The next morning, Tony Huo showed up at Jason Luo's place bright and early.
"Jason, man, it's only been a few days and you're looking more and more jacked! Look at those abs—how'd you train them?"
Jason Luo immediately felt annoyed. Pedro had scolded him countless times about those abs, and he hadn't even trained for them on purpose—it was such a pain!
"Enough about that. Why'd you come so early? You haven't even called me lately. What've you been up to?"
Tony Huo flopped onto Jason's bed. "Your place is the best—it actually feels free here. At home, I've got zero privacy. My old man's forcing me to apprentice under Uncle John, the plumber. It's dirty, exhausting, and I get yelled at all the time. Ugh!"
"Not bad though, Tony! Plumbers make good money. Look at Uncle John's standard of living. Don't be ungrateful, I think it's already pretty good."
"Good? Try unclogging toilets and drains for a couple days, then you'll know. It's disgusting. Yesterday, I unclogged a toilet and pulled out a bunch of condoms. It almost killed me!"
"Don't say that. Work is work. Everyone has to endure hardship to make money. I get beaten up every day in training and come home covered in bruises. Want to trade jobs with me?"
"Uh, no thanks, I'd never survive. Anyway, you've got a match this afternoon. Still training this morning?"
"No. Coach said to just keep my stamina steady, and I already did my morning workout."
Tony's eyes lit up. "It's not even nine yet. Let's hit the used car market. If we get lucky, we might be driving a car home before lunch."
Tony was clearly itching to go. Jason thought about it. "Alright. I've been stuck in training lately and bored out of my mind. Been wanting to get out anyway. But we have to be back before one."
"Haha, let's go!"
The two dashed out to the street and caught a mid-sized bus heading to the used car market.
Chicago had several used car markets, mostly on the outskirts. After getting off the bus, they picked the nearest one and started wandering around.
"Whoa, Jason, look! A Mercedes-Benz! And that Ferrari supercar—how sick is that? Imagine if we could drive one of those… we'd look awesome!"
As soon as they entered, Tony's eyes darted everywhere. He couldn't stop touching and checking out every car he saw. Jason, on the other hand, didn't know much about cars. To him, they were just transportation.
A salesperson soon approached them. "Hello, gentlemen. How may I help you?"
"Oh, we…" Tony hesitated, suddenly embarrassed. Cars cost at least a few thousand—no way they could afford one.
But Jason wasn't fazed. After all, he'd already gained experience last time buying a bike. "We just got our licenses and don't have much money. We're looking for something affordable. Do you have anything like that?"
The salesman smiled. "Of course! Plenty. With the economy this bad, affordable cars are in high demand. Gentlemen, please follow me. I guarantee you'll find something."
He led them into the back area, pointing at a row of cars. "Here—everything under $5,000 is right here. All inspected and serviced. Just let me know your budget and I'll make some recommendations."
"Oh, can we look around first?" Tony cut in quickly.
The salesman shrugged. "Of course. Take your time. I'll be over there—just wave if you need me."
The service was excellent. After the salesman left, Tony muttered, "This guy's too polite—it's making me feel guilty. What if he finds out I only brought a few hundred bucks? Think he'd beat me up?"
Jason chuckled. "Of course not. A few hundred bucks is still money. You're still a customer. And besides, I'm here."
"Oh, right, I forgot you're a boxer. That makes me feel a lot safer. Alright, let's look… hey, this Opel's color is nice. I like it."
"This Chevrolet looks good too—pretty tough. But it's huge. Probably guzzles gas…"
Not knowing the prices, they circled the lot once before calling the salesman back.
This time, Tony gathered his courage. "Let me ask you—what's the cheapest car here?"
The salesman paused. "The cheapest… are you sure?"
Tony had nothing to lose. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"One moment… here we go. A 2008 Fiat. It's got 210,000 miles, heavily worn, but still runs fine. Best part? Only $730. Interested?"
Tony perked up. "Of course I'm interested! Where is it?"
"Not far. Follow me."
But when they saw the car, both Tony and Jason frowned. The body was rusted all over, tape stuck to the windows, the windshield barely hanging on. Could this thing even drive?
The salesman worked hard to pitch it. "Fiats are reliable. The engine runs fine. Sure, the exterior's a little rough, but it doesn't affect the driving…"
Jason cut him off. "This car's way too unsafe. If something happens, will you take responsibility?"
The salesman looked troubled. "At this price, there's not much we can do. The brakes have been serviced, so that should be fine. But the tires are risky. For safety, I'd recommend replacing them…"
Tony sighed in disappointment. "Forget it, Jason. Don't make it hard for him. It's my fault for being impulsive—thinking I could buy a car with just a few hundred bucks. Let's go back. I'll come again once I've saved more."
Jason grabbed his arm. "We're already here—let's look a bit more." He turned to the salesman. "Could you show us what we could get with a budget around 3000?"
"Oh, that opens up plenty of options. At that price, I can guarantee safety and comfort. Look at this Ford, or that Honda—both are in great condition, and under 100,000 miles…"
The salesman instantly grew enthusiastic, giving a full pitch. But Tony grew impatient, whispering to Jason, "Stop pushing him—we can't afford it anyway. Why keep looking?"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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