The Great Era of Siheyuan

Leaving the yard, Li Wenqiang rode his motorcycle towards the trust store.

Trust shops, now called pawnshops, were called pawnshops before liberation. They were industries that exploited and oppressed the poor people in the old society.

In ancient movies and TV dramas, you can often see someone pawning items in a pawnshop, and the shopkeeper often uses words like "worm-bitten, rat-bitten, broken copper and iron" to lower the price. Does it sound familiar? This is it. Now it's just a different name, but it's much better than before. State-owned ones are a little better than private ones.

The functions of trust stores are actually similar to those in the past, which is to pick up missing items, help the poor and provide emergency relief. Many people with difficulties in life will pawn or consign their valuable items.

In a dead pawn, the money is exchanged for the goods, and the owner of the entrusted store will assess the price. If both parties agree, the deal is done. In consignment sales, the entrusted store takes a commission, and the hot-selling materials such as three-turn and one-ring and overcoat cotton are the most popular because they are popular and easy to sell.

There are also some families that are not so wealthy and don't have any good things but are worth some money. The entrusted bank will also accept them, but the price will not be that high. They will use the money for temporary emergency and redeem them when they have more money.

"Trust shops" are all over the city, including Gulou, Dongdan, Tianqiao, Xidan, Beixinqiao, Huashi, etc. These trust shops in the streets and alleys are crowded with customers every day. Many people like to visit these shops, and people can often find bargains. However, due to the famine in recent years, more people sell and less people buy, and everyone is tightening their belts to make ends meet.

Trust stores are generally divided into two parts: the sales department and the purchasing department. The sales department is responsible for display and sales, and the purchasing department is responsible for purchasing and consignment.

In fact, trust means purchasing. After the clerk and the customer negotiate the price, the items are sold directly to the trust store. As for how much the store sells them for, the customer has no right to interfere.

The commission is also the final selling price negotiated by both parties, and the store has no right to change it. Once the item is sold, the store will charge a certain handling fee. If it is not sold, it can be redeemed intact.

There is an unwritten rule in this line of work. Customers can search for or buy items in the sales department at will, but if they do not have items to sell or entrust, they cannot wander around or stay in the purchasing department. They cannot go against the flow and intercept items that customers want to sell or entrust at the door of the purchasing department.

Otherwise, the slogan written on the wall that prohibits beating customers without reason is not to be taken lightly. Generally, few people dare to pick on the salesperson unless you want to be humiliated.

The merchandise on display in trust stores is not as neat and orderly as in department stores. Instead, the shelves and counters in the stores are filled with all kinds of old furniture, mainly porcelain, bronze, clothing, leather goods, clocks, bicycles and other old items.

Li Wenqiang walked into the sales department and took a look. He did not see any large items such as beds, tables and chairs in the store. He only saw a few small round stools. Behind the counter stood a shopkeeper with a large area and an old face. He was counting on the account book with an abacus in his hand, and there was a young man sorting the goods next to him.

"Boss, I want to buy two beds and a set of tables and chairs. Can you please show me around?"

Li Wenqiang took a few casual glances and said to the shopkeeper behind the counter.

"Aaron, take this customer to the warehouse in the back to check out the goods!"

The shopkeeper took the account book and gave instructions to the clerk next to him without even looking up.

"Come with me!"

The young man put down what he was holding, said to Li Wenqiang, then turned and walked to the back.

The two walked through the store and came to the backyard. The clerk opened a door and inside was a large warehouse made up of several rooms. It was nearly 100 square meters and was filled with various beds, tables, chairs and benches of different sizes.

"That's all, they look pretty good!"

Li Wenqiang pointed to two beds and a table and chairs made of yellow wood. The color was yellowish and the overall look was very comfortable.

I don't know if it's because it's been stored for a long time or because it's not well kept, but there's a layer of brown grease on the surface. But there's no scratches or bumps on the surface, so I guess the previous owner kept it well except for daily use, so it's fine to have someone scratch it.

"You have a good eye. These are all made of rosewood. This bed is made of chicken-wing wood, which is even rarer. But let me tell you first, the price of these two beds and this set of tables and chairs is not cheap. It will cost at least two hundred!"

The young man said calmly, not believing at all that Li Wenqiang would be willing to buy such an expensive item, and he probably would regret it as soon as he finished speaking.

