novelsite Chapter 154 The Deal is Made
Chapter 154 The Deal is Made
His half-boasting, half-demonstration pitch did attract a crowd, but it also immediately drew ire from those in the know. A gruff male voice with a heavy accent laughed, "Haha, you're kidding! A new invention? One of a kind? You're kidding me! This is just a regular 5-kilowatt silent diesel generator with a modified industrial battery pack, an inverter, and an interface panel. Take it apart and see which part is new. All this fancy stuff, trying to fool laymen, huh!"
The young man in yellow, his technical skills exposed on the spot, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, he grinned and bowed with his hands clasped in the direction of the voice, replying, "Oh, my dear brother! You have an eye for talent, you're an expert! I'm truly impressed! My little tricks are nothing compared to yours! Even if it's not a groundbreaking invention, be honest with me, in this Taiping Street—no, in the entire outer city's market—can you find another shop that has this generator, battery, inverter, and control system all complete, tested, and packaged, ready to take home and use—a 'convenient gadget'? It saves everyone the trouble of tinkering, isn't it worth something? I have to brag a little to make a living, right? Please forgive me!"
This candid response, tinged with a touch of roguishness and street smarts, actually downplayed the previous boasting and sparked a good-natured laugh and discussion. The onlookers pointed and commented on the equipment, and a few asked about the price, but most of them were speechless and shook their heads after hearing the price quoted by the young man.
However, Xu Xiaoyan, standing on the periphery of the crowd, fell into deep thought about the low, humming diesel generator itself. She didn't pay much attention to the young man's boasting about the battery box and his banter with the customers, but the word "diesel" was like a key that instantly turned on a switch in her mind, making her heart skip a beat.
Diesel fuel! Aren't there many barrels of diesel fuel quietly stored in her own space? Originally intended for a van, but she hadn't found a suitable opportunity or safe place to take it out and use it. This second-hand but well-maintained silent diesel generator in front of her was practically tailor-made for her!
Once she has it, the diesel fuel in her space will be converted into real, sustainable electricity! Even if the external power grid is completely paralyzed in the extreme cold, plunging her into a long period of darkness and cold, she can maintain a basic power supply in her reinforced bungalow, which brings not only comfort but also a sense of security.
Although there were many onlookers, layer upon layer, most of them were just there for the spectacle or attracted by the "one-of-a-kind" sales pitch. Very few people actually inquired about the price, examined the machine details repeatedly, or showed a strong intention to buy.
After all, for most ordinary survivors who are still struggling to make ends meet and calculating every point, the generator itself is an expensive asset, and the continuous supply of fuel is an even heavier burden. The two combined are too extravagant, far beyond their current affordability and level of need. Most people just look on with envy, discuss it, and then turn to the stalls selling potatoes and cotton-padded coats.
But this gave Xu Xiaoyan an opportunity. She suppressed her racing heartbeat and did not immediately push forward. Instead, she observed for a moment and confirmed that although the stall owner was slick, his business attitude was still quite open. She took a deep breath, tightened her backpack on her chest, and began to carefully push through the crowd toward the conspicuous bright yellow figure.
She skipped over the young man in the yellow shirt's rambling explanation of how "technologically advanced" and "thoughtfully designed" the battery box was. Her gaze was fixed on the deep, humming, and steadily running silver-gray diesel generator. Although the machine's casing had a few scratches and signs of use, it was generally well-maintained. There was no obvious oil stains or rust on the key parts, indicating that the previous owner had not been completely careless.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Xiaoyan pushed through the last two onlookers and squeezed to the front of the stall. Pointing to the generator that was working, she asked, "Boss, how many points would it cost to buy this diesel generator and the matching battery box you mentioned as a complete set?"
The energetic young man was enthusiastically introducing the product to the audience on the other side when he heard the voice. He immediately turned around, his eyes quickly scanning Xu Xiaoyan's face and her backpack. He noticed that she was neatly dressed, and more importantly, she asked about "the whole set" and the specific price, instead of asking "what's this thing used for?" or "is it fuel-guzzling?" like most people would. His experience told him that this was likely a genuine customer with real needs and purchasing potential, rather than just someone who was there for the fun of it.
