96: Chapter 96: Big Deal?
96: Chapter 96: Big Deal?
“Beep” sounded a few times, and then the call Chen Hai dialed finally went through.
About ten minutes had passed since his pager had beeped.
Was the person who paged him still there?
He had no absolute confidence.
It’s Chen Hai…” Chen Hai tentatively asked into the receiver.
“Little brother, I’ve been quite busy these days and only managed to contact you today.
Please don’t be upset!”
Over the phone, Li Dajiang’s hearty laughter immediately reached Chen Hai’s ears.
“Understandable, understandable, how’s the factory business going?”
Chen Hai asked with a slight sigh of relief, smiling.
Even though he was anxious about the snuff bottle, he couldn’t bluntly bring it up to Li Dajiang as soon as the call went through.
The more desperate you are to sell something, the harder it is to get a good price—this principle was something he clearly understood.
“Little brother, even if you didn’t ask, I would have definitely told you about the factory business.”
“Let me tell you some good news.
Just a few days ago, our Huangxin Shoes finished the first batch of shoes we were contracted to make!”
“The quality of our shoes highly satisfied the Adidas company…”
Li Dajiang was in high spirits, and perhaps the reason he paged Chen Hai was to share his joy.
After all, Chen Hai also had shares in Huangxin Shoes, so in theory, he was one of the factory owners too.
When it came to talking about the factory, Li Dajiang was endless, chatting away for a long time.
Chen Hai tried to be patient, but the owner of the local store where the payphone was located kept staring at him intently.
It looked like he was worried that once Chen Hai finished the call, he wouldn’t be able to pay and would just run off.
The payphone charged one yuan per minute, and most people hurriedly finished their calls in a few sentences, trying to keep it within one minute.
But now, Chen Hai had already been on the phone for nearly twenty minutes.
If he had been dressed neatly, carrying a briefcase like a wealthy person, that would be another story.
But in the eyes of the shopkeeper, Chen Hai, with his dusty rubber shoes and a white-washed tank top, combined with his age, didn’t seem like someone who could easily pull out tens of yuan.
His payphone, placed inside the store, has in the past encountered people who would try to make free long calls, typically those young people like Chen Hai.
If he didn’t keep an eye on it, what if Chen Hai ran off after the call?
Wouldn’t he be left with a loss?
“Brother, didn’t you tell me last time that your friend was interested in snuff bottles?”
Feeling awkward under the shopkeeper’s gaze, Chen Hai had no choice but to interrupt Li Dajiang himself and bring up the matter.
“Little brother, don’t worry, I’ve always remembered your matter.”
“But, my friend is in Tai Island, and recently I’ve been busy with factory work here in Yuedong.”
“When things at the factory slow down a bit, I’ll go back to Tai Island and ask my friend about it for you…”
Li Dajiang chuckled and started to explain.
Chen Hai felt a little disappointed at this outcome.
Of course, disappointed as he might be, he had no reason to blame Li Dajiang.
After all, Li was helping him out of kindness, not obligation.
Having learned the definite outcome of what he wanted to know, Chen Hai didn’t continue to chitchat with Li Dajiang.
After hanging up the phone, the twenty-something yuan displayed on the charge meter made him wince in pain.
“I need to find a way to make money quickly, or else the little money I have left won’t last but a few days in the county town!”
After paying the phone bill, Chen Hai stepped out of the store, touched the few remaining bills in his pocket, and muttered to himself.
To find a way to make money in the county, he certainly needed to find his cousin, Sun Jinzhong.
After all, that guy was a local bigwig, roaming around the town all day and with a host of ruffian friends.
His channels of information were definitely something Chen Hai couldn’t match.
After making the rounds at a few places Sun Jinzhong frequented, Chen Hai finally learned his cousin’s whereabouts from a buddy who was on good terms with Sun.
East Street, in a teahouse near Yuan River.
“Dabar, Jinxiu, Hule, Monsha—all pay up for the twenty-one-pointer, pay up…”
As soon as he entered the teahouse, still a good distance away, Chen Hai could already hear his cousin’s loud laughter after winning a hand.
They were playing a card game called Pao Huizi.
Aside from Sun Jinzhong, his card partners were all those in their fifties, already retired masters and madams.
They played cards in the teahouse to pass the time, and the stakes were certainly not high.
Judging by the money Sun Jinzhong’s two card mates took out after his win, they were playing the local version of what’s called “little Ermao.”
“Aunt Chen, Uncle Liu, something came up, I can’t play anymore today.
Let’s continue tomorrow!” As soon as he saw Chen Hai, Sun Jinzhong quickly stood up and greeted his two card mates.
“Sun, to win money and run away, that’s dishonorable.”
“That’s right. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥
If you dare not continue playing, next time don’t even think about us playing cards with you!”
“How am I dishonorable?
I just won a little over three yuan and yesterday I lost over twenty.
Why didn’t you say anything then?”
He chuckled awkwardly a few times, and amid his card friend’s complaints, Sun Jinzhong threw a few words over his shoulder as he headed straight for Chen Hai.
“Cousin, your timing is perfect.
If you hadn’t come to the county, I was planning to go find you in Wuyang Town!”
Grabbing Chen Hai, Sun Jinzhong found a spot in a corner of the teahouse, sat down, and with a beaming smile, leaned close and said.
“Got a chance to make money?
Don’t you know my pager number?
Why didn’t you call me directly?”
Chen Hai rolled his eyes in response.
“How could I remember a string of over ten digits?
I’ve long forgotten your pager number!”
Scratching his head, Sun Jinzhong grinned and added, “These masters and madams in the teahouse have the most up-to-date news.
Whatever happens in the county, they get the word first.”
“I mix in these kinds of places every day; surely it’s not without yield.”
“I didn’t inquire too much about the small business that doesn’t make much money because you wouldn’t be interested.”
“But yesterday, I heard from one of the masters about a very lucrative big deal!”
Reaching this point, Sun Jinzhong paused on purpose, looking at Chen Hai with a beaming smile.
He deliberately left him hanging.