Buying a computer

"Chen Yu, that was amazing! You got business on the first day."

"It's not bad; I know some big spenders, so finding business isn't too difficult. The key is that we might be a bit short on manpower. Just for these five accounts for power leveling, we'll need ten people working in two shifts. If we add other tasks like equipment farming and gold farming, we might not have enough hands."

"We have no manpower problem; Chen Li has plenty of people."

"That's good, but we should try to find obedient ones. Otherwise, if they can't sit still here and start causing trouble outside, the workshop won't work."

"Don't worry. You didn't see it, but when you put the money on the table, it really excited them. With such high salaries, they won't bother with anything else outside."

"Alright, that sounds good."

After allocating the power leveling tasks, Chen Yu and Wang Pangzi discussed the finances. "For the first order, I received 15,000 yuan. The price for leveling up one account is 3,000 yuan, and 2,000 yuan goes to everyone as their salary. The remaining 1,000 yuan is our profit. However, we need to deduct other expenses, so we might not make a full 1,000 yuan. But of course, we won't only rely on that. While leveling up these accounts, we'll also be farming monsters and equipment, which will accumulate in-game currency and equipment over time. I've calculated it; one account can probably earn an additional 500 yuan, so after deducting expenses, we'll have a monthly profit of around 1,000 yuan per account."

"Chen Yu, I trust you, and considering the profits, it's really not bad."

Wang Pangzi nodded in agreement. "Alright, that's it for today."

After giving a few more instructions, Chen Yu asked Zhang Jianming to familiarize the others with the game and left the internet cafe.

...

"These guys."

On his way back home, Chen Yu couldn't help but yawn. Thinking about how Chen Li and his friends had called him "Brother Yu" while going down the stairs, he felt a bit overwhelmed.

Brother Yu? Am I their boss now?

No, I'm not.

I'm just a good Samaritan, not affiliated with them.

"Oh, right, I need to buy a computer."

Halfway through his journey, Chen Yu remembered his plan to learn programming. To take on the future and compete with the big shots, he needed some programming skills. Of course, he didn't need to become an expert, but he needed to have some knowledge.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to pull off what Teacher Ma had done, leading so many "arhats" to work for him.

Since he needed to learn programming, he couldn't do it at school or in an internet cafe. He needed to buy his own computer.

Actually, he had considered buying a computer a few days ago, but he didn't have enough money back then. Now that he had earned tens of thousands of yuan, he decided it was time to get one.

"Hey, young man, do you want to buy a computer?"

"I want to build a computer."

"I have computers with various configurations here. Take a look at this one; it's only a little over 4,000 yuan, and it offers the best price-to-performance ratio."

"What are the specifications of this computer?"

"All the specifications are listed here; take a look."

In the year 2000, Xinfeng didn't have a computer mall; there were only a few computer shops. Chen Yu entered one of these shops, where a middle-aged man tried to sell him a computer.

"Celeron processor, RT monitor, 128MB of RAM, and it costs over 4,000 yuan. Boss, you're overcharging."

"Do you know about computers, young man?"

"I know a bit."

"Then tell me, what kind of specifications are you looking for?"

"I want a Pentium III processor with a clock speed of 1.3GHz. I also want an LCD Philips 21-inch monitor and 500MB of RAM... and let's add a dedicated... uh, dedicated graphics card, too. That's it."

Liquid crystal monitors would become commonplace in the following years, but in 2001, they were still considered high-end items.

"You've got good taste, young man. The Intel Pentium III processor is the latest one that Intel released last year. This processor has three versions: the lowest is 800MHz, the mid-tier is 1.0GHz, and the highest clock speed reaches 1.3GHz. You're asking for the top-level one, and with 512MB of RAM and a Philips LCD monitor, this configuration doesn't come cheap."

"Just give me the price."

"10,000 yuan."

"10,000 yuan, boss, are you trying to rip me off?"

"It's not that I'm overcharging; you mentioned all top-level specifications. I won't make much profit even at this price. How about this, since you seem to know your stuff, I'll give you a discount: 9,800 yuan."

"Boss, let me check the online prices for these specifications. They're available for as low as 8,000 yuan."

"Young man, you're missing out on a great opportunity by not going into business. But online is online; we have rent to pay for the shop, and we provide installation and after-sales service. Let's compromise at 9,000 yuan?"

"8,500 yuan."

"Add a bit more to that."

"8,500 yuan is my final offer. If you agree, I can pay right now."

"Alright, let's do it. Consider it a friendly deal."

The computer shop owner handed Chen Yu a business card. "Young man, I'm surnamed Xiao. Feel free to call me if you need anything."

"Oh, you're Mr. Xiao. Alright, as long as you don't overcharge me."

"Young man, do you study computers with such a high-end configuration?"

"No."

Chen Yu shook his head. "I'm just buying a computer with better specifications for gaming."

"Gaming?"

Mr. Xiao shed a tear. "You're buying such a high-end computer just for gaming."

If this were his son, he would have given him a piece of his mind.

But you couldn't say things like that, so he quickly changed the subject. "Uh, young man, there are a few components that are out of stock, and I can't assemble the computer right now. How about I install it for you when the parts arrive, probably tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Chen Yu nodded. "But, Mr. Xiao, when you install it, could you use an old computer case?"

"An old computer case?"

"Yes, and I also need an old keyboard and mouse."

"Why, young man?"

"Mr. Xiao, please don't ask me why; just make sure to provide what I've requested."

"Well, if you insist. But this will affect the price."

"Don't worry; I won't deduct a cent from your payment."

"Alright."

This was quite an unusual request.

Instead of wanting new components, he wanted old ones.

Since he wanted old ones, Mr. Xiao could actually save some money.

...

"Hey, Mom, why are you back so early today?"

"I don't know anything about interior decoration. I've been sitting in the store doing nothing. They said it should be ready in a couple of days."

"That's true."

"Mom, why are you making conch shells again?"

"As I had some free time these past two days, and you're about to open the store, I thought I'd make some. Can't let the opportunity slip."

"In that case, I'm in for a treat."

"Taste it this time and see what's different from the last batch."

"I already told you, use gloves."

"Alright, alright."

Chen Yu put on the gloves.

He sucked in a breath.

The savory meat from the shells fell into his mouth.

"Delicious."

"Mom, it's even better and more delicious than last time."

"You're making me hungry."

After enjoying their meal, Chen Yu thought about the computer he had ordered earlier. He said, "Mom, the school is offering computer classes now, and I want to learn."

"Learning computers is a good idea. How much does it cost to enroll?"

"It's free at school, no cost."

"That's even better. Xiaoyu, let me tell you, you need to study computers well. I've seen on TV that those who are good with computers get office jobs."

"Don't worry, Mom."

Chen Yu nodded, then continued, "Mom, one of my classmates has an old computer and wants to give it to me. Can we bring it home tomorrow?"

"Your classmate's old computer?"

"Yes."

"Why is he giving it to you?"

"We have a good relationship."

"Xiaoyu, you can't take advantage of others. Computers are expensive."

"Mom, I told you it's an old computer. They bought a new one, and they don't need the old one anymore."

"Whether it's an old computer or not, it's probably still worth some money. How about this, tell your classmate to sell it to you."

"There's no need."

"Why not? Listen to your mom, don't owe anyone any favors. Tell your classmate that this month... no, next month, you'll give them the money."

"Well, alright."

Chen Yu had a headache.

Even buying a computer had become a complicated process. It was really taking a toll on him.

But it was for the best; saying it was an old computer wouldn't arouse suspicion from his mom, and he would figure out a solution for next month.