Gu Benshu wanted to go and buy a computer with him, Guo Jingyu said, “Uncle, no rush. Let me take a look around first.”
Gu Benshu loved his nephew and immediately praised, “Taking a look around is also good, compare prices and check the market.”
“Big brother, handling important matters should take priority…”
“What important matters? Jingyu’s visit is the most important thing. You two can rest and have tea in the shop, I’ll take Jingyu out for a stroll.”Uncle Guo happily put down his work and called over a shop assistant to pour tea for them, then took Guo Jingyu outside.
Guo ‘s mother couldn’t say the words that were on the tip of her tongue and could only let them go.
Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou, two boys in their early teens, tall and handsome, accompanied by Gu Benshu , greeted several shop owners they knew and exchanged a few words. Uncle Guo felt especially proud and felt that he had a face.
The current computer city is not as large as the future digital plaza in the provincial capital, but you can already see the semblance of it.
The office building where Gu Benshu is located is bustling with people buying things. Upstairs is a Xinhua Bookstore, and downstairs is a variety of shops selling digital gadgets and appliances. It’s a mixed crowd. The computer component stores are mostly concentrated in the northwest corner, with a few larger ones that also offer repair services. Computer repair skills are in demand these days, and it’s a profitable craft.
Gu Benshu took him to a shop where he knew a friend who has been doing business in the computer city for a long time. The person’s last name is Wang, and he looks slightly thin and shrewd. After seeing Gu Benshu , he warmly greeted him, saying, “Brother Guo is here?”
Gu Benshu replied, “Yes, I brought my nephew here to get a computer. Do you have any good options here?”
“Yes, for personal use, right? Then I’ll put together a set for you. Since it’s for personal use and not for fancy stuff, as students, the main purpose is for studying, so let’s focus on affordability,” said Boss Wang as he wrote down a list and entered the details into a calculator.
Since Gu Benshu didn’t understand much about computers and had a phone call to attend to, he asked Guo Jingyu and the others to take a look themselves and inform Boss Wang if they had any specific requirements. Gu Benshu went to the entrance of the shop to answer the phone call.
Guo Jingyu looked at the bulky desktop computers. It had been years since he last saw screens like these. There was even a 14-inch screen among the two computers that were turned on. Even if they had the latest labels attached, they were all considered ancient artifacts in his eyes. It didn’t seem too surprising as he wandered around the store.
Boss Wanghad been observing their expressions all along. When he saw the two young boys enter, one remaining silent and the other casually chatting about computers, he realized they were quite familiar with computers. He handed them a few components, but Li Tongzhou declined and pointed to another one nearby, saying, “We want the AMD K6-P233 CPU.”
Boss Wangexchanged the component and smiled, saying, “Little Classmate, you understand computers too?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “We have a computer course at school.”
Boss Wang ‘s eyes lit up and he said, “Oh, that’s great! I was worried that someone without knowledge wouldn’t know what to choose. In that case, I can put together a higher-spec configuration for you. Even though it’s a custom-built machine, using high-quality components is much better than most branded ones!”
Guo Jingyu couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious about this sales pitch.
As Boss Wangspoke, he recalculated the pricing, saying, “Based on the components you mentioned, it’s definitely better than what I initially suggested, but the price will be a bit higher.” He quickly tapped on the calculator and showed the final price to Guo Jingyu, saying, “This is the lowest price I can offer. Take a look.”
Guo Jingyu knew that computers were expensive nowadays, but he never expected the price to be as high as 9888 yuan. He looked at the calculator and then at Boss Wang , asking, “This cost is quite high. May I ask how much you would sell it for to an ordinary person?”
Boss Wang , thick-skinned, pretended not to understand the implication behind his words and replied, “Usually, it would sell for just over 10,000 yuan.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xeb Alcuse mtemxifv jcv rjlv, “Tbe kbeiv bcis wjxf j qgbola bo jgbecv j tecvgfv sejc bc j rfa. Ktja’r tjgv-fjgcfv wbcfs obg sbe. P offi yjv ajxlcu jvnjcajuf bo sbe ilxf atlr.”
