Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

At the end of November, the shipment from Europe departed on schedule.

Claire called to confirm that the goods had been received without any problems: "Lynn, the purchasing manager at Argos told me that the twist bikes only stayed in their warehouse for three days before being distributed to various stores, and the replenishment orders are already in the approval process."

How fast?

"We'll definitely place another order before Christmas, but the exact number is still under discussion."

Lin Ying noted this down; Christmas is the peak season for toy sales in Europe, and if they managed to get in at this time, there's a high chance of getting repeat orders next spring.

In early December, Lucas also received good news: the first batch of goods sold at eight independent toy stores in New York sold out 80% within two weeks. Scooters were especially popular, with two stores ordering three times the usual quantity.

"Lynn, my uncle said that the Toys "R" Us regional manager from the East Coast is coming to Los Angeles for a meeting next month, and he wants to bring some samples to meet him."

This is your opportunity to expand sales.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On December 12th, Wu Yongyuan of Cinda Investors delivered the toy factory's annual financial statements to Kadoorie Hill.

Lin Ying flipped through it in the study.

In the domestic retail sector, annual sales reached 8.7 million RMB, with a net profit of 3.2 million RMB. In the export sector, orders from Europe and the United States brought in foreign exchange equivalent to 4.6 million RMB.

Together, the net profit is nearly 7.8 million RMB.

An investment of five million was recouped in the first year, and a profit of over two million was made.

Lin Ying closed the report, picked up the phone and called Factory Director Zhou: "You've worked hard this year. Give all the factory workers an extra three months' salary as a bonus at the end of the year; you too."

Factory Manager Zhou thanked her over the phone, saying, "Ms. Lin is so generous! The workers will definitely be happy."

"In addition, Lin Weiqiang's management allowance will increase by two thousand starting next month; he has done a good job this year."

"Okay, I'll tell him."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Ying opened another document on the table.

This was sent by Director Zhao from Beijing. It wasn't sent by fax; it was sent by registered mail. The kraft paper envelope contained only one sheet of paper with a few lines of text and a number printed on it.

Annual profit sharing for the mobile phone project: RMB 1200 million.

Lin Ying folded the paper and put it into the safe.

Twelve million.

The company made so much money in the first year of mass production of mobile phones. If production capacity doubles next year and base stations are deployed nationwide the year after, this number will only go up.

The cash flow she currently has, plus the money Claire manages in her US stock accounts, adds up to a considerable sum.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On December 20th, He Dazhu was reading the newspaper in the living room.

Lin Ying came out of the study with a bank statement in her hand and sat down on the sofa.

"Old Dou, I need to discuss something with you."

"you say."

"I'm going to open an account for you and Mommy, and deposit money into them every month as your living expenses and pocket money."

He Dazhu put down the newspaper: "Aren't you already providing for household expenses?"

"Household expenses are household expenses, this is your own private money. Buy whatever you want without reporting to me."

He Dazhu was a little embarrassed: "How much?"

"Fifty thousand per person per month."

It took He Dazhu a long time to speak before he finally managed to say, "Fifty thousand Hong Kong dollars? A month?"

"Not enough?"

"It's not that it's too little! It's too much! I used to earn just over ten thousand a month as a carpenter! What am I going to do with fifty thousand? I don't gamble, smoke, or drink!"

Lin Lanying came out of the kitchen and asked, "Who will give 50,000?"

"Ah Mei said she'd give each of us 50,000 yuan a month in pocket money," He Dazhu said, pointing at Lin Ying.

Lin Lanying looked puzzled: "Does your daughter think we're not dressed well enough?"

Lin Ying quickly explained, "It has nothing to do with what you wear; you're getting older, and having money in your own hands makes you feel more at ease; if you want to travel, buy something, or treat your friends to a meal, you don't have to ask me for money every time."

Lin Lanying thought about it and agreed, but still said, "That's too much, 20,000 is enough."

The matter was finally settled on 35,000 yuan per person. Lin Ying conceded 15,000 yuan, and Lin Lanying conceded 15,000 yuan. He Dazhu did not express any opinion throughout the process. He knew that it would be useless for him to interrupt when the mother and daughter were discussing things.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the last week of the year, Chen Guodong submitted his first survey report, a preliminary draft of a survey on the mainland television industry.

Lin Ying sat in the study for half an hour.

Chen Guodong is indeed meticulous in his work. The report was divided into four sections: industry status, analysis of major companies, distribution of technical talents, and potential cooperation opportunities.

"Currently, the three best TV manufacturers in mainland China are Changhong, Skyworth, and Konka." Chen Guodong sat across from us, holding his own copy for comparison. "Changhong is located in Sichuan, with the largest production capacity, high volume, and low prices; Skyworth has only been around for a few years, but its technical team is good; Konka is in Shenzhen, which is the closest to us."

Lin Ying turned to the page for technical talent: "You labeled six people?"

"Yes; these six people come from the R&D and production management departments of these three companies; their educational backgrounds are all quite good, two are from Tsinghua University and three are from South China University of Technology."

What about non-compete agreements?

"Four of them are available, but the shortest term expires next June; I'm still confirming the other two."

Lin Ying nodded: "Keep following up. There's one more thing. Television factories not only need technical backbones, but also sales talents who understand the mainland market channels; please investigate this as well."

"Understood; Ms. Lin, there's one more thing I'd like to confirm with you: when do you plan to officially launch this television project?"

"The second half of next year." Lin Ying closed the report. "First, make sure the people are in good condition; I'll handle the funding."

After Chen Guodong left, Lin Ying sat in the study for a while.

She knew that the period from the late 1990s to 2010 was a time of rapid expansion and extremely fierce competition in the mainland television industry; every household was replacing their CRT color TVs, and there was still a huge gap in the rural market waiting to be filled.

She didn't intend to compete head-on with Changhong and the others; those companies were waging a price war, selling a TV for almost less than the cost price; she wouldn't do that.

Her approach is to focus on the mid-to-high-end market, with leading technology and superior quality.

First, gather all the people, start construction on the factory next year, and start producing products the year after; the timeline is neither too fast nor too slow, and it's sufficient.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the first day of the new year, Lin Qian returned to Kadoorie Hill to stay.

As soon as she walked in, she exclaimed, "Hey lady! Guess what gossip I heard at the law firm today?"

"I won't guess."

Lin Qian sat down and said, "The son of a senior partner in our firm met a woman on a blind date last month, and was scammed out of 800,000 yuan on their third date!"

He Dazhu peeked out from the garden: "How did you trick me?"

"The woman said her family business was having cash flow problems and asked to borrow 800,000 yuan for an emergency, then disappeared; later, it was discovered that she was specifically targeting rich second-generation heirs! She had already scammed three!"

Lin Lanying, holding a bowl of snacks, said, "That's why I always say, you must check someone's background before dating!"

Lin Qian looked at Lin Ying: "Big sister, it's a good thing you don't have a boyfriend, it saves you so much trouble."

Lin Ying immediately changed the subject: "What about you? Are you at risk of being scammed?"

"Me?" Lin Qian shrugged. "My monthly salary is nine thousand yuan. Even scammers would think it's too little and wouldn't bother to scam me."

He Dazhu chuckled from the side, "Then you're safe."