stjorthotic Chapter 307 Mr. Ford Understands the Hint
Chapter 307 Mr. Ford Understands the Hint
Chapter 307 Mr. Ford Understands the Hint
Larry treated Mr. K and Henry Ford to a big meal at a restaurant, and then they checked into the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
This hotel was also the place where General Electric held its press conference last time. Larry felt that this place was his lucky place, and he was really tired of staying at the Astor Hotel and wanted to try something new.
Upon arriving at the hotel lobby, Larry took out $100 from his wallet and handed it to Mr. K, asking him to book three suites.
Henry Ford arrived somewhat awkwardly. He looked around and saw that everyone around him was well-dressed and of high status, while his own clothes were still stained with car oil. He felt a little ashamed of himself.
Larry had seen all of his actions.
After the three checked into their rooms, Larry made a point of knocking on the door of Henry Ford's hotel suite.
Ford opened the door and saw Larry. He looked surprised, but quickly ushered Larry into the room.
Larry sat on the sofa, casually pulled out the box of cigars that Mr. K had given him before, and placed it on the coffee table. "Mr. Ford! This is for you. I know you like cigars too. Here, these are genuine Cuban cigars."
Ford was a little surprised. He looked at Larry, wondering what the other was up to.
"This gift is far too precious!"
Ford was a bit confused.
"It's just a box of cigars, it's not worth much." Larry laughed and pushed the cigar under Ford's nose.
"Well then—thank you very much, Larry." Ford covered the cigar box with one hand and smiled.
After exchanging pleasantries, Larry got down to business, "Mr. Ford, how have you been lately? I've been in New York and haven't been keeping up with your work progress. Is everything going well at Ford Motor Company?"
Ford paused for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, but finally nodded and said softly, "It's alright!"
Larry nodded. "Yeah, that's good! To be honest, I was really impressed with your car. Especially this long drive—haha, awesome! I think we'll be on the front page of the New York newspapers tomorrow, and they'll treat you like a hero."
Ford chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm quite surprised myself. I didn't expect to become famous this way. If I'd known it would cause such a sensation, we should have come to New York much sooner!"
"Yes, that's right. Of course, some technical details still need improvement—did you notice the chassis? It's not high enough! We bumped into the chassis a few times on the road, luckily our fuel lines aren't under the car—and the tires, I think Mr. K is right, a car with such power and load capacity, yet only using tires slightly thicker than a bicycle, that's not good, the pressure is too high!" Larry continued to talk.
Technical details were something Ford paid particular attention to, and once Larry started talking, Ford was clearly interested. The two began to discuss the shortcomings of the car they had discovered on this trip.
"—Yes, the current postal routes are still designed for horse-drawn carriages with wooden wheels. Our cars will need to have their chassis raised in the future—you're right about that. I hadn't considered the starting issue before, and the position of the choke also needs to be adjusted."
Ford, a man with a bit of an engineering background, becomes very enthusiastic and talkative when it comes to technology.
Larry discussed the details with him for thirty minutes, then concluded with a smile, "Alright! I'm actually quite satisfied with the Model A. As for the current sales and repair rate, I think you don't need to worry about it. All industrial products need to be iterated and developed. Without shortcomings, how can there be progress? We don't need to be discouraged because we're not omnipotent like God."
Hearing Larry's words of comfort, Ford's eyes gleamed with emotion. He bit his lower lip and said, "Yes! Really, Larry, you understand me best. There's never a smooth ride in industry, it's not like selling alcohol!"
Selling alcohol is clearly a reference to Kennedy, and Ford's subtext is that Kennedy had repeatedly made things difficult for him regarding automobiles.
Larry smiled upon hearing the other person's clearly emotional words and said, "It's alright! I support you. To make a good car, every scenario needs to be considered. Fortunately, this long trip of ours has been both fruitful and educational. With a few minor improvements, we'll definitely take the quality of the new car to the next level."
You don't need to worry too much about the profitability of the car business right now. We've invested so much precisely to give you ample room for trial and error.
