Although Jing Chaoyi’s work is relatively free, in general, she still needs to occasionally meet with clients, so it’s not as completely free as one might imagine. After returning to Zhejiang this time, Jing Chaoyi will also need to be busy for a while.
As for Li Younan, he bought a ticket to Ningbo City to continue his self-driving journey.
The car is still at the airport.
Upon returning to Ningbo, Li Younan immediately found his car. Because he hadn’t moved the car for nearly two weeks, Li Younan had previously disconnected the battery to prevent it from draining.
He reconnected the car’s battery and opened the trunk to check it thoroughly. The trunk contained various miscellaneous items, so he organized them while considering the modifications needed next.
Having experienced resting in the car before, to be honest, aside from the sleeping comfort, just the act of sleeping in the car was quite pleasant for Li Younan.
Last time, it was a rainy day, and falling asleep to the sound of rain by the lake was really comfortable. Similar scenarios will be more frequent in the future, such as grasslands, riverbanks, and forested areas, all sorts of pleasant settings.
So, figuring out how to create a bed in the car is the most important thing. The second row of the Land Cruiser can be folded down, but after folding, there is about a ten-centimeter height difference with the trunk.
Standing in front of the trunk, Li Younan silently pondered for a long time, already having an idea in mind.
The best way is to raise the trunk level so that it’s nearly flat with the folded second-row seats, and then lay a custom mattress on top.
The second-row seats don’t fold evenly, with the right side folding along with the middle section. Using this side as the main bed base can create a bed about 1.2 meters wide, and if the entire seat is folded down, a bed up to two meters long can be achieved.
Li Younan thought about it and decided that 1.2 meters was enough, as there was no need for such a large bed in his upcoming plans.
Next, he had to consider how to level the surfaces.
He took out the tool kit he carried in the car, which included a tape measure, and measured the interior space, now having an idea. He could make a drawer cabinet that fits perfectly in the trunk, expanding storage space, serving the bed function, and maintaining aesthetics. Most importantly, this method is legal.
Previously, Li Younan had considered a more comfortable option, which involved removing the seats altogether and installing a real bed, but that would damage the vehicle structure and is not legally permitted.
For someone as experienced in woodworking as Li Younan, there was no need for design drawings; he already had a mental plan for the type of wood and approximate amount needed.
Li Younan messaged Huang Xiaoyang, sharing his requirements. Without asking why he needed the materials, Huang only asked succinctly, "Where should I send them?"
Li Younan thought about it and remembered the hardware dealer he had been discussing earlier, who also had many portable woodworking tools, one of their main selling points.
"Send them to Ningbo first."
Li Younan messaged the manufacturer, "Are you still up for the collaboration we discussed earlier?"
The other party replied instantly, "Are you back in Ningbo?" and then sent a smiley face emoji, "I saw those two videos of you in Xiamen."
Li Younan said, "I’m in Ningbo now, and I can visit you anytime. This time I plan to make a video using this set of tools."
The other party sent a questioning emoji and asked, "Do you need us to provide a carpenter?"
Li Younan replied, "No need, I can do it myself."
And then, the other party stopped responding.
As Li Younan packed up to leave, the other party finally sent another message, their hesitation palpable even through text, "You’re using these tools yourself?"
Li Younan didn’t explain, calmly replying with two words, "Let’s talk in person."
Starting the engine, he let it idle for a while, touching the familiar steering wheel, taking a deep breath—it had been so long since he drove, it felt unfamiliar again.
He carefully drove out of the parking space, circling the parking lot a few times before finding the way to the exit.
Scanning the toll gate, a parking fee close to four digits appeared on the machine, souring his mood instantly.
Damn, airport parking is that expensive?
Li Younan wasn’t in a hurry to go find the hardware store’s owner right away. Instead, he cruised around Ningbo City, mainly to regain his driving feel. For someone with average driving skills, this was crucial.
At noon, he parked casually on the roadside, had a bowl of noodles, and browsed his phone. As expected, that parkour video went viral. But even so, he hadn’t expected it to blow up to that extent. He rubbed his eyes to confirm he wasn’t seeing things—over 200,000 likes.
He quickly figured it out; clearly, the merchant had paid for promotions, plus the video itself was high-quality. Even more surprising was that as the video went viral, his store’s products sold over a dozen orders.
The camera itself was expensive, and the commission wasn’t high, only 6%, but each order could still earn him a couple hundred bucks. Coupled with the few watches sold, in just a few days, he unexpectedly pocketed over 1,000 yuan.
