Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 275 Finalizing the Plan

The scarred master was clearly much more experienced than Xiao Zhou; he had no expression on his face and didn't even look down at his pockets.

He merely lifted his eyelids, glanced at Xu Xiaoyan up and down, and hummed in agreement.

His attitude remained arrogant, but the scrutiny in his eyes seemed to have faded slightly.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't say much, bowed slightly, and then turned to walk towards the warehouse manager, Lao Zhang.

The same rhetoric, the same fast and covert "delivery".

Old Zhang pushed up his reading glasses, looked at her, then glanced in the direction of the office Xiao Zhou had entered, a knowing look on his face, but said nothing.

He simply put the items into the parts box in front of him and continued to count them, as if nothing had happened.

After doing all this, Xu Xiaoyan sat back down on the bench.

She knew this was just a prelude; the real "negotiation" and "pricing" would likely begin the moment Xiao Zhou emerged.

About ten minutes later, Xiao Zhou came out of the smoke-filled office, his expression a mix of relief and unease.

Behind him, the gray-haired old master known as "Master Wang" also strolled out.

He still had a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, and his eyes swept over Xu Xiaoyan, who was sitting on the bench.

Master Wang looks to be in his fifties. He is not tall but very capable, and his face is deeply wrinkled.

His eyes weren't large, but they revealed a shrewdness and prudence born from years of dealing with machinery and having seen all sorts of people and things.

He wasn't wearing a work jacket, just a faded blue tank top, revealing two muscular arms covered in blurry, faded tattoos.

"So you want to modify the car?" Master Wang asked Xu Xiaoyan directly, his voice a little hoarse.

Without any formalities, his gaze lingered for a moment on her face and the bulging backpack next to her.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately stood up, her face showing just the right amount of respect and a hint of awkwardness:

"Yes, Mr. Wang, I'm sorry to bother you. It's my little blue truck outside. I'd like to ask if you could take a look and see if you can modify it to have a cooking countertop."

Master Wang grunted, walked to the door, and lifted the curtain to peek outside.

Then he turned around and, without saying anything about looking at the car, went straight to the counter, picked up Xiao Zhou's dirty notebook with sketches on it, and glanced at it.

"Convert the enclosed cargo compartment into an operating platform..." He flicked off his cigarette ash, his brow furrowing habitually. "It's not that it can't be done, it's too much trouble." He pointed to several areas on the sketch:

"Here, the strength of the side wall frame of the carriage needs to be tested, and the load-bearing points must be accurately located when welding the frame, otherwise it will wobble when running."

"The smoke vent is in the wrong place; it needs to be moved higher, closer to the roof. We also need to consider waterproofing and dustproof covers, electrical circuitry..."

He glanced at Xiao Zhou. "Xiao Zhou said you want to use an induction cooker?"

That power is considerable, the original vehicle wiring is definitely not enough, we need to run a separate system, and the battery capacity also needs to be increased, otherwise don't come looking for me if it runs out of power and breaks down halfway."

He spoke fluently, addressing practical issues in a calm yet undeniably professional tone.

"The store has all the materials, but they are not cheap and the work takes a long time."

"This kind of custom modification takes at least two or three full days, depending on whether other urgent work comes in between."

He closed his notebook, looked up at Xu Xiaoyan, and said, "That's the general situation. Are you going to do it or not?"

"If you want to do it, I'll have Xiao Zhou give you a materials list and a price estimate first. Once you've reviewed and agreed to it, you can pay a deposit and then wait in line for your workstation."

It was concise and to the point, without any pretense or beating around the bush.

Xu Xiaoyan knew that the crucial moment had arrived!

Instead of being deterred by the direct and potentially high price, she appeared even more sincere and trusting.

"Master Wang, I understand everything you've said. You're a professional, and I completely trust your judgment."

Her tone was solemn, then subtly shifted, taking on a hint of helpless honesty:

"But... to be honest, I'm just starting out and I'm not exactly rolling in money."

Master Wang, you are very experienced. Could you please take a look and tell me which parts require high-quality materials?

Where can we save a little money without compromising safety and main functionality?

I'm really an amateur, and I'm afraid of wasting money and not getting the product done properly.

Upon hearing this, Master Wang's expression remained unchanged, showing no obvious change.

He took another drag of the nearly burnt-out cigarette between his fingers, letting the smoke linger in his lungs for a moment before slowly exhaling.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through the thin blue light to fall on Xu Xiaoyan's face, staring at her for several seconds without any emotion.

The young woman in front of me spoke with great tact.

She admitted that she was an amateur and adopted a humble attitude of seeking advice, but her words and actions revealed a calm and composed demeanor that was neither arrogant nor servile.

The request was reasonable—"Save money where it's due and ensure quality where it's due."

Master Wang has been in this business for decades, and now he is the pillar of stability for "Honghu" in this post-apocalyptic base. What kind of people hasn't he seen?

He didn't immediately say "yes" or shake his head to say "no," his face still bearing that inscrutable expression.

