The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 237 - 229: The Storefront House

Chapter 237: Chapter 229: The Storefront House

Yang Mingchao, reassured by Lu Jingqiu’s words, lost his earlier ambivalence, "The reason I had this idea is because of what a boss, who often travels overseas for imports, said to me. He’s seen a lot overseas and believes that now is the best time to start a business. He noticed that we purchase quite a bit of stock and have the convenience to do so. The only issue is that it takes too long to pick up the goods each time. If we had sales channels and a large customer demand, we could set up a distribution point within our province for wholesale. That’s what he was talking about... uh."

Yang Mingchao couldn’t remember the term, so Lu Jingqiu quickly reminded him, "Middleman."

"Right, middleman. I’d get the stock from him and store it here, then find locals to sell it, while I make a profit from the price difference.

But Ah Da felt that the boss was just sweet-talking us into buying more goods. He was afraid we would end up with too much stock, just like what happened to Xia Lin last time, unable to sell it all. Saying that it’s easy to find sellers is a gross oversimplification.

Moreover, Ah Da thought that if we worked with distributors, our profit margins would be too low, so it wouldn’t be worthwhile."

Lu Jingqiu shook her head, "Second cousin, finding distributors is easy. Nowadays, many families have young adults who can’t find jobs, and some sent-down youth have returned to the city. As long as your price is lower than that of the shops and they can make a profit, you’ll have a large number of people coming to you for stock. Can one person’s sales outdo that of a group? The profit margin may shrink, but the volume sold will be high, and with more sales, you’ll earn more money. There’s no need to worry about that."

Yang Mingchao said, "I’ll think about it. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll do it myself. As for the truck, the drivers in my unit could help me secure a spot at the northern car factory. I could get a new truck for eight thousand yuan, and that’s something my brother can afford."

Lu Jingqiu smiled, "Brother, what if I want to join in?"

Yang Mingchao replied, "Of course, you must. After buying the truck, I won’t have much money left for buying goods. Can you put in ten thousand yuan?"

"I only have three thousand right now, and that’s what you gave me yesterday."

"That’s more than enough. Once Old Wei’s team pays out the final installment in May, you could get five thousand yuan. Over the next two months, we can flip some more stuff. Ten thousand yuan is certainly enough."

"Alright."

In the end, Lu Jingqiu handed over the not yet warmed up three thousand yuan to Yang Mingchao.

However, Yang Mingchao had not yet figured out how to break the news to Gao Da.

She didn’t know what followed, but on Monday, she made a trip to the publishing house.

Zhang Miao was right; conditions were indeed tough in the publishing house. The few low buildings next to the print shop housed Deputy Editor-in-Chief Yang, Chief Editor Zhang, the president, and the vice president all in one office.

With limited space, but it did make discussing business much easier.

And being in the print shop itself made their communication with the print workers much more straightforward.

Deputy Editor Yang, upon seeing her, smiled, "Jingqiu, you’re here. I have prepared the contract for you."

After greeting the leaders, Lu Jingqiu sat down to read the contract, which was similar to the last one.

It was Master Zhang who said, "Comrade Lu, we have a co-operating author who has written a children’s story and needs illustrations. He would like you to do the drawings for him."

Lu Jingqiu was delighted to hear this, "Chief Editor Zhang, that’s great. Can I take a look at his story?"

Chief Editor Zhang replied, "It will be sent over in the next few days. I’ll have an editor deliver it to you, so you can take a look first."

"Sure."

Getting a significant assignment upon her arrival, Lu Jingqiu, elated, left the office with a smile after signing the contract and following Deputy Editor Yang.

Deputy Editor Yang warned her with a laugh, "Don’t get too excited too soon. Your upcoming tasks are quite heavy. Recently, several editors have signed multiple children’s stories, and Editor Yang alone can’t handle it. You and Xinyue will have to come over and receive tasks.

Our publishing house is now assigning all the external art tasks to you two. You must ensure the quality while maintaining the pace. Otherwise, the higher-ups might consider contracting some well-known artists."

Lu Jingqiu knew that Deputy Editor Yang was reminding them and nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, Deputy Editor Yang. We won’t let the publishing house down in terms of quality and will complete any amount of work on time."

Deputy Editor Yang was quite optimistic about both of them and smiled as he led her to the financial department to receive her fee for the manuscripts.

On her way out, she wanted to visit Zhang Miao, only to find out from Sister Qin that Zhang Miao was resting.

After chatting with a few editors and meeting Yang Bo, Lu Jingqiu was quietly asked by Yang Bo if she wanted to borrow some tasks for drawing comic strips.

Lu Jingqiu asked, "Do you have a lot of tasks on your hands?"

Yang Bo replied with a worried expression, "I still have five books waiting for me, all urgent. It takes me over a month to complete one comic book, even if I work through the nights. I want to turn them down, but I just can’t let go."

Lu Jingqiu thought for a moment and said, "Among those books, are there any simpler ones? I have a roommate who’s in the comic strip department, just finished her first year, and her skill seems pretty good. If you have any simpler ones, I can recommend her to you. Xinyue and I don’t have the time for comic strips right now."

Yang Bo responded, "Your classmate is a professional? That’s great. There is a short story that doesn’t require coloring. What time do you get off school this afternoon? I can bring the materials to your campus, but just to be clear, I want to test her drawing skill."

"Sure, I’ll discuss it with her when I get back. You can negotiate the details with her later."

"No problem."

After parting with Yang Bo, Lu Jingqiu went directly to Chen Qingru’s class upon arriving at school, as there was only one class in her department.

Chen Qingru, seeing her at the classroom door, hurried out, "Jingqiu, are you looking for me?"

Lu Jingqiu spoke in a hushed, excited tone, "I went to the publishing house today and spoke to a colleague of mine. He has many opportunities to take on illustration work for comic books. He’s got a hefty workload and is looking for someone. I recommended you and came especially to ask about your willingness."

Chen Qingru was a mix of thrilled and surprised, "Me?"

"Yes."

"But... but I’ve mainly been copying so far. I’m just starting to create original work."

"Everyone has to start somewhere. How will you know what you’re capable of if you don’t try? I’ve explained your situation to him, and he said he would bring the story to our school after classes to see if you’re up to the task. It’s worth a try, isn’t it?"

Chen Qingru’s nervousness was palpable, but emboldened by Lu Jingqiu’s encouragement, she quickly nodded, "Okay, I’ll give it a try. I’ll come find you in your class after school."

After speaking, Lu Jingqiu hurried back to her own class and during the break, she mentioned this to Luo Xinyue.

Luo Xinyue was supportive, "I think Qingru is capable, definitely better than me. I really can’t paint comic books; even if I did, it wouldn’t have the smoothness of their lines, and I can’t keep up with their imagination. Sigh, I need to practice harder to keep up with your level."

"I think your style is already quite distinct – clear and concise lines that may seem chaotic, but each stroke is crucial. Professor Shi has praised you for it."

Luo Xinyue bloomed like a flower from Lu Jingqiu’s praise, "Stop flattering me. Professor Shi values you the most."

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