The playful expression on his face, which he had shown when facing the troublemakers, instantly faded. He leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Xu Xiaoyan. "Little sister, you have good taste! You hit the nail on the head right away! If you buy it separately, this high-performance 5kW silent diesel generator is only 30 points. The matching dedicated battery box, which contains a high-performance battery pack and an intelligent control module, is 8 points each." He held up his hands, gesturing to the two numbers, then clasped his hands together, making a packing gesture. "But if you have foresight and buy the whole set, I'll definitely give you the most favorable package price! The generator plus the battery box will only cost 36 points!" He deliberately emphasized the words "only," looking at Xu Xiaoyan with eager eyes, trying to make the price seem exceptionally good, as if she were getting a great deal.
Xu Xiaoyan quickly weighed the 36 points in her mind. In the current market, this price was indeed not outrageous for a second-hand but well-maintained, fully functional silent generator plus a matching energy storage device.
Instead of immediately agreeing or bargaining, she cautiously looked around to make sure not many people were paying attention to their conversation. Then, she slightly opened the backpack she had been clutching to her chest, turned her body slightly to the side, creating a relatively concealed angle, and showed the young man the corner of a bottle of high-end liquor and several packs of brand-name cigarettes wrapped in old clothes—the exquisite corner of the liquor box and the unique texture of the high-end cigarette boxes were clearly visible.
She lowered her voice and asked in a volume that only the two of them could hear, "Boss, I'm really short on points and my cash flow is a bit tight. How about exchanging these hard currencies? You should be able to tell the quality of these items."
The young man was clearly a connoisseur. He quickly peeked into the gap in the backpack and immediately recognized the brand of the liquor and cigarettes. They were high-end products, now considered "hard currency" in certain circles, and their value might even be more stable than points, especially when used to exchange for scarce resources or to build connections. He licked his slightly chapped lips, his face showing obvious regret and hesitation.
But then, he shook his head helplessly, with a hint of sincere apology, and explained in a similarly low voice, "Young lady, to be honest, this is indeed a good item, a real gem. If it were my own stall, I could make the decision myself, and I would definitely exchange it with you without hesitation. I might even give you some extra trinkets, but..."
He sighed, shrugged, and pointed to two other figures vaguely visible behind the stall, who were arranging other goods. "I don't have the final say on this. The guys I partnered with, sigh, they're so stubborn. They insist on getting points paid upfront, saying it's easier to split the profits later, the accounts are clear, and it avoids disputes. I've mentioned to them that I could buy some hard goods, but they think it's too much trouble, they're afraid the valuations won't be accurate, and they're also afraid they won't be able to sell them. I... I can't do anything about it."
Xu Xiaoyan felt slightly disappointed upon hearing this. She nodded, indicating that she understood the difficulties of such a partnership. She zipped up her backpack again and hugged it tightly.
"I understand," she said, her mind racing. "Do you have any brand new generators and their matching batteries here? Unopened ones?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over the running demo unit again. Although it looked well-maintained and ran smoothly, it was still a second-hand product. Its lifespan and internal wear and tear were unknown. Given that she might have to rely on it to get through the long, harsh winter, she preferred brand new products with clearer guarantees.
Hearing this question, the young man showed a genuine hint of embarrassment. He scratched his short hair and chuckled, "Well... I'm really sorry, young lady, the generators we have left are just this display model. It was a lot of work for us to find, and it's the last batch. The brand new ones... were all snapped up long ago." He quickly added, "But don't worry! This display model has been carefully tested and adjusted. All the interfaces, wiring, and oil have been checked and replaced. Its performance is absolutely perfect! It's almost indistinguishable from a new one! And as you can hear, the noise level is fantastic!"
