Chapter 94: One Must Keep a Broader Perspective

All morning long, Zhao Guoyang and Monkey kept working without pause, making hair clips.

The manufacturing process, in truth, was not complicated. Under Zhao Guoyang’s careful guidance, Monkey’s technique grew more and more skillful, and before long his speed was not much slower than Zhao Guoyang’s own.

By the time they stopped, the two of them had made more than a hundred hair clips. Counting the time, it worked out to roughly thirty clips an hour.

That pace was a little lower than Zhao Guoyang had expected, but he could understand why. After all, the mold-making still could not be automated, and the quenching speed could not keep up either.

If they had more advanced equipment in the future, production efficiency would surely rise dramatically.

Once the hair clips on hand were finished, Zhao Guoyang and Monkey paused for a while to rest.

Looking at the neat stacks of hair clips before him, all of them varied and delicate, Zhao Guoyang let out a quiet sigh.

After his rebirth, his first pot of gold was finally about to become reality.

It had come a little late, but the point of entry for this first fortune was undoubtedly a good one. Combined with his clever design, the foundation was laid very solidly, and that was what Zhao Guoyang found most comforting.

After taking a sip of the hot water Monkey handed him, Zhao Guoyang instructed, “Monkey, now that you know how to use the die-casting machine, I’ll leave everything here to you for a while. Once we’ve made a thousand, we’ll send the first batch over to Sister Rou. Think of it as a trial run.”

Monkey nodded repeatedly. “Mm-hmm. This afternoon I’ll call Ergazi over and get him working harder too. We’ll try to crank out a thousand hair clips within three days!”

“No need to rush that much. A week is fine. After all, Sister Rou will need some time to prepare after hearing the news. At the very least, she’ll need time to study the market for similar products, right?”

Monkey’s eyes rolled as an idea struck him. “Guoyang, do you think we should also look into the market in Jianghai County, Ninghai City, and the nearby counties and towns? At our speed, if we put in some effort, making three or four hundred a day definitely wouldn’t be a problem. And of course, the more markets we have, the better.”

Zhao Guoyang nodded in agreement. “Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to tell you.”

“You’re quick on your feet, Monkey, and you’re naturally good at dealing with people. Our little workshop won’t have too many production matters for the time being. Once you’ve taught Ergazi well, you’ll be free to handle other things...”

Zhao Guoyang had long since made his plans for the two partners, Bai Rou and Monkey.

Bai Rou would undoubtedly be in charge of sales in the future.

She already had her own company in Yangcheng and had built up considerable connections there. As long as this little workshop could keep producing competitive products, Zhao Guoyang believed Bai Rou would not disappoint him.

As for Monkey, he was quick-witted and utterly convinced by Zhao Guoyang. Leaving the production side to him was absolutely safe.

Besides, Monkey had always been rather good at mathematics, and Zhao Guoyang also intended to have him get involved in purchasing.

After all, once the workshop grew larger in the future, the materials needed would come in all sorts and varieties. Such matters could not always be handled personally by Zhao Guoyang himself.

Monkey had no objections at all to Zhao Guoyang’s arrangements.

Only one thing troubled him: he felt that the thousand-yuan salary was far too high. Moreover, Zhao Guoyang’s decision to pay Ergazi five hundred yuan a month struck him as unbelievable.

Monkey’s small-mindedness did not really bother Zhao Guoyang. He merely said calmly, “Monkey, whether you’re worth a thousand yuan a month is for me to decide.”

“As for Ergazi, if you think a direct salary of five hundred is inappropriate, then you can start him at two or three hundred. The rest can be treated as his year-end bonus and given to him all at once at New Year.”

Then Zhao Guoyang spoke to Monkey in a solemn, earnest tone. “Monkey, let me tell you this: since we’ve chosen to use Ergazi, we can’t treat him badly. Besides, he can help you handle things in the village. That money is worth spending.”

“Besides, compared with our shares, his little salary is nothing at all, right? You’re going to be a man who accomplishes big things in the future, so your horizons need to be broader.”

Zhao Guoyang’s support was something Monkey could clearly feel.

His eyes reddened slightly, and he nodded hard. “Guoyang, I’ll listen to you. I’ll handle the Ergazi matter properly.”

Zhao Guoyang was very reassured by the way Monkey handled things, and after hearing his promise, he nodded.

Looking at the time, it was already well past the height of morning. Zhao Guoyang gave Monkey a few more instructions, then prepared to head to the west end of the village to catch a bus back to Jianghai County.

Monkey knew Zhao Guoyang still had matters to attend to, so he did not try to keep him for lunch.

At the moment, all of his attention was on the hair clips. After seeing Zhao Guoyang off, he hurried off at once to look for Ergazi.

...

Zhao Guoyang was in luck. He had only waited a few minutes at the west end of the village before a bus bound for Jianghai County happened to pass by.

After boarding, Zhao Guoyang took out the two hair clips he had just selected and played with them in his hand.

A young girl on the bus noticed his movements. She was fashionably dressed, had permed curls, and a lovely face. When she saw the hair clips in Zhao Guoyang’s hand, a strange light flashed in her eyes.

She stood up from her seat, walked over, and sat down in the empty seat beside Zhao Guoyang. In a soft voice she asked, “Comrade, may I have a look at that hair clip of yours?”

At the sound of her voice, Zhao Guoyang turned his head and, seeing that it was a young and beautiful girl, could not help but pause slightly.

The girl coughed lightly and repeated herself. “Comrade, could you let me take a look at your hair clip?”

“Hair clip? Oh, no problem.” Zhao Guoyang nodded and handed it over.

After taking it, the girl turned it over again and again, clearly unable to put it down. Then, a little embarrassed, she said to Zhao Guoyang, “Comrade, could you part with these two hair clips and let me have one? I... I’m willing to pay five yuan!”

This scene drew the attention of several women on the bus.

In an instant, the two hair clips Zhao Guoyang had brought became the focus of everyone’s attention, and all of them wanted a closer look.

Zhao Guoyang quickly gave the young woman a meaningful glance and lowered his voice. “Give you one. Help me cover for it.”

The young girl smiled with pursed lips, nodded, and took a handkerchief from her pocket, carefully wrapping up the hair clip and putting it away.

The rest of the ride passed without incident. When they reached the Jianghai County bus station, Zhao Guoyang prepared to get off, and the young girl followed him down as well.

“Comrade, here’s your hair clip back!” the girl said, catching up to Zhao Guoyang with a slightly flushed face.

“This hair clip cost you money too, didn’t it? I can’t just take it for nothing. Here, take five yuan. Don’t think it’s too little.”

As she spoke, she placed a five-yuan note and the other hair clip into Zhao Guoyang’s hand. Then she turned and took a few steps away before looking back with a bright smile. “By the way, my name is Murong Jing. I’m a teacher at Jianghai Middle School.”