Chapter 38: Extra Meat Tonight
August 1, 2023, Shuangqing City.
Today was Army Day, and at Cai Xinzhi’s model shop, business was booming. Military models, especially, were selling out one after another in a flash. Models of the Liaoning, the Chongqing, paratrooper figures... today, they were selling like hotcakes.
Cai Xinzhi’s face split into a wide grin.
As he was counting money, the shop door opened. He was about to greet the customer when he saw it was his old friend, Li Daoxuan.
Cai Xinzhi smiled and called out, “Daoxuan, what brings you here today? Are you coming to pick up your Hakka Walled House? Don’t worry, it won’t be ready for another ten days or so.”
Li Daoxuan flashed a mysterious smile. “I’m not here to pick up a delivery today. I’m here to make a delivery to you.”
Cai Xinzhi narrowed his eyes. “Trying to trick me again?”
Li Daoxuan shrugged. “I’m trying to help you make a fortune, and you accuse me of tricking you? Tsk, tsk, it’s like we’re not even friends.” As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny figure, only about one centimeter tall, placing it on the counter in front of Cai Xinzhi.
The figure was so small, Cai Xinzhi barely gave it a proper glance, his eyes merely skimming over it. “A Supreme Treasure Sun Wukong model? Where did you get one so tiny? Is it plastic? This thing’s barely worth five yuan.”
Cai Xinzhi blinked. “?”
The words ‘solid wood’ piqued his interest. A wooden figure was certainly more upscale than a plastic one, but what was the point of making it so tiny?
Li Daoxuan said, “Do you want to grab a magnifying glass and take a closer look at this little wooden figure?”
Hearing this, Cai Xinzhi sensed something unusual. He put aside his work for a moment, letting his employees handle the other customers, then calmed his mind, pulled out a magnifying glass, and focused on the tiny wooden figure before him.
What he saw made his jaw drop. This tiny wooden figure, though only one centimeter tall, boasted incredibly intricate craftsmanship. Every detail was meticulously carved. The minuscule facial features were uncannily identical to the Supreme Treasure, even the monkey fur on his face was rendered. And the armor Sun Wukong wore? Each individual scale was painted with exquisite precision.
This... this wasn’t a toy anymore. It was a work of art!
An unquestionable masterpiece of micro-carving.
Cai Xinzhi sucked in a sharp breath. “Where did you get this little wooden figure?”
Li Daoxuan replied, “That’s a secret.”
Cai Xinzhi groaned. “Don’t tell me you stole this and you’re trying to fence it through me? Dammit!”
Li Daoxuan retorted, “How long have you known me? Do you really think I’m the type to engage in criminal activities?”
Cai Xinzhi thought for a moment. “He had a point. You’re not just a good-hearted pushover, you’re someone who detests evil. If someone shouted ‘Thief!’, you’d be the first one to rush after them. How could you possibly be selling stolen goods?”
“See? You understand me.” Li Daoxuan smiled. “I want to sell this off, but I don’t have sales channels, so I thought of you, my old friend who sells models. You sell it here, and you take a commission.”
Cai Xinzhi scoffed, though with a smile, “Nonsense, no commission! We’ve been old friends for years; I’ll just help you sell it.”
“No, you must take a commission.” Li Daoxuan’s tone grew serious. “This isn’t a one-off deal; this is a long-term venture, so you absolutely must take a cut.”
“Long-term venture?” Cai Xinzhi paused for a moment, then immediately understood. “So, you found someone skilled in micro-carving to partner with. He’s in charge of carving, you’re in charge of selling them, and you take a cut in the middle. In that case, I won’t be shy either. I’ll take a ten percent cut.”
“Deal!” Li Daoxuan agreed. “I have no idea what it’s worth, and I’m guessing you’re a bit stumped too. Let’s just test the waters.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a try. I’m just a model seller; I’ve never sold micro-carvings before. If I undersell it for you, don’t blame me.”
“Relax! Be bold with it. I won’t blame you if it doesn’t sell for much.”
With their agreement settled, Li Daoxuan hailed a ride-share car home. While still halfway there, he saw Cai Xinzhi’s WeChat Moments update.
“New and rare treasure just arrived! A one-centimeter micro-carved Supreme Treasure. Its exquisite beauty can only be seen with a magnifying glass. Only one available! First come, first served. You’ll regret it if you miss out! WeChat Friends’ exclusive price: 888 yuan...”
Below were several photos taken with a high-end camera in macro mode. He’d even deliberately taken a shot of it resting on a fingertip, allowing viewers to compare the carving’s size to a human finger.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. “He really put effort into it.”
He reached out to tap the ‘like’ button...
But just as his finger touched the icon, a notification popped up: “Operation Failed.”
“Huh? Can’t like it?”
Li Daoxuan refreshed the page. The Moments post Cai Xinzhi had just published was gone. No wonder liking it failed.
Then, Cai Xinzhi’s message popped up: “Holy crap, your micro-carving—I just posted it on Moments, and an old customer snapped it up instantly!”
Li Daoxuan typed back, “That well?”
Cai Xinzhi replied, “That guy definitely knows his stuff. He saw my price was too low and instantly bought it. Without a word, he transferred 888 yuan to me and reserved the item. Damn it, I should have priced it a few hundred yuan higher! I’m so sorry, we both lost out big time on this one.”
Li Daoxuan laughed. “It’s fine, it’s fine. 888 yuan is a good profit! I don’t feel like I lost out at all.”
Cai Xinzhi quickly typed, “You have more stock, right? That guy’s coming to pick it up soon, I can definitely talk to him further. I need to discuss future arrangements with him and make sure the price is set correctly this time.”
“No stock on hand, needs to be carved.”
“So, custom orders are possible too?”
“Absolutely! Any custom order.”
“Hehehehe.” Cai Xinzhi added, “Just wait for my good news.”
Li Daoxuan advised, “Don’t be too rigid with the pricing; let others make some profit. That’s how we’ll get long-term partners. I can afford to earn a bit less.”
Cai Xinzhi scoffed. “You don’t need to teach me about this. When it comes to business, I’m far more professional than you. Just you watch.”
[Cai Xinzhi transferred 800 yuan to you]
Li Daoxuan tapped ‘receive’ and chuckled inwardly. Excellent, making money! He’d been spending money on the little people for over half a month, but now he could finally earn some back from them. Indeed, talent was paramount. The more diverse talents he had in the box, the more ways he could think of to make money.
His mood brightened considerably!
Soon, he arrived at his apartment complex. Li Daoxuan hopped out of the ride-share car, ducked into the supermarket by the entrance, bought a pork loin, and hummed a tune as he strolled back home.
Inside the box, it was already dusk. The little people were cooking, and wisps of smoke drifted upwards.
From the pork loin he’d just bought, Li Daoxuan cut off a tiny piece and gently placed it on the open ground in the center of the village.
The villagers immediately gasped in astonishment. “Meat! Such a huge piece of pork loin!”
Li Daoxuan smiled and instructed, “Yiye, tell everyone there’ll be extra meat tonight, two liang per person. The two sculptors should wait until the end, and any leftover portions will be given entirely to them, as a reward for carving the Victorious Fighting Buddha statue.”
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