Chapter 7: Use Only If Absolutely Necessary

[Author’s note: The author learned Northeastern dialect from Xiaoping, so it’s definitely not standard. I’m just taking a bold step in writing it here. If any friends from the Northeast spot something off, please don’t be upset, and I hope you’ll be forgiving!]

SY Xingshun Market is the largest market in SY City. By day, it’s a bustling hub of small business owners, and by night it transforms into a food street. There’s not a single person in SY who doesn’t know about this grand market.

Especially in 2001, when city management officers wouldn’t become commonplace until around 2007, with the Olympics on the horizon. So, at this time, business development reigned supreme in SY. As long as small vendors didn’t block traffic, cause major disturbances, or pose significant dangers, no one would intervene.

So if you had a tricycle and brought in some cheap goods from the south, you could immediately become a proud self-employed merchant.

On October 9th, 2001, on an otherwise ordinary day, a newcomer appeared at SY Xingshun Market. He was pulling a tricycle, its bed piled high with boxes, apparently full of goods.

But there was something odd—the boxes were all small, unmarked except for the name of Jiangnan Leather Factory and two lines of fine print. Nothing else could be discerned.

This quickly drew the attention of many onlookers nearby. Someone immediately asked, “Hey buddy, what are you selling?”

“Friend, you’re new here, so maybe you don’t know the rules yet. You can set up a stall, but you can’t steal business from the old-timers. Within fifty meters, you can’t sell the same thing as someone else.” These few looked like tough characters.

“Oh, I’m selling mystery boxes!” the newcomer replied cheerfully.

“Mystery boxes? What’s that?” The people around him were stunned. Then they saw Shen Yuequn pull out a wooden sign from his cart. Written on it in bold chalk was: “Leather Mystery Boxes, 10 yuan each. Inside, you might find anything from a 20-yuan wallet to a genuine leather coat worth 3,000 yuan. Buy one and you’re sure not to lose; buy ten and you’ll profit so much you’ll faint!”

Then the newcomer produced another sign, with a large “10 yuan” in the center and a line beneath: “Only 10 yuan. All mystery boxes, just ten yuan each!”

“I think I get it now. Isn’t this just like a lucky draw?” Vendors aren’t fools; they quickly grasped the concept.

“Sounds interesting. I kind of want to try one myself!” someone said, itching to give it a go.

“Bah! It’s all a scam. Believe me, you buy ten of those, and every single one will be a wallet. You’ll be crying your eyes out!”

“But even at ten yuan, a wallet’s pretty cheap. The guy selling wallets at the east end charges at least fifteen for the cheapest one.”

“Damn, when you put it that way, it does sound like a bargain. I’ll just buy one—if it’s only a wallet, I’m not losing out!”

A few of the surrounding vendors realized they were the first to be tempted. But as sellers themselves, how could they bring themselves to buy from someone else? That would be far too embarrassing.

Still, they were curious to see how this new thing called a mystery box would sell.

“Don’t be fooled by how eye-catching this looks—it’ll never sell!” said an old hand who’d been running a stall for ten years, full of confidence. “People around here may not have other skills, but they’re sharp as tacks. If they can’t see the goods with their own eyes, they’ll never shell out. You keep those things sealed in boxes, no one’s going to buy them. Not a chance.”

Sure enough, the veteran’s experience proved true. Tens of minutes passed—plenty of passersby eyed the neatly packaged, mysterious boxes with curiosity, and many even went up to ask if they could open a box to see what was inside, promising to buy if the goods were genuine.

But Shen Yuequn refused them all. In practiced Northeastern dialect, he explained that the boxes were sealed, the contents random, and only those who paid could open one. No purchases, no peeking. And once a box was opened, unless there was a quality problem, he’d accept no returns or refunds.

In short, once the box was opened, unless there was a defect, there was no going back.

With this attitude, many people instantly gave up on buying. After all, ten yuan wasn’t pocket change in 2001—who’d want to buy something unseen, untouchable?

Nearly an hour passed without a single sale. Hesitating, Shen Yuequn gritted his teeth and pulled out a large loudspeaker from the tricycle.

“If you ever feel tongue-tied while selling, or if no customers come and business is slow, use this. Just switch on the loudspeaker’s loop playback—I’ve recorded an ad for you!” This loudspeaker had been handed out by Huang He to all workers heading out to sell goods.

But when Huang He produced the loudspeaker, his expression was hesitant and conflicted. He looked at it as if it harbored some kind of demon.

“Remember, only use this when business is bad. Otherwise, try not to use it at all!” Huang He finally said, clearly reluctant.

Shen Yuequn was an honest man; seeing Huang He’s troubled face, he hadn’t intended to use it. But with his sales so bleak, he decided to give this so-called game-changer a try.

Truthfully, Shen Yuequn was curious himself—what could be in this loudspeaker to make Huang He so uneasy? He wanted to listen for himself.

So he pressed the loop playback button on the loudspeaker, and a voice clip familiar to generations to come suddenly rang out:

“Wenzhou, Zhejiang! Wenzhou, Zhejiang! The largest leather factory—Jiangnan Leather Factory—has gone bankrupt! That scoundrel boss, Huang He, squandered everything on food, drink, women, and gambling, racked up 350 million in debt, and ran off with his mistress. We had no choice but to take goods for our wages. All kinds of leather goods—originally over a hundred, five hundred, even thousands—now all just ten yuan, all ten yuan!

All these leather goods are foreign trade items seized by the authorities—amazing mystery boxes from abroad, each separately packed and sealed. We don’t even know what’s inside, but the cheapest is a 20-yuan calfskin wallet, or a 50-yuan genuine tendon leather belt, 200-yuan top-grain leather shoes, 2,000-yuan export leather jackets! Now, all just ten yuan, ten yuan each! Everything inside—anything is possible. Huang He, you bastard, you’re not human! We worked for you for half a year and you won’t pay us. Give us back our hard-earned wages! Give us back our hard-earned wages!”