Finally a Ten Thousand Yuan Household!

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

Fang Bai opened the shop door and turned on the power. Wang Hengli and the other two entered.

"Factory Manager Ma, feel free to test it." Fang Bai clapped his hands with a smile and pointed at the Drilling Machine in the middle of the room.

Ma Jingsen was somewhat doubtful. "You really fixed it? What parts did you replace?"

"I replaced some major components. This alone cost two or three thousand Yuan." Fang Bai gave a vague answer. How could he possibly tell him the specifics? Even if Ma Jingsen took the machine apart, he would not know—and besides, there was no way he would dismantle it.

"Why did it cost so much? It doesn't look like it on the surface."

"The replaced parts are internal components. Imported goods are naturally expensive. Why don't you take it apart and have a look?" Fang Bai was certain they would not dismantle the equipment. It was too troublesome, and even if they did, how would they know which parts had been replaced?

"No need. We'll know after a test drill." Ma Jingsen smiled and had the driller begin the test.

Fang Bai handed Wang Hengli a cigarette, and the two stood to the side and watched.

A few minutes later, the driller had tested several steel plates. He used a Vernier Caliper to check the hole diameters, which were indeed within the excellent range, and the locking mechanism no longer had any problems.

They were all professionals and knew there was nothing wrong with the result. Ma Jingsen had nothing to say and let his boss make the decision.

The company urgently needed the equipment, and Wang Hengli did not want to wait. He asked directly, "Brother Fang, name a price. How much are you selling it for?"

"The market price is around 14,000. Manager Wang can have it for 13,000. You know the condition of this equipment too. It was bought only a few years ago and has no other issues." Fang Bai already knew what Wang Hengli was thinking. 13,000 was his upper limit, mainly because he needed it urgently.

Hearing that price, Ma Jingsen and the driller both coughed as if they had choked.

Damn, this guy really had some nerve. He actually dared to ask for 13,000!

If their boss had not been there, both of them would have wanted to curse Fang Bai out. They knew how much Fang Bai had paid for it.

Wang Hengli shook his head. "That's too expensive. You bought it from me for only 3,000 Yuan. Even if the repair costs were the two thousand-odd Yuan you mentioned, your total cost would only be a little over 5,000. You'd still make a profit selling it for 10,000."

"That's the market price. Manager Wang, you're in business too. Costs aren't just those two thousand-odd Yuan. There's my premises, my time, and the risk. If I couldn't fix it, I'd lose several thousand Yuan. With such a huge risk, I'm only making double the profit. I doubt Manager Wang would dare take that gamble either." Fang Bai shook his head with a smile.

Once he put it that way, even Ma Jingsen felt that he made sense.

If it were him, with several thousand Yuan invested and the risk of failing to repair it, he truly would not dare try it.

After hearing him out, Wang Hengli also felt Fang Bai had a point and raised his offer. "Then 11,000."

Fang Bai crossed his arms, looking helpless. "One price only: 13,000!

Two other bosses have already seen the equipment, and they can offer that price too.

Manager Wang, I'm giving you priority at the same price because of our relationship.

The sooner you move it back and put it to use, the more money you'll make.

How about this? If you think it's expensive, then I'd still advise you to buy new equipment, so you won't say I ripped you off."

Fang Bai had Wang Hengli completely in his grasp. It was clear: take it or leave it.

Sure enough, after Fang Bai said that, Wang Hengli thought of the workpieces in the workshop waiting to be drilled. Every day of delay meant a considerable loss. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Fine, 13,000 it is. I admit defeat. If anything goes wrong, you have to handle it."

"If anything goes wrong within two weeks, as long as it wasn't deliberately damaged by someone, I'll find someone to maintain it. If it can't be fixed, I'll refund the money." Fang Bai affixed his homemade maintenance seals to the equipment's critical nuts. To dismantle the machine, they would have to tear off the seals.

"Fine."

Wang Hengli nodded and turned to Ma Jingsen. "Arrange for the forklift driver to come move the equipment after we get back."

After saying that, he returned to the car, brought out a small bag, counted out 13,000 Yuan, and handed it to Fang Bai.

Fang Bai took the money and counted the bills one by one.

Ma Jingsen and the driller stood nearby, watching Fang Bai count the money with mixed feelings. The apprentice they had once looked down on most was now earning more than they did—and he had done it in only two days.

After a while, Fang Bai confirmed everything was correct and wrote up a sales contract in duplicate. The two signed it and each kept a copy.

Fang Bai wanted to make large transactions more formal now. It might come in handy someday.

Wang Hengli drove Ma Jingsen back, while the driller stayed behind to wait for the equipment to be moved.

