Chapter 36

"Are you feeling particularly excited today?"

Picking up the book from the table, Miss Philip looked at John, who had just sat down, and suddenly asked a question.

"Haha, yes."

John immediately laughed and nodded, saying, "I just decided to do something I've never done before today, so I'm in a really good mood. By the way, Miss Philip, you don't look too well today. Are you feeling unwell?"

He didn't directly ask why Philip was late today because, at this moment, this woman, who usually cared more about her appearance and manners than her own life, hadn't even noticed that her hair was a bit messy and the hem of her skirt was stained with a not-so-obvious mark! More importantly, Miss Philip's face was abnormally pale, different from her usual pallor, which made John quite alarmed.

Taking a deep breath, Miss Philip concealed her panic, shook her head, and said, "No, Mr. I'm fine today... It's getting late, and we have a lot to do today. After reading this French article, I hope you can complete a simple still life sketch..."

...

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

It was Saturday again, and the Hunter family's home was bustling with activity. At ten o'clock in the morning, two carriages from the Stone family stopped at the front gate, and just a few minutes later, the Mendes family's carriage arrived, bringing John's new friend Funk and his father, Piri Mendes, to the Hunter family's home.

The first-floor hall was filled with laughter and joy.

After much effort to get rid of his sister Emma's纠缠 (entanglement), Joshua pulled John and Funk up to the second-floor study and locked the door.

"Are you two really that serious?"

As soon as the door was closed, John whispered in complaint, "It's just an investment in a factory. Why did you bring your fathers along?"

"Are you kidding? Do you think we're like you?"

Funk rolled his eyes and replied irritably.

Joshua chuckled and explained, "John, your money is your own earnings, and you're investing in your own invention, so there's no problem. But our money comes from our fathers. They won't be at ease unless they see for themselves if this bicycle has a future. That's ten thousand dollars!"

In the end, Joshua decided to invest twelve thousand dollars, and Funk initially planned to invest eight thousand dollars, giving them 24% and 16% of the shares, respectively. John would invest with his patent and twenty-five thousand dollars, taking the remaining 60% of the shares. The total investment from the three of them was much less than initially planned because, after estimation by the three families, they believed that building or acquiring a not-too-large factory and getting it running wouldn't require such a large investment!

Forty-five thousand dollars was enough.

Of course, all of this was contingent on John's bicycle satisfying Joshua and Funk's fathers. Otherwise, only Joshua might be able to use the eight thousand dollars.

John understood this and, after a moment's thought, smiled and said, "This is good. If everything goes well today, then the future sales of the bicycles won't be a problem."

Joshua and Funk also smiled.

If the bicycle was as good as John said, they could imagine that they would only need to focus on production, as the three old men would naturally take care of the sales...

...

At noon, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in the Hunter family's dining room. Then, some played cards, others chatted, passing the time idly. Just as the butler was considering whether to ask if everyone would stay for dinner, the bicycles finally arrived!

One large and one small, a total of two!

When the delivery workers carefully unloaded the two bicycles from the carriage and placed them in the garden behind the Hunter family's house, everyone rushed over.

"Is this the new bicycle design?"

Everyone's eyes sparkled with curiosity as they closely examined the bicycles, and John was no exception. This was the first time in his life he had seen a bicycle with a structure similar to those from the future. From the moment he saw the two products, he couldn't help but thank Miss Philip, who taught him sketching, and the bicycle kingdom of his previous life.

Apart from the different materials and some ugly details, it was almost identical to the ones from his previous life!

"John, why did you design such a small bicycle?"

Standing in front of the small bicycle, Emma blinked her big eyes and asked curiously, "It's so small that even I can't ride it. And why are there two small wheels next to the back wheel?"

"That's for children to ride. The extra wheels make it more stable."

John's attention was on the larger one, and he replied casually.

"Children?"

Upon hearing this, not only did old Hunter perk up, but Mr. Stone and Mr. Mendes also seemed to suddenly understand, looking at John with surprise and admiration. They almost simultaneously grasped John's intention and inwardly applauded his approach.

To consider the needs of children, this John had truly thought of everything!

However, John himself wasn't too concerned because he knew that bicycles in this era wouldn't be cheap. But considering that they could significantly increase people's speed and range, as long as the price wasn't too unreasonable, they should have a considerable market. However, in this era, only a few wealthy people would be willing to spend money on bicycles as toys for their children, so the sales volume wouldn't be high.

After a brief moment of observation, the impatient Funk loudly demanded, "John, show us what your invention is all about. How is it faster?"

"Sure!"

John was already eager to try it out and immediately nodded.

The Hunter family's garden was about three to four hundred square meters, enough for John to give it a good run. He called for everyone to spread out, then approached the bicycle, gripped the handlebars, and released the stand. He placed his left foot on the left pedal, pushed forward with his hands and left foot, and lifted his right leg...

"Thud!"

"John!"

Little Emma let out a shrill scream!

Before the shocked onlookers could react, John had already rolled up and gotten to his feet, his pale face tinged with a slight blush.

He had been overconfident.

He subconsciously thought he could easily handle the bicycle, forgetting that it was just a newly manufactured prototype with possibly imperfect details and that he hadn't ridden one in over ten years!

"Let me try again!"

After a brief moment of embarrassment, John gritted his teeth, and his competitive spirit surged.

Under the concerned gazes of the others, John picked up the bicycle from the ground. This time, he didn't try any fancy moves but sat on the seat, with his left foot on the ground and his right foot on the pedal.

"John, be careful."

As he prepared, old Hunter's voice came from behind.

"Okay."

John nodded forcefully, took a deep breath, and forcefully pedaled with his right foot, lifting his left foot. The bicycle shot forward...

...

It's the end of the year, and I'm preparing for the annual meeting. I'll still be posting two chapters a day, but the timing might be a bit unstable.

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