Great, it's a scalper, we're saved!

After assigning tasks, Zheng Fan was soon left alone in the office building.

After all that talk, it's no use. No one has any reason to continue trying to dissuade them. After all, Zheng Fan bought the factory, and it's his decision to do what he wants.

However, both Jiang Sishan and the factory's veteran employees were very pessimistic.

Even though the product information was clearly stated during the sale and there was no deception involved, this 19-inch junk TV just doesn't look like it would sell.

Penang is considered one of the most famous electronics industry capitals in China, with countless electronics manufacturers of all sizes, making it extremely convenient to purchase these electronic components. Just in the afternoon, Jiang Sishan and Zhao Huilan returned with a carload of component samples.

"Xiao Zheng, Si Shan and I have visited all the suitable suppliers, and these should be the cheapest parts available right now."

Recalling what happened that morning, Zhao Huilan couldn't help but smile wryly as she said this.

At each supplier I visited, the expressions on the faces of the suppliers' representatives were quite interesting when they heard me ask for the cheapest parts.

Most customers prioritize product performance, or at the very least, product quality. It's rare to see someone who immediately looks at the price.

However, the morning wasn't a complete waste of time. After some selection, Zhao Huilan was surprised to find that the cost of purchasing these accessories could be reduced to less than 200 yuan.

"This 19-inch LCD panel is a 1024*768 LCD panel, and they quoted us a price of 55 yuan."

"The driver motherboard costs 40 yuan, and you can get a remote control for an extra 5 yuan, but it only has one antenna connector."

"Speakers are even cheaper; a set of 10W speakers only costs 12 yuan."

"Including the power supply, antenna, casing, cables, and packaging, the cost of this TV should be around 140 yuan."

As Zhao Huilan introduced the situation, she said this.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fan couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

He never expected that the cost could be reduced to such a low level; a television could be produced for only 140 yuan.

However, Zheng Fan also had a general idea in mind.

The final product of this TV must be terrible.

"Sister Zhao, the parts are so cheap, are there any quality issues?"

Zheng Fan asked.

Although there are no requirements for product performance, at the very least, there must be no problems with quality.

"You can rest assured about that."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huilan immediately patted her chest and said, "The reason these accessories are so cheap is simply because they are all surplus stock, so the quality is guaranteed."

Zhao Huilan was certain that if she didn't order them herself, these parts would probably rot in the suppliers' warehouses.

After all, the performance of these components is really too poor. Take that LCD panel for example, it has garbage parameters that are less than 720p, and nobody would want it even if it were given away for free.

"Alright, have the workers try assembling it now."

"Sishan, your next step is to open the Pinduoduo store."

"If you're going to take some product photos, just take some while you're at it."

"If everything goes well, it would be best to put it on the shelves today."

Zheng Fan then arranged the work for the next step.

Zhao Huilan and Jiang Sishan nodded and immediately got to work.

Although they were samples, Zhao Huilan brought four or five copies of each component. At first, the workers were a little unfamiliar with the process, but after a few attempts, about half an hour later, all the samples were assembled into television sets.

Immediately afterwards, the five trial-produced television sets were moved into the office building.

At this moment, Zheng Fan was leisurely sitting in the boss's chair reading a novel.

When he saw the workers bringing over the television, a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face.

Five units were made in just over half an hour?

Just as he predicted, there were no technical difficulties, and mass production was easy.

Immediately, Zheng Fan turned on all five television sets one by one.

After a brief blackout, every television set displayed static.

"This configuration is so weak, it can't install any junk software, yet it boots up faster than my home computer?"

Zheng Fan was somewhat surprised.

As a landlord who owns several buildings, he equipped most of the houses with televisions. Although he bought cheap brands for cost-effectiveness, each television still cost more than two thousand yuan.

These TVs, which cost 140 each, have a boot speed that far surpasses those TVs that cost over 2000.

"Is this technological progress or regression?"

Zheng Fan was filled with emotion for a moment.

The so-called smart TVs these days not only have slow boot times, but also a bunch of bugs that can't be skipped.

Even if you patiently wait until you finally enter the main interface, you often have to buy a VIP membership just to watch a show.

Zheng Fan clearly remembers that when he was a child, he could watch programs immediately as soon as he turned on the television.

In comparison, it would be more accurate to say that technology has regressed rather than advanced.

Shaking his head, Zheng Fan put his complicated thoughts aside and switched all five televisions to the same channel.

As the images and sounds appeared, Zheng Fan couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

The TV cost 140, but the picture quality is just as bad as I expected.

First of all, besides being loud, it has no other advantages. It can't distinguish between high and low frequencies at all, and even the voices of people on TV are distorted.

As for the visuals, they're simply indescribable.

Even though 19 inches isn't large, at a resolution of 1024*768, it still looks like a large pixel, with every single pixel seemingly visible.

