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

On the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, Kadoorie Hill was bustling with activity from early morning. This year, the whole family came here to celebrate the New Year.

Lin Lanying and her grandmother were busy frying dumplings in the kitchen, He Dazhu was wiping tables and chairs in the yard, and Lin Qian was assigned to put up Spring Festival couplets. He started to doubt his life after putting up the third couplet.

"Old Dou, isn't this 'Fu' character crooked?"

He Dazhu looked at it and said, "It'll look more handmade if it's a little crooked."

Lin Qian: "Are you just too lazy to re-paste it?"

He Dazhu shoved a rag into his hand: "You're so good at talking, you wipe the table."

Lin Qian immediately pressed the "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character flat: "I think it's very upright."

Lin Ying was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV when the phone in the study suddenly rang.

Lin Lanying called from the kitchen, "Lin Ying! It's New Year's Day today, don't talk for too long!"

Lin Ying picked up the phone: "I'll try my best."

On the other end of the phone was Chen Guodong: "Ms. Lin, Happy New Year! Sorry to disturb your New Year celebrations."

"Happy New Year; your call at this time can't be just a simple New Year's greeting."

Chen Guodong chuckled: "There is indeed something going on; the Shenzhen factory is progressing faster than originally planned. The construction team has given us a new timeframe. The main construction will be completed by the end of April, and equipment installation and trial operation can begin in May."

Lin Ying was somewhat surprised: "Can it be completed in May?"

"At the current pace, there's no problem; the office building, dormitories, two production plants, and testing building can all be completed in time. The R&D center will be a little slower, but it won't affect the first phase of mass production."

Lin Ying glanced at the calendar on the table: "Then we need to start recruiting in March."

"That's what I mean too; general workers, quality inspectors, warehouse staff, security guards, canteen staff, and administrative staff all need to come in for training in advance; we have Liu Yang and his team of technicians, but there's a huge shortage of manpower on the production line."

Lin Ying opened her notebook: "We'll reserve 2,000 general workers for now, and recruit 800 to 1,000 in the first batch."

After noting it down, Chen Guodong asked, "What about the work system? I need to include it in the recruitment plan."

"Three shifts, two days off per week; guaranteed base salary of 300 yuan per month, piecework pay is extra; night shift allowance, full attendance bonus, and meal allowance are all clearly stated."

Chen Guodong exclaimed, "Ms. Lin, this guaranteed minimum is higher than that of the surrounding factories."

"How much higher?"

"The minimum wage for a regular factory worker is about 220 to 260 yuan, and for a better one it's 280 yuan; if you offer 300 yuan, plus piecework and subsidies, you'll attract people to your factory."

Lin Ying: "What I want is to attract outstanding people."

Chen Guodong cautioned, "Our competitors might have objections."

"If they have complaints, that's their business; talent should be awarded to the highest bidder, and ordinary workers are also talent! The stability of an assembly line doesn't depend on the boss shouting slogans, but on paying wages on time!"

Chen Guodong laughed: "I knew you would say that."

"Add another clause: accommodation is free, water and electricity are provided at a basic rate, and any excess will be charged according to actual usage; the canteen is not allowed to cook bad food, otherwise the workers will not have the energy to work if they don't eat well."

"I'll write this down."

Lin Ying thought for a moment: "We should also pay during the training period, so let's not do free trial work. I don't need that little bit of money. The quality inspection position pays a grade higher than the general worker position. We can't skimp on key positions."

"clear."

As soon as the phone call ended, Lin Lanying came out with a plate of fried dumplings: "You've gone to great lengths, I've already used up a whole batch of oil in the fryer."

Lin Ying closed her notebook: "The factory will be completed in May, and I need to arrange for recruitment."

Lin Qian: "Finished in May? Sis, isn't that a bit alarming?"

"With the money in place, people overseeing the project, and procedures completed smoothly, the project can proceed quickly."

Lin Qian picked up a small card: "It sounds simple, but actually only you think it's simple."

He Dazhu sat down and drank tea: "Sister, I don't want a high salary, but don't want it to be too low either; when I was a carpenter, if my boss shortchanged me by twenty dollars, I would remember it for three years."

Lin Lanying nodded: "Workers come out to work to support their families, right? If you pay them well, they'll be willing to work hard."

Lin Qian, chewing on a small dumpling, said, "I think so too; sis, when are you going to raise the fees for lawyers too?"

Lin Ying looked at him: "What's the point of telling me if your boss won't give you a raise?"

Lin Qian clutched his chest: "Dear sister, shouldn't you consult an auspicious day before injuring someone during the Lunar New Year?"

Before the Lunar New Year was even over, job postings had already been put up in Shenzhen.

Yingchuang Technology Holdings is hiring for its Phase I color TV factory: guaranteed base salary of 300 RMB, piece-rate pay is additional, accommodation provided, meal allowance, night shift allowance, and salary will be paid during the training period.

