For example, buying up imported electronic waste.
Foreigners cared about environmental protection too. They transferred solid waste they found difficult to deal with—such as waste paper, old clothes, and electronic products—to other countries, paying only the shipping costs.
This imported waste happened to solve Huaguo's shortage of raw materials, so the country allowed its importation, even though it contained large amounts of bacteria and pollutants. It was not until early 2018 that a formal ban on imported waste was implemented, shattering developed countries' "dream" of relying on Huaguo to process their own garbage.
Fang Bai could analyze faults in equipment and electronic products, making electronic waste inspection a perfect fit for him.
Of course, he had no way to get his hands on imported waste firsthand, but buying processed and sorted electronic waste at low prices would be easy. Maybe he could make a fortune from it.
However, he still had many things to deal with and did not have time to get into imported waste for now.
Fang Bai had several other ways to make money as well. For example, he could buy used equipment, refurbish it, and resell it. The unit prices were high, the profit margins were substantial, and capital turned over quickly. Of course, finding bargains was not that easy.
But he could give it a try. There was no real cost to making mistakes anyway.
Besides that, he could also use his experience from his previous life to become a valve middleman.
There were indeed many ways to make money. The three above all offered enormous profits, did not take much time, and were quite suitable for Fang Bai.
As for the future, perhaps plans could never keep up with change. He should focus on what was right in front of him first and not aim too high.
Speaking of renting a place, Fang Bai had two main requirements.
First, it had to be close to the school where he would repeat his final year, while also making it convenient to leave campus to handle business. He needed to balance business and studying.
Second, the teachers at the school could not be too incompetent. Whenever he had academic questions, they at least needed to be capable enough to answer them.
The high schools that met both requirements were Oubei No. 1 Middle School, No. 2 Middle School, and Huangyuan Middle School.
With his college entrance exam score, he could enroll in any of those three schools to repeat his final year.
As for the top high schools in the city, getting in would be difficult without throwing money around or having connections.
Fang Bai had no intention of attending a top high school. Their management was too strict, making them unsuitable for him.
He had attended Oubei No. 1 Middle School before and was familiar with the teachers there, so it was his first choice.
He took a rickshaw to the vicinity of Oubei No. 1 Middle School and began looking for a building on a side street, with the first floor suitable for storing equipment and the second floor suitable for living.
At a glance, most such side-street houses were used as small workshops, with very few serving as storefronts.
Finding a place to rent was inconvenient in those days, mainly because communication was so poor.
Fang Bai bought a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches. He did not smoke himself; they were mainly for dealing with people. Then he set off to search for a rental.
After looking for over an hour, he found that there were not many vacant places, and none met his requirements.
"Two-story house for rent: land area 75 square meters, floor area 160 square meters, simply renovated, 500 yuan per year paid annually. Location: 239 Jinta Road."
"Cheap single-story house for rent, floor area 95 square meters, rent paid every six months, annual rent 180 yuan. Location: 58 Jinta Road..."
Prices ranged from a few dozen yuan a year to two or three thousand yuan.
Houses were very cheap in those days, but apartment buildings were rare.
In May of that year, Wen City's first apartment building—Building 16 of Liming Qiaocun, containing 236 apartments with a total floor area of 24,439 square meters—was completed and delivered. The apartments were priced in three tiers: 1,850 yuan per square meter, 1,600 yuan per square meter, and 1,250 yuan per square meter. Those prices were extremely high for the era, even higher than in Shen City and Didi. Fang Bai had read about it in the newspaper.
There were few residential buildings as well. The newly completed Wendi Jinyuan had an average price of only 1,500 yuan per square meter.
By 2000, new homes in Wen City still cost only two or three thousand yuan per square meter.
In 2001, property speculation groups began appearing in Wen City, and property speculation groups across the country rose from there as well.
By 2003, housing prices in Wen City had approached 10,000 yuan per square meter, among the highest in the country. Even Shen City was not that expensive. Then Wen City's property speculation groups began shifting toward Shen City.
Of course, privately built homes were still cheap now, only a few hundred yuan per square meter, but they were rarely put up for sale.
Rents were high mainly because there were too many small workshops and demand exceeded supply.
