OBS Chapter 1569 Information Gap
Chapter 1569 Information Gap
Next, Qin Hao visited several more stores. In each one, he pretended to be interested in buying and carefully inquired about the prices of 386 computers, Chinese character cards, and other related accessories. He found that the price differences between these stores were quite large, which was astonishing. For the same basic configuration 386 computer, some stores quoted 12,000 yuan, some quoted 15,000 yuan, and some even quoted as high as 28,000 yuan, which was more than double the price.
In fact, this huge price difference is not hard to understand. At that time, computer hardware was entirely imported, which made the cost very high. Coupled with transportation, tariffs, and other expenses, the overall price of computers remained high.
These computer assembly business owners all came to Zhongguancun to make their fortune with the mindset of high investment and high returns. They all wanted to fleece their customers and earn as much as possible, since such a highly profitable business was rare at the time.
The main reason they were able to quote exorbitant prices and still make money was that computers were a luxury item in 1992, and ordinary people simply couldn't afford them.
During this period, those who came to Zhongguancun to buy computers were either government agencies, research institutes, or wealthy individual business owners. Most of these buyers were not short of money and were not very sensitive to price as long as they could buy a suitable product.
However, Qin Hao knew in his heart that not being short of money didn't mean they were willing to be ripped off. Nobody's money grows on trees, especially those first-generation entrepreneurs who were even less willing to waste money. He looked up at the middle-aged women on the street who were secretly selling pirated CDs, and a plan to earn his first pot of gold was quietly taking shape in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer.
Qin Hao spent the entire day visiting every store in Zhongguancun, and didn't return to his dormitory until 8 p.m.
In the dormitory, Qin Hao was hunched over his desk, scribbling and drawing. Liu Yuan returned from washing clothes in the washroom and glanced at his notebook as he passed by, casually asking, "Qin Hao, you didn't spend the whole day in Zhongguancun again, did you?"
Qin Hao put down his pen, stretched, and his bones cracked a few times. "Hmm."
Wang Meng was lying in bed reading a martial arts novel when he heard this and curiously came over. He stuck his head to Qin Hao's desk, looked at the notebook filled with dense writing, and asked, "What do you need all this for? Are you going to buy a computer?"
Before Qin Hao could even speak, Chen Qiming sneered, "Don't be ridiculous. A computer costs tens of thousands of yuan. With the little money Qin Hao earned yesterday, it wouldn't even be enough to buy a Chinese character card."
Qin Hao reached out and slapped away Chen Qiming's hand that was reaching for the homework: "Don't break it, this is my first pot of gold."
"You want to make money with this stuff?" Chen Qiming rubbed his slightly reddened hands and curled his lip in disdain.
Liu Yuan and Wang Meng were also completely baffled. They looked at each other, their faces full of question marks.
Xiao Ran, who was leaning against the headboard reading a book, put down his book and looked over curiously.
Qin Hao closed his notebook, gave everyone a meaningful look, and then asked, "Do you know what those business owners who are making a fortune these days rely on?"
"Rely on what? Rely on connections?" Liu Yuan and Wang Meng perked up, leaning forward and staring intently at Qin Hao.
Xiao Ran craned his neck, waiting for Qin Hao to continue, still holding the unfinished book in his hand, but his mind was no longer on the book.
"Information gap!" Qin Hao said, emphasizing each word.
Liu Yuan, Wang Meng, and Chen Qiming all wore bewildered expressions. They recognized the three characters individually, but had absolutely no idea what they meant when put together.
Xiao Ran fell into deep thought, his brows furrowed slightly, silently muttering the three words as if pondering their meaning.
"Qin Hao, could you explain in more detail?" Liu Yuan asked eagerly, leaning forward.
Qin Hao cleared his throat, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, then picked up the enamel mug on the table and shook it; it was empty. Liu Yuan, with sharp eyes, quickly nudged Chen Qiming and said, "Go get some water."
Although Chen Qiming was extremely unwilling, muttering "Why should I go?", he had already moved his feet towards the thermos. He also wanted to hear Qin Hao continue, after all, the story of earning two thousand yuan a day had just happened before his eyes, and that couldn't be faked.
He picked up the thermos, filled it to the brim with hot water, slammed it on Qin Hao's desk, and said irritably, "Here, drink it, don't choke."