Within days of the news spreading, several factories around Shenzhen couldn't sit still.

Chen Guodong received one phone call after another. Some were polite, some were impolite, and some even implied that Yingchuang was disrupting the market.

Chen Guodong reported the situation directly to Lin Ying: "Ms. Lin, the boss of Hongfa Electric sent someone to say that our recruitment method will raise wages in the surrounding area."

Lin Ying was looking at the settlement reports from the toy factory and the mobile phone company: "How dare he say that?"

"Another company said that we are a Hong Kong-funded enterprise and do not understand local rules."

"Who made the rules?"

Chen Guodong: "That was the default thing before."

"Then let them accept it again." Lin Ying put the report aside. "I'm not offering a thousand dollars to poach people, it's only three hundred as a minimum! If they can't even handle this, it means they were exploited too much before."

Chen Guodong said, "I'm afraid they'll sabotage me from behind."

"Take normal precautions; arrange security guards at recruitment sites, ensure contracts and procedures are standardized, and make sure employee onboarding information is accurate; if someone causes trouble, call the police and don't argue with them."

"it is good."

"Also, don't exaggerate when recruiting; if it involves night shifts, say it involves night shifts; if it's piecework, say it's piecework. Don't lure people in and then change your tune."

Chen Guodong: "I'll keep an eye on this."

In early March 1996, Liu Yang, Li Jia, and Liu Ya arrived in Shenzhen together.

The three people got out of the car and looked at the newly built factory area in front of them. The exterior walls of the office building had just been painted, the steel frames of the factory buildings were neat, and the windows of the dormitory building were still covered with protective paper; the road was being paved, and there was a smell of cement and paint in the air.

Liu Yang, dragging his suitcase, stood at the door for a long time: "When I was at Institute D3, I dealt with old tables and chairs every day; now, suddenly seeing such a new factory, I feel a little out of place."

Li Jia also looked at the testing building: "Where is the materials lab?"

Chen Guodong immediately pointed the way: "On the second floor on the east side, moisture-proofing, dust-proofing, and ventilation have all been prepared according to Ms. Lin's requirements. The equipment list awaits your confirmation."

Liu Ya: "Where's the reliability testing area?"

"Space has been reserved on the first and second floors of the testing building; for the temperature control room, aging room, and vibration testing area."

Liu Yang turned to look at Lin Ying: "Boss, where's my office?"

Lin Ying looked at him: "You're really thinking about this?"

"Of course. I've been eyeing this place all the way from Beijing to Shenzhen; this is my first office in my life!"

Chen Guodong replied with a smile, "There are windows, it's on the third floor facing east, so the lighting is good."

Liu Yang was immediately satisfied: "President Chen, I think you are a good leader."

Lin Ying reminded him, "I pay your salary."

Liu Yang immediately fawned, "The boss is even better."

Li Jia shook her head from the side: "You're so realistic."

Liu Yang: "A person who earns 200,000 a year should show respect to the person who pays their salary."

The group first looked at the factory area, then at the dormitories; the dormitories had single and four-person rooms, each with a private bathroom, and the beds and cabinets were all new; Liu Ya nodded after looking around: "It's better than I expected."

Lin Ying said, "Before the first batch of workers move in, we will check the water, electricity, and ventilation again; it's hot in the summer, and if the dormitories are stuffy, there will be a lot of complaints."

Chen Guodong wrote in his notebook: "I'll arrange it."

That evening, Lin Ying and Chen Guodong went to the Shenzhen Investment Promotion Bureau to attend a signing ceremony.

The other party offered a number of support conditions: employee training subsidies, assistance in settling technical personnel in the city, targeted placement of apprentices in schools, and reserved quotas for talent apartments in the future.

Director Huang, who was in charge of receiving them, smiled warmly: "Ms. Lin, we attach great importance to the Yingchuang project; it's a major project and a high-tech manufacturing project. If you encounter any difficulties later, you can come directly to me."

Lin Ying turned to the page on talent introduction in the document: "I will be bringing in engineers from other places, as well as local workers; the procedures need to be expedited, especially the resettlement of the technical personnel's families and their children's school enrollment."

Director Huang nodded: "We can coordinate it. As long as the conditions are met, we will do our best to do it."

Chen Guodong added from the side: "We will start trial operation in May and prepare to officially launch the first-generation product around July. The time is very tight."

"A press conference?" Director Huang perked up. "We can cooperate with the publicity for that."

Lin Ying nodded: "At that time, we will need to invite venues, media, and distributors. I will have Mr. Chen discuss the specific plan with you."

As things progressed, equipment began to arrive at the factory, and queues formed at the recruitment booths. Liu Yang and his two colleagues were extremely busy.