On the way back to the company, Ma Jingsen grumbled, "Boss, this Fang Bai is too crafty. He actually dared to ask for 13,000. His skin is really thick."

Wang Hengli, who was driving, became somewhat angry when he heard that. "You people couldn't fix it. Otherwise, would I have needed to spend money to buy it back?"

Ma Jingsen had nothing more to say. If he kept bringing it up, his boss would only get angrier.

More than ten minutes later, the forklift driver arrived at Fang Bai's shop again.

"Fang Bai, you're really something." After learning that the equipment had been sold back to the company, the forklift driver gave Fang Bai a thumbs-up when he saw him.

"Haha, I told you we'd see each other again soon." Fang Bai handed cigarettes to the forklift driver and the driller, then had them secure the equipment properly. They needed to be careful on the way back; if they damaged it, he would not be responsible.

Two hours later,

the Drilling Machine was installed back in its original position. Ma Jingsen and the driller stood to one side, staring at the machine before them, their eyes seeming a little red.

"Damn it, Fang Bai only moved the equipment out three days ago, and now he's sold it back. He made nearly 10,000 yuan." With the boss absent, Ma Jingsen complained. He did not believe Fang Bai had spent two or three thousand yuan on repairs.

But it was not his money being spent, and he had no desire to dismantle the equipment to check which parts had been replaced.

That guy had even put maintenance seals on the equipment. If they opened it without permission, he would refuse to acknowledge anything. He was damn clever.

Just then, the driller needed to get to work and remembered the drill bits and tools Fang Bai had taken away. He reminded Ma Jingsen, "Supervisor, we don't have any tools or drill bits either. Fang Bai took them before, and he didn't bring them back this time. I asked him, and he said those tools weren't included in this deal."

"Damn it, Fang Bai is too damn shrewd in business. We can't tell the boss about this, or he'll curse us out." Ma Jingsen had just been scolded once and did not want another round.

"Fine. Fang Bai made nearly 10,000 in two days. That's more than I'd make in years. Fuck."

Ma Jingsen shot him a disdainful look. "Jealous, huh? I'm jealous too, but you have to admire him. He sold the equipment back to his old employer. Just that level of thick skin is beyond me."

"That's true. Fang Bai was the one who got that old dorm manager thrown in prison."

"Good that you know. Even if I don't like how Fang Bai does things, it's best not to provoke him. That kid is someone to be reckoned with."

"Yeah. I'll go to the warehouse and collect some drill bits, or we won't be able to work." The driller was somewhat resentful of Fang Bai. He had already made nearly 10,000 yuan, yet he was unwilling to throw in the tools he had taken before. He was too damn stingy.

On the second floor of the rental house, Fang Bai hid away the money he had received. He did not plan to deposit it in the bank. Withdrawing cash meant queuing, which was too troublesome, and this money would soon be used for turnover.

Having just sold the equipment and earned nearly 10,000 yuan, he was in an excellent mood.

And since all the money had come from Wang Hengli, it felt even better.

"Haha!"

"I'm finally a Ten Thousand Yuan Household!"

In 1990, how much would being a Ten Thousand Yuan Household be worth compared to thirty years later?

Fang Bai had never compared it. In any case, earning this money through hard work gave him a strong sense of accomplishment. Now that he had sold the equipment, the weight hanging over him had finally been lifted.

He currently had about 14,200 Yuan in available cash. There were more things he could do now. He no longer had to be so miserly with food and could subsidize his Younger Sister a little.

As for everything else, he did not dare spend recklessly.

Sending money by post was inconvenient now. Otherwise, Fang Bai had planned to send some to Qin Shuyu so she could spend freely and would not need to scrimp for his sake.

After some time, he planned to visit Qin Shuyu at her school and give her a big surprise.

At noon, Fang Bai treated himself at a nearby small restaurant. He ordered one meat dish and one vegetable dish, along with a bottle of chilled beer to celebrate.

After eating, he returned to the rental house to rest for a while.

During his afternoon nap, he actually dreamed about his wife and child. When he woke, he realized he had been crying.

He missed Qin Shuyu a little. Unfortunately, communication was inconvenient now, and he would have to wait until her winter break to see her.

Sigh, just endure it slowly.

Once he got busy, time would pass quickly.

At one in the afternoon, Fang Bai took a cold shower, changed into the new clothes Qin Shuyu had bought for him, and put ten 100-Yuan Notes, several dozen Yuan in loose change, and two packs of cigarettes into his backpack before leaving the rental house.

He bought a bag of oranges weighing around eight jin near the rental house, then walked to Oubei No. 1 Middle School. Today, he had to register to repeat his studies.