Qin Hao took the water, blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and then slowly began to speak.
"It's actually very simple. Ordinary people have very few channels to access information, so they don't realize many things until they happen to them." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "For example, the price reform four years ago."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan and the others all wore thoughtful expressions.
"But in reality, many people working in government agencies received advance warnings long ago. Imagine if you knew in advance that prices were going to increase several times over, and you could buy whatever you wanted to hoard and resell it for a profit, what would you do?"
Wang Meng slapped his thigh, his voice so loud it shook a few grains of dust off the upper bunk: "So that's why all the big bosses these days are former government employees who went into business! They have inside information, they know the policy trends in advance, so they can get rich before everyone else!"
Liu Yuan nodded repeatedly, his expression changing from confusion to sudden understanding.
Xiao Ran didn't speak, but he kept repeating the words "information gap" to himself, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if he had suddenly seen a ray of light in the darkness.
Qin Hao locked his workbook in the drawer, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, go to sleep. You have class tomorrow."
Liu Yuan was still immersed in the excitement from earlier, pulling Qin Hao aside and asking him all sorts of questions. Qin Hao waved his hand, climbed into bed, pulled the blanket over himself, closed his eyes, and stopped talking. Seeing that he was ignoring him, Liu Yuan had no choice but to lie back down as well, but he tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep, his mind filled with the three words "information gap".
……
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the dormitory was still dimly lit. Liu Yuan was half asleep, a trace of drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth, when he suddenly felt someone nudging his shoulder. He mumbled something indistinctly, turned over, and tried to go back to sleep, but the hand that had been nudging him persisted, patting him a few more times.
"Liu Yuan, wake up."
Liu Yuan struggled to open one eye, and in the dim light streaming in from the window, he saw Qin Hao standing beside his bed, already dressed in his dark gray suit, his hair combed, looking much more energetic than usual. Liu Yuan glanced instinctively at his Shanghai brand watch and immediately let out a groan.
"Hey, Qin Hao, what are you doing? It's only 6:15, there's still plenty of time before class." He yawned, pulled the blanket over his head, and planned to go back to sleep.
Qin Hao lowered his voice and said, "I won't go to class today. Please answer 'present' for me when roll call is taken. I'll treat you to drinks later."
"You're skipping class? Where are you going?" Liu Yuan groggily poked half his head out from under the covers, his eyes not fully open yet.
Qin Hao casually said, "Zhongguancun."
Liu Yuan didn't take it seriously, pulled his head back under the covers, and buried himself in sleep.
The other people in the dormitory were still asleep. Xiao Ran turned over, and it was unclear whether he was awake or not.
……
Sunlight streamed through the windows into the classroom, casting bright patches of light on the blackboard. The professor hadn't arrived yet, and the students chatted in small groups, some flipping through their textbooks, others eating breakfast; a lazy atmosphere permeated the entire classroom.
Sun Yumei sat by the window, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders. Today, she wore a pale yellow sweater that made her skin appear exceptionally fair. She listlessly flipped through her textbook, her gaze sweeping across the classroom. Suddenly, she frowned and asked, "Where's Qin Hao? Why isn't he in class? Did he oversleep?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan suddenly remembered, slapped his forehead, and said, "Hey, he went to Zhongguancun and asked me to answer for him when he called roll. I would have forgotten if you hadn't reminded me."
Upon hearing this, Sun Yumei became even more curious. She put down her textbook, turned around, and asked, "What is he doing in Zhongguancun?"
Chen Qiming, standing to the side, curled his lip and said sourly, "What else can they do but focus on money?"
Sun Yumei glanced at Chen Qiming with obvious impatience in her eyes, then turned to Liu Yuan and asked, "What exactly did you go to do?"
"Why are you so concerned about him? Could it be that you've fallen for him?" Chen Qiming asked, his voice brimming with jealousy.
Sun Yumei immediately became furious: "What business is it of yours who I like? Did I sell myself to you or something?"
Chen Qiming was rendered speechless, his face flushed red, his lips trembled a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing this, Liu Yuan quickly smoothed things over, waving his hand with a smile and saying, "Chen Qiming didn't mean that. He just doesn't know how to talk. Don't take it to heart."
Chen Qiming quickly put on a smile and lowered his voice, "Don't be angry, I just said it casually, I didn't mean anything by it."