Good news kept coming: DJI also promptly settled the 20,000 yuan balance. Undoubtedly, this was a win-win situation. Li Younan earned 23,000 yuan, got a free sports camera, and could continually earn sales commissions.
The slight anxiety previously caused by insufficient bank balance suddenly disappeared. Being a streamer turned out to be such a lucrative thing.
Li Younan put away his phone, just about to eat noodles, when he suddenly saw a police officer carrying a camera, taking pictures of cars parked by the roadside, with a device waving in his hand printing tickets.
He quickly put down his chopsticks and hurried over: "Officer, please wait, I’m leaving soon!"
Li Younan arrived in the afternoon; the hardware distributor was not far from an industrial park of furniture, making it reasonable to open the hardware tools shop here.
Pushing open the door of the hardware store, the store was packed with goods on shelves, and besides the usual few items, the walls were adorned with quite a few new gadgets—electric drills, power screwdrivers, brushless angle grinders, and a rather nifty track saw, all looking very efficient.
Behind the counter stood Boss Wang, a tall, skinny guy with neatly combed hair, though more gray at the temples.
Upon seeing Li Younan, his eyes lit up and he put down his tablet: "Ayo! The streamer is here! Thank you, my humble shop is honored by your presence!"
Thank you? Uh... such an outdated gag.
Li Younan chuckled: "Boss Wang, you’re too kind. Let’s talk business." He shook hands with him, feeling quite a strong grip, a bit rough.
"Haha, the teacher knows his stuff! Come, sit!"
He pointed to an office chair with rollers opposite the counter, "Thirsty? Purified water, how about a bottle?"
That expression is quite old too.
"Plain water is fine, thanks."
Li Younan sat down, the chair was pretty comfortable. His gaze swept over those new electric tools on the wall, their casing was made of engineering plastic, bright in color.
"Alright, let’s get straight to it." He unscrewed the water bottle for Li Younan, sat down himself, "I’d like you to help promote these new electric tools by showcasing them in your store. Young people nowadays trust streamers like you, it’s all about traffic! Much better than me standing behind the counter shouting."
"Promoting is no problem, Boss." Li Younan casually picked up the latest brushless drill on the counter, all black, with a non-slip rubber grip. He weighed it, very light, then looked at the battery compartment, "But just displaying them might only show the looks. What I think is, shooting a short video?"
Boss Wang’s smile visibly stiffened, and he didn’t speak immediately. He rubbed his chin, looking at Li Younan, then at the clearly not cheap drill in his hand, something in his eyes seemed to sink.
"Teacher..." he drawled a little, fingers lightly tapping the desktop, "Shooting a video... it’s a good idea, quite intuitive. But..."
He paused, seemingly considering his words, "These new gadgets, they look nimble, but they are high-speed rotating iron beasts. They’re very powerful. Look at this drill, top speed is over ten thousand revolutions, this track saw, the blade as thin as paper, but cuts wood like tofu. One careless move or unsteady hand, damaging wood is minor, injuring someone is serious! During your livestreams, holding a phone is easy; this stuff...it’s different."
His gaze fell again on Li Younan holding the drill, Li Younan’s hands weren’t especially tender, but his nails were trimmed quite neatly, not looking like they’d spent years on construction or woodworking sites.
"Besides," he leaned forward a bit, lowering his voice, as if in confidence, "These new tools have their quirks. This drill has a torque ring, speed setting, forward and reverse rotation, plus you need to know how to install the drill bit and chuck; that track saw, how to align the rail, adjust cutting depth, how to push it without jamming, not fraying the edges... without some hands-on experience, just reading the manual, really won’t cut it..."
As he spoke, his eyes again flicked to the drill in Li Younan’s hand, the meaning was clear.
"Boss Wang, I understand safety."
Li Younan’s tone was quite calm, not rushing to argue, his finger inadvertently flicked the drill’s speed switch, "I usually pay attention to the parameters of these tools. As for operation... it does require some experience. How about this, I’m not prepared today, I’ll come by tomorrow to give it a try on site..."
Li Younan gently placed the drill back on the counter, "I’ll also show you whether I can get the hang of it. If it really doesn’t work, then as you said, just display it in the store, no pressure. How does that sound?"
Boss Wang watched the motion of Li Younan setting down the drill, the doubt in his eyes unresolved.
He was silent for a few seconds, fingers tapping the tabletop faster, as if contemplating. Finally, he sighed, like he had made up his mind.
"Ah... Teacher, your attitude is quite genuine."
He got up, walked around from behind the counter, "Alright then, let’s leave it at that for now, call me when you’re free tomorrow."

Comments

Loading...