novelslam Chapter 22 Beautiful Assistant
Chapter 22 Beautiful Assistant
Later, on the way back from Longhua, the car was very quiet. Wu Wenjie had his eyes closed as if he were asleep.
Lin Feng looked out the window, his brows furrowing slightly. He recalled that every time he negotiated prices with Boss Chen, the other man's eyes would always drift towards Wu Wenjie.
I've seen this kind of "eye contact" far too often in my past life.
Wu Wenjie gets a rebate, and it's not low.
Back in Huaqiangbei, Wu Wenjie went back to his stall, while Lin Feng went back to the guesthouse by himself.
This isn't Wu Wenjie's fault; it's standard practice. He leads the way, he makes the connections, and he gets a commission—it's only fair. The problem is, the price is indeed too high.
He was prepared to compare prices from three different vendors.
But Shenzhen is such a big city, and he was all alone and clueless. Where could he find a reliable manufacturer?
Lin Feng thought of Lin Xiaoqiang. Lin Xiaoqiang was a delivery driver; he might be able to find out about the local manufacturers.
That evening, he called Lin Xiaoqiang and invited the brother and sister to dinner.
Lin Xiaoqiang drove his truck during the day and didn't return until 8 p.m.
He brought his sister, Lin Xiaowen, to the guesthouse.
"Brother Feng!" Lin Xiaowen greeted Lin Feng warmly.
All three of them were from Sichuan. Lin Feng specifically found a Sichuan restaurant nearby, ordered a few Sichuan dishes, and opened a few bottles of beer.
"Brother Qiang, how's the sports car business these days?"
"That's about it, you won't starve, but you won't get rich either." Lin Xiaoqiang picked up his glass and downed it. "There are more and more trucks running freight in Shenzhen, and the prices are getting lower and lower. My secondhand Chang'an truck can't handle big orders, so I rely on odd jobs."
Lin Feng nodded: "Brother Qiang, I came to Shenzhen this time to purchase a batch of customized MP3 players. Wu Wenjie took me to see a factory; the quality is okay, but the price is a bit high."
Lin Xiaoqiang didn't respond, waiting for what was to come.
"I'm a complete novice in Shenzhen, and the only people I know are you and Wu Wenjie. He has his ways. I was wondering if I could ask Brother Qiang to help me find out if there are any MP3 manufacturers in Longhua or Bao'an. Smaller scale is fine, the key is that the boss is honest and uses high-quality materials. The price should ideally be lower than the market price."
Lin Xiaoqiang downed another glass: "I understand. You want to see more, to compare more."
"Yes, compare prices from different vendors. Brother Qiang, you're always on the road, so you're well-informed."
"Okay, I'll try to find out!"
Two days later, Lin Xiaoqiang drove his van and parked it in front of the guesthouse.
Lin Feng got into the car and noticed Lin Xiaowen was there too. She greeted him warmly, "Brother Feng."
"Xiaowen is going too?"
"She's just sitting around all day anyway, let's take her out for some fresh air." Lin Xiaoqiang started the car. "Besides, she has a good memory, so you can ask her to help you remember things when you're talking."
The van drove out of the city and headed towards Longhua. Lin Xiaoqiang explained as he drove:
"My friends who work in logistics deliver goods to electronics factories every day. They know exactly which factories have high output and which factories have fewer orders recently. They recommended two to me."
"What's your name?"
"One is called Fuda Electronics, and the other is called Jinke Electronics."
"Fuda Electronics is an old manufacturer. The boss's surname is Huang, he is from Chaoshan, in his fifties, and he started by making radios, then switched to portable music players, and now he makes MP3 players."
"The owners of Jinke Electronics are surnamed Wang. They are two brothers from Fujian. They started as technicians and are very meticulous about the products, but they don't know much about marketing, so the factory has never grown very big."
"When we get there, you can talk to each other. I'll wait for you outside," Lin Xiaoqiang said.
"OK."
Fuda Electronics is located in an old industrial area. A sign hangs at the entrance, the lettering somewhat faded. Several trucks are parked in the yard, and workers are loading and unloading goods.
Lin Xiaoqiang parked the car at the entrance: "You guys go ahead, I'll wait in the car."
Lin Feng helped Lin Xiaowen out of the car, straightened their clothes, and walked into the factory area.
The security guard was an old man. When Lin Feng said he was there to discuss business, he made an internal phone call. A few minutes later, a middle-aged man in a white shirt walked out of the office building.