That's fine.

In terms of display quality, the color distortion is also extremely severe.

These panels appear to have been in stock for too long; even those from the same batch show inconsistent color accuracy.

It's either a bit greenish or a bit reddish.

Even the viewing angle is extremely narrow; if you move around even slightly, you can't see the picture on the TV clearly.

As for the workmanship of the television set, it's hard to describe.

The injection molding machines in the factory are obviously not very precise, and the tolerances of the TV casings produced are very obvious. Even though the TV is a bulky and large machine, the gaps at the seams are still very noticeable.

Overall, Zheng Fan felt that this TV was the kind of thing he wouldn't want even if it were given to him for free.

"However, it does meet my requirements."

"As long as it can be seen, heard, and used, that's fine."

With a cost of 140 yuan, what more could you want? This is already quite good.

Immediately, Zheng Fan turned off the TV and turned to speak.

"Sister Zhao, let's go purchase the parts next. Let's buy 10,000 units first, and ask if we can lower the price further."

"Sishan, you should get ready to put it on the shelves too."

"Currently, the production cost of a TV is around 140. Including labor, logistics, and after-sales costs, it should be around 180."

"Each unit is priced at 249 yuan, leaving a profit of 70 yuan."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huilan and Jiang Sishan exchanged a glance, their expressions changing slightly.

"Xiao Zheng, ten thousand units... isn't that a bit too many?"

Zhao Huilan spoke with difficulty.

In Zhao Huilan's eyes, the television set that Zheng Fan wanted to make was clearly unsellable.

But since Zheng Fan was the factory manager, and he insisted on doing it, I had no choice but to carry it out.

However, upon hearing the figure of ten thousand units, Zhao Huilan could no longer hold back.

If we produce a few hundred units to test the waters, even if we lose money, it won't be a big deal, since the cost is very low.

But ten thousand units?!

This inventory backlog could really be a disaster!

This isn't some stock of car models, it's stock of television sets!

It's the worst kind of TV ever!

If there's a real backlog of inventory, let alone selling it at a loss, even giving it away for free, we probably wouldn't be able to get it out!

If they really did that, the factory probably wouldn't last even a month before it went bankrupt!

"Yeah, Zheng Fan, how about we get a few hundred units first, or even a few thousand if that doesn't work? But ten thousand units, isn't that too risky?"

Jiang Sishan couldn't help but speak up to dissuade him.

Jiang Sishan is willing to accept not doing OEM manufacturing.

Jiang Sishan could understand the shift to self-production and self-sales.

Jiang Sishan thought that making this kind of junk TV was just a bad idea; he could just go crazy with Zheng Fan and it would be a good thing if it didn't sell. It would teach Zheng Fan a lesson.

But now they're asking for 10,000 units right off the bat?!

This is not simply a matter of suffering a loss.

Even if the cost is only 140 yuan, 10,000 units would be worth a full 1.4 million yuan!

Even if you have money, you can't waste it like this!

"You think they won't sell?"

Zheng Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them.

"Zheng Fan...you just saw the quality of this TV."

"If you don't believe it and want to try it, you really can."

"But 10,000 units is really too many."

Jiang Sishan shook her head helplessly and said this.

They witnessed the effectiveness of these five trial-produced samples.

It's electronic waste in the standard sense!

If you were to cheat and deceive, deliberately exaggerating some parameters, you might still be able to sell some products.

But Zheng Fan insisted that the parameter information be written down clearly.

How could anyone possibly buy this?

Anyone with a normal IQ would probably ignore this price.

"It seems like there's a bit too much."

After listening to Jiang Sishan's words, Zheng Fan lowered his head slightly, stroked his chin, and muttered to himself.

Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Jiang Sishan's face.

This Zheng Fan is quite obedient to advice.

"Right, how about we order a thousand units to try it out first? Anyway, the suppliers are all in Penang, so it'll be easy to place more orders."

"no."

Zheng Fan looked at Jiang Sishan and shook his head.

"what?"

"Ten thousand units is indeed too many; production can't keep up. After you've put the products on the shelves, go and hire some new employees."

"We currently have only five workers, and on average, one TV rolls off the production line every six minutes. Even at full capacity, we can only produce less than 100 TVs a day."

"This is too slow."

"Let's expand two production lines and hire 10 more workers. Oh, and we also need to hire two customer service representatives for the stores."

"Try to get this done as well as possible in the next couple of days."

"There's nothing else to do, so I'll head out now."

After saying that, before the two could react, Zheng Fan's figure disappeared from sight.

……

"??????"

"Did I hear that right? They're going to produce 10,000 of these??"

"Is this streamer preparing to start a war? With so many bombs?"

"Holy crap, I've never seen a TV with such low resolution in my entire life."

"This color accuracy is worse than even a Nokia phone from decades ago!"

