In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 638 Solving the Problem of Fuel Theft at Gas Stations

When the two returned, they still took the winding mountain road with great care. In order to avoid any accidents, before leaving, Yu Dawei not only tied snow chains to all four wheels, but also bought some emergency tools and food, such as a short-handled shovel, a tow rope, a gasoline torch, and a small can of 20 liters of gasoline.

In addition, I bought some high-calorie food and put it in the trunk, so that if we encounter a situation where the road ahead is blocked and the road behind is cut off, at least a few people will not starve to death.

Despite being well-prepared, the two brothers still dared not let their guard down on the winding mountain road, because on the way back, they would be driving on the right side of the road, which is closer to the edge of the cliff.

When there are no cars around, it's fine, but if there is an oncoming car, the two of them don't even dare to move. They can only stop in place on the right side and wait for the other car to pass.

Moreover, the two of them did not initially head towards the Greater Khingan Mountains, but instead went straight from the Black Mountain Range towards Tarqi.

Fortunately, although the car was moving slowly, the two of them managed to reach their destination and successfully pick up the elderly couple.

However, both of them felt a little sad when they saw the dilapidated town that looked like a village.

The only way out of this mountain valley is the same road they came by. Few people leave the village on weekdays, and no one knows why Yu Zhanshuang married into this area.

On the way back, Yu Dawei could hear his cousin complaining about his sister Yu Zhanshuang while driving. It wasn't anything else, just that he felt sorry for the suffering Yu Zhanshuang had endured.

He was simply stuck with his wife, like a chicken following its rooster or a dog following its rooster, and aside from complaining a bit, there was nothing he could do.

The latter part of the journey through the Black Mountain Range was relatively safer. Yu Dawei drove all the way to the oil city and took Dafu, his aunt, and his uncle to Dafu's home.

He took a sip of water, chatted with a few people for a bit, and then left.

It wasn't that he was going back to the village; he also needed to take care of his two businesses in the oil city: a gas station and Dawei Repair Shop.

"Dad, I feel like Grandpa has aged a lot, and so has Grandma. They both have gray hair." Yu Muyu asked while eating chocolate in the car.

"Everyone gets old eventually. Your great-grandfather doesn't even have a cane without him anymore. How about we visit your great-grandfather and great-grandmother more often when we have time?"

"Mmm, okay! My great-grandfather is so good to me. When we were in the village, he would give me treats whenever we met on the street. Once he even gave me a big peach, hehe, it was so sweet." Xiao Muyu's memory must have come from his grandmother; he remembers even the smallest things clearly.

Did you thank Grandpa?

"Thanks! Grandpa even praised me for being sensible."

Yu Dawei nodded silently. In his father's generation, if you really wanted to say who was the most sexist, his aunt and uncle would definitely be at the top of the list.

The fact that someone could have ten daughters in order to have a son shows just how serious the preference for sons over daughters is.

Thinking back to the care and love he received from his grandfather when he was a child, Yu Da felt a warmth in his heart. However, some of these selfless people who were good to him have passed away, and some have grown old.

All he can do is cherish it.

Lost in thought, I drove to the gas station.

To Yu Dawei's surprise, his third uncle, Hou Wanshan, was also at the gas station. After inquiring, he learned that since it was almost the end of the year and he didn't need to worry too much about the company, he had come to visit Li Liu and pick up some things.

Then, after hearing that his older sister had returned to the oil city, he didn't know if he wanted to go see her or something else, so he chatted with her briefly and then left, saying he was going to Dafu's house.

Yu Dawei didn't bother asking too many questions. He glanced at the accounts and briefly inquired about the recent business situation and the subsequent disruptions caused by other thugs.

Because the repair shop next door has monkeys working shifts, and those people basically don't dare to move after checking at night, and there are quite a few cars coming and going to refuel at the gas station during the day, Li Liu isn't too worried.

"President Hou also knew that this place was being watched, so he often came to check on things, and even secretly sent people to arrest people." Li Liu poured Yu Dawei a glass of water and carefully placed it on the coffee table in front of Yu Dawei's sofa.

After finishing, she stood quietly to the side, keeping Yu Dawei company.

