“I’m just testing the waters. Two and a half yuan is too expensive, and besides, ten thousand jin is no small amount.”

“……”

“All right then, let’s meet and talk. Where are you now? I’ll come over.”

……

Dongping Wholesale Market.

Old Walker was busy directing people to unload goods. When he saw David Thompson arrive, he wiped his hands and handed over a cigarette.

Taking the cigarette, David Thompson smiled and said, “Uncle Walker, you’re really busy, huh.”

“Of course. You think it’s enough just to ship goods at night? I have to run around to different places, otherwise where would I get the goods from?” Old Walker took a deep drag on his cigarette, caught his breath, and invited David Thompson to sit down in a clean spot.

“You really want that much?”

Old Walker was a bit skeptical, but after thinking it over, he said, “Ten thousand jin isn’t a small amount. If I really lose money, I’d be embarrassed to face Old Thompson in the future.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Walker. I’ve spent the whole day looking for channels. I’ve already talked to several restaurants and food stalls in the county. Each one will take a few hundred jin. Even if I lose money, it won’t be much.”

Of course, David Thompson couldn’t tell Old Walker the truth. Saying it was for county restaurants meant that even if Old Walker knew he was making money, he wouldn’t be tempted—first, he didn’t have the connections, and second, he didn’t want the hassle.

Sure enough, Old Walker gave a thumbs up and praised, “Good kid, you’ve got skills! If my son had your abilities, I’d be laughing in my dreams!”

This wasn’t just flattery; he genuinely admired David Thompson. Being able to negotiate with several restaurants in just one day was something most people couldn’t do.

“Hehe, then Uncle Walker, you’ve got to give me a better price. I’m young and it’s not easy for me to make some money. You’ve got to look out for me.” David Thompson joked, piling on the compliments—after all, talking doesn’t cost anything.

Old Walker smiled so much his eyes turned into slits—not because of David Thompson’s flattery, but because this was a big deal.

Ten thousand jin of crayfish—he could collect them for just over a yuan per jin, and even if it was more expensive, it wouldn’t exceed one and a half yuan. After deducting other expenses, the profit would be five or six thousand yuan.

Don’t be fooled by how big his business seemed; making five or six thousand in one deal wasn’t common. Otherwise, he’d have gotten rich long ago.

“Just because you call me uncle, I, Old Walker, would never cheat you! Two yuan per jin, I’ll take responsibility for any dead ones. I’ll contact the suppliers right now, and I can get them to you within a day!”

David Thompson didn’t haggle further. Two yuan per jin—he could sell them for five yuan to the bearded guy. That’s more than double the profit, what more could he ask for?

“All right, but Uncle Walker, let me say this first—the payment has to be settled three days after delivery…”

“Sure, no problem!”

Old Walker agreed so quickly that all the arguments David Thompson had prepared were useless.

He was a bit frustrated, but he understood why Old Walker wasn’t worried—after all, he knew his dad, and he knew where their stall was.

The cost for ten thousand jin was just over ten thousand yuan. Even if David Thompson lost money and couldn’t pay, Old Walker could go to Charles Thompson. The The Thompson Family could still come up with ten thousand yuan.

Not standing on ceremony with Old Walker, after agreeing to pick up the goods at five o’clock the morning after next, David Thompson said goodbye to Old Walker, took a few turns, and headed to another place.

Pingchuan needed to ship out ten thousand jin every day. Relying on just Old Walker wouldn’t work. Besides, if he moved too much product through Old Walker, he’d get suspicious—Dongping couldn’t possibly consume that much crayfish.

……

Using the same pitch and the same price as with Old Walker, the second wholesaler was also delighted to have such a big deal.

But when it came to payment three days later, the other party hesitated a bit. David Thompson knew not everyone would be as easygoing as Old Walker, so he paid a one-thousand-yuan deposit on the spot, which put the other party at ease.

David Thompson planned to talk to one more wholesaler—three in total, one per day. Even though ten thousand jin in three days still seemed like a lot, the other parties probably wouldn’t get suspicious.

But there was no rush now; he’d wait and see how the first transaction went.

Leaving Dongping Wholesale Market, David Thompson went straight home. He’d talked and smoked so much that day his throat was hoarse, and after all the traveling, he was completely exhausted.

No time to tidy up—he kicked off his shoes, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.

……

He slept soundly. When David Thompson woke up, it was already nine o’clock.

Fiona Cole, who was tidying up the living room, saw her son come out and quickly said, “Come eat, it’s just been reheated! You don’t rest properly during the holidays, insisting on going with your dad to buy goods. You must be exhausted.”

“Mom, I’m not tired. Don’t worry about cleaning up, let me do it after I eat. You go get some sleep.”

Fiona Cole beamed with joy. Her son had become so much more considerate these days—it made her so happy.

But she still said, “No need, your only job is to study hard and get into a good university. If you do that, I’ll die happy…”

“Don’t say that! Don’t talk about dying and all that. Don’t say it again!”

David Thompson looked unhappy, and in his heart, he resolved to take his parents to the hospital for a checkup as soon as possible—otherwise, he wouldn’t feel at ease.

“All right, all right, I won’t say it. My son’s grown up and knows how to care for his mom now, hehe…” Fiona Cole was clearly delighted, her face practically blooming with smiles.

Fiona Cole ate with David Thompson, and he didn’t let his mom clean up. He washed the dishes himself, tidied up the living room, and then went to his room to continue studying.

He’d be busy in the days ahead. With things just starting in the provincial capital, he couldn’t afford not to go, which meant even less time to review.

Because he’d napped in the afternoon, David Thompson kept studying until his dad got up, then finally turned off the lights and went to sleep.