Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 678

After hearing this, He Yuzhu also felt that his previous idea seemed a bit inappropriate. After all, ordinary ornaments are usually designed to stand stably, and a structure that is thick at the top and thin at the bottom like this is indeed difficult to maintain balance and stability.

Just then, he stared wide-eyed at the strange object in front of him, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out what it was.

Despite being filled with curiosity and doubt, he did not immediately unleash his powerful mental energy to investigate further.

After all, it is necessary to be cautious about the unknown.

So he chose to ask, "So, what exactly is this?"

Hearing his question, Liao Lieying smiled slightly. She carefully picked up the object that resembled a pharaoh sculpture, then reached out and pinched its bottom. With a slight pull, a small metal cap was successfully removed, revealing a slender ballpoint pen tip.

If it were someone else, such as He Yuzhu who didn't have much experience, they would probably still be completely confused and have no idea what this was.

However, when he saw this scene, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately realized that it was actually a ballpoint pen!

Liao Lieying's face was beaming with excitement and pride, as if she were holding a rare treasure.

She quickly found a clean sheet of paper, then skillfully grasped the ballpoint pen that had just been unveiled, and wrote a few neat characters on the paper with flowing strokes.

After finishing writing, she looked up, her eyes sparkling, and said to He Yuzhu, "Look, this is the new ballpoint pen that's been around lately."

He Yuzhu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and muttered to himself: Shouldn't this be called a ballpoint pen? Why is it being called an atomic pen here?

But after a moment's thought, he understood. This place must be Hong Kong; perhaps the difference in name was due to geographical variations or different translations.

Thinking of this, he asked again, "But why have I never seen such a thing before?"

Liao Lieying explained with a smile:

"This is a brand new gadget that's only recently become available! Apparently, there's a guy from America named Reno who has a keen eye and started a company that specializes in making these ballpoint pens."

Liao Lieying, her face beaming with excitement, carefully took out a flyer from her exquisite bag and gently handed it to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu took the flyer with great curiosity. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the text and pictures on it were very clear and detailed, providing relevant information.

It turns out that back in the 1930s, Mr. Biro, a journalist from Hungary, successfully invented the world's first ballpoint pen!

The most distinctive feature of this pen is that it uses a small, freely rolling ball as the nib.

Amazingly, this magical pen can not only leave clear writing on handkerchiefs, but also write effortlessly on rough surfaces like wood! What's even more convenient is that it doesn't require frequent ink refills.

However, this innovative design faced a high price when it was first launched, with each one costing as much as $10!

However, despite the invention's ingenuity, the market response at the time was rather lukewarm.

After all, most ordinary people are already used to the traditional way of writing with a fountain pen.

Time passed quietly, until four or five years later, a world-shaking event occurred: the atomic bomb exploded in Japan!

At this crucial moment, an American businessman named Reynolds keenly seized the business opportunity.

He cleverly capitalized on people's attention to and curiosity about the atomic bomb, heavily promoting and launching a product known as the "new pen of the atomic age," which is the ballpoint pen (also called a round pen) that we know today.

This shrewd businessman went to great lengths to highlight the pen's uniqueness, claiming it was as mysterious and unpredictable as an atomic bomb.

The most appealing aspect is that with just this small pen, you no longer need to worry about refilling ink, and it is said to accompany the user for a long time, as if it could last a lifetime.

Upon hearing this news, many consumers' curiosity was instantly ignited, and they rushed to buy this novel ballpoint pen.

In this way, Renault, with its exceptional business acumen and precise marketing strategies, successfully made a fortune and amassed a huge wealth.

He Yuzhu gently placed the product brochure aside, then slowly picked up the ballpoint pen.

After casually scribbling a few large, flamboyant characters on the paper, he couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly and examine the ballpoint pen carefully.

After some observation, he was surprised to find that this ballpoint pen was almost identical to the gel pen commonly used in later generations.

At this moment, Liao Lieying, who was standing to the side, smiled and asked softly:

"So, do you like it?" He Yuzhu looked up, a look of delight on his face, and quickly replied:

"I love it, I love it so much! Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift."

As he spoke, he unconsciously focused his attention again, beginning a more detailed examination of the ballpoint pen in his hand.

However, this investigation made him realize something was amiss—the ballpoint pen didn't have a refill!

All that came into view was the pen casing, which resembled the body of a pharaoh, and the inside of the casing was filled to the brim with pitch-black ink.

At the tip of the pen is a small, exquisite bead, as if it were carefully inlaid on the pen casing.

What's even more amazing is that there's a tiny hole at the tip of the ballpoint pen, clearly for air intake.

This unique and innovative design greatly impressed He Yuzhu. He murmured to himself:

"So this is what ballpoint pens look like these days! They don't use the traditional refill structure; instead, they fill the ink directly into the pen casing... It's truly ingenious and unique!"

