I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

After clicking the "GG" banner above the Beiming Community, Chen Shi was redirected to the homepage of Huanhuan.com.

The homepage of Huanhuan.com is different from that of Xianyu.com.

It no longer has various "sections" or similar settings; instead, various categories are directly set in an area at the top of the page.

Above this "category section" is a simple and clear search box where users should be able to directly enter what they want to buy and search for the corresponding products.

Below this "Category Section" are various product displays. Currently, you can see several items, including laptops, civil service exam study materials and notes, and MP3 players.

Chen Shi immediately noticed the picture of the Thnkpa T60. The price below the picture was a bit strange; unlike the fixed prices on Taobao or Xianyu.com, it was listed as "starting from 2369".

"rise?"

Chen Shi seemed to be deep in thought, and then clicked on the picture of the T60.

After clicking through, it still doesn't lead to the product details page, but to a blank display page with two lonely pictures of the T60.

The prices listed under these two T60 images are also different: one is 2369 and the other is 3120—these two prices do not include the word "starting price".

"It turns out that they put all the products of the same model together, so they included the word 'start'."

Chen Shi understood.

This is actually easy to understand: the same T60, because it's secondhand, acquired from different people, will have different usage conditions and current status; each one can be considered unique. Therefore, it's impossible to have a uniform price like a new product.

However, if each T60 is sold separately, it will be troublesome for users to find it. Therefore, this exchange website gathers all "same models" together, lists the lowest existing price, and adds a "starting from".

In this way, users who want to buy a T60 can quickly find it. Then, from a large number (and possibly in the future) of T60 models, users can find the one that best matches their ideal price-performance ratio.

It's simple and efficient, while still preserving the complexity and uniqueness of secondhand items.

Chen Shi thought to himself, then looked at the two pictures of the T60 in front of him.

He first clicked on the picture of the T60 priced at 3120 yuan, and the page finally led to the details page.

The upper half of the page has a picture of the T60 on the left, and the usual items like price and purchase options on the right, as well as something brand new.

That was a message—90% new, high cost performance.

Below is a smaller line of text: "Preserved in excellent condition by the original owner; screen is scratch-free, but there is noticeable wear and minor scratches on the exterior. The adapter is included; please ensure the adapter is in good condition before purchasing."

"Is there obvious wear and minor scratches on the exterior? Is that all written on it?"

Chen Shi was somewhat surprised when he saw the description.

Then he clicked on the product image and started looking at it.

There are several product photos, not the kind of "seller's show" that has been lit up and all the flaws have been edited out, but rather very straightforward real shots—the wear and tear on the edges of the casing is clearly visible, and even the minor scratches are circled and marked with a red arrow to guide the viewer to look at them!

Scroll down to see the computer's basic specifications:

Processor: NTL C2U T7200. Memory: 1 byte. Hard Drive: 120 byte. Graphics Card: AT MBLTY AN 1400, 128MB. Screen: 14.1-inch A+ high-resolution screen, 1400x1050 resolution. Battery Efficiency: 70%-80%.

Next, there is the quality inspection report for this computer:

Power-on test: Normal. Keyboard keys: Normal. Touchpad: Normal. Speakers: Normal. Microphone: Normal. CPU: Normal. Memory: Normal. ...

A series of "normal" items were all in black font.

Among them, there was also red lettering that was very eye-catching—obvious wear and tear on the exterior.

"What the hell!"

Chen Shi looked at it twice, and was astonished both times.

This was so different from what he remembered as "second-hand".

Chen Shi had previously visited the secondhand computer stalls in computer malls and had even considered buying a used computer if he didn't have enough money. What he observed about the secondhand computer market was as follows:

The vendors at those secondhand stalls polish the machines to a shine, and the keyboard covers are tightly sealed. If you ask them, "Does this machine have any hidden defects? How's the battery?", they will absolutely assure you, "Absolutely no problems! The battery is in excellent condition, almost as good as new."

