Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

"Watch closely."

The first one was a flip phone with a black screen.

He removed the back cover, and with precise tweezers, he reached for the thinnest display cable at the hinge of the flip cover, clicked open the connector, replaced the cable, and put it back in place.

Power on—the screen lights up.

The second one has no sound from the earpiece.

This time, the part we're working on is the earpiece ribbon cable on the side of the motherboard.

Replace it and put it back.

Making a phone call—the receiver is clear.

The third one is intermittent, working sometimes and not sometimes.

He didn't replace the ribbon cable; he simply used a special pry bar to re-tighten the loose ribbon cable connector and applied a drop of conductive adhesive.

Flip phone test – no more crashes.

Each machine was disassembled and put back together in less than five minutes.

The three machines that had just been sentenced to "death" have all come back to life.

The private room was completely silent.

The faces of those experienced workers flushed red and then turned pale.

"Do you understand?"

Lin Dong put down his tools and said, "The problem has never been whether I know how to 'replace the ribbon cable'."

He picked up the old ribbon cable from the first replacement unit and pointed to several almost invisible pins at the connector: "The fourth and seventh pins have cracks at the base. With so many flip phones used by the V3, this part will almost certainly break. If it breaks, the screen will go black."

He picked up the second one: "This is the earpiece ribbon cable; the connector is oxidized."

Finally, pointing to the third unit: "This one is the simplest. The ribbon cable socket is loose; just plug it in tightly."

He looked at the group of experienced workers and said, "What were you checking just now? Power supply? CPU? Memory chip? You're going in the wrong direction."

These words were like slaps to their faces.

"I'll sell it for 188."

Lin Dong looked around the room and said, "What I'm selling is the ability to spot a cable, its location, and how it was fixed at a glance."

What they're selling is this set of tools specifically designed to deal with V3, so you won't damage the interface.

What we're selling is this improved ribbon cable; after replacing it, the same problem won't occur again for a year.

He paused, then emphasized, "Most importantly, what I'm selling is time."

"Right now, in the entire Huaqiangbei area, apart from me, very few people really understand what's wrong with V3."

Lin Dong took out a calculator and did the math in front of everyone:

「尸体机现在收，一台300。我的『速修宝』188。换个新外壳50，电池30。杂费20。总成本大概590。」

"After repairing them, they'll be sold as refurbished units. Good ones will cost 850, and average ones will cost 750. That's an average of 800 per unit."

The calculator was pressed: "800 minus 590, 210 profit per unit."

The figure was less than expected, but no one in the private room was disappointed—because it was real, actionable profit.

"I repair ten machines a day and earn 2100."

Lin Dong looked at everyone and said, "Ten days is 21,000."

"Moreover," he stared at Fei Long and A Gui, "the key is to clear out the inventory! Those 'corpse machines' piling up in your warehouse, bought for 300 each now, are just scrap metal if not repaired. Repair them, and each one becomes 800, freeing up your capital!"

Ah Gui's mind worked the fastest: "Besides, we're the only ones in Huaqiangbei who can do this repair; we could sell it for 900 and people would still want it!"

"right!"

"Things are valued for their rarity!" Fatty Dragon exclaimed excitedly.

Lin Dong nodded: "That's the benefit of a monopoly. You're in charge for these ten days."

He added insult to injury: "But in ten days, when all of Huaqiangbei knows how to repair them, the profit per unit might only be 50 yuan. At that time, the price won't be the same."

That last sentence felt like a whip lashing down everyone's back.

Fei Long was the first to pull out his wallet: "I want five hundred sets! Cash!"

"I want three hundred!"

"two hundred!"

The doubts and mockery from before have all turned into a buying frenzy.

Lin Dong nodded to Uncle Cai.

Uncle Cai immediately took out the order form and the money detector.

The only sounds in the private room were the whooshing of the money counter and everyone's rapid breathing.

Lin Dong simply sat quietly in the main seat, watching everything unfold.

He knew that the game was won.

They not only sold products, but also secured distribution channels, established rules, and planted the seeds for the future.

