Chapter 252: No Business Without Fraud
Chapter 252: All businessmen are dishonest.
Gray Squirrel Clothing Store.
Two firewoods that were about to burn to ashes were stuffed in the fireplace. Seal, wrapped in an old fur coat, was dozing with his leather shoes on the moldy wooden table.
From the end of September last year to now, the business here has been quiet for almost four months.
However, he is not worried that he will go bankrupt.
It was the same in previous years.
In winter, only mice will visit his wardrobe, but it doesn’t matter. As long as winter is over, the streets outside will be crowded with people, and the business here will soon pick up.
Even predators who have degenerated into primitive people will find a pair of pants to wear.
His store is located at the entrance of the market, and this market is the closest to the main entrance of Boulder City.
As long as the wastelanders who come here come to this market, they can see his sign at a glance.
Those clothes that cost two or three chips are the most popular. Even workers working in the factory next door can afford them, and some wastelanders with limited financial resources will also consider it.
However, the sources of these clothes are not very particular. Many of them are stripped from dead bodies. You can even find bullet holes and cuts on them. The cheap ones don’t even have any seams.
The guards of the caravan or the mercenaries from other places are usually more generous. The leather jackets and jeans hanging on the shelves are prepared for them. Some are made by garment factories in industrial areas, and some are made by tailor shops.
After all, for these people who travel all over the country, it is a question whether they will come here next year. No one will carry those plastic pieces in their pockets.
Before leaving, they will exchange their chips for cigarettes, alcohol, bullets, or even gold, silver or legion dinars.
In addition, clothes are also a good choice.
As for now?
Winter has just passed, and the streets are full of poor people looking for jobs. For him who opened a business, it is naturally time to recuperate.
Xier was hugging left and right in his dream, but at this moment, the cold wind suddenly blew through the crack of the door, and he woke up with a start.
”Welcome…are you here to buy clothes?”
Xier squinted his sleepy eyes and carefully looked at the five men coming in.
The one in front was not very old, about sixteen or seventeen years old, but he had probably been to the battlefield, with a gunshot wound on his arm, and a sharp face hidden on his childish face.
This is nothing, who here has never seen a gun?
But the four men behind were extraordinary, they carried a unique aura of awakened people.
It was just that the look of inexperienced people, looking around, somewhat destroyed his stereotype of awakened people.
Seeing that the fire in the fireplace was out, Ye Shixian couldn’t help but shout.
”Boss, it’s time to add more firewood.”
Xier was stunned for a moment, not understanding this dialect that came from some unknown village.
”What are you talking about?”
The man in front said immediately.
”He said your fireplace is out of fire.”
”You don’t need to remind me, I know… Firewood is free, and this is not outside the city.” Xier muttered angrily, sat up straight from his chair, stared at the person in front of him who could communicate, and said, “You are mercenaries, what are you going to buy? Cotton-padded clothes? Or leather jackets? Or… want to buy a batch of cheap goods?”
Xu Shun did not explain, but looked at the uncles behind him who rolled up their sleeves and stared at the VM to read the “subtitles”.
Xier’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he recognized the things on these people’s arms.
I was distracted just now and didn’t see that these people were wearing blue coats?
It’s really strange!
Those blue gophers not only awakened, but also put on the clothes of wastelanders?
Aren’t their coats growing on their bodies?
”We don’t buy, we want to sell. I heard that clothes are needed here?” Fang Chang said a long string of words in a stuttering human language mixed with his native language.
The boss obviously didn’t understand.
But Xu Shun, who often deals with players, did understand. Combined with the translation projected on the VM, he immediately straightened out Fang Chang’s words and repeated them again.
After hearing this, Xier immediately frowned.
”Sell?”
”Why are you selling clothes here? Isn’t there a store next door that collects used clothes?”
Seeing that these people were not customers, Xier’s expression instantly turned cold, and he became impatient at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The clothes of the dead are all weighed for wholesale, and he didn’t prepare a scale here.
