The shop opened that day, and she took out a set of clothes from her space to attend the opening ceremony. It was the second set of clothes she took from her space. Although these low-key and conservative clothes had no significant difference across eras, the fabric of the clothes was still noticeably exceptional.
After a while, she really needed to go shopping at the mall. It was better to not use the items from her space if possible. Even if she needed to use them, it had to be on a suitable occasion. These good items were not available in a small county town.
In her previous life, she had risen from setting up a street stall to becoming a big business, relying not only on her intelligence but also on her caution and prudence. No matter what, she believed in keeping a low profile personally but being high profile in her actions.
After getting ready, Lin Chuxia took the blueprint she spent half of the previous day drawing and left the house.
Her target this time was the machinery factory.
The customer who first bought her steamed buns had come to the shop a few times since then. Lin Chuxia knew early on that he was an employee at the machinery factory, his surname was Xu, and some people called him Director Xu.
Having such a title and often representing the machinery factory on business trips must mean that he held a high position at the factory.
Ancheng County had several powerful factories, and the machinery factory was one of them.
Located in the southern part of the city, it covered a large area.
When Lin Chuxia cycled to the machinery factory during work hours, the main gate was closed, leaving only a small side door open. Shielded by a fence-style large iron gate, the straight path was densely covered by towering trees on both sides, adding a touch of solemnity.
Lin Chuxia pushed her bicycle to the small door, where someone immediately popped their head out of the gatehouse, “What are you here for?”
“I’m looking for your Director Xu,” Lin Chuxia said.
“Director Xu Changping?” the gatekeeper asked again.
Lin Chuxia nodded and took out a box of cigarettes from her bag, placing it on the gatehouse’s window, “Yes, Director Xu. He hasn’t been on a business trip recently, has he? I came in a hurry today and didn’t contact him in advance. I’m just worried he might be out on another trip.”
The gatekeeper first glanced at the box of cigarettes, then at Lin Chuxia dressed in a small business suit, which made her look like one of those officials, and his face immediately brightened with a smile.
Besides, she directly asked whether Director Xu was away on business, implying she must be familiar with him.
“Director Xu is here. I saw him this morning and even greeted him. Go on in, his office is the second door in the third row on the right. If he’s not in his office, he must be in the workshop. You can find him in the workshop area, the second to last row on the left. He often goes there.”
“Alright,” Lin Chuxia replied with a smile, pushing her bicycle through the gate.
The gatekeeper watched her till she was far away before retracting his head, while someone inside voiced their dissatisfaction, “Why did you tell her so much?”
The gatekeeper raised the box of cigarettes in his hand, “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t say a couple more words,” having been a gatekeeper at the machinery factory for so long, he had never seen anyone so generous as to give a whole box of Phoenix cigarettes straight away.
Meanwhile, Lin Chuxia had already found Director Xu Changping’s office following the gatekeeper’s directions. When she saw the words “Production Department” on the office doorplate, a smile flashed across her eyes.
What good luck.
The current state-owned factories had the production department as one of the core departments, encompassing both production and technology sections.
Whether Director Xu was in charge of either, Lin Chuxia had found the right person.
She knocked on the door and waited until she was invited in before pushing the door open.
She didn’t rush in, and only after seeing that Xu Changping was alone inside, she greeted the person with a smile and walked in.
“Director Xu, I am Lin from Qin’s Bun Shop; do you remember me?”
Xu Changping nodded; he had a good impression of this girl who had bought his steamed buns several times. How could he not recognize her, but he didn’t understand why she had come to the machinery factory.
Lin Chuxia took out the prepared cooked food and smiled, “Recently, our bun shop started offering cooked food, and we’re giving back to some of our regular customers. You were my very first customer, and I was hoping you would visit these past few days. I was waiting left and right but didn’t see you coming, yet I couldn’t let it go. I always feel that the success of the bun shop is inseparably linked to the kickstart you gave me. I am quite superstitious, so I really wanted to make sure I personally delivered it to you, hence my daring visit.”
A saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Xu Changping doubted that Lin Chuxia’s visit was just for this simple reason, but her words were fine-tuned, and he didn’t fuss about it.
He waved his hand, “Boss Lin, you are too polite. I appreciate the sentiment, but I won’t accept the items.”
Lin Chuxia looked troubled, “Director Xu, I know it’s presumptuous of me to come here, but being in Ancity County, I’m quite lost with no one I know. After pondering, the machinery factory, having met you a few times, seemed like my best bet, so I shamelessly came here. If you don’t even accept this small gesture, I would truly feel embarrassed.”
Xu Changping observed her, a sharp little business suit, different from the casual dress she wore at the train station; it was evident she had dressed up carefully.
Of course, he had no other intentions, but seeing how much effort she had put in and, as she said, thickened her skin to come here, he suspected she must have encountered some problem.
Recalling her talks about competition when they first met at the train station, Xu Changping couldn’t envision what problem could be too big for her to handle.
Honestly, a girl who could run a street stall business and manage to open a shop in such a short time also impressed him.
He pointed towards a chair nearby, “Sit down and let’s talk.”
Lin Chuxia’s eyes lit up, “Director Xu, once I explain and if you feel my request is unreasonable, you can pretend I was never here.”
While saying this, she took out a blueprint from her bag and placed it on Xu Changping’s desk with both hands.
“Here’s the thing, as you know, my bun shop requires a lot of meat filling every day. The manual meat grinders available on the market are time-consuming and labor-intensive, so I thought of getting an electric one…”
She explained her needs and the inconvenience of the current meat grinders on the market, then pointing to the blueprint, she added, “I want a meat grinder like this one. I’ve looked all over Ancity County and haven’t found one, nor do I know where to look. You’ve seen much and known much at the machinery factory, so I thought of asking you for guidance. If it’s not available, I wonder if our machinery factory could produce one or two based on this blueprint. I will pay for it.”
Xu Changping had already taken her blueprint at this point, and with just one look, his expression subtly changed.
Lin Chuxia’s blueprint was very detailed, depicting the components, structure, and working principle of the electric meat grinder.
Xu Changping had worked on this before taking his current position. He immediately understood the blueprint. He had seen large meat grinders used in meat processing plants, but this was different.
This model was more compact, easier to operate, and more suitable for small restaurants like Lin Chuxia’s.
This device, seemingly trivial, could potentially have a significant market, considering the increasing number of individual entrepreneurs coupled with the widespread use and access to electricity.
Xu Changping put the blueprint back on the desk, looking at Lin Chuxia, “Did you draw this blueprint yourself?”