Chapter 5

After bidding farewell to Manager Zhang, Hao Meng left the second-hand market. His pockets bulged again, and when he added up the cash, it amounted to 96,000 yuan, almost 100,000 yuan in just two days!

"Restoring collectibles really pays off!" Hao Meng muttered to himself. Most of the money in his bag came from the four connected monkey stamps, the rest from the batch of old appliances from Dong Yun, which earned him over 30,000 yuan. The seven air conditioners he bought from Zhang Lao San only netted him a few thousand yuan, less than 10,000 yuan, and he had to work hard for it!

It's true, the human heart can never be satisfied. Without the 'Recycling System,' he used to earn only about 4,000 to 5,000 yuan a month, and that was when he got some decent items. Now, with just a bit of talking, he earned nearly 10,000 yuan in less than half a day, and he still thought it was too little.

Dealing in second-hand goods does bring in money quickly, but the profit isn't always high. When he bought old appliances from Zhang Lao San and restored them to sell in the second-hand market, Zhang Lao San and the market each took a cut, leaving him with only a small portion of the profit.

Rent a shop?

The idea suddenly popped into Hao Meng's mind.

Yes, rent a shop, and be his own boss!

Hao Meng remembered that he had seen a shop for rent in a nearby neighborhood yesterday. The street wasn't very busy, but there were several residential areas nearby. Since his business was just starting, he didn't need a prominent location. He could start small and gradually build up.

He pedaled his old tricycle to the neighborhood he had visited yesterday.

This street was called Chaoyang Road, not a main thoroughfare. Most of the people passing by were residents of the nearby neighborhoods. There weren't many vehicles around most of the time.

Hao Meng called the number left on the security door advertisement.

"Who are you looking for?" The voice on the other end belonged to an old man, who sounded quite elderly.

"Hello, I'm calling about the shop for rent on Chaoyang Road. Is it yours?" Hao Meng asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, you want to rent the shop?" The old man's tone immediately improved upon hearing that.

"That's right. I'm outside the shop right now. I'd like to take a look inside. Could you come over?" Hao Meng was a bit impatient and wanted to finalize the deal today to avoid any unforeseen issues!

"Sure, wait a moment. I live in the nearby neighborhood, I'll be there soon!" The landlord hung up the phone.

Hao Meng sat on his tricycle, waiting for the landlord while observing the street. It wasn't very long, about 500 to 600 meters, with mostly shops, small restaurants, and clothing stores on both sides, mainly selling daily necessities, food, and clothing.

After about ten minutes, an old man in his sixties, riding an electric scooter, came from the east and stopped in front of the shop. He looked at Hao Meng and asked, "Young man, were you the one who called?"

"Yes, it was me!" Hao Meng smiled and walked over.

"You don't look very old. What do you want to use the shop for?" The old man chuckled and opened the security door.

Hao Meng smiled and casually said he hadn't decided yet, just to avoid the question. He went inside and found the shop to be quite spacious, with two floors, each over 100 square meters. The second floor even had a small bedroom where he could live.

"Sir, does the shop have water, electricity, and heating?" Hao Meng asked.

"Everything is there. As you can see, the walls have just been repainted, it's very clean. The house belongs to my son, who just vacated it. The rent is 45,000 yuan per year for both floors, and it's not available for single-floor rental," the old man chuckled.

"45,000 yuan is a bit steep. Could 40,000 yuan a year work? If so, I can sign the contract and pay the rent today!" Hao Meng smiled.

The old man hesitated for a moment, saying he needed to ask his son. He took out his phone and stepped aside to make the call. Hao Meng wasn't in a hurry and looked around the shop again.

"My son will be back soon. You can talk to him directly," the old man said after hanging up.

While waiting for his son, Hao Meng chatted with the old man and learned that his last name was Liu, and his son worked at the Tax Bureau and lived in a nearby neighborhood.

"You can call me Xiao Meng. Renting the shop for 40,000 yuan isn't out of the question, but could I ask what you plan to do with it?" Liu's son asked, looking at Hao Meng when he arrived.

"I deal in second-hand appliances and electronics, buying and selling. In short, I sell second-hand items like air conditioners, refrigerators, computers, and phones," Hao Meng smiled.

"As long as it's not a restaurant or a snack shop, it's fine!" The landlord smiled, took out the contract, and signed it with Hao Meng on the spot. Hao Meng paid 40,000 yuan in rent, and the shop was now his for the next year.

The next morning, Hao Meng rushed to the shop.

He hired someone to make a sign and do some simple renovations. Even though he was dealing in second-hand items, he didn't want the shop to look too shabby. After all, most of the items he would sell would be nearly new, almost indistinguishable from new ones.

"Hello, is this Hao Meng?"

It was almost noon when Hao Meng received a call. There were several workers in the shop, and he planned to open for business in a few days.

"Yes, it's me! Who is this?" Hao Meng recognized the voice but couldn't immediately place it.

"It's Yang Xiaoshuang. I sold you the iPhone 5S yesterday. Do you have time now? My classmate needs money urgently and wants to sell a laptop!" Yang Xiaoshuang said with a playful smile.

"Laptop? Do you have the purchase receipt and invoice?" Hao Meng asked.

Second-hand items are different from scrap. A broken item is just junk, but second-hand electronics like computers and phones could be stolen goods, so he needed proof!

"Yes, I do!"

"I mainly deal in scrap electronics, but I also buy computers and phones. However, the price won't be high," Hao Meng said bluntly. In business, he wasn't a philanthropist and wouldn't do a deal without profit.

"Got it, you're so picky. It's a last year's model, not too outdated. I have the invoice and receipt, but it fell once, and the bottom shell is cracked, though it doesn't affect the use. How much can you offer?" Yang Xiaoshuang rolled her eyes and looked at her friend.

"4,800 yuan," Hao Meng knew the retail price of that model was over 17,800 yuan.

"A bit low, isn't it?"

"If someone offers more, you can sell it to them. I'm quite busy right now. Is there anything else?" Hao Meng smiled wryly. Honestly, the price he offered wasn't low. The laptop had a problem and was almost a year old. How much more did she expect?

Yang Xiaoshuang took the phone away from her mouth and asked her friend, "Xiao Feng, do you think 4,800 yuan is okay?"

"Sure!" The girl named Xiao Feng was quite happy. In fact, she had bought a new laptop after the old one was damaged and had almost forgotten about it until Yang Xiaoshuang mentioned that broken electronics could be sold for money.

"OK, deal. Where can we find you?"

Hao Meng smiled wryly and said, "Chaoyang Road, Xiao Meng's Second-Hand Appliance and Electronics Supermarket."