Chapter 6: Sewing Machines (Part 1)

  Wei Hong took a simple glance at the man in front of him, who was around twenty years old, nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a round face and a honest appearance. Due to his long-term work near the iron furnace, sweating profusely, his bare upper body was full of explosive muscles, especially his two arms, which were thick and powerful, even thicker than those of an average woman's legs.

  "Brother, what a great physique!" Wei Hong said casually, originally wanting to say good body shape, but thinking about it, he still gave up. As a straight man himself, complimenting another man's physique sounded strange.

  The man rubbed his nose and smiled foolishly: "Young master, are you here to make iron or is there something else?"

  "I'm here to forge iron, but the things I want to forge are unheard of and unseen by you, so I don't know if you have that skill." Due to the urgency of time, Wei Hong didn't want to waste too much time. If this man couldn't do it, Wei Hong would go find the next one at the fastest speed.

  As soon as he heard this, the man was delighted and patted his chest, confident: "As long as you can take out the blueprint, I can make it for you without any difference!"

  Seeing the man so confident, Wei Hong didn't bother to say more and led him into the house. He asked the man to take out paper and pen, and draw all the component models that had been outlined in his mind on paper. Except for special requirements in terms of size, although the shapes of the components were strange, they were clear at a glance. It seemed that this man should be able to make them.

  The man took over the drawings and looked at them for half a day. Finally, he nodded heavily: "Young master, please be assured that with these things, I can make everything for you within three days!"

  Three days was a bit long, but Wei Hong knew that this was already the limit of Han's ability. In Wei Hong's world, even the most difficult parts could be made in just a few minutes with machine tools, but nowadays, making a part relied on craftsmen using simple tools to manufacture it bit by bit. Wei Hong didn't want to make things difficult for the blacksmith, so he agreed.

  As for the price, Wei Hong couldn't be careless either. After all, this hundred taels was his entire fortune: "Brother, I don't know how much it costs to make these parts, can you save me some money?"

  The blacksmith thought for a moment and gave a realistic price: "If you bring your own iron material, it will definitely be cheaper. But if I provide the iron material, it will cost more. How about this? You pay 120 coins, and after I finish making it, I'll personally deliver it to your home."

  One hundred and twenty coins? Wei Hong touched his nose, with a slightly awkward expression on his face. He only had one hundred coins in his pocket. If he couldn't take out the money, wouldn't that be laughable? What are you doing here without any money? Are you trying to fool me?

  Wei Hong has been a manager for many years, not only is he good at researching and manufacturing, but also more skilled in communicating with customers. His communication and negotiation skills are still very strong. However, when it comes to negotiating prices with ordinary small merchants, it's like a big girl getting married for the first time: "One hundred and twenty cents is a reasonable price, but brother, although this is my first time doing business with you, it's definitely not the last. In the future, if there's any other big project, I'll give it to you to do. How about this? You charge me a bit less, and we can consider ourselves friends. From now on, whenever I need ironwork done, I'll come to you first."

  Hanzi's face was somewhat embarrassed, he did things with a clear conscience, only charging for labor costs, never asking for more, and it was precisely because of this that he could afford to be honest in his business, surviving in this alley. One hundred and twenty cents was an absolute fair price, if it were any lower, it would be a loss-making deal.

  Hanzi has been silent for a long time. Wei Hong's eyes turned and he said, "Brother, if the iron material is paid by me, you only collect the labor cost, how much money do you need?"

  The man replied without hesitation: "Thirty cents."

  "All right, then thirty cents! You just go ahead and make it. After you've finished making it, I'll give you back every ounce of iron that's been used up, not one bit less. How about that?" Wei Hong said solemnly.

  The man thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright! When I take you there, have the iron ready and I'll bring it back on my way."

  "Then I'll trouble you." Wei Hong imitated the mannerisms of a scholar from TV, bowing and making gestures to Hanzi, thanking him repeatedly.

  He handed over thirty cents to the man and left. As for where to find the iron material, Wei Hong already had some ideas in his mind. He walked out of the alley and began to search for beggars on the street. Every time he found one, he would tell them a sentence: "If you can bring a pound of scrap iron to my house before dinner today, I'll treat you to a meal and give you an extra penny!" One penny was not much, just enough to buy a bowl of noodles or two buns, but for beggars, it was a great temptation.

  After spreading the word, Wei Hong returned home. That evening, his front door was crowded with more than 40 beggars, each holding several pieces of scrap iron, some weighing less than a kilogram and others over a kilogram, all eagerly waiting to exchange their iron for money.

  Seeing this situation, Wei Hongle's mouth was shut tight. He hastily ordered Wen Niang to go to the neighboring baozi shop to buy five baskets of baozi. Wen Niang furrowed her brow, not knowing what kind of trick Wei Hong was playing, but she could only obediently carry out his orders. After buying back the baozi, Wei Hong had the beggars line up and use their hands to receive a baozi and one cent. Those who weighed more than one jin were given three baozi, while those who weighed less than one jin were given only one baozi.

  Wan's wife looked at the scrap iron handed over by the beggars and felt a lingering fear: "Husband, what are these scraps of iron that the beggars have brought? There are door handles, rivets, and plowshares. Are they stealing people's property to exchange for buns? If this is discovered by the authorities, not only will these beggars be punished, but we may also be implicated."

  Wei Hong only cared about weighing the iron, without a single worry on his face: "Wanniang, let me ask you, if our family's door handle was stolen by a beggar, would you report it to the authorities?"

  Wan Niang thought for a moment and shook her head: "No, it's just a door handle, not worth mentioning..."

  "So, just rest assured and boldly distribute the buns. Besides, this is just a one-time thing, don't make it a habit."

  After sending away more than 40 beggars, Wei Hong looked at the pile of scrap iron in the yard, which was as high as a small hill. He felt delighted and thought that this pile of iron would weigh at least 200 catties. After deducting the 50 catties of iron needed by the blacksmith, there were still 150 catties left. Wei Hong calculated the account in his mind, and even if he included the cost of making spare parts and the benefits given to the beggars, he had made a profit of over 100 wen. This deal was quite profitable!

  "Husband, what about these irons?" Wanniang stood beside Weihong, not knowing why he was always smiling foolishly, and casually asked.

  "Wei Hong said: 'Put it here and don't move, wait for a while to find a broken cloth to cover it, so as not to rust suddenly when it rains. After three days, the blacksmith will come to deliver the parts, and I will sell all this iron to him! Hehe, others ask the blacksmith to spend money, we ask the blacksmith to make money!'"