48 Hours a Day

Chapter 977: Negotiation

Old Man Heng and Zhang Heng met in a hot pot restaurant on the first level. Outside the restaurant was a huge Chaoshan Beef Ball signboard. However, the entrance was not that big. After entering the restaurant, Zhang Heng saw the stairs in front of him. To get to the hot pot restaurant, he had to go to the second floor.

As soon as Zhang Heng got out of the car, he saw a few men sneaking around the restaurant, posing as passers-by or small-time entrepreneurs. Without exception, they paid full attention to the movement outside the hotpot restaurant. Prior to what happened last time, these men had been sent by Mr. G to protect Old Man Geng.

Since the last time they separated, Zhang Heng and Old Man Geng had not seen each other for a while now. The latter was the middleman in this transaction, helping to build a bridge between buyer and seller. He knew every single detail about the deal. It was no wonder so many people targeted him. After being attacked by mobsters, Old Man Geng returned to pack everything he needed and moved to the first level. It was for the sake of his safety.

Zhang Heng ignored the people around him and walked up the stairs.

Old Man Geng and his supplier friends arrived early, and they had ordered a couple of dishes.

When Zhang Heng showed up, Old Man Geng immediately got up and waved at him. He then passed the menu to Zhang Heng.

“Check out the menu and see what you want to eat. You’re welcome. The bill is on me, included in the reward for protecting me earlier. ”

Unlike the previous meetings, Old Man Geng was obviously more enthusiastic this time. It was because he had already witnessed Zhang Heng’s combat skill. No matter what, it was always a good thing to be more polite towards a formidably powerful individual, let alone Zhang Heng saving Old Man Geng once.

“It’s fine. I’m fine with whatever you guys order,” Zhang Heng said. He pulled out the chair and sat down.

After that, Old Man Geng ordered another plate of beef and shrimp paste and returned the menu to the waiter.

While waiting for the dishes to be served, Zhang Heng raised his head and looked at the man next to Old Man Geng. Slightly younger than Geng, he looked like he was in his early forties. With a well-maintained figure, his muscular arms appeared to be a result of his job that required a lot of physical strength. The marks on his wrists also indicated that he often wore gloves. His small eyes gleamed with a vigilance, showing he did not trust Zhang Heng very much and that what he was doing now might not be legal.

“Let me introduce you to my friend over here,” Old Man Geng said, “This is my supplier and old friend. He’s provided me with more than half of the merchandise in the House of Old Things.

After I sell the item, we divide the profit fifty-fifty between us. Of course, you can directly buy whatever you want from him. He is…”

Old man Geng was interrupted by the man next to him before he finished speaking. He stretched out his hand and said, “Just call me a Gold Digger. This is how everyone calls me.”

Zhang Heng stretched out his hand and shook Gold Digger’s hand before introducing himself.

“I’m Zhang Heng.”

“Listen, Zhang Heng. You’ve been introduced to me by Old Man Geng, which is why I am willing to come here to meet you. But I also have my rules. It is better I make some things clear in advance. When you want to make a deal with me, don’t ask any questions. Whether it’s about where I got the items or if those things are related to me, you’d better not ask those questions. You pay the money, and I deliver the goods. That’s all fair and reasonable. If I find out you tell anyone about our transaction, I will terminate the deal immediately,” Gold Digger said.

Zhang Heng nodded.

“Sounds reasonable.”

“Very good.”

Gold Digger was very satisfied with Zhang Heng’s cooperation. And he lowered down his guard a little.

“That’s great,” Zhang Heng said calmly.

Old Man Geng, on the side, did not manage to interrupt them. His forehead was sweating profusely. Now, although he had repeatedly reminded Gold Digger to be polite to Zhang Heng before they got to the restaurant, the latter obviously had little intention to heed his advice. In fact, he was using his old tricks to deal with Zhang Heng. Judging from his expression, he felt that he was in control of the situation, and he was quite happy with it.

Old Man Geng had learned his lesson. He knew that Zhang Heng would never be someone easily controlled. The only reason why he behaved so politely was probably that Gold Digger had said nothing to arouse his interest.

Before Old Man Geng could even remind his old friend about it, their dishes were served.

Gold Digger started to consider himself host and asked Zhang Heng to enjoy the meal. Zhang Heng, on the other hand, continued behaving politely. The three of them quickly finished two plates of beef. Gold Digger was eating happily, and he started to unbutton his shirt. He then shouted at the waiter to lower the air-conditioning before finally, entering the topic that he wanted to discuss today. “Old Man Geng told me that you are collecting… Shellac records.”

“Yes.” Zhang Heng put the sweet potato chips into the pot. “Can you find them for me?”

“That’s is no easy task,” Gold Digger said. “I’m pretty sure Old Man Geng told you that shellac records are very rare, especially in a place like this. Although I can find them for you, you might need to pay a hefty price. However, since you are Old Man Geng’s friend, I won’t overcharge you. Just… four thousand credits for one.”

“One hundred.” Zhang Heng did not look at Gold Digger.

“What?!” Gold Digger thought there was something wrong with his ears.

“One hundred credits for one,” Zhang Heng insisted lightly.

Old Man Geng smiled bitterly on the other side. He remembered that when the two met for the first time, he initially wanted to sell the shellac records to Zhang Heng with the price of three thousand credits. Zhang Heng, however, counter-offered with one hundred credits for one record. Now, it seems that the latter was not against him. He behaved the same to everyone.

“Repeat it?” Gold Digger stared at Zhang Heng furiously.

“One hundred credits for one shellac record. And I want lots of them. So you’d better find me more.”

“Boy, are you messing with me? Didn’t you hear me say that the shellac record is a rare thing? I have to pay a great price to get them too!” Gold Digger slapped the chopsticks on the table as he roared.

“I heard what you said, but I don’t believe a word that comes out your mouth,” Zhang Heng said. He put down his chopsticks, “You are a worker at the fifth-level garbage disposal plant. I know that you have been secretly picking up some old things that might seem valuable from the garbage pile. After that, you will pass those things to Old Man Geng and ask him to help you to sell them.”

“Did you tell him about me!?” Gold Digger turned his head and looked at Old Man Geng angrily.

Seeing how angry Gold Digger had become, Old Man Geng shook his head quickly, “It’s not me. We have been friends for so many years. When did I ever betray you?”

“Then how did he know about me?” Gold Digger was still suspicious of Old Man Geng after listening to his explanation.

“Stop making wild guesses. Your attire exposes who you are. And to be honest, there are only so many ways for a person to acquire items like that. And those usually come from the fourth and fifth levels. Judging from the way you look, you look like someone that lives on the second level. It is impossible for you to contact upper-level buyers. Other than that, it is implausible the people from the fourth and fifth levels would sell those items for money. So the answer is self-evident,” Zhang Heng said.

“Although you changed to your casual clothes before you came, your all-year-round glove-wearing has left traces on your wrists. Even on a hot day, you have to wear waterproof boots. And you also suffer from a certain hip problem. From the beginning until now, I have seen you stretch your waist at least three times. Your strong arms show that you are not a white-collar office worker. Now, here comes the problem. You often wear gloves and boots. You need to bend over all the time, and you always manage to get your hands on the old stuff. I can’t think of any other places for this kind of work besides the garbage disposal plant. Other than that, the moment I sat down, you warned me not to ask any questions. That means you are not allowed to bring anything out of the garbage disposal plant; the rules and regulations of your workplace.”