Chapter 2: Starting from collecting waste
Looking at the empty house with bare walls but full of traces of Lu Xiaorong's life, Shen Lin secretly made up his mind.
No matter what, we should thank God for giving him a chance to live again.
Touching the fifty cents in his trouser pocket, Shen Lin knew what he should do.
Fifty cents, with modern purchasing power, is only enough to buy a lollipop.
In 1984, fifty cents could buy 10 ice creams, or five packs of cigarettes, and two bottles of good quality Niulanshan.
I want to make money!
For the first time in Shen Lin's life, he had such a strong desire to make money.
He wanted Lu Xiaorong to no longer worry about money, and he wanted his unborn child to live a good life without worries about food and clothing.
How can I make money?
At least in the short term, Lu Xiaorong should be able to afford meat and pay rent so that he doesn't have to worry about the daily necessities of life.
Just when Shen Lin was thinking about how to make money, a passerby threw a glass bottle of soda, and the bottle rolled to Shen Lin's feet.
Just as , he saw two people rushing towards a glass bottle as if they were running in a race.
Both of them were carrying dirty fertilizer bags, which made a clanking sound as they ran.
Picking up junk!
Suddenly, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck Shen Lin's brain!
No, it’s not picking up junk. To be precise, it should be called waste recycling.
The profession of ragpicker has existed since ancient times.
It is a very low-level industry in society. After all, you have to deal with garbage all day long.
It will make ordinary people sneer and avoid it.
However, few people know the benefits and profits behind the waste recycling industry.
However, at this time, most of the waste recycling workers are still thinking about picking up scraps and prefer to operate at no cost.
Shen Lin heard from the owner of a scrap collection station that when he started his business, he made his living by collecting waste books and old newspapers from the offices of major factories.
At that time, everyone was picking up junk on the streets, and no one thought of the concept of door-to-door purchase. He was the only one who went to the factory offices to collect old newspapers, and the profit was shockingly high.
But the business opportunities Shen Lin saw were far more than just collecting waste paper and scrap metal.
His real goal is to recycle old household appliances.
In the scrap recycling industry, the real money-making business is repairing and reselling used home appliances.
Repairing home appliances is Shen Lin’s specialty.
Recycle worthless discarded home appliances, repair them and sell them second-hand. The profit from the difference in price alone is enough to lead a well-off life ahead of time.
In comparison, the money from waste paper and scrap metal is just a drop in the bucket!
Shen Lin, who has 30 years of experience in repairing home appliances, is very confident in his skills.
Once you make up your mind, just do it!
Shen Lin turned around and went back to his residence. Although collecting junk was simple, at least he had to have equipment.
Among these, the most important equipment is a tricycle.
In the last century, materials were in short supply and the country was still operating a planned economy with a shopping-by-ticket model.
Having money is not enough, you also need tickets.
To buy food, you need food coupons.
To buy meat, you need a meat ticket.
To buy a bicycle, you need a bicycle ticket.
In the 1980s, as the economy improved, the country gradually cancelled many types of tickets, but to buy large items such as tricycles, a tricycle ticket was still required.
It’s not easy to buy something even if you have money, and it’s even harder to get a tricycle.
When going downstairs, Shen Lin saw a broken flatbed truck thrown in the yard. He remembered that it should belong to the landlord.
“Boom boom boom!”
Shen Lin came to the door of the landlord's house and knocked carefully. After a while, Aunt Chen opened the door.
Seeing that it was Shen Lin, the old lady was stunned for a moment, but then she asked, "What's the matter?"
Shen Lin realized how unwelcome he was. Even the landlord disliked him, which showed how bad he was.
"Aunt Chen, can I use your cart? I want to borrow it for two days." Shen Lin said with a smile.
Aunt Chen looked down on this second-rate guy who lived a life of debauchery while letting his wife suffer. If it wasn't for Lu Xiaorong's good looks, she wouldn't bother to pay attention to this man.
"Why did you borrow the car?"
"Aunt Chen, I'm going to go out and make some money. I can't just sit there and do nothing like before." Shen Lin explained, "If I make some money, I can pay the rent I owe you earlier."
"You're not planning to sell it away, are you?" Aunt Chen questioned Shen Lin's intention.
"No, that won't happen. You are my landlord. Can I leave the key of my house with you?"
Looking at Shen Lin, who looked calm and composed, completely different from his previous self-destructive self, Aunt Chen even felt like she was facing two different people.
"Okay, go ahead and use it. I remember the left fetus is not getting enough air. You can go borrow the air pump from Lao Li and give it a try."
Aunt Chen said this, hesitated for a moment and said: "Shen Lin, Xiaorong is a good child, you should live a good life."
"Aunt Chen, I know that I will live a good life in the future." Shen Lin said firmly.
Aunt Chen shook her head as she watched Shen Lin leave. She walked into the house and heard someone say, "Who is it?"
"Shen Lin, who rented our house, said he wanted to borrow our car to transport some goods and make some money."
"Humph, don't believe that bastard. He's just talking nonsense. With his ugly appearance, he's bound to fall flat on his face!"
Aunt Chen has always been convinced by her old man's judgment. When she heard him say this, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Poor little wife!"
…
A large woven bag for fertilizer, a beam scale, and a cart borrowed from a neighbor were all Shen Lin's equipment.
Pushing the empty cart on the busy street, Shen Lin felt that many people were looking at him.
It was obvious that his attire did not match the vehicle being transported.
But Shen Lin didn't care about these. He looked up at the sun which was getting hotter and hotter, and felt his body was covered with sweat.
This sultry day made him miss the air conditioning before his rebirth.
But now is not the time for him to think about air conditioning. No matter how hot the weather is, he has to make money.
Shen Lin's first stop was in front of an office building of a government agency. According to his experience, government office buildings had the most waste newspapers and books.
Most of my colleagues in the scrap collection industry are still wandering around picking up scraps, so naturally no one wants to eat this fat meat.
After parking the car under the shade of a tree, Shen Lin walked towards the office building. The gatekeeper glanced at Shen Lin and found that he was not threatening, so he ignored him.
Coming to a large room with the word "office" written on it, Shen Lin knocked on the door and walked in. At this time, there were four people working in the office. The ceiling fan was spinning rapidly, but the whole office still gave people a feeling of a furnace.
"What do you want?" A skinny man wearing a white Dacron short-sleeved shirt, waving a folding fan in his hand, and with a wet towel on his head, shouted loudly when he saw Shen Lin coming.
Shen Lin touched his pocket and said, "Comrade, I have something I want to ask you."
He pulled out a crumpled box of cigarettes, opened it, and respectfully handed one over.
Seeing this, the skinny man's tone became much more casual: "What's the matter? Tell me."
"Hey, leader, I just want to ask, do you have any used newspapers here? I'll pay for it!"
The reason why Shen Lin found this skinny man was not only because he was the first to speak, but also because of the man's age and position.
The man's position in the office was not very good, and considering his age, Shen Lin's experience was enough to determine that this man was just an old hand without any official title in the office.
Once you reach the age of middle-aged men, it is inevitable to be fussy about the daily necessities of life.
Therefore, this person must be the easiest breakthrough point for Shen Lin to collect junk.
The man originally wanted to say no, but when he heard about giving money, his eyes lit up.
