Chapter 8: The First Pot of Gold

Li Xian's shout drew a lot of attention, but unfortunately, it wasn't the walnuts that were catching people's eyes—it was the price he called out.

Hearing the price of two yuan per pound, some people immediately began to complain:

"What is this? A worthless walnut skin that just three days ago was worth twenty cents per pound, then went up to fifty cents, and then to one yuan. Now it's two yuan per pound! Why don't you just go rob a bank instead?"

"Exactly! If I had known this stuff was so valuable, I would have gone to the mountains on the weekend to collect a whole basket. When did it become so precious?"

As Li Xian shouted his prices, the vendor at the previous stall, who had been investigating the situation, saw the commotion and was frustrated that someone was stealing his business. He shouted back, "Walnut skins, walnut skins! One yuan per pound!"

With Li Xian's high prices in contrast, the business at the small stall seemed to pick up a bit.

But not long after, the walnut skins at that stall were nearly sold out. The vendor had only managed to collect a limited amount because, despite rushing up the mountain, the skins were mostly rotting and falling off due to the high temperatures.

Seeing that no one was coming to his stall, Li Xian realized this was his chance.

"Walnut skins, dried walnut skins! Two yuan per pound, buy five pounds, get one pound free!"

He shouted again.

Those who had already bought were dismissive, but those who hadn't hesitated and slowly came over.

Li Xian opened the bags in front of him, displaying the neatly cut, thoroughly dried walnut skins.

Initially, those who hadn't bought walnut skins approached with a curiosity. Given the prices at the time, one pound of eggs cost only six cents, and the average salary of forestry bureau employees was just around a hundred yuan a month.

At two yuan per pound, not everyone could afford it.

However, seeing the appearance of the walnut skins sparked interest:

"Hey, it actually looks pretty good!"

Immediately, a middle-aged woman squatted in front of Li Xian and began inspecting the walnut skins carefully.

After a moment, she looked up and said, "Little brother, two yuan is too expensive. Can you give me a discount?"

Li Xian squinted and smiled, "Sister, you should take a good look. These aren't wet; they're cleaned and dried. One pound is worth more than two pounds of fresh skins. To be honest, this is all I have. Once it's gone, it's gone. Two yuan per pound is the best price. Besides, if you buy five pounds, you get one free."

The woman examined the walnut skins in her hand, considered it, and decided, "Alright then! I'll take five pounds!"

"Great!" Li Xian smiled, nudged his brother Li Pi, and said, "Weigh out six pounds for this lady!"

At this moment, Li Pi was in a daze…

This stuff… actually sells for money!

Although the price seemed a bit high, the demand for walnut skins, influenced by the previous articles in the forestry workers' report, was quite strong.

Some wealthy buyers immediately took advantage of the buy-five-get-one-free offer. More often, though, those who were short on cash still considered how to save money. Many people, after negotiating and hesitating, eventually came back and bought ten yuan worth.

Li Xian knew that his strategy was working.

Indeed, not long after, familiar faces returned. This time, they were more straightforward, handing over crumpled bills, "Here, give me ten yuan worth!"

Li Xian didn't need to ask; it was clear they had pooled together money.

...

The buy-five-get-one-free offer was Li Xian's strategy to quickly expand his market. It was like a group buy— the more people bought, the wider his market would become. The principle of spreading word of mouth was at play here.

By the end of the afternoon, the crowd around the tricycle grew larger and larger. By five in the evening, when the forestry bureau staff had finished work, the crowd reached its peak. Most came in groups, handing over ten yuan directly and asking for five pounds.

Li Xian handled the money, and Li Pi weighed the goods. After a whole afternoon, their sweat mixed with dust, leaving streaks on their faces.

But whether it was Li Pi, who was doing business for the first time, or Li Xian, who had carefully planned this out, seeing stacks of bills handed over was exhilarating.

By six o'clock, with the sun setting, they finally took a break.

When they arrived, the tricycle was loaded with bags; now, only a few scattered remnants were left, amounting to about ten pounds.

Li Xian counted the thick stack of crumpled bills he had collected, along with the two bulging pockets of money, and found they had made over fourteen hundred yuan in just one afternoon!

Seeing such a large sum, Li Pi was astonished: "B-B-Brother… We've struck gold!"

Li Xian was also quite pleased, "That's right."

Nearby, the egg vendor, seeing the thick stack of cash in Li Xian's hand, took off his hat, waved his hand to his wife, and said, "Pack up, we're done here!"