”The price given there is too low. We all agree that this is an insult to art!” Xu Shun skillfully relayed Fang Chang’s words, and this time he even imitated the indignant tone. Xier
sneered, thinking that a group of country bumpkins from outside could not understand what art is.
He wanted to make a few sarcastic remarks and drive them out, but he suddenly thought of the VMs in the hands of those people and suppressed this idea.
Blue jackets.
They are blue jackets.
Xier’s eyes rolled.
As everyone knows, people outside Boulder City are country bumpkins.
But this does not include the big merchants from Yunjian Province, or the blue coats in the shelter.
Although the latter are a bit stupid, any “civilized person” has to admit that they are a group of lucky people who were born in heaven.
Reaching out his wrinkled hands, Xier opened the drawer, took out the brass glasses from it, and hung them on the bridge of his nose.
”Let me see.”
Xu Shun looked at Fang Chang, who moved his eyes away from the intermittent subtitles, immediately took off the package in his hand and handed it to the most reliable NPC.
Xu Shun walked to the counter and put the package on the table.
”Take a look, how much can you give.”
After unwrapping the package, Xier reached inside and touched it, and an interested expression suddenly appeared in his eyes.
”Devil’s silk?!”
It turned out that the batch of goods that appeared in the market a few days ago was sold by these people in front of him?
He had heard that the ten rolls of cloth were divided up by a group of quick-eyed and quick-handed people as soon as they appeared in the trading station.
He didn’t know who the devil’s cloth ended up with, anyway, many tailor shops were asking where the exquisite cloth came from.
But soon, the excitement in his eyes dimmed.
”The clothes have been made? Are these all? Don’t you have bundles of fabric?”
Xu Shun: “These are all.”
”What a pity.” Xier sighed with regret on his face, “What a waste of good things.”
Xu Shun frowned.
”Are the clothes that have been made not good enough?”
”No matter how good the fabric is, it has to be used in the right place,” Xier shook his head, “Yes, devil silk is very rare and very strong. Whether it is used to make luxurious clothes, ropes or protective gear, it is a good material, but…”
As he said, Xier reached out and pulled out a piece of clothing from the package, and shook it in front of Xu Shun with a speechless face.
”Can you explain to me what this is?”
The white and silky texture, the hem and cuffs are carefully carved with textures, and it does look like an indescribable sense of nobility.
However, the problem is that this dress only has the front, and the back is only symbolically sewn, and there are only a few ribbons on the back.
The hem is long enough, but does it make sense?
Xu Shun was stunned, and before he could speak, the players behind him who were watching the subtitles had already started to yell angrily.
”Damn! This country bumpkin doesn’t know what’s good!”
”That’s right! Such a beautiful long dress!”
”Oh, I dream of seeing Ya Ya wearing it once…”
”Don’t even think about it, it’s impossible even if it’s a tail.”
Dress? ? ?
Xu Shun answered with a stiff face.
”This is a dress…”
”It’s too exposed at the back! Just a few strings, what’s the difference between this and not wearing anything?” Xier sneered and said, “The nobles in the inner city won’t like such revealing clothes, it will make them feel embarrassed at the party!”
Xu Shun’s expression was a little subtle.
To be honest.
He also felt that this dress was a bit too exposed.
Only the front piece, can it really cover the upper body completely?
He was not questioning the taste of these shelter residents, he just thought that if he could cut off that piece of the skirt and sew it to the back, it would be perfect…
”Maybe it’s a cultural difference,” Fang Chang touched his chin, frowned and thought for a moment, “I feel that the atmosphere in the outer city is still relatively open, but maybe people in the inner city will be more conservative.”
Kuangfeng made a guess.
”Maybe the people in the inner city want to show the difference from the outer city?”
Fang Chang: “Maybe.”
Ye Shi sighed.
”Alas, Miss Teng Teng has had a bad start.”
Lao Bai: “Speaking of which, this dress…it hasn’t been sold in the outpost, has it?”
He hadn’t seen anyone wearing it in the outpost.
Kuang Feng thought for a while, nodded and said, “Indeed, I remember this dress has been hanging in the Teng Teng hut for a while.”