No matter which stall owner you ask, or which machine you ask, you get the same answer.

Chen Shi also encountered a man wandering around with a laptop. Upon asking, he learned that the man had bought it from a secondhand stall there. The stall owner had given him stern guarantees, but after using it for a month, a line appeared on the screen. Now, when he came back to look for the stall owner, he couldn't find him anywhere.

But Huanhuan.com seems to be a little different.

Instead of exaggerating how good this secondhand laptop is, it simply tells you directly that it has "obvious wear and tear."

In fact, from Chen Shi's perspective, the so-called "obvious" aspect in the picture wasn't actually that obvious; Huanhuan.com's assessment seemed overly strict.

Furthermore, it even directly marks the battery efficiency as only 70% to 80%!

However, Chen Shi was surprised but not overwhelmed. Instead, he looked around the quality inspection report again. The defects in appearance wear and battery condition were indeed given, but could there be something fishy about the "normal" condition of these components?

With that thought in mind, Chen Shi closed the page and opened the 2369 t60 page again.

The interface layout is the same; the only differences are in the quality, basic parameters, and quality inspection report.

This T60 is in 80% new condition, a good deal for personal use.

The small print below reads: "The exterior shows obvious wear and tear, the screen has slight scratches, and the original owner added memory himself."

The basic parameters are also different from those of the one that cost over three thousand.

cpu：t5600。那台三千多的是t7200。内存：1.5。那台三千多的是1。硬碟：80。那台三千多的是120。显卡：1300。那台三千多的是1400。电池效率：90%以上。

On the quality inspection report, most items were "normal," with only two items marked in red.

Exterior wear and tear: Obvious. Screen scratches: Minor.

"Minor screen scratches are also marked. The memory stick that the original owner installed is also marked."

Chen Shi watched silently.

Although all the components were still "normal," he was still a little uneasy. However, this time, the T60 had an additional "minor screen scratches," which made him feel a little more at ease.

This exchange website seems to be much more honest than the secondhand stalls in computer malls; perhaps the parts it claims to have are genuinely normal.

In addition, Chen Shi also learned that the price difference between the two T60s was due to their different configurations.

The T7200, which cost over 3000, was one of the top-of-the-line processors in the T60 series back then, and it had a clear advantage over this T5600, which cost over 2000. The dedicated graphics card in the 3000+ model, which cost 1400, was also more powerful than the 1300 dedicated graphics card in this 2000+ model; its video memory alone was doubled, increasing from 64MB to 128MB!

The Sword Saint went crazy spinning on this dedicated graphics card.

Of course, this T60, which costs a little over two thousand, also has its advantages. The original owner added more memory, giving it more storage space. Its battery efficiency is also better than the one that costs over three thousand.

The key issue is the price difference of over 700.

Chen Shi opened the page for the T60 that cost over 3,000 yuan again, but didn't close the page for the T60 that cost over 2,000 yuan. Instead, he looked back and forth between the two pages, calculating in his mind which one was better.

He even went back to his desk, took out a diary and a pen, sat down in Zhao Lei's seat, and started calculating the weighting of various items on both computers.

After calculating for a while, Chen Shi raised his head.

"From a purely rational cost-performance perspective, this one that costs a little over three thousand is more worthwhile."

Chen Shi seemed to be deep in thought.

The main reason is that the high-end T60's CPU and dedicated graphics card significantly boosted the score.

If it were up to Chen Shi's personality, he would definitely buy the one that costs over three thousand yuan, as it has a high cost-performance ratio and is the most cost-effective.

The problem is, he has no money. Does he have to keep working to save up until he reaches three thousand? By then, this laptop might be gone...

Chen Shi began to look for the right angle.

First, there's memory.

The T7200 has only 1MB of RAM, while the T5600 has a whopping 1.5MB! This extra 512MB of RAM allows the system to run more smoothly, making up for the difference in CPU performance.

Then there's the dedicated graphics card.

