Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 25 says I'm not cut out for business.

"Rules? What rules are there in doing business?"

"Boss, you did buy twenty pickaxe handles here yesterday, but who in the world would come here first thing in the morning to sell to me again? And the one you have in your hand is definitely not mine."

"They're all pickaxe handles, and there's no name on them, so why do you say what I have isn't yours?"

The unscrupulous merchant smiled, took a pickaxe handle from the shelf, placed it on the scale, and called out to Li Wei, "Look, all my pickaxe handles weigh a standard eleven jin (3.5 kg), but this one in your hand is made of poplar wood and weighs no more than ten jin (5 kg)."

"Huh?" Li Wei stopped putting his hands on his hips and placed his pickaxe handle on the scale. Sure enough, it weighed nine and a half pounds.

The unscrupulous merchant said smugly, "Let me tell you! The kind of goods you have are usually exported to foreigners. I don't do that kind of thing. They're all genuine."

Li Wei was a little stunned: "Didn't you say that everything you said was good stuff?"

The unscrupulous merchant chuckled, "You clearly haven't done much manual labor. Who in the world works as diligently as the people of our Celestial Empire? Do you think they're as lazy and good-for-nothing as those foreign devils?"

"The materials used for this pickaxe handle are particular. To ensure durability, it's primarily made of locust wood, mulberry wood, sandalwood, or chestnut wood. If you sold this kind of poplar wood handle in China, it would break after only a few days, and the customers would be furious."

"Foreigners don't work hard. The pickaxe handles that break in a month for us can last three to five years without any problems in their hands."

He picked up two pickaxe handles, pulled Li Wei to the door, and threw the handles into the sink with a splash.

Pointing at the sink with his nostrils pointing upwards, he said, "Look for yourself, mine sinks to the bottom, while the one you're holding is definitely floating."

"What a swindler!" Li Wei said angrily. "Those foreign devils aren't stupid, do they? Don't they know?"

The shrewd merchant laughed loudly: "I have nothing to do today. We businessmen believe in making money through harmony. Come in and have a cup of tea, and I'll tell you the inside story."

That's great! We can chat casually and learn some experience along the way. Who knows, it might come in handy someday when we start a business.

Li Wei retrieved the pickaxe handle, followed the unscrupulous merchant into the house, sat down, and slowly sipped the tea offered by the merchant.

"Who wouldn't want to do something that makes more money? Locust wood is expensive to buy, while poplar wood is more than half the price, especially for Indians and blacks. They're really demanding kickbacks for their services! If we give them this locust wood pickaxe handle, the workers will complain it's too heavy, and the service providers won't have the money. Which would you choose?"

"If it were our domestic infrastructure teams, it wouldn't work. Poplar pickaxe handles would break in two or three days. Including shovel handles, domestic ones are usually made of waxed wood, which is flexible and tough, but those exported to foreigners are made of whatever is cheapest."

"These things usually go to the rural market, where older farmers use them. Unlike big-ticket items and appliances, which rely on deception, these things are different. People at the bottom of society are the most honest. If you cheat them once, they won't do business with you again, and they might even curse your ancestors. It's not worth the infamy for a little money. Besides, they know what they're doing, so it's not easy to fool them."

"Another one is sold to petty thugs who use it for fighting. They use locust wood, and one blow can kill someone. The one you have is passable; it's made from a lot of fast-growing poplar, and only weighs about eight pounds. Poplar wood is quite brittle; it might break easily. Didn't you save a life? That's doing a good deed and accumulating merit!"

Well! He even described the shady business of ordering based on the customer's status as something so sophisticated and elegant. No wonder everyone says I'm not cut out for business; I just can't learn how to order based on the customer's status.

This guy Long is really something else. He even tries to get a bargain when buying a pickaxe handle for a fight. He's such a cheapskate, he made me lose a lot of money.

"Since my pickaxe handle is good, can you give me a little more money? I have several hundred of them."

The unscrupulous merchant sighed, "Look at us, we've been talking for so long, and we haven't made any business! This stuff ties up capital and puts up in the warehouse, business is tough! I only gave you this price because I think you're a decent person. If you don't like it, go ask somewhere else. At most, I'll call a tricycle to bring it over for free."

Li Wei nodded: "What was the price of those I bought yesterday?"

The unscrupulous merchant chuckled, "How much of this poplar wood do you actually have?"

"More than three hundred."

"Alright, those were fifteen when you bought them yesterday, so I'll process the return! They're still fifteen. Poplar wood really isn't worth much, so I'll give you four yuan and sixty cents, okay?"

