CH 63

The customer is God, since he is willing to endure the cold, there’s nothing she can do about it.

Luo Bei handed a bottle of ordinary mineral water to the old man. His driver was exceptionally agile and quickly snatched it up. When he saw the mineral water bottle, he hesitated for a moment before saying to the old man, “Boss, this isn’t the water you usually drink. Do you need someone to bring your usual water?”

Luo Bei standing on the side could only remain silent.

Yes, someone who can afford this kind of luxury car must be very wealthy and has very high standards for their quality of life.

She gave him a bottle of mineral water that cost 2.5 yuan, and he probably doesn’t usually drink it. If he drinks mineral water, it’s probably the Hermès brand.

The old man shook his head and said, “No need, this is fine.”

Luo Bei was going to move a chair, but the driver was faster and helped her move it outside. The old man sat down smoothly. She took a glance at him and thought that this old man is truly exceptional. When he stands, his back is straight and he remains just as upright when he sits. He’s not at all relaxed, and even young people like her don’t have that kind of vitality.

Zhou Jianguo changed into his usual clothes for washing cars.

It was strange, he stood in front of this car and felt a bit familiar, but couldn’t recall where he had seen it before. Normally, someone like him would be more cautious when facing a several tens of million yuan worth luxury car, fearing that something might go wrong. But he wasn’t. In his eyes, this car was no different from Luo Bei’s car that cost a little over a hundred thousand, at least it didn’t make him feel nervous.

Luo Bei stood aside, observing the old man’s facial expression.

If someone didn’t know any better, they would think he was watching a performance, his expression full of enjoyment. It seemed that watching Zhou Jianguo wash his car was a pleasurable experience for him.

“Little girl, he’s the owner of this shop, right?” Just when Luo Bei thought she was imagining things, she heard the old man talking to her.

She quickly replied, “Yes, he’s the owner.”

“It must be tough doing this kind of work, isn’t it?” The old man smiled and looked at Luo Bei, “Washing cars in the dead of winter.”

Although he said such words, his expression would really make people misunderstand, because he looked like he was enjoying it. Now, he was watching Zhou Jianguo wash his car again, with a happy expression.

Luo Bei smiled and nodded, “Which line of work that’s not hard these days?”

“Right, it’s only natural that young people work hard. Comfort is for us.”

Perhaps due to the cool weather, he coughed and the driver immediately went to get a coat to put on him. The old man then turned to look at Luo Bei, carefully examining her, “Young lady, you look like a recent graduate.”

“Yes, I graduated last year.”

Although this old man seemed a bit strange, Luo Bei could feel that he had a kind-heartedness towards both her and Zhou Jianguo, which made her feel comfortable and drop her guard.

“You’re his business partner, right?”

“Yes.”

The old man laughed again, this time getting up and walking to the side of the car. The driver hurriedly followed behind him, very quick-witted.

He stood by the car, watching Zhou Jianguo wash it, and said, “Clean it up a bit more here. If it’s not clean, I won’t pay.”

Zhou Jianguo : “…”

This car was already very clean, without a speck of dust. And yet, this person still wanted it washed. He must have had too much money to burn.

In the dead of winter, Zhou Jianguo washed and scrubbed the car, his hands turning bright red from the cold. The driver hesitated to say anything, but when he looked at the old man, he didn’t say anything.

When Zhou Jianguo went to wash the tires, he accidentally bumped into the driver. Before he could even apologize, the driver said in a panic, “I’m sorry, it’s my…”

The old man coughed lightly, and the driver immediately fell silent.

Luo Bei thought to herself that this person’s driver is so well-mannered. The car Beauty shop has been in business for a while and has encountered some really extreme and weird customers who think that spending a few dozen yuan on car washing gives them the right to boss people around and complain incessantly, as if they were the old lords of ancient times and these people were their servants. Their attitudes are particularly annoying.

Luo Bei knows that Zhou Jianguo is working very hard, so she quickly runs into the shop and finds the thermos she bought for him. She runs back to Zhou Jianguo’s side, unscrews the lid of the thermos, and immediately hot steam rises out. She tells Zhou Jianguo, “Take a sip, or it will get cold.”

It’s already winter, and the water used for car washing is cold. They need to drink some hot water to warm their bodies, or they will freeze.

Zhou Jianguo’s hands are covered in water and foam, so Luo Bei hands him a tissue to wipe his hands, and he takes the opportunity to take a sip of hot water. He feels much more comfortable now.

Nowadays, there are many people come to wash cars, and the apprentices are too busy to handle it all, so Zhou Jianguo helps wash cars too. His hands are red from the cold, and Luo Bei bought him hand cream, but he says that real men don’t use that. He would rather not use it, unless his face feels too dry and uncomfortable, and then he reluctantly applies some.

