Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 153 Lighting a Glimmer of Light

In the small conference room of Chengke Micro Motor Factory, only Chen Mo and Zhou Mingzhe remained.

Outside the window, the thin winter fog unique to this mountain city enveloped the rolling hills. This mountain city is also known as the Fog City!
Chen Mo didn't directly talk about work, but instead asked casually, "Mingzhe, I remember your hometown is Yunnan Province, right? It's quite close to Chongqing!"

Zhou Mingzhe nodded and pushed up his black-rimmed glasses: "Yes, Mr. Chen, from Yucheng, Yunnan Province."

"Oh? I've heard of that place, it's one of the top ten most livable cities in the country, right? The climate is great!" Chen Mo smiled and steered the conversation: "From Jade City to Shenzhen, from school to Orange City. That's quite a leap!"

"What were you thinking back then?" Chen Mo tapped the conference table lightly.

Zhou Mingzhe scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "I made a biomimetic cockroach joint for my graduation project. I was lucky enough to win an award, and I was recruited by Engineer Jiang to join our Orange Company during the second round of interviews!"

"Luck is also part of strength!"

Chen Mo affirmed, then changed the subject: "You know Director Liu Mingzhen of Yuancheng, right?"

Zhou Mingzhe immediately sat up straighter, his eyes filled with respect: "Of course I know! A top researcher in the energy field, a role model for our technology department to learn from!"

Chen Mo leaned forward slightly, looking at him sincerely.

"Mingzhe!"

If you are willing to stay at Orange Science in Chongqing, I plan to appoint you as the head of the Orange Science Laboratory, directly matching Director Liu's position at Far East Orange.

From now on, you will be in charge of Orange Science Lab No. 2!

"Ah? Me! Mr. Chen, this..."

Zhou Mingzhe's eyes widened instantly, his hand instinctively holding onto his glasses which were about to slip off, and his hunched back straightened considerably.

He waved his hand hastily, his tone filled with disbelief and fear.

"President Chen! This is too much of an honor for me. I am not very knowledgeable or experienced. I have been with the company for less than half a year. I am afraid I am not capable of taking on such an important responsibility!"

"I can handle it!" Chen Mo said firmly, with unquestionable trust: "This ant-inspired gyroscope and micro-motor solution was proposed by you, and Professor Lin was only willing to provide us with the biomimetic parameters of the red imported fire ant because of your connection!"

"You participated in the entire R&D process from concept to prototype, contributing core ideas and key verifications. Your abilities are evident to all. Be confident; you are a core member of our Orange team, one of the 54 'fruit pieces.' Don't underestimate yourself!"

He paused, his tone becoming even gentler, with a persuasive quality.

"Besides, isn't Chongqing closer to your hometown in Yunnan Province than Shenzhen? Young man, don't worry too much about changes in the environment; making money and developing your career are the only real things!"

Although Chen Mo was the younger of the two, he looked more experienced.

That's right! Chen Mo wanted to keep Zhou Mingzhe, the "Engineer Zhou," at Orange Technology to guide the mass production of MYT-2 and MYW-1, and also to serve as a "supervisor."

The other party was one of the 54 orange segments that had passed the test. By leaving it in the Citrus family as a seed, Chen Mo was able to ensure that the culture and spirit of the orange could flourish.

Chen Mo then dropped a bombshell: "You're an assistant engineer in the hardware R&D group of the technology department in Shenzhen, and you only make seven or eight thousand a month!"

"But if you stay at Shancheng Orange Technology as the technical director and work with Factory Director Feng to oversee the mass production of MYT-2 and MYW-1, your starting salary will be 20,000!"

Our compensation is directly comparable to that of your department head, Engineer Jiang!
Think about it carefully! "

"Twenty thousand!"

This number struck Zhou Mingzhe like a bolt of lightning.

Mr. Chen, you should have said so earlier!
His slightly hunched back straightened instantly, like a taut spring.