The 1400 has 128MB of dedicated video memory, supports CT 9.0c, and its core clock speed is several tens of MHz higher than the 1300. Both have the same number of pixel pipelines, four in total. The biggest difference lies in the memory bus width and clock speed—the 1400 has a higher memory clock speed and greater bandwidth, giving it a significant advantage in handling high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing.

To put it simply, the relationship between the 1400 and 1300 is like that of a CPU with a higher clock speed and a larger cache. They are essentially the same generation architecture, but the 1400 is the full-fledged version of this generation, while the 1300 is a more cost-effective version with precise segmentation.

In terms of actual experience, how big is the difference?

At standard screen resolution, there's virtually no difference in everyday use. Both graphics cards are more than capable of handling web browsing, PF viewing, QQ chatting, and writing.

The difference only becomes apparent in two scenarios: First, gaming. The 1400 can run Warcraft III with all effects maxed out, maintaining a stable frame rate even during team battles, while the 1300 requires lowering shadow quality and texture detail to medium to maintain a stable frame rate. Second, when connected to an external high-resolution monitor, the 1400's hardware decoding capability for some high-definition videos is significantly stronger than the 1300.

However, the latter scenario is a non-issue for a used laptop costing just over two thousand yuan. Who would use a used T60 to connect to an external high-resolution monitor to watch HD content?

Chen Shi mentally reviewed the parameters and came to a conclusion—the performance improvement of 1400 over 1300 was about the same as the probability of him having an extra 700 yuan in his bank account. It existed in theory, but was practically irrelevant to him.

"That feels good."

Chen Shi was satisfied.

He's made up his mind; he'll buy this T5600 version of the T60, which costs just over two thousand!

However, when the thought crossed his mind, Chen Shi suddenly froze—wait, how could he have decided to buy it? He hadn't even confirmed whether this store was really reliable.

We need to study it further.

Chen Shi continued to study the Huanhuan.com website.

This time, he didn't just focus on studying the pages of the two T60s; he went to the homepage to study the other products, looking at them one by one, hoping to glean more information about the store's "reliability" from these items.

Just as Chen Shi was doing his research, someone walked in.

It's Li Wei.

"Still watching?"

Li Wei glanced at the page on Chen Shi's computer screen, muttered something casually, and then sat down at his own desk.

"Still watching?"

Chen Shi paused for a moment, then turned around and looked back. "You've been back before?"

Li Wei, who looked like he was about to take out his phone, stopped there upon hearing this and instead said to Chen Shi, "Yeah, I came back just now. You were looking at it so intently that I didn't call you. Why are you still looking at it now that I've gone out again and come back?"

As he spoke, Li Wei seemed to become interested as well. He got up from his seat, stood next to Chen Shi, bent down, and looked at the computer screen.

"Change your internet connection?"

Li Wei uttered the name of the website.

Chen Shi nodded. "Yes. It's a newly launched website, probably created by the owner of the Beiming Community."

Li Weihao asked, "What's this website for?"

"Selling secondhand items."

"Isn't that the same as Xianyu.com?"

"It's a bit different. The secondhand items here are all collected and inspected by the official company itself before being sold."

Li Wei found it a bit confusing and was too lazy to understand, so he simply asked again, "So you're planning to buy something up there?"

After a slight hesitation, Chen Shi finally said, "Yes, I have that idea."

"What should I buy?"

"Laptop".

Li Wei wasn't surprised by the answer: everyone in the dorm knew that Chen Shi had been saving money to buy a computer. But buying a secondhand one still surprised Li Wei.

"Is it reliable?" Li Wei asked.

Chen Shi shook his head. "I don't know. So far, it seems a bit reliable. They say they offer a six-month warranty, so if there's a problem, you can get free repairs anytime. Besides, the owner of this store should be the owner of Beiming Community. Their website is here, and several stores are here too. They can't just run away and disappear. They shouldn't be doing the kind of thing where they sell a batch and run away."

