Chapter 20

Qian Youlai and Wang Li initially refused to accept the salary, but after being persuaded, they said that the offered salary was too high, and half of it would be enough.

Song Haowen laughed and said, “This salary is not high. As the business grows, I’ll increase your salary. By then, a salary of one hundred, one thousand, or even several thousand yuan will be quite common.”

Money Youlai and Wang Li were stunned, hearing figures like one hundred, one thousand, and ten thousand.

It should be noted that the average salary of employees in state-owned enterprises was only around thirty to forty yuan.

For those who are just starting work, it might be just over ten yuan. The promises sounded unbelievable; who would dare to believe it?

Stuttering, Qian Youlai asked, “When can we start working?”

“Tomorrow is the first of the month. If you’re willing, you can start working tomorrow. Regular working hours during weekdays, from nine in the morning to six in the evening. If you need to take leave, feel free. Take an hour off at noon to rest. You can go home for lunch or bring your own and heat it here. No requirements for Sundays,” Song Haowen explained.

Wang Li, still not fully understanding the nature of the job, blushed and asked, “What am I supposed to do here?”

“You’ll be responsible for registration and collection of fees. When you receive appliances, you need to issue a receipt, two copies, one for records and one for the customer when they pick up their items. The receipt should specify the repair requirements. I’ll handle the fee invoices. Customers can pick up their items and pay on the spot with the receipt,” Song Haowen explained.

Wang Li nodded to indicate understanding. Qian Youlai then asked, “How do I go about acquiring items? What are the payment standards?”

After thinking for a moment, Song Haowen said, “Currently, your main responsibilities are twofold. First, if you encounter appliances that need repair, bring the customer and the appliance here, and then Wang Li will handle registration and invoicing. Second, for the acquisition of old appliances, clearly price them as follows:

two yuan for each desktop fan,

five yuan for each floor fan,

ten yuan for each washing machine,

twenty yuan for domestically produced TVs,

forty yuan for imported TVs,

thirty yuan for domestically produced cassette players,

fifty yuan for imported cassette players.

For now, let’s focus on these categories, and we’ll see about others later. When acquiring, make sure to assess the condition—at least half new, without obvious external damage. Additionally, fans and washing machines should at least be able to operate, TVs should at least show static, and cassette players should at least produce sound.”

After seeing Qian Youlai wrote down these details, Song Haowen continued, “You may not receive many appliances currently; most people still prefer repair. I’ll provide you with five hundred yuan for initial turnover. After the items are collected and registered by Wang Li, she’ll return the money to you. You can also use the turnover to buy a tricycle, as a fixed asset investment for the shop, which will make transportation more convenient.”

After explaining everything, Song Haowen took out a 500 yuan check from his pocket and handed it to Qian Youlai, asking him to issue a receipt. He also gave 100 yuan to Wang Li, instructing her to purchase office supplies, and handed each of them a set of keys to the front door.

“Wang Li, you’re in charge of keeping the accounts. Your main tasks tomorrow are to purchase the tricycle and prepare a few advertising boards,” Song Haowen said, detailing the content and design of the advertisements for the vehicle, the storefront, and the interior.

Once everything was arranged, and it was already dark, Song Haowen immediately invited them to a nearby restaurant for a celebratory meal.

That night, in a joyful mood, Song Haowen didn’t return to the dormitory but spent the night in his new home. The next day, as he left for class, Qian Youlai and Wang Li hadn’t started their work yet since it was still early.

After the second class in the afternoon, Song Haowen returned to the his new house, where Qian Youlai and Wang Li were waiting for him. The second-hand tricycle, in nearly new condition, only cost forty yuan, and a few foam advertising boards cost only five yuan, making it a very cost-effective purchase.

The following day, Song Haowen applied for a business license at the district industrial and commercial bureau. Seeing no immediate approval, he didn’t dwell on it. He also opened an account at the district radio and television station so that when they had a television, they could watch TV programs.

In the following days, there were gradually more on-site service requests. Utilizing the evenings, Song Haowen repaired these appliances alone at home, issued the fee invoices, and left them for Wang Li to deliver to the customers. With fees ranging from a few yuan to tens of yuan, he earned about a hundred yuan daily.

Meanwhile, Qian Youlai started to accumulate more and more appliances. Despite some initial lack of experience, later acquisitions cost was lower than the price valued by Song Haowen, and some repaired items generated profits exceeding ten times the investment.

Song Haowen marked the repaired second-hand appliances with prices and displayed them in the living room for pedestrians to choose from. Due to their affordability, guaranteed performance, and high demand, these second-hand appliances were usually sold within three days. The pure income from this aspect ranged between three to five hundred yuan per day.

As word spread, business for repair services increased significantly starting from the second week of operation. Song Haowen had to work late into the night every evening, and at times, when he was too busy, he simply took a leave of absence from classes.