Overwhelmed with a mix of surprise and a sense of responsibility, Zhou Mingzhe immediately expressed his support without hesitation.

"President Chen! I'm willing! I'm willing to stay at Shancheng Orange Technology, and I guarantee to cooperate well with Factory Director Feng to complete the mass production task. I will never let oranges down, and I will never let you down!"

Seeing the fighting spirit and determination burning in Zhou Mingzhe's eyes, Chen Mo smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay! I believe you! Orange Company will inject another 50 million into Orange Technology."

Your Lab 2 needs to be up and running as soon as possible, not only to ensure the yield rate of mass production, but also to develop more commercially compatible solutions for our MYT series gyroscopes and MYW series micro motors!

Think about how to apply them to more fields!

Zhou Mingzhe felt the weight on his shoulders and nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, President Chen! I will do my best! It's just that engineering applications are indeed my weakness, but I will learn and make up for it as soon as possible!"

"It's good that you have the intention!" Chen Mo encouraged, "But you don't have to tough it out in the early stages, you can find help!"

"Remember, you are the first of our 54 core 'orange seeds' to truly 'go out' and stand on your own!"

"Work hard in the future, and bring Orange Technology's ideals of equality, along with its culture and spirit of pursuing technology, pragmatism, and innovation, to take root and flourish at Orange Technology!"

"Yes, Mr. Chen! I will definitely not let you down!" Zhou Mingzhe straightened his back, his eyes firm.

"Do a good job! I look forward to your performance," Chen Mo encouraged with a smile.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Mo gathered the core backbone of Orange Science and Technology: Factory Director Feng, Master Liu, Master Wang, and his brother-in-law and workshop director Fan Xingping.

"Everyone!" Chen Mo got straight to the point: "I'm announcing a personnel appointment!"

"Effective immediately, Mr. Zhou Mingzhe will officially serve as the Technical Director of Orange Micro Motor Factory, responsible for technology research and development and mass production support. Welcome him!"

Applause erupted in the conference room.

Factory Director Feng nodded with a "I knew it" expression. He had just said it; this Engineer Zhou who came with the big boss was the "supervisor."

But with this "supervisor" arriving, Factory Director Feng felt relieved, at least proving that General Manager Chen wouldn't abandon their Orange Science and let it fend for itself.

Looking at the young man who had been working alongside them on tough challenges in the lab, Master Liu and Master Wang were filled with recognition and admiration.

Fan Xingping, as one of their own, warmly welcomed them.

Zhou Mingzhe stood up, bowed slightly, and said with a hint of nervousness but sincerity, "Thank you for your trust, General Manager Chen! Thank you everyone! I hope you will continue to guide me, Director Feng, Director Fan, and all the other mentors!"

"Alright, personnel matters are settled, let's get down to business!"

Chen Mo's expression turned serious: "Next, Orange Company will invest 5000 million."

Of that, 200 million was used to buy Orange Technology from me personally, turning it into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orange Company.

The remaining 4800 million will be directly injected into Orange Technology's account for equipment upgrades and capacity expansion!

His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone carrying a sense of urgency.

"I've checked out that small production line in the factory; the equipment is too outdated!"
Is Orange Technology's current production capacity only 2000 pieces per day?
This is completely out of step with the future mass production needs of Orange phones!
The Orange 2 phone will begin mass production in May!
You must increase your production capacity to a medium-sized factory level of 80,000 units per day within three months!

"Money is not a problem! A little short-term overcapacity is also not a problem!"

Chen Mo's tone became more serious: "But if you can't produce enough qualified gyroscopes and micromotors when Orange 2 goes into mass production in May, and that holds you back, then there will be a big problem!"

"If you don't have enough money, just report it to Gong Yun, the head steward at Orange's headquarters. I only care about the results!"

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy.

Factory Director Feng frowned, pondered for a moment, and cautiously spoke: "President Chen, there are some things I'm not sure if I should say?"

