C3 Fifteen

The next morning, Yang Chenxuan was up by 6:30. His parents had already left, likely to work at the sand pit, and breakfast was kept warm on the stove.

After eating, Yang Chenxuan decided to head to the river. He needed to figure out a way to boost production and expand operations to make some easy money.

Walking to the river along the main road would take about ten minutes, but Yang Chenxuan chose a shortcut through the fields. From a distance, he saw a few women from the village returning from the river.

Lower Bay Village was small, and news traveled fast. These women probably went to check things out earlier.

Yang Chenxuan could faintly hear their conversation.

"Yang Xiuyuan gave up a good job to dig sand by the river. How much money can he really make?"

"Well, if they can sell it, all that river sand is better than farming."

"But that's the catch—if they can sell it! The sand pit in Hongfeng Village is huge, with big machines. How can they compete?"

"True, with all their efforts, I'm worried they won't even make enough for their kids' school fees."

"Chenxuan and his sister are doing well in school. It'd be a shame if they couldn't continue."

"Shh, here comes Chenxuan."

The women immediately put on smiles and greeted Yang Chenxuan warmly.

Yang Chenxuan greeted a few people with a smile as he made his way to the riverbank. A handful of villagers were squatting nearby, mostly there to watch the spectacle unfold.

His mother was on the other side of the river, sifting through sand, while his father was in the water digging for more. Yang Chenxuan waved to the onlookers and jumped into the river. "Dad, let me help!"

"You can't handle it. Go back and study!" his father replied, using a hoe to scoop river sand into a bamboo basket, sweat already glistening on his forehead.

Yang Chenxuan didn't argue; the blisters on his hands from the day before hadn't healed yet. He climbed back onto the riverbank, surveying the surrounding landscape, pondering if there might be a better way to do things.

As he was lost in thought, his mother's voice called out, "Xuan, help me move these stones!"

Yang Chenxuan immediately grabbed a hoe to clear away the stones. Most of them were river pebbles, with a few random small rocks mixed in. In the past, people would have scrambled for these pebbles, but now, with building houses being so challenging, who had the energy to bother with river stones?

After moving a couple of stones, Yang Chenxuan curiously asked his mother, "Mom, can't these stones be used for concrete?"

Zhang Yuehua, still sifting sand, replied, "They can, but it's not cost-effective. The surface of the pebbles is too smooth; they need to be crushed first. Plus, using them requires more cement than regular crushed stone, so no one uses them!"

Yang Chenxuan was still considering that if he could sell the stones, even at a lower price, there would be enough profit to hire someone: "No one wants them, even at a discount?"

Zhang Yuehua replied, "No one wants pebbles. Those who can't afford concrete for floors just use prefabricated slabs; they're much cheaper."

Zhang Yuehua's words completely shattered Yang Chenxuan's idea of selling the stones. He mocked himself inwardly, realizing that even as someone with foresight, he wasn't much smarter than people today and couldn't solve every problem. He just had a bit more "vision."

The focus had to return to the machinery. But it would cost thousands of dollars—where could he get that kind of money?

As Yang Chenxuan continued shoveling stones, he kept pondering. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him, and the words "full pre-sale" popped into his mind.

At this time, domestic commerce wasn't well-developed. Many factories produced first and sold later, and many seemingly simple business models hadn't emerged yet. In rural areas, people had no concept of "advance payment," let alone "full pre-sale."

Excited, Yang Chenxuan jumped into the river, startling Yang Xiuyuan, who turned and glared at him, "Be careful, don't be so reckless!"

Yang Chenxuan didn't mind, "Dad, how much river sand does it usually take to build a house?"

Yang Xiuyuan didn't want to answer initially, but seeing the hopeful look in his son's eyes, he casually replied, "Not counting the floors, about forty cubic yards for a single story with a foundation, and around sixty-five cubic yards for two stories, depending on the width."

Yang Chenxuan did a quick calculation in his head. Sixty-five cubic meters would require over fifty truckloads, with each load costing five dollars, totaling around two hundred fifty dollars.

Despite the low cost, Yang Chenxuan felt a bit frustrated. Building a two-story house with river sand would only cost a little over two hundred dollars.

