Niu Bi once spent 10 copper coins to inquire from a newsboy that the shuttle door was located in a property owned by the Jewish real estate developer Hardoon. It was not usually inhabited, so servants were assigned to clean it.
Niu Bi knew that if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet.
If the owner catches him as a thief one day, then things will get really bad.
Another issue is storage when the projector arrives.
You can't possibly carry a projector and climb over someone's wall, can you?
"I must rent a house near the garden where the shuttle gate appears. I'm short on funds right now, so I'll consider buying Hardoon's house later!" Niu Bi made up his mind and immediately entered Shanghai Bund World. He rented a courtyard house for 10 silver dollars, 50 meters away from Hardoon's garden.
The lease term is one year.
After finishing all that, Niu Bi returned to reality and boarded the train.
His next stop is S Sea.
......
A day and a night later, Niu Bi arrived at Focus Culture Communication Company, which he had contacted online.
Although it's called a company, it's actually a small workshop/factory located in Hongqiao District, Shanghai.
He was greeted by a young man in his mid-twenties who immediately stood up and extended his hand upon seeing Niu Bi. "Hello, I am Hu Jianyun, the general manager of Focus Technology. Our company mainly undertakes the production of various projectors, DVD players, videotapes, CDs, etc..."
Niu Bi took the tea Hu Jianyun offered, glanced around the office, and said, "Hello, Mr. Hu. I'm the one who called a few days ago to inquire. Can you make those projectors from the 1930s and 40s, and the matching videotapes?"
"Oh, I remember, I remember! Sir, if I may be frank, we live in the age of electronic technology now, there's no market for that kind of thing, are you sure you want to do it..." Hu Jianyun was very puzzled, as he was able to make those old-fashioned projectors and videotapes.
However, even a fool wouldn't buy those old-fashioned projector videotapes; they're not even worth collecting.
He didn't take it seriously when someone called to inquire a few days ago.
Unexpectedly, the person who came to inquire actually came directly.
Is this person out of their mind?
"Mr. Hu, what I need is an old-fashioned motor projector modeled after those from the 1930s and 40s, along with matching videotapes. If you can make it to my satisfaction, the price is negotiable. This is the deposit." Niu Bi tossed out a five thousand yuan bill, the bright red note indicating that he was not joking.
Niu Bi knew that the Shanghai Bund story was set in the 1920s and 30s, so bringing a 1930s or 40s-era projector would definitely be a trendy item!
Upon seeing the glaringly large bills, Hu Jianyun quickly put them away without saying a word, saying, "I can do it, I can do it, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Just kidding, it would be foolish not to make money when you can!
"Mr. Niu, you've really come to the right company."
In the Focus Company warehouse, Hu Jianyun pointed to three very old-fashioned projectors and said, "My grandfather has a hobby of collecting old objects from the Republic of China era. These three motor projectors were left to him. One of them is still barely usable. What do you think?"
Seeing the old-fashioned motor projector projecting onto the screen on the wall, Niu Bi was deeply shocked. The quality of things from that era was unparalleled. It's been so many years, yet it still works!
"Mr. Niu, how are you feeling?"
"This one will do!"
Niu Bi stroked the mottled projector and nodded, saying that the words "Made in 1948" could still be faintly seen on the base.
"Alright, I'll make a replica for you using this model and materials. How many units do you need?"
"Let's order twenty units first, and two hundred matching videotapes. By the way, I only need videotapes of movies made in the 1930s or 40s. Do you have any available copies?"
Yes, yes, yes!
Hu Jianyun nodded quickly. "It's like this, this kind of projector has disappeared from the market. No one else will want it except you. We have some of the parts here, but a few parts need to be custom-made. You will have to pay for that."
"Okay, you calculate it, how much is it?"
Niu Bi thought about it and realized that made sense. Old-fashioned projectors were no longer valued in the 21st century, unless someone else also had a flashlight portal.
Niu Bi estimated that he would still order projectors from him later.
"I've done a preliminary calculation. I'll charge you 550 yuan per motor projector, 75 yuan per set of accompanying videotapes, and 3,000 yuan for a small portion of the custom templates. The total is 29,000 yuan." Hu Jianyun, being a businessman, calculated it out in his head.
Niu Bi used the X20 calculator to do the calculation and nodded.
To put it bluntly, Focus Culture Communication Company is a counterfeit company that specializes in counterfeiting various video recorders, DVD players, and records on the market, passing them off as genuine, and then selling them at low prices.
However, whether it's a knock-off or not isn't a big issue for Niu Bi.
Niu Bi found the right person. Hu Jianyun's grandfather happened to have a collection of templates for old projectors. It was uncertain whether there were templates elsewhere. After paying a deposit of 15,000 yuan, the two parties agreed to pick up the goods three days later.
......
"Given how much Xu Wenqiang of S Beach World values videotapes, I wonder how many gold bars this projector and videotapes could fetch!" Niu Bi sat in a restaurant by the Huangpu River, looking out at the brightly lit night view, filled with anticipation.
"The restaurant's signature dishes are really good!"
Niu Bi rubbed his bulging belly, filled with emotion.
It's so different when your wallet is warm. Thinking back to before, I used to go to cheap roadside restaurants, and I could only go twice a month at most.
Most of the time, I'll just have a bowl of stir-fried rice noodles for a meal, and occasionally I'll add an egg to make it a special occasion.
"Thanks to the flashlight portal!"
As Niu Bi strolled along the Huangpu River, he thought to himself, "This thing is the guarantee of my rise; I absolutely cannot lose it!"
Now, he sleeps with a flashlight in his arms and checks it frequently while walking, fearing he might lose it.