Chen Mo tapped the table with his finger, his tone calm yet powerful.

"Director Feng, I'm a straightforward person; I'm honest and straightforward, and I don't judge people based on their opinions."

If you have any good suggestions or difficulties, just say so.

As long as it's for the factory's good and to steadily increase production capacity, I, Chen Mo, have the magnanimity to let it go. There's no need for all that empty talk!

Only after receiving Chen Mo's assurance did Factory Director Feng breathe a sigh of relief and say, "That's right, Mr. Chen! Expanding production capacity is nothing more than money, people, and equipment."

"You've solved the biggest problem of funding. Training a batch of apprentices to work on the basic production line in three months shouldn't be a big issue either. The key difficulty lies in the equipment."

He paused for a moment, then offered his core suggestion.

"I suggest prioritizing the purchase of a batch of second-hand foreign equipment!"

"Hmm?" Chen Mo was somewhat surprised: "Money isn't an issue, so why not just buy a brand new one?"

Factory Director Feng gave a wry smile and began to explain the "unspoken rules" and practical considerations of the manufacturing industry to Chen Mo, the boss who came from a technical background:

1. Time is life:
"Mr. Chen, going from 2000 workpieces/day to 8 workpieces/day in three months is too tight a timeframe!"

From ordering, production, shipping, customs clearance, installation and commissioning, it takes at least half a year for brand new equipment to be ready!

The day lilies are cold!

However, many factories in the mountain city are relocating or upgrading for environmental protection. For example, in the old factory area of ​​Jinggang Group in Dadukou, there is a set of Neon East Precision Machinery production line that has been used for seven or eight years and is going to be sold for only 800 million!
We can reach an agreement within a week to bring it back, make simple modifications and adjustments, and achieve an effective production capacity of 5 parts per day within a month!

This is the fastest and safest way!

2. Technology embargo barriers:
"Some truly high-end precision micro-motor production lines, especially those capable of producing certain core components, are subject to a ban on the sale of brand-new equipment to us by foreign countries. Even if you have the money, you can't buy them!"

However, the secondhand market is relatively less regulated, so there are some bargains to be found.

Even after several years of use, these secondhand machines often outperform the best new domestically produced equipment we can buy in terms of accuracy and stability!

3. Hidden cost trap:
"Mr. Chen, you may not know this, but newer equipment is not necessarily better."

New equipment has a break-in period, and the yield rate fluctuates greatly and the scrap rate is high during the debugging phase!
What we lack most right now is time, and what we fear most is unstable yield during mass production ramp-up!

The used equipment has already passed its break-in period and is in stable condition. Workers can quickly learn to use it, which actually ensures better quality control of the first batch of parts supplied to Orange 2. This is crucial for our successful launch of Orange Technology!

4. Capacity flexibility buffer:
"You said that short-term overcapacity is allowed."

Using second-hand equipment to quickly establish basic production capacity, such as starting with 5 to 6 pieces per day, is the fastest and most reliable method.

Once the new equipment arrives, we can gradually replace and upgrade it, creating a buffer zone for ramping up production capacity. This way, the pressure is lower and the risk is also lower.

"Going straight to full-scale production capacity in one go would put too much pressure on us if things didn't go smoothly during setup or if the market fluctuated."

5. Cost-effectiveness and experience:

"To be honest, I've been in this industry for over 20 years, and I know which used equipment dealers are reliable and which production lines are worth buying."

Even though this old production line from Dongzhi Precision is second-hand, the equipment used by Japan is solidly built. With proper maintenance, it can be easily modified and used for another 5 to 8 years to improve its precision.

Buying a mature production line capable of producing 800 to 5 qualified products per day for 6 million is extremely cost-effective!

After listening, Chen Mo fell into a brief silence.

He was previously immersed in the excitement of Orange 2's unique technological breakthroughs, and indeed did not have a deep understanding of these "down-to-earth" rules at the bottom of the manufacturing industry.