He was actually convincing himself.

Li Wei nodded. "Then go ahead and buy it. How come I've been out for half a day and haven't placed an order yet?"

"We're still comparing them," Chen Shi explained, while also pulling up the pages for the two T60 models. "Both computers have their own advantages, and we're deciding which one to buy."

Perhaps because he still couldn't make up his mind and needed some external support, Chen Shi even told Li Wei about his thought process in choosing these two machines: "The CPUs of these two machines are different; one has a T7200, and the other has a T5600..."

After listening to his long explanation, Li Wei felt dizzy and confused. Finally, he exclaimed, "I fucking admire people like you. You have no money, but you know more than anyone else! I'm different. I don't know anything, but I'm rich. As for me, I'll just buy the most expensive one. But I would never buy a second-hand one, haha."

"..."

Chen Shijue and Li Wei often spoke in a rather harsh manner.

Li Wei, oblivious to his own predicament, glanced at the webpage again and casually remarked, "If you really want to buy it, I think you shouldn't hesitate. It's only two or three thousand, right? This website is terrible; they have very few items. There are only two of these T60s. If you keep hesitating, someone else might buy them."

Chen Shi's heart skipped a beat.

He was already conflicted, feeling that it was a great deal to buy a T60 for just over two thousand, but also worried about whether the store was reliable. He was in a state of flux.

Li Wei's words finally made him make up his mind.

Yes, there's only one of those T60s that cost over two thousand. What if someone buys it? Even if you change your mind and decide you really want one, you won't be able to get it anymore!

Once Chen Shi made up his mind, he immediately stopped hesitating and said to Li Wei, "Li Wei, can I borrow three hundred?"

"???"

"I'm still short of money. You know I've been working part-time, I'll definitely pay you back. But it's finals now, so it's definitely too late. Luckily, I'll be working a winter break job, and I'll pay you back as soon as the new semester starts."...

Li Wei ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse and lent Chen Shi three hundred yuan.

After receiving the money, Chen Shi still didn't place an order immediately. Instead, he went to the Beiming Community and sent a private message to Momo No Brains—she had previously said that ordering from her would get him a discount.

Momo seems to be offline right now; I sent her a private message, but she hasn't replied in two minutes.

Chen Shi didn't wait. Instead, he packed his things and went out to get a Beiming prepaid card. When he tried to make a purchase on Huanhuan.com, the website prompted him that at this stage, he needed to bind his Beiming prepaid card before making any purchases on Huanhuan.com.

He has never applied for a Beiming All-in-One Card.

Getting the Beiming One-Card was quite quick. On the way, Chen Shi also stopped by the school's ATM to deposit the 300 yuan he had borrowed from Li Wei, and then paid it off via online banking a while later.

Half an hour later, Chen Shi returned from outside. He sat down at his computer and saw that Momo had replied to his private message, sending him a code that would give him a 10 yuan discount when buying things on Huanhuan.com.

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, and 10 yuan is still money.

Chen Shi filled in this code when he bought the computer.

Then, something surprising happened to Chen Shi again: on the payment page, Huanhuan.com gave an estimated delivery time of 6 pm today!

Order in the morning, arrive in the afternoon?

Chen Shi had never heard of such a fast online shopping speed before—even Jin Dong couldn't do it—but he quickly figured out the logic behind it: this website was probably originally made by the owner of Bei Ming Community, and its business scope was not large, just around Yang University of Science and Technology.

It's estimated that even the cargo hold is built next to Yang-Tsing University. The so-called delivery is just bringing things from outside the school into the school, which is why it can be done so quickly.

Then, around 6 PM, Chen Shi received a text message about picking up the package.

Then, Chen Shi came to the laundry room to pick up the goods that evening.

……

Let's go back to the present.

At the laundry room, after Chen Shi swiped his Beiming prepaid card at the cashier, the cashier clicked on something on the computer and then said to Chen Shi, "Okay, you can go pick up your goods over there now."