Chapter 105 Luigi's First Order

Luigi frowned, sizing up the unremarkable-looking machine.

"Lin, is this your secret weapon?"

Luigi spread his hands in an exaggerated gesture.

"This looks even older than the tractor on my grandfather's farm!"

"You want me to use this against the Japanese's precision machine tools?"

A few suppressed sneers came from the neighboring Shenyang booth.

Deputy Factory Director Ma shook his head and said to the technician beside him:

"See that? This is just messing around."

"Trying to fool foreigners with the standards of a township enterprise—it's a disgrace to us Chinese workers."

Lin Xi turned a deaf ear.

He picked up an aluminum alloy bar from a nearby shelf.

It was a blank for a bicycle hub.

He gave an instruction to the master technician operating nearby:

"Please load the 'Hub No. 03' program."

Lin Xi turned around and took a cup of freshly brewed instant coffee from a staff member—

at a 1981 trade fair, this was a rare luxury.

He handed the coffee to Luigi.

"Luigi, in the East, we value 'elegance'."

Lin Xi pointed to the green start button, a composed smile on his face.

"You don't need to be covered in oil like your workers, nor do you need long-term training in operational skills."

"You only need to hold this cup of coffee and press this button with your elegant finger."

Luigi looked at Lin Xi suspiciously, then at the steaming coffee in his hand.

"Alright, Lin, I trust you, but I remain skeptical of this machine."

Luigi shrugged.

He extended a finger and lightly pressed the green [Start] button.

"Zzz—!!!"

Three minutes later.

A hollow bicycle hub shell lay quietly on the chuck.

Beside him, Cui Yushan's palms were drenched in sweat; he didn't even dare to breathe.

After letting it sit for five minutes.

Lin Xi picked up an air gun and blew on it.

He handed the still-warm part to Luigi.

"Feel it."

Luigi set down his coffee and took the part skeptically.

The moment it touched his hand, his pupils constricted sharply.

Smooth.

So smooth.

"This... it's so smooth."

Luigi rubbed the surface with his fingertip. "So this doesn't need polishing?"

"Solid material cutting, continuous fiber structure."

"It's 30% stronger and 20% lighter than your current cast parts."

Lin Xi casually tossed out a few technical terms.

"Compared to your current 'casting + machining' method."

"There's no need for expensive 'cold forging molds'; it's more flexible and has a higher yield rate."

Luigi knew his stuff.

His family wanted to introduce CNC machine tools precisely because they valued these advantages.

Luigi pondered for a moment and asked:

"Lin! How much... for this thing?"

At this question, everyone around pricked up their ears.

Although Deputy Factory Director Ma next door was still holding his teacup,

his body had unconsciously leaned in this direction.

He snorted inwardly: Three thousand dollars at most!

Lin Xi held up two fingers.

"Twenty thousand."

"US dollars."

Deputy Factory Director Ma stared at Lin Xi with wide eyes.

Crazy!

This kid is absolutely insane!

"This is over ten times more expensive than their standard C620! This is daylight robbery!"

Luigi was also stunned.

He quickly began calculating in his head.

Similar CNC machine tools from Germany cost 100,000 to 120,000 USD.

Japanese ones were cheaper, around 80,000 USD.

If this machine could work stably, a price of 20,000 would definitely be a bargain.

Yet, a businessman's instinct drove him to continue bargaining.

"Lin, this price..."

He frowned. "It's a bit expensive."

"No, it's not expensive at all."

Lin Xi held up his first finger:

"First, it doesn't require highly skilled technicians."

"You can pull anyone off the street, and they can start working after simple training."

"If someone doesn't work out, just replace them. Think of how much strike-related trouble this saves you."

Luigi's eyebrow twitched.

Indeed, those union bosses were far too difficult to please.

"Second."

Lin Xi pointed to a thick stack of documents nearby.

"We provide a complete 'idiot-proof' parameter package."

"Want to make hubs? Code 03."

"Want to make bottom brackets? Code 05."

"Whatever you want to make, I'll provide the preset parameters."

"Third."

Lin Xi looked into Luigi's eyes and threw out his final trump card:

"A 24-hour after-sales hotline."

"If there's any problem, even at two in the morning,"

"my engineer will be on the other end of the line to teach you what to do."

"Luigi, you're not buying a machine tool."

"You're buying a 'super worker' system that doesn't require wages, won't strike, and is always obedient."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Luigi calculated rapidly in his mind.

Labor costs, yield improvement, reduced management costs...

No matter how he crunched the numbers, it was a bargain!

"OK!"

"Lin, my brother."

Luigi shrugged.

"You've successfully convinced me!"

"I'll order one first."

"If it's truly as stable as you say,"

"I'll definitely order more later."

Then Luigi pulled a checkbook from his suit pocket.

Swish, swish, swish!

He quickly signed a string of numbers, tore it off, and handed it gently to Lin Xi.

Cui Yushan stared at the colorful check.

The "$20,000" written on it stung his eyes.

He felt lightheaded, needing to lean against the machine tool to stay upright.

Twenty thousand... US dollars?!

Just like that?

And in foreign exchange!

Not rubber traded back, not bananas.

It was "Greenbacks" that could buy top-tier equipment and precision instruments on the international market!

Lin Xi smiled and handed the check to Factory Director Cui with a casual motion.

He turned his head, his gaze crossing the crowd to meet the ashen-faced Deputy Factory Director Ma next door.

Lin Xi raised the plain water in his hand and offered a distant toast.

There was no provocation in his eyes, only a supreme, calm indifference.

As if to say: "The times have changed, sir."

Deputy Factory Director Ma looked at the letter of intent in his hand for five tons of rubber.

Then he looked at Lin Xi's check.

Instantly, the letter of intent in his hand lost its luster.