Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 178 A Plunge

Wang Chengpeng's guess was correct. There were two people standing at the gate. Besides Shi Ren, who else could it be but Fang Weimin?
Shi Ren had spent some time with Wang Chengpeng, so even if he didn't know the specifics of Wang Chengpeng's family, he could still figure out that Wang Chengpeng lived in Wangjia Village if he wanted to investigate.

Now that the village has been identified, it's quite normal that the two of them were able to find it after asking around.

Faced with Zhu Hong's impatient reprimands, the veins on Fang Weimin's forehead throbbed rapidly, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

But remembering that he had come to ask for a favor, Fang Weimin could only suppress his anger and say:

"Comrade, we are indeed old acquaintances of Comrade Wang. I think there must be some misunderstanding here."

“We’re here today to discuss a very important business deal with Comrade Wang. I think you’d better not interfere.”

Faced with Fang Weimin's exaggerated claims, Zhu Hong simply waved his hand impatiently and said:
"Can't you two understand human language?"

“Brother Wang has already said he won’t see you. If you still stubbornly stay here, I have reason to suspect that you are plotting something.”

"If anything bad happens, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand."

After saying that, Zhu Hong immediately swung his fist, scaring the two of them into retreating.

It must be said that, in many situations, Zhu Hong is more reliable than others.

However, seeing the Wang family's courtyard so close by, especially the gate that had no intention of opening to him, Fang Weimin was extremely unwilling.

When did a town worker have to be beholden to a gatekeeper just to enter a rural courtyard?
But thinking of his recent tragic experiences, Fang Weimin suppressed his anger and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Comrade Wang, I am Manager Fang of the Hetian Town Scrap Metal Recycling Station. I have some very exciting news to discuss with you."

"It won't take up much of your time, and let this strong comrade let us in."

The fact that Fang Weimin could speak to Wang Chengpeng in such a humble manner shows just how difficult his recent days have been.

At first, he thought that kicking out Wang Chengpeng, this "parasite," would be the beginning of the take-off of his second-hand home appliance business, but he never expected it to be a nightmare that he could never have foreseen.

With a hefty reward offered, Shi Ren did indeed recruit many skilled veteran workers for him, and the pay he offered was at least half less than what he paid Wang Chengpeng.

At first, business did indeed flourish as Fang Weimin had predicted, and he was in high spirits, feeling that he could definitely make a great career that would satisfy his family.

However, as time went on, Fang Weimin soon realized that something was wrong.
After changing to a different batch of repairmen, it seemed like he was being paid even lower wages, but in reality, the profits he could make were significantly reduced.

In fact, the reduction rate is not low; it adds up to more than half.

This situation left Fang Weimin dumbfounded; it was simply illogical!

Being sent here to take over the business left behind by Ji Yongyue means that Fang Weimin must have some ability, no matter how bad he is.

Sensing something was wrong, he observed carefully and finally discovered a clue a few days later.

The waste I brought in seems to be being used up a little too quickly!
When Wang Chengpeng was still in charge, each batch of scrap could repair about fifty to eighty pieces of equipment.

Fang Weimin had no idea whether the ratio was high or low, but after a new batch of repairmen came along, he experienced the difference firsthand for the first time—a terrifying difference.

Although there were more repairmen, since Wang Chengpeng was driven away, the only reason for the loss of a batch of scrapped equipment was that about thirty pieces of equipment had been repaired.

For the first time, the speed of transporting the scrap was not keeping up with the speed of the repairmen's work.

Don't underestimate the difference between just two times the repair rate; these defective products weren't created out of thin air, but were sourced from other places at great expense by Fang Weimin.

With extremely low repair rates, exorbitant transportation costs began to emerge, naturally causing profits to plummet.

Moreover, the spare parts that were originally purchased as a precaution were frequently in short supply, requiring another batch to be purchased every few days.

These parts are all costly; each and every one of them represents money.

Rapid wear and tear on parts naturally leads to increased maintenance costs.

Unable to understand why this had happened, Fang Weimin had no choice but to seek help from Shi Ren, the only remaining veteran employee.