Ford abruptly looked up at Larry. "You really support me that much? Don't you care about short-term profits?"
"Of course, Henry. We've known each other for a long time, when have you ever seen me talk about money? I've heard there are several groups of people researching cars right now, even in Massachusetts, there's that guy named Frank Duriey who's researching cars too. We're not in a rush, the key is to make a splash like we are now, and the next goal is to create a blockbuster!" Larry encouraged him.
Henry Ford nodded heavily, then sighed and said, "Larry! Seriously, if it weren't for you—I wouldn't want to stay in Boston. I want to go back to Detroit. It feels like that's where I'm more suited to starting a business."
Larry deliberately widened his eyes, but then switched to a comforting tone, "I know you feel wronged about some things, but that's just how it is. To be honest, I understand Kennedy's feelings. He also got involved in this project by chance, and if he doesn't see results in the short term, he'll be very anxious—he needs to see results to be sure he'll continue his strategic investment in this project!"
After saying this, Larry laughed and said, "People from business backgrounds are bound to be short-tempered, that's normal! Don't take it to heart."
Henry Ford nodded, but his brow furrowed slightly.
Larry, worried Larry hadn't understood, casually added, "Keep it up! Improve the car; Senator Kennedy's waiting for good news!"
"Oh—okay!" Ford glanced at Larry, then avoided eye contact with him and looked out the window.
The two chatted about the headlights and engine for a while longer. About thirty minutes later, Larry figured it was about time, stood up to say goodbye to Ford, and said he was going back to his room to rest for a bit.
"You get some rest!" Ford said with a smile, then put on his coat, picked up his gloves, and followed Larry out of the room.
Larry asked curiously, "Where are you going? Aren't you going to rest in your room for a while?"
Ford glanced at the end of the stairs, then turned to Larry. "Oh, I need to go down and check the car again before the sun sets. What if it was fine when we came in, but we can't get back in?"
"Oh, okay! See you later!" Larry returned to his room with a smile on his face.
That evening, Larry invited Mr. K to Greenwich Village to have dinner and chat with his sycophant Logan. He had originally planned to bring Henry Ford along, but Ford declined, saying he had to work on car repairs and didn't have time.
That evening, Larry, Mr. K, and Logan had dinner together. The three chatted casually, especially about Anna. Mr. K gave Logan a good thrashing, while the little sycophant whose acne was gradually fading quickly changed the subject and reported to Larry on the recent trend of foreign capital withdrawing gold coins from Morgan Trust Bank.
The next morning was Sunday, and Larry didn't get up until eight o'clock. He had just opened his door to call the hotel waiter for breakfast when he saw Ford standing anxiously in front of the door, frowning as he said, "Larry, I have bad news for you—it's probably because we used gasoline mixed with spirits that the car's internal combustion engine is having problems! It won't start now; I think the engine has seized up—alas, our cars aren't quite mature yet!"
Larry raised an eyebrow, thought for a few seconds, and said regretfully, "Oh—that's a real shame. Oh well, never mind—we'll take it slow."
Ford looked at Larry and sighed, "I can't do anything about it, we can only take it slow—iterational iterations! Innovation is never easy!"
Larry nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it! Try your best to fix it. If you can't, we'll just take the train back to Boston. It's not a big deal. Remember what I said before: if you're going to do something, do it the best you can. Don't rush into making a profit!"
"Okay! Well—I'll go find some parts in the lower town first. You have breakfast first. Sorry to bother you!" Henry Ford said, bidding farewell to Larry, and then went down the stairs.
Larry watched his figure disappear, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Mr. Ford is quite clever; he understands immediately!
While Ford has created a miracle in long-distance travel, how can it make its cars a hit and even profitable now? It's time to take a step back and not rush things.
It has to wait until someone can't take it anymore and decides to quit.
Larry didn't know if Ford had guessed his true intentions, but it didn't matter! Clearly, the two had reached an agreement on not rushing to make the car profitable.
Over the next few hours, several reporters managed to find Henry Ford through various inquiries. They sought interviews with him, particularly to inquire about the car that had completed the long journey.
