Chapter 291: 291: Bluff (1st Update)

Mou Miao was indeed shocked. He had heard of it, but had never seen someone who could still grow taller after graduating from college.

However, generally speaking, he was not one to gossip, and after making a brief comment, he said no more.

But when he saw Feng Jun’s car, he became a bit unsettled again, “This is… a Phaeton, isn’t it? Lao Feng, it looks like you’re doing very well in Zhengyang, congratulations.”

Feng Jun wasn’t surprised. Though Mou Miao was a quiet person, after all, he had been working in Yongyang and had now moved to the capital, so it was normal for him to recognize a Phaeton.

But he wasn’t one to flaunt deliberately. In his eyes, the friendship of classmates was precious, much more valuable than the people he met after entering society, as there were no interests involved when they first met.

So he just smiled, “You haven’t introduced this beautiful lady yet, don’t let me be impolite.”

The beauty, named Liu Xiaoxuan, worked in advertisement in Yongyang. Mou Miao knew her through work, and when he resigned, Liu Xiaoxuan also left the company, and they went to the capital together to try their luck.

Although Liu Xiaoxuan was not tall, she had a sweet face with a baby look and two small dimples on her cheeks.

However, Feng Jun thought that Mou Miao’s conditions weren’t bad either. He had the height, a very handsome face, and although a bit bookish and scholarly, this was exactly the template of a domestic man, wasn’t it?

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they got into the car, and as Feng Jun drove, he mentioned the requirements for the Boiler Camel Motorcycle.

He didn’t understand the specifics, only that the machine needed to be omnivorous, capable of burning coal or firewood, and needed more power as well, ideally being able to output thirty to forty kilowatts.

Mou Miao didn’t like to talk much, but when it came to manufacturing machinery, he spoke confidently.

He said that with current technology, power and such were not a problem, but to make it omnivorous was more challenging.

After all, our country was actively phasing out small boilers that pollute heavily. Most modern boilers were fueled by oil or gas, and there were also coal and oil co-firing ones. Pure coal-burning ones were rare, not to mention those burning firewood.

Moreover, he raised a serious concern: if the Boiler Camel Motorcycle was to drive a generator for a long time, a water softening system would be essential, otherwise not only would the thermal efficiency be low, but the boiler would also be prone to explosion.

Feng Jun didn’t quite understand all this, but he was certain that he didn’t need a water softening system, “Are you just worried about scale? Don’t worry, I have a way to deal with it.”

He had two backup plans: one was manual descaling, as in the Mobile Phone world, labor costs were incredibly low, so he would use it if available.

The second plan was to manufacture distilled water on-site, which didn’t require much skill – just boil water and condense it afterward, as there was an abundance of firewood over there.

After a brief discussion, they had more or less set the tone. As they talked, Mou Miao couldn’t help but interrupt, “What exactly are you planning to do with these machines, who are you going to sell them to?”

“I don’t know where to sell them,” Feng Jun said offhandedly, “as long as someone is paying, why do you care? Just focus on making them… I estimate eventually they will need far more than ten, maybe thousands.”

“Lao Feng, that won’t do,” Mou Miao said seriously, “making them is a minor issue, but the key is that the state will check. The more you produce, the higher the likelihood of being investigated. When that happens, not only the user but also the manufacturer will face legal action.”

“Then don’t use the manufacturer’s brand, it’s as simple as that,” Feng Jun replied with a smile. “Who knows, they might sell them to Africa, or countries like Bei Xinluo, ensuring quality should be enough.”

Mou Miao was taken aback, “Not use brand… Isn’t that an unbranded product?”

“Unbranded products are normal too,” Liu Xiaoxuan chimed in, “not to mention, Bei Xinluo, under the management of Gold Lao San, is always short on electricity. Having a Boiler Camel Motorcycle would be pretty good; why be choosy about the brand?”

Mou Miao was not someone who liked to talk. With his girlfriend speaking up, he kept quiet. A Boiler Camel Motorcycle being sold to Bei Xinluo was indeed normal.

The next moment, another thought popped into his head: But… can Bei Xinluo afford it?

However, not being one to make trouble, since he was making unbranded products, he did not have to take any responsibility – as for the rest, he was too lazy to consider.

The Phaeton arrived at the Penglai Grand Hotel. As Feng Jun looked for a parking spot, he instructed Mou Miao, “I’ll introduce you to someone in a bit. Don’t say the Boiler Camel Motorcycle is for me, just say you’re commissioned by someone else.”

Mou Miao replied decisively, “Alright.”

However, his girlfriend Liu Xiaoxuan asked, “Brother Feng, we won’t need to advance the expenses, will we?”

Mou Miao was a little displeased, “Xiaoxuan, this is my classmate, what are you worried about?”

Liu Xiaoxuan kept quiet, just looking at Feng Jun from the back seat.

Feng Jun initially felt a bit annoyed but then started to laugh, “Lao Mou, you’ve got yourself a good girlfriend. I’ve always felt you’re too easy-going. Now that you have someone with a complementary personality, you don’t have to worry about being taken advantage of.”

While speaking, he took out a card from his pocket and handed it over, “There’s five hundred thousand on this, the PIN is 123456, consider it your initial operating expense. Later on, we’ll add it to the costs, that should be alright, right?”

