51: Chapter 50 An unassuming secondhand stall, arriving at the scene in 5 minutes.

Crossing the road, Lin Feng arrived at the sidewalk.

This place was only about 200 meters from the hospital gate.

During the day, there were city management officers, but at night, this place became a holy land for mobile stalls.

Selling egg pancakes, fried skewers, steamed buns, and such—business was very good.

Everyone knew the hygiene conditions of street stalls weren't great, but too many people were forced by life, and being able to fill one's stomach was good enough.

Among the food stalls, Lin Feng saw a tricycle parked in a corner.

A mat was spread on the vehicle, and there was a blackboard on the handle, which read: Shengxin Secondhand Recycling, Buying and Selling, Appraisal of Old Items.

To think there was secondhand trading here, and it even advertised appraisals for old items.

Lin Feng looked at the boss curiously; he was a young man, in his 30s.

He was puffing on a cigarette, fiddling with a Nokia feature phone in his hand.

He seemed to sense a customer in front of his stall, but he didn't look up.

"Sir, what I sell here is only for those who know their stuff; these aren't just ordinary secondhand goods."

"Boss, does anyone actually buy this stuff at a street stall?"

"Even if no one buys it, I still have to set it up; I have to eat, right? Business at the shop isn't good, and I wanted to put it online to sell too."

"But Taobao told me that secondhand goods can't be traded; the attributes didn't match."

Lin Feng handed him a cigarette and asked, "Does your family run a recycling shop?"

"Yeah, the market hasn't been good lately, and the prices for many metal items are unstable. Apart from picking out some old items from the scrap, there's not much profit to be made."

He put away his phone, took a look at Lin Feng, and smiled, "You're quite young, a college student?"

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the stall.

[1960s Shanghai Brand watch, all-steel model, Price: 5000]

[1955 Second Series Huaxia Currency 5-cent banknote, extremely rare, full set price: 25,000]

[1967 Limited Edition Chairman badge (pure silver base), Quantity: 25, unit price: 1000]

[Panda brand vacuum tube radio (1960s), intact condition 3000 yuan]

[Old photographs from the Republic of China, 50 rare image negatives from a special period, unit price: 200]

There weren't many items at the stall, just these few, all with a certain collection value.

But the stall owner was clearly no novice; he 100% knew the value of these items.

There was no possibility of picking up a bargain.

Besides, Lin Feng's business was now booming, and with stock support, he didn't care for these little trinkets.

"Boss, what if there was a secondhand trading platform, with the same model as Taobao—would you be willing to use it?"

"I would, if there were one, I'd use it. The clothing store next door is so busy packing items every day that my hands get tired just watching; it makes me want to change professions."

"Even if they charged a service fee, it wouldn't matter?"

"That's acceptable, as long as it's not too outrageous. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"I know quite a few peers who think the same."

"Sir, you aren't thinking of starting such a trading platform, are you?"

"I was just asking; my college major is e-commerce, so I'm doing some research."

Lin Feng bragged a little, and the other party actually believed it.

"So that's it. I didn't study hard back then, otherwise, I wouldn't have inherited the family business to do this."

"Boss, don't be discouraged. The things on your stall are all genuine old items."

"Just keep at it. One big deal can sustain you for a long time."

The boss heard this, suddenly raised his head to look at Lin Feng, and asked with suspicion, "You recognize these things?"

"Yeah, I know a little."

"A 1960s watch, the 5-cent denomination from the Second Series of Huaxia Currency, the limited edition Chairman badge, old photos from the Republic of China, rare negatives from a special period, and even a Panda brand vacuum tube radio—these are worth quite a few tens of thousands."

"Impressive…"

The boss gave a thumbs up.

Lin Feng frowned, however. The air in front of him rippled, and a piece of information popped up.

[City management raid, Quantity: 20 people, 5 minutes until arrival at the scene for rectification. Vehicles and goods at stalls in this area will be confiscated as punishment.]

Good grief… it's already 9 PM, and they're still conducting operations?

These bastards, no wonder their reputation isn't great—coming out to sweep the streets so late.

It's not easy for common folks to make a living.

"Boss, pack up the stall."

"Pack up? It's still early."

"It's not appropriate for you to sell these things at the hospital entrance anyway."

"You don't understand. Shen City Hospital specializes in difficult and complicated cases; rich people from all over the country come here for treatment."

"Setting up a stall here has much more potential than those food stalls."

"Then what if city management comes, clears your stall, and confiscates your goods? Won't your losses be greater than theirs?"

He was puffing on his cigarette, looking at Lin Feng in surprise.

"What do you mean? City management will still appear at this hour?"

"Boss, I just passed the intersection ahead and saw a few city management officers chatting by their vehicle, seemingly waiting for instructions from above."

"I think I heard them say there's going to be a surprise inspection tonight to drive away all the nearby stalls and maintain the environment and order in front of the hospital."

This finally caused a change in the other party's expression.

Lin Feng had no reason to lie to him; he wouldn't gain anything from it.

"I'm leaving first. I estimate they'll arrive at the scene in about 5 minutes."

"Hey, sir, wait for me."

Better to believe it than not; he hurriedly packed up his things, got on the tricycle, and chased after him.

"Sir, if you don't mind, let me give you a lift for a bit?"

Lin Feng smiled and sat directly in the back of the tricycle where the goods were loaded.

"Just take me to the subway station ahead."

"Alright."

The tricycle hadn't even gone 50 meters when a shout came from behind.

"Nobody move! We are the City Management Department. You are operating illegally by occupying the road. All vehicles and goods will be confiscated."

"Don't resist. We are just following procedure. Since it's your first offense, we won't fine you, but if there's a next time, we will deal with it strictly."

The guy braked the tricycle hard and looked back.

The place where he had just set up his stall was already surrounded by three enforcement vehicles and a dozen city management officers.

Those mobile food carts, including the food, were all being hauled away.

Cold sweat broke out on his back; if he had still been there, he would have been finished.

"Sir, thank you so much."

"It's fate. I just happened to remember, consider yourself lucky."

"How about this: these goods today, I'll give them all to you as a reward."

"That won't do, they're too valuable."

Lin Feng really didn't expect him to be so generous; he had just given a casual reminder.

After all, having seen the hidden crisis, he couldn't just watch someone walk into a fire pit.

"Sir, my name is Sun Hu, the boss of Shengxin Secondhand Recycling. This is my business card."

Lin Feng took the business card, looking blank, not knowing what this guy was up to.

"I can tell you're definitely not an ordinary person. The internet is the future trend; those running online shops are making a fortune."

"You're clearly not an average person. If you create an online secondhand trading platform, you can tell me. I guarantee I'll use it, and I'll bring other peers in the industry to use it too."

"Don't decline these items; just consider it a small token of this brother's appreciation."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. It's a small world; he didn't expect to encounter such a stroke of luck just by strolling around a street stall.

If he built the platform, he would need customers to use it to slowly build popularity.

If professional secondhand dealers joined, it would be equivalent to helping him promote it, which would definitely make things twice as effective with half the effort, saving him a lot of trouble.