Chapter 126: A Beautiful Forged Steel Dagger, Lin Heng’s Plan

With the village certificate in hand, Lin Heng went back to the town to handle more paperwork.

By the time he finished, it was nearly noon. After grabbing a quick meal, he hired someone with a motorcycle to take him into the city to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce.

Lin Heng actually knew how to ride a motorcycle, but of course, the owner wouldn’t feel comfortable handing it over to him.

He arrived in the city a little after two in the afternoon—motorcycles were much faster than tractors.

After filling out a mountain of forms and running around, he finally got everything processed. He would have to wait another month to receive the official documentation.

Still, he could start running the Acquisition Station in the meantime and sign the contract once the paperwork arrived. Lin Heng already had the pricing list for various medicinal herbs and animal pelts.

“Heading back now?” the motorcycle driver asked.

“Take me to the north side of the city. I’ll give you directions,” Lin Heng said as he hopped on.

They rode all the way to the north end of the city. After asking for directions, Lin Heng found a cattle trader’s home.

“Buying or selling?” asked a man in his twenties with a hooked nose. A mute woman followed behind him.

“Buying. Can you get dairy cows?” Lin Heng asked the young man.

The guy’s name was Liu Shigen—someone Lin Heng had known in his previous life. He was just a small-time cattle dealer back then, and his wife was mute.

But his business kept growing, and by the early 2000s, he was worth millions. He still hadn’t abandoned his mute wife, which made people respect him even more.

“Dairy cows? No way. You don’t even need to ask around—no one around here raises dairy cows,” Liu Shigen shook his head.

“None at all?” Lin Heng was disappointed, though not surprised.

This wasn’t grassland country. There weren’t many people raising cattle at all, much less dairy cows. Still, Lin Heng couldn’t give up without asking.

“What about horses? Do you have any that are already trained and rideable?” Lin Heng asked.

“Come on, man. My sign says I’m a cattle dealer, and you keep asking about all kinds of other stuff. I only buy and sell cows. I’m not your guy for anything else,” Liu Shigen said with a shrug.

“Haha, I just thought you might have connections. You should consider expanding your business,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Don’t have the money or the capital,” Liu Shigen shrugged again.

They chatted a bit more, exchanged names, and then Lin Heng left.

Next, he looked around to see if anyone sold modern compound bows—he wanted to get one.

But that turned out to be wishful thinking. Taibai City didn’t have anything like that.

Since he couldn’t find a compound bow, he also passed on the Mongolian-style ones. He figured the one at home was good enough.

“Let’s go. Time to head back,” Lin Heng said with a shake of his head.

They flew back to Huangtan Town in just two hours on the motorcycle.

It was only five o’clock, just as school was letting out. Lin Heng thought for a moment and decided to go pick up his younger sister Caiyun and head home together.

When he got to the school, he saw Caiyun wearing the outfit he had bought for her the day before. She stood out like a white swan among the group of girls. A few boys nearby were sneaking glances at her from around corners.

Caiyun didn’t seem to notice. She was walking and chatting cheerfully with Liu Ciwen and two or three other classmates.

“Caiyun!” Lin Heng called out, waving her over.

“Second Brother!” Caiyun saw him and ran over.

“Second Brother, did you get everything done?” she asked with a bright smile.

“All done. You look really happy today,” Lin Heng said as he patted her head.

“Yup, because I got elected class monitor!” Caiyun giggled.

“Impressive.” Lin Heng was a bit surprised, but not really. If it was decided by a show of hands, he figured every boy in class would’ve voted for her.

“It’s all thanks to those books you lent me, Second Brother. I sound smarter when I speak now, and the teacher really likes me,” Caiyun said happily.

“That’s all your own ability—it has nothing to do with me. Actually, I came to find you today because I have something to talk about. Let’s walk and talk,” Lin Heng said, glancing at her and starting to walk ahead.

“What is it, Second Brother?” Caiyun asked as she followed.

“I’m opening a Acquisition Station in town, right? I’m going to hire someone to watch over the place, but I need you to go check the accounts every two or three days.”

He glanced back at his little sister. With her outfit and indigo shoulder bag, she looked a bit aloof and elegant.

“Of course, no problem. Leave it to me,” Caiyun said without hesitation. Compared to everything her brother did for her, this was nothing.

Lin Heng nodded. “Good. I’ll introduce you to the person later. You can come have lunch at the Acquisition Station too.”