He simply rubbed the cigarette butt, which was almost burned down to the filter, with his thumb and forefinger one last time.

Then he turned to Xiao Zhou, who had been waiting respectfully beside him, and gave the order in his usual tone:

"Xiao Zhou, don't stand here. Go to the back of the B-7 material rack and carefully copy down the specifications and lengths of the existing angle steel of suitable size."

Also, at the very back of warehouse cabinet number two, I remember there were a few composite panels that were replaced when the transport team repaired the carriages last time.

The edges and corners seem fine; there's no deformation or cracking. Please measure the dimensions and report them to me.

He paused, seemingly doing mental calculations, "For the electrical wires, let's calculate based on the minimum safety redundancy standard we just mentioned, and estimate the length first."

"Exhaust fan... Go check the repair area and see if there are any older models that have been repaired and tested and are of suitable power."

These few words sound ordinary; they are just the master craftsman instructing his apprentice to take inventory and check materials.

But to Xu Xiaoyan, it sounded like a veiled promise.

Mr. Wang did not directly agree to her "request to save money," but his actions clearly revealed a tendency:

He proactively considered how to find a more economical solution for her, a client who was "not financially well-off," while ensuring basic functionality and core security.

Xiao Zhou clearly understood the subtext in his master's words.

He was taken aback for a moment, seemingly not expecting his master to give such a caring instruction so quickly.

He then realized that this was also a learning opportunity for him as an apprentice.

He nodded quickly, "Okay, Master! I understand! I'll go check it carefully right away!"

Then he turned around and almost jogged towards the warehouse area deep inside the workshop, the corner of his work clothes stirring up a small gust of wind.

Master Wang's few instructions had already reassured Xu Xiaoyan.

She knew that her communication had been effective.

Seizing the opportunity, she slightly turned to the side and, under the cover of taking a drink from the main compartment of her backpack, quickly took out two bottles from the backpack.

She didn't hand the item directly to Master Wang; that would have been too conspicuous.

Instead, he placed the two bottles of premium liquor in an inconspicuous corner inside the counter and casually covered them with an old newspaper.

The whole process took only a few seconds, and apart from Master Wang, it was difficult for anyone else in the shop to notice this subtle movement.

Master Wang's gaze followed her movements and naturally fell upon the two bottles of fine white liquor that had been "inadvertently" placed inside the counter.

His eyes flickered slightly, but his face remained expressionless; only his smoking speed seemed to have slowed down a bit.

He certainly understood what that was, and he also knew what the young woman's actions at that moment meant.

This is not only a return for his "pragmatic" arrangements, but also a deeper level of "understanding".

Just then, Xiao Zhou ran back, panting.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he held a newly written list in his hand, which was densely filled with material names, specifications, dimensions and quantities.

"Master, I've examined it carefully!"

Xiao Zhou's voice was slightly hurried from running, but clear and organized:

"Over there on the B-7 rack, there are a few leftover angle steel pieces suitable for making a frame. The specifications are 40*40*3, and the length is sufficient. They can be assembled to make the frame size you just mentioned without any problem."

I measured the composite board that was replaced in cabinet number two of the warehouse. It is 1.2 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 15 millimeters thick.

The edges and corners are indeed intact, and they fit perfectly as a countertop base or storage compartment shelf!

I found an old exhaust fan in the repair area. It was taken from a food truck and repaired. I plugged it in and it turned on. The airflow was okay, but it was a bit noisy.

The wire length has been calculated according to the minimum safety redundancy specification you mentioned, and it will be about twenty meters long.

After giving his report in one breath, Xiao Zhou handed the form to Master Wang with both hands, his eyes filled with anticipation for completing the task, and he also secretly glanced at Xu Xiaoyan.

Master Wang took the order, quickly scanning the items on it, his face still revealing no emotion.

He didn't comment; he simply set the form aside.

Then, he randomly tore off a sheet from a stack of blank paper slips next to him that read "Honghu Motor Vehicle Repair and Modification Company Repair Invoice".

He picked up a short pencil from the counter, almost too small to hold, and paused the tip on the rough paper.

This time, he did not write or draw complex material lists or structural sketches.

His pen moved quickly, and he wrote down a number directly in the "Total Labor and Material Costs" column of the document.

The total price was the result of his quick mental calculations, taking into account the value of leftover materials, the use of old parts, necessary new materials, estimated labor hours, and reasonable profit for the shop.

When this number was presented to Xu Xiaoyan, an even stronger emotion welled up: relief.

She has good mental arithmetic skills, which she combined with the material market prices and labor hours mentioned by Xiao Zhou in his initial introduction.

And what Master Wang just said about making use of leftover angle steel, old composite board parts, and repairing exhaust fans.

She immediately realized that the total price in front of her was definitely not the original quote, which was based on all new materials and standard labor hours.

This is clearly a price that Master Wang offered after "helping to check" the product; it has significantly reduced any inflated figures, is as realistic as possible, and may even be close to the cost line.