, he skimmed through dozens of pages.

After listening to Ma Feng's clear and logical plan, Gu Ao began to believe that some people in business are truly born with knowledge.

According to the selling method of state-run markets, both good and inferior meat are forcibly bundled together, which is why the price is over 0.6 yuan per jin

Seeing the two young men, Gu Ao and Ma Feng, setting out on a journey, he also inquired, "At such a young age, traveling far and carrying so many things? What is the purpose?"

Eighty cents per pound, a total of 25 pounds! All the capital has been spent, if we are to do it, let us do it big! In Ma Feng's eyes, there sparkled a fervent desire to earn enough pocket money.

Currently, fatty meat sells the best, while the rib chop, which is the most expensive cut in later generations, is now disliked by everyone: it is both lean and has bones.

Ma Feng wiped the sweat from his brow and, with his now greasy hands, handed all his money along with a piece of small ribs weighing about two to three jin to Gu Ao.

"From now on, this is not allowed! We agreed that each person would carry a few kilograms at most, and what you are doing is too risky!" Gu Ao couldn't help but admonish.

He urged, "Brother Gu, could you lend me some money? I want to check if there is any meat for sale at the nearby market and bring a few pounds back. I know the black market prices in Qiantang; as long as the meat is good, it can sell for 1.5 yuan per pound, averaging about 1.2 yuan. If we flip it, won't we have earned back today's ticket fare..."

"Why are there so many?" Gu Ao was startled by the scene and asked in a lowered voice

Because I couldn't understand the book, and feeling bored, coupled with the inspiration from the information I saw while buying food, "Do not need meat tickets when buying meat at Hujiang," my mind began to wander aimlessly.

Before long, the departure point was reached, and everyone boarded the bus. Gu Ao also secured his bicycle on the roof of the long-distance bus. The vehicle then slowly made its way towards Qiantang at a speed of less than 60 kilometers per hour

However, a problem has arisen, and we still need to find a way to resolve it

Decades later, Yingmenkou will undoubtedly be a proper city center. However, the current Qiantang City is much smaller, so being close to "North Ring Road" is considered the northern part of the city.

They relied on a Phoenix bicycle, carrying two people along with 25 jin of pork and over 30 books, wobbling their way to the camp entrance in the northern part of the city

Gu Chao answered calmly: "I came to buy books—my father's factory needs a lot of technical materials from *Tu* books, which are not available in other places, so I specifically came to Hujiang to purchase them"

Gu Chao observed in silence, utterly astonished: is this really the 1970s, or have we crossed over into "Water Margin"? They are actually selling things like this?

After the two finished their meal and had enough idle chatter, they noticed that there were still more than two hours until departure

The famous dual-track pricing system, one of the important "tracks" of which is supported by these places

Gu Chao had nothing to do, so he sat in the waiting room, opened the purchased "Self-Study Series on Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry," and began reviewing from the first volume, "High School Algebra"

Ma Feng also realized that he had been a bit impulsive just now, so he patted his chest and made amends by saying: "If it really gets discovered, I will say that you were unaware and that I hid it behind your back."

He has gained a relatively intuitive understanding of the clarity of the proof steps in this era—many students in later generations feel that it is unnecessary to write out the well-known processes, but nowadays, everything must be written in great detail, with each step assigned points.

Brother Gu, there is a question I am unsure whether I should ask or not

"Ask." Gu Ao, brimming with confidence, graciously consented

Ma Feng did not find a stall, nor was it possible for there to be one, so he transferred all the meat into a backpack, then slightly lifted the flap of the backpack to reveal half a piece of meat.

After finishing a braised pork knuckle, Ma Feng wiped his mouth, which was glistening with grease, and his eyes were filled with admiration

Therefore, this set of self-study books, totaling 10 volumes, is somewhat of a waste for him to purchase—only the mathematics sections of the first 4 volumes are useful, while the subsequent volumes on physics and chemistry are not needed at all

Gu Chao is very modest, not revealing any details that should not be mentioned, only implying that this project is very important and is directly supervised by the central government

Moreover, the situation has escalated to this extent due to Gu Ao's own issues—who allowed him to provide the other party with so much capital

Ma Feng's plan is very straightforward: Gu Ao provides the capital and the qualification to purchase train tickets; Ma Feng takes on the risk of being blamed and bearing the stigma in case something goes wrong.

If we have a good relationship, then for the same 0.6 yuan and a pound of meat ticket, the meat I give you will be a bit fattier

Gu Chao had never been to the black market and was somewhat curious, deciding to observe: "I will go with you, just to watch from the side."

The traffic police, upon hearing this, seemed to feel a sense of pride for their hometown, and thus did not inquire further

It is nothing much, this project is quite mysterious. I just happened to come up with a trivial little idea that helped Director Qin solve a minor issue, so they trust me. Whenever they need technical information, they feel at ease letting me gather it.

