Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 272 An Unexpected Collaborator

The following afternoon, Lionel and Alice arrived at the "Draruwak Notary Office" on time.

Pushing open the door, Lionel was surprised to find that the usual rustling sound of the quill pen nib gliding across the paper had been replaced by a rhythmic "click."

The young clerk, Justin, sat upright, staring intently at the typewriter in front of him, clumsily pressing each key.

The paper roll of the typewriter was directly in front of him, so he could see every word he typed.

With each tap, the "type carriage" at the bottom of the paper tube moves the paper tube slightly to the left.

When the "car" reaches the end of its journey, the "enter bell" will ring out a "ding" sound.

At this point, Justin pushed the type carriage back to the beginning of the line, and the paper tube rolled down one line as well.

Alice's eyes lit up: "A new typewriter? It's already been built?"

Hearing the noise, De La Ruvak came out of his office: "Ah! Lionel! Miss Rorschach! Welcome, welcome!"

When this veteran notary receives Lionel now, he is no longer aloof as before, but treats him like an old friend.

His gaze also swept over Justin, who was practicing typing: "This is the latest prototype, which we just got back from the 'Eonia Sewing Machine Factory' yesterday."

"Our firm has a large volume of transcription work, which allows us to conduct intensive testing on the machine and identify potential problems. The patent application is also pending..."

Lionel nodded: "Is this the only one? If there are any more, send one to me."

Then, De La Ruvak led the two into the office, with Alice following nervously behind Lionel.

After the three were seated, Mr. De La Ruwak cut straight to the point: "Lional briefly mentioned the 'typing cooperative' in his letter, saying that it was Miss Rorschach's idea?"

Lionel smiled at Alice, who took a deep breath and began to tell her story.

At first her voice trembled slightly, but as she continued her story, her tone became more and more fluent, and her eyes shone with confidence.

She described in detail the current operating model, cash flow, revenue, and the current difficulties faced...

Mr. De La Ruwak listened intently, occasionally asking some key questions:
What is the average cost per page?

What percentage of the cost is comprised of paper and ink?

Is it a verbal agreement or is there some simple evidence?

"What was the attitude of those women's husbands towards this?"

……

Alice gave detailed answers to each question.

When he heard that these housewives could earn more a day than skilled male workers by typing, De La Ruwak made no attempt to hide his surprise and admiration.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Brilliant! Miss Rorschach, you have inadvertently created a completely new business model!"

This is not only a charitable act, but also a highly promising business opportunity!

He stood up and paced around the office: "You see, the 'typing cooperative' has solved two key problems—"

First, it has found the most vivid and convincing use case for our new typewriter, which will open up a huge market!

We no longer need to make empty claims that it's faster and clearer than handwriting; instead, we've proven its value with tangible revenue!
Secondly, it proves that ordinary women, with simple training, are fully capable of doing this job and can even earn a substantial income!

He turned to Lionel: “Imagine, not just on Rue Mouftal, but in every district of Paris, in Lyon, in Marseille, in Bordeaux…”

How many shops, firms, and government agencies require a large amount of document copying and organization work?
If we could build a network, one 'typing cooperative' after another, what a huge market that would be!

Lionel nodded: "So, Alice came to you hoping to get professional guidance. This loose form of mutual assistance is clearly no longer suitable for the needs of development."

Mr. De La Ruwak sat back in his chair, resuming the serious demeanor befitting a notary: "I suggest we first register a sole proprietorship as a 'sole proprietorship'..."

After a detailed explanation lasting half an hour, Alice finally understood the whole process.

Lionel discovered that at this time in France, the procedures for business registration were already very similar to those later, and some procedures were even simpler.

Mr. De La Ruyak concluded, "Lional, I will present you with a detailed plan as soon as possible..."

However, Lionel interrupted him, pointing to Alice beside him: "No, De La Ruvak, give it directly to Alice."

She's the initiator of this project, and all future decisions should be made under her leadership. My role is merely to offer suggestions.

The office fell silent for a moment.

A distinct look of surprise crossed Mr. De La Ruwak’s face. He glanced at Lionel and then at the somewhat flustered Alice.

In his mind, Lionel should naturally be the one to make the final decision.

Alice glanced at Lionel instinctively, wanting to say something, but seeing Lionel's calm and composed expression, she finally nodded emphatically.

Mr. De La Ruwak quickly composed himself: "I understand. Miss Rorschach, then I will prepare a preliminary plan within three days."

Please take the time to visit again then, and we can discuss this in detail together. Please feel free to let me know if you have any thoughts or requests.

Alice's heart pounded. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down: "Yes, Mr. De La Ruwak."

This time, De La Ruwak genuinely exclaimed, "Very good!"

With the business settled, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

De La Ruwak took two contracts out of the drawer and handed them to Lionel: "This is the purchase contract for 21B Baker Street, London, for £980."

There was also Mrs. Mary Jenkins' rental agreement, which cost £1 a week, and she compensated herself by maintaining and cleaning the house and caring for the tenants.

Lionel took the contract, glanced at it briefly, and handed it back to De La Ruwak: "Very good, buying there now is definitely a great deal."

De La Ruwak put the contract back in the drawer and continued, "Oh, right, there's one more thing—the bicycle prototype is also ready."

You will need to personally travel to the outskirts of San Anthony for an inspection.

Lionel became interested: "Oh? Which factory did you look for?"

Mr. De La Ruwak took out his business card holder and looked through it: "The name is a bit strange, it's 'Peugeot'..."

Lionel grunted in response, momentarily stunned.

He then explained, “This company started in Montbéliard, and their pepper mills and coffee mills are very popular; I have one at home.”

Last year they opened a small factory in the suburbs of Saint-Antoine, clearly intending to shift their focus to Paris, and they can produce springs and chains.

The person in charge is Armand, a very capable young man. I had a good chat with him…

Lionel paused for a few seconds, then almost burst out laughing—Peugeot? Isn't that just Peugeot?
He suppressed a laugh and nodded, saying, "I remember now, their pepper mill is indeed very famous. Okay, I'll definitely go!"

De La Ruvak flipped through the calendar: "On the last day of August, at 10 a.m., if you have nothing else to do."

Then he handed Lionel a slip of paper with an address written on it.

Lionel took the note, stood up, and shook hands with De La Ruvak: "Okay, I'll be there on time."

(End of this chapter)