Sun Yumei snorted and turned her head away from him, saying, "Go away, I get annoyed just looking at you."
She paused, then reached out and tugged at Han Ling's sleeve: "Han Ling, let's switch seats."
Han Ling quickly changed the subject, trying to ease the tension: "Liu Yuan, what exactly did Qin Hao do in Zhongguancun?"
Liu Yuan understood and continued, "Hey, didn't he go to Zhongguancun yesterday and spend the whole day there? He came back with some information, saying he's going to make his first pot of gold with it, but he didn't say exactly how."
He scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then added, "By the way, Qin Hao said that those who can make big money these days rely on information asymmetry. I guess he probably wants to make money by using the information he collects."
"Information gap?" Sun Yumei frowned, completely baffled by the meaning of those three words. She turned to look at Han Ling, who also shook her head in confusion.
Liu Yuan then repeated Qin Hao's explanation from the previous night, and Sun Yumei and Han Ling immediately understood.
"So this is what they call information asymmetry." Sun Yumei nodded thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on the window, lost in thought.
Han Ling nodded slightly and said softly, "That does make sense."
Just then, an elderly professor with gray hair walked into the classroom carrying his lesson plan. He placed the plan on the podium, adjusted his glasses, and began calling roll without saying a word.
Liu Yuan pinched his nose, his voice becoming high-pitched and thin, and answered in a muffled voice, "Here."
The old professor looked up at him, his gaze sweeping across the classroom. He probably sensed something was off about the voice, but didn't ask any further questions. He then lowered his head and continued reading the next name.
Chen Qiming and his friends successfully fooled the system and shifted their attention to the classroom.
The old professor opened his textbook and began to lecture on today's lesson. The chalk scribbled on the blackboard, and his voice was monotonous and soothing.
Sun Yumei, however, remained absent-minded. She held a pen, but barely wrote anything in her textbook. Her gaze kept drifting to the window, her mind preoccupied with—how exactly did Qin Hao use the information he collected to make money?
……
On the other hand, after leaving school, Qin Hao did not go directly to Zhongguancun, but instead found a printing shop nearby.
The shop wasn't big, and the storefront was a bit old. The words "Typing, Photocopying, Printing and Binding" were pasted on the glass door in red, and the lettering had faded a bit. Qin Hao pushed the door open and went inside. The shop was filled with the smell of ink and paper. An old-fashioned printing press leaned against the corner of the wall, humming as it ran. The owner, who was wearing a blue work uniform, was squatting next to the machine, adjusting it.
"Boss, can you print brochures here?" Qin Hao asked directly.
The boss looked up, sized Qin Hao up and down, his gaze lingering on his dark gray suit before sweeping over his young face. He stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "We can print, but we only print a minimum of one thousand copies."
Qin Hao remained expressionless, his tone as calm as if he were remarking on the weather: "A thousand copies is too few, it should be at least ten thousand."
Upon hearing that the order was for tens of thousands of copies, the shop owner immediately became interested. He brought over a stool for Qin Hao to sit down, then turned around to pour a cup of tea and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "Young man, what kind of brochures do you want to print? Color and black and white are priced differently, and there are several types of paper available. Tell me your specific requirements."
Qin Hao took the tea and took a sip. He then took out his notebook, flipped to a page, and handed it to the shopkeeper: "For this kind of brochure that can be unfolded in one line, five pages should be enough. Let's print black and white first, and then switch to color later."
He didn't intend to make a profit from this brochure initially; he wanted to save as much as possible. He planned to switch to color printing later, once he started making a profit.
The shopkeeper took the book, glanced at it carefully, then flipped through the next few pages, pondering for a few minutes. He did some mental calculations, then looked up and said, "If you print ten thousand copies, I'll charge you three cents per copy, using ordinary paper..."
Before the boss could finish speaking, Qin Hao stood up, stuffed his homework into his bag, and was about to leave.
The shop owner quickly came out from behind the counter and stopped him, saying, "No, brother, what are you doing? We can talk this over."
Qin Hao turned around irritably, pointed at the shop owner and said, "I've already done the layout for such a simple booklet. You can just copy it and print it. Are you trying to rip me off with this price?"
