Over the next week or two, Fang Bai made another trip to T City for his sixth television purchase.
His refurbished second-hand televisions were selling like hotcakes, and more and more people in Wen City became aware of his stall.
His personal wealth had also accumulated to 700,000 yuan.
The number of connections remained at 7, proving difficult to increase.
Now, Fang Bai was eagerly anticipating what new changes Fang Bai's Middle Finger Golden Finger would bring once his wealth grew to one million.
He was only 300,000 yuan short, which would take at most a month!
Earning 300,000 yuan a month absolutely crushed most large-scale factories in Wen City, including Hengli Company, Boli Company, and Nanjiang Company; the combined profits of these three companies didn't even amount to what he earned.
If Fang Bai dedicated all his energy to refurbishing televisions, earning tens of millions a year was possible, but more than that would be difficult, as it relied heavily on his ability to select televisions.
Therefore, once a certain scale was reached, selling televisions still couldn't compare to these valve factories.
During this period, Fang Bai spent his afternoons studying at school, and his advertising slogan became widely circulated among students there; many even knew that the slogan and the recorded broadcast were Fang Bai's doing, leading more people to visit his family's stall to listen.
In those days, such novelties were quite rare; they were captivating and humorous, and with a little promotion, they quickly spread.
It was just like the words of Huang Xing's nephew in later generations, known to everyone nationwide.
Not long after, Teacher Zhan found out about these matters and specifically sought him out for a talk: "Fang Bai, is that TV selling stall your family's?"
"Teacher Zhan, I thought it was something serious, but it's just this? There's nothing to be surprised about."
Fang Bai really didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"Anyway, I'm quite surprised. I remember someone saying they knew the stall owner and they were from the same village. Hehe, is that what you call knowing them?"
Teacher Zhan was a bit upset that Fang Bai hadn't been honest with her, hiding too many things.
She remembered that when teachers in her office were discussing buying color televisions, Fang Bai happened to overhear and helped them get discounts.
Colleagues received a 10% discount, and she received a 20% discount!
Oh, it made her deeply grateful and touched.
She felt embarrassed!
Many teachers also owed her favors, bringing her fruits and speaking highly of her.
Turns out, he was helping promote his own family's televisions!
No wonder he was so proactive!
Teacher Zhan experienced for the first time the feeling of being a fool who sold herself out and then helped the other person count the money.
Of course, she did save a lot of money, but she held a grudge against Fang Bai for deliberately concealing the fact that his family sold televisions.
This student was too cunning; she had always thought he was an honest person.
Previously, when she heard the recorded advertisement, she recognized Fang Bai's voice, but she never imagined it was his family's stall; this student had misled her from the start.
"Hehe, Teacher Zhan, I don't think there's a problem with that."
Fang Bai saw her gritting her teeth, but she didn't seem angry; she probably felt like she had been played and was stewing over it.
Alas, women truly shouldn't be provoked casually.
"Hehe, don't play dumb with me. You're playing innocent and still profiting. The monthly exam is coming up soon; make sure you get first place."
Fang Bai chuckled, "Alright, last place is a piece of cake."
Teacher Zhan's eyes widened, and she emphasized each word sternly: "It's first place in the grade!
If you deliberately get last place, then you're coming back to class, and your long leave will be canceled."
"How is that possible? Are those top students made of mud?"
"I think you have the ability. You should believe in yourself."
"Teacher Zhan, if you say that, my confidence will swell!
To be honest, I could actually get into Tsinghua or Peking University, but I was afraid of scaring the school leaders, so I decided to keep a low profile. Who knew I'd be too low-key and mess up the exam?"
"I give you a sweet treat and you get all cocky. You need to learn humility. Don't talk about Tsinghua or Peking University; even a slightly less prestigious key university would treat you like an ancestor. Really, go back to the classroom and study hard."
"Alright, your wish is my command."
Fang Bai saluted formally, then turned and left.
Teacher Zhan watched Fang Bai's retreating back and couldn't help but smile. This student, sometimes he was so likable, making it impossible to get angry.
Also, before, she misunderstood that his leaving school was for a medical reason related to his finger?
Was that true or false? Was it necessary to take leave so frequently?
Forget it, she wouldn't dwell on it. Fang Bai's grades had actually improved since he took long leave, so she would just let him continue.
Fang Bai, leaving the teacher's office, let out a sigh of relief. With a psychological age of several decades, sometimes pretending to be a student was quite tiring.
However, this was probably the leisurely life of a reincarnated person. If he were to keep a straight face all day, like an old man, how could he be happy?
On December 20th, Fang Bai went to Nanjiang Company to settle the processing fees.
He first wanted to visit Huang Xing, but seeing he wasn't in his office, he guessed he was probably in the workshop again researching products. Fang Bai greatly admired this dedication.
He arrived at the workshop, walked around, and saw Huang Xing wearing gloves and testing valves in the pressure testing workshop, surrounded by three other employees.
"Mr. Huang, new products are out again? Impressive!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Huang Xing stood up, turned his head, and seeing it was Fang Bai, waved to him, and replied with a refined smile, "Yes, but there are many problems. It's still leaking, so troublesome, and I have no clue."