"No problem. I'll give you an address later. You can ask someone to bring it to this address and put it there. Just tell me how much it costs."

To his surprise, Li Wenqiang agreed without hesitation.

"Boss, I see you are not short of money. Here are a few matching cabinets and bookshelves. Would you like them? If you want them, I can give you a discount. How about 400 yuan for everything?"

The young man realized that he had met a rich man and immediately started to sell his products.

"Really? Let me take a look first!"

Li Wenqiang did not refuse. Although the house is small now, it is okay to put it somewhere else temporarily. He can move there after buying a house.

"this way please!"

The waiter happily took him inside, and after a few steps, he pointed to several wardrobes, dressing tables and desks in front of him that were made of the same wood, a total of three or four items.

"Including these four, you can just give me 500. What do you think? These woods are all hardwoods. They can be used for a hundred or eighty years without any problems. If you take good care of them, they can be passed down for generations. You won't lose out by buying them!"

The guy was selling enthusiastically.

"I don't think it's very good! Comrade, don't try to deceive me by thinking that I don't understand these things. I can buy several sets of furniture with so much money!"

Li Wenqiang said indifferently that the beds, tables and chairs, including the wardrobe and dressing table in front of him, were all modern products. Although the current Huanghuali wood is also hardwood, it is not as famous as in later generations, and the price is not high. It is a kind of thing that no one wants even if you buy one and get one free at 30 cents per pound.

The items mentioned earlier totaled two hundred yuan, so he bought them and didn't care. But if you add the following items, you have to add another two hundred yuan, which is obviously taking advantage of him because he doesn't understand.

It is true that he is rich, but he is not a fool. Why should he be cheated? Nowadays, Hainan Huanghuali wood is all chopped up for firewood.

"Hey, comrade, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Who cheated you? If you want to buy, buy it. If you don't want to buy, forget it. What do you mean by cheating? How can we, such a big trust store, cheat you?"

As the guy spoke, his attitude began to change.

Looking at his expression, Li Wenqiang remembered the saying that customers should not be beaten without reason, and suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at? Why, am I wrong?"

The guy's voice became much louder, as if he was going to teach him a lesson in the next second.

"No, let's put it this way. Four hundred is definitely not enough. Let's take three hundred together! I'll take all three hundred. It looks like this set of furniture has been there for a long time. I'll take it for three hundred to make room for you. How do you think?"

Li Wenqiang looked at him and asked.

"Three hundred? Are you kidding me? If you don't want to buy it, just leave now and don't waste my time!"

The guy rolled his eyes and was about to chase the man away.

"If you can't make the decision, then go and call your shopkeeper. If you continue to serve with this attitude, do you believe I will go to the street office to complain about you?"

Li Wenqiang snorted coldly, and a powerful aura gushed out instantly, causing the guy to tremble suddenly. He felt that he could not afford to offend him, and said in a panic.

"You wait!"

After saying that, he ran away!

"Bah, you are such a dog that looks down on others! Just because you put on a layer of skin, you think you are a human being!"

Li Wenqiang hated those small people who rose to power overnight and became arrogant. As long as they had a little power, they would make things difficult for ordinary people to show their status. He estimated that he would take a commission of at least a hundred yuan from the price he just quoted.

"I'll teach you a lesson today so you won't have eyes!"

Li Wenqiang said as he walked to the side and directly collected a whole set of rosewood furniture. Judging from the workmanship and carvings on it, it was probably something from a wealthy family in the past, exquisite and yet grand. He had not bought this set before because he was worried about the sports in the next few years, so now he just got it for free.

After a while, the shopkeeper came over. The clerk was probably looking after the store in the front.

The shopkeeper was stunned when he walked in, as if something was wrong, as if the room was a little empty, but there were still customers there, so before he had time to think about it, he walked over, bowed and said.

"Hello comrade, if there is any problem, you can tell me. If it is not appropriate, we can talk about it!"

The old shopkeeper said politely.

"I want two beds and a set of desks, chairs and benches. Your clerk told me that adding these desks and wardrobes would cost 400 yuan. I think it's a bit expensive. I can only offer 300 yuan. What do you think?"

Li Wenqiang pointed at the items he had just selected and said.