Mou Miao tried to decline, and after a bit of back and forth, Feng Jun suddenly spoke icily, “Keep it safe, don’t let the people ahead see it.”

Mou Miao looked up and realized that several people were running over from the front side. He had no time to decline any further.

The one who ran over was none other than Young Master Wu, Wu Limin, followed by several of his henchmen.

Feng Jun had arranged to meet him at a restaurant in the Penglai Grand Hotel, but Wu Limin, aware of the terrifying reputation of this ‘master,’ had deliberately come to wait in the parking lot to curry favor.

Young Master Wu was one thing, but among his followers, there were clearly two who were not of the benevolent kind. This group standing in front of the car even had someone specially open the door for Feng Jun.

Liu Xiaoxuan watched the scene unfold and was genuinely taken aback: why did Lao Mou’s top-student classmate seem like a figure from the criminal underworld?

Seeing Wu Limin fawn over him, it was only polite for Feng Jun to return the favor, “Ha, Young Master Wu, why the formality? Coming all the way to the parking lot… Lao Mou, let me introduce you, this is Wu Limin, Young Master Wu, the person I’m introducing to you today…”

Despite his polite words, the first thing he did after getting out of the car was to arrange a room for Mou Miao.

Of course, this was normal practice, as attending to the accommodation of a guest from afar comes first, with meals being secondary.

He hadn’t expected Mou Miao to bring someone with him, so he had only arranged a luxurious single room, but clearly, neither Mou Miao nor Liu Xiaoxuan minded and they promptly took out their IDs to register.

Feng Jun felt touched as he watched: it seemed that this delicate girl was indeed determined to stick with Lao Mou.

By the time they began to have dinner, it was approaching nine o’clock. Feng Jun had originally intended to host a welcoming banquet, but after Mou Miao talked with Wu Limin for a bit, the topic turned directly to the Boiler Camel Motorcycle.

It was evident that Young Master Wu was not very interested in the topic, but Mou Miao seemed very keen to discuss it—he might not be talkative, but when it came to business matters, especially professional ones, he was precise and methodical.

After chatting for a while, Wu Limin pushed forward one of his followers who, to everyone’s surprise, had a considerable understanding of the machinery manufacturing industry.

It became clear that even a good follower had to be knowledgeable in their field.

Then while those two talked, Feng Jun and Wu Limin drank.

After about an hour and a half of drinking, Young Master Wu suddenly asked, “Mr. Mou, I’m not very familiar with the specifics of the Boiler Camel Motorcycle, I just want to know, where do you plan to sell such outdated machinery?”

Mou Miao pondered for a moment before answering, “Well, my client didn’t specify, maybe Bei Xinluo?”

Wu Limin’s eyes lit up, “That… could be possible. Does your client have connections there?”

The corners of Mou Miao’s mouth twitched slightly, and he managed to squeeze out a smile but stopped talking. He wasn’t adept at communication, much less at lying.

With that, the conversation came to an end, and Young Master Wu indicated that he would be able to give Mr. Mou a reply by tomorrow.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After seeing Wu Limin out, Feng Jun wanted to chat with Mou Miao some more to catch up on old times, but seeing Liu Xiaoxuan incessantly yawning, he could only smile, stand up, and take his leave—You’ve had a long day, better rest early.

What he didn’t know was that as soon as he left, Mou Miao looked at Liu Xiaoxuan disapprovingly, “What are you making a spectacle of yourself for?”

Having been together for some time, he knew very well that she was a typical night owl; there was no way she would feel sleepy before 2 a.m.

Sure enough, Liu Xiaoxuan immediately became lively and said with a smile, “Watching you talk today, I discovered something interesting and thought to remind you.”

Mou Miao was the typical science and engineering type of guy—high IQ but average when it came to social sophistication. He admitted that Xiaoxuan’s observational skills were much sharper than his own. If she said there was something, then there must be.

Still, he was visibly displeased, “What’s there to discuss, couldn’t you have told me later? I haven’t met with him for two years, and I was hoping to have a long chat.”

Because he wasn’t good at interacting with people, he didn’t object to hearing her analysis and suggestions and would even consider adopting some depending on the situation.

But you’ve detected something amiss—after our conversation ends and we’re alone, there would be no harm in discussing it at length.

Liu Xiaoxuan chuckled, her eyes shimmering with excitement “I was just worried that it might be too late if I told you afterward.”

“Too late?” Mou Miao frowned, “I have a good relationship with him, he won’t mind if I say something wrong.”

“He may not mind, but you will,” Liu Xiaoxuan stared intently at him, “Aren’t you thinking that you came here just to help a friend and make a little money on the side?”

“That’s correct,” Mou Miao nodded, “I told you that before I came, and you felt the same way.”

“That’s exactly the issue. Your classmate is definitely not simple; his strength is immeasurable,” Liu Xiaoxuan grew more excited as she spoke, “I think it’s time for you to consider starting a business in Funiu now.”

(More to come, the remaining updates will be in the evening. I’ve paid off my debt to the readers, and now I’ll update whenever I feel like it—that’s the kind of caprice I can afford. If you don’t like it, try hurling your monthly votes at me…)