What's going on?
Pulling over to the side, Wang Yu stopped his "28 Grand" bicycle to investigate the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from a restaurant.
Ah, what they called "eating out" in this era.
"What else could it be?" someone answered from nearby. It was a fish-selling auntie, vigorously shaking a large black fish in her hand.
"The pressure cooker must have exploded. Probably the restaurant got too busy and forgot to watch the stove," the auntie said dismissively, clearly used to such incidents.
"The pressure cooker exploded?" Wang Yu only remembered after the auntie's reminder.
Pressure cookers in this era were still the old, traditional kind. Pressure cooker explosions, while not common, were not unheard of.
Glancing into the small restaurant, which was now in disarray with stewed food splattered everywhere, Wang Yu noted it was fortunate it wasn't mealtime and no customers were present, so there were no casualties.
A middle-aged couple, presumably the restaurant owners, were looking dejected as they cleaned up.
The woman was muttering incessantly while cleaning, while the man hung his head in a worried silence.
It was probably his fault. Well, even if it wasn't, it would be blamed on him by the woman... ahem!
Pressure cooker?
Wang Yu mused. In the future, there would be electric pressure cookers with all sorts of advanced features like temperature control, timers, and even smart connectivity – things unimaginable in this era.
While highly sophisticated computer boards might be difficult, a simple circuit control combined with a pressure valve for automatic venting should be achievable.
It wouldn't be difficult, though it might require some specific materials. But that wouldn't stop him.
Yes, an electric pressure cooker! A thought sparked in Wang Yu's mind. Just control the resistance in the circuit...
"Hey, young man, why are you staring so intently?"
The fish-selling auntie, seeing Wang Yu's vacant stare, became a little displeased.
He was staring at her big black fish without moving. What was he doing? Anyone seeing him would think he'd lost his mind!
"Oh, nothing," Wang Yu snapped back to reality, chuckling slightly. His old habit of getting lost in thought when pondering problems had struck again.
"Auntie, your fish is very fresh. My sister just got out of the hospital and needs to regain her strength. Please weigh it for me."
Hearing that Wang Yu wanted to buy fish, the auntie's face lit up. She busily weighed the fish for him, saying as she did, "Young man, you have a good eye. It's rare to find such a fine black fish. Auntie tells you, it's best for making soup. Remember to add some ginger..."
After paying and taking the black fish, Wang Yu left the friendly auntie. Along the way, he casually bought a few more dishes and headed straight home.
All the way, he was still contemplating the pressure cooker, appearing somewhat absent-minded.
"Hey! What's wrong, brother?" Wang Ling asked with a hint of displeasure, waving her small hand in front of Wang Yu.
"Lost your soul? Sister Lingling is here, don't embarrass yourself." Pouting, she mumbled at Wang Yu before taking the dishes from his hands. "Wow, such a fat fish! I'm lucky to benefit from Sister Lingling."
Wang Ling said joyfully, her eyes darting around Wu Lingling.
"Sister Lingling, let me tell you, my brother is an excellent cook. He's just usually very lazy and rarely cooks himself. It's thanks to you that..."
Before Wang Ling could finish, Wang Yu flicked her forehead lightly but firmly, effectively silencing her chatter.
"You're acting all high and mighty just after recovering from your illness. If your grades aren't good on the next exam, see how I deal with you!"
After chiding Wang Ling good-naturedly, Wang Yu finally turned to the kitchen and began his preparations.
He stir-fried a few dishes, and the black fish was directly stewed into soup. Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted from the kitchen...
Meanwhile, at the Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory, the first imitation new-style agricultural vehicle had rolled off the assembly line after continuous overtime work.
Zhao Tao personally took it for a test drive, and all the results were perfect!
It was indistinguishable from Wang Yu's Hope No. 1!
He even felt that with the "Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory" logo on it, it looked even more pleasing to the eye!
"Excellent!"
Smiling with satisfaction, Zhao Tao felt his hard work throughout the day was well worth it.
He instructed the surrounding staff, "Go all out and work overtime to produce. We need to race against time now to completely seize the market before Wang Yu!"
"Ask the brothers to work extra hours tonight. Overtime pay is not an issue!"
Zhao Tao commanded with great ambition.
"But..." the production workshop director of the agricultural machinery factory began.
"But Director, we still have a lot of traditional agricultural machine orders. These are signed contracts, and we must prioritize ensuring these orders. After those, our existing parts and materials will only last for one more day."
Hearing the director's words, Zhao Tao's anger flared.
"How did you become the workshop director? If you don't have parts and materials, don't you know to prepare them in advance?"
Zhao Tao roared at the workshop director. "If you delay the production progress of the new agricultural machines, you can forget about being the director anymore!"
*Who could have predicted needing to work overtime and rush production at this last minute? Who could have anticipated needing to prepare so many materials and parts?*
The workshop director could only mutter his thoughts to himself, maintaining a smiling facade. "Director, I already arranged for procurement to order from various suppliers this afternoon. I believe they'll be back soon..."
Before he could finish, the head of procurement for the agricultural machinery factory walked over with a bitter expression.
"Director, Director. All the suppliers are out of stock!"
"What?" Zhao Tao stared, then roared in disbelief. "How is that possible? So many suppliers in the county are out of stock simultaneously? You mother-- Your excuse for lying to me needs to be better!"
"No, Director! They aren't out of stock, they just won't sell to us. Because..."
The head of procurement was almost in tears.
"Because Wang Yu offered too much."
"What? What do you mean Wang Yu offered too much? How is Wang Yu involved again?"
Zhao Tao roared, realizing he had become more angry and frustrated today than in the past year combined.
And the most crucial point was that every reason for his anger, when traced back, led to one person.
Wang Yu! That damned Wang Yu!
Why couldn't you have just faded into history along with the automobile factory?
Zhao Tao gritted his teeth, but took a deep breath to calm himself. "What exactly happened?"
The procurement officer quickly recounted the results of his calls and personal visits to various suppliers.
Wang Yu had raised the prices of all parts and supporting facilities by thirty percent!
The initial surplus would be used to repay debts. After the debts were cleared, this price would remain unchanged for three years.
"So, all the production capacity of the various suppliers is now fully dedicated to Wang Yu, and they have no stock left for us."
The head of procurement said with a mournful face.