But this wasn’t a problem for the backpack store owner.
Selling stuff just relies on a good sales pitch!
Having been in this department store for years, he had long mastered the skill of turning black into white and vice versa.
"This tent should be the one then."
The backpack store owner picked up a packed tent with one hand and started to introduce it: "This hiking tent is very portable as you can see, easy to set up, and has a sturdy structure. Plus, it’s a double-layer tent, with the outer layer using the United States waterproof technology. Even in a heavy rain, it won’t leak. As for thunder protection, young man, let me tell you the honest truth, if anyone tells you their tent is thunder-proof, they are just deceiving you. No tent nowadays is thunder-proof. However, this tent’s frame is made of aluminum, which is highly conductive. If, by any small chance, although it’s very unlikely, the tent does get struck by lightning, this tent would be safer than others. What do you think?"
There are no customer demands that he cannot meet, or rather, that he cannot smooth over with some convincing.
However, what he said was not exactly an exaggeration.
He was being pretty realistic.
Lin Beichen thought about it and felt satisfied, so he asked, "Boss, how much is this tent?"
Seeing Lin Beichen asking about the price, the store owner immediately deduced that he was inexperienced and rarely went out shopping, instantly judging that this kid in front of him was a ripe opportunity for a good swindle!
"This tent usually sells for 1288, but seeing that you’re a student, I’ll give you a cost price..."
Looking at Lin Beichen, his eyes lit up with the excitement of seeing money coming his way. With a pained expression, he said through gritted teeth, "808 it is, a fortune for both of us!"
The product was good, and he had no qualms about ripping people off!
The store owner’s purchase price for the tent was just over three hundred, and it usually sold for over five hundred.
Lin Beichen laughed happily and said, "Boss, can you round it down?"
The store owner also laughed happily, thinking to himself, kid, the department store is deep water, you can’t grasp it!
"Round off, huh..."
"Yes."
Lin Beichen nodded, "How about 88?"
After saying this, he laughed even more happily.
The store owner stopped laughing, his smile frozen.
"???"
He looked at Lin Beichen in utter confusion and somewhat angrily said, "Kid, you must be joking. I’ve been in business for decades, and this is the first time I’ve heard of rounding off from the middle."
"Boss, you were the one joking first."
Lin Beichen, having lived two lives, had plenty of experience and was not easy prey for the store owner.
"Give me a real price."
"..."
The store owner, feeling a bit guilty after Lin Beichen’s words, finally realized that this kid in front of him was not to be underestimated.
"Pal, seeing that you’re a savvy guy, I’ll be honest, 666, for good luck, selling it at a loss to you."
"300."
"Eh?"
The store owner looked pained and said with a wry smile, "Pal, who haggles like that? This isn’t just halving the price, you’re cutting more than half off. This is impossible, 500, I really can’t go any lower, any less and it’s a loss!"
"350."
"450!"
The store owner tightened his grip on the tent, feeling nervous.
This time, Lin Beichen didn’t immediately counteroffer. He wandered around the store, observing the store owner’s state. Just when the owner thought he was going to agree on the price, Lin Beichen made another offer.
"380."
"400!!"
The store owner’s eyes reddened; he found that this kid was even tougher to bargain with than those old ladies!
"Kid, 400, I really can’t go any lower. The cost price of this tent is 400, if I sell for less, I’ll lose money, might as well not sell it."
"390."
Lin Beichen added ten more.
The store owner didn’t hesitate, simply waving his hand: "Not selling, not selling, I just won’t sell it."
"Boss, are you really just 10 yuan short?"
"Kid, are you really just 10 yuan short?"
The store owner looked helpless, "400, if you want it, take it. If not, look elsewhere. I dare say no other store has tents as good as mine at this price. I’m already losing money selling it to you at 400."
"Then I’ll look elsewhere."
Lin Beichen pretended to leave.
Store owner: ???
He didn’t expect Lin Beichen to just leave like that, why wasn’t he playing along?
Forget it!
The store owner thought about it and realized that even if he sold it, the profit margin was negligible. He became indifferent to the whole situation.
Lin Beichen wasn’t really planning to leave. Seeing the store owner’s state, he knew the price couldn’t go any lower, so he smiled and said, "Never mind, it’s too hot to shop around, 400 it is. Boss, please pack it for me."
"Okay."
The store owner, with no joy or sorrow left, spent all that effort just to sell it at cost price, what kind of reaction could he have?
Soon, the tent was packed.
Lin Beichen thanked him and left the store to buy the other items on his list.
...
The further Lin Beichen walked, the more he felt something was off, but he couldn’t figure out what.
Until...
While haggling over a moisture-proof mat in another store.
Suddenly it hit him.
He overpaid for the tent and should have haggled more.
Instantly, his bargaining skill skyrocketed. By the time he left the store with the mat, the shopkeeper looked as if he’d just escaped a disaster, barely refraining from closing up shop right then and there.
Lin Beichen thought, now that’s the proper reaction.
To compensate for the "loss" from the tent, he haggled fiercely in every store. By the time he finished gathering all the items on his list...
The entire department store knew:
A harmless-looking guy, possibly a student, was a ruthless bargainer, tougher than any bargaining granny, refusing to relent until he almost had the shopkeepers at a loss!
Of course, Lin Beichen was unaware of this reputation.
With a wave of his hand, he disappeared, leaving no trace.
When he returned to his dorm with the tent and bags of items, it was already evening.
His roommates were all in the dorm.
Seeing his haul,
Han Yuan couldn’t help joking, "Beichen, did you go for some zero-cost shopping spree? How come you brought back so much stuff?"
Liang Dong spotted the tent and understood, asking in confusion, "Wait, Beichen, do you really need all this just to go to Wuling Mountain?"
"Wuling Mountain?"
Han Yuan and Wu You were hearing this for the first time, looking surprised.
Han Yuan asked, "You mean Wuling Mountain in Yunmi County?"
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Wu You wondered, "Yunmi County? That’s quite far. Why suddenly go there?"
"To study thunder."
Lin Beichen had already started packing, not even lifting his head, "Wuling Mountain is going to have thunderstorms for at least a week starting tomorrow, so I’ll be there for a while, maybe a week, so I prepared more stuff."
Roommates: ...
They didn’t think much of Lin Beichen’s thunder research, knowing he was into that and had even mentioned it to the principal at the start of school.
But the duration...
They were envious.
A whole week!
At Imperial Capital University, if anyone could skip classes without getting scolded, and even have the professors’ approval, it would be their roommate!
...
Meanwhile, in a car outside the school gate.
"A tent that’s thunder-proof, what’s he up to?"
"Doesn’t he have to study? I rarely see him in class, always sitting around in a daze..."
Xu Wenliang sat in the car, musing over the day’s observations, becoming more puzzled by the minute.
When he first met Lin Beichen, he thought the kid was a top student, humble and low-key.
But as he continued to observe secretly, he found the kid a bit strange!
But exactly how, he couldn’t pinpoint.
Xu Wenliang found Lin Beichen puzzling but didn’t dwell on it too much, as his job was to protect Lin Beichen from retaliation by criminal gangs, not to spy on or pry into his life.
"Let’s report Lin Beichen’s situation to the bureau first."
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