“I’ll go get you a hot water bottle. You really need to use hand cream today, or you’ll get frostbite.”

Zhou Jianguo replied indifferently, “Okay.”

The old man had been watching them all along. When Luo Bei turned around, their eyes met. The probing look in the old man’s eyes was too deep to ignore.

“You two have such a good relationship,” the old man said happily.

At first, Luo Bei wanted to explain that she and Zhou Jianguo were not that kind of relationship, but she felt that it was unnecessary to say so much to a stranger who had no intersection with their lives. She could only awkwardly smile and walk into the store.

“Clean it up, don’t miss any corner, inside and out,” the old man walked to Zhou Jianguo’s side again. “Since you’re in this line of work, you have to do your best, even if it’s just washing a car, you have to wash it as clean as possible!”

Towards the end, it was almost like a reprimand.

Zhou Jianguo thought to himself that he had really met a difficult customer. He spent a few tens of yuan to wash a car and he had to listen to so much preaching and nagging.

However, the customer is always right, even if he is unhappy, he did not say anything.

The old man murmured to himself, “Made some progress.”

Zhou Jianguo didn’t hear clearly and looked up at him. “What did you just say?”

“I told you to clean it up.”

Zhou Jianguo rolled his eyes in his heart and said, “Oh!”

Huh.

The car itself was very clean, and the inside was the same, without any dust, so it didn’t need to be washed at all. But because this old man kept lecturing him, buzzing like a bee in his ear, it took him at least ten minutes longer to wash the car.

Zhou Jianguo thought to himself, he should charge more for this, at least five more yuan, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth it.

After it was cleaned, the old man followed Zhou Jianguo into the shop.

“This is the premium wash, thirty yuan per time,” Zhou Jianguo instructed Luo Bei to make out the bill. “But if you get a membership card and charge one thousand yuan, this time it will be free, and in the future members will get a discount, and the wash will be twenty-five yuan per time.”

The old man looked at him and then looked at Luo Bei. “If I get a membership card and charge it, what if you run away?”

Zhou Jianguo really didn’t know what to say. “My shop has just opened, so don’t say these ominous things. Rest assured, even if my shop really can’t make it, I will return to you the full amount you should get, I intend to do business, and I won’t lose this bit of integrity.”

Zhou Jianguo said this very seriously.

Integrity was the first thing a businessman and a civilized person needed to uphold. If they lost their integrity for a few bucks, they wouldn’t be able to do business well in the future.

“Can I ask for you to wash my car every time I come here?” the old man asked again. “I don’t trust the other workers here.”

Zhou Jian Guo could tell that this person might really sign up for a membership card, so he perked up and improved his attitude. “I’m here every day, and your car is too expensive. The other workers in my store won’t dare to wash it, so of course, I’ll wash it.”

At this point, the old man was finally satisfied.

“If I top up one thousand yuan, I get one free car wash. If I top up two thousand yuan, what do I get as a gift?”

Even Luo Bei perked up his ears, looking at the old man as if he were a God of Wealth.

“You get a free car wash and one waxing.”

“What about topping up three thousand?”

“You get a set of foot mats for free.”

“What about topping up four thousand?”

“You get car film and two waxings for free.”

The old man turned to his driver and said, “Top up five thousand and give it to him in cash.”

The driver quickly nodded and handed over the 5000 yuan in cash from his bag to Luo Bei.

Luo Bei was stunned for a moment. Did they just receive a big order right off the bat? The customer just put in 5000 yuan right away? She was still a bit dizzy.

“I’m topping up 5000 yuan, and I want you to wash my car three times. As for the car film and waxing, forget it, so as not to damage my car,” the old man pointed to the thermos in Zhou Jianguo’s hand. “I want this thermos, exactly the same.”

Luo Bei was speechless. “I’ll have to buy another one online. We don’t have any in the store right now.”

The old man nodded. “I’ll come pick it up next time I come to wash the car. Remember, it has to be exactly the same.”

After topping up 5000 yuan and getting a membership card, Zhou Jianguo asked for some basic information, such as the name and contact information, but the rest was optional.

The old man picked up a pen, hesitated for a moment, wrote down the character “Zhou,” leaving only the surname, and then left a phone number.

Luo Bei was also surprised when she registered the information. “Is your surname Zhou too?”

The old man’s handwriting and his aura were as sharp and resolute as he was.

The driver behind him heard this and glanced up at the old man before lowering his head again.

The old man nodded. “Yes, Zhou.”

Luo Bei smiled, “That’s quite a coincidence. He’s also surnamed Zhou.”

Although he made up the name and surname.

“Is that so?” The old man capped his pen and smiled, not saying anything more.