The shop owner rubbed his hands awkwardly and said with a forced smile, "Young man, I really didn't rip you off. You know these printers are all imported, and the ink isn't cheap either. Labor, electricity, rent—everything costs money. I really didn't make much profit from you."
Qin Hao shook his head and held up two fingers: "How about this, 10,000 copies, 15 cents per copy. Do it if you can, otherwise forget it."
After saying that, he turned to leave again. The boss stared at his back, gritted his teeth, and finally relented just as he was about to push the door open.
"Alright, consider this my first day of business, I'll work at a loss for you." The boss sighed, his face looking as if someone had cut off a piece of his flesh: "Young man, remember to take care of me if you have any business in the future."
Qin Hao then turned around, a satisfied smile on his face: "That's more like it. Don't worry, I'll have regular orders for these brochures in the future. As long as your price is right, I'll definitely make them for you again."
The boss took out a contract from the drawer, and the two discussed the details. Two hours later, the boss had printed all the brochures and neatly stacked them in a cardboard box.
……
Zhongguancun Street is a busy intersection, bustling with people and vehicles, and is the only way to enter Zhongguancun Electronics Street. Qin Hao chose a conspicuous spot, opened a cardboard box, took out a stack of brochures, took a deep breath, and then shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Come on—take a look! All the pricing information for goods in Zhongguancun is in there! With this booklet, you'll never have to worry about overpaying or getting ripped off again! It's free!"
His voice was strong and clear, still audible in the noisy street corner. Passersby stopped and looked over curiously.
"Young man, are you really giving this booklet away for free?" A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit walked over and asked with some skepticism, reaching out to take a copy.
Qin Hao smiled and handed over a book: "It's really free, no money required, please take it and read it."
"It can't be a scam, can it?" Another young man wearing glasses also came over, his tone clearly wary.
Faced with the doubts, Qin Hao smiled calmly and said unhurriedly, "You can ask them yourselves whether it's true or not. Anyway, it's free, and you won't lose anything, right?"
“Hmm, that makes sense.” The bespectacled young man took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and his eyes widened. “Wow, it even lists the prices at each store. I was just about to buy a printer, this will be so convenient.”
“We’ll know if it’s real or fake if we ask a few more stores.” The middle-aged man also said, “If it’s real, this booklet will be a great help. I’ve heard that the unscrupulous merchants in Zhongguancun are particularly ruthless in ripping people off; the same thing can have a price difference of several thousand yuan in different stores.”
“Who says otherwise?” A woman next to me interjected, “I bought a Walkman last time for over 800 yuan, but my colleague bought the exact same one from another store for only 500 yuan. I was so angry that I couldn’t sleep well for several days.”
While listening to their discussion, Qin Hao kept handing out brochures. In less than half an hour, more than half of the thousand brochures had been distributed.
Passersby, seeing the commotion, gathered around and took copies of the book.
At first, the business owners in Zhongguancun didn't pay much attention to these customers holding brochures. They were used to seeing customers coming and going every day and assumed it was some kind of price list.
They were surprised to find long queues outside several shops, with customers holding the booklet and crowding around the counter asking all sorts of questions; the shop owners were so busy they couldn't keep up. Meanwhile, some shop owners didn't have a single customer all morning; their shops were deserted, so quiet they could hear their own breathing.
The owners whose businesses were doing well were naturally all smiles, while those whose businesses were struggling couldn't sit still. Several owners went out of their shops and stopped passing customers, wanting to find out what was going on.
"Hey brother, why don't you come and take a look at my shop? I have all the goods here." A chubby shop owner pulled a young man holding a brochure.
The young man looked up at him, then looked down and flipped through the booklet in his hand, saying, "Your prices are too high. 386 is selling for 28,000, while the shop on the corner of the street up ahead is only selling for 15,000. That's a difference of more than 10,000 yuan. Why would I go to your shop?"
The portly shop owner was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief: "How did you know my shop sells for 28,000?"
The young man waved the booklet in his hand: "It's all written here clearly, your store name, address, prices, everything." Then he turned and left without looking back.
The fat boss snatched the booklet from another passerby, flipped it open, and his vision went black; he almost lost his balance.
The brochure clearly lists the price of every item in their store, and thoughtfully includes a note: "Note: Prices in this store tend to be high; it is recommended to compare prices from other stores."
