Chapter 143: The Business Opportunity of the Mechanical Pencil

Zhao Guoyang crossed his arms, casting a disdainful glance at the bald man. “Mr. Miao, if your Fusheng Precision Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. resorts to such baseless accusations to smear earnest manufacturers who come to purchase, then there’s really nothing more to discuss.”

“The laser spot welding machine isn’t exclusive to your company here in Songjiang City either. Director Ma, let’s go.”

Mr. Miao clearly hadn’t anticipated Zhao Guoyang’s firm stance and was momentarily taken aback.

At that moment, Ma Jian, stirred to anger by the bald man’s slander, pulled a transfer check from his pocket and slammed it on the table with a scowl.

“Section Chief Li, if you say we’re only here to gather intelligence, then this check can’t be fake, right?” Ma Jian said loudly.

“We originally planned to settle the laser spot welding machine purchase today, but it seems we came to the wrong place. Xiao Zhao, let’s follow your lead and leave!”

After speaking, Ma Jian tucked the check back into his pocket, ready to depart.

His action made the amount on the check clearly visible to Mr. Miao and the bald man across the table.

The five hundred thousand yuan written in words was unmistakably genuine.

Li, the bald man, realized he had misjudged the situation. Who would have thought this unassuming fellow was actually carrying such a large sum?

Just as Zhao Guoyang and Ma Jian were about to leave, Mr. Miao hurriedly reached out to stop them.

“Gentlemen, please calm down,” he said, casting a reproachful glance at his subordinate before turning to Zhao and Ma with a conciliatory smile. “I apologize—Old Li has some personal matters at home today and wasn’t in the best mood. On his behalf, I offer you both my sincerest apologies.”

Mr. Miao was careful to maintain decorum and took responsibility himself rather than reprimanding Li directly. This gesture made it difficult for Zhao and Ma to hold a grudge.

Waving his hand, Mr. Miao ushered Li out and then shook hands with Director Ma. “Director Ma, Comrade Zhao, I truly apologize for the earlier misunderstanding. Why don’t you both come to my office for a cup of tea, and we can talk things over calmly?”

Zhao Guoyang and Ma Jian had already expressed a firm stance, but seeing that Mr. Miao was being reasonable, they exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.

In Mr. Miao’s office, the three men found common ground quickly and finalized the purchase contract for the imported laser spot welding machine.

To express his apologies, Mr. Miao offered them a discounted price—only 115,000 yuan for the German-imported machine.

Since Director Ma had only brought a 50,000-yuan check, settling the remaining balance was a bit complicated. According to the contract, the goods would have to be delayed.

However, Mr. Miao showed the decisiveness of an excellent sales manager. He instructed his staff to load and ship the machine immediately, allowing Director Ma to pay the remainder within a week after receiving it.

With the laser spot welding machine deal finally settled, Ma Jian and Zhao Guoyang left the office feeling relieved.

Ma Jian chuckled as he said to Zhao, “Guoyang, I always thought you were more of a technical guy and not skilled in negotiations. But your performance just now was no less impressive than mine, an old salesman. If you hadn’t shouted at that bald guy face to face, we wouldn’t have saved those five thousand yuan.”

Zhao Guoyang smiled modestly. “Director Ma, I’m honestly not very good at negotiating.”

“I just feel that whether buyer or seller, both should be on equal footing. The reform and opening up’s crucial significance lies in fairness and justice in our markets,” Zhao explained.

“Hmm, well said. You make a good point!” Ma Jian nodded appreciatively.

With the procurement completed and the necessary information gathered, Ma Jian bid Zhao farewell and headed straight for the train station.

After seeing Ma off, Zhao Guoyang noticed that the area he was in was not far from the hotel where he was staying. He decided to take a leisurely stroll to experience the current prosperity of Songjiang City.

As he walked the bustling streets, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of emotion watching the young women passing by.

Although the fashion and styling of the girls in this era were somewhat behind what he had seen in his previous life, their love for beauty was no less fervent.

The young women of Songjiang wore off-shoulder tops paired with high-waisted skirts or pants; others mixed cardigan dresses with trousers, often combining peach and orange hues accented with elegant velvet or embroidered lace, evoking a strong sense of the era.

Continuing his walk, Zhao Guoyang eventually reached the Jinling Road overpass.

In the early 1990s, with the Bund yet undeveloped, this was undoubtedly the most prosperous area in Songjiang City.

Looking up, the Children’s Goods Store came into view. After a moment’s thought, Zhao decided to step inside.

He wasn’t there to buy anything in particular but was curious to see what trendy, profitable items suitable for his small workshop’s production were available.

Inside the store, Zhao spotted an automatic pencil—something rarely seen even in smaller cities like Ninghai.

His eyes lit up.

Students usually used traditional pencils like HB or 2B that required sharpening.

This novel automatic pencil was only available in large cities like Songjiang at this time.

Zhao knew it wouldn’t be long—one or two years at most—before such stationery would spread across cities nationwide, eventually replacing traditional pencils altogether.

Manufacturing automatic pencils was a trivial challenge for Zhao Guoyang.

Yet the profits embedded in this product were certainly not to be underestimated.

Holding the automatic pencil in his hand, Zhao’s mind began to race with ideas.

The automatic pencils of this era used a pulsating mechanism, mainly consisting of the barrel, tip, fixed lead tube, chuck, locking collar, and spring.

When pressure is applied to the lead tube, it moves downward against the spring’s elasticity, causing the chuck to open, allowing the lead to advance by gravity; the locking collar and chuck then secure the lead in place, completing one pulsation.

As long as the barrel, tip, and fixed lead tube were drawn and molded, they could be mass-produced.

The chuck, locking collar, and spring could be customized according to the pencil type.

For Zhao, manufacturing such pencils was no great feat.

Compared to these basic automatic pencils, he was even capable of designing more advanced types, like drop-lead, twist, or automatic compensation models.

Noticing Zhao’s prolonged silence while examining the pencil, a store clerk approached him, curiosity evident on her face.