Whatever vegetables or fruits were needed, it was Zheng Long who went to the market to survey, and then notified the driver to go to the suburban counties to find them.
They would first contact the local agricultural department and learn about the specific crops planted in the counties and villages below, then compare prices, and finally haul back the designated vegetables. Because the retail prices here were quite high, the wholesale prices were definitely relatively low. Given that the folks of that era were quite simple and, coupled with the monthly income of one hundred yuan he provided them with along with extra rewards for additional trips, making an easy one hundred fifty yuan a month, the likelihood of them betraying him was very slim.
After all, with the retail price set there, how much could they possibly embezzle?
As for whose service to use and whose not to use, that was up to them to decide; so, truck drivers of that era were quite esteemed.
Typically, for every trip made, they could easily earn around a thousand yuan, and if there were significant fluctuations in vegetable or meat prices, it might even surpass 1,500. Roughly making four trips a month, at the minimum standard, they could earn four thousand yuan, of course, that was the profit after deducting costs. For original chapters go to noⅴelfire.net
After a couple of years, the capital would be almost recouped.
From 1989 to 1990, he had garnered dividends totaling 380,000 yuan, with the supermarket reaching a profit of 30,000 yuan in its third year and shooting up to 50,000 yuan in the fourth. The retail section held steadily at 30,000 yuan, so just in those two years, from these three places alone, he had made 620,000 yuan.
The trucks made 60,000 yuan in the first year and 100,000 yuan in the next, recovering their cost within two years.
The total was 780,000 yuan.
In early 1990, he purchased the 3,000 square meter lot next to the supermarket at a rate of 400 yuan per square meter, totaling 1,200,000 yuan. He took a loan of 420,000 yuan, which was paid off within three years, with an interest rate of 10,000 yuan per year.
For the two years of repaying the loan, he made no developments next door, instead renting it all out no matter the sum; as long as it wasn’t vacant, it was satisfactory. Eventually, it tallied that he could earn a rent of 3,000 to 4,000 yuan per year, and though it did not cover the loan, every little bit helped.
Throughout 1990, 1991, and 1992, through freight, dividends, the supermarket, and the retail section, he amassed an income of 2.56 million yuan. Not only was the loan repaid, but he also bought another 6,500 square meters for 400 yuan per square meter. This time, taking a loan of 600,000 yuan and paying two million upfront. Thus, he came to own an aggregate of ten thousand square meters, or one hectare, in that region.
Initially, Zheng Long intended to expand in the direction of chain supermarkets, but as things progressed, he abruptly decided to venture into real estate instead. This one hectare would be his cornerstone; opting not for residential land, he went for commercial instead because the location he had picked was quite favorable. If he built office buildings to rent out, he’d be set for the latter half of his life.
Not to mention how extensive his future operations might be, judging by the current development, even by 2020, the motorcycle market would still have its own niche in rural areas. So, as long as he maintained a good formation and rhythm, he was bound to earn even more.
He used the dividends as his first bucket of gold to accumulate wealth (the supermarket and the retail section, at best, were only silver).
In 1989, Zheng Kai obtained his doctorate degree from Beijing Xiehe Hospital, and over 1990, 1991, and 1992, he went to M country on a public scholarship to acquire a medical doctorate from Harvard University, immediately starting his medical career at Beijing Army Hospital afterward.
Zheng Kai studied medicine for twelve years, from a decent Military Medical University in Hua Country, to the best Xiehe Hospital, and finally Harvard. His twelve years of educational endeavors, which others might not achieve in a lifetime, he not only achieved but also excelled in, bringing much honor to himself.