"Have they caught them?" Yu Dawei put down the ledger. He saw that Accountant Yang had already finished reviewing the accounts for the quarter, so he didn't look at them carefully anymore. Instead, he asked about the arrest.

"No, these people just saw the gas station lights were on at night and left as if they were just passing by. We can't point our fingers at them and accuse them of having ulterior motives, can we?" Li Liu said with a somewhat helpless smile.

That's pretty much what a scoundrel is like. He does nothing but find ways to annoy you and covet your possessions.

"It's alright. Before I came back, I had someone order a batch of surveillance equipment. I'll pick it up and install it today." Yu Dawei picked up the hot water Li Liu poured for him, took a sip, and said, "Later on, you won't have to work so hard guarding the shop at night."

“It’s not hard work, and there’s nothing to do at home anyway.” Li Liu smoothed her bangs at her temples. “Boss, there’s another issue I need to explain to you.”

"You said."

"Business at the gas station has been getting better and better lately, probably because it's close to the end of the year. Anyway, there are a lot more vehicles coming and going than before. Do you see that our station has the same working hours as the gas station across the street at night?"

Li Liu had her own considerations when she said these words. Firstly, she was the manager of the gas station. Although she was still an agent, she enjoyed the same benefits as a manager and year-end bonus.

In addition, judging from the current business of gas stations, it is clear that the peak season has arrived. If they do not make more money now, it is hard to say whether the gas stations will make a profit or a loss when the off-season comes.

“Okay! You can arrange it as you see fit. Make sure it doesn’t go past nine o’clock at the latest. If there’s a situation where you need to hire one or two people specifically for the night shift, then allocate them according to the eight-hour workday. Do you understand what I mean?” Yu Dawei turned to look at Li Liu.

"Understood. Two people are a bit too many. We can hire one more person to accompany me." Li Liu didn't want to waste unnecessary resources.

"You can arrange it as you see fit. The gas station is still in its initial stage, so it will be a bit tough on you. Later on, you'll just need to be in charge of management and coordination." Yu Dawei understood Li Liu's arrangement.

Whether it's a gas station, a repair shop, or a car maintenance and repair shop, they all operate independently, meaning they are responsible for their own profits and losses.

The two then discussed the gas station's post-holiday development plans. Before sunset, Yu Dawei dropped his child off at a nearby repair shop and drove to the auto parts market to pick up surveillance equipment. (Auto parts market in the development zone, a parts store.)

As soon as Yu Dawei opened the door, he saw Zhang Baiwan haggling with a bloated customer. The customer seemed to be from a government agency, and he spoke in a very arrogant manner.

However, even the most cunning fox can't outsmart an old hunter. During the conversation, under Zhang Baiwan's persuasive words, the other party paid a large sum of money. Immediately afterwards, the apprentices in the parts store were seen busily moving things out of the warehouse and loading them onto the pickup truck outside.

"I thought you wouldn't be here for a few more days." After finishing his business there, Zhang Baiwan walked up to Yu Dawei at the door.

“I should have been back long ago, but I ran into some trouble at the Mulun River.” Yu Dawei shook his head and then handed a black plastic bag to Zhang Baiwan.

"What is this?" Zhang Baiwan looked over curiously.

"Two rolls of mutton. I'll find a market later and have them cut into mutton rolls so my wife and I can have some good nourishment." Before Zhang Baiwan could refuse, Yu Dawei placed the plastic bag along with the mutton on the table next to the front desk. "Brother Zhang, don't be so polite with me. I saw that your wife was too thin last time, and she just got discharged from the hospital. She needs to eat more meat to nourish herself."

At the beginning of the year, Zhang Baiwan's wife was in a car accident. She broke two ribs and her legs were also fractured. However, the oilfield general hospital in the oil city had many skilled doctors, and Zhang Baiwan used all his connections to not only save his wife's life but also help her recover quickly.

"Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony with you." Zhang Baiwan glanced at the two large rolls of mutton in the black plastic bag and felt a warmth in his heart. Every time this younger brother came to visit him, he would bring him something; he never came empty-handed.

"Oh right, let's take a look at the surveillance equipment I found for you." Zhang Baiwan remembered the important matter, turned around and led Yu Dawei to the small warehouse in the back, where they saw a bunch of surveillance equipment in a large cardboard box.

