August 1, 2023. Shuangqing City.
Today was Army Day. Cai Xinzi's model shop was doing booming business.
Military models especially. Sold one in minutes. Sold another in minutes. The Liaoning, the Chongqing, paratrooper figures. Everything military was flying off the shelves today.
Cai Xinzi was grinning ear to ear.
He was busy counting money when the shop door swung open. He looked up, ready to welcome another customer, only to find his old friend Li Daoxuan walking in.
"Daoxuan! What brings you here?" Cai Xinzi greeted him with a broad smile. "Come to collect your Hakka walled house? Not yet, not yet. You'll have to wait another ten days or so before it's ready."
Li Daoxuan responded with a mysterious smile. "I'm not here to collect anything today. I've come to supply you with something instead."
Cai Xinzi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you up to now? Trying to swindle me again?"
"I'm offering you a chance to make a fortune, and this is how you treat me? Tsk, tsk. Is that any way to treat an old friend?"
With that, Li Daoxuan reached into his pocket and produced a tiny figurine, barely a centimeter tall. He carefully placed it on the counter in front of Cai Xinzi.
The figure was so small that Cai Xinzi barely gave it a second glance. He glanced down, then casually remarked, "A Supreme Treasure Sun Wukong figurine? Where on earth did you find one this tiny? Is it plastic? Something like this would be worth five yuan at most."
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "It's carved from solid wood."
Cai Xinzi blinked.
"…What?"
The words solid wood immediately caught his attention.
A wooden figurine was undoubtedly a cut above a plastic one. But one this small? What value could it possibly have?
"Why don't you take a closer look with a magnifying glass?" Li Daoxuan suggested.
That was when Cai Xinzi realized there was more to this little figurine than met the eye. Setting his work aside, he handed the other customers over to his employee before settling down at the counter.
He picked up a magnifying glass and carefully examined the miniature figure.
The moment he looked, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
The little wooden figure was only a centimeter tall, but the craftsmanship was incredibly fine. Every detail was carefully carved. The tiny facial features matched Supreme Treasure perfectly. Even the monkey hair on his face was visible. The armor Sun Wukong wore was so detailed that every single plate had its own finely painted finish.
This wasn't some ordinary toy. It was a genuine work of art.
A remarkably exquisite piece of miniature woodcarving.
Cai Xinzi sucked in a sharp breath. "Where did you get this tiny wooden figurine?"
"That's classified," Li Daoxuan replied with a mysterious smile.
Cai Xinzi's expression changed. "Don't tell me you stole it and came to my shop to fence stolen goods! Damn it!"
"How long have we known each other? Do I look like a criminal to you?"
Cai Xinzi thought it over before nodding. "Fair enough. You've got a heart of gold, and you despise evil more than anyone I know. If someone shouted 'Thief!' on the street, you'd be the first to chase the culprit down. There's no way you'd steal something just to sell it off."
"Exactly! You know me well." Li Daoxuan grinned. "Anyway, I want to sell this figurine, but I don't have the right connections. Then I remembered my old buddy who runs a model shop. So, how about putting it on consignment here? You can take a commission."
"Commission my ass!" Cai Xinzi laughed. "We've been friends for years. I'll just put it up for sale for you."
"No, you have to take a cut." Li Daoxuan's expression turned serious. "This isn't going to be a one-off transaction. I'm planning to make this a long-term business, so you absolutely must take your commission."
"A long-term business?"
Cai Xinzi paused for a moment. Then, as the implications sank in, his eyes lit up.
"I get it! You've found someone capable of carving these miniature masterpieces. They handle the carving, you handle the sales, and I provide the sales channel. We all get a share of the profits!"
He rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. I'll take ten percent."
"Deal!" Li Daoxuan agreed readily. "Honestly, I have no idea how much this little thing is worth, and I doubt you know either. Let's put it on the market and see what happens."
"Fine, I'll give it a shot. I've only ever sold models, never miniature carvings. Don't come crying to me if I end up selling it at a loss."