"This is pure industrial waste! Electronic waste!"

"The streamer who's been off-air for three days seems to have really changed..."

"Seriously, is the streamer out of their mind? This stuff actually sells?"

"To be honest, I wouldn't even want it if it were given to me for free; it takes up too much space."

"You're taking my good intentions for granted. Jiang Sishan gave me such earnest advice, but I still won't listen."

"Does the streamer really think our viewers will actually buy it?"

"It's 100% intended to be sold to fans, it's shameless."

"Even the screens at supermarket checkouts aren't this bad!"

"Just because I'm a fan of Zheng Fan doesn't mean I'm mentally challenged..."

"We'd be lucky to sell even one!"

"..."

Upon hearing Zheng Fan's arrangement, the audience was stunned.

Such a terrible product, and they're going to make so many changes right from the start?

Once the viewers realized what was happening, a barrage of sarcastic comments instantly flooded the entire live stream.

……

Yuzhou, an urban village.

As dusk fell, Chen Jianping, wearing an orange fluorescent sanitation worker vest, rode his tricycle along the crowded side streets.

In his sixties, his hair was already gray and his body was somewhat hunched. When he encountered an uphill section, he could only grit his teeth and pedal forward with all his might.

The uphill road was only a little over 200 meters long, but after riding up it, Chen Jianping was already covered in sweat.

However, he didn't bother to wipe himself clean; instead, he sped up and eventually rode into a small courtyard.

The yard wasn't big; it was just big enough to park a tricycle. The yard wall was made of various broken wooden planks, of different heights, and looked very fragile.

There was only one small house in the yard. Bottles and jars that had been collected were neatly arranged on the windowsill. Although the door was old and worn, it was cleaned very well.

After parking the car, Chen Jianping wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, and then took a plastic bag out of the truck bed where the broom was placed.

With a creak, the door opened, and a smile appeared on Chen Jianping's face.

"Little Li from Caishikou delivered some prawns today. Should I steam them or braise them?"

Chen Jianping shook the bag and looked at a wooden bed in the corner.

The room was also very dilapidated, with some of the paint peeling off the walls and the floor paved with bluestone bricks.

However, it was still very clean, and there wasn't even a speck of dust in the cracks between the bricks.

On that wooden bed lay a figure with white hair.

"You're taking other people's things for free again. Do you think it's easy for Xiao Li to sell his stuff?"

Liu Cuifang lay against the headboard and said irritably.

"Don't worry, I secretly slipped him some money. I'm not the kind of person who likes to take advantage of others."

Chen Jianping replied with a smile.

"Even though they're dead shrimp, they're still pretty expensive, right? Why buy this stuff? I'd rather buy a block of tofu. I can't chew big shrimp anyway."

"You're lying at home all day, and the doctor said you need to eat more good food to nourish yourself."

"I don't want to eat it. You're so old and you're always running around. You're the one who needs to replenish your energy."

"Why would I need supplements? Look at me, I ride my bike every day, I'm in great shape. There are plenty of young people who aren't as fit as me."

While bickering with his wife, Chen Jianping quickly began cleaning the shrimp in the bag.

Turning his head to steal a glance at Liu Cuifang, Chen Jianping couldn't help but smile happily.

They spent most of their lives together. Although they had no children and lived in poverty, their love was very sincere.

However, thinking of this, Chen Jianping couldn't help but feel a little sad.

My spouse has been paralyzed for over thirty years and can only lie in bed every day, waiting for me to come home.

Being a sanitation worker is tiring, but at least I can see the scenery.

But for her husband, all she could do every day was look out the window and watch the sun rise and set.

All I can do is bring her something new every day to cheer her up.

While I was thinking, the meal was ready.

Chen Jianping skillfully moved a small table over and placed it on the bed, then brought over the bowls and chopsticks.

After another round of mutual refusals, the old man finally began to savor this rare delicacy slowly.

"How about I buy you a TV?"

Suddenly, Chen Jianping spoke up.

"What did you say! What would I need a TV for?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Cuifang frowned, put down her chopsticks, and reprimanded him.

"You can lie here all day, watch TV, and pass the time."

"Why don't you suggest buying a plane or a cannon? Are those things we can afford?"

"It's just a little over a thousand dollars. I have about the same amount of money in my savings account now."

"Almost? We buy it, and then what? Are we just going to watch TV and wait to starve to death?"

Liu Cuifang rolled her eyes at Chen Jianping and said irritably.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianping chuckled, said nothing more, and continued eating.

However, a seed was quietly planted in my heart.

He didn't have much savings, and he had to buy medicine for his wife every month. The thousand yuan in his savings account was what he had saved up over the years.

However, Chen Jianping took it all in stride.

They're all in their sixties or seventies, they won't live much longer, what's the use of saving so much money?

Buying a TV for the home is enough to keep my spouse from getting bored every day.