Chapter 95: Such a Fool

My heartfelt thanks go to Trading Up, Brother Qiang of Friendship Zero, Book Friend 20180112142707190, Wu Wei 870819, Love Fashionable Glory, I Am a Die-Hard Fan of the Official Rankings, Book Friend 20170309105833998, Dancing in the Clear Breeze 11, Rainy Morning Cutie, Purple Violet, Pingming, Constant 22.8 Degrees Celsius, Ji Zhongxuan, Heaven-Defying War God, ztym3333, madchina04, and many other dear friends for their generous support. I am endlessly grateful, and can only repay it with greater effort.

It seemed that the hairpin he had made himself was likely to have a real market after all. With a touch of quiet pride and delight, Zhao Guoyang took his leave of Murong Jing.

Glancing at the time, he saw that there were still more than two hours before the last minibus back to Ninghai City departed. After a moment’s thought, he decided to stop by Xiangyang Machinery Factory to see whether Ning Xiaohong was there.

Back then, he had promised Ning Xiaohong a gift. Of the two hairpins he had prepared, one had already gone to his younger sister, Zhao Xiaojing, and the other was meant for her.

The distance from Jianghai Station to Xiangyang Machinery Factory was not far, and he reached it after a walk of little more than ten minutes.

After coming here several times, the gatekeeper at Xiangyang Machinery Factory had already grown quite familiar with Zhao Guoyang and knew him to be a friend of Director Liao and Section Chief Ning.

So when Zhao Guoyang appeared, the guard did not stop him. Instead, he exchanged a few cheerful words and let him in.

It was a coincidence, but Ning Xiaohong really was working overtime at the factory that day. No sooner had Zhao Guoyang stepped into the workshop than he saw her instructing two workers on how to quench the workpieces.

Ning Xiaohong did not notice his arrival at first, and only realized it when he had already come up beside her.

"Ah, Guoyang? What brings you here?" she asked in surprise.

Zhao Guoyang glanced at the two workers, who were shooting odd looks their way, and cleared his throat. "Section Chief Ning, I need to talk to you about something. Shall we step over there?"

Ning Xiaohong, puzzled, nodded and said a few words to the workers before turning and following Zhao Guoyang out of the workshop.

Seeing that no one was around, Zhao Guoyang took out the butterfly hairpin and handed it to her.

The instant Ning Xiaohong saw what he was offering, a flush rose to her cheeks. She glanced at his expression from the corner of her eye and asked awkwardly, "What... do you mean by this?"

Noticing her reaction, Zhao Guoyang immediately understood that the technical section chief had apparently mistaken his intent.

He waved his hands repeatedly and explained, "No, no, Xiaohong, don't misunderstand. Didn't I promise you before? As soon as the first batch from my little workshop was finished, I would give you a gift right away..."

Hearing this, Ning Xiaohong's expression returned to normal, though somewhere deep inside her, an inexplicable trace of disappointment stirred faintly.

She accepted the hairpin, and at once her gaze was drawn to it.

It had to be said that the first batch of hairpins produced by Zhao Guoyang's little workshop was quite innovative in style among products of its kind.

Although the quality and workmanship could not possibly compare with imported goods or the finest products from major domestic factories, in this day and age people were not yet so exacting about quality. Its unique design and graceful shape made up splendidly for those other shortcomings.

Seeing that she did not even blink as she looked at it, Zhao Guoyang knew this little minx must be satisfied with the gift.

"Try it on and see whether it suits you," he said.

"Mm." Ning Xiaohong smoothed her hair and clipped the hairpin into place.

She was already a pretty girl, small and delicate in figure, and after wearing the butterfly-shaped hairpin she became even lovelier, with something almost star-like about her.

Admiring the charming sight of her with the hairpin in place, Zhao Guoyang rested his chin in his hand and praised her with a smile. "Mm, not bad at all. Very nice. It looks great. It seems my little workshop's product can be considered a success."

Hearing this, Ning Xiaohong immediately felt a little stifled.

At first, from the first half of his sentence, she had thought he was praising her. But then he suddenly turned the praise onto the hairpin itself. It was truly exasperating. What a blockhead—he could not speak properly at all.

"Wait a moment... this hairpin was made by him?" Ning Xiaohong seemed to think of something, and looked rather startled.

Zhao Guoyang, however, did not notice the change in her expression. He was tilting his head with great interest, admiring his very first product.

Judging by the effect on Ning Xiaohong, at the very least this butterfly-shaped hairpin had already secured a measure of sales.

Of course, if a polishing step could be added, the product would look even better. Unfortunately, for the time being, his little workshop did not have the tools or the space for polishing, so Zhao Guoyang could only let the matter rest for now.

Still, the idea of buying a polishing machine was already in his plans. Once conditions permitted, he would put it on the schedule as soon as possible.

While Zhao Guoyang was silently admiring the hairpin he had made, Ning Xiaohong mistakenly thought he was admiring her, and grew a little shy.

Still, the hairpin really was lovely, exactly the sort she liked. Thinking of this, Ning Xiaohong said with a faint blush, "Guoyang, thank you."

Zhao Guoyang waved it off. "Hey, no need to thank me. I promised you this. As long as you like it, that's enough."

After a pause, Ning Xiaohong asked, "By the way, Guoyang, I just heard you say this hairpin was produced by you yourself. Is that true?"

Zhao Guoyang shrugged. "That's right! Xiaohong, do you remember that die-casting machine? I designed this hairpin, had a small mold factory make the mold, and then produced it with the die-casting machine. What do you think? Does this little thing have a market?"

"Of course it does! If such a beautiful hairpin were sold here in Jianghai County, I would have gone to buy one long ago!" Ning Xiaohong blurted out.

After testing the hairpin's effect on Ning Xiaohong, the last trace of worry in Zhao Guoyang's heart finally vanished.

What he wanted to do now was hurry and inform Bai Rou, to tell her this good news.

Hearing him say that he wanted to find a phone and notify his partner in Guangzhou, Ning Xiaohong pursed her lips and said, "Guoyang, that's easy. You can just call from our office."

Zhao Guoyang hesitated a little. "Long-distance calls aren't cheap, though. Isn't it a bit improper for me to make a private call at your factory?"

Ning Xiaohong, utterly unreserved, reached out and gave his shoulder a playful shove as she smiled. "Oh, come on, why be so polite? We didn't even charge you for borrowing equipment. What does one phone call amount to? My master said that your idea helped him a great deal. From now on, you're an honorary staff member of our factory."

"Besides, if the factory really takes up a mold-development project later on, I'll definitely have to trouble you a lot. Letting you use our place now counts as building the relationship early, doesn't it?"

Ning Xiaohong said it so candidly and directly that Zhao Guoyang felt rather as though he were being too formal.

So he stopped insisting, and with a wave of his hand said, "No problem. If your factory is going to develop molds, I'll definitely help you plan things out then."

On the way to Ning Xiaohong's office, Zhao Guoyang briefly described the production situation at his little workshop.

When she heard that the workshop could actually produce more than a hundred of these hairpins in a single day, Ning Xiaohong drew in a sharp breath and stood there, utterly dumbfounded.