Chapter 35: The Value of Knowledge

"Is... this deal really done?" Zhang Xiangyang was still a bit dazed as they walked out of the administrative compound. In just a short while, Third Brother had managed to secure a deal worth 38,000 yuan?

When did doing business become so easy?

Yang Lei was even more excited, saying, "Third Brother, with this deal, we should make at least 10,000 yuan, right?"

Although he didn't know the exact cost of the shock absorbers and tires, Yang Lei could guess that the cost wouldn't be as high as Third Brother had said. In his view, the few connecting rods, the mounting points welded to the chassis, and the iron frame of the seat were not worth much. Apart from the four shock absorbers and five tires, they had almost no other costs. Labor? What was that?

Making 10,000 yuan was probably on the low side; they might make 15,000.

Song Yuhang, who had been instructed by Sun Dacheng to see Chen Geng and the others out, glared at Zhang Xiangyang and Yang Lei. "Shut up!"

"What's wrong? What did I do wrong?" Yang Lei, the youngest of the five brothers, felt a bit wronged after being scolded by Song Yuhang.

"Do you know where we are? This is the administrative compound! So many people are coming and going. If someone hears and feels uncomfortable, Third Brother's deal might fall through. Do you understand?"

"But we're in the car. How could they hear us?" Yang Lei argued.

"Are you still talking back?" Song Yuhang was getting angry. "You grew up in the military. Don't you understand that words can bring disaster?"

"Big Brother, forget it. There are so many people here; give Fifth Brother some face. Fifth Brother, Big Brother is right. Doing business requires not only attention to detail and a flexible mind but also a tight mouth. An unintentional word might reveal our secrets. If an irrelevant person hears it, it's no big deal, but if our competitors hear it, it's like giving them our bottom line. We might lose without even knowing how. Isn't that a shame?" Chen Geng said earnestly.

Yang Lei wasn't a foolish child. He had already been discharged from the military. How could he not understand this? His face turned pale, and he said apologetically, "Yes, Big Brother, Third Brother, I know I was wrong. I promise I won't make such a mistake again."

"Fifth Brother, I'm not targeting you," Song Yuhang changed his tone and said earnestly, "You haven't been in society much, so you don't understand its complexity. There are all kinds of people in society. Some are so two-faced that they call you brother to your face and stab you in the back. You need to be more cautious and never let yourself be taken advantage of. Do you remember the old Song I told you about? He lost out because of his loose mouth."

The colleagues Song Yuhang mentioned, the brothers all knew. The unit leader thought Xiao Song, who was then Xiao Song, was very capable, smart, and good at dealing with people. He had a good impression of him and wanted to promote him. He told Xiao Song that he would try to promote him to deputy section chief by the end of the year and advised him to be more united with his colleagues to avoid gossip.

However, Xiao Song, elated by the news, let it slip after drinking. As a result, it was clear that he wasn't the only one eligible for the promotion. Another person with strong backing and qualifications heard the news and confronted the leader, demanding to know why Xiao Song was being promoted and not him.

The leader was embarrassed and frustrated: "I thought you were good, Xiao Song, but you can't handle it when it matters. Forget it, we'll talk about the promotion later."

Of course, there was no "later." The troublemaker didn't get the promotion, and Xiao Song's promotion to deputy section chief was also canceled. Five or six years had passed, and Xiao Song, who was a section officer back then, was now a deputy section officer, still not promoted.

When Song Yuhang first told this story, everyone thought it was a joke. But now, in this context, no one dared to laugh. Old Song certainly didn't find it funny. Yang Lei's face turned pale. "Yes, Big Brother, Third Brother, I remember. I promise I won't say anything I shouldn't."

"Good, remember that. Also, Fifth Brother, this deal is actually a loss for us."

"A loss?" Yang Lei was stunned. "That's impossible."

He couldn't see how they could lose money.

"Third Brother, really a loss?" Chen Geng asked, and Song Yuhang couldn't help but ask as well.

"It depends on how you calculate it. If we only consider the cost of the shock absorbers and tires, we would make a good profit. But if we include labor and knowledge costs, we are indeed losing money."

