Chapter 71

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The area of "Viking Fighting" wasn't small, but the layout was simple. A boxing ring, a wrestling mat, and an octagon cage were lined up in the center as the main facilities.

The octagon cage was a bit crude; it looked like it had been built with hemp rope, adding a touch of humor.

There were about ten people inside in total, most of them teenagers—the kind of kids around thirteen or fourteen.

Unlike the atmosphere in movies where tough guys are everywhere and the lighting is as dark as Batman's lair, in reality, the main way such places make money is by selling classes.

And compared to adults, teenagers are obviously easier to fool—or rather, their parents are easier to fool. With their thin arms and legs, they get brought in to grunt and groan for a bit, just to earn some tuition fees.

And Fan Junwei was being beaten by a boy of fifteen or sixteen who was much shorter and thinner than him.

His massive body was wearing protective gear, and he was holding a... sponge pad with one hand—Zhai Da really didn't know what this thing was called. The boy was using both hands and feet, kicking and punching. He didn't know how powerful the hits were, but the "bang-bang" sounds still made Fan Junwei look quite miserable.

Zhai Da stood still, stunned, but someone soon came over to strike up a conversation: "Hello, looking to learn boxing?"

"Um... just looking for now."

"Shall I show you around?"

Zhai Da pointed at Fan Junwei: "What is he practicing?"

"Mixed martial arts... it requires a certain foundation."

As he was speaking, the teenager suddenly delivered a front kick. Whether it was unplanned or not, Fan Junwei was caught off guard and kicked in the hip bone. A pained expression appeared on his fat face, and he stumbled back a few steps.

Zhai Da’s brow was already furrowed, but the staff member on the side was still introducing: "We have professional coaches and sparring partners. Many of our coaches have won gold belts in the city..."

Zhai Da sneered... A gold belt in Qian City... let alone gold content, it didn't even have iron content.

"Is that big guy a sparring partner? Are you sure he's a professional sparring partner?"

The other person replied immediately: "Of course, that's our gold-medal sparring partner. Look at this physique, he was born for this job."

He also seemed a bit distracted as he spoke: "Look at his arm span and bone structure... this talent... even I'm envious."

Fan Junwei’s work didn't seem to be over yet. Zhai Da stared for a while.

Then, following his original plan, he said: "I came here to experience fighting. Can you arrange for someone to... spar with me?"

The man, whether a salesman or a coach, looked quite sturdy. He gave a dry laugh with his square face:

"I'm afraid that's against the rules. We can't arrange for beginners to go directly into the ring. It's too dangerous."

"I couldn't agree more, so you can hit a bit lighter."

"It has nothing to do with how hard you hit; this is a matter of principle."

Zhai Da snapped his fingers, and a hundred-yuan bill appeared at his fingertips.

"I'll pay 100 yuan. Just let me try for a few minutes."

The offer wasn't high, but cash had more impact.

The other person looked left and right. No one was paying attention here, and the boss wasn't in...

He snatched the bill:

"In principle, there's no problem. I'll go get you some gloves."

In 2008, 100 yuan was a decent amount; their tuition for a class was only 900...

Twenty minutes later, Fan Junwei finished his sparring work and walked off the ring, limping.

Getting kicked while caught off guard was unpleasant for anyone, and his hip bone still hurt.

Then he saw Zhai Da, who was also limping.

Zhai Da was walking with a hiss and a gasp. Seeing Fan Junwei in the same state as him, he gave a bitter laugh:

"Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal."

Fan Junwei was confused: "Why are you here? No... what's wrong with your leg?"

Zhai Da gave a dry laugh: "Tried a roundhouse kick, pulled my hip."

Behind the two, the salesman looked speechless.

I hit very gently... but I can't help it if you hurt yourself!

——————

Opposite Viking Fighting, in a small Sichuan-style stir-fry place.

The floor was covered in grease, the boss was sleazy, the two waiters were one fat and one ugly, and the signature dish was dry-pot bullfrog.

Zhai Da casually ordered a few hearty dishes: dry-pot bullfrog, boiled fish, Dongpo pork knuckle, and pig's trotter soup. Then he asked for a whole basin of rice to be placed on the side and ordered a large bottle of cola.

He knew Fan Junwei had a huge appetite—the nickname "Meat Mountain" wasn't just for show. He was afraid he wouldn't even be full himself if he ordered too little.

For Zhai Da, who had over ten thousand in savings and would continue to have income, this was just an ordinary meal. The small restaurant's prices were cheap; four hearty dishes only cost seventy or eighty yuan.