Still, he shared his plan with his dad, "Dad, this is too exhausting. Why don't you talk to a few companies and see if they'll prepay for the sand? If they prepay for twenty truckloads, we can give them a fifty-cent discount per load. For fifty or more, we can knock off a dollar per load..."

Before Yang Chenxuan could finish, Yang Xiuyuan interrupted, skeptical, "If someone wants two hundred truckloads, are you going to sell it to them at two dollars a load?"

"If someone really wants two hundred truckloads and pays upfront, why not sell it?" Yang Chenxuan replied confidently. "We need the money now. Taking a small loss is fine. We can use the money to buy machinery, increase production, and even at two dollars a load, we might not lose out. Plus, this is just to get us started. Later, we can sell at the regular price."

Yang Xiuyuan thought it made some sense, but he still felt uneasy. Even if they managed to get the money and expand with machinery, they'd need to sell more. And there was already a big sandpit in the neighboring village.

He felt his son's cleverness was being misdirected and turned back to digging sand. "You should focus on your studies and stop thinking about these things. Doing solid work is the most reliable path."

Yang Chenxuan was at a loss. Why was his father so stubborn?

Chenxuan considered handling the negotiations himself, but he knew there was a high chance it wouldn't work out. In rural areas, people don't just trust a promise or a contract. Most folks there don't even know what a contract is; they trust people they know.

If a stranger approached them with a deal, even with discounts, they'd likely be seen as a scammer and chased away. Chenxuan didn't know any construction workers or cement masons, so his father would have to vouch for him.

Even if he managed to secure a deal, his father would probably end up sabotaging it. So, he needed to convince his father to see things his way.

"Dad, if you can sell the river sand we dig up, within a month, everyone in the village will start doing it. Without machinery, others will take most of the business," Chenxuan tried to instill a sense of urgency in his father.

But Yang Xiuyuan was confident. "In this village, only a few are in this line of work. Even if others start digging, do you think they can outdo me?"

Chenxuan realized his father wouldn't be convinced until he saw it for himself. Feeling a bit frustrated, Chenxuan decided not to waste more time arguing. Once everyone started digging and selling river sand, his father would see he was right.

Chenxuan turned and headed home, pondering all morning without coming up with a good plan. As lunchtime approached, he prepared the meal.

Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua were chatting and laughing. Just a moment ago, they sold three truckloads of sand and made fifteen dollars. There was still a little less than half a truckload left by the river.

When they walked in and saw that the meal was already prepared, Zhang Yuehua was even happier. "Xuan, when did you learn to cook?"

Yang Chenxuan brought over some water for them to wash their hands and faces. "I just threw something together. You guys worked hard digging sand."

"It's not too bad. Farming is just as tough, isn't it? We made fifteen dollars in just a day and a half. When we were selling the sand, the folks in the village were green with envy!" Zhang Yuehua spoke with a hint of pride, knowing that the villagers were waiting to see their family fail. Now, they could finally hold their heads high.

As Yang Xiuyuan washed his hands, he said, "We'll take the money to Zhiming tonight. If we work quickly, we can get three truckloads of sand out in a day. In a few days, we'll have it all paid off. Maybe in a couple of years, we'll have enough saved to build a house."

The family of three had just sat down to eat when they heard Yang Zhiming's voice from outside. "Hey, Yang, I heard you made some money today?"

Hearing Yang Zhiming's voice, Yang Xiuyuan's expression turned a bit sour, but he stood up and went to greet him. "Zhiming, I was just thinking of bringing you the money tonight!"

"I know you're good for it, Yang. I was just passing by and thought I'd stop in," Yang Zhiming said with a broad smile, knowing he was sure to get some money.

Feeling uneasy, Zhang Yuehua took out forty-five dollars and handed it to Yang Zhiming. "Zhiming, we've paid you thirty-five so far, still owe you sixty-five."

"Yes, yes!" Yang Zhiming replied cheerfully, taking the money.

"Stay a while, have something to eat with us!" Yang Xiuyuan suggested.

Yang Zhiming waved his hands. "No, you guys eat. I'll be on my way!"

Yang Zhiming came quickly and left just as fast.

After he left, Yang Xiuyuan said, "Next time we have money, let's pay him back right away. It feels awkward otherwise."

Zhang Yuehua nodded. "Alright!"

After their meal, Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua took a short break before heading out again to dig sand.