"Hello, I'm Chen, the business manager at Fidelity." The man shook hands with Lin Feng, but his gaze was drawn to the pretty girl beside him.
"Lin Feng is from Chengdu. He wants to order a batch of MP3 players." Lin Feng handed over his business card and introduced Lin Xiaowen, "This is my assistant, Lin Xiaowen."
Lin Xiaowen reacted quickly, "Hello!"
Manager Chen took the business card: "Fengchi Digital Studio... Mr. Lin, please come in, let's talk in the conference room."
The meeting room was on the second floor, simply decorated. The walls were covered with ISO quality system certification certificates and several photos from overseas exhibitions.
Manager Chen brewed some tea and inquired about Lin Feng's requirements: 300 units, silkscreened with the logo, individually packaged.
"We'll take this order," Manager Chen said. "What are your requirements for the configuration?"
Lin Feng explained his requirements for configuration and appearance in great detail.
Manager Chen produced a document: "This is our standard product configuration list and price quote. Please take a look. According to your configuration requirements, the price for the bare unit is 280 yuan per unit. Silkscreen logo printing will add 10 yuan per unit. Packaging design is charged separately; depending on the complexity, it will add approximately 2 to 3 yuan per set."
"Can I see the production line and materials?"
"Okay, I'll take you to see it."
Manager Chen took Lin Feng and Lin Xiaowen for a tour of the workshop, which was similar to the workshop at Xinfeng Electronics Factory.
"Is the price negotiable?"
"The bare machine price of 280 is already the lowest we can go. The cost of screen printing and packaging is the real expense." Manager Chen shook his head. "However, if Mr. Lin is sincere about doing this, I can waive the packaging design fee, just to make friends."
"That's 290 per unit." Lin Feng had a clear idea.
Without placing an order immediately, Lin Feng and Lin Xiaowen returned to the car, where Lin Xiaoqiang was listening to the radio.
"How is it?"
"The manufacturer is good, and the price is reasonable. Let's go check out the next one."
Jinke Electronics is located in a more remote industrial area in Guanlan, and its factory is a two-story old building that it built itself.
The security guard, hearing that they were there to discuss business, let them in immediately. A man wearing overalls and with rosin on his hands walked out of the workshop.
"Hello, I'm the deputy general manager here, my surname is Wang." The man spoke with a Fujian accent. "Coming to see the goods?"
"Yes, I'm from Chengdu. I'd like to order a batch of MP3 players." Lin Feng handed over his business card.
Vice President Wang first led Lin Feng and his team on a tour of the workshop.
The workshop is smaller than Xinfa and Fuda, with only one assembly line. There aren't many workers, but they are very focused on their work.
Vice President Wang didn't take Lin Feng to the office; instead, they talked directly in the material area next to the workshop.
"How many do you want? What are your requirements?" Vice President Wang asked.
Lin Feng explained the requirements again.
"The bare machine is 280, silkscreen printing is an extra 8, and if the packaging design is simple, it's an extra 2," said Boss Wang.
"290?" Lin Feng calculated.
"Yes," said Boss Wang.
"Can I see the finished product?"
Boss Wang had two finished machines brought over. Lin Feng examined them carefully and found that the injection molding precision of the outer shell was slightly worse than that of Fuda, with slight parting lines.
"Mr. Wang, this casing..."
"The mold is a bit worn, but it doesn't affect its use," Vice President Wang said honestly. "If you're really interested, I can give you a discount. The lowest price is 285 yuan per unit, including silkscreen printing and packaging."
Lin Feng hadn't made a decision yet. The quality at this store was a little off.
As they left Jinke, dusk was approaching. On the way back, Lin Xiaoqiang asked, "What do you think of these two companies?"
"Both are good."
"So which one are you planning to choose?"
"I need to think about it some more."
Back at the guesthouse, Lin Feng handed Lin Xiaoqiang 200 yuan in cash. "Brother Qiang, thank you so much for today. This is for gas, please accept it."
Lin Xiaoqiang couldn't refuse, so he reluctantly accepted.
As she was leaving, Lin Xiaowen suddenly said to Lin Feng, "Brother Feng, you introduced me to others today as your assistant. Why don't you just let me be your assistant too?"
Lin Feng and Lin Xiaoqiang were both taken aback.
"When I introduced you today, it was just something I said offhand for convenience, so it doesn't count," Lin Feng said with a smile.
"I'm serious! I don't have a job right now anyway. So let me learn from you." Lin Xiaowen seemed determined to follow him.
Lin Xiaoqiang's bewildered gaze lingered between the two.