Chapter Nineteen: Establishing One’s Own Path

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaocheng felt a sense of regret that Li Dongling would not be joining the Component Factory, though he was not particularly surprised. Zhou Wenyan and Zhang Ao looked at Li Dongling, each wanting to say something but hesitating.

"Taking the plunge" into business was a unique term for people of this era. Whether it was employees of state-run institutions, government departments, college students, or ordinary citizens, news of people making millions by jumping into the sea of commerce was everywhere. Yet, more people were unable to survive the turbulent waters; they sank to the bottom, ending up not only penniless but saddled with debts, never to recover for the rest of their lives.

Liu Jiande’s decision to transfer Li Dongling away from the No. 1 Wireless Factory had, in a way, "assisted" him. It allowed Li Dongling to use someone else’s resources to get ahead, launching the satellite dish project through the Shangguan Town Component Factory and earning his first pot of gold. Now, Liu had "assisted" him a second time. However, Li Dongling intended to get to the bottom of Liu Jiande’s actions, as well as the incident involving Qin Fang on the day of the report, so that he could properly "repay" him.

Regarding Li Dongling’s departure to establish his own company, neither Zhou Wenyan nor Zhang Ao were surprised. The satellite dish project had been Li Dongling’s brainchild; from design to technology to sales, he had managed almost everything himself, merely using Zhang Xiaocheng and the Component Factory as a front. They didn’t know exactly how much Li Dongling had made from the project, but since they themselves had earned so much in bonuses and commissions, it was impossible for Li Dongling to have made any less.

"Old Li, you’ll have to look out for us in the future. If there’s any good fortune, don’t forget your brothers!" Zhang Ao said in his usual devil-may-care tone, but he added, "If you ever need me for anything, just say the word."

Zhang Ao actually wanted to strike out on his own as well, especially lately. Leading the sales department with Fan Xugang and the others to promote the satellite dishes, he had earned a significant amount in commissions. Seeing such large sums of money pass through their hands, it was impossible not to be tempted. If Li Dongling’s new company could launch a second project like the satellite dish, following him would certainly lead to great wealth. But no one knew what the future held, and Zhang Ao was still reluctant to give up the steady stream of commissions from the current project. He planned to take Fan Xugang and the others to explore markets outside the province; every order he sold brought him a generous commission, and he couldn't bear to walk away now.

Zhou Wenyan, looking at Li Dongling, was different. Compared to Zhang Ao, he preferred stability. The rebellious act of leaving a state-run factory was something he couldn't bring himself to do. Although he had been kicked out of the No. 1 Wireless Factory, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise; the current Component Factory was far better, and he had even become the director of the production department. He couldn't imagine leaving all this to gamble on Li Dongling’s venture.

"There will be opportunities!" Li Dongling said with a smile. He felt that there would indeed be a place for Zhang Ao in the future. Zhang Ao had a real talent for sales—he was thick-skinned, daring, able to get along with anyone, and quick-witted. In this era, especially before the internet became widespread, no matter what you were selling, you couldn't do without a sales team.

Selling in this day and age required more than just reading people and being persistent after rejection; it meant handling all sorts of trouble. Highway robberies, road bandits, and thieves were not uncommon. Salespeople had to be able to sell products while navigating these dangers; the average person couldn't handle it. Those who succeeded earned handsome commissions and lived much better than the average person, but if things went wrong, they could lose everything.

Regardless of what Li Dongling did in the future, he would need to build his own sales team and distribution channels. Even in the internet age, companies like Jack Ma’s Alibaba relied on a group of sales staff in t-shirts, riding motorcycles or bicycles, going door-to-door to secure orders to survive their most difficult period.

When Li Dongling and Zhang Xiaocheng reached the office, Li Dongling knew what Zhang was going to ask. He spoke directly, "I will continue to cooperate with the Shangguan Town Component Factory on the satellite dish project. However, from now on, the party interfacing with the factory will be Dongling High-Tech."