"Labor? How much is that?" Yang Lei didn't think it was much.

As for the "knowledge cost" Chen Geng mentioned, he ignored it completely.

Chen Geng's expression became serious. "Fifth Brother, don't underestimate knowledge. I ask you, among all the people and companies producing the 212 Jeep, is there any that can modify the chassis? Do they know how to set the parameters?"

"Is... that hard?" Yang Lei asked cautiously, still not convinced but wary of Chen Geng's serious expression.

"Let me tell you a story. When I was interning at Volkswagen, a German expert told me about a real incident. Once, a motor on the production line at Wolfsburg broke down. The motor engineers at Wolfsburg couldn't fix it. It would break again shortly after being repaired. The motor was crucial to the entire production line and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The company had to bring in a famous motor expert from Germany to diagnose the problem. The expert quickly found the issue and drew a line on the motor with chalk, telling the Wolfsburg staff that the coil below the line needed three more turns. For this problem, do you know how much the expert charged for the diagnosis?"

"How much?"

"Guess."

Yang Lei blinked and said cautiously, "Just a line... I think 100 dollars at most?"

"100 dollars?" Chen Geng laughed. "Tell you, multiply that by 100!"

"Multiply by 100?!" Yang Lei's eyes bulged. "That's... 10,000 dollars?! Isn't that a rip-off?! Would Wolfsburg agree?"

"Exactly, 10,000 dollars," Chen Geng nodded. "At the time, Wolfsburg didn't understand and questioned the expert about the high fee."

"Right, why so expensive?" Yang Lei nodded in agreement, as if the 10,000 dollars came out of his pocket. "It's just a line."

"The expert said: Drawing the line costs 1 dollar, but knowing where to draw the line costs 9,999 dollars." Pausing, Chen Geng said meaningfully, "That's the value of knowledge. Drawing a line is simple; anyone can do it. But knowing where to draw the line is rare."

"Th... this..." Chen Geng's answer was a huge shock to Yang Lei. He was speechless, wanting to argue but unable to find the words. Yes, drawing a line is simple, but knowing where to draw it is hard. Moreover, how do you know it's one line and not two, three, or more?

Similarly, for this 212 Jeep with the modified suspension system, any skilled worker or welder could produce the parts and weld the mounting points if they knew the length and shape of each connecting rod and the position of the mounting points. But designing the connecting rods and calculating the optimal mounting points—weren't those skills valuable?

Of course, they were.

That's the value of knowledge!

Yang Lei deeply understood Chen Geng's words. He nodded heavily. "I understand, Third Brother. Knowledge is valuable, but why isn't knowledge valued in our country?"

"The reasons are complex, but no matter what, knowledge is becoming more valuable. For example, using our knowledge on this 212, isn't it starting to be valuable?" Chen Geng smiled. "Remember, in the future, always consider the value of knowledge and intelligence in everything you do."

"I remember!" Not just Yang Lei, but Song Yuhang and Zhang Xiangyang also nodded solemnly. Chen Geng had given them a vivid lesson, making them realize that knowledge can indeed be very valuable.

Chen Geng nodded and took out a stack of large bills from his bag, counting out 50 and handing them to Song Yuhang. "Big Brother, take this money."

"Third Brother, what are you doing?" Song Yuhang was stunned and a bit unhappy.

Chen Geng said seriously, "This money isn't for you. You mentioned Old Song, which reminded me. You also have a chance to be promoted to deputy section chief. This money has two uses: one is to build better relationships with your colleagues. Your higher position in the administrative compound will benefit all of us. When the money runs out, come to me, and I'll give you more. The other is to show respect to Director Sun and Captain Su. We can't let people say we don't know how to behave. Do you understand?"

"Got it, I understand," Song Yuhang's expression improved. He took the money and put it in his pocket. "Third Brother, rest assured, I'll make the best use of this money... Where are you going next?"

"Finance Bureau," Chen Geng said.

PS: Brothers, sorry for the delay. I had to run some errands and just got back. This is the first update of the day, and there will be two updates today. Don't worry.