"You wait, I'll call the village right now and have someone bring the passbook so you can withdraw the money."
Li Dafu had originally just come to the market to join the fun, never expecting to see Diesel Engines for sale.
Especially high-horsepower Diesel Engines, which general Township Agricultural Machinery Stores don't stock; you usually have to pay a Deposit to order them from the city.
For Fishermen, a typical small Fishing Boat is only about ten-plus Tonnage, with a common Speed of around 10 knots, which is about 18 kilometers per hour.
Besides this being the most fuel-efficient Speed, it's also because the limit for small Diesel Engines is pretty much reached here.
If two Diesel Engines output 50 Horsepower, it could not only boost the Fishing Boat's Speed up to 12 to 15 knots instantly, but also make driving the Generator more stable.
A 50 Horsepower Diesel Engine is sufficient for Fishing Boats up to 20 Tonnage, which already qualifies as a medium-sized Fishing Boat, basically the limit most ordinary families can afford.
Li Dafu happened to own a boat of similar Tonnage; the original two 15 Horsepower Diesel Engines were always insufficient, and he had long had the Idea of replacing them.
Five thousand yuan—not only can you not get a 25 Horsepower Diesel Engine, but even a new 15 Horsepower machine isn't much cheaper than this.
If I sell the ones I take off, I can Upgrade to 50 Horsepower for a few thousand yuan?
Faced with such high Cost-effectiveness, minor after-sales flaws can almost be ignored; who can't fix this thing?
Moreover, from his years of Experience, this "Gaijin" brand doesn't look bad in terms of Mass; a good portion of the material is aluminum, which is much more expensive than cast iron.
Li Dafu hurriedly took his granddaughter and went to make the call, while the remaining people grew even more curious. Someone recognized Tang Wen and asked loudly:
"Isn't this Tang Wu's son? Why is your Diesel Engine so cheap?"
Tang Wen didn't recognize who was speaking, so he simply started talking nonsense, lies pouring out of his mouth:
"Isn't this Gaijin Shipyard from Dan... Dandong? Enterprises in the Northeast can't get by these days. These are all unsold inventory that I got cheap to sell to the folks here, which is why there's no after-sales service.
If anyone else wants one, I'll contact them over there. First come, first served; if you're late, there won't be any left!"
The 90s, Northeast China, layoffs, inventory.
As these few Keywords emerged, the old and young men nodded vaguely, as if they now Understood why it was so cheap.
Although five thousand yuan is a lot, it's truly not expensive compared to its Value. A used large Tractor now starts at seven or eight thousand; even if you resell it, you won't lose money, and might even make a small profit.
The person who spoke earlier stepped forward, touched the Diesel Engine, and looked up:
"I want one, but I'll pay after inspecting the goods."
Tang Wen Nodded, took out a pen, and pointed to the price board:
"Please write down your name and pay a one-hundred-yuan Deposit. I'll bring it here again the day after tomorrow."
As soon as he finished speaking, another person leaned over, standing directly in front of Tang Wen and asking:
"How many more units do you have? How much cheaper can you go if I buy a lot?"
Tang Wen glanced at him, recognizing that this seemed to be Wu Lao Er, the Shop Owner of the Town's Agricultural Machinery Store.
But wasn't selling Diesel Engines putting him out of business? Why was he actively asking the price?
Tang Wen thought for a moment and answered seriously:
"For a discount, you need to buy at least five units, and I'll knock off two hundred yuan per unit."
Wu Lao Er rubbed his chin. He didn't haggle immediately but turned his back to look at the eager crowd and said quietly:
"Silly kid, how much money can you make just selling the machines? You can sell a Tractor fitted with it for twenty thousand, right?
I have a few scrapped Tractors I took back. If you can offer credit, I'll take three to refurbish first, and we can split the profits fifty-fifty after I sell them, how about that?"
Fifty-fifty profit split?
Tang Wen was instantly tempted. Wu Lao Er was absolutely right; a complete Tractor is worth much more than just a Diesel Engine.
Even if it's a refurbished used one, with a new Engine installed, selling it for 70% of the new price is no problem.
This way, he could earn several thousand more per Diesel Engine, and there would naturally be more buyers.
Three Tractors aren't too many; they'll sell quickly too.
Seeing Tang Wen Nod in agreement, Wu Lao Er pressed his advantage:
"Do you have any other models of Diesel Engines? Why not put them in my store to sell? I won't take any commission."