“Where are we going now?” Caiyun asked as the road got more remote.

“We’re picking up the custom-made kitchen knife and dagger,” Lin Heng said, leading her into a blacksmith shop.

“I’m here to pick up the kitchen knife and dagger. Are they ready?” he called out.

“All done, all done,” the middle-aged blacksmith responded, a bit startled.

He and his two sons, who were forging metal, couldn’t help but pause for a second when they saw Caiyun—they were stunned by her beauty.

“Been ready for a while, just waiting for you to pick them up,” the man said with a smile.

He went into the house and brought out the knife and dagger, placing them on the table for Lin Heng to check.

Forged steel was easy to recognize. It’s made by folding and hammering the same piece of steel over and over. The resulting blade has visible, layered patterns—like a thousand-layer pastry.

Lin Heng picked up the kitchen knife first. The blade was rectangular, and the handle was made from a single piece of rosewood. Its shape was also rectangular but had beveled edges, making it comfortable to grip.

The layered steel patterns weren’t as distinct as acid-etched Damascus, but they were still beautiful.

He picked up a twig about the thickness of a pinky and gave it a light slice—it snapped effortlessly.

The blacksmith grinned. “We fold and forge the steel, weighing it after each round. We stop once the weight doesn’t change. The sharpness speaks for itself.”

“Not bad at all,” Lin Heng nodded, then picked up the dagger.

It was over 30 cm long, with a wooden sheath wrapped in yellow cowhide.

The handle had a brass guard, and the grip itself was made from dark red sour jujube wood, inlaid with a strip of brass wire.

Though it wasn’t as refined as the top-tier knives he had seen in forging competitions, it far exceeded his expectations.

He drew the blade and gave it a few test swings in the air. It felt incredibly balanced and satisfying.

“The blade-to-handle ratio is 3:1. That brass guard and inlay took a lot of effort,” the blacksmith said with a proud smile.

He was a perfectionist when it came to forging, and with all the money Lin Heng had paid, he had no intention of disappointing him.

“Very nice,” Lin Heng said, clearly pleased. No man could resist a cool dagger like this.

“As long as you’re satisfied,” the blacksmith replied, grinning.

Lin Heng pulled eight yuan from his pocket—nine yuan total including the deposit.

The man was thrilled, grinning ear to ear. Customers like Lin Heng were rare in those days.

Most people even thought paying one yuan for a kitchen knife was too expensive.

“Wrap them up for me, will you?” Lin Heng said as he stood up.

“Sure thing.” The man wrapped the kitchen knife in cloth, then placed it in a paper bag and handed it over.

Lin Heng took Caiyun and walked out. The blacksmith followed them all the way to the gate before turning back.

“That was so expensive, Second Brother,” Caiyun muttered once they were outside. The two knives had cost almost as much as her school tuition.

“Not too bad. Forging refined steel isn’t easy either—it’s all hard-earned money.”

Lin Heng shook his head and said, “If Mom and Dad find out, they’ll lecture you again.” Caiyun shook her head as well.

“Just don’t tell them,” Lin Heng replied with a grin, then added, “Let’s go see what Wang Zhou’s decided.”

With his sister in tow, Lin Heng headed straight for Wang Zhou’s place. Coincidentally, Wang Zhou and the driver uncle had just gotten off work and were right outside their home.

“Lin Heng!!” Wang Zhou quickly called out when he saw him. His eyes briefly lingered on Caiyun before quickly looking away—he didn’t even catch the details of her face.

“Boss Lin,” the driver uncle greeted with a smile.

“Let me introduce—this is my younger sister, Lin Caiyun. She’s still in school,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Hello,” Caiyun greeted politely.

“Such a pretty girl,” the driver uncle said with a laugh.

Next to him, Wang Zhou mumbled a response with his head down, not even daring to look. Caiyun was far more dazzling than any girl he’d ever seen.

Lin Heng glanced at Wang Zhou, not surprised by his reaction and not the least bit worried he’d get ideas about Caiyun.

The guy was way too self-conscious—he was probably already rejecting the idea in his head. He wouldn’t even dare to look, let alone interact. Even if he liked her, he’d never show it.

If it had been some street thug, Lin Heng would’ve been extremely cautious and never introduced his sister in the first place. Those types were the boldest and most manipulative.

After all, he used to hang out with guys like that—he knew them all too well.

