She found the oil mill, and the power of a pack of “big” cigarettes was undeniable. Whitaker Scarlett had mastered the art of using cigarettes for social interaction. A whole pack was too conspicuous, so she bought another pack and separated it into individual cigarettes.
She entered the oil mill, the aroma intoxicating.
“What do you want?”
The oil mill guard was alert, stopping Whitaker Scarlett from afar. Oil mills were popular places; oil was so scarce these days. Similar factories—sugar factories, alcohol factories, and meat-processing plants—all closely related to people’s daily lives, offered good benefits.
“Hello, I’d like to ask if you sell oil residue.”
As she spoke, she naturally offered a cigarette. The guard, a man in his forties, was taken aback.
Whitaker Scarlett was a beautiful girl, and her warmth and generosity made it impossible to refuse her cigarette, and subsequently, her request.
The oil mill, of course, sold its oil residue; they had no use for it.
The meat-processing plant only bought and slaughtered livestock; they didn’t raise pigs. Large-scale pig farms were rare, so the oil mill sold its oil residue in small quantities. “Small quantities” meant 100 to 1000 pound. Ordinary farmers couldn’t buy a few pounds of oil residue; they wouldn’t even be allowed inside.
“3 cents per pounds. How much do you want?”
The oil residue was piled high like a small mountain. At 3 cents per pounds, it was much cheaper than the 8 cents Amanda had paid.
The profit margin was 5 cents per pound.
Whitaker Scarlett only made 2 cents per egg!
And the oil residue could easily fit in the bicycle basket with minimal loss. As long as she could carry it, she could buy as much as she wanted!
Whitaker Scarlett considered her strength and resisted her greed:
“300 pounds for now.”
It was such a low-capital business; if Whitaker Scarlett had discovered it earlier, she wouldn’t have had to start by reselling eggs.
But if she hadn’t resold eggs, how could she have gradually expanded her business from Greenfield County to HarborfieldCity, and how could she have discovered this profitable venture? With around 10 dollars in capital, the profit could reach 15 dollars. It was just that cycling back with 300 pounds of oil residue was quite tiring. Thankfully, the 28-inch bicycles of the 1980s were well-made; otherwise, William’s bike would have been worn out by Whitaker Scarlett.
Without William’s provision of capital and bicycle assistance and lack of transportation, how could Whitaker Scarlett have manually carried eggs and loaches to HarborfieldCity to sell them? That would have been a hellish level of difficulty in the money-making game. Whitaker Scarlett thought, taking this oil residue as an example, hadn’t anyone thought of making money from this? It’s just that they might not have a bicycle.
Whitaker Scarlett was happy after buying the oil residue; finally, she wouldn’t have to return with an empty bike, making use of both trips.
With this oil residue business along the way, carrying 300 pounds each trip, earning 15 Dollars a time, making a trip to HarborfieldCity every other day, she could earn an extra two to three hundred Dollars a month. The loach business also expanded to a new major customer. She wouldn’t need to bring eggs to the city anymore, focusing only on these two items, earning nearly 600 Dollars a month. By November, she would have enough capital to wholesale clothes.
With capital, there would be so many business opportunities in 1983.
In her spare time, she could review her studies. July next year would be just right for the 1984 college entrance examination; this was Whitaker Scarlett’s short-term goal.
“The money is still coming in too slowly. I need to focus on the college entrance exam; I must have a sum of money before the New Year.”
Whitaker Scarlett, carrying 300 pounds of goods, rested several times along the way, relying entirely on her desire for poverty alleviation and wealth creation to support her mechanical pedaling. Although she was a college student in her previous life, she didn’t know how difficult the 1984 college entrance exam would be or how much of the knowledge she had learned she still remembered.
To get into college again, she would definitely have to bury herself in her studies for several months. During that time, she would have to temporarily put her business aside. Without income, she needed enough savings to support herself for half a year.
What else could make money now?
She could only watch the cigarette business dryly, unable to participate.
If she were a man, she would definitely have thrown herself into the booming smuggling business. High risk, but incredibly high returns; a few deals would definitely accumulate her first pot of gold. But she was not only an 18-year-old girl but also had a vixen’s face. If she went into smuggling, forget about the risk to the goods, she would probably lose herself as well!