Ktflg yevufa kjr jgbecv 6,000 ab 7,000 sejc, rb atlr qglmf kjr ojg yfsbcv atflg wfjcr. Xeb Alcuse’r wbatfg fjgcfv j ilaaif bnfg 3,000 sejc qfg wbcat, ktlmt kjr mbcrlvfgfv j tlut rjijgs. Zfjcktlif, Xeb Alcuse’r ojatfg bcis fjgcfv jgbecv 800 sejc qfg wbcat, lcmievlcu njglber jiibkjcmfr jcv reyrlvlfr.
Boss Wangwanted to close the deal and continued persuading him, “Yes, it is a bit expensive. It’s mainly because your classmate chose all the top-notch components, so there’s no other way. How about we change the graphics card to the previous generation, which will save you 600 yuan? I’ll also throw in a keyboard and mouse as a gift. Guo Bo helped me a lot before, and since you’re his relative, I can’t let you lose out. I won’t make any profit from this deal. Let’s consider it a personal favor!”
Boss Wanghad the appearance of someone who was reluctantly selling at a loss, and he looked so genuine.
If Guo Jingyu didn’t know how deceptive the computer market could be these days, he might have actually believed him. This person was playing the role too well.
Li Tongzhou only knew about computer components, and he came from a well-off family, so he didn’t have much concept of money. He whispered to Guo Jingyu, “I saw some Sony headphones. Shall I buy a pair of red ones for you?”
Guo Jingyu replied, “No, thanks.”
Li Tongzhou’s gaze remained fixed on those red headphones.
They were flashy and adorned with flame patterns, something that most people wouldn’t find appealing. But they were just right for Guo Jingyu.
Gu Benshu finished his phone call and walked in, ready to pay. But Guo Jingyu stopped him and smiled, saying, “Uncle, I’ve just arrived. Let me take another look around! It’s a rare opportunity to be out like this.”
Boss Wangwasn’t willing to give up and said, “Brother Gu, I have the most comprehensive selection here, and you can trust that my prices are the lowest.”
Guo Jingyu smiled and said, “Uncle Wang, we just arrived. My classmate wants to go upstairs to buy some books. Let’s go take a look first and come back later.”
Aside from the shop entrance, Gu Benshu asked in a low voice, “What’s the matter? Didn’t find anything you liked? It’s fine, I know several other shops here. Let me show you more options.”
Guo Jingyu shook his head and said, “Uncle, this computer market is really ruthless. If he were only making a couple of hundred yuan from us, I wouldn’t bother, but this friend of yours is treating us like a fat sheep. He’s making at least two or three thousand yuan from this sale.”
Gu Benshu looked puzzled and asked, “Can you really make that much money selling computers?”
Guo Jingyu replied, “Don’t you believe me?”
Gu Benshu indeed had some doubts. He knew the profit margin for mobile phones, and he couldn’t imagine that computers would be much different. It seemed a bit mysterious to him that someone could make several thousand yuan from selling just one computer. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “There are a few newly opened computer shops in the building next door, and they do offer cheaper prices. However, if you go for the cheaper option, there’s always the risk of poor quality and the hassle of returning it for repairs. Besides, it’s summer vacation, and many students are coming to buy computers. After looking around, they would rather pay a bit more for peace of mind. Don’t worry about the money. If it’s not enough, Uncle will cover it for you. I heard you did well in your exams this time, so consider it a reward from your Uncle.”
Guo Jingyu didn’t answer directly but asked, “Uncle, did you say a lot of students are coming to buy computers recently?”
“Yes, that’s right. Three or four universities have recently relocated to the development zone. They’re planning to establish a university town. College students need computers for their classes, and since it’s summer vacation, many of them are buying computers. I heard that Old Wang’s shop has already sold nearly a dozen.”
Guo Jingyu rubbed his chin, and a bold idea popped into his mind.
Gu Benshu planned to take him to a few more shops, but Guo Jingyu said, “No rush, Uncle. You go ahead and take care of your business. I’ll wander around here for a while and come back later.”
“Are you serious?”
Guo Jingyu laughed and patted Li Tongzhou’s arm. “As for the two of us, no problem at all.”
Gu Benshu had always given the children a lot of freedom, believing that boys, in particular, should have the freedom to explore. He nodded and said, “Alright then, come back on your own later. If you need anything, give me a call.”
“Got it!”
As soon as Gu Benshu left, Guo Jingyu took Li Tongzhou out of the building and headed straight across the street.
