Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 212 Excessive Standards and Handling Vehicles

Old Chen said, "I'm changing cars, so this one will be given to my subordinates. It's impossible to dispose of it. I've looked at this batch of cars being disposed of; it's quite a large batch, covering about three provinces. They should all arrive by the end of December and be disposed of together. I've got the import documents; please take a look." He handed over a document.

Chen Hui was the first to reach out and take the cars, muttering, "Jetta, Bluebird, Big Bluebird, Mazda, Land Cruiser, Pajero, Hiace, Corsica, Audi 100, Omega, wow, Dad, your company is pretty luxurious, so many nice cars. Have all these been phased out?"

Old Chen took a sip of water and said, "It's not that they're all being phased out. Now there are regulations on vehicle use, so some will be scrapped, some will be replaced, and some will be sold. If your businesses are getting started, you'll need a lot of vehicles. Take this opportunity to get some sorted out; these opportunities don't come around often."

Chen Hui flipped through the list and said, "Forget about Land Cruisers and Pajeros, they're too fuel-guzzling and unnecessary. Let's get a few sedan chairs instead. Dad, I want a Lingzhi, why don't you have any here?"

Old Chen said, "Lingzhi, it seems like they have some in this batch, but those are new cars, you can't get them. They have all the Lingzhi and Lincolns in this batch, I don't know what they'll give me, I haven't even ridden in one yet, do you want one?"

Everyone laughed. Xiao Wei didn't understand at all, but Xia Maosheng knew a little bit. They all looked at Chen Hui as he spoke.

Chen Hui said, "Shouldn't Corsica and Omega be more expensive than Lingzhi? How come they're still available?"

Old Chen said, "Those were the oversized cars from below. They weren't suitable for use when we brought them up, so we disposed of them. Why don't you take these few? These cars are alright; European and American products are reliable. There's also an Audi 100, that's not bad either."

Chen Hui said, "We also need the Hiace. It's more convenient for passengers, and it can also be used to haul goods. We need two of these."

Old Chen nodded and said, "Then four cars and two Hiaces. When they arrive, you can decide who drives whichever you want. I won't interfere."

Chen Hui said, "What's the use of just talking? We can't afford it. You'll need money to dispose of it too. How are we going to buy it?"

Old Chen said, "The money can't be less; the amount stipulated is the amount. Giving it to you now is already a violation of regulations. However, we can pay it off gradually, and you can make up the difference within two years, okay?"

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Uncle. You can't earn this much money in two years."

Chen Hui said, "We don't even know how much it will cost yet, so what are you talking about?"

Chen Hui laughed so hard he almost fell over, and asked Xiao Wei, "Do you know how much a new one costs?"

Xiao Wei asked, "How much? A few hundred thousand, I guess?"

Chen Hui pointed to the document and said, "Even if the three of us take these four cars, it wouldn't be enough to buy them all new for a million. Haha, I'm dying of laughter. Xiao Wei, you can brag sometimes too."

Xiao Wei looked at Old Chen in surprise: "Uncle, it's so expensive?"

Old Chen nodded and said, "These four cars would cost more than 1.5 million yuan if they were new, but they're being sold off, so the prices can't be too high. Don't worry, they're all used cars."

In fact, the old cars of the unit and the government at that time were quite reliable. They were well maintained, and spare parts were never repaired. If there was a minor problem, they would just replace it with an original part. After a few years, they were still like new cars.

In 1995, a worker in a factory's vehicle maintenance team retrieved a batch of defective parts from the spare parts warehouse. The vehicles had already been disposed of, but the parts were still there, including original German engines, and the packaging was unopened. He sold them to the factory for 2000 yuan. This year, a batch of government vehicles in Chongqing were disposed of. They were ten-year-old imported Fords with a service life of 55,000 yuan. The engines and suspensions were all new, and all the parts were original.

Chen Hui nodded and said, "The depreciation of these things is calculated based on the year and the region of use. There's a fixed depreciation formula. Anyway, they're not expensive at all, we can afford them, haha. In a few days, we'll have a sedan chair too, and we won't have to ride that 250 anymore. By the way, you two should go find a car and practice driving it properly, so you don't end up laughing when you have a car but don't know how to drive it."

Xiao Wei was also quite excited, clenched his fist and said, "Okay, I'll practice when I get back."

Old Chen said, "You need to be more careful this time. Next year you'll be taking the lead, you hear me? There's not much I can do to help you, I can't be there for everything. You'll have to rely on yourselves. If anything happens, discuss it with Xiao Wei and Xiao Xia."

Chen Hui nodded in agreement, and Old Chen waved his hand and said, "Alright, get lost, I have a meeting."

The three people took their things out and went downstairs to go home.

Once downstairs, Chen Hui looked at the things he was carrying and said, "They're all cold now. Chen Xiao can't be angry, can she?"

Xia Maosheng snatched it away and was about to throw it when Chen Hui pounced on him, grabbing his arm and saying, "You believe I'll risk my life for you?"

Xia Maosheng laughed as he handed the things back to him and scolded, "Is that all the grit you've got? You coward."

Xiao Wei said, "We have a steamer at home, so we can just steam it again."

Chen Hui's eyes lit up, and he said, "Yes, yes, steam it again. Xiao Wei is the best. Xia Maosheng, remember this, I'll turn on you one day."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "Coward, if you turn against me, I'll kill you. Coward."

The two chased each other up to the third floor.

They opened the door and went inside. The room was quiet and there wasn't a sound. The three of them looked at each other, carefully changed their shoes, and went inside. Sure enough, Chen Xiao was sleeping soundly, wrapped in a blanket, with the door open.

The three of them retreated to the dining area, and Xiaowei pointed to the stove and said, "Go steam it, and call her to eat when it's done."

Chen Hui tiptoed over, took a pot, added water, lit the fire, put the shumai and tuna on a plate, arranged them on the steamer rack, and covered the pot.

Xia Maosheng glanced at his watch and said, "If she eats this now, what about dinner?"

Xiao Wei said, "Why don't the three of us go grocery shopping? The fridge just came back, let's buy a lot and freeze it."

Chen Hui covered his mouth and laughed, saying, "Are you stupid? Freezing it outside works better than freezing it in the refrigerator." Xia Maosheng also laughed, it was rare to see Xiao Wei being silly.

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then scratched his head and asked, "So buying this thing is pointless? Did I lose money?"

Xia Maosheng said, "It's good for summer. Also, you can put green vegetables in it, and they can last for a few more days because they won't rot as quickly."

Chen Hui said, "My refrigerator has always been used as a dish rack. Leftovers and other food are all piled up in there. There's nothing fresh in it."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Does your family also eat leftovers?"

Chen Hui said, "Who doesn't eat leftovers? We just eat one meal and then throw them away!"

Xia Maosheng nodded and said, "It just feels a bit strange; your dad's position as a cadre is too high."

Chen Hui said, "That's true. When I was a child, I was so scared when I saw my teacher eating that I cried. I asked my dad how the teacher could eat."

The three of them laughed.

Chen Hui suddenly said, "My family will probably have to move after the New Year. What do you think? Should I move, or should I stay here by myself?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Why would someone so good-looking move?"

Chen Hui said, "It's not that my family wants to move, it's that we have to move. Old Xia understands."

(End of this chapter)