Li Wei was overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement.

The unscrupulous merchant himself rode a three-wheeled motorcycle, abandoning all business, and went back to the storage room with Li Wei to count and load the goods.

He handed over a thousand yuan to Li Wei, instructing him not to tell anyone his purchase price, otherwise his peers would criticize him for paying a high price and breaking the rules. He also promised to cooperate again if the opportunity arose.

Li Wei was naturally happy about something that would benefit him, and he patted his chest repeatedly, promising, "I'd rather die than tell."

He returned home triumphantly, counted the money again, and ran his fingers through it. He planned to set aside 1,000 yuan for his wife, 300 yuan for the cost of goods, and ask her to give some more to their precious daughter for classes.

The remaining three hundred was hidden in a pair of clothes my wife no longer wore, which she considered outdated. I kept a little over one hundred on me; that was for cigarettes. (Note: When hiding money, you must be very careful, as it can be discovered anywhere. Only clothes your wife hasn't worn in a long time are safe. Also, this is just one person's opinion and for reference only. I am not responsible for any accidents that may occur.)

It hummed a little tune happily as it strolled around the room, like a victorious rooster surveying its territory with satisfaction.

I'll play Snake for a while longer, check the time, and eagerly await my wife's return, hoping she'll praise me when she sees the money.

Making money isn't easy these days! We earned over a thousand in just two days.

Li Wei fantasized about Lili looking at him with adoration and showering him with compliments, making him feel so flattered that he was oblivious to his own existence.

It was almost noon, and Li Wei was getting restless, glancing at his watch and then at the door.

When the phone rang, Li Wei took out his phone and saw that it was his wife calling.

When he answered the phone, Lili told him that her boss was treating him to lunch and she wouldn't be coming back, and that he should just eat whatever he wanted!

As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, Li Wei, utterly disappointed, stared blankly at the dial tone on the phone.

This woman is no good. She tries to fool her husband when the kids aren't home, and now she doesn't even come home to cook.

I'm going out for a big meal, and then I'll ask Wang Fuyou. He promised to reply in half a month, but it's been over a month and I still haven't heard anything. If I weren't so busy lately, I would have gone to talk to him already.

I went out fuming, ordered a bowl of mutton offal soup for five yuan, and ate a two-yuan flatbread.

After returning home, he took out his phone and called Wang Fuyou.

As if he hadn't expected it, Wang Fuyou answered the phone and apologized repeatedly.

He said he lost Li Wei's number and now he's a substitute driver every time. He hopes to take Li Wei to meet the boss the day after tomorrow morning.

Finally relieved that he could focus on his work and earn money, Li Wei hung up the phone and paced back and forth excitedly.

After sitting there for a while, feeling bored, I went to the market and bought a bunch of cooked food.

I put on my apron and got to work, then began the long wait.

When Lu Lili returned home in the evening and saw a table full of food, she was shocked and turned pale.

Li Qiwu ran to the balcony to look at the sky, and came back and said with certainty, "The sun has set, it didn't rise in the west."

Li Siyu touched Li Wei's forehead: "He doesn't have a fever," then held up three fingers and asked, "Dad, how many is this?"

Li Wei angrily grabbed his daughter: "How dare you talk to your father like that? Am I really that worthless?"

Lu Lili said seriously, "Yeah! She's lazy and loves to eat. She acts like she's a hero every day. I've basically never cooked at home."

"Okay! I won't be home much from now on. I'm going to drive a big truck the day after tomorrow. Let's get some good food and eat together."

The mother and her two children were taken aback. Lu Lili stared at the table full of cooked food and remained silent for a long time.

After finishing his meal and settling the children in, Li Wei proudly handed a thousand yuan to his wife, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

Sure enough, after a few words, his wife excitedly grabbed Li Wei's ear and interrogated him about how much money he had made.

How many pickaxe handles are there in total? What is the profit margin for each handle? What is the purchase price?

Li Wei was dumbfounded. He forgot to calculate the costs and profits beforehand. He hadn't planned how to fool his wife before showing off his skills. This time, he might be exposed.

With a determined heart, I closed the door. For the sake of my secret stash of money, I was prepared to spend the night without sleep.

.........

Looking at his sleeping wife, Li Wei went to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and couldn't help but feel extremely sad.

Do you think it's easy for me to save a few hundred dollars? Even being a gigolo isn't this hard!

He recalled how his wife had looked at him tenderly before going to bed and said, "Forget it, don't go into business. You're not cut out for it."