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Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: Twenty Bikes, Twenty Voices

Chapter 31: Twenty Bikes, Twenty Voices

The First Batch

Two weeks later, the assembly floor was running hotter than ever.

Twenty Light Riders stood in a neat row by the loading bay — silver paint gleaming under the overhead lights. Every single one had been test-started, checked for brake responsiveness, and given a final wipe-down.

Rui ran his hand along the seat of the last bike.

"These aren't going to dealers," he reminded the team. "They're going to people. Mechanics, commuters, delivery riders. If they don't like something, I want to hear it."

Li Wei grinned. "So… you want complaints."

"Exactly."

Trial Riders

Over the next week, the bikes went to:

A mail courier who rode 60 km a day in all weather.

A fish market vendor who loaded baskets on the back.

A teacher in the county outskirts who commuted 45 minutes each way.

The feedback trickled in quickly.

"Starts even on cold mornings."

"Fuel tank lasts longer than my Haotian."

"Back rack's too small — needs longer screws."

"Clutch is smooth… too smooth, maybe."

Rui kept a notebook full of every note, big or small.

Meanwhile – Haotian HQ

The trial rider chatter made its way online — in early bulletin boards and local message chains.

A junior exec placed a printout in front of Gao Yuan.

"People like the Kaiyuan bike. A lot."

Gao Yuan scanned it, frowning.

"They're riding our market. Do we have anything we can put on the road sooner?"

The exec hesitated. "…Only the old Hawk 125. We can repaint it."

"Repaint it, rename it, call it the Tiger Lite. Get photos out next week."

Scaling Up

Back in Kaiyuan, scaling up was messy.

A welding arm seized halfway through a frame batch, leaving Li Wei covered in tiny flecks of burnt paint. A shipment of brake pads arrived mismatched — half for scooters, half for dirt bikes.

Rui sighed, scratching his head. "We can adapt the dirt bike ones for the rear wheels, but the fronts will have to wait."

Even so, the small production line kept moving.

Slice of Life – Friday Evening

On Friday night, Rui's father found him asleep at the kitchen table, still in his school shirt, a parts list under his cheek.

"You can't build motorcycles on four hours of sleep," Chen Jianhua said, setting down a bowl of noodles.

"I can," Rui mumbled without opening his eyes, "but they might be lopsided."

His father chuckled, shaking his head.

"You keep this up, you'll have the whole province riding your bikes."

Rui opened one eye. "…That's the plan."

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