Chapter 14

Lin Qiangsheng ran along the river early in the morning and then returned home for breakfast.

"Qiangsheng, was it you who told the factory manager and the director that we should start selling cars?" Lin Xiangrong asked.

Lin Qiangsheng nodded, took a bite of the dish, and said, "Yes."

Xu Hongmei asked in surprise, "What? Your factory is selling cars now? So soon!"

Lin Xiangrong said, "What's so fast? The factory has nothing now, how can we produce cars! Your son is just giving bad advice!"

Xu Hongmei looked at her son and asked, "Qiangsheng, why did you give the leaders this idea? What will you sell when the factory has no products?"

Lin Qiangsheng said while eating, "What's the problem? There are so many factories in the city, I don't believe we can't get the parts. This car doesn't have air conditioning or a radio, it's very simple! In fact, we're just selling the car body. If it doesn't work, we can take the money first and wait a few months to produce and sell it."

Lin Xiangrong said, "How can that be? Where have you ever heard of a customer waiting for months to buy a product!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "What's the problem? If you order a Shanghai brand car now, can you drive it immediately? You have to wait, right? Maybe you'll wait a year and still not get the car!"

Lin Xiangrong looked at his son in surprise, thought for a moment, and then slapped the table, exclaiming, "That's right! How could I not think of that!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Dad, you just didn't think deeply about it. You were too close to the situation. Cars are different from ordinary goods; we can delay delivery. We can also use a delayed production method! Let the buyers pay first and wait for a year or two, it's completely fine."

Lin Xiangrong then said with concern, "It's not about delaying production, but we lack parts and can't produce!"

Lin Qiangsheng said, "We need to contact suppliers. At least we need to standardize some major components. We can get supplies on credit from some units in the city, and try to save money for the factory through barter transactions."

Lin Xiangrong nodded and said, "Yes, I think the factory manager also knows what to do. Why don't you tell him?"

Lin Qiangsheng asked, "What about you, Dad?"

Lin Xiangrong smiled and said, "I'll go back to the workshop and draw the parts diagrams as soon as possible."

Xu Hongmei looked at her son happily, gave him a piece of food, and said, "Son, eat more. You'll be better than your father in the future!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "I'm not as good as Dad. Dad is a college graduate, and I didn't even finish junior high school."

Xu Hongmei sighed and said, "Who made you drop out of school before. Why have you suddenly become smart recently? Do you want to go back to school?"

Lin Xiangrong nodded and said, "I think so too. It's better to go to school. Among the three of you, none of you have read much."

Lin Qiangsheng shook his head quickly and said, "No! The things I know now, they don't teach in school! If you want to raise a scholar, have another child."

Xu Hongmei laughed and said, "You're just talking nonsense."

Lin Xiangrong chuckled and said, "How can we afford another child? Raising the three of you is already tough."

After finishing the meal, Lin Qiangsheng went to the auto repair factory and saw a group of people gathered at the factory manager's office door.

The news that the Jiang'an Auto Factory was selling cars had spread, and some units interested in buying cars immediately came to inquire.

"Is it true that the car factory is selling cars? They just said they made a prototype, how can it be so fast?" someone asked.

"How can it be compared? The Red Flag was made for leaders!" the first person said with a laugh.

"Anyway, my boss asked me to come and find out if they can sell. Asking the factory manager will tell us, right?"

"Right."

Lin Qiangsheng stood by the crowd for a while, then smiled and walked into the workshop.

He believed that the demand for cars in this period was still very high. Just looking at the thousands of Shanghai brand cars that were in short supply, one could see how large the domestic car market was at the time. Lin Qiangsheng estimated that the domestic market had a demand for at least ten thousand cars per year.

Originally, this market was shared by the Jeep 212 and the Shanghai brand cars. Now, they were about to have a new competitor.

He went to the materials room, laid out the paper, and started drawing.

Lin Qiangsheng was now drawing a mechanical power steering system. Without a physical model, he referred to the car body and then used his memories from his previous life to draw the diagram.

Lin Xiangrong came to the materials room and saw his son drawing intently. He walked up and asked, "What is this device?"

Lin Qiangsheng said, "It's a power steering system, which helps the driver turn the wheel easily."

"Oh? I've heard of this. Is it like this? How did you think of it, son?" Lin Xiangrong's eyes lit up, and he asked immediately.