Director Feng's words were like a bucket of cold water, making him realize the real predicament of China's precision industry.

He couldn't help but sigh: "In the end, it's still our own domestic precision industry level, especially in the area of ​​high-end equipment, that we still need to work harder!"

Mr. Liu and Mr. Wang, who were standing nearby, nodded in agreement.

Master Liu chimed in, "Mr. Chen, what Factory Director Feng said is the truth. A three-axis lathe from Neon East Precision Machinery, which has been in use for over ten years, can be used to produce qualified parts after I train a new apprentice for three months."

But even for an old guy like me, getting my hands on one of our domestically produced Shenyang Machine Tool's latest three-axis lathes requires careful exploration for a while, as a slight mishap could result in a defective product!
The difference in equipment stability and ease of use is significant!

Master Wang added with some emotion, "Yes, machine tools are the foundation of manufacturing."

We started late and have a weak foundation. In high-precision fields, especially in the 'crown jewel' of industry, such as five-axis CNC machine tools, the gap is even greater.

That thing can process complex curved surfaces, irregularly shaped parts, and ultra-thin wall parts, such as aircraft engine blades; the technical threshold is too high.

Foreign countries have imposed strict blockades on us, making it difficult to buy even secondhand items.

Even if we could buy them, the maintenance costs would be daunting. For small and medium-sized factories like ours that produce standard parts in batches, the cost-effectiveness is too low, and we don't need such complex functions. Our current expansion of production with the MYT-2 and MYW-1, using stable and reliable three-axis machine tools, is perfectly sufficient!

Listening to the heartfelt words of the two veteran workers and looking at Director Feng's pragmatic yet slightly helpless expression, Chen Mo was filled with mixed feelings.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the thin mist over the mountain city, his tone filled with unwavering determination and hope.

"Director Feng, proceed with your plan! Prioritize purchasing cost-effective second-hand equipment, especially Neon's production line. Acquire it as soon as possible, and then modify and debug it! The goal remains unchanged: even if we produce 100,000 pieces a day in three months, we won't consider it too much!"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over each core member in the conference room, his voice firm and powerful.

"The difficulties are temporary!"
Factory Director Feng, Master Liu, Master Wang, Brother-in-law, Mingzhe. Our company, Chengke, manufactures precision parts!
If we can make a breakthrough in the precision of gyroscopes and the response speed of micro motors today, others can make another breakthrough in the precision of machine tools tomorrow!
Everyone is learning little by little, making progress step by step!
The chicken and the egg both come into play; the precision of domestically produced industrial machine tools will surely catch up gradually!

Chen Mo's gaze seemed to pierce through the factory roof, looking towards a more distant future.

"We, the people of China, will be able to pluck this 'jewel in the crown of industry'—five-axis CNC machining—one day! And I believe that day is not far off!"

Chen Mo's bold words echoed in the conference room, carrying the vigor and conviction of a young man.

At that moment, he was unaware that Peking University's School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering was preparing to make a stunning debut at the Shenzhen Industrial Expo in March with its independently developed "CNC Bridge-type Gantry Five-axis Linkage Milling and Turning Composite Machine Tool".

This equipment will remove the "crown jewel" symbolizing top-level industrial manufacturing capabilities for China, and will also shatter the persistent pessimism about China's high-end manufacturing.

At this time, the "crown jewel of industry" mentioned by many critics is still the "mother machine of industry" with considerable weight.

Later generations could not find any real weakness in this industrial Cthulhu, whose crown was already studded with jewels.

Therefore, they had no choice but to cobble together abstract "crown jewels" such as "ballpoint pen tip" and "lighter gasket".

Then, as you know, Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group's smallest batch of ballpoint pen tips, weighing 150 tons, produced 380 billion pen tips, enough to supply the world for 5 years.

The bankrupt Swiss company across the street