This game does not allow registering a small account, and it is also impossible to change gender. Everyone knows each other online, so they are unexpectedly reserved in the game.
If it were another game…
I’m afraid it would have been worn by a grown man.
Ye Shi: “Maybe it’s too cold? It’s really not appropriate to wear this thing in the winter.”
Kuang Feng: “There is heating in the shelter. Do you think this reason makes sense?”
Ye Shi: “Uh, okay.”
Fang Chang sighed.
”Very good, now the most promising seeded players have been eliminated. Ignoring the unreliable ones, we still have four cards left… uh, three cards.”
It seems that there is a reason why this dress cannot be sold. Even the players’ shame level cannot be accepted, so it is understandable that the NPC cannot accept it.
What a pity.
I hope Miss Teng Teng will not be depressed.
Just when Ye Shi was thinking about how to tell Teng Teng the bad news, the boss sitting behind the counter suddenly said something.
”What is this thing?”
Gloves?
Xier muttered and pulled out a white sock from the package.
After studying it for a while, probably because he had never seen such a long and straight sock, he rolled up his sleeves and put it directly on his hairy arms.
The four little players in the clothing store saw it and almost spit out blood.
”Fuck!”
”My eyes!”
”Tell him quickly,” Fang Chang hurriedly pulled Xu Shun, and his tone was so excited that he almost shouted, “That thing is a sock.”
Xu Shun was slightly stunned and quickly relayed Fang Chang’s words.
”Socks?”
Xier was stunned, muttered and lowered his head to take off his shoes. The four little players couldn’t bear it anymore, rushed up and snatched the things from his hands.
”Get out!”
”Don’t touch it if you don’t want to buy it!”
”That’s right! You are tarnishing art!”
”???”
Xier’s face was full of question marks. He scratched his head, wondering why these people reacted so strongly when he didn’t do anything. What
a bunch of rude guys!
Xu Shun was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig out four bedrooms and a living room on the ground with his toes.
To be honest, he was also confused, and even with the help of VM this time, he didn’t know how to translate it.
Sir Administrator!
Please find someone else to do this job.
He would rather fight with the marauders with bayonets in the trenches, and fight with mutants behind the bunkers. He really doesn’t want to do the job of a translator!
”Let’s go, there’s no one we’re looking for here.”
”It’s time to end this charade, stupid NPC.”
”Yes, it’s such a waste of time!”
Ye Shi tied up the package and threw it into Fang Chang’s hand, who threw it neatly over his shoulder, turned around and walked out the door.
Seeing several players leaving, Xu Shun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was finally over, and hurriedly followed them.
”Wait a minute.”
Seeing them packing up their things and leaving, Xier hurriedly called them.
The group stopped.
Seeing five pairs of eyes looking over, Xier coughed lightly and spoke.
”How about this, since you’ve asked next door and no one wants these… uh, artworks, why don’t you put them on consignment with me?”
Xu Shun: “Consignment?”
”That’s right,” Xier nodded, “You write a price yourself and hang it on the shelf or window at the door.”
”If it’s sold, I’ll only take 20%. If it’s not sold, just take it away before you leave.”
After all, it’s made of devil silk, and it’s a rare item for the blue jackets. Although the materials are wasted, it still has value.
What if it’s sold?
Xier is not the kind of stubborn person. Anyway,
there is no business now, and he’s idle anyway, so it might as well make a gimmick in the window.
And if these people forget to consign the things they have here when they leave, then these things will belong to him.
This kind of thing happens from time to time.
Before, there was a mercenary who consigned death claw leather to him. He was also an awakened person. He said he would stay here for a week, but he didn’t come back after waiting for several months.
After hearing from other mercenaries that the guy was dead, Xier happily sold the death claw leather to the big boss in the inner city.
Leather shoes made of death claw leather are the most popular in the inner city. They are not only comfortable and durable, but most importantly, they can show strength.
Xu Shun didn’t think so much, just stared at him.