After hesitating for a moment, Shi Ren finally told the truth:

"These old workers in the factory are spoiled and pampered, and they're only here to earn extra money, so how can they endure hardship?"

"It's not that they lack the ability, or that they can't repair it by refurbishing parts; they're just afraid of the hassle."

"This has led to most of the equipment that is now being repaired being relatively easy to repair, and many repairs are even achieved by replacing expensive parts."

"Under these circumstances, profits will naturally become visibly lower and lower."

At this point, Shi Ren couldn't help but let out a wail in his heart.

When Wang Chengpeng was around, although his repair unit price was lower, he actually earned more money because Wang Chengpeng was there to cover his costs.

Moreover, by observing Wang Chengpeng's repair work, he can gain more repair knowledge and continuously improve his own skills.

However, all of this was ruined after Fang Weimin appeared. Without Wang Chengpeng to back them up, these old repairmen naturally picked out the best equipment to repair.

As for those difficult-to-repair equipment? They naturally couldn't be bothered with them, preferring to do nothing rather than even glance at them.

Unlike Wang Chengpeng, who not only helps solve equipment that the two of them can't fix, but also takes the initiative to take on all the equipment that is extremely difficult to repair.

Upon learning the reason, Fang Weimin was furious and complained:

Why didn't you tell me about something so important?

"If I had known that so many people couldn't compare to Wang Chengpeng alone, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths. I would have just weakened them by 30% as a warning to others."

Speechless inside, Shi Ren wore a pitiful expression and said:

"Station Chief Fang, you didn't ask me back then."

"Besides, even if you asked me and I told you the truth, would you really believe me?"

Shi Ren was telling the truth. To convince Fang Weimin that a young man like Wang Chengpeng was so important, it would be easier to convince him that pigs could fly.

That makes sense, but how could Fang Weimin possibly admit his mistake?
He immediately waved for Shi Ren to leave, while in his mind he was calculating how to turn the loss into a profit.

First, the repair rate and parts usage rate must be reduced; otherwise, let alone profits, this business may even incur losses if it continues.

However, once this policy was introduced, the old repairmen that Shi Ren had painstakingly found to help him found themselves struggling and even stopped coming over as often.

They came here because they heard it was a good place to make money.

More rules and regulations, and visibly decreasing profits—do they really think these veteran craftsmen are easy targets? This is a vicious cycle; without change, this business will hardly make any money.

If things change, this business will also become unsustainable due to the loss of the old repairman.

After much deliberation, Fang Weimin decided to take drastic measures, further reducing the unit price and firing Shi Ren, who was no longer of any use.

However, this policy of changing orders frequently was immediately opposed by all the repairmen.
Apart from repairmen from poor families, practically no one would choose to continue working here anymore.

Shi Ren went even further, turning his back on Fang Weimin and showing a tendency to drag him down with him.

Because of this series of problems, this once incredibly profitable business has ended up in a state of near collapse.

Only then did Fang Weimin belatedly realize the terrifying role that Wang Chengpeng, this seemingly insignificant young man, had played in this business.

It was precisely because of this that Fang Weimin began to consider making amends.

He tried to contact He Quan, but found that the other party didn't give him any face at all and had no intention of telling him Wang Chengpeng's whereabouts.

Even when threatened with his previous shady business dealings, He Quan remained fearless.

Left with no other choice, Fang Weimin had to focus his efforts on Shi Ren.

This traitor had indeed been in contact with Wang Chengpeng and knew that Wang Chengpeng lived in Wangjia Village. After searching around, he finally found him.

However, before Fang Weimin could even feel happy for a moment, Wang Chengpeng gave him the cold shoulder.

Just kidding. Who does Fang Weimin think he is? How could Wang Chengpeng be someone he can summon and dismiss at will?

However, Fang Weimin clearly lacked self-awareness when faced with Wang Chengpeng's refusal to open the door, still thinking that he was handing Wang Chengpeng good fortune.

In his view, after losing his job at the scrap metal recycling station, Wang Chengpeng, that unemployed bum, must be living a very miserable and impoverished life.

Now that I'm being so merciful as to invite him back into the business and give him more opportunities to make money, even if I cut his pay, Wang Chengpeng should be grateful to me.