After wandering around for more than two hours, Fang Bai found a two-story building with a land area of 70 square meters. It had a five-meter frontage and was fourteen meters deep, with simple renovations. Naturally, it had no tiled walls, but it did have a bathroom and already had water and electricity installed. The annual rent was 360 yuan.
It had previously been a small workshop and had specially installed three-phase electricity, so connecting high-power machinery would not be a problem.
It was located near the south gate of Oubei No. 1 Middle School, meeting Fang Bai's requirements.
He could not be bothered to keep looking. Finding a place in those days was truly troublesome, and this was the only nearby one that met his needs. It was barely acceptable. If it were any farther away, Fang Bai would not want to rent it.
He found the landlord, inspected the house, and signed the lease once he felt it was suitable. After recording the water and electricity meter readings, he paid the annual rent. They agreed that no deposit was needed for a yearly lease, and he received the key.
By the time he finished dealing with the house, it was already three in the afternoon.
When he reached an intersection, he saw a young man in a suit sitting on a motorcycle and showing off.
The label on the young man's suit cuff had not even been cut off. In that era, leaving the label on a suit cuff was considered fashionable.
Having a motorcycle now was about the same as driving a Mercedes-Benz or Ferrari thirty years later. That nouveau riche young man therefore looked incredibly smug, and Fang Bai really wanted to fly-kick him.
"Damn it, so what if you ride a motorcycle?"
"I've owned BBA, you know!"
Fang Bai could not help complaining, though he had to admit that owning a motorcycle now really was impressive. At the very least, he could not afford one yet.
In that era, Fang Bai experienced the trouble and inconvenience of having no transportation. He wanted to buy a bicycle. Constantly taking rickshaws cost quite a bit, but more importantly, it was inconvenient.
He hired a rickshaw to the used bicycle market and took a quick look around. He found that quite a few bicycles had no locks or registration numbers. Moreover, most people in those days were reluctant to sell their own bicycles. He suspected thieves had stolen them and sold them to used-bike dealers.
"Little brother, this bike is eighty percent new. Just 90 yuan—an excellent deal!"
"Boss, I'll look around some more."
Fang Bai made a round of the market and felt that buying such bicycles would simply encourage the stolen-goods trade. In the end, he did not buy one and left the used market, his plan to save money falling through.
He went to the department store and spent 265 yuan on a twenty-six-inch bicycle and a rubber tie-down strap.
When buying the bicycle, he had to provide identification, register the bicycle number, and record his ID. Fang Bai received a little blue booklet.
A few years earlier, buying a bicycle would also have required a bicycle ration coupon or industrial coupon.
Some provinces might not have abolished that system even now.
Holding the little booklet, Fang Bai felt as though he had bought a car.
Fang Bai tied his luggage to the rear rack and rode his new bicycle, experiencing a different kind of joy.
"Riding a bicycle is still the best. It keeps you fit, saves energy, protects the environment, and lets you directly feel the air of nature. Unlike in a car, you don't have to go through the trouble of opening the windows."
He thought as he pedaled toward home.
After leaving the county town, he passed villages surrounded by terraced fields and endless green mountains. Clear streams ran through the villages, flowing with leisurely murmurs.
The sounds of work in the fields, the cries of livestock, and the clatter of farm tools intertwined into a unique kind of rural music.
After riding for about half an hour, Fang Bai felt his butt growing sore from the saddle. The bumpy dirt roads in the countryside were especially difficult to ride on.
Gripping the handlebars with his right hand was still somewhat inconvenient, and he could not exert much strength.
Every so often, a gust of wind swept over him, carrying yellow-brown dust that covered Fang Bai in grime.
"Ah, cars are still better!"
"Damn it, this awful dirt road. If it rained, getting covered in mud would be a nightmare."
Complaints aside, Fang Bai kept riding. He encountered plenty of pedestrians along the way, either walking or riding in horse-drawn carts.
Seeing that, Fang Bai felt that having a bicycle was not so bad after all. He pressed the bell, and it rang, "Ring-ring-ring," crisp, brisk, and pleasant.
When villagers passing by saw a young man riding a new bicycle, some spat at his receding back. "So what if you've got a new bike!"
Before you continue