”How can we trust you?”
”Friend, this is Boulder City, it’s different from the outside! It’s an agreement signed in black and white, and everyone has to recognize it as long as they don’t leave the wall. And my store is right here, can it run away?” Xier said confidently, “You four awakeners, are you afraid of an ordinary person like me?”
It sounds like it makes sense.
Xu Shun looked at the four players behind him.
The four little players discussed and finally reached a consensus.
It’s better to try than not to try.
Fang Chang walked forward, took out the evening dress that leaked the most, put it on the table, and knocked it with his fist.
”Five hundred!”
Ye Shi also came over, rummaged in the package for a while, and accurately pulled out the white over-the-knee socks that this guy had put on his hand before.
After getting a pair, he threw them on the table with a look of disgust.
”One hundred! No, fifty!”
Xier: “…”
How much are you selling it for?
It’s too hard to communicate with these guys.
Xier impatiently tore a piece of paper from the account book beside him, tore it in half, and wrote down the numbers on it.
”Five hundred for leaky clothes, one hundred for socks that can be worn as pants…Okay, leave me your address, I at least need to know which hotel you are staying in.”
Xu Shun walked up to leave his address and signed the receipt. Not wanting to waste time here, he quickly pulled the players away from here.
”This tattered clothes can be sold for 500? A pair of tattered socks for 100?”
”You are really crazy about money!”
Xier sneered as he watched the backs of those people disappear at the door, but still got up from his chair, walked to the window and hung the things up.
After putting on the price tag, he then placed a small blackboard next to it and wrote on it –
[…Unique devil silk weaving technology, from the mysterious shelter technology, only one in Boulder City, this is a one-of-a-kind work of art. ]
Done!
Xier stepped back two steps, read the words on the sign, and nodded with satisfaction.
Although the communication with those blue jackets was not pleasant, people don’t have to go against the chips, right?
As long as he can get those colorful plastic pieces, he is willing to do business even if it is the business of the gnawers!
…
Coming out of the store.
Ye Shi looked at his teammates beside him.
”Is it reliable to let that guy sell things for us?”
Fang Chang shrugged.
”No way, it will take a long time for you to sell it with your mouth.”
Ye Shi was unhappy.
”Fuck! You have the nerve to say me, if you put a few less Chinese words in your human language, will it make people confused?”
Fang Chang glanced at him.
”Come on, your father can at least speak a few words, what about you? You can’t even recognize all the numbers!”
”I have to take the CET-4, how can I have time to learn this stuff?”
”It’s over if you are a bad student, learn from Brother Guang, never make excuses.”
”@#%!”
Kuangfeng: “…”
Listening to the quarrels of his teammates, Lao Bai looked at the sky and sighed.
”Hey, this game is so fucking difficult…”
He didn’t understand it at all.
It must be a problem of intelligence!
Xu Shun followed the four people silently.
Although he had studied the language of the shelter seriously, he only learned a few words and short sentences.
These people talk fast and in many ways. Without the help of the teleprompter, it is really hard to hear what they are saying. Sometimes VM doesn’t even know how to translate. But
…
the atmosphere was quite friendly. Although the voices were loud, it didn’t sound like a quarrel.
Listening to Fang Chang and Ye Shi bickering, Kuang Feng suddenly interrupted.
”Speaking of which, isn’t 500 too expensive? The average monthly salary here is less than 100, right?”
The daily salary for a job with food and accommodation is 2~3, which is more than 90 a month. Some engineers can earn ten or even a hundred times the amount, but their number is as rare as giant pandas.
”You don’t understand. Even if you sell it for 50, ordinary people can’t afford it,” Fang Chang said slowly. “In that case, why don’t you just sell it at a higher price? Those who can afford it will naturally buy it, and those who can’t afford it won’t buy it even if you discount it.”
The three looked at each other.
What the hell?
It sounds like it makes sense!
But did this guy learn the tone of his voice from Mosquito?
He is becoming more and more like a profiteer…
–
(Next chapter before 12 o’clock)
(End of this chapter)