But for Fan Junwei, letting Zhai Da spend so much money made him feel very embarrassed, even a bit flustered.

Some people are shamelessly poor, while others are as thin-skinned as paper when poor.

"Zhai Da... you ordered too much, let's return two."

"It's not much. Eat your fill, we'll add more if it's not enough."

While pouring cola, Zhai Da checked the mission progress. Currently, the special effect "Burst" of the [Bookworm's Eyeglass Cloth] was at (1/10).

In other words, the system acknowledged that he had... well, lost in a hand-to-hand duel.

It was simpler than he imagined. The system didn't go crazy and make him fight a real boxing match; it just pulled his hip, which hurt a bit.

It's a pity; if he hadn't been injured, he might have been able to max out the progress today.

Zhai Da handed the plastic cup filled with cola to Fan Junwei: "You said you were looking for a part-time job, and you found this?"

Fan Junwei pursed his lips. Instead of drinking, he chose to answer first: "The pay here is high, and they can accommodate my scattered schedule. I have classes during the day, and if I come here during evening self-study, it's just their peak course time, plus weekends like today..."

"In other places, for someone with my scattered schedule, they pay very little."

Zhai Da rested his cheek on one hand and tilted his head: "High pay? How high?"

"15 an hour."

Zhai Da cursed: "Damn, the gym took a cut, right! 15 an hour for a job where you get beaten up? Might as well go to a construction site and move bricks!"

Fan Junwei shook his head: "No... I asked around. A construction site pays 50 a day and provides one meal. After all, I don't know how to do anything, so it's not higher than being a sparring partner. Besides, they don't want people like me who only come after school; they've already finished work by then."

His fat face smiled, full of satisfaction: "It's already not bad. My grandma's salary, calculated out, is only four yuan and something an hour... 700 a month."

Of course, sanitation workers had social security and some humanitarian benefits during holidays. On weekdays, they could pick up some scrap, so the overall level was slightly higher than the paper figures.

But supporting two living people, one of whom was a high school student with a huge appetite, was still difficult. And the work intensity for sanitation workers wasn't low, and the working hours were long; in reality, the hourly wage wasn't even four yuan...

It was no wonder Fan Junwei was in such a hurry to work and earn money.

At this moment, the fat waitress brought the dishes over. Each hearty dish emitted an alluring aroma, and Fan Junwei couldn't take his eyes off them.

He was truly hungry.

When the fat waitress turned around, that sleazy boss actually touched her, and Zhai Da’s expression was priceless.

You really are hungry too, damn it...

"Eat, eat, eat. Let's chat while we eat."

During the meal, Fan Junwei was clearly still restrained. He picked out the green peppers from the dry-pot bullfrog and scooped the ginger paste from the Dongpo pork knuckle to mix with his rice. Finally, Zhai Da couldn't watch anymore and dumped his rice directly into the Dongpo pork knuckle tray.

Then he pushed the whole tray to him.

As Fan Junwei ate, he started sniffing, his head buried, and he didn't lift it for a long time.

Zhai Da didn't call him out on it and just ate on his own. You have to say, the bullfrog was actually quite good.

Was it because the boss looked like a bullfrog?

After Fan Junwei had been at it for a while and returned to normal, Zhai Da started chatting with him:

"I'm curious about something. Does Dongyang County have those second-hand recycling stations? The kind where all sorts of junk is piled together."

He had tried to find one a long time ago. Someone pointed him to a place, but when he went there, he found only mountains of paper boxes.

Later, he grabbed someone who was collecting second-hand appliances and asked, only to learn that after they collected things, they basically sent them immediately to other places to factories with recycling, processing, and dismantling capabilities.

In earlier years, people would collect all sorts of things like cabinets and chairs, but now it was all TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, VCDs...

Simply put, only things that could be plugged in had value. No one wanted things that couldn't be plugged in, and there was no such thing as "piling up." Every two days, factory people would come around to collect the things from these "downstream" collectors.

Zhai Da had some interest in these so-called factories, but he didn't have the time to go far for now. It was said that the distribution center was in the suburbs of Qian City.

But this didn't seem very reasonable. Dongyang County must have non-electronic waste, and someone must be collecting it. Fan Junwei’s grandma was a cleaner, so she might know something.

"What kind of second-hand recycling station? Each station has a different function. Some only collect iron, some only collect paper boxes and plastic."

It seemed the other party really knew something.

"I want the kind that has complete, intact old items... I have a collection habit for old things."

He added a persona for himself.

He was just asking casually, but he didn't expect Fan Junwei to have a precise answer.

"There's a courtyard behind our dormitory that's piled full of all kinds of old things..."