Chapter 33: The First Business Deal - Part 2

"Renovate the 212 for the administrative office's fleet?" Chen Geng's words left both Su Jian and Sun Dacheng stunned.

As the office director, Sun Dacheng was accustomed to joking around with others. Not having immediately grasped the pros and cons of the situation, he instinctively started to joke after a moment of hesitation: "Director Lin, your suggestion... well, we need to discuss it..."

Su Jian, however, lightly touched Sun Dacheng's arm and whispered, "Director..."

This was clearly a suggestion for him to seriously consider Chen Geng's proposal.

Sun Dacheng had not expected Su Jian to give him such advice, and he was more puzzled than anything: "No way, right? Old Su is usually a very steady person, what's going on?"

Sun Dacheng could actually guess why Su Jian reacted this way: the 212 had been modified very well by the Third Armament Repair Factory. However, he was skeptical about this answer: "I haven't heard that the Third Armament Repair Factory has such skills? Or did Su Jian receive some benefits?"

Sun Dacheng felt that the second reason seemed more likely. Regardless, he still had to give Su Jian some face, so he asked in a low voice, "What's up?"

Su Jian replied in a low voice, "I just tried it out. This car is not bumpy at all after their modifications, it's even more comfortable than the Shanghai sedan, almost as good as a Volga."

"Almost as good as a Volga? Really? A jeep, how can it be more comfortable than a sedan?" Sun Dacheng didn't believe Su Jian's high praise for the 212, but since Su Jian was the fleet captain, he still had to give him some face. He frowned and finally said, "Old Su, do you have any connection with that guy?"

"Hey! Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Su Jian said, half laughing and half crying, "I won't say anything more. Since he's here to contact us about business, why don't you try it out yourself and see if it's as good as I said?"

Sun Dacheng nodded inwardly: That's true. He had ridden in famous domestic sedans like the Volga GAZ-21 and GAZ-24, and the Shanghai. He would know how this 212 performs once he tried it. Since Old Su dared to say this, it meant he had some confidence. So, this 212 must have been modified quite well?

As the office director, his daily work was complex, but his fundamental duty was to serve the administrative office's leaders, ensuring they could better serve the people. The leaders had complained countless times about the 212 jeep being less comfortable than sedans, but the administrative office had no money, so the leaders couldn't switch to sedans. They could only look at the hot-selling Santana or the domestic Shanghai sedan with envy and continue to ride in the bumpy 212 jeep.

As the administrative office's chief, if he knew a way to make the jeep more comfortable but did nothing, it would be a dereliction of duty. More seriously, many people were eyeing his position, and Sun Dacheng couldn't guarantee that someone wouldn't secretly report to the leaders. If Chen Geng and Su Jian weren't lying, this situation would certainly arise.

Thinking about the miserable state of those who had been marginalized by the leaders, Sun Dacheng couldn't sit still.

"Director Chen, is this car really as good as you say?"

Chen Geng smiled, "Director Sun, my words are just words. Why don't you get in the car, and I'll take you for a ride? You can experience it yourself and see if it's as good as I said. What do you think?"

"Alright, let's do it!" Sun Dacheng immediately nodded. As the office director, he often used the 212, so he would know if it was as good as Chen Geng said. He also reminded Su Jian, "Old Su, quickly arrange a car for Commissioner Li, he's waiting to use it... Oh?"

As for Chen Geng's suggestion, Sun Dacheng immediately dismissed it: Use the Third Armament Repair Factory's car? The administrative office has its own cars, why use yours?

But as soon as he sat down, before the car even started, he was surprised, "Why is this seat so far back? But it's quite comfortable."

The 212 jeep had a compact structure. Leaders usually preferred the back seat of sedans, with the right rear seat being the designated leader's seat. However, the 212 was an exception due to its small rear space, so the leader's seat was the front passenger seat. Sun Dacheng sat in the front passenger seat and immediately noticed the difference from a regular 212:

First, the seat was very soft, extremely soft. Not only was it soft, but it also fit the curves of the human body, especially the buttocks and back. Sun Dacheng couldn't name it "ergonomics," but he felt that the seat was very comfortable, supporting his entire body. It was even more comfortable than a sofa, far surpassing the original 212's thin sponge and artificial leather seat.

What surprised Sun Dacheng the most was that the seat had a headrest!

A headrest! This was something only found in imported luxury sedans, and he never expected to see it in a 212 jeep!

Second, the legroom was more spacious than in a regular 212.

Even though the front row of the 212 was relatively spacious, for an adult around 1.7 meters tall, there was only about a fist's distance from the knees to the front steel dashboard. Now, sitting in this seat, Sun Dacheng had enough space to comfortably cross his legs!

"This seat was custom-made by a furniture factory, modeled after the Santana's seat, but with the shape of a Mercedes-Benz seat," Chen Geng smiled, "This seat can move forward and backward, the backrest can recline, and the headrest height can be adjusted, just like in a luxury imported sedan."

"Really? Is it that good?" Sun Dacheng jumped out of the car, excitedly asking Chen Geng, "Director Chen, can you show me how it works?"

In the years to come, the ability to adjust the seat's position, backrest angle, and headrest height would be a basic feature of any car's front seat, even in small cars like the QQ or the Alto. However, in the early 1980s, these features were considered "luxurious" and were only found in high-end cars.

Many people might not believe it, but even the Volga GAZ-24, considered a high-level administrative car for department-level leaders, did not have a headrest. As for the Shanghai, one of the two "high-end" sedans in China, the front seats not only lacked headrests but were also a single, continuous sofa, reflecting the 1950s design style. The separate front seats with adjustable features were only introduced with the modified Santana models.

To enhance the 212's appeal, Chen Geng didn't hesitate to add the "six-way manual adjustment" feature to the 212 jeep.

The effect of the multi-adjustable, multi-functional seat was indeed extremely impressive. Watching Chen Geng easily move the seat forward and backward, adjust the backrest angle, and even recline it to the back seat, and then open the armrests on both sides of the seat, Sun Dacheng was so amazed that his mouth dropped open. After a long while, he managed to say, "This seat is really... luxurious! Too luxurious!"

Originally, Sun Dacheng had sat in the car with a casual attitude, even looking for flaws, but the high-end, luxurious, and sophisticated "pseudo six-way manual adjustment seat" deeply impressed him.

"Luxurious, right?" Chen Geng said proudly, "The sponge used in this seat is imported from Germany, specifically for the Santana. It's the result of thousands of tests by the Germans to find the perfect balance of softness and firmness, making it the most comfortable for the human body... If the leaders are tired, they can simply push the seat back, recline the backrest, and take a comfortable nap..."

"Ah, so it's imported from Germany, no wonder..." Sun Dacheng had a look of "I knew it was so comfortable, it must be imported!" on his face. He didn't know that the sponge was actually domestically produced, but Chen Geng couldn't admit that.

But how could Sun Dacheng know Chen Geng's thoughts? Originally, he had just wanted to try it out casually, but the seat had completely piqued his interest. He walked around the car twice and asked Chen Geng excitedly, "Are there any other improvements?"

"Of course, the seat is the least technical part. The real improvements are to the car itself. Get in, and I'll take you for a ride, and you'll see."

"Alright, let's try it!" This time, Sun Dacheng got into the car without hesitation.

From the moment he got in, Sun Dacheng's mouth didn't close.

As the administrative office's chief, he was naturally very composed and controlled his emotions. However, when he personally experienced the 212 jeep running more smoothly than the Shanghai sedan, he couldn't control his excitement: "This is just a jeep, how can it be so comfortable? How can it be so comfortable?"

PS: First update, starting today, I will resume two updates per day.

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