He was currently researching a new product, a 6-inch 600-pound butterfly valve. The pressure was higher, and there were more problems.
Butterfly valves were largely similar. Even if they copied foreign designs, there were still many problems when manufactured, and it was difficult to pinpoint the cause of the issues.
He was now eager for someone to help him solve the problems. Seeing Fang Bai, he felt that since Fang Bai had helped him once, he must be very familiar with butterfly valves. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to spot the problem with the sealing groove; that couldn't have been a random guess.
It was like an automobile engine malfunction; if one wasn't familiar with cars, how could they spot an engine malfunction at a glance?
Some people could even hear the problem just by listening to the engine sound.
"Mr. Fang is an expert in butterfly valves. Can you help me analyze it?"
Huang Xing didn't expect Fang Bai to find the cause of the problem, but in the entire company, besides himself, only the two technical personnel next to him understood butterfly valves. The other person was a worker, so he didn't count on him at all.
He couldn't consult technical experts from other manufacturers, as that involved their patented technology, but Fang Bai was different. He was a salesperson and had a partnership with his company.
After the product was made, he could even take it for processing without any issues.
Fang Bai glanced at the several butterfly valves on the ground and asked, "I'm no expert, I just have some understanding. Mr. Huang, you are the expert. It's just that as an insider, you might encounter some inspiration-based problems that can't be solved purely by technical means.
Is it still a batch problem? Do you know the reason?"
Huang Xing chuckled at the compliment and said, "Yes, it's a batch problem, which means the problem is the same. I now know it's leaking from the valve disc. I think it might be a sealing ring problem, or perhaps the pressing force isn't enough."
For valve pressure testing, if the working pressure is 600 pounds, the test pressure requirement is 1.5 times, which is 900 pounds, and the duration is generally within three minutes.
After the valve is connected to the pipeline, it is immersed in water, and air is passed through the pipeline. If bubbles are seen coming from the valve, there is definitely a leak.
It's just that it's impossible to see exactly where the leak is.
Fang Bai squatted down to inspect, choosing not to use his Golden Finger for now, and analyzing based on his own experience.
The technical personnel next to him handed him a new pair of gloves. After putting on the gloves, Fang Bai first tried to close the gate.
A moment later, he asked, "Do you have a flashlight?"
"Yes, in the office. I'll go get it."
The young technical personnel said, then quickly ran back to the office.
Fang Bai stood up first to ponder. Huang Xing, seeing him thinking, asked curiously, "Can you see anything?"
"Using the elimination method, let's rule things out one by one. First, let's use a flashlight to check."
"Mhm."
Huang Xing probably knew why he was looking for a flashlight. After the valve was closed, if light shone through from one side and came out the other, then there was definitely a leak.
Of course, their direct pressure testing was more accurate; places without light might also leak.
It's just that these butterfly valves had already been removed from the pressure testing machine, so using a flashlight was more convenient.
Moreover, even if there was a leak, they wouldn't know which part was leaking, as the pressure test was only conducted after the valve was connected to the pipeline. Based on the leaking bubbles alone, the exact location of the leak couldn't be seen, only estimated roughly.
A moment later, the technical personnel brought the flashlight and handed it to Fang Bai.
Fang Bai turned on the flashlight, and a strong beam of light shone out. He aimed it at the valve plate to inspect, while everyone helped hold the butterfly valve steady.
"There's light in the upper part of the inner channel, it's so obvious."
Everyone saw it, and Huang Xing also exclaimed, "Yes, it's so obvious, no wonder it's leaking so badly. There were too many bubbles during the pressure test, and we thought it was leaking all over, so we couldn't see it."
Fang Bai then used his Golden Finger LV2 to analyze and found that the area between the valve disc and the valve stem was red. Although there was no prompt, he quickly realized that the gap was too large.
"Mr. Huang, it's very likely that the gap between the valve disc and the valve stem is too large, causing the valve disc to sag or not make proper contact. Try adjusting the clearance between the valve disc and the valve stem."
"The valve disc sagging?
Why didn't we think of that? We kept changing the sealing rings, but we didn't even find the right general direction."
After listening to Fang Bai's words, Huang Xing thought for a moment and felt it made a lot of sense. He said to the two technical personnel, "Adjust it according to Mr. Fang's suggestion and then test for leaks again."
After giving instructions, he remembered that Fang Bai must have come for something this time. Upon asking, he found out it was for payment. He apologized and took him back to the office.
The two remaining technical personnel and the worker exchanged glances and couldn't help but praise, "Mr. Fang is truly amazing. He spotted the problem at a glance, just like last time."
"Yes, he has golden fiery eyes. We were desperately looking for the problem and didn't even think to go back to the office to get a flashlight to shine on it. We're so stupid."
"If Mr. Fang were in R&D, he would be incredible. It's a pity he's in sales."
"Sales makes a lot of money, but you're right, too. He's so young; it's a pure waste of talent for someone like him to be in sales. There are many such talents in the country who are forced to go abroad because they can't utilize their abilities."
Everyone sighed, feeling that some organizations were truly awful, letting genuine talents slip away for nothing.
And those petty people, they managed to rise to power.