I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 19 Monetization Channels

Upon arriving at the department store again, Zhang Beichuan went straight to the gold jewelry counter.

He spent over 1,400 yuan, which wouldn't cost him a year to rent a shop. He planned to keep 1,000 yuan and use the rest to buy some gold to see if this road would be passable in 2026.

He didn't know if there were any problems with gold these days; he could only learn through experience.

The sales clerk at the gold jewelry counter saw that Zhang Beichuan, who had come a few days ago, had returned, and guessed that he wanted to buy jewelry.

"Comrade, what would you like to buy?"

"A relative's baby is having their one-month celebration, and we'd like to get some jewelry made for the baby to keep as a memento. Is that possible?"

Zhang Beichuan chose to have his jewelry made, and the reason was simple: finished gold jewelry was more expensive than jewelry made by hand.

Since we'll be selling them anyway, we'll definitely choose the method with the lowest cost.

Upon hearing this, the sales clerk immediately broke into a smile.

"Yes, we can do that! Our master craftsmen here are very skilled; people come from all around to have their jewelry made. Do you want a longevity lock or a gold medal for your child?"

"A gold medal one, something delicate, won't put pressure on a child's neck," Zhang Beichuan said, feigning familiarity with the product. "It weighs about ten grams. How much?"

"Ten grams of gold, at 36 yuan per gram, is 360 yuan. The processing fee is 2 yuan per gram, which is 20 yuan, making a total of 380 yuan!"

"Okay, we'll do it this way!"

Zhang Beichuan took out some money from his pocket, counted it for a long time, and then pushed the money over.

The sales clerk took the money, counted it carefully, and smiled even more warmly.

"Comrade, please sit down for a moment, I'll go and ask the chef to get it for you right away."

"it is good."

After waiting for about an hour, Zhang Beichuan finally received the gold medal, a small, square plaque with some simple embossed patterns on it.

The person keeping watch at the entrance of the department store saw him come out empty-handed and deliberately kept a distance. He watched Zhang Beichuan walk into a dead end and wondered where the kid was going to pee.

The person keeping watch waited for several minutes without seeing anyone come out, so he curiously walked over and pretended to be a passerby to peek inside. He was immediately dumbfounded!

Where are they?

He stood at the entrance of the alley, staring at the dead end for a long time, before finally fixing his gaze on the low wall at the end of the alley.

Did they find out and that kid climbed over the wall and ran away?

Otherwise, how do you explain it? It can't be a living person who just disappears in broad daylight, can it?

After having this thought in his mind, the man quickly went to report the situation to his elder brother, Zhao Xueming.

Zhao Xueming, who had just finished collecting protection money from a shop on Jiefang Road, ran into Lan Baojun, who had just found a suitable shop and was heading home.

The two locked eyes, and Zhao Xueming carefully examined the man before becoming excited.

"Brother Baojun?"

Lan Baojun stopped and looked at the young man in front of him, who was wearing a floral shirt and had a somewhat江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him. He frowned slightly, but quickly recognized him as Zhao Xueming.

Back then, I fought him for territory on the street and got beaten up a few times, so he became much more obedient afterward.

"Xueming?" Lan Baojun asked indifferently, his face expressionless.

Zhao Xueming, however, seemed exceptionally enthusiastic. He stuffed the money he had just received into his pocket, took two steps forward, and grinned.

"It really is Baojun! When did you get back?"

"Just got back a short while ago," Lan Baojun replied simply, his gaze sweeping over the two slovenly henchmen following behind Zhao Xueming. "Are you... still hanging around on the streets?"

Zhao Xueming chuckled, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one over.

"Just trying to make a living! These days, if no decent company hires you, you have to find your own way. Hey Baojun, wanna have a smoke?"

Lan Baojun saw the smile on his face and took it.

"Brother Baojun, what kind of job was assigned to you after you were discharged from the army?"

Lan Baojun felt somewhat helpless when the matter was brought up.

"It's still not settled."

Zhao Xueming's eyes darted around as he exhaled a smoke ring.