Lin Qiangsheng scratched his head and said, "I think it should be like this. Dad, where did you hear about it?" He quickly changed the subject and asked his father.

Lin Xiangrong hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "I heard that some foreign cars use this device. Don't tell anyone, Qiangsheng!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded heavily and looked at his father seriously, "Dad, I won't!"

Lin Xiangrong smiled, went to get a pot of boiling water, and then returned to the room to pour a cup of water. He asked, "Do you want some water, son?"

Lin Qiangsheng shook his head and said while drawing, "I'm not thirsty."

At around 7 o'clock, Chang Yuanting rode his bicycle into the factory gate. He was immediately surrounded by people who had come to inquire.

Everyone asked him in a flurry, "Factory Manager, how are you selling the cars? Tell us the truth so we can report back to our leaders."

Chang Yuanting smiled and said, "We haven't decided on a specific selling method yet. We haven't even set the price. Why are you so anxious?"

A man in his thirties asked, "Factory Manager Chang, I'm from the city grain and oil supply company. We want to know what price you plan to sell the cars for, and when we can pick them up."

Chang Yuanting hesitated and said, "It should be about the same as the Lada, I think."

A person who had come to inquire immediately shouted, "Can your technology compare to the Soviet Lada?"

"Uh, it should be about the same! Our car looks better than the Lada!" Chang Yuanting was taken aback but still said stubbornly.

The man asked, "How much do you plan to sell it for?"

Chang Yuanting hesitated, then held up his hand. Seeing everyone's surprised faces, he retracted one finger and said, "4000 yuan! Our car will sell for 4000 yuan!"

"Oh!" Everyone immediately started to mock him, laughing at the idea of a car that didn't even exist yet being sold for such a high price.

Chang Yuanting humphed, retracted his hand, and walked to the office. As he walked, he said, "4000 yuan, no less!"

The man quickly grabbed Chang Yuanting's arm and asked, "When can you produce the car?"

"As long as we have the parts, we can produce the car within a month!" Chang Yuanting said confidently.

The man, clearly confusing the difficulty of parts and assembly, said loudly, "Good, our grain and oil supply company will buy one. If your car is good, we'll buy more in the future! Factory Manager Chang, let's discuss the payment."

He glanced at the crowd and pulled Chang Yuanting into the office.

The door closed with a "click," and everyone looked at each other in surprise, muttering.

"The grain and oil system is so rich!"

"Yes! They have money and don't lack anything!"

Soon, Chang Yuanting came out of the office laughing and personally escorted the man out.

Everyone looked at each other and immediately rushed to talk to Chang Yuanting individually.

At around 8 o'clock, Zheng Yongmin came to the materials room. He smiled and looked at Lin Qiangsheng's drawings, then asked, "What is this? It looks very complicated!"

Lin Qiangsheng put down his pen and said, "Director Zheng, this is a power steering system. It helps the driver reduce fatigue and makes it easier to overcome the steering resistance."

Zheng Yongmin said, "Oh! Good! This is great! With this, the driver will be much more comfortable! Qiangsheng, think of more inventions and innovations like this, and apply them to our cars!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Sure, Director Zheng, I will think more!"

Zheng Yongmin nodded in satisfaction and turned to say, "Xiangrong, I've thought about it. From now on, you will be responsible for the construction site. The factory is short of people! One part of the factory, one part of the construction site, and now Old Chang is busy again. He has to contact suppliers and doesn't have time to manage the construction site, so you'll have to take on more responsibility."

A flash of disappointment crossed Lin Xiangrong's eyes, but he stood up and smiled, "No problem, I'll follow the leadership's arrangement."

Zheng Yongmin nodded and said, "Good, let's gather everyone and have them bring their families to dig the foundation on the west side of the site."

Zheng Yongmin gathered the workers in the courtyard, said a few words, and then led everyone to the construction site on the west side.

Lin Qiangsheng stood by the window, watching his father's figure carrying a shovel, and sighed.

If he wanted to advance, he had to perform well. The only thing he could do now was to draw diagrams, bringing out the car body structures from his previous life, which inevitably took over his father's work.

However, it was good for his father to participate in the factory's construction. As long as he led the people and built the factory, he would gain considerable prestige. It was much better than managing materials and drawings in the office. In the future, his father should be able to secure a position in the factory.