Gu Hai glanced sideways at Gu Jun from the corner of his eye and found it amusing. However, he still scolded Su Wenbing, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm only suggesting this for your own good."
"Wenbing, think about it. Although your family has a house, it's just a dormitory-style apartment allocated by your work unit. There are only a couple of small rooms, and the whole family is cramped inside—it's very inconvenient. Your father is always dissatisfied with you and says you're just idling around like a street loafer."
"But imagine this—one day, if you suddenly buy a big house and your parents find out, won't they look at you in a completely different light?"
"At that point, you can confidently tell them that you're doing something significant, and that they were wrong about you before."
"Don't you agree?"
After being persuaded by Gu Hai, Su Wenbing felt his blood boil with excitement and nodded repeatedly. "Yes! Brother Hai, you're absolutely right!"
"But…" Su Wenbing frowned. "Housing is really scarce right now. So many people want to buy a house but can't. How could I possibly be that lucky?"
Gu Hai replied, "Don't worry. I've just received some news—before long, there will be opportunities to buy houses. You just need to save up money first. When the time comes, you'll definitely be able to change your parents' opinion of you."
Director Xu's words earlier had given Gu Hai an important insight.
He had mentioned that those who had been sent away might soon return. Many of them were homeowners in the capital, and after what they had gone through, they likely wouldn't want to hold onto too many properties anymore.
So when that time came, people would definitely start selling their houses.
While reminding Su Wenbing, Gu Hai was also preparing himself for this opportunity.
Since it was Su Wenbing, Gu Hai still had to persuade him a bit. If it were Gouzi, Gu Hai wouldn't need to explain anything—just one instruction would be enough, and Gouzi would follow it without question.
"Wenbing, like I said last night, from today onward, anything you acquire belongs to you personally. I can act as a middleman, but to avoid any misunderstandings in the future, you should come with me to the recycling station."
Upon hearing this, Su Wenbing quickly waved his hand. "Brother Hai, how could I not trust you? We've been brothers for so many years—what misunderstanding could there be? Even if I gave you everything in this bag, I wouldn't feel bad about it!"
Gu Hai felt comforted by his words. "That's how you see it, but others might not. Alright, we'll do it my way."
Taking this opportunity, Gu Hai brought Su Wenbing directly to the recycling station.
Su Yun had seen Su Wenbing before—on her very first day at work, when Gu Hai came to sell scrap, he had brought Su Wenbing, Gu Jiang, and Old Liu along with him.
As Su Wenbing entered the recycling station, he wore a big smile, his tone clearly eager to please as he said to Su Yun, "Comrade Su, my name is Su Wenbing. We even share the same surname—maybe five hundred years ago we were one family! Just take a look at what I've brought and offer whatever price you think is fair!"
Although he said that, his wrinkled smile clearly revealed his anticipation.
Su Yun had just finished dealing with another seller. Seeing that Su Wenbing had come with Gu Hai, she gave him some face. She opened the scrap bag and reached inside, pulling out a pile of old jars, worn tobacco pipes, and chipped bowls and plates.
By the time she reached the bottom, she was already starting to feel annoyed—when suddenly, the system's mechanical voice rang in her mind:
"Ding! Detected: one Thousand-Mechanism Lock from the Song Dynasty, slightly flawed. Recycling price: 350 yuan. Do you wish to sell?"
Su Yun was a little surprised and glanced at Su Wenbing.
He grew tense under her gaze and asked nervously, "Comrade Su, can these items be exchanged for money?"
Meanwhile, Gu Hai helped stack the scrap neatly and moved a pile of broken cardboard boxes away from the counter, worried they might accidentally fall and hit Su Yun.
After calculating in her mind for a few seconds, Su Yun initially considered lowering the price, but since he was Gu Hai's friend, she didn't go too far and quoted:
"250 yuan. Are you selling or not?"
Su Wenbing's eyes lit up. "Selling! I'll sell for 250!"
He rubbed his hands excitedly, thinking to himself: I'm rich! These things only cost me a couple of yuan to collect, and now I can sell them for 250—what an unexpected windfall!
Su Yun said, "I'm giving you this high price because of Gu Hai. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't take such a loss."
Even though she had just made a profit of 100 yuan, she still lectured him, "Let me tell you—don't bring these broken plates and bowls next time. They're clearly defective products from a porcelain factory. The chips look too fresh. Buying them as antiques is just a waste of money."
Faced with his benefactor, Su Wenbing felt that everything she said made perfect sense.
He nodded quickly. "Comrade Su, you're absolutely right. I'll be more careful next time!"
Satisfied, Su Yun asked, "So do you want cash or goods?"
Su Wenbing immediately looked at Gu Hai, seeking his opinion.
Gu Hai, having finished arranging the boxes, dusted off his hands and walked over. "Get him a bicycle, and convert the rest into cash."
Right now, their priority was to accumulate money. Although trading for goods could bring higher profits, selling those goods involved risks. One wrong move and they could get into serious trouble—there was no need to take that risk at the moment.
At the mention of a bicycle, Su Wenbing's eyes sparkled as he stared eagerly at Su Yun.
He had once owned a bicycle, but he had given it to his sister when she was sent to the countryside. His father, displeased with his lack of a proper job, refused to buy him another one.
After seeing Gu Hai's bicycle a few days ago, Su Wenbing had been extremely envious—he even dreamed of having one!
Su Yun said, "That's fine, but you'll have to come back tomorrow to pick it up. I need to show the goods to my friend first."
Trusting Gu Hai, Su Wenbing wasn't worried that Su Yun would run off. He nodded. "Alright, I'll come back tomorrow afternoon!"
After making the arrangement, Su Wenbing left the recycling station.
It was almost noon now. Su Yun glanced at Gu Hai and remembered that her mother, Chen Xiue, knew Gu Hai had been tutoring her. Every day, she insisted that Su Yun bring food for him.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she asked, "Comrade Gu Hai… I brought dumplings for lunch—pork and cabbage filling. They just need to be boiled. Would you… like some?"
Gu Hai coughed as well, answering awkwardly, "I… I guess… yes?"
A moment later, Gu Hai lit the stove, and Su Yun placed a lunchbox filled with water on it. Once the water boiled, she added the dumplings.
Then, an even more awkward situation arose.
They only had one lunchbox—but two people needed to eat.
This…
After hesitating for a while, and seeing that the dumplings were almost ready, Su Yun finally said softly, "How about we make do with one lunchbox? We're both comrades—it's not necessary to be so particular."
As she spoke, she didn't dare look at Gu Hai.
Gu Hai's face instantly turned red. His deep eyes darted around nervously as he nodded hastily. "Whatever you say."