pjbooks Chapter 44: [The Difficulties of Small Cities]
Chapter 44: [The Difficulties of Small Cities]
"I saw your video on the Bilibili homepage, over 100,000 views, impressive." My cousin Liu Zhuoyue's voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of laughter. "Our Liu family is about to produce someone important."
"No way..." Liu Zhuohao said, holding his phone with a hint of helplessness, "I just set up a stall to sell some food."
This might sound a bit polite between cousins, but it's the truth.
The two weren't originally this close.
We've been in contact more often lately because Liu Zhuohao took the initiative to maintain our connection after his rebirth.
Otherwise, since the two families live far apart, at this age, it is mostly the older generation who maintain this kinship.
"Setting up a stall?" A soft click of a lighter came from Liu Zhuoyue's other end, like lighting a cigarette. "Judging from your posture, it doesn't seem like you're just setting up a stall casually."
"I not only checked the pile of certificates and documents you asked me to check myself, but I also asked several senior students to check them. They are all compliant and there are no problems."
He took a drag of his cigarette, his voice deepening, "But honestly, Xiao Hao, this whole thing you're doing is a bit 'over the top' for our small hometown, it's unnecessary."
In 14, in a third- or fourth-tier city, who cared whether you had a health certificate, whether your food was safe, or whether your stall was permitted when you set up a stall?
Are unlicensed street vendors illegal? Yes!
But almost no one checks, since the city management officers have to come to the night market stalls for dinner after work.
more importantly--
"Xiaohao, our hometown..." On the phone, his cousin Liu Zhuoyue carefully chose his words, "is a place where personal relationships and connections matter."
"I can tell you're ambitious and want to do something serious."
He paused, then his tone became serious: "But if you really want to expand, I suggest... you should try moving to bigger cities."
"It's not that my hometown is bad, but I feel that Shenzhen, Guangzhou, or Lin'an might be more suitable for young people to work hard."
There was a few seconds of silence on the phone, with only a slight static, as if someone was trying to figure out how to explain things more clearly, before the voice came through again:
"Especially Lin'an."
"The internet is gaining momentum, and a lot of companies are flocking there. Countless programmers and designers are heading there."
"A senior colleague of mine who works in operations at an internet company in Lin'an said that they get headaches when they work overtime. They can only order from a few takeout options, which are oily and salty, and they feel like throwing up. When they want to go downstairs for a change of pace, many small shops close down after 8 or 9 pm. If you can set up a business nearby, to be honest, you can make a fortune just from the people in the industrial park..."
Lin'an.
On the other end of the phone, my cousin's voice continued, analyzing the future of that city.
Liu Zhuohao listened to his cousin's voice, but his eyes were fixed on the streetlights that had just come on across the street.
For no reason, the long email from that vocational school student in my QQ inbox that day flashed through my mind. It was full of excitement: "...Boss Liu, the 4G licenses have been issued. Once they're really rolled out, going online will be as easy as drinking water. Everyone will be able to..."
There have always been people who can see the wind direction.
My cousin attended a top-tier university, where he was exposed to cutting-edge information and connections.
Did Lin'an develop later?
Of course, this only happened in the last two years.
Sixteen years later, Lin'an introduced various talent policies, and giants such as Alibaba and NetEase increased their investment, transforming a tourist city known for its "West Lake" and "Qiantang River" into a new first-tier city in the Internet industry.
But actually, 14 years later, judging from the situation, quite a few people have already gone there.
And what about that vocational school student who came for an interview? Was it just a guess based on a momentary stroke of luck?
Although their educational backgrounds differed greatly, they all grasped the subtle, burgeoning pulse of the times through different means.
There are actually quite a few people in China who can see the wind direction like this.
Liu Zhuohao was one in his past life, and there are many people like him around him.
"Back in the early 0s, I knew e-commerce was a good business, but I hesitated and never succeeded. By the time I finally made up my mind, I had to rely on spending money on paid advertising..."
"I used to be able to afford a house in this complex across the street, but now I can't. I've been working for so many years, and the housing prices haven't risen as fast as they used to. I really should have gritted my teeth and bought a house back then..."
"Twenty years ago, everyone said mutual funds were great, that you could just buy them and hold them and make money. I didn't believe it. But after everyone else made their money and left, I finally got in, only to buy at the very peak. I was so disappointed I could have kicked myself..."
"Everyone's been saying house prices are going to fall for over a decade, and I never thought they'd actually do it this time. I just took out a loan to buy a house, and now I have to pay the mortgage based on the price before the drop! I'm so pissed off..."
Liu Zhuohao had heard all sorts of opinions in his previous life while working in the catering industry.
There were business acquaintances, customers drowning their sorrows in alcohol, all sorts of people.
These experiences all eventually come back to one point: regret.
If only I had made up my mind back then, if only I hadn't had so many worries, if only...
When words are spoken with the help of alcohol, they often come out freely and unrestrainedly.
But even if you're very familiar with such customers, they'll most likely never come back after they've vented their frustrations.
After listening quietly to his cousin's analysis, Liu Zhuohao replied softly into the phone:
"Small cities have many rules, complicated matters, and heavy interpersonal relationships." Liu Zhuohao spoke softly into the phone, cutting off his cousin's words, "But I still want to... start here."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
He understood why his cousin had suggested he go to a big city, but choosing to stay here was very important.
Looking back from 25 years ago to the present, Liu Zhuohao is very clear that whether he is doing business on the internet or in the physical world, he needs a "base".
Moreover, it's best if it's related to your hometown.
There are two paths: either start from your hometown and grow big.
Either go out and make your way in the world, then return home in glory.
The former, starting from scratch in a small city, inevitably encounters various unseen obstacles.
the latter……
To be honest, Liu Zhuohao wasn't very confident.
The pace of life in big cities is too fast. Many models that are still novel in smaller cities may have already been established there.
In the real economy, his advantage of "foresight" will be greatly diluted.
On the other end of the phone, my cousin was silent for a while, seemingly thinking about how to persuade me.
"No, no, no, please listen to me first..."
Hearing his insistence, his cousin became a little anxious. "Doing business in a small city is really different. For example, there are policy differences, interpersonal relationships, and, um, do you know what happened there? You can ask your uncle and aunt, it was about the burning of Qin..."
"I know."
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhuohao interrupted him.
There was complete silence on the other end of the phone. After several seconds, my cousin hesitantly asked, "...You really know?"
"Um."
"People outside say that people from our area are good at business, and that's true. Many of them have gone out to do business." My cousin's voice lowered, carrying a mix of emotions. "But very few of them actually bring their businesses back with them. It's not that they're heartless; many donate to charity, but very few actually go back to invest in local businesses."
"I know," Liu Zhuohao said, repeating the same statement.
At this moment, Huang Weixiong and Li Zekai had finished tidying up the food cart and waved to him.
"That's all for now, Yue-ge, I have to go back," Liu Zhuohao said. "I'll contact you again if I need anything later. Also... if it's convenient, could you keep an eye out for a reliable lawyer in Beidu, preferably a local with connections?"
He hung up the phone and headed towards the dining car.
To put it bluntly, without this channel, even if he started over, he would most likely save up enough money by setting up a stall, then take the second route to go out first and come back.