Dongling High-Tech was the company Li Dongling had previously established, the one that had signed the agreement with the Component Factory. The satellite dish was currently in its peak growth phase, bringing him a large dividend every day; there was no way he would let go of that.

"That’s good. With your word, I can finally rest easy!" Zhang Xiaocheng let out a long sigh of relief. Although he was the factory director, Li Dongling had been the one pulling the strings. Zhang was merely the one running the errands. If Li Dongling had abandoned such a massive venture, Zhang would have been terrified of the whole thing collapsing.

The traffic at the entrance of the Component Factory was endless. Even at night, the lights remained bright. The entire factory had switched to two shifts, with workers putting together satellite dishes around the clock, yet supply still couldn't keep up with demand. Especially in neighboring Shangzhong, Gui City, and even the provincial capital of Xiyuan, dealers had begun testing the waters. The satellite dish market across Hanxi Province was exploding. No matter how many were produced daily, it wasn't enough. Dealers from other regions were paying in advance just to secure their stock!

In the provincial capital, dealers were selling the dishes starting at four hundred yuan, and they were still flying off the shelves because there was no competition. Dealers were flocking to the Component Factory, desperate to get their hands on inventory. The factory already had a backlog of nearly sixty thousand orders. If Zhang Ao and his team opened up markets outside the province, that number would likely double!

The Component Factory had now attracted the attention of both the Shangguan Town and Pingyang municipal governments. It was hard not to notice: a monthly revenue of nearly nine million, with the potential to double the following month. If it weren't for production capacity limiting sales, the factory would have made major headlines this year.

The forty acres of land next to the factory had been specially approved for the Component Factory by Shangguan Town. The villagers whose land was requisitioned received thousands of yuan in compensation and were hired as official employees of the factory, guaranteeing them a stable livelihood. To them, this was far better than farming. If the factory hadn't stopped needing land, the surrounding villagers would have been happy to hand over all their fields.

The construction crew had already begun digging foundations and leveling the ground. Because payment was prompt, progress was fast. Once the ground was ready, a simple factory building would be erected, and by the middle of next month, production would begin to increase the satellite dish capacity.

At the end of the month, the Component Factory distributed its first round of dividends, and Li Dongling received about six hundred thousand yuan!

Riding his bicycle, Li Dongling wove through the streets and alleys of Pingyang. The streets were filled with a flowing stream of bicycles, and pedestrians moved without haste; the pace of life in this era was not fast. For Li Dongling, these streets were both familiar and strange. They existed in his memories from the past, before the entire city center was eventually demolished and replaced with high-rise buildings.

He passed the Cultural Palace, where many young men and women gathered; it had a roller skating rink, a popular spot for leisure and entertainment. Across from it was Pingyang’s largest clothing market, which was always incredibly busy on weekends.

Li Dongling arrived at Changqing Road. In the future, this road would become a hub for numerous companies in Pingyang. While it didn't have as many tall buildings yet, many local companies chose to have offices here, though it was still dominated by state-owned enterprises, with some out-of-town companies setting up offices as well.

As Li Dongling entered Changqing Road and reached number 25, a young man wearing sunglasses, leaning against a motorcycle and striking a pose while puffing on a cigarette, immediately waved him over.

"You must be Brother Li, right? I’m Gao Peng. You can just call me Old Gao!"

Li Dongling looked him over. This was the person Zhang Ao had introduced to him. It was said that he was very well-connected in Pingyang. If one needed to handle matters related to the municipal government or find something hard to locate, this guy could get it done nine times out of ten. His father worked in the municipal office.

"Zhang Ao and I are brothers; we’re all on the same side. I’ll definitely get this taken care of for you!" Gao Peng said, patting his chest.

"How’s this building? I ran all over Pingyang to find this place according to your requirements. It used to be the office for the Second Machinery Factory. It’s a two-story building, and there are several courtyards in the back where the workers used to rest..."