Chapter 407: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 407: This Kid Will Definitely Have Boundless Prospects in the Future

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Lin Xiao followed the scrap yard boss all the way; although he felt some fear in his heart, he still carried out Wang Xiaohua's instructions — whenever he saw the scrap yard boss go to collect other students' waste books, he would step up and tell everyone the boss was shortchanging them, and by the way publicize that he himself also collected waste books.

Seeing Lin Xiao operate like this, the scrap yard boss was truly furious, he even had the urge to hit someone.

But in the end he still held back and dared not lay a hand.

Hitting someone in school — the consequences would be extremely serious.

"You stinking brat, do you have to mess with me like this!"

The scrap yard boss could endure no longer and finally lashed out at Lin Xiao in anger.

Lin Xiao pushed up his glasses, wearing a look of trembling fear.

In a slightly stammering tone he said:

"Bo... Boss, sorry, you pulled a fast one on us first — we collected so many books for you, yet you went back on your word and refused to buy at the previously agreed price; since you played dirty, we can only repay you in your own coin. I advise you to hurry up and leave the school..."

The scrap yard boss was amused into laughter by Lin Xiao:

"Fine, fine, fine, you few stinking brats, you've really pushed things to the absolute limit, huh? Then all the Senior Year Three waste books — every last one — go ahead and collect them! I'd like to see whether you can swallow a volume that big; don't say I didn't warn you — careful you don't choke to death!"

In his heart the scrap yard boss thought: they've collected that many waste books, but with no channel to sell them, won't they eventually have to come begging him to buy?

When that time comes, he'll press the price again and still make a huge profit!

The reason he was so confident was because near No. 1 High School, he was the only scrap yard.

He felt these students had little social experience and would definitely be unable to find any other sales channel.

Yet he never expected that Wang Xiaohua had long since found another channel, and the price that channel could offer was much higher than what he gave!

Lin Xiao watched the scrap yard boss drive his tricycle out the school gate; now he could finally go back and give Wang Xiaohua an account of the matter.

So he let out a breath of relief, then hurriedly jogged back to find Wang Xiaohua and Li Jianjia.

"Lin Xiao, beautifully done!"

Learning that Lin Xiao had already driven the scrap yard boss away, Wang Xiaohua laughed and praised him.

Lin Xiao chuckled, yet he couldn't quite feel happy.

Having grown up in a moderately well-off family, he had never experienced stark poverty or the cruelty of society, so his heart was very kind; in truth he wasn't really willing to drive the scrap yard boss out of the school.

He had been too well protected by his family, so he lacked the almost fang-baring sharp edge that Wang Xiaohua had.

Wang Xiaohua had struggled in poverty from childhood on, and besides studying he had to contend with his unreasonable father; all the things around him had long since tempered his will.

That was why he acted so decisively, and why he keenly understood the cruelty of social competition.

Driving away the scrap yard boss and monopolizing the school's waste-book recycling market — to him this was merely normal competitive behavior.

Even if the scrap yard boss had no short-weight problem, he would still have done it.

Competition is cruel, just like the college entrance exam: Tsinghua and Peking University admit only a fixed number of students each year; if you want to get in, besides pushing your own score as high as possible, you also have to pray heaven makes others score a little lower.

Collecting scrap is the same — waste books are limited; if you want to buy more, besides offering a better price you must also knock down all your competitors.

The three continued going class by class to purchase waste books.

In a blink it was past four in the afternoon.

The waste books they had purchased piled up on the empty ground below the Senior Year Three teaching building, covering an area half the size of a basketball court.

The Senior Year Three Academic Affairs Director saw so many books stacked below the teaching building, felt it looked bad, and prepared to come over and ask what was going on.

Upon inquiring, he discovered it was a few students from the Special Elite Class doing the waste-book purchasing business, and one of them was Wang Xiaohua; so he didn't say anything further.

He only told Wang Xiaohua and the others to hurry up and haul all these waste books away today.

One can only say the school's preferential treatment of Special Elite Class students is not limited to the tilt of educational resources — it extends to every aspect.

If it were students from another class piling a huge mess of waste books under the teaching building, the Academic Affairs Director would have scolded them to death.

"Okay, okay, Teacher, we've already called people to come; in a moment they'll haul all these books away!"

Wang Xiaohua hurriedly replied.

"You kid are something — buried your head in books before graduation, and on the very first day after the college entrance exam you've turned into a different person, even started doing business!"

The Academic Affairs Director joked with Wang Xiaohua, laughing.

Wang Xiaohua laughed embarrassedly:

"Just earning a bit of pocket money, no choice — family's poor, earn whatever we can."

The Academic Affairs Director looked at Lin Xiao and Li Jianjia:

"Your families aren't poor, so why come do this hard labor?"

Lin Xiao grinned foolishly:

"Xiaohua said do it, so I followed along; I'm his deskmate."

Li Jianjia, for her part, said:

"I wasn't thinking of making money, just purely accumulating some business experience."

The Academic Affairs Director kindly reminded them:

"You've collected this many waste books all at once; if the scrap yard boss suddenly presses the price on you, you'll be in a terrible fix — after all, you're still too young, doing things without measure."

Wang Xiaohua then said:

"Teacher, the scrap yard boss we found earlier did indeed press our price, but we didn't compromise; we found another channel, and that person was introduced by my Uncle Chunsheng — we agreed on eighty cents per catty, he shouldn't press our price again."

The Academic Affairs Director nodded:

"That's good then; I was just afraid you'd get bullied."

Then, still not reassured, he took the initiative to say:

"How about I wait here with you for the scrap collector to come? With me by your side, he definitely won't dare cause trouble."

"Thank you so much, Teacher!" Wang Xiaohua hurriedly thanked him.

Having the Academic Affairs Director watching on the side counted as an extra layer of insurance.

Wang Xiaohua would not refuse the Academic Affairs Director's help just for the sake of face; he valued practicality more than self-esteem.

Just then, Lin Xiao's mobile phone rang.

It was Zou Laoban calling.

"The scrap collector called me!"

Lin Xiao hurriedly answered the phone.

"Hello!"

"Hello, I'm the scrap collector introduced by General Manager Niu. My surname is Zou, and I've driven to the school gate of No. 1 High School."

"Please wait, we'll come pick you up right away. In a moment, drive your car into the school; there are too many books here, it's not easy to carry them out!"

"Okay, no problem!"

Lin Xiao hung up the phone and said to Wang Xiaohua and Li Jianjia:

"The scrap collector is here. I'll go bring him in."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to run to the school gate.

But Wang Xiaohua pulled him back and said:

"Let me go instead. You just stay here and watch. After all, that boss is coming to collect our waste books out of respect for Uncle Chunsheng's face. If I don't personally go pick him up, it wouldn't be sincere enough."

The Academic Affairs Director on the side, seeing that Wang Xiaohua had actually considered things so thoroughly, couldn't help but look at Wang Xiaohua with new respect.

He had originally thought that this short person who took first place in the school-wide exam this time was just a bookworm.

Unexpectedly, his mind was so agile, and he did things so thoroughly.

This kid, don't look at how small and ugly he is; I reckon his future is boundless."

The Academic Affairs Director sighed inwardly, and a smile of appreciation appeared on his face.