The driver uncle shot a glance at Wang Zhou, sighed, and went to open the gate. “No wonder this kid can’t find a wife—he’s got no backbone.”

“Wang Zhou, so what did you decide?” Lin Heng asked as they stepped inside.

Wang Zhou nodded. “Brother Lin, I already spoke to my boss. I’m ready to start working with you anytime.”

Funny, really—he used to think he was important and that his boss valued him. But the moment he brought it up, the boss didn’t even hesitate—just settled his wages and sent him packing.

“Good. Pack up your things, I’ll help you move into the place I rented.” Lin Heng nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go pack now,” Wang Zhou said, turning to gather his belongings.

He didn’t have much. With four people helping, the move was quick and easy.

Just over ten minutes later, they arrived at Old Gao’s place. Lin Heng had thought the old man would be out fishing, but surprisingly, he was home.

“Old Gao, this is Wang Zhou, the one I told you about. He’ll be watching over the shop for me.”

Lin Heng smiled as he introduced them.

“Hello, Old Gao,” Wang Zhou quickly greeted.

“Hello, Grandpa Gao,” Caiyun also said politely.

“Haha, great. Aside from the two rooms I’m using, the rest are yours to stay in however you like,” Old Gao said with a smile.

“Got it,” Lin Heng led Wang Zhou in and found him a room. The house was big, with seven or eight empty rooms, and more upstairs.

Once Wang Zhou was settled, the driver uncle got ready to leave. Lin Heng turned to him and said, “Uncle, can you help me ask around and see if anyone’s selling a horse? I want to buy one.”

“Sure, I’ll ask around when I get back.” The uncle nodded.

Wang Zhou walked him out quite a distance before coming back.

Lin Heng and Old Gao chatted for a while, going over the plan.

He had already bought a scale, a metal cashbox, and other supplies when he drove the tractor into town earlier.

Once everything was tidied up in the next couple of days, they could open for business the day after.

That would be September 7 on the solar calendar, the 23rd of the 7th lunar month—a perfect day and a market day, no better time for an opening.

“As long as you’ve got it all sorted, the place is yours. Do whatever you want,” Old Gao said casually.

“Brother Lin, so my job is just to purchase goods at the set prices?” Wang Zhou asked.

“More or less,” Lin Heng nodded. “Use the prices I give you. Keep a record of every purchase. We’ll tally everything up once a week.

Also, you’ll be selling goods too. Record those sales and tally them weekly as well. Caiyun will check in regularly and help with the accounting.”

Wang Zhou froze. “Selling stuff too? What kind of stuff?”

“General merchandise, of course—sell everything,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

After a brief pause, he continued, “You can’t make much money just buying things, especially with Liu Qicheng as competition.

I plan to stock general goods and offer bundle deals. My herb purchase prices will already be higher than Liu’s. If people buy something from me too, they’ll get a discount.

Even if my profit margins are small, bundling will increase foot traffic and quickly bring in cash. Liu Qicheng only buys stuff—how can he compete with that?”

He wasn’t the type to strike first, but once he did, he was going to crush Liu Qicheng completely.

He had the better location—right in front of Liu Qicheng’s place. That was an edge.

Liu never allowed haggling and often used harsh words, which had already put off many people. Lin Heng could offer the same prices and still draw a crowd.

So he had people on his side too.

And with bundle sales thrown in, what did Liu have left?

“Little Lin, that’s a clever move. You’re a natural businessman,” Old Gao said, clapping in admiration.

This kid was a real schemer—one plan after another.

“Amazing!” Wang Zhou gave a thumbs-up. No wonder Lin Heng was making money—he could never pull off something like this.

Even Caiyun looked at him with admiration.

“This is nothing,” Lin Heng chuckled. Rural sales strategies were way behind the times. He barely had to try to wipe out the competition.

He didn’t even have to get creative—just copy some tricks from modern retail, and he’d have endless ways to play the game.

“Alright, it’s settled. You’ll stay here. I already bought flour and rice—just cook for yourself.” Lin Heng said once everything was arranged.

“Okay, don’t worry, Brother Lin,” Wang Zhou nodded.

Lin Heng checked the time, picked up his ID, and left.

When he got back, he told their parents about everything and asked his dad and older brother to come help the next day.

The next morning, the family loaded up a cart pulled by an ox, bringing Xiulan, Xiaoxia, their dad, big brother, Caiyun, and even Xiongba along to town.