"Relax! Just sell it with confidence. Even if we lose money, I won't hold it against you."
With that, the two friends reached an agreement.
Li Daoxuan hailed a taxi and headed home. He was still on the way when he noticed an update from Cai Xinzi on WeChat Moments.
"Rare item just arrived! A one-centimeter miniature carving of Supreme Treasure! Every detail is a masterpiece, best appreciated with a magnifying glass. Only one available! First come, first served. Miss this chance, and you'll regret it forever! Special price for friends and family: 8,888 yuan!"
The post included several photographs taken with a high-end camera in macro mode. The details of the tiny figurine were captured with astonishing clarity. In one particularly clever shot, Cai Xinzi had placed the figurine on the tip of a finger, giving viewers an immediate sense of just how small it really was.
Li Daoxuan burst out laughing.
"This guy really knows how to go all out!"
He reached over to give the post a like.
The instant his finger tapped the button, a notification appeared on the screen.
"Action failed."
"Huh? Why can't I like it?"
Puzzled, Li Daoxuan refreshed his feed. To his surprise, Cai Xinzi's newly published post had vanished.
No wonder the like hadn't gone through!
A moment later, a message from Cai Xinzi popped up.
Cai Xinzi: "Damn it! Your miniature figurine just got snatched up! I barely posted it before one of my old customers bought it outright!"
Li Daoxuan: "It sold that quickly?"
Cai Xinzi: "That guy definitely knows his stuff. He must have realized I'd priced it too low, because he grabbed it without even negotiating. Transferred 8,888 yuan immediately and secured the deal. He's already on his way here to collect it! Damn, I should've added a few hundred to the price. I've let you down, brother. We both took a loss on this one!"
Li Daoxuan couldn't help laughing.
"Come on, it's fine! We made 8,888 yuan from a tiny wooden figurine. That's already a handsome profit. I don't feel like I've lost out at all."
Cai Xinzi immediately seized on his words.
"You've got more of these in stock, right? Once that customer comes to collect his purchase, I'll sound him out about placing more orders. This time, I'll make sure we get the pricing right!"
"Nothing in stock for now. We'll need to carve more."
"So that means custom orders are possible?"
"Of course. We can make whatever the customer wants!"
"Hehehe! Just leave it to me. Wait for some good news!"
Li Daoxuan couldn't resist offering one last piece of advice.
"Just don't set the price too high. Leave the buyer enough room to make a profit, too. That way, they'll have a reason to keep doing business with us in the long run. I don't mind earning a little less myself."
Cai Xinzi scoffed.
"Save your business lessons for someone else! When it comes to making money, I'm far more professional than you. Just sit back and wait for my results!"
A moment later, a notification appeared on Li Daoxuan's phone.
[Cai Xinzi has transferred 8,000 yuan to you.]
Li Daoxuan tapped the screen and accepted the transfer, secretly delighted.
Not bad. Not bad at all!
I'm finally making money! I've been raising those little people for more than half a month now, constantly spending money without seeing a single return. At long last, I'm starting to earn some of it back.
As expected, talent is what matters most!
The more types of talent in the box, the more money-making ideas I can come up with.
His mood soared.
Soon, the residential complex entrance arrived. Li Daoxuan hopped out of the ride-hailing car and ducked into the supermarket at the gate. He bought a piece of pork tenderloin, humming a tune as he strolled home.
Inside the box, dusk had fallen. The little people were cooking dinner. Smoke curled up from chimneys.
Li Daoxuan cut a very small piece from the pork tenderloin he had just bought and gently placed it on the open ground in the middle of the village.
The villagers immediately gasped.
"Meat! Such a big piece of tenderloin!"
Li Daoxuan smiled and gave his order. "Yiye, tell everyone tonight we're adding meat. Two liang per person. The two sculptors stay until the end. The remaining portion goes entirely to them, as a reward for carving the Victorious Fighting Buddha statue."