"How about you join us? I'm the boss around Jiefang Road now. You come, and I'll make you my second-in-command! If we work together, I guarantee you'll live the high life!"

His words carried a hint of pride, clearly indicating that he was quite satisfied with his current "status".

Lan Baojun looked at him, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

After Zhao Xueming was dealt with back then, he followed him around like a shadow. The kid who shouted the loudest in the fight but was the first to run away has now become the "boss" of this area.

"Xueming," Lan Baojun paused, "take my advice, hanging around on the streets isn't a long-term solution. You're young now, you can still fight and cause trouble, but what about in a few years?"

Zhao Xueming's smile faded slightly as he flicked off his cigarette ash.

All you need to do is come once a month, and who on this street would dare not hand over their money obediently?

If you encounter someone a little tougher, you don't need to cause trouble or vandalism; just send a few people to the shop every day to keep an eye on things and prevent them from doing business.

There was no violence or disturbance; it was just a normal "look around." Even if the boss called the police, at most they would just give him a few words of reprimand, and then the rest would follow.

In just a few days, these spineless cowards will have to obediently pay their management fees.

"Brother Baojun, you've been in the army too long, your thinking is out of touch with the times! We're law-abiding citizens now, unlike before. The management fees I collect on this street every month are much better than those factory workers. I'm sheltered from the wind and rain, free, and everyone in this area calls me Brother Xueming!"

Lan Baojun shook his head helplessly. He had said what he needed to say out of consideration for their past relationship, but the other party was still unwilling. What else could he do?

Let's go.

Zhao Xueming glanced at the way his underlings were looking at him, then looked at Lan Baojun's back, and spat.

"What the hell is he? He just served in the army for a few years! He's trying to lecture me! Who does he think he is?"

"Exactly, brother, ignore him. We brothers are living such a carefree life!"

Zhao Xueming smiled, turned around and led his underlings to the next house to collect next month's management fees.

The next second, a shout came from behind.

"Big brother!"

Zhao Xueming turned to look at the panting mouse, "Why did you come back? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on them?"

"Big brother, this is shocking!"

"Shocked?" Zhao Xueming looked at him incredulously. "What happened? How could you be shocked!"

Haozi recounted the events in detail, waiting for Zhao Xueming to arrange the next steps.

"Damn it!" Zhao Xueming cursed angrily, then ordered the people around him, "Find him! I refuse to believe we can't find him!"

While Zhao Xueming was mobilizing his henchmen to try and find Zhang Beichuan, Zhang Beichuan had already run back to 2026!

"Feed? I was on the roadside, wearing a white shirt, yes, yes..."

Immediately afterwards, a white Volkswagen stopped at Zhang Beichuan's feet, and a young man got out of the car.

"Brother, you're the one who sells gold, right?"

"Hmm." Zhang Beichuan took the gold medal out of his pocket. "The price is 1400 yuan per gram, right?"

"Yes, yes, 1400 yuan. The price has dropped a bit today." After saying that, the young man continued, "Brother, let me weigh it for you first, then burn it a little for a simple test."

"it is good."

Zhang Beichuan handed him the gold medal, and seeing that the man weighed 10g without error, he picked up the blowtorch and burned the gold medal for a while before weighing it again.

"Brother, the items are fine. Should I transfer the money to you, or should I pay in cash?"

Upon hearing that there was no problem with the gold and that there was now a stable channel for monetization, Zhang Beichuan finally felt relieved.

Considering the possibility of acquiring more gold later, transferring all the money would be risky, as having too much money suddenly in the account wouldn't be safe.

"Cash, please."

"Okay." The young man pulled out two stacks of 100-yuan bills from the trunk, counted out 14,000 yuan, and said, "Brother, please check it. If there's no problem, I'll be going. I still have to go to the next store."

Zhang Beichuan quickly nodded, pocketed a wad of cash, went to the nearby supermarket to buy some canned goods, candy, and fruit, and then headed back to his rented room.

After walking a few steps, his phone rang with a WeChat voice call notification.