Fortunately, Fang Weimin hadn't fully revealed his thoughts yet, otherwise Wang Chengpeng would have really asked Zhu Hong to beat him out.

Seeing Fang Weimin's self-satisfied attitude, Wang Chengpeng sighed and thought to himself that the other party was so shameless that he should go out and deal with him personally.

With that thought in mind, Wang Chengpeng opened the door and walked straight out.

Upon seeing Wang Chengpeng, Fang Weimin, who had been overjoyed, instantly composed himself, his expression no longer so excited, and said:
"Comrade Wang, I knew you wouldn't refuse to see me."

"This is a great fortune. It's only because I'm kind and righteous that I'm willing to give you a ride. You're really lucky."

Seeing that Fang Weimin seemed to have misunderstood his meaning, Wang Chengpeng said:
“Station Chief Fang, I think I made things very clear to you back then. After you insisted that you were not wrong, we parted ways.”

"Since you look down on my abilities, there's no need for me to continue helping you."

"Alright, I have absolutely no interest in the happy news you're talking about. You're busy with important matters, so please go back soon."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng didn't even bother to open the door; he seemed to intend to just go straight back to his study.

He already doesn't have enough time to study, so how could he possibly have the energy to argue with these clueless people?
However, Wang Chengpeng's arrogant attitude angered Fang Weimin. When had he ever been treated like this?

But thinking about his business that was about to fail, he still patiently said:
"Comrade Wang, I was indeed slightly wrong about what happened back then."

"But you have to understand, I had no choice but to resort to this tactic in order to ensure that our cooperation can continue."

"You're taking way too much compensation; it's even affecting the operation of this business."

“Young Master Ji is kind-hearted and still remembers his promise. He is unwilling to change the payment, so I am the only one who can play the villain.”

"You probably don't know how much it costs to transport so much abandoned equipment, how much it costs to open up and maintain the channels, or how much manpower and resources it takes to sell a single repaired second-hand piece of equipment."

"For so long, Young Master Ji has been working with you at a complete loss."

“This money can’t keep going on like this, so Young Master Ji made it clear that I must reform the profit model once I arrive.”

"Only the healthiest profit model can ensure our cooperation lasts in the long term, and only then can you earn more money."

"Don't worry, I'll try to keep your pay minimal, only cutting it by thirty percent. What do you think?"

Looking at Fang Weimin's "I'm doing this for your own good, don't be ungrateful" attitude, Wang Chengpeng found it extremely funny.

He dared not admit that he had ulterior motives, and even pushed everything onto Ji Yongyue, implying that Ji was the one who was interfering and that he was forced into this situation.

Since Ji Yongyue has already left, Wang Chengpeng wouldn't be able to find a way to verify it even if he wanted to.

Compared to Fang Weimin, who was spouting nonsense, Wang Chengpeng naturally tended to believe Ji Yongyue, with whom he had dealt for so long.

After saying those words, Fang Weimin raised his head and waited for Wang Chengpeng's reply with an arrogant expression.

He believed that since he had offered such generous terms, Wang Chengpeng would not be so ungrateful as to refuse him.

The thought of his business booming again made him grin and almost burst out laughing.

A hint of mockery flashed in Wang Chengpeng's eyes as he smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Station Chief Fang."

"However, I am not capable enough to live up to Station Master Fang's high expectations, so please return!"

"I have other things to do. After all, we're not exactly acquaintances, so I won't invite Station Chief Fang in."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng ignored Fang Weimin and walked home on his own.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Hong immediately used his massive body to block Fang Weimin's view, preventing him from peering further ahead.

Damn it, why is Wang Chengpeng not cooperating at all? He's completely different from what I imagined.
The thought of ruining this lucrative business with his own cleverness and the terrible consequences he would face sent chills down Fang Weimin's spine.

He dared not be so aloof anymore, trying to manipulate Wang Chengpeng through such petty tricks, and immediately shouted loudly:

"Comrade Wang, please don't leave. We can talk this over."

"Back then, I was blind to Mount Tai, and I saw a true dragon but did not realize it."

"We will continue our original cooperation, and the compensation will be calculated as originally agreed, not a penny less!"

(End of this chapter)