Second Batch of Goods, Cost 210,000 Yuan (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chapter 43: Second Batch of Goods, Cost 21,000 Yuan (Pleading for Monthly Tickets)

Fang Bai left Dagangyou Solid Waste Recycling Company and found a hotel nearby to check into.

Before, he had no money and had no choice but to stay in dirty inns, not daring to use the toiletries inside. If the sheets and blankets weren't clean, lying on them made him uncomfortable all over. Now that he wasn't short on cash, he found a hotel with better hygiene.

Hotels were scarce back then, and prices weren't cheap—some weren't even open to the public.

At eight o'clock the next morning, Fang Bai went to Guoyun Convoy to rent a truck. The price was the same as before: 500 yuan. He found the same driver from last time, Zhang Guoping, who happened to be free. After completing the rental paperwork, the two drove to the Porter Hiring Ground to recruit porters.

Half a day's work cost 4 yuan, cheaper than last time. Fang Bai hired four men and covered their lunch. They drove to Dagangyou Solid Waste Recycling Company, where Fang Bai settled the remaining balance and bought the motorcycles and refurbished parts he'd picked out the previous afternoon, having the porters load them onto the truck.

Then he went to Yaming Electronics Recycling Company, where he'd bought the TV before, and used the same routine to select second-hand televisions. Over three hours later, Fang Bai had picked five hundred TVs, four hundred of which were color sets. The total cost came to about 21,000 yuan.

He paid, loaded the goods, and half an hour later, everything was on the truck. By then it was noon. Fang Bai settled the porters' wages and treated them and the driver to lunch. After eating, they rested a bit, then set off for Wen City with the driver.

Normally, they'd arrive in Wen City by four in the afternoon. Fang Bai had been busy all morning without a nap, so he was tired and drowsy. Sitting in the passenger seat, he fell asleep as soon as the truck started moving.

Half-asleep, he didn't know how long they'd been driving when he woke up and found the truck had stopped. "Brother Zhang, where are we now?"

"Yandang Mountain, Zhongzhuang Village—about halfway there." Zhang Guoping frowned. "Boss Fang, I heard a pop just now. The tire might be punctured. It feels different when driving. I'll get out and check."

Fang Bai's heart sank at that, as if a shadow loomed over him. His expression turned serious. "Alright, I'll get out and take a look too." He checked the time—just past two o'clock.

Late October in Jiangnan Province had mild weather, with winter arriving late. Mountains surrounded them, with a few scattered farmhouses at the foot. They were on National Highway 104, but this stretch was potholed and rough, with few vehicles on the road.

Both unbuckled their seatbelts, opened the doors, and got out. Circling the truck, the driver found a rear-axle tire completely flat. A closer look revealed a puncture from an irregular triangular nail. Fang Bai used his Golden Finger to check and confirmed the tire was pierced.

Truck tires were thick, and normally even a nail wouldn't puncture them, but this one was large and thick, wedged right into the tread gap and straight through the inner tube. Seeing this, Fang Bai frowned. This return trip was too unlucky.

The area was rural, still a few kilometers from the nearest town. Luckily, the rear axle had dual tires—one flat, and since they hadn't been driving fast, the truck wouldn't tip over. If it had, the TVs on board would've been ruined, a heavy loss.

Zhang Guoping looked around and found another nail lying on the roadside a dozen meters ahead. He picked it up and tossed it into the weeds, his eyes blazing with fury as he cursed: "Damn it, these scumbags deliberately put out nails. So blatant, fucking bastards..."

Fang Bai, having lived decades in his past life, quickly understood what the driver meant. Deliberately placing nails—triangular ones at that—to puncture tires and then charge for repairs? One nail might be hard to call intentional, but two, both triangular, was clearly a trap for truck drivers.

Zhang Guoping walked a bit further ahead, found no more nails, and came back. Fang Bai handed him a cigarette to cool his temper. Zhang Guoping fished out a match from his pocket, lit up, took a drag, and kept cursing.

Fang Bai was a bit angry too, but he'd weathered storms before and stayed calm. He asked Zhang Guoping evenly, "Can we fix it?"

"No way. I don't have the right tools. It'd be easier if we were with a convoy. I don't even have a spare—used the original one and never put on a new one. Who'd expect this shit? Damn it. I've heard from other drivers that someone's been planting nails on this stretch, but I never thought they'd get my truck." Zhang Guoping grumbled. He ran short hauls and hadn't thought ahead, so he hadn't brought a full toolkit.

Besides, the truck only had a small jack, and with all that heavy cargo, how could he lift it? Even if he swapped the tire, there was no spare—he'd have to patch it. Luckily, the puncture was on the tread; if it'd been the sidewall, he'd need a new tire. Real bastards!

"Looks like we have to find those bastards to fix it."

"Yeah, it's their turf. Our tires got slashed, so we just have to take the loss and see how badly they screw us. This is still lucky—they didn't just block the road and rob us. Out in the boonies, who knows? I wouldn't dare run those routes without a convoy. Damn, what shit luck. Hell, I'd rather they just stopped us for a toll."

"Slow drive to the repair shop, or call someone out here?"

"The load's heavy, and the road ahead's rough. I've got a single rear axle. If it were dual rear axles, or if the slash hit the inner tire, I'd just drive straight to the next shop and not let that bastard make a dime. But the outer tire's busted, and it's unbalanced now. Better play it safe."

"Alright, I'll watch the truck. You go find the repair guy. I've still got a pack of smokes here—take it. Out here, swallow your pride when you can." Fang Bai tossed the driver an unopened pack of cigarettes. The driver took it without hesitation—it might come in handy—and warned him not to stir up trouble.

"Fine, stay in the truck."

With that, the driver grumbled and walked off ahead.

Fang Bai watched the driver's retreating back, lost in thought.

He didn't want to take risks, even if he'd lived a few extra decades. The driver had been on the road for years and knew how to handle this kind of thing better than he did.

If the driver had said he wanted to start something, Fang Bai would've stopped him for sure.

This wasn't their territory; they couldn't win against the locals. Fang Bai had been given a second life, and he wasn't about to mess it up.

If he were gone, this life's pain would fall on Qin Shuyu and his family.

Transport in this era wasn't safe either. Some places had rough locals, and roadblocks demanding tolls were common.

Gold was everywhere, but the security situation wasn't great.

Every step Fang Bai took now had to account for these things. He'd rather make less money than get tangled up with gangsters.

Of course, if someone crossed him, he'd get ruthless when he had to.

Half an hour later, Fang Bai still hadn't seen Zhang Guoping return. He started to worry.

Don't let something happen, damn it. That'd be a mess.

Another ten minutes passed, and still no sign of him. Fang Bai's brow furrowed deeper.

"Shit, they didn't take his kidneys, did they?"

He was just joking. Kidney theft was unlikely, but a conflict was possible.

Still, before leaving, the driver had said not to stir up trouble, even if he was cursing under his breath.

Thinking that, Fang Bai grew even more anxious.

Brother Zhang, keep your cool and don't fight. I've still got cargo on this truck.