Li Tongzhou asked, “Jingyu, if you don’t have enough money, I also brought…”
“No need, I’ll treat you,” Guo Jingyu interrupted.
Li Tongzhou didn’t understand. “What?”
“I’ll treat you to an internet cafe,” Guo Jingyu clarified.
The computer city is such a lively place, and there must be an internet cafe nearby. Sure enough, after walking a few steps, they saw one that was in operation. Currently, the regulations weren’t so strict yet, so after paying a 20 yuan deposit, the internet cafe owner turned a blind eye and let them go to the second floor.
Guo Jingyu sat down at a computer and quickly started searching online. There weren’t many people who understood computers, and there were too many inflated prices in the stores. In order to quickly compare prices, he had a trick up his sleeve – online shopping.
The prices in the computer city were not transparent, but with the rise of online shopping, he could quickly figure out the prices by comparing several stores.
Guo Jingyu opened the Taobao website. At first, he was a bit confused and took a while to realize that it was the official website, not some pirated site.
The Taobao website was just starting out, and the interface was far from the later polished version, giving off a strong imitation vibe. Guo Jingyu then applied for an email account and used it to register a Wangwang ID to chat with sellers.
Taobao Wangwang had only been developed for a little over a month this year, and there weren’t many users yet.
Guo Jingyu found several sellers of computer components and almost instantly received responses, “Dear friend! What are your requirements? Our store specializes in CPUs, memory, motherboards, hard drives, optical drives, graphics cards, monitors, and other hardware…”
Guo Jingyu didn’t know the specific names, so he leaned aside to make room for Li Tongzhou to write a list of components. He didn’t bother getting up and even pointed out to Li Tongzhou, “There’s no need for such high-end memory. 256 is enough. Anyway, this thing will become cheaper in the future. We can upgrade to a larger one later.”
Li Tongzhou followed his instructions and streamlined a few unnecessary items, then sent the list over.
The customer service on the other end replied enthusiastically, “Dear friend, please wait a moment. I will calculate the quote for you!”
Guo Jingyu didn’t waste any time either. He quickly searched on Jing Dong Mall or JD.com. At this point, JD.com was even more down and out, with only a few online stores displayed on the page, relying on enlarged artistic fonts to fill the space. However, the prices seemed quite reasonable.
Guo Jingyu navigated between the two, comparing the quote from the Taobao customer service with the prices on JD.com.
After receiving quotes from several online stores, it became apparent that there was a significant price difference.
However, none of them were as outrageous as Boss Wang’s 9888 yuan. The online stores offered prices around 6,000 to 7,000 yuan, which was acceptable, but there was still a considerable profit margin. Based on the top-notch configuration listed by Li Tongzhou and the online prices, there was room for negotiation.
Guo Jingyu typed and negotiated, “Dear, this price doesn’t seem quite right. I don’t feel your sincerity as a friend.”
The customer service representative also adjusted their tone and quickly closed the distance: “Then, dear, how much do you think is a reasonable price for this memory?”
“Let’s deduct 300 yuan.”
“Dear, that price is a bit difficult for us…”
“I’m a wholesaler. I’ll buy one unit first to test the performance. If it’s good, I’ll place a larger order.”
“Okay, dear!”
…
Li Tongzhou sat beside, witnessing Guo Jingyu negotiate down the computer that was initially quoted at 9,888 yuan by Boss Wang to a price of 5,800 yuan. Even the customer service representative on the other end seemed to have become good friends during the conversation.
Guo Jingyu quickly obtained the price list and rubbed his chin, saying, “This price is acceptable.”
Li Tongzhou said, “But this is a wholesale price. It might be difficult to get that price if we only buy one unit.”
Guo Jingyu smiled and said, “Who said I’m only buying one unit?”
Li Tongzhou was puzzled, looking at him with confusion.
***
The author has something to say:
Small Theater:
Customer service: Dear, are you still there?
Customer service: Dear, do you still want the computer?
Customer service: Dear??
TL: Hello everyone! I am K’s Oncidium, and will be continuing translating this novel ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ Hope you guys love this ⋆˙⟡♡
Thank you for the chapter and for picking up this novel
ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰
🥹 Thank you so much for picking up this novel! 💞