Chapter 20: Earning Money (1/2)

Boss Wu had together about 70 computers. Although it was only for a month, Xia Ye made a lot of money.

It is still an era of expensive Internet access, and many other Internet cafes are also emerging. Boss Wu here is equivalent to working for Xia Ye for half an hour for each computer, and the management fee is more than one piece a day. After Boss Wu paid the money, it hurt him a bit, but he soon felt the benefits of the new charging software for Internet cafes.

Wu Yicheng can just sit at the front counter and collect the money. When someone comes to register, he no longer has to run upstairs and downstairs. After he has free time, he can do what other Internet cafes do and puts some water bottles and snacks for sale. There are also many people who buy these things, especially mineral water, which is in high demand, and his purchase price is cheap, and he can sell a lot every day!

And after using this charging software, his accounts are also very clear.

Boss Wu wanted to hire people before, but the hiring usually includes food and accommodation, and the mobility of people is also high. Especially when they wanted to get paid more and cause trouble for him. But now it's okay, he doesn't have to worry about this at all, more than 3,000 yuan can solve so many things, it is really cost-effective!

Xia Ye said that this is called the network management system, which is the name on the forum, but the term ‘Internet cafe administrator’ is still a bit longer, and everyone slowly began to call it the ‘network system’.

Boss Wu also happily accepted this title, feeling quite proud.

He is also a technician now, manipulating the management software of the entire Internet cafe!

Boss Wu’s Internet cafe was unique and quickly attracted a lot of people. When everyone saw the set of registration numbers on the counter, they felt that they were more formal than others, plus there were more machines, some call over their friends and they all loved Longteng Internet Cafes new style.

Boss Wu made a small contribution to this, and he became more attentive when he saw Xia Ye.

Longteng Internet cafe was booming, and other businesses were envious.

Xiao Wu and Wu Yicheng, the owner of the Xinyi Internet Cafe in the downtown area, were considered family. When Xia Wu saw Wu Yicheng sitting at the counter facing a computer, leaning on the leather chair while watching a movie, easily collecting money, his eyes were full of envy.

”Cousin, you are really good at doing this, where did you get this set?”

Wu Yicheng didn't hide it from him, ”Xia Ye did it, this kid is good at it!”

Boss Xiao Wu looked envious, rubbing his hands and said, ”Can I buy it from you, and I can get such a set when I go back? Cousin, don't worry, we won't be able to grab each other’s business if we are not next to each other.”

Wu Yicheng and him are distant relatives, but as the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as neighbors. But Boss Wu still nodded and said: ”You can do it. This charging system is not mine, it’s Xia Ye’s. I made an agreement that I would pay him a monthly fee. If something goes wrong with the computers, Xia Ye said that he will fix it for free.”

Boss Xiao Wu asked again: ”How much is it?”

”50 yuan a month for a machine.”

Boss Xiao Wu calculated it and felt that the deal was a good deal, which was equivalent to taking out the income of a computer for the entire month. He has 20 or 30 computers. Now there are many people and the business is booming. He also wants to buy more than ten computers next month, so he can do it!

Wu Yicheng helped him contact Xia Ye.

Soon, Xinyi Internet cafes also set up a charging system. The boss Xiao Wu also specially modified the counter. He was not willing to buy a big chair. He only bought a small swivel chair with a computer registration in front of him. The shelves are almost like a simple commissary, and didn’t let go the opportunity to make more money. He also hung up the menus of two or three night market stalls nearby at the door, and he could help order meals and barbecue.

When Xia Ye went to the Xinyi Internet Cafe, Xiao Wu’s boss enthusiastically wanted to order food for him, “You’re busy, I’ll order Lao Liu’s fried rice downstairs for you at noon. This restaurant is delicious, and I’ll let him serve you a double portion!”

Xia Ye wore a mask and shook his head and said, ”No, I ate already.”

Boss Xiao Wu was very enthusiastic. He brought two more bottles of drinks and put them next to Xia Ye. He moved a chair and watched him make these. However, the characters scrolled on the screen and there were very few Chinese characters. He couldn't understand them at all, so he just turn to chat with Xia Ye.

”Xiaoxia, did you eat at your school cafeteria?”

”Yeah.”

”You are still a student, there will be so many opportunities. Today's young students are really amazing. They know more than we did at that time.” Boss Xiao Wu was keen on gossip. The more that he looked at Xia Ye, the more that he was curious, ”How old are you?”

Xia Ye lazily said: ”Eighteen.”

Boss Xiao Wu was taken aback, with some doubts on his face, obviously not convinced.

”Then I will be seventeen and a half years old, and my birthday will be in a couple of months.”

Boss Xiao Wu: ”???”

Xia Ye: ”Sixteen, is not too young. It's illegal to work under this age.”

Boss Xiao Wu was happily listening, knowing that he is able to all ages.

However, he was fascinated. If Xia Ye didn't say anything, he didn't ask. He guessed in his heart that he might be a high school student just like Xiao Han who used to visit him on weekends.

Xia Ye set it up for him, and took Xiao Wu to try it out. He was afraid that he would forget the steps, so he took the pen and paper to write it step by step. After seeing that he could operate it proficiently, he nodded and said, ”That's basically it. If you have something, please call Angkor and let me know, and I will come over if I have time.”

Boss Xiao Wu agreed and gave him two thousand yuan. Looking at Xia Ye, he couldn't help but say with some emotions: ”Xia Xia, when I was your age, I didn't have such a skill. Your parents are lucky to be able to have this blessing.”

Xia Ye paused when he collected the money, but did not respond, and left after saying goodbye to him politely.

There was still class in the afternoon. On the way back to school, Xia Ye pulled the mask to his chin and breathed a few breaths of fresh air. The smell of smoke gradually disappeared from the tip of his nose. He had two thousand dollars in his arms, but he didn't have much joy. The money was far from enough for him.

His dad’s health is not good. It’s not recommended to have surgery later. He also needs money for studying. In the future, he won’t be able to go too far after university entrance exam, or take his dad to live in a bigger city…

Xia Ye took a deep breath and slowly pressed those things back into his heart.