sinovels Chapter 56 Reasonable Prices
Chapter 56 Reasonable Prices
Lin Ximeng nodded, thanked Xia Lana, and turned to walk quickly toward the back door of the bar.
Pushing open the metal door, a damp, musty smell mixed with the sour smell of garbage hit you.
The alleyway behind the gate looked rather messy, with several rusty green trash cans scattered around, and discarded cardboard boxes and plastic bottles piled up in the corner.
Not far away, a white man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties was working next to a trash can.
"It looks like Jeremy," Simon Lin quickly confirmed the other party's identity based on intelligence and previous information.
Jeremy was wearing a faded blue work jacket and had a lot of gray hair.
He was struggling to drag the bulging garbage bag into the trash can, his hands gripping it tightly.
Lin Ximeng glanced at the piles of garbage: piles of garbage like small mountains, it seemed the bar was doing quite well at night.
He had barely steadied himself when Jeremy noticed him, straightened up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked with a hint of doubt, "A guest? This isn't a place for drinking. Have you come to the wrong place?"
Lin Simon thought to himself:
The back door is full of trash and clutter. If you were to search for a discarded guitar inside, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack; you simply couldn't find it.
Fortunately, we had already found out Jeremy's secret beforehand, so now we might as well just ask him directly.
Lin Ximeng began, "I lost a guitar at the bar yesterday. I was wondering if you saw it while collecting the trash?"
Jeremy paused for a moment, then nodded: "A guitar? Maybe."
As he spoke, he turned and walked to a pile of miscellaneous items next to him, reaching in to rummage through them.
Lin Simon glanced at the pile of clutter, which contained some intact electrical appliances and a few books, clearly items that Jeremy had picked out and thought had recycling value.
After rummaging around for a while, Jeremy dragged out several boxes of different sizes, including old cardboard boxes and plastic crates.
He put it on the ground: "The stuff I found yesterday that isn't pure junk is all here."
Lin Ximeng stepped forward: "Could I open it and take a look?"
Jeremy grinned and waved his hand. "No way. If you want them, take them all, $200 for a pack."
Simon Lin shook his head: "$200 is too expensive. What if the guitar I'm going to lose isn't in it? I'd be at a huge loss. How about $100?"
Jeremy patted his chest confidently: "Everything of value that we collected yesterday is here. Unless you lost your guitar somewhere else, you'll definitely find it. $200, not a penny less."
Lin Ximeng tentatively asked, "Can't you really lower the price a bit more?"
Jeremy still refused: "It won't be cheaper. I've been collecting this junk from morning till night, and it's taken a lot of effort."
Lin Ximeng suddenly laughed, then changed the subject: "If it were a dockworker, that tall, strong Tony, who came to buy it, could you give me a discount?"
Jeremy's expression froze instantly, staring blankly at Simon Lin: "What do you mean?"
Lin Ximeng took a half step forward, his tone slightly intimidating: "It's nothing, I was just wondering what Tony would think if he knew the person who caused him to lose his job was collecting garbage here?"
Jeremy suddenly cried out, his voice trembling, "That's not my fault! The dock orders are getting fewer and fewer, and it's the union president who's forcing me to choose someone to submit!"
"Oh?" Lin Ximeng feigned confusion.
"Then why Tony of all people?"
Jeremy slumped his shoulders, his tone full of helplessness: "What else can we do? He was the last among us to join the union. According to the rules, if we really had to choose, it could only be him."
Lin Ximeng persisted, pressing, "If you're following the rules, why are you hiding and even taking time off work to come here and collect garbage?"
Jeremy sighed heavily, a hint of grievance in his voice: "I... I had no choice... I'm so old, if I don't hand Tony over, the union president will definitely elect me."
He rubbed his rough hands together, his knuckles turning white.
My eldest son contracted the flu and has been spending money on treatment. My family relies entirely on my salary to make ends meet.
If I lose my job, forget about medical expenses, my eldest son's whole family will be ruined.
Lin Ximeng listened with a bit of surprise: these days, the only parents willing to risk their lives to raise their children are probably these rednecks.
He changed the subject, pointing to the pile of junk next to him: "So, your garbage recycling business isn't profitable?"
Jeremy shook his head with a bitter face: "I don't know if it's profitable or not. I paid for a week's contract to reclaim the back door of this bar, thinking I could try my luck and pick up some more valuable items. I haven't even recouped my investment yet."
Lin Ximeng noticed that Jeremy's eyes were somewhat evasive when he spoke: the old man was definitely lying in his words.
However, he wasn't interested in delving into it; what he wanted wasn't the truth, but the guitar.
Lin Ximeng sighed deliberately and nodded, saying, "I understand your difficulties. Since we're following the rules, Tony should be able to understand. Why don't I call him over and you two talk it over face to face? He'll definitely forgive you."
As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to turn around and walk into the bar.
Jeremy was terrified and quickly stepped forward to stop him, pleading, "No, no, no, $100, just $100! You can have all of this, no need to call him!"
As he spoke, he pushed several boxes on the ground toward Lin Ximeng in a flustered and urgent manner.
Simon Lin shook his head, his tone flat: "No, $100 was the price before. Given your situation, I can only offer $50."
Jeremy's face instantly contorted into a bitter expression, his expression filled with discomfort and turmoil.
He caught a glimpse of Simon Lin turning around again, and fearing he might actually call Tony over, he could only grit his teeth and shout, "I agree, $50 it is."
Simon Lin took out $50 and handed it over. Jeremy snatched it and stuffed it into his pocket. He then quickly found a thick black plastic bag and shoved several boxes into it.
Lin Ximeng took the heavy plastic bag and turned to walk into the bar.
As he passed by the lobby, he caught a glimpse of Sharana leaning against the bar, waving a black stocking in her hand at him, a seductive smile on her lips, mouthing "Welcome back."
After leaving the bar.
Lin Ximeng then found a nearby park, sat down on a bench,
Then they emptied the boxes out of the plastic bags one by one and opened them for inspection.
The first box contained a teddy bear with its ear missing.
The second was a bunch of flowers that had long since withered.
Until the last rectangular box was opened, a brand new guitar was revealed.
The guitar body is printed with anime characters, making it look like a collaboration model.
Lin Ximeng took out his mobile app to search and found that the other miscellaneous items were not worth much.
This collaborative guitar comes in multiple character versions, most of which are priced at $300.
His version, featuring the blue twin-tailed character "Xiangzi," was the only one with a lower price of $200.
"What do you mean? So you're the money-loser in the group?"