Chapter 5

"Rat."

The sudden voice made Tang Hao, who was pretending to sleep, open his eyes, a smile spreading across his face: "Is it Jinsong?"

"Not bad, you started doing renovations without a word." Tang Jinsong didn't act formally, and through the glass counter, he gave Tang Hao a punch on the shoulder to show familiarity.

"I'm far from as good as you."

Tang Hao didn't mind, even though his thoughts and his expression were different, he still smiled: "It's been almost a year. If I don't find some work, I might..."

"Yes, it's not easy for anyone."

Tang Jinsong felt a bit sentimental, genuinely so, without any pretense. He then said, "Not to criticize you, but in our village, you're the one who's doing the worst. You need to work harder."

"Ha ha!"

Tang Hao didn't deny it. There were over a dozen people from their village working at Tian Di Electronics Building, and any one of them was doing better than him. However, being told so bluntly still made him feel a bit uncomfortable, so he laughed it off: "I will work harder."

"If you have any difficulties, just tell me. I'll help if I can. After all, we've been friends since childhood." Tang Jinsong pretended to be generous.

"I want to make screens myself." Tang Hao kept staring at Tang Jinsong, trying to read any subtle changes in his expression for clues.

"Uh."

Tang Jinsong was somewhat disappointed. He had come for the screens in Tang Hao's possession. Although there were only thirty now, there would likely be more in the future. However, since Tang Hao said he wanted to make them himself, he couldn't say much. But he was a practical person, so he feigned difficulty: "You know, I'm in partnership with my brother."

"I know."

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao was also disappointed. His previous statement about making screens himself was half a test, half serious. The answer matched his expectations. He then changed the subject: "You know, I don't have much money, so could you lend me some?"

He should have known that when it came to interests, any talk of hometown ties was just an act. If he joined in making screens, Tang Jinsong would have a competitor. Moreover, the technology for making screens needed to be purchased, and everyone knew that. During the mid-period of the iPhone 3, few people had this technology, and buying it alone would cost hundreds of thousands.

"Short on cash? No problem, how much do you need?"

Tang Jinsong breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Tang Hao wanted to learn the technology, which would have been a dilemma—teaching him would create a competitor, but not teaching him would be unfair to a childhood friend.

"Just kidding." Tang Hao laughed.

"I'm serious."

"I know. If I need anything, I'll let you know."

"Alright... By the way, if you have time, let's get together. There are so many people from our village, and if we don't keep in touch, we'll become strangers."

"Sure."

The conversation was harmonious and calm.

But was it really so? Not really. Tang Hao, having lived two lives, knew Tang Jinsong's character and the thoughts of the people from his village. Friendship was fine, but business? Forget it. When it came to interests, everything was off the table, and it could even hurt feelings. Some might even mock and ridicule you when you were down. This was human nature, the reality of society.

But to be fair, Tang Jinsong had already shown some friendship by letting Tang Hao take thirty screens with just half the payment upfront.

...

Time flew by, and six days passed in the blink of an eye.

Tang Hao had been renovating iPhone 3s for a week. During this week, he had to borrow from Peter to pay Paul, and even borrowed 30,000 yuan from Li Shijie. This was because his plan to cover expenses by selling the broken screens failed. The new screens cost over 300 yuan each, and he had to pay for them upfront.

Renovating one phone cost 580 yuan, but after deducting the 300 yuan for the screen and over 100 yuan for other parts, he ended up losing over 100 yuan per phone.

For the first three days, he renovated thirty phones a day, and for the next four days, he did fifty a day. His skills were unmatched in the market, leading to a significant increase in Li Shijie's sales.

In this crazy week, he renovated 290 iPhone 3s for Li Shijie alone, plus the dozen or so he bought at a high price, totaling over 300 broken screens. He had spent over 36,000 yuan, not only using up the 30,000 yuan he borrowed but also leaving him with less than 3,000 yuan from his previous savings. The only thing he had to show for it was 290 broken screens.

"Still short of money."

Tang Hao felt helpless. He had accumulated a significant number of broken screens, and his next plan could be implemented, but he still lacked money.

"Ding dong dong ding dong... Ding dong dong ding dong..."

The classic marimba sound indicated an incoming call.

"Brother!"

Tang Hao swiped his finger on the screen to answer the call, his eyes welling up.

" Heard you're doing well recently?" Tang Ran asked.

"Still okay." Tang Hao tried to keep his voice from breaking, forcing a cheerful tone.

"Tell me if you have any difficulties, don't struggle alone."

Tang Ran frowned. He noticed his brother had changed, becoming somewhat unfamiliar. He was at a loss for words and said, "I just transferred 30,000 yuan to you. This is the last amount, as I borrowed it from someone else."

In the past, when his brother needed money, he would ask directly. This time, he was struggling, probably because he couldn't bring himself to ask. However, as a brother, he should support his brother's efforts, even though he was financially strained and would have to work hard to pay back the 30,000 yuan.

"Thank you, Brother."

Tang Hao knew his brother's salary and savings were all supporting him. Now, to come up with another 30,000 yuan, he had to borrow from others. He was deeply moved, tears streaming down his face, but his confidence was strong: "Give me ten days, and I'll pay back the 30,000 yuan."

"Don't worry about the money." Tang Ran shook his head, not wanting his brother to bear the burden of debt.

"Brother, I'm serious. I don't want others to profit. I have a batch of phone screens, and with this 30,000 yuan, I can buy equipment to process them. Then, I can sell them, and 300 screens will be worth about 100,000 yuan." Tang Hao explained quickly.

"Really?"

"Really."

Tang Hao's tone was firm: "The screens I have now are broken, and I can sell them for about 180 yuan each. But if I process them, I can sell them for 315 yuan each."

"Is that true?"

"True."

Tang Hao confirmed again: "I think Jinsong told you about my situation. He had his eye on this batch of broken screens, but I didn't want to sell them."

"I understand."

On the other end of the phone, Tang Ran sighed. He knew the ins and outs of the situation. His brother's current state was indeed told to him by Tang Jinsong, whose intentions were clear. However, he didn't say anything and instead encouraged him: "Go ahead with your plans. If you need more money, I'll think of something."

"That's enough, 30,000 yuan is sufficient."

...

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