Chapter 59: Acquiring a Motorcycle

Several old ladies glanced at each other, all dirty-faced, and withdrew.

Damn, they still want to set me up; I'm here to gather seafood—finding a woman would only slow me down.

"Auntie, that fair-skinned, beautiful-legged girl whose legs are longer than her life—I can handle that," Xiao Hu said, face full of envy, as he moved closer.

Boss Qian pursed his lips, gave Ye Cheng a covert thumbs-up, and said, "Brother, you can even rhyme now."

"Hurry up and pay; worst case, I'll take some anti-rhyme medicine next time."

Boss Qian opened his big wallet, counted out thirteen thousand from it, with over four hundred more being money for the water tank.

After receiving the money, Ye Cheng gave Xiao Hu three thousand, gave Zhang Guafu one hundred, and kept nine thousand nine hundred for himself.

He counted his savings and found he had thirteen thousand.

Life is about to take off.

Now that he had money, he certainly wanted to spend it—hoarding cash wasn't Ye Cheng's style. He had Xiao Hu take the water tank back, hitched a ride with Boss Qian to town, and planned a big shopping spree.

In the car, Boss Qian handed Ye Cheng a Hua Zi cigarette, glanced at him, and almost spoke.

They're both old-timers; Ye Cheng wasn't clueless about his meaning. After taking a puff, he calmly said, "Boss Qian, just say what you have to say."

Boss Qian gave a dry laugh: "It's nothing, just small talk. Did you notice, Brother, that when you just took out over ten thousand, the villagers' eyes lit up?"

Ye Cheng's expression tightened; he instantly understood Boss Qian's meaning, frowned slightly, and said, "It shouldn't come to that—I even warned them before."

"Brother, human hearts are the hardest to read. I, as an elder who's been through it, hope you do well when luck is against you, but once you prosper—heh."

Ye Cheng's heart jolted—indeed, that's true. Back when he worked at a big factory as an ordinary employee, he got along well with colleagues, and everyone spoke highly of him.

But after he became a mid-level manager, rumors started circulating, the most outrageous being that he'd gotten his position by sleeping his way up.

"Damn it, I'm a man—how could I have gotten ahead by sleeping my way up? You actually thought of that?"

Moreover, the colleagues who once got along well with him, while superficially offering respectful flattery, had behind his back not spared any criticism.

Now Baiyun Village is just like that—I, a village loafer, am despised by everyone.

"Suddenly one day, heh heh, those who worked hard didn't get rich, but a village loafer did."

"Now wanting everyone to feel psychologically balanced is impossible."

Nevertheless, Ye Cheng still had some confidence, after all he'd previously warned everyone about the storm and even lent money to Duan Yong's family.

"Spending a thousand gold to buy a bone'—that's precisely to prevent this."

He smiled faintly: "Alright, thanks for the tip, Boss Qian—I'll remember it."

Boss Qian saw he understood, didn't add more—after all, they were merely partners, not yet close friends.

After chatting in the car for a while, they arrived in town, and Ye Cheng went straight to the Lifan store.

"Brother, are you planning to buy a motorcycle?" Boss Qian asked.

"Yeah, every time I go to town I have to hitch a ride with others—it's inconvenient."

"Then you might as well just buy a small van—it's not expensive either."

Ye Cheng shook his head: "I don't have enough money now; I still have a lot to do. I'll buy a motorcycle first, and upgrade later when I have more funds."

To be honest, Ye Cheng wanted a car, but vehicles really aren't cheap nowadays—starting at seventy to eighty thousand, saving enough would take quite a while.

For now, he'll buy a motorcycle; later, when he upgrades to a car, he'll give it to his older brother or Xiao Hu.

Having seen Lifan motorcycles before, Ye Cheng bought the cheapest model at 3,600 yuan and added a rear rack for cargo.

All told, it came to 4,000 yuan—though the earnings took a small hit, the little motorcycle's roar, that powerful vibe, feels great.

After buying the bike, Ye Cheng no longer needed to take motorcycle taxis; he simply rode his own motorcycle and began cruising around.

First he went to the electronics city, also called the electronics megastore, which had all kinds of home appliances.

There were hardly any appliances at home; as a modern person, he wasn't used to it.

He bought two electric water heaters first; although the local climate is warm, Ye Cheng still liked hot showers—a personal preference.

His older brother Ye Guowei also needed to wash up each day, so Ye Cheng bought him one as well.

Haier brand, each 1,200 yuan, totaling 2,400 yuan.

Then Ye Cheng bought a Galanz microwave oven—a futuristic black‑tech product perfect for a bachelor like him, handy for heating meals, and only a few hundred yuan.

The only downside is that air fryers aren't popular yet; otherwise Ye Cheng would definitely have bought one.

Seeing a big customer, the sales clerk was enthusiastic: "Boss, we also have the latest induction cooker—want one?"

"Ha, with an induction cooker? Let me have a look."

"That's a surprise—I thought induction cookers weren't around yet in this era, but even Donghai Shi has them."

"Come on, I definitely need one," Ye Cheng said excitedly.

With an induction cooker, he could have hot pot—this was life's greatest pleasure.

Haier water heater, Galanz microwave, Midea induction cooker.

Ye Cheng felt he was living large—back in the future, even giving a dog an apple wouldn't feel as good as this.

Of course, he didn't skimp on spending: two water heaters plus a microwave and an induction cooker cost Ye Cheng 3,000 yuan in total.

Adding the motorcycle's 4,000 yuan, he'd spent 7,000 yuan all at once, leaving him with 6,000 yuan in net worth.

Ye Guowei would surely feel a pang of regret if he found out.

The water heaters were too big, so they had to be delivered by the mall, with extra shipping fees.

The induction cooker and microwave, however, Ye Cheng could strap onto his motorcycle and bring home himself.

Just stepping out of the electronics megastore, Ye Cheng instantly saw a familiar vehicle parked across the way.

That was Li Yong's minivan—had this guy also come to town?

Ye Cheng had meant to say hello, but Li Yong seemed occupied and drove off directly.

There wasn't really anything urgent, and Ye Cheng didn't call out to him; he just went about his own business.

This trip to town, besides buying the vehicle and appliances, Ye Cheng also planned to pick up some small items and some vegetables to bring back.

In the town, vegetables are scarce, but seafood is plentiful; however, many things are not for sale.

The vegetable market today is still that relatively old-style market; stepping inside it feels damp and soggy, and aside from the meat sellers who have their own dedicated high-end concrete platforms, everyone else simply puts a basket on the ground, emphasizing affordability.

Carnivorous animals, upon entering, first head for the meat.

As for pork, there is some for sale at Matou, but beef is relatively scarce; as for mutton, Ye Cheng thinks he'd better skip it.

Not being from the north, mutton is generally not prepared well; moreover, Ye Cheng has always believed that mutton must be from the north to be tasty, and southern mutton is a bit hard to get used to.