Henry Ford could only regretfully tell them that the car was not perfect and had broken down after traveling this distance; he was now trying to find a way to repair it.
Upon hearing this news, the reporter clearly showed disappointment on his face.
After seeing off several groups of reporters, Henry Ford continued "repairing the car" on his own. Mr. K and Larry finished their breakfast and sat chatting at the outdoor cafe next to the car.
Around 10:30, a commotion broke out at the entrance of the Fifth Avenue Hotel. A clear voice suddenly called out, "Hey bro, why aren't you staying at the Astor Hotel this time? I've been looking for you for ages."
Larry and Mr. K were both taken aback. They turned around and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Matthew walking over with his brother John Browning.
Behind them were several other people, including a tall man who was a sales representative for the Belgian company FN, a middle-aged man with brown hair and dressed well, and several others who looked like technicians from Browning Firearms Company.
"Why are you all here? You're all here!" Larry quickly stood up with a smile and went to greet the group.
Matthew laughed and said, "We're going to Texas to do gun design testing."
"Oh, by the way, how did you find me?"
As Larry spoke, he shook hands with Browning.
Matthew continued, "I heard it from Mr. Porter, you know? We've got a knack for it now. Whether in Boston or New York, if you want to see you, you first need to contact a brokerage firm—"
"Haha, okay!" Larry reached out his hand to the Belgian again.
The Belgian smiled and shook hands with Larry, explaining, "Matthew said you've arranged for them to test firearms in Texas—I'd love to go too, but I had to report to headquarters in Belgium. So I went back to New York with them."
Matthew laughed and said, "Yeah! Goldman Sachs is urging me too. If possible, we need to go to Texas as soon as possible to test the rifles—everything is ready there."
John Browning took two steps forward with a smile, patted Larry on the shoulder, stroked his beard, and exclaimed, "Brother, Matthew told me everything about you. You did a great job; I didn't expect you to land such a big order. I'm already starting to expand the team and prepare for trial production of those pistols, but of course, that won't really begin until we get back from Texas."
"Rifles are obviously more important! John, we can refine the pistols, but rifles are something that needs to be ordered in large quantities, so we can't be careless about that. Besides, we also need to reassure FN."
As he spoke, Larry glanced at the Belgian, only to be surprised to find that the man next to him was staring intently at Henry Ford's car, as if he were very interested in it.
Larry paid little attention to the stranger. Suddenly remembering something, he turned and asked, "Where's Mr. Dunbar? I haven't seen him. Didn't he come with you?"
After Larry finished speaking, Matthew gave a wry smile. "This old man is afraid that his horse will be bullied again, so he has decided to ride it all the way here. He said he would rather leave the horse at a merchant's inn in New York than have Mr. K take care of it again."
Mr. K, who had been following behind, chuckled a few times. However, his face was filled with deep melancholy, clearly indicating that he harbored a deep fear of Dunbar.
"And who is this?" Larry looked at the last guest. Clearly, his attire and appearance suggested that this person did not resemble Mr. Browning's assistant, but rather a distinguished guest he had invited.
The man paused, quickly averting his gaze from Ford and his car. He turned to Larry with a smile and introduced himself, "Henry Leland! I have a factory in Detroit that specializes in manufacturing triggers and other precision components for firearms. I'm a good friend of Mr. Browning, and also one of his important future suppliers."
Larry felt like he'd heard the name Leland before, but couldn't quite place it.
Never mind him, anyway, he's always running into either John or Henry—Larry's completely exasperated.
If this person becomes someone important in the future, then I will always be able to recall him based on clues.
"When are you planning to go to Texas?" Larry asked with a smile.
"We've already made an appointment with someone from Goldman Sachs—that Mr. Goldman—he'll arrange it for us."
After Matthew finished speaking, he looked at Larry and said, "Oh, right—he also once said that if you go to Texas, he would go with you."
Larry waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "Then I'll have to disappoint Mr. Goldman and you. I have to go with George Eastman from Kodak in a couple of days to handle some business, well, a tricky one."