Chapter 78: The Laser Barcode Scanning System

Beep beep beep.

Early in the morning, the pager on Lu Kun’s bedside began to ring incessantly.

“Kun, someone’s calling you,” Liu Shixun, wearing oversized shorts, ambled over to Lu Kun’s bed and shook him awake.

“It’s barely dawn—who’s calling at this hour?” Lu Kun yawned, got out of bed, rubbed his eyes, and picked up the pager to check it.

“Oh, it’s already past nine in the morning. Stone called me—what could it be about?”

“How would I know? Call him back and ask,” Liu Shixun said, munching heartily on a fried scallion pancake.

“Good idea.”

Lu Kun slipped his feet into a pair of flip-flops, preparing to go downstairs and borrow the phone from the hotel owner.

Liu Shixun opened his mouth wide as if to say something, nearly spraying scallion pancake everywhere.

Bang!

Two doors opened at once.

Lu Kun and a middle-aged woman across the hall locked eyes.

Lu Kun sensed something odd in the way the woman looked at him.

What’s this about? You’re not young anymore, blushing at the sight of me—haven’t you seen a handsome guy before?

“Hmph, pervert.”

The woman, cheeks flushed, twisted her thick waist as she walked away. She looked back at Lu Kun three times while descending the dozen steps, biting her lip and stomping her foot before finally hurrying downstairs.

“Huh?”

“What’s with ‘pervert’? The uglier they are, the more fanciful their thoughts,” Lu Kun muttered, continuing downstairs.

As he stepped onto the staircase, Lu Kun suddenly realized something was amiss.

“Damn!”

Bang!

Lu Kun rushed back to his room in a few quick strides, shutting the door behind him.

“I really lost out—got taken advantage of by an old woman,” he grumbled, putting on his clothes.

Liu Shixun sat on the other bed, turned away, his shoulders shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.

“I’ll give you something to laugh about!” Lu Kun, now dressed, grabbed Liu Shixun’s neck from behind and shook him.

...

“Are you done yet?” Lu Kun felt as if he were wringing a duck’s neck.

“I’m done... done,” Liu Shixun coughed as Lu Kun let go.

...

“Hey, Stone, why did you call me?” Lu Kun, after a few polite words and paying a little fee to the hotel owner, finally borrowed the phone, avoiding the need to queue at the public phone booth.

“It’s about the company’s equipment procurement. The procurement department has negotiated with the manufacturer, but the release of a large sum still needs your signature,” Stone replied calmly from the other end.

“Just give my pager number to the procurement team leader and have them come find me where I’m staying. Aren’t they in Shenzhen too?” Lu Kun said offhandedly.

“I’ve already given your pager number to the team leader. He’ll probably page you this afternoon,” Stone replied, still sounding half-asleep. Lu Kun could hear him yawning through the line.

“Alright. Tell them if I don’t return their page, just call this number—the one I’m speaking to you on now—and have the hotel owner come upstairs to get me.”

Lu Kun instructed directly.

...

The equipment Lu Kun was procuring was actually a laser barcode scanning system.

Barcodes are a system for storing data and processing it accurately and swiftly. Their greatest advantage lies in saving time, providing order and precision.

As Huakun Supermarkets grew larger, relying solely on manual labor would put immense pressure on employment costs.

In fact, as early as 1988, the State Council approved the establishment of the “China Article Coding Center” under the State Bureau of Technical Supervision to research and promote barcoding technology.

From 1990 onward, the international circulation sector regarded barcodes as a “passport” for products entering the global market.

A small barcode acts as an economic information bridge, organically connecting manufacturers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, and customers worldwide.

For Huakun Supermarket, which aspired to become a retail giant, the laser barcode scanning system was essential.

This project had already begun over a month ago; the procurement team had pressed prices to the lowest possible, leaving no room for further negotiation.

The barcode scanners were brand new, but all the computers were second-hand.

There was no other way—budget constraints, and computers were exorbitantly expensive at the time. Huakun Supermarket wanted to install a laser barcode scanning system in every branch, which was no small undertaking.

The procurement team negotiated for over a month, finally sealing the deal, and cleverly dispatched two smart young men to the manufacturer’s company to learn about computer assembly, maintenance, and application.

If nothing unexpected happened, these two would be rewarded with promotions and salary raises upon their return.

There was nothing for it—in those days, claiming you understood computers would earn you instant respect and the title of “high-tech talent,” even if your skills were limited to typing.

...

That afternoon, a five-member procurement team arrived at the hotel where Lu Kun was staying.

“Good afternoon, General Manager!” the five greeted in unison.

“Thank you for your hard work, coming all this way. Please, have a seat,” Lu Kun said, a bit embarrassed.

He recognized their faces but couldn’t recall their names.

He’d already decided that, once back at the company, he’d have Sun Bowen post photos of all employees on the wall of the general manager’s lounge, so he could learn to put names to faces whenever he had a moment.

“How did the negotiations go?” Lu Kun asked, sitting upright.

As for Liu Shixun, knowing Lu Kun was about to speak with the staff, sensibly slipped out to visit Cheng Yuan and Cheng Hao next door.

The team exchanged glances, and finally the group leader spoke up, nervously: “We’ve agreed on the price, but… but the deposit the other party is asking for is a bit high.”

“Oh?” Lu Kun was surprised and smiled. “Do they think we’re swindlers?”

“No, no,” the group leader waved his hands quickly. “They’re just worried that after delivery, we might delay the final payment, or even renege on the contract altogether.”

“Hmm.” Lu Kun pondered for a moment. “How much of a deposit are they asking for?”

The team leader hesitated. “They want us to pay half the total amount up front.”

Lu Kun understood—he had done the same in his previous life.

At this time, in the eyes of Shenzhen businesses, private enterprises from Angui Province were like stray cats—few and unreliable. Even with a signed purchase contract, they couldn’t be sure of payment.

Legal action was often fruitless; bosses could abscond with the funds and live freely elsewhere, beyond the court’s reach.

“Agree to their terms. Let them know you’ll be in touch, and tomorrow I’ll meet with them personally.”