After Ye Cheng came out, he gave Xiao Hu 1,500 yuan and kept 3,300 yuan for himself. This money was really for his own use.
Xiao Hu, looking rather stingy, carefully packed the money away, then looked at Ye Cheng and asked, "Brother, where are we going now? Don't we need to go back so early?"
"Let's not go back. We're already here, let's find somewhere to go."
"Brother, how about we go to Jiankang Road? I heard there are lots of good food there, and internet cafes too. I heard they have a really fun shooting game, supposedly in 3D, that makes people want to throw up the first time they see it. How about we go surf the internet for a bit?" Xiao Hu was itching to try it.
Women enjoy shopping, while men generally have little interest in it; they prefer internet cafes or arcades.
The shooting game Xiaohu mentioned is CS, which was popular for decades in later years, but it was only recently released.
As the first 3D first-person shooter game, it became an instant hit in internet cafes upon its release.
Back then, internet cafe games were still limited to Red Alert. The eyes weren't used to this 3D graphics at all, and with the generally low computer specifications at the time, frame drops were severe, causing many people to feel dizzy and lightheaded.
It got better after I got used to it. Ye Cheng also spent several all-nighters in internet cafes back then.
Back then, internet cafes would each have a group of people, face to face, fighting and taunting each other, often escalating from shooting games to real-life brawls.
This also demonstrates that the game is highly playable.
As someone from a later era, used to playing AAA games, he really had little interest in playing the oldest CS game.
"Why go to an internet cafe? Let's go look at cars."
"Huh? Bro, you want to buy a car? That's expensive." Xiao Hu looked at Ye Cheng in surprise. Although cars are cheaper now than in the 80s and 90s, even the cheapest ones cost tens of thousands.
"We can't afford a car, so let's look at motorcycles. They'll make it easier to get into the city."
"Motorcycles are great, bro. Several people in the next village have bought motorcycles. They're really enjoying themselves."
I asked them to let me ride them last time, but they refused.
"If you don't want to, then forget it. We'll buy it ourselves. You can ride it however you want from now on, and we won't have to pay for Li Yong's travel expenses."
"It's a promise, bro, you have to lend me your bike sometime."
"Alright, enough with the nonsense."
Ye Cheng was serious about buying a motorcycle. Bicycles were too inconvenient, and he would need to sell goods in the future. Having a motorcycle would make things much easier for him.
Motorcycles were relatively rare in China in the early days; they were mostly imported brands from abroad, and they were incredibly expensive.
Later, several domestic brands began to emerge in China. Regardless of whose technology it was, the prices were significantly cheaper. Although they couldn't be as cheap as electric scooters in later generations, they were still much more cost-effective than cars that cost tens of thousands of yuan.
Ye Cheng remembered several big brands: Lifan, Jialing, Zongshen, etc., and their prices were all about the same.
There is a Lifan motorcycle store in Donghai City, but Ye Cheng doesn't know exactly where it is.
He walked to the roadside, where several motorcycles were parked; these were motorcycle taxis.
The coolest guys of this era are just like the food delivery guys of later generations.
In 2002, most people couldn't afford a car or a motorcycle. When they went out, they either took the bus, a bicycle, or a taxi.
Taxis are too expensive, so motorcycle taxis, or "motorcycle taxis" for short, came into being, allowing people to enjoy the cool feeling of speeding along on the back of a motorcycle.
They are usually middle-aged men aged 30-50 who use their family savings to buy a motorcycle and then park it on the roadside to wait for passengers.
In general, it costs 3-4 yuan to get there directly in the city, and 10 yuan for places further away.
You can earn several tens of yuan a day, and if you're lucky, you can earn over a hundred, which is a considerable income.
Moreover, the hours are flexible, business is available from morning to night, and no permits or licenses are required.
"Hey buddy, where to?" The motorcycle driver, seeing a customer, quickly pedaled twice to start the motorcycle.
"Go to Lifan's exclusive store."
"Okay, we go there often, it's not far, it's 3 yuan."
After saying that, the older brother twisted the throttle, and the car quickly entered the traffic. Xiao Hu followed behind on another motorcycle.
This is the only drawback of motorcycle taxis: only one person can ride in one vehicle.
The wind whistled past my ears, instantly lifting my spirits.
Every time Ye Cheng gets on a motorcycle, he thinks of Andy Lau's song "If Heaven Has Feelings, Heaven Will Grow Old"—the white wedding dress, the bleeding Andy Lau, and that white motorcycle, all accompanied by the background music, it's absolutely amazing.
The Lifan store wasn't far away; the motorcycle taxi took Ye Cheng and his group there in less than ten minutes.
"Little Tiger, pay up," Ye Cheng called out.
"Oh, why is it me again?" Xiao Hu muttered as he took out 6 yuan and gave it to a driver. They would try to break the money in half and split it.
This store should be the flagship store in Donghai City, as there are several motorcycles on display inside.
"Hey bro, want to buy a motorcycle?" a shop assistant greeted him.
"Yes, I'd like to come and take a look."
"Come in and take a look. This is the biggest motorcycle shop in Donghai City. We have all kinds of engine sizes. What do you need? To drive motorcycle taxis?"
"No, I use it for my own riding, and sometimes to haul goods or something."
"Wow, impressive! You look like the boss, bro." The shop assistant offered a small compliment.
Ye Cheng smiled slightly, neither admitting nor denying, "Let me introduce you. I've never been here before."
"Okay, well, it really depends on your budget. The cheapest one we have is the 100cc one, starting at 4000 yuan. Then we also have the 125cc one, starting at 6000 yuan."
If you want something even bigger, there's a 150cc one, but that's too much.
Ye Chengdu frowned a little upon hearing the price; it was beyond his expectations. He thought that a motorcycle in this era should only cost around 3,000 yuan.
The cheapest ones start at 4,000, no wonder they're the darlings of this era.
Ye Cheng looked at the 100cc one; it was the one they had just taken by motorcycle taxi. This kind of vehicle was for transportation, and if they were to drive from the village to Donghai City, this would be the most economical and suitable choice.
"Could we add a shelf or something to the back of this? I need it for hauling goods," Ye Cheng asked.
"Sure, we can haul anything, even gas cylinders. You can get it done here, or even at any motorcycle repair shop on the street," the shop assistant said confidently.
Thinking about it, there were actually advantages to this era, such as no one caring about modifications, unlike later generations where there are so many requirements for an electric scooter.
"How about it? Want one? We have one in stock right now, no need to wait."
"Next time, I don't have enough money today."
Upon hearing that Ye Cheng didn't have enough money, the shop assistant didn't seem to care too much. "Okay, then you can ask me again if you need anything."
After the shop assistant left, Xiao Hu approached, his eagerness written all over his face.
"Brother, how about I lend you some money so we can scrape together 4,000 to buy a car?"
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