The next morning, Lu Ming rode his dad's electric scooter east along Central Road.

The morning in Yunmeng County was a completely different world from Shanghai.

At eight in the morning in Shanghai, the subway was so crowded it could flatten a person into a photo.

At eight in the morning in Yunmeng County, the busiest people on the street were the old man selling fried dough sticks and the old lady taking a stroll.

Lu Ming first went to have a bowl of spicy soup and added a fried bun, costing a total of four yuan.

Satisfied and full, he continued riding east.

His third uncle, Lu Jianjun's repair shop, was on the eastern edge of the county, right next to the provincial road leading out of town.

Though called a repair shop, it was really just a large yard with a tin-roofed shed, inside which five or six cars awaited repairs.

At the entrance stood an iron signboard with "Jianjun Auto Repair" painted in red on a white background. The letters had yellowed a bit from exposure to the elements.

Lu Ming parked the electric scooter at the entrance and walked inside.

In the yard, a silver Wuling Hongguang was hoisted on a lift, its undercarriage exposed.

A young man in blue overalls crouched beneath it, tightening screws, his hands covered in black oil.

Tools were scattered messily on the ground nearby—wrenches, sockets, jacks.

"Where's your boss?" Lu Ming asked the young man.

The young man poked his head out from under the car, "In the back room."

Lu Ming walked around the Wuling and pushed open the tin door to the back room.

The room was filled with smoke, containing a worn-out sofa and a desk piled with car parts brochures and several used disposable cups.

Lu Jianjun sat on the sofa looking at his phone. When he glanced up, he saw Lu Ming.

"Hey, a rare guest."

"Uncle," Lu Ming went over and handed him a cigarette, "Where's Lu Yuan?"

"Sleeping at home."

Lu Yuan was Lu Ming's cousin, a year younger than him.

Lu Ming nodded, "Uncle, I want to buy a car."

Lu Jianjun glanced at him, "Buy a car? That's great. What's your budget? Need me to chip in a bit?"

Lu Ming was the only child in the Lu family, so Lu Jianjun was quite attentive to him.

"Budget... How much is a Mercedes-Benz E300 now?"

Lu Jianjun nearly dropped his cigarette, "Around four hundred thousand? You want to buy that car?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." Lu Jianjun stared at Lu Ming, "How much do you have?"

"I have enough money. It's my first time buying a car, so I don't know much. I wanted your advice."

"Okay, but you'll have to go to the city to buy that car."

"The city?"

"We don't have a Mercedes dealership here. Do you know how many 4S shops we have in the county?"

Lu Ming shook his head.

"Two and a half." Lu Jianjun held up his fingers, "One Chang'an, one BYD, and half a Chery. The Chery one just changed owners a couple of months ago and is still under renovation, so it's half a shop."

The city was out of the question, too far.

"Are there any used ones?" Lu Ming asked.

"There's a used car market on the north side of the county..."

"Shall we go?"

Lu Jianjun took out his car keys, patted Lu Ming on the shoulder, and showed a bit of pride on his face, "Let's go, I'll take you. You've really grown up and become promising. I've always had high hopes for you since you were a kid, and it wasn't in vain!"

"Uncle, let's not talk about that. You taught me to drink baijiu at four, took me to foot massages at six, and to KTV at eight... at ten..."

Lu Jianjun quickly interrupted, "Let's go, let's go, hurry up."

At the used car market in the north of the county.

A chubby man in a leather jacket sat in the gatehouse, picking his teeth with a toothpick.

Seeing Lu Jianjun's van pull in, the chubby man immediately stood up, his face full of smiles.

"Brother Jun! A rare guest, what brings you here today?"

Lu Jianjun introduced, "My nephew, wants to look at cars."

The chubby man turned to Lu Ming, giving him a once-over, "Big nephew, what kind of car are you looking for?"

"Where's your best-condition Mercedes-Benz E300? Let my nephew take a look."

The chubby man paused his toothpick action, then tossed it to the ground, "Got it, got it, follow me."

The chubby man led Lu Ming and Lu Jianjun deeper into the car lot.

The used car market wasn't big, about two acres, open-air, with a pitted concrete surface. It had rained recently and hadn't dried, leaving puddles reflecting the sky.

Cars were parked in rows, mostly family cars priced between fifty to a hundred thousand.

At the innermost row, the chubby man stopped.

"This one."

Lu Ming looked up.

A black Mercedes-Benz E300 was parked in the corner, its body polished clean, the paint reflecting under the sunlight.

Lu Jianjun walked around the car, squatted to check the undercarriage, then opened the door and sat inside to get a feel.

"How many kilometers?"

"Thirty-two thousand." The chubby man pulled out his phone to check the records, "It's a 2020 model, single-owner. The previous owner was a building materials boss in the city. He switched to a G-Class last year, so he sold this one."

"How much?"

"Two hundred and thirty-eight thousand, sincere price. Brother Jun, since you brought him, I won't make a profit off you."

Lu Jianjun got out of the driver's seat, clapped his hands, "This car's been through major repairs, find another."

The chubby man gave an awkward smile, "Brother Jun, this is the only E300 we have..."

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Lu Jianjun looked at Lu Ming, "Change the car?"

Lu Ming nodded.

Lu Jianjun turned to the chubby man, "Pick a good one, don't mess around! I won't even mention original paint, but it can't have had major repairs, not even a fender replacement."

The chubby man paused, his gaze lingering on Lu Ming for two seconds.

"Follow me."

The chubby man led them through the main lot to a tin shed at the back.

The shed was locked, and the chubby man fished out a bunch of keys from his pocket, selecting one to open the door.

Inside the shed were three cars.

A white Porsche Cayenne, a dark green Land Rover Range Rover, and in the innermost position against the wall, a black long-wheelbase sedan.

Lu Ming immediately noticed the black one.

It didn't matter if he didn't recognize the badge; the length of the car and the size of the wheels were in a league of their own compared to the other two.

"What car is that?" Lu Ming pointed.

The chubby man followed his finger, his expression a bit subtle.

"Maybach S680."

Lu Jianjun paused his smoking hand.

"You have something like this here?"

The chubby man walked over and wiped the front of the car with a cloth, "Got it before the New Year, from a coal boss in Zhengzhou. Bought it half a year ago, drove less than a thousand kilometers. Look at this meter."

He opened the door, and the dashboard showed the mileage: 947 kilometers.

"The whole car is original, not a scratch. The boss bought it to show off, kept it in the garage most of the time, barely drove it all year. Then his business hit a snag, needed cash urgently, so he sold it cheap."

Lu Jianjun bent down to get into the back seat, feeling the leather upholstery.

The leather was completely different from the E300.

Soft and delicate to the touch, it rebounded slowly when pressed, and the entire back seat was wide enough to lie down on.

The center armrest opened to reveal a refrigerator.

The starry ceiling above was lit, with tiny lights like a planetarium.

"This one, how much?" Lu Ming asked.

As soon as Lu Ming spoke, Lu Jianjun grabbed him, lowering his voice urgently, "My dear nephew, even if you sold your dad and me together, you couldn't afford this car!"