Next, accompanied by twenty to thirty young lads, they arrived at the closest Waste Recycling Station.
As soon as Li Zhongnan got out of the car, a deafening voice rang out: "Second Brother Li, heard you landed a big gig recently, made quite a bit of money. Are you here to treat your brothers to a meal today?"
The one speaking was He Dapao, the owner of the Waste Station in He Village. Li Family Village and He Village weren't far apart, and since they were both in the same industry, they knew each other well. As for Li Zhongnan's exploits of buying textbooks in bulk from several county towns, word had already spread among the local collection points.
Li Zhongnan chuckled and said, "Forget about the meal. He Dapao, I'm here today to do business with you."
He Dapao was intrigued and laughed, "Alright, this is good news! Everyone knows about your capabilities, Second Brother Li. It would be my good fortune to do business with you."
"Enough, stop it, don't talk too much."
Li Zhongnan was weary of his rambling, and said impatiently, "I want all the waste you have now."
Upon hearing this, He Dapao stopped laughing: "That won't do! Brother, we may be close, but there are rules to follow. I survive on Big Brother Gao's grace. You know, for over a decade, all my waste collections have always been sent to Gao family's place."
In Northrealm, the whole waste industry functioned like a pyramid; numerous purchase stations formed its base, but everything ultimately converged at one point.
Almost every big village had one or two purchase stations, and those pedaling around the streets with sacks on their bicycles, collecting waste, would sell their collections to these purchase stations. Small recycling stations sold to larger ones, and the larger stations ultimately sold to the Beaconfire Trade Corporation. Then, Beaconfire sold to factories outside the area.
In other words, the Beaconfire Trade Corporation controlled the entire county's waste trading market. The Gao family, whom He Dapao mentioned, was situated in the central area of Northern Town, where Li Family Village was located. Their Recycling Station enjoyed prime location advantage by a provincial highway junction with good traffic; the Gao brothers essentially monopolized the waste recycling business in the Northern Town.
Li Zhongnan thought for a moment and proposed, "How about this, whatever Old Gao gives you, I'll offer the same. Plus, I'll take care of the transportation. That way, you can save some effort and earn a little more money."
But He Dapao immediately refused, "Even if you offer more money, it won't work!"
Unfazed, Li Zhongnan tested the waters, "What if I offer 20% more?"
Upon hearing that, He Dapao was suspicious and asked, "In cash?" Even when selling to Beaconfire Trade, the price at most was only about 10% to 20% more than selling to the Gao family. Now he began to doubt whether Li was trying to pull off a con.
"Of course!"
Li Zhongnan nodded in agreement.
He Dapao boosted his spirits, "Alright, I'll sell all my waste to you. Brother Zhongnan, honestly, I admire you the most. You're a college graduate, you look handsome..."
Li Zhongnan was dumbstruck and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
When he used to collect waste, he sold it to the Gao brothers just like everyone else. Although they didn't have a formal contract, their business operated on trust; even if someone else in Li Family Village wanted to buy, he wouldn't sell.
But waste recycling was the foundation of his rise; he had no choice but to win He Dapao over. Seeing that he was firmly against selling, Li Zhongnan was ready to make a considerable sacrifice, even if it meant doubling the price. He even started considering using force if He Dapao remained unyielding, no matter the price.
Well, after offering a mere 20% more, He Dapao was practically ready to worship him.
Thinking about it, for Li Zhongnan with his system, as long as he had enough coins, there were countless ways to make money. At present, time was money; as long as he could quickly accumulate a large number of coins, it didn't matter if he paid a bit more on the cost. However, people like He Dapao were different; their initial profits were modest to begin with, and an increase in price by 20% was equivalent to doubling their revenue.
How many could resist such tantalizing temptation?
Money, who doesn't love it?
You have to admire it, money is great indeed. What about Old Gao? What about Beaconfire Trade? How can they compete with him? If offering a 20% increase doesn't work, he can increase it to 50%, or even double it...
After dealing with He Dapao, Li Zhongnan called for a large truck.
Sugarcane was abundant in Northrealm, and large trucks used for hauling sugarcane were everywhere. Now in summer, it wasn't the sugarcane harvesting season, and these trucks were mostly idle at home. Therefore, as long as you covered their gas and bought them a pack of cigarettes, the drivers were more than happy to comply.
Leaving a few young men to watch, Li Zhongnan headed straight to the next purchase station.
Before leaving, He Dapao eagerly asked if he would need more waste next time, to which Li Zhongnan casually responded. After all, He Dapao's station was a small one and gathered only about ten tons of waste a month.
Why collect waste? Of course, to get tokens to make money! Once Li Zhongnan had enough tokens, he had plenty of things to do and wouldn't have much time or energy left. For the time being, he planned to work hard to collect a good amount of waste, build up enough tokens and money, and then establish a large recycling station. By then, he wouldn't need to run around and would still have a stable source of waste.
Almost all owners of the purchase stations in the surrounding area reacted the same way as He Dapao. Initially, they were hesitant to sell but capitulated once the price was increased.
Of course, in terms of price, Li Zhongnan saved wherever he could. The highest increase over the original price was two tenths, while the lowest was merely half a tenth. After visiting over a dozen stations in a day, he managed to strike a deal at each one.
Where the waste should be transported to was a taxing matter. The amount was too large, and if it suddenly disappeared after being sold to the system, it would certainly draw attention. Thankfully, in the countryside, graves were abundant. Behind Li Family Village, there was a field of graves. The area was densely forested and desolate. Hardly anyone ever went there, day or night. Although access was difficult, it was bearable.
Of course, it was a public place, and although it might be unproblematic for a while, it wasn't a long-term solution.
Paper books, plastic sacks, scrap copper and iron...
Nearly sixty tons on eight large trucks.
The volume collected in one day was equivalent to several days' worth of textbook recycling. Naturally, the cost of textbooks was much lower, and this raised the cost considerably. Sixty tons of waste cost around 120,000 RMB, roughly one RMB per kilogram.
It was late at night when everything was sold, yielding over 400 tokens. The total tokens in the system reached over 1,800. The volume was more than half as much as last time, but the tokens obtained were just over a fifth. Textbook recycling definitely provided the highest value!
Li Zhongnan wondered if there were any other materials with a higher recycling value than textbooks, but he hadn't encountered any so far...
He did the math, obtaining a token now cost approximately 250 RMB. Li Zhongnan felt a pang of pain; it was over twice as much as last time.
That was understandable. University entrance exams were held once a year—a golden opportunity that could slip away. At least he was saving time this time around.
No matter how you look at it, one token could repair an Apple 6, which could be sold for about 4,000 RMB. Discarded phones cost just a few hundred RMB to purchase—if they were used, then no more than 1,000 to 2,000 RMB. Subtracting the token cost, it was still a lucrative business.
Originally, he had around 500,000 RMB. He spent tens of thousands on furniture, gave his family 100,000, and used 120,000 for the waste purchase, leaving about 250,000. That meant in about three or four days it would be exhausted.
As for the electronic city in the county, the money to be made selling mobile phones was basically used up in waste purchases, leaving only 18,000 to 20,000 RMB per day. The lack of capital was a significant issue. The phones in his possession needed to be sold urgently.