My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 33: Calming Down

After being snapped at by his wife, Mr. Xu remained sullen all the way to work. “Good morning, Uncle Ming!” Ma Jun greeted his boss casually as he arrived. Mr. Xu didn’t like being called “Uncle Xu” because it rolled off the tongue awkwardly, but “Uncle Ming” was different—it sounded commanding the moment you heard it. Ma Jun had been recruited by Xu Dong. He was 25 years old and had previously worked as a miner—but don’t get the wrong idea; he was mining cryptocurrency. It was Ma Jun’s own greed that got him into trouble—in addition to mining, he’d picked up the bad habit of speculating on cryptocurrency. As a result, when the market took a turn for the worse last year, he lost his entire investment. As a result, he racked up 250,000 yuan in debt and now has no choice but to work for Mr. Xu to pay it off; he currently lives and eats at the shop. “Good morning! Have you sorted through the devices we received yesterday? How many of them can be repaired?” Xu’s dad set down his water glass and asked with a stern expression. Although Ma Jun’s work ethic wasn’t exactly exemplary, his technical skills were unquestionable. He had a thorough understanding of the performance and specifications of all kinds of electronic devices and possessed excellent repair skills. As a result, Mr. Xu offered Ma Jun a flexible compensation package: a base salary of 5,000 yuan plus a 10% commission on profits, effectively giving Ma Jun an indirect 10% stake in the Company. Don’t ask why Mr. Xu knew all this—he had simply copied a classic case study mentioned by a certain “master.” Ever since watching those short videos on success, he had been deeply inspired. “There are fifty-five units in total: forty-three cell phones, fifteen laptops, and two tablets. The rest can only be dismantled for parts,” Ma Jun replied quickly. Xu’s dad nodded, a faint smile finally appearing on his face—after all, these were all profits! “All right, Ma, keep repairing devices today and try to fix as many as possible. Boss Yao is really pushing us, so leave all the shop’s miscellaneous tasks to me.” Mr. Yao is the big boss of a certain computer mall. A while back, his electronics sold out completely, but the manufacturers couldn’t ramp up production fast enough. He quickly came up with a plan and started selling used goods—which turned out to be just as popular. Most of the computers Xu’s dad repaired were sent to him, since he offered the highest price. Ma Jun rubbed his sore eyes and couldn’t help but complain, “Uncle Ming, I only slept five hours last night. If I’m the only one doing this, I’d have to work myself to death—and I still wouldn’t be able to fix that many computers!” “So you’re suggesting we hire more people?” “Yeah, business is so good right now—why not hire a few more people?” Ma Jun asked, puzzled. Xu’s dad thought for a moment, then posed a very practical question to Ma Jun: “Business is good now, but can you guarantee it’ll stay that way? When business slows down later, will we be able to afford to keep so many employees?” This didn’t stump Ma Jun; he’d been racking his brain to pay off his debts as quickly as possible. “That’s easy. We’ll lower the base salary a bit and offer as high a commission as possible. When business slows down, those new employees won’t be making any money—they’ll quit on their own before we even have to let them go.” “Will we even be able to hire anyone under those conditions?” Xu’s dad admitted he was intrigued. So there was such a sneaky tactic—it seemed he still had a lot to learn. “Of course we can. With companies going out of business left and right these days, we won’t have any trouble finding applicants.” “There probably aren’t many people with repair experience, are there?” Mr. Xu wasn’t completely clueless. Ma Jun shrugged indifferently: “If they don’t have experience, they can learn. We’ll start with the basics—a year or so of training should be enough. Actually, most machines just have minor glitches; replacing a part is usually all it takes. It doesn’t require any advanced technical skills.” While Xu’s dad was still weighing the feasibility, Ma Jun continued to persuade him: “Also, simple tasks like flashing the firmware, taking devices apart, and replacing screens—we can easily delegate those to the new hires. I’ll just handle the technical challenges, and that way, we’ll be able to repair dozens more devices every day.” Those words completely won Xu’s dad over—nothing speaks louder than profit. “All right, go post a job listing online right away and have them come to the store for interviews.” Ma Jun clenched his fist tightly—he had finally achieved his goal. Three days later, on March 28, the week-long buying frenzy was finally brought to a screeching halt by the authorities and gradually subsided. Although he didn’t know what considerations had led the authorities to wait so long, But Xu Dong speculated that there were likely three main reasons: First, to use the buying frenzy to give businesses and manufacturers a much-needed boost, thereby reactivating Daxia—this vast and intricate “world factory”; Second, the authorities could seize the opportunity to collect a large sum in taxes to offset the enormous fiscal burden caused by the reconstruction efforts; Finally, there’s the conspiracy theory—purely Xu Dong’s personal speculation. A buying frenzy could create the illusion of domestic shortages in Daxia, allowing the country to openly increase imports and reduce exports to build up reserves in preparation for future “natural disasters.” From subtle clues, Xu Dong sensed that the authorities had already prepared for the worst-case scenario—but what no one could have anticipated was that this “worst-case scenario” was far from the absolute worst. As a result, in the years that followed, countries around the world were caught completely off guard. On March 29—perhaps to alleviate the restlessness and anxiety caused by the panic buying—the Yanjing Winter Olympics, which had been suspended for more than two months, resumed. However, all subsequent events were moved indoors, as outdoor temperatures had already surpassed 35 degrees Celsius—it seemed as though summer had arrived early. On April 5, the Winter Olympics officially concluded, with Daxia ultimately ranking third on the medal table with 10 gold, 5 silver, and 5 bronze medals. Immediately after the Winter Olympics, the government launched a massive nationwide campaign promoting frugality, calling on the entire population to “practice frugality and oppose waste.” In the Siheyuan courtyard, Xu Dong was helping his wife tend the vegetable garden, while Xu’s mother and Wang Xiujuan, who had dropped by for a visit, chatted about everyday matters nearby, occasionally helping to pass a water jug. Wang Xiujuan had brought her grandson along this time; the little boy was five years old, with a chubby face that made him look absolutely adorable. Since it happened to be the weekend and there was no school, the two Ke Ke sisters took the triplets and their little guest to play games together, filling the entire courtyard with their laughter and shouts. After chatting about everyday matters for a while, Wang Xiujuan couldn’t wait to share the latest news she’d heard: “Old Zhang, did you know? Starting next month, the prices for water, electricity, and natural gas around here are going up—and I hear the increases are pretty steep.” “Really? Where did you hear that?” Aunt Xu unconsciously furrowed her brow, her expression turning somber; even living in a hundred-million-yuan mansion hadn’t changed her small-town mindset. Ordinary people are the most sensitive to price changes in utilities like water and electricity. “My son told me—don’t let anyone else know. There’s this conservation campaign going on lately, right? The price hikes for water, electricity, and natural gas are just part of that effort. Think about it—if prices go up, won’t everyone be too reluctant to waste them?” Mrs. Xu was puzzled: “But we still have to use what we need. What does that have to do with saving?” “I’m not sure about that either, but the price hike is 100 percent certain.” “Sigh, life is getting harder and harder.” Mrs. Xu sighed. The previous panic-buying spree had already taken a heavy toll on her household, and they’d spent almost all their money—so why was she feeling more and more uneasy?