Seeing that Xu Xiaoyan frowned slightly after listening, fearing that the business deal was about to slip away, he immediately offered a more tempting package deal: "How about this, young lady, I see that you really want it, so this generator, which has been debugged and tested perfectly on the spot, plus..."
He paused, then held up two fingers. "Two battery storage tanks! I won't use the package pricing we agreed on before. Just give me a round number, 40 points! This generator and these two battery storage tanks are all yours! This is an absolute steal, a rock-bottom price! With two battery storage tanks, you can use them interchangeably or as backups, ensuring a longer-lasting power supply! How about it?"
"Okay," Xu Xiaoyan nodded decisively, no longer hesitating. "I'll take the 40 points."
"Alright! You're so straightforward, young lady!" The young man's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he slapped his thigh, his voice becoming even louder. "I love doing business with sensible people like you!"
"I can place an order and pay through the platform," Xu Xiaoyan said, taking out her phone and a pen and paper she had prepared earlier from the side pocket of her backpack. She quickly wrote down the address of room 12567. "But this thing is a bit heavy, and I can't carry it by myself right now. I have other things to do. Could you please deliver it to this address in two hours?" She handed the note to the young man.
"No problem! Absolutely no problem! Don't worry!" The young man took the slip of paper, glanced at the address carefully, and hurriedly agreed, his face beaming with smiles. "I guarantee it will be delivered to your doorstep in two hours! Just you wait and see!"
With the initial deal settled, Xu Xiaoyan felt a little relieved. Clutching her backpack, she once again merged into the bustling crowd on Taiping Street, her eyes scanning the dazzling array of stalls on both sides, searching for her initial target—cat litter, or information on suitable containers and litter sources.
However, just as she passed a rusty stall filled with various old hardware tools and was about to squeeze into a corner that looked like it was selling pet supplies—
"Ding!" A crisp and unique notification sound came from the inside pocket of the backpack she was holding tightly in her arms. The sound was not loud and was even mostly drowned out by the noise of the market, but to Xu Xiaoyan, it was no less than a thunderclap!
This was a special notification sound she had set up for the few important contacts on her phone! And the sound that rang at this moment... made her heart skip a beat, and she almost stopped in her tracks.
It's either Xie Yingtang or Wang Xiao!
She immediately turned to the side, forcefully squeezing out of the crowd, ignoring the displeased looks from those around her, and quickly retreated to a relatively quiet corner. She pulled her phone out of her backpack as fast as she could, her fingers trembling slightly as she hurriedly turned on the screen.
On the lock screen, a bright red number "1" is prominently displayed in the upper right corner of the communication app icon. She couldn't wait to unlock the app, open it, and eagerly scan the list.
Sure enough! The unread message icon was clearly displayed next to Xie Yingtang's name!
She took a deep breath, opened the chat window. The message was brief, without any pleasantries or preamble: [Xiaoyan, Wang Xiao and I have settled in. Our address is Room 302, Building 17, Jianshe Road, Outer City West District. If you have time, please come and see us as soon as possible; we have something urgent to discuss.]
"Urgent matter to discuss!" These four words instantly gripped Xu Xiaoyan's mind. Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao were not people who liked to exaggerate. Their use of the word "urgent matter" meant that there must be an important and urgent situation that needed to be discussed.
Without any hesitation, the search plan for cat litter, sand, and other miscellaneous supplies was immediately put on hold.
She stopped wandering around, turned around abruptly, and began to struggle against the surging crowd to push her way out. The resistance of the crowd was even greater than when she came in, and she had to carefully block it with her elbows, constantly saying "Excuse me" and "Please let me through," as she moved with difficulty toward the stall where she had just bought the generator.
The energetic young man and his companion were loading some loose goods onto a covered electric tricycle, seemingly preparing to pack up their stall. When they saw Xu Xiaoyan return with a clearly anxious expression, he paused, his hands stopping.
Xu Xiaoyan walked straight up to him. "Boss, I need your help! I have an urgent matter and need to get home immediately! Could you deliver the generator and battery box you just sold me to me right now? The sooner the better! I'll go with you!"