Hearing He Yuzhu's sentiments, Liao Lieying nodded in deep agreement and echoed:

"You bet! When I first saw it, I was also very curious about it! So after seeing the promotional material today, I bought it without hesitation and brought it to you specially."

Hearing this, He Yuzhu was deeply moved and also developed a strong interest in the ballpoint pen. He curiously pressed for more information:

"So, how much does this ballpoint pen cost?"

Liao Lieying's previously smiling face suddenly clouded over. She frowned slightly and said with some displeasure:

"Why bring up money? This is a gift I carefully selected for you!"

Upon hearing this, the other party quickly explained:

"Don't get me wrong, I mean I want to know its price so I can consider buying some in bulk later."

Liao Lieying's expression softened slightly, but she still replied with a hint of dissatisfaction:

“Oh, I see. But this isn’t cheap. Even the cheapest one costs 39.8 yuan, and the one I’m giving you costs 68 Hong Kong dollars.”

Upon hearing the price, the other party gasped in surprise and exclaimed:

"It's so expensive?"

Liao Lieying nodded and said affirmatively:

"Of course! It's all clearly written on the promotional leaflets. When it was first launched, it even sold for $10 a stick!"

"This time, the other party was completely taken aback, muttering to themselves:"

“It’s so expensive…”

He knew very well that the average worker's monthly salary was only around 200 Hong Kong dollars.

The price of this tiny ballpoint pen is equivalent to a quarter of an average person's monthly salary! It's simply unbelievable.

At this moment, He Yuzhu, who was standing to the side, suddenly had a thought that flashed through his mind—why couldn't he try to produce this kind of ballpoint pen?

After all, the ballpoint pens on the market now are very different from those of later generations. If we can successfully develop the pen tip and the pen refill and successfully apply for a patent, then we can earn a considerable fortune just by selling pen refills in the future.

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu's eyes became even more determined.

But how do you manufacture the pen tip yourself?

That's the real problem.

Chapter 473 I also want to try this.

He Yuzhu had considered entering the ballpoint pen manufacturing field more than once, but the idea was ruthlessly nipped in the bud each time it surfaced.

The reason was simple: the technology required to manufacture ballpoint pens was far too advanced and complex for He Yuzhu at that time.

It's important to understand that even in the 21st century, with its rapid technological advancements, our country still spent a great deal of time and effort to overcome the key technological challenges in producing ballpoint pens.

It's only been 61 years since then. With the knowledge and resources He Yuzhu currently possesses, it's simply a pipe dream for him to try to develop and produce such a small ballpoint pen on his own. He has no idea where to even begin.

For this reason, he had to focus his attention on relatively simpler projects for a while – first, he successfully developed instant noodles, then launched ham sausages, and immediately applied for related patents.

However, as of now, the approval process for these patents is still progressing slowly.

At this moment, when He Yuzhu saw the exquisite ballpoint pen again, his heart, which had gradually calmed down, was instantly stirred again. Thinking back to when he was in Beijing, due to various restrictions, it was extremely difficult to go abroad to study advanced technologies. Therefore, he had no choice but to give up his idea of ​​continuing to study ballpoint pens.

But the situation is very different now. He is in the bustling and highly international Hong Kong, and it has become much easier and more convenient for him to travel to all parts of the world.

At this moment, He Yuzhu was secretly thinking: even if he couldn't produce qualified ballpoint pen products on his own, as long as he could register the patent for the pen refill first, and then use the patent certificate to find a strong partner to develop it together, it would be a viable path.

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He gently put down his pen, turned to the two women beside him, and said:

"Thank you so much! This is truly the most precious gift I've ever received!"

Liao Lieying smiled slightly upon hearing this and responded softly:

"I'd be so glad you like it." With that, the two of them held hands and walked out of the room together, strolling leisurely towards the theater.

In this era, the film and television industry is still in its early stages of development and is far less prosperous than it was in later generations.

In Hong Kong, people still have a special fondness for traditional art forms, such as opera.

Unlike other places where Peking Opera is the mainstream, Cantonese Opera is the most popular here.

Instead of cinemas that will spring up everywhere in the future, theaters of all sizes can be seen on every street corner.

He Yuzhu himself wasn't particularly interested in opera, but unfortunately his girlfriend was obsessed with it and loved listening to opera.

Out of affection for his girlfriend, he reluctantly accompanied her. After the performance, the two returned to their office.

As soon as he sat down, He Yuzhu called his assistant Huang Zhiru and asked her to go to the market and buy one of every brand and style of ballpoint pen as a sample to bring back, and to start collecting detailed information about the ballpoint pen industry.

Upon hearing this order, Huang Zhiru felt somewhat bewildered and at a loss.