Ma Feng quickly expressed, "No need! Didn't that aunt just say that buying meat at Hujiang doesn't require meat tickets? Why should I flaunt my introduction letter? I will just borrow the money, and then I will investigate and buy it myself if I can. If that aunt is wrong, I will stop and return the money to you immediately. If it works out, we will split the profits evenly. Even if we are caught by the traffic police, you can push it all onto me—after all, my family is still classified as 'black five categories,' and I have no chance of going to high school anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Ma Feng prepared to bid farewell to Gu Ao, and then planned to secretly sell the meat in the black market

Alright, wait for my message. Ma Feng took the money and left with a sense of exhilaration.

However, Ma Feng argued vigorously: "There is a way to sell at 1.2—then I will sell like them, mixing fatty pork with other meats, do you want some? This is pure fatty pork! Otherwise, it is at least four fingers thick of premium marbled meat! Can the quality be the same?"

However, in the black market, transactions can be conducted according to market principles, where good quality meat is indeed more expensive than inferior meat

Gu Chao then took out two large bills: "Alright, let me borrow 20 yuan to try, make it quick and come back soon"

He thought that Gu Ao was going to check the accounts and did not think much of it

Ma Feng's performance leans towards the humanities, and his mathematics in middle school was barely at a passing level, so he certainly cannot understand it now

Do not say that such an ancient trick is indeed effective

Now there is a self-interest drive, feeling that "following such a big shot will definitely lead to a bright future"

Initially, I only felt that this elder brother was righteous and dependable, which is why I chose to associate with him

However, within Ma Feng's heart, the energy directed towards Gu Ao grew increasingly respectful.

When the relationship with another person is not good, the meat given to him contains more bones. Those who have been taken advantage of have no place to voice their grievances

This is the famous black market in Qiantang, where various unregulated goods that do not require tickets but are expensive can be purchased.

The journey was filled with surprises but without any dangers

Gu Chao settled down to continue reviewing algebra. Many concepts that he had learned before, but had not used for years and had returned to the teacher, were quickly picked up again.

As it approached 2 PM, with half an hour left before departure, Ma Feng finally returned. The backpack that had been emptied before leaving was now stuffed to the brim again.

While passing through Songjiang, I was indeed stopped for a temporary inspection

Brother Gu, there are still 5 jin unsold, let's divide it and take it back to enjoy slowly. Selling just the first 20 jin has already netted a profit of 6 yuan over the total purchase price. I will also give you my 3 yuan profit, consider it as the 20 yuan I owe you for the book, so I still owe you 16 yuan now

After observing for 15 minutes, Ma Feng sold 20 jin of good meat and received 26 yuan in return

Anyone who has dealt with clothing for even a few days in later generations knows that when a new season's collection is first launched, it is very profitable. However, once the style goes out of fashion, even if the price is set below the cost of the fabric, it must be cleared out.

Ma Feng's marketing tactics were also observed by Gu Ao, who was quite adept at selecting the best cuts of meat and promoting them extravagantly to sell at high prices. However, this ultimately resulted in five pounds of baby back ribs being completely unsellable, leading Ma Feng to feel that it would be better to take them home and eat them instead

Given this minor detail, he also instructed that Ma Feng's situation must not be disclosed further

"1.5 yuan? That's too expensive! Other places don't even require a meat ticket, they only charge 1.2 yuan!" The elderly woman was very dissatisfied with the quoted price and pressured him with the market rate

In this way, even when faced with an inspection, one can manage to evade it.

On this trip, Gu Ao brought a total of 100 yuan, spent 68 on books, and with the expenses for transportation tickets and meals, only managed to save a little over 20 yuan in liquid funds

After walking less than 100 meters, Ma Feng was approached by an elderly woman who poked him on the shoulder and began to inquire about the price in a tacit manner

Thus, Gu Ao instructed Ma Feng to divide half of the meat into his backpack (all of which was tightly wrapped in oil paper), and then the two of them each placed their study guides on top of the meat to disguise it

Fortunately, everyone has just emerged from the era of road and purpose, so Ma Feng is very aware of the risks associated with speaking carelessly. He immediately swore an oath, vowing never to leak any information

A 14-year-old child is already doing quite well to be able to engage in business like this

A traffic police officer wearing a red armband and holding a red and white painted wooden stick was getting into the car, looking around to see if there were any illegal immigrants or fugitives.

At around 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the sky had already darkened when the car finally arrived at Qiantang

Ma Feng: "Why is the introduction letter from your father's workplace so effective? I remember that people from Hujiang are not very willing to cooperate with those from the countryside"