"Which bastard did this?" The fat boss was furious, his face turning ashen, the booklet in his hand crumpled in his fist.
Not only his shop, but all the shops with relatively high prices had their brochures marked "high prices" by Qin Hao. Shops with reasonable prices were marked "affordable, recommended".
Soon, the business owners whose businesses had been affected gathered together, each one filled with righteous indignation and their faces ashen.
"Isn't this jeopardizing our livelihood?!" a tall, thin owner shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "We've been running this business for so many years, and we've never encountered anything like this before!"
"Exactly, who is this bastard? How dare he mess with us?" Another boss wearing a gold chain chimed in.
"I heard that kid is still handing out flyers at the street corner. Let's go find him! We'll teach him a lesson today!"
A group of business owners whose businesses had been affected headed towards the street corner, attracting the attention of many passersby along the way.
When they arrived at the street corner, everything went black.
There were even more people at the street corner than in the morning, a huge crowd, all there to pick up brochures.
"Come on, come on, here's a Zhongguancun shopping guide, it's free! It's practically free!"
Immediately, these bosses were enraged. Like mad bulls, they pushed and shoved their way through the crowd to Qin Hao.
"Kid, are you tired of living?!" The fat boss was the first to rush up, pointing his finger at Qin Hao and yelling, "Coming here to cause trouble! Do you know who we are?"
Several other business owners nearby also started shouting, making it seem like they were about to start a fight at the slightest provocation.
When questioned, Qin Hao casually replied, "Who's causing trouble? I'm just filtering out those unscrupulous businesses that make money off of the restaurant."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over all the business owners present, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked in return, "Are you all those unscrupulous merchants?"
Upon hearing this, the customers present all scrutinized the shop owners with suspicious looks.
The bosses, who had been so aggressive, immediately lost their arrogance.
"Who...who's an unscrupulous merchant!" the chubby shop owner stammered, his voice noticeably lower. "You've listed our shop in this catalog, that's copyright infringement...yes, infringement! You printed our shop name and prices without our permission, that's violating our trade secrets!"
"Infringement? Then go ahead and sue me." Qin Hao shrugged, a nonchalant smile on his face. "I'm distributing these brochures for free. I haven't made a single penny from them. Go ahead and sue me if you want."
A customer nearby also stood up to speak for Qin Hao. The young man with glasses took a step forward, pointed at the fat boss's nose, and said, "You make money by cheating people, and you won't let them say anything? The same computer sells for 15,000 yuan elsewhere, but you sell it for 28,000 yuan. What's the extra 13,000 yuan for? Is your computer inlaid with gold or plated with silver?"
“That’s right!” A woman next to him chimed in, “Young man, you did the right thing! These unscrupulous merchants deserve to be taught a lesson! If it weren’t for this booklet, I would have been ripped off today!”
"That's right, that's right! Do you think it's easy for us ordinary people to save up some money? You unscrupulous merchants, on the other hand, try to rip us off by more than 10,000 yuan at a time. Have you no conscience?"
"Young man, this is a righteous act. Why are you stopping people from speaking the truth? If you're so capable, then don't do anything that goes against your conscience!"
The shop owners were rendered speechless by the customers' barrage of questions, their faces turning red and white in turns, as if they had opened a dye shop.
The fat boss's lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out, "You... what do you know! What I sell here are genuine imports, and the quality is much better than those cheap goods!"
"Good quality?" The bespectacled young man sneered. "You think we're clueless? The Compaq 386, no matter which store sells it, the product is the same. You sell it for 28,000, someone else sells it for 15,000, the extra money is your dirty money!"
The fat boss was completely speechless, his face turning as red as a pig's liver.
A shopkeeper in a leather jacket leaned close to the fat shopkeeper and whispered, "Should we call the police?"
Before the chubby boss could speak, the other boss rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Are you stupid? They already said it was given away for free, what are you going to sue them for? If you bring in the industry and commerce bureau, do you think your little secret can withstand an investigation?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the business owners changed. They looked at each other and fell silent.
In Zhongguancun, whose accounts can withstand a thorough investigation? If the Industry and Commerce Bureau really comes, it's no joke; fines are the least of it, and people could end up in jail.
"What can we do?" The leather jacket shop owner was frantic, his voice almost trembling with tears. "If we just let him hand out brochures like this, we'll all starve." (End of Chapter)