Chapter 51: A Man of Standards

"Us?"

Scarface blinked.

"That's right. Since you know the place, you can lead the way, can't you?" Chen Jianghai said calmly.

"Oh, no problem at all!"

Pumping the twenty-yuan bill into his pocket, Scarface agreed readily.

Zhao Changgui, standing nearby, didn't quite understand why Chen Jianghai was giving money to Scarface.

Besides, since when had he become so rich?

Today's Chen Jianghai felt completely different from the one he had known before!

In short, Zhao Changgui's mind was full of question marks; he simply couldn't make sense of it.

"Changgui, what are you daydreaming about? Let's go!"

Chen Jianghai called out to the dazed Zhao Changgui and turned to walk out of the house.

Only then did Zhao Changgui snap out of it and hurriedly follow.

Along the way, Zhao Changgui kept casting curious glances at Chen Jianghai, as if trying to get acquainted with him all over again.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, Chen Jianghai asked, "Changgui, why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"No, no."

Zhao Changgui shook his head and said, "I just feel like you... seem to have changed so much, like a completely different person!"

Hearing this, Chen Jianghai didn't mind. He laughed out loud, reached out, and patted Zhao Changgui's arm. "You'll see even bigger changes in the future. You'll just have to get used to it."

Taking advantage of Zhao Changgui's presence, Chen Jianghai had made a last-minute decision to seek out the local junk king.

In his past life, Chen Jianghai had somewhat looked down upon the scrap-recycling industry.

He had considered it low-tech, just backbreaking labor for hard-earned money.

However, after seeing stories online of scrap collectors making millions or even tens of millions a year, he was truly shocked.

The most legendary figures were those who scavenged for cultural relics and antiques back in the sixties and seventies—those people had made absolute fortunes.

By the nineties, there weren't many valuable antiques left, but recycling scrap was still highly profitable.

The place Scarface mentioned was on the western side of Linghai County.

There was a dilapidated village there that hadn't been inhabited for a long time.

If Scarface hadn't brought it up, Chen Jianghai would never have guessed that the junk king would choose such a place for a stronghold.

Then again, the location was remote enough with hardly any people around, making it a decent spot for a scrap collection base.

As soon as the three of them reached the outskirts of the village, they were surrounded by a group of people.

Seeing this crowd, Chen Jianghai frowned slightly.

Their clothes were covered in patches, and quite a few of them were holding weapons.

The scene made Chen Jianghai feel as though he had wandered into the Beggar Sect's headquarters and been swarmed by panhandlers.

"What do you want?"

One of the taller men asked Zhao Changgui in a loud voice, his eyes full of vigilance.

After all, Zhao Changgui's hulking frame made it impossible to ignore him.

Zhao Changgui instinctively looked toward Chen Jianghai, who remained silent and instead looked at Scarface beside him.

Scarface quickly stepped forward and said, "We're here to see Brother Qiang. I even came to buy some stuff from you guys yesterday."

"What's your name?" the tall man asked in a deep voice.

"Scarface."

The tall man immediately instructed someone behind him, "Go check and see if there's someone by that name."

Before long, the tall man's subordinate returned and whispered something in his ear.

"Alright, follow me." The tall man gestured to the three of them and began walking inward.

With Zhao Changgui around, Chen Jianghai wasn't too worried.

However, he was now very curious about this Brother Qiang.

Being able to run such a large scrap operation meant this person was certainly no ordinary character.

Soon, the tall man stopped in front of a wooden house.

"Wait here."

With that, the tall man walked inside.

Chen Jianghai looked around; the place was kept neat and tidy, completely free of the disorder he had imagined.

It seemed this Brother Qiang was quite particular about cleanliness.

Not long after, the tall man came out and waved at the three of them. "You can go in now!"

Chen Jianghai walked in front, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

Zhao Changgui and Scarface followed right behind him like two bodyguards.

The interior of the wooden house was extremely simple yet spotless, creating a very comfortable atmosphere.

A man in his forties was sitting in a rattan chair by the window, reading... a book?

A scrap dealer sitting here reading a book?!

Chen Jianghai found it somewhat unexpected.

He didn't speak, just silently observing the man before him.

The man was holding a thread-bound book. From this angle, the title wasn't visible. Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, he exuded a scholarly and refined aura.

"Boss Chen, this is Brother Qiang!"

Scarface whispered under his breath.

"You're here to do business with me?"

Noticing the three of them, Brother Qiang put down the book in his hand and looked up.

Chen Jianghai nodded. "That's right."

"What are you looking to buy?" Brother Qiang asked straight to the point.

Chen Jianghai didn't beat around the bush either. "I heard you've collected a lot of household appliances. I'd like to buy some."

"How many?" Brother Qiang followed up.

Chen Jianghai smiled and replied, "As for the quantity, that depends on the quality."

Brother Qiang glanced at Chen Jianghai. "When I sell these things to others, they don't get to be picky."

"That's because their prices are lower," Chen Jianghai replied calmly.

Hearing this, Brother Qiang smiled faintly. "You know my prices?"

"No."

Chen Jianghai shook his head. "But I can be certain of one thing: their prices are definitely lower than mine."

Brother Qiang seemed to grow a bit interested. "Can you tell me what you do for a living first?"

"Does that have anything to do with the business we're trying to conduct?" Chen Jianghai countered.

"Not really."

Brother Qiang nodded. "Still, I'd like to know."

Having lived in Linghai for many years, this was the first time Brother Qiang had encountered such an interesting young man.

Chen Jianghai shook his head. "And I don't want to say."

Hearing this, Scarface's expression changed drastically.

This was Brother Qiang's territory, after all. To offend him here was practically asking for trouble!

Brother Qiang stared at Chen Jianghai for a moment before saying, "Name your price."

"Thirty yuan per television set," Chen Jianghai stated his price.

Hearing this, Brother Qiang looked astonished. "Thirty yuan each? You dare offer that price?"

"Why wouldn't I? But there's a condition: your goods must meet my standards," Chen Jianghai added.

Brother Qiang looked at Chen Jianghai, narrowing his eyes slightly without giving an immediate response.

Chen Jianghai wasn't in a hurry.

If this deal worked out, great; if not, it was no great loss.

Coming here today was a spur-of-the-moment idea of his anyway.

Right now, Chen Jianghai didn't have much money; he needed to accumulate wealth rapidly to catch the express train of the era.

Someone in his past life had said that before thirty, you make money with physical labor, and after thirty, you rely on your brain.

However, to make a fortune, the right time, the right place, and the right people were all indispensable.

The right time in the nineties went without saying.

There were so many opportunities in this decade that finding just one could secure wealth capable of making ordinary people green with envy.

As for the right place, the coastal cities of the nineties and the major international metropolises of later years were places where gold could be mined.

Regarding the right people, what Chen Jianghai lacked right now was starting capital.

Now that there was an opportunity to acquire a large batch of discarded appliances to refurbish and resell—thereby accelerating capital accumulation—Chen Jianghai naturally wouldn't let it slip away.

After a moment, Brother Qiang asked in a deep voice, "What are your conditions?"

"The exterior must be intact, without severe corrosion, and the internal components must be complete. Just those three conditions. Not too unreasonable, are they?"

Chen Jianghai held up three fingers as he laid out his requirements.

Brother Qiang looked at Chen Jianghai, then stood up and said, "Follow me!"