“Lin Heng, we’re just here to build display racks, right?” his dad asked. Lin Heng’s venture this time seemed pretty big, and he was a bit nervous.

“Yeah, you and big bro go to the carpenter’s shop in town and buy some wooden boards. Just make some simple shelves—don’t need to be fancy, as long as they hold stuff,” Lin Heng said.

“Alright,” his dad nodded.

“Little bro, are you confident about going this big?” Lin Yue asked, a little worried.

“Of course. This isn’t that hard,” Lin Heng smiled.

His dad and big brother were there to help. As for Xiulan and Xiaoxia, he just brought them to town for a change of scenery.

When they arrived in Huangtan Town, Caiyun went to school while Lin Heng took the others to Old Gao’s place.

When they got there, Old Gao was just about to head to the river with a bucket to go fishing.

“Old Gao, I brought you a fishing rod I made myself. It’s got a Seven-Star Float. Try it out today.”

Lin Heng handed over the purple bamboo rod he had brought from home and explained how to use the float. He had made the seven-star float using colored plastic.

“This rod is nice—looks great too,” Old Gao said, stroking it lovingly.

It was made from purple bamboo aged over ten years, and with Lin Heng’s custom adjustments, it felt way better than an ordinary bamboo rod.

“How much is it? I’ll buy it. I can’t just accept it for free,” Old Gao said, shaking his head.

“Don’t be so polite, it’s just a bamboo pole, not worth much. You gave me fish before and I didn’t stand on ceremony either,” Lin Heng shook his head.

“Haha, alright then, I’ll shamelessly accept it,” Old Man Gao chuckled and took the fishing rod.

After that, Lin Heng introduced his father, older brother, and Xiulan to him.

Once the introductions were done, Old Man Gao headed off to go fishing, and Lin Heng led his father and the others to the shop.

“Brother Lin!”

When Lin Heng arrived, Wang Zhou was in the middle of cleaning.

Lin Heng introduced Wang Zhou to his father and older brother, then started assigning the day’s tasks.

After arranging everything, he gave his father thirty yuan and asked him to go into town to buy wooden boards.

He himself went to rent the same motorcycle from the day before and had someone take him to the city.

Though Lin Heng didn’t personally know any wholesalers in Taibai City, he had a general idea of how things worked. He spent the whole morning negotiating, and finally came to an agreement with a vendor surnamed Li.

In one go, Lin Heng bought six hundred yuan worth of rural goods that he knew would sell.

If he had bought them individually, the price would have been seven or eight hundred yuan.

The difference between wholesale and retail prices usually ranged from twenty to fifty percent, depending on the item.

Since the goods were light, they were easy to load onto the truck. The wholesale market arranged for a freight truck to deliver them.

Around 4 p.m., the truck arrived in Huangtan Town.

The people near Old Man Gao’s place hadn’t known what Lin Heng was up to, but when they saw the truck pull up, they all realized—he was opening a shop—and came over to watch.

“Daddy!” Xiaoxia came running over and hugged Lin Heng’s leg.

He picked her up and spun her around, then handed a piece of candy to Xiulan.

“Everyone come help unload! Everything on the truck is ours,” Lin Heng called to his father and the others.

“Got it!” Lin’s father and the others came over to help move the goods.

Lin Heng went inside to take a look—some of the shelves still weren’t finished, but they should be done by tomorrow.

The six hundred yuan worth of goods completely filled a thirty-square-meter room. The stock could easily last two or three months.

“You opening a little convenience store?”

When Lin Heng came out, Liu Qicheng and a group of others were gathered at the door asking.

Lin Heng glanced at Liu Qicheng and said with a smile, “That’s right—selling goods.”

Upon hearing that, Liu Qicheng breathed a sigh of relief. He’d thought the kid was going to start collecting medicinal herbs and hides too. That would have been bad, given how prime the location was.

But after thinking it over, he felt his concern was unnecessary. Running a Acquisition Station required connections, and what kind of connections could a greenhorn like Lin Heng possibly have?

He couldn’t help but laugh. There were already quite a few stores in town. Lin Heng trying to make money off a store? Not so easy.

He thought to himself, Even if this guy got rich selling Sanghuang mushrooms, he still doesn’t have a brain. If a little convenience store could make money, I’d have opened one ages ago.

Shaking his head, he strolled home with a light step, already thinking about playing cards to celebrate.

Lin Heng was still just a rookie—not worth worrying about.

(End of Chapter)