Chapter 32: A Narrow Victory for Land Rover

"That’s hard to say."

"These vehicles usually have had their bodywork repaired; they look tempting, but the engine and everything else are actually junk. They’ll burn oil like crazy."

"You never know if the previous owner still has a spare key."

"Listen to your big brother: with a budget of 200,000, you can get a decent new car made after 2000. I don't recommend buying used."

Burn oil?

The viewers in the live stream felt their brains were about to fry. They only just realized that they weren't talking about car repairs—they were talking about dating.

He truly lived up to his reputation as the "Nemesis of Government Subsidies" and the "Cyber Physician." He could not only fix cars but also mend a broken heart.

To be fair, "Brother Wanchai" was really losing his head, daring to blow 200,000 on a ride-hailing vehicle. If the streamer hadn't stepped in to cool him down, who knows what color hat he’d be wearing in the future.

'6666, my mentor in life, Brother Wei.'

'Damn, I actually understood that. I’m tainted.'

'Type "positive energy" in the chat, everyone!'

'Uneducated question: what does it actually feel like when an engine burns oil?'

Wei Xiu glanced at the comments. "Don't go digging into things you don't need to know."

Just as the laughter was at its peak, a familiar local accent drifted in from the door.

"Is little Wei-zi here?"

An old man walked into the shop. He had dark, weathered skin and wore a faded Zhongshan suit. He looked just like any other neighbor from the town—incredibly simple and honest.

Wei Xiu recognized him immediately and went to greet him.

"Uncle Grandpa, why are you here? Is it market day?"

"I'm not buying chickens."

The old man waved his hand, completely ignoring the question.

Wei Xiu could only help the old man to a seat. They were distant relatives, and calling him "Uncle Grandpa" was just a sign of respect. The old man’s surname was Yang, and he lived in a village a few kilometers away. He was getting on in years and was quite hard of hearing; sometimes he could hear you, sometimes he couldn't. It was always a struggle for Wei Xiu to communicate with him. If Old Man Yang didn't speak up first, Wei Xiu would have no idea what he wanted.

"Little Wei-zi."

"My Land Rover isn't running right."

"Can you take a look at it for me?"

As soon as the old man said this, the live stream went silent. Everyone had thought it was just the streamer’s poor relative visiting. They never expected the old man to drop a bombshell like that—spraying it right in the faces of the 3,000 viewers.

'????'

'The old man drives a Land Rover?'

'Damn, I'm jealous.'

'I can tell just by looking at him, he’s a humble man.'

'I don't want to work anymore, let me be the old man’s son.'

'The guy above me knows how to take a shortcut.'

'Old men are great; they have few problems and a government pension, and if they pass away, I can always find another one.'

Wei Xiu watched the viewers begging to be his "godson" and thought to himself that social morals were truly going down the drain. He told Old Man Yang to sit tight, then picked up his selfie stick and walked out of the shop.

The "Land Rover" was parked right in front of the door. It was pure white and nearly half the size of a Range Rover. Seeing this, the viewers couldn't hold it in anymore.

'Holy crap, is that a "Land Rover-ish"?'

'You should have said so earlier! I wouldn't have been jealous.'

'To be fair, this thing is a one-to-one replica.'

'You think the "measuring tape department" at these low-speed electric vehicle factories is joking?'

'Truth be told, these "old man mobiles" are actually made pretty well now.'

Wei Xiu had known what to expect. You couldn't find a single real Range Rover in the entire town, but there were plenty of "look-alikes." Besides this one, there were plenty of others: Bentley "Troublemakers," "Douli-nan," "Aston Ding-Ding," Porsche "Gear-Stuck"... if it was a luxury car on the market, you could find it at the local fair.

The reason was simple. In rural areas, many elderly people living alone had a need for transportation but couldn't afford a proper car. Therefore, there was a huge market for these "old man mobiles." Every few days, an elderly person would bring their beloved ride in for repairs. Wei Xiu was long used to it.

He took one glance and the problems with the car popped into his mind. They weren't major issues, but there were a lot of them—dozens in total. It was no surprise; for a thousand bucks, to get a wheelbase of nearly two meters, they had to cut corners somewhere. The batteries, the chassis, the structural components—all were cheapened. The final product was barely capable of running.

Wei Xiu shook his head and returned to the shop.

"Uncle Grandpa, the car has a lot of problems. It’s not easy to fix; it’ll need a major overhaul at the very least."

"How much will it cost?" Old Man Yang looked troubled.

"Don't worry about the money, Uncle Grandpa." Wei Xiu patted the old man on the shoulder. "Leave the car with me. Come back in three days to pick it up. Take the bus home today."

Wei Xiu was certain the old man hadn't paid much for the car. If he charged him for a full repair, it would cost more than buying a new one. The old man’s situation wasn't great, so asking for money wouldn't be right. Besides, Wei Xiu had other plans for this repair. Right now, it was a "Land Rover-ish," but what it would be when he was done with it—that was for him to know. The live stream was counting on this car to generate traffic.

"Then thank you, little Wei-zi. You’re a good man!"

"You take care on your way back, Uncle Grandpa. I won't walk you out."

Watching Old Man Yang leave the shop, Wei Xiu turned his gaze back to the car, lost in thought. Meanwhile, the live stream was already moved to tears.

'He truly is my favorite streamer.'

'The streamer is such a good person. May good people be rewarded.'

'I’m a ruthless merchant, but this made me cry. From now on, I’ll only sell expired "Pin-Hao-Fan" meals to college students.'

'Honestly, I kind of want one of these "old man mobiles" too.'

'No license plates, fast enough, four seats, and it keeps the wind and rain out—who needs a Xiaomi SU7?'

'Can the streamer provide a link? I want to buy one!'

To be fair, the manufacturing process for these vehicles was quite mature now. Some even had interior configurations that rivaled entry-level domestic new energy vehicles. Since most of Wei Xiu’s hardcore fans were college students, they were drooling over it. If they couldn't afford a Xiaomi SU7, couldn't they afford a "Corn SU7"?

"College students, don't even think about it."

Seeing the calls for a purchase link in the chat, Wei Xiu immediately put a stop to it.

"Do you think the point of an 'old man mobile' is the 'mobile' part?"

"The point is the 'old man' part!"

"If you guys drive this on the road, go ahead—just wait and see if the traffic police pull you over."

These vehicles lived on the edge of the rules. When an old man drove one, the police turned a blind eye. They were afraid that if they stopped them, they’d get extorted for eight thousand. But if a young person drove one? You wouldn't have enough points on your license to cover the fines.

"Don't believe me?"

Wei Xiu looked at the comments that were still arguing back. He turned around and grabbed a wrench from the shop.

"I'm going to live-stream taking this car apart so you can see how ridiculous it is."

Jokes aside, you didn't want to test the hand speed of the "Nemesis of Government Subsidies." Wei Xiu disassembled the car faster than a boy taking off a girl's clothes. In no time, the vehicle was reduced to a pile of parts.

"Look at this. They call it a four-wheeled vehicle, but it’s actually two electric bikes wired together."

"No air conditioning, no fans. In the winter, it runs entirely on a coal stove—see the chimney vent right here?"

"I guess there’s one benefit: you can roast sweet potatoes in the winter."

"The only safety feature on the entire car is the sticker on the door that says 'Safe Travels.'"

"One hundred years of automotive industrial history, all condensed into this two-and-a-half-box frame."