Knowing Mike was going to buy protective gear, George first dropped off Sheldon, who had been chattering about making friends all the way, at the doorstep.
Then, he drove Mike and Georgie to the professional sports store in town.
Dale, the owner of this sports store, was a semi-colleague of Georgie; he was the baseball coach at the town's public elementary school.
Soon, led by George, Mike entered the store. The store didn't look big, but it had a complete range of sports equipment, showing that the owner was knowledgeable.
The owner, Dale, was a seventy-something old man, tall and thin, with a slightly bald head and mostly white hair, but he looked very spirited.
Seeing George bring someone in, Dale greeted him with a smile: "George, are you bringing team members to look at protective gear again?"
"Yes, Mike just joined the team, and he needs a complete set of sports equipment." George pulled Mike to his side and introduced him, then familiarized himself with the owner: "Dale, Mike is one of us, you have to give him a good discount this time."
Dale looked at Mike and said cheerfully: "No problem, this kid looks like a good football player at first glance."
Mike, almost sixteen, still had a youthful face, but his figure was tall and straight, the kind of "tough guy" admired by Texans.
"Georgie, take Mike to look at the protective gear. I'll chat with Dale here." George waved his hand, then sat down on a chair in front of the counter.
Dale was a cheerful old man, and seeing George sit down, he took out two bottles of beer from under the counter.
The two drank beer while chatting about their interesting stories.
On Georgie's side, he brought Mike to the football equipment section. Looking at rows of sports equipment, he introduced: "You're still a novice, so it's best to buy a basic set of protective gear."
Basic model: meaning cheap and cost-effective.
Football is a very competitive and intense sport, and newcomers often have a three-minute passion.
And basic protective gear is not expensive, so even if it's not used later, it won't make people feel like a big loss.
In a way, Georgie was a very frugal man.
However, Mike knew his situation. With the Demon Body, he wasn't afraid of confrontation or injury.
So, after looking at a few basic sets of protective gear, he shook his head and said: "Georgie, I need some better quality equipment."
As he spoke, his expression was calm, and he exuded an aura of not lacking money.
This was indeed the case. Although Mike was an orphan, he received 500 dollars in living expenses every month.
And the previous "him" was not good at socializing, so there was no place to spend money, so all that money was saved.
Conservatively estimated, Mike's account should now have about 10,000 dollars.
At present, the dollar has not depreciated. An excellent football coach like George only earns 500 dollars per week.
10,000 dollars is equivalent to George's salary for half a year without eating or drinking.
So relatively speaking, Mike is now a "small rich man."
On the other side, although Georgie didn't buy those high-end protective gear himself, this didn't prevent him from knowing about those high-end goods.
After hearing Mike's request, he led Mike to the better quality protective gear and became a qualified commentator.
Finally, under Georgie's envious gaze, Mike chose a set of high-quality sports protective gear.
Of course, the prices marked for these protective gear were not low: "Avenger" helmet 800, shoulder pads 650, gloves 100, athletic shoes 450, pad pants 200, waist protector 150, knee pads and wrist guards 260.
On the way to the counter, Mike also specifically picked out a brass whistle worth 80 dollars from a nearby shelf.
When Mike and Georgie arrived at the counter, George, who was drinking with the owner, immediately saw that the protective gear Mike chose was all top-grade.
He clinked his beer bottle with Dale and said: "Last time I brought team members to buy protective gear, you gave a 15% discount. This time, you should at least give Mike a 25% discount."
Hearing the discount George asked for, Dale was so surprised that he stopped drinking beer. He looked at the protective gear Mike and Georgie brought, hesitated, and said: "For your sake, I'll give this kid a 20% discount this time, but only this once."
"Deal." George smiled and clinked his beer bottle with Dale again.
George, who worked in sports, could tell that the quality of the goods in Dale's store was excellent and the prices were not inflated.
To give a 20% discount, it was probably already close to the other party's bottom line.
Piece by piece of protective gear was placed on the counter. Dale took out paper, a pen, and a small calculator, and began to calculate the price.
It has to be said that this elderly owner had no talent for arithmetic.
The answer Mike could calculate in a second, the owner repeatedly checked on paper several times.
However, Mike, knowing the answer, did not disturb the owner's enjoyment.
Finally, after a while, Dale put down the paper and pen and said: "The total price of these items is 2690 dollars. With an 80% discount..."
At this point, Dale picked up the calculation paper on the counter, looked at it, and then continued: "After the discount, the total is 2152 dollars."
Hearing the total price of over two thousand, both George and his son were greatly surprised.
You know, Georgie's current training equipment doesn't even cost 500 dollars in total.
And two thousand dollars was already George's salary for a month of hard work.
George stopped drinking beer. He pulled Mike in front of him and whispered: "Are you sure you want to buy such expensive protective gear?"
Mike said: "I think I can make good use of them."
As the saying goes: a craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well.
Mike, who had already decided to join the football team, did not think that buying a good set of sports protective gear would be a waste of money.
Seeing Mike insist, George said no more. He finally asked with concern: "Do you have enough money with you?"
Mike nodded and took out his bank card from his pocket.
George then turned to Dale and said: "These protective gear are too expensive, round it off... How about 2000 dollars?"
"That won't do!" Dale reacted strongly, shaking his head and saying: "Georgie, you know, I won't make any money from this business."
Dale didn't feel much when giving the discount.
But to directly deduct over 150 dollars, Dale could calculate the cost: a bottle of beer is seventy cents, 150 dollars, that can buy a lot, lot of beer.
"Dale, don't think I don't know, even at 2000 dollars, you'll still make a profit." George first analyzed with a positive tone, and then, in a negotiating tone, said: "How about this, let's meet halfway, how about 2100 dollars?"
Hearing George's words, Dale hesitated, silently calculating in his mind: How much beer can 50 dollars buy?
...
Finally, after friendly negotiation, Mike swiped his card for 2100 dollars, completing the transaction.
As they left, Dale shouted to George: "You'd be great as a boss after you retire~"
George smiled and waved, signaling Dale to meet for a drink again next time. Then, he walked out of the sports store with Mike and Georgie.