“This is a complete CCTV monitoring system, just like the one I’m using now.” Zhang Baiwan squatted down and took out four cameras from it. “However, there are two more cameras than when I bought it, so it’s a bit more expensive.”

"Understood." Yu Dawei had mentioned to Brother Zhang earlier that they needed more cameras, as one or two would definitely not be enough.

Two gas stations are placed at each of the four entrances and exits, one is placed in the direction from the toilet to the distant repair shop, and a separate gas station is placed in the oil storage area.

It was a bit pricey, but Yu Dawei felt it was worth it, as it would scare away some of the evil spirits and monsters.

After packing everything up and putting it in the car, Yu Dawei stayed at Brother Zhang's shop for a while longer.

In the past two years, Zhang Baiwan has not only been doing parts business, but also recycling some used parts, especially the engines of construction machinery.

Basically, it involves collecting used engines from the market, finding a repair shop or hiring a mechanic to fix them, and then waiting for a car owner's construction vehicle engine to break down before finally selling it.

Of course, it's not just the engine, but also the hydraulic pump and the gearbox in the engineering vehicle.

He also has a shop in Fenglong District, and these things are stored in the backyard of the shop.

Yu Dawei's gas station and repair shop are located next to the wetland bridge, and the other side of the bridge is Fenglong District, which is not too far away.

"The profits should be pretty good, right?" Yu Dawei felt that selling and refurbishing parts was essentially a simplified version of refurbishing used cars. Although the profit margin was not as high as that of reselling used cars, the costs were much lower.

“It’s pretty good.” Zhang Baiwan didn’t hold back when facing Dawei, after all, the two had known each other for quite some time. “However, there will be some issues with after-sales service.”

"After-sales service? How many months of repairs do you cover?" Yu Da and others in the repair industry usually have a warranty period, during which any problems with the vehicle can be repaired free of charge.

Of course, free repairs are free, but necessary damaged parts are generally not included.

In addition, the warranty period is very important. For example, both Fanfan Repair Shop and Dawei Repair Shop in Youcheng offer a six-month warranty.

Within six months, any problems that arise in the repaired areas will be repaired free of charge, and a mechanical maintenance of the vehicle system will be performed once.

This is considered a very generous preferential policy in the industry, which has led to the accumulation of many member customers for Dawei's repair shops and branches in various cities.

Yu Dawei didn't set this warranty period arbitrarily or make it all-encompassing. He initially decided on a six-month free warranty after consulting with Lao Ji and several experienced mechanics, including his own father and Xu Lao.

Because their factory has better overall repair technology, and the parts they use are all sold through their own channels, they can control the quality, and even the level of the engine oil.

Ensuring that the vehicle goes without problems for six months is not difficult at all, which is why he dares to take on such a large responsibility.

However, according to Yu Dawei's understanding, other repair shops and repair factories generally only offer three months of free repairs.

Yu Dawei wanted to find out about Zhang Ge's warranty period to see if it was too long and if adjustments could be made.

"We usually offer a one-month warranty after installation. We'll be responsible for any problems that arise within one month. If there are any problems after one month, we can repair them, but the associated costs will be calculated separately." After Zhang Baiwan finished speaking, he noticed that Yu Dawei had frowned.

"Is this how all the auto parts stores that sell refurbished parts offer warranties?" Yu Dawei said he had never heard of such a short warranty period.

The warranty period isn't even enough to cover the break-in period after installation.

"Pretty much, at most less than two months, some even only have a fifteen-day warranty period," Zhang Baiwan answered truthfully.

"I see." Yu Dawei was slightly surprised. "So the engines you sold couldn't even last a month?"

"Sigh, I can't find a reliable person here. I did work with the repair shops in the auto parts market before, but their repair fees were too high. After deducting costs, it wasn't even enough to cover my efforts."

Zhang Baiwan lit a cigarette, shook his head, and said, "Individual customers have their advantages, they're cheaper, but the problem is they're too cheap, so there are always problems after installation. I'm now hesitating about whether we can continue doing this."

“In the past two years, more and more people have entered the auto parts business. Ever since you took down those big channels last time, distributors from other provinces have started to openly grab territory here. The competition is getting bigger and bigger, and the market is becoming a bit chaotic.”

(End of this chapter)