Tang Wen was a bit surprised. No commission? Was he going to advertise for him for free?
Wu Lao Er chuckled:
"You can't just buy a Diesel Engine, right? Tools, spare parts, belts, and you'll need a Modified Bracket for the Installation—it's much more convenient to do all that here at my place, isn't it?"
Tang Wen suddenly Understood. These peripheral services were also Profitable and carried zero Risk.
In reality, Agricultural Machinery Stores rarely sold high-Horsepower Diesel Engines; the user base didn't overlap. This posed no Impact on Wu Lao Er at all; rather, it could expand his business.
After making a simple agreement with Wu Lao Er, the latter stepped forward to vouch for Tang Wen. Those who were still hesitating immediately made up their minds.
Unlike the young man Tang Wen, who could run away at any moment, everyone knew Wu Lao Er; his store was in the Town and he certainly wasn't going anywhere.
By the time Li Dafu brought the passbook to transfer the money, 5 Diesel Engines had already been pre-ordered.
Including the three units Wu Lao Er wanted and the two already sold, that made 10 Orders.
Tang Wen quickly calculated: he had made a net profit of exactly one thousand Silver Coins. Upgrading the Shipyard was right before his eyes!
Arriving at the Town's Credit Union, Li Dafu also brought his relatives, and together they transferred ten thousand yuan to Tang Wen.
The two Diesel Engines were started on the spot for a test run, confirmed to be fine, and Li Dafu happily towed them home.
Having successfully completed his first business deal, Tang Wen went to the teahouse's convenience store and bought a large pile of snacks. This time he didn't see Guo Chenliang, but he was severely looked down upon again by Guo Panpan with her 'parasite' gaze.
The Town market held little Appeal for him; most of the "rare goods" sold were Eliminated items that couldn't sell in the city. Tang Wen browsed casually, and in the afternoon, he drove his four-wheel-drive vehicle back to the village, dropped it off in the Village Chief's yard, and walked back to the Shipyard.
However, before he reached it, Tang Wen saw from afar that the iron gate of the Shipyard was open, and a White Van was parked inside.
Tang Wen's heart sank. As he walked in slowly, he indeed saw Zheng Hai again.
The latter was squatting in front of the newly built "Duty-Free No. 1," turned his head upon hearing the movement, and gave Tang Wen an exaggerated smile:
"Good kid, you really are Old Third Tang's seed. Even your father's craftsmanship wasn't this good."
Zheng Hai had only come to take a casual look and drop off the Engine to match the Installation interface; who knew Tang Wen had already built a whole boat.
Even Tang Wu's Speed wasn't this fast before, let alone the workmanship on the completed Duty-Free No. 1, which was much more refined.
This made him feel the five thousand yuan was even more worthwhile, and he appreciated Tang Wen even more.
"Come on, install the Motor for me right now!"
This time he hadn't driven that flashy Santana, but a Van.
Tang Wen recognized what this vehicle was at a glance: a Toyota HiAce H50, commonly known as the light infantry vehicle of the Two Guangs region.
This vehicle had two characteristics:
First, it could carry a lot of people—rated for 7 seats, but could actually cram in 20 big guys, and everyone liked to roll up a Newspaper while riding;
Second, the air conditioning was effective. Often, as soon as the vehicle stopped, the passengers couldn't wait to jump out, constantly shouting, "My hands are cold!" "My hands are cold!"
But today, it wasn't stuffed with 20 triad members, but two wrapped Gasoline Motors.
"Gently! If it breaks, it can't be fixed!"
When the two younger brothers carried the Motors down, Zheng Hai hurriedly told them to be careful.
After the outer wooden frame was kicked open and the oil paper was torn away, Tang Wen saw a boat Outboard Motor nearly as long as a person, with "YAMAHA" printed on the outside. Its sheer size exuded a sense of Violent power.
It was Tang Wen's first time seeing such a thing, and he stared wide-eyed, wanting to get a closer look.
Zheng Hai said proudly:
"This Motor is something I managed to procure from the Island Nation with great difficulty. It's a full 180 Horsepower; one unit costs more than all five of your boats combined. The boat can be lost, but this thing cannot."
Only 180 Horsepower?
The total power of four such Motors would only be 720 Horsepower, falling short of the 1000 total Horsepower thrust the Shipyard originally planned for with 250 Horsepower Engines.
But 180 Horsepower is still very powerful in this era, and due to boundary effects, it wouldn't be much slower; 50 knots is achievable.