"Isn't three hundred a little too little? You see, these are all top-quality wood, and the workmanship is not bad. This price is not too much at all."

The shopkeeper was also an experienced man. Probably because he saw that Li Wenqiang was very willing to buy, he insisted on the price and refused to budge.

"Forget it, I'll go next door and take a look!"

Li Wenqiang turned around and prepared to leave without saying a word.

"Hey, comrade, wait a minute! Well, three hundred is three hundred, let's just consider it as making friends, I'll sell it to you!"

Seeing that Li Wenqiang was not following the rules, the shopkeeper hurriedly called him.

Li Wenqiang turned around and smiled.

"Wouldn't it be better if we did this earlier? Why waste everyone's time? Open the invoice and find someone to deliver it to this place for me later. I need it urgently!"

Li Wenqiang said this and counted out thirty big black ten notes and handed them to him.

The shopkeeper took the money and counted it carefully, then muttered, "If I hadn't been so full of space, I wouldn't have given you this price! You're getting a bargain!"

Li Wenqiang smiled and said nothing, and didn't argue with him.

These things are only about 300 yuan at most now. Hardwood stools are 8 yuan each, tables are 30 yuan, beds are about 80 yuan, wardrobes and dressers are about 50 yuan, and the total is about 400 yuan, which is the price of new ones. Second-hand furniture is 30% off, so 300 yuan is considered a lot.

You know, a whole set of new furniture costs less than two hundred yuan. If he hadn't seen that it was made of rosewood and hadn't been in a hurry to use it, he wouldn't have been able to take advantage of this bargain. Fortunately, he is not at a loss now.

After Li Wenqiang left with the purchase receipt, the clerk asked the shopkeeper, "Uncle, are you selling this set of furniture to him? It's too cheap for him!"

He said unwillingly.

"That's about it. At least we can still make more than a hundred! That's fine. We should take things slow and steady. We can't become fat all at once, right? Let's call a few idiots to come over and carry the things over."

The shopkeeper said thoughtfully while sitting at the counter.

"Okay, second uncle!"

The young man was about to leave!

The boss thought about it for a long time and finally remembered what was wrong. He slapped his thigh and ran to the warehouse.

"Second uncle, what's wrong?"

Seeing that something was not right, the young man didn't even bother to call out to Woboer and hurriedly followed.

"Where is my rosewood furniture? This whole set costs more than a thousand dollars!"

The old shopkeeper was so anxious that he slapped his thigh and was extremely angry!

It would be fine if you didn't check, but when you did, you'd be shocked to find that the most valuable set of rosewood antique furniture was gone.

"Uncle, wasn't he still here yesterday? How come he's gone now?"

The young man was also a little at a loss. Although the things here could not be sold for a long time, they would count the valuables every day. The rosewood bed was among the items counted. How could it disappear for no reason?

"Aaron, didn't you notice it when you came in just now?"

The old shopkeeper asked anxiously.

"It seems not~No!"

The young man opened his mouth and said uncertainly that he remembered that there seemed to be one when he brought the young man here just now, but he was not sure.

"My bed. It was lost from the palace some time ago. Which damn thief stole my bed? Ah Long, did you sell it secretly?"

The old shopkeeper immediately suspected that it was one of his own people who did it. If there was no one from his own family to act as an insider, such a large item would never have been able to escape.

"Uncle, you still don't believe me? This thing has nothing to do with me. How about we call the police?"

The young man suggested.

"No, you can't call the police!"

The shopkeeper stopped him hastily. If the matter got out of hand, the higher-ups would definitely check the accounts, and it would be bad if their practices of buying high and selling low and enriching themselves at the expense of the public interest were exposed.

"What should I do?"

The young man said, looking at the empty seat.

"Later, find someone to take away the remaining good furniture here, and buy a few sets of broken furniture. I will then write a scrap order to the director, and I will give him some of the money from the sales."

The old shopkeeper thought for a moment and said.

"Uncle, it's really great. You must have a solution!"

After hearing this, the young man gave a thumbs up and exclaimed.

"We're just getting started. If we weren't afraid of inspections from above, we wouldn't have to change anything and could just issue the order. You still have a lot to learn. Go quickly. I need to find a few buyers later!"

The shopkeeper said nonchalantly that he used to be a pawnshop owner and stealing things was a piece of cake for him.