As Uncle Cai walked out of the teahouse, his hands trembling as he clutched a bag full of cash: "Boss Lin, in just half a day... in just half a day, he's collected 120,000 in deposits!"

"This is just a deposit."

He said calmly, "Supply will begin tomorrow, with a limit of three hundred sets per day. Remember, it's better to have them wait in line than to give them all at once."

"clear!"

Uncle Cai nodded, "Things are valued for their scarcity!"

"in addition,"

Lin Dong looked at Uncle Cai, "The production line needs to keep up, and the quality must be kept under strict control. Zheng Hao is at the factory; you need to go and check twice a day."

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin!"

"besides,"

Lin Dong lowered his voice, "Keep an eye on Ah Gui and Fei Long. Ah Gui is cunning, and Fei Long has a bad temper. Don't let them trade goods secretly."

Uncle Cai's expression hardened: "I understand!"

Lin Dong nodded, turned and walked deeper into Huaqiangbei. Zheng Hao followed closely behind him.

"Dong-ge, where are we going?"

"Go to a few places."

Lin Dong walked quickly, "I've taken care of everything that needed to be done."

bank.

Lin Dong walked into the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, took out 200,000 yuan in cash from his backpack, and deposited it into his newly opened account.

The teller, a young woman, stared wide-eyed at the bundles of banknotes: "Sir, you...you have so much money..."

"Save money."

Lin Dong handed over his ID card.

"Okay, okay!"

As they walked out of the bank, Zheng Hao couldn't help but ask, "Brother Dong, didn't we still have a lot of cash? Why didn't we deposit it all?"

"You can't put all your money in one bank."

Lin Dong said, "Storing them separately is safer."

Mobile service center.

Lin Dong bought two new Nokia N70 phones, one for himself and one for Zheng Hao.

"Take it."

Zheng Hao stared at the brand-new phone in his hand, stunned: "Brother Dong, this...this is too expensive!"

"Just a tool."

Lin Dong inserted his SIM card, "so it will be easier to contact you in the future."

He got two new SIM cards and wrote down the numbers for each: "This number is only known to you and me. The other number is for Uncle Cai. Use this number to contact him if anything happens."

"Understood!"

Zheng Hao carefully put his phone away.

Department store.

Lin Dong bought the largest suitcase and a few decent clothes.

"Brother Dong, what's wrong with you...?"

Zheng Hao watched Lin Dong pick out clothes, somewhat puzzled.

"go home."

Lin Dong picked up a dark blue down jacket and looked at it. "I have to bring something for my parents."

Zheng Hao paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Brother Dong, once you leave... will you come back?"

"Of course I'll come back."

Lin Dong glanced at him. "Shenzhen University starts in September, so I'll definitely come to Shenzhen. In the meantime, you and Uncle Cai should keep an eye on things here."

"I'll definitely keep an eye on it!"

Zheng Hao nodded vigorously.

At six o'clock in the evening, Lin Dong returned to his newly moved-in residence.

He tidied everything up, folded his clothes, and put them into his newly bought suitcase. Tools and documents were packed separately.

After doing all this, he sat on the edge of the bed and made a phone call home.

"Mom, it's me."

"Ah Dong!"

The voice of her mother, Li Xiuzhen, came through the phone, filled with worry: "How are you doing in Shenzhen? Are you getting used to the food? Are you settling in?"

"That's fine."

Lin Dong's voice softened, "Mom, I'm going home tomorrow."

"tomorrow?!"

The mother's voice suddenly rose, "You...you work over there..."

"It's done."

Lin Dong asked, "Mom, is Dad home?"

"Yes, yes! Wait a minute!"

The voice of Lin Guodong, the father, came from the other end of the phone: "Adong?"

"dad."

Lin Dong paused for a moment, then asked, "Has anyone come to visit... at home these past few days?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Chen Xiong came yesterday."

The father's voice was low and deep. "He said... don't forget the fifteenth of the first lunar month."

"I haven't forgotten."

Lin Dong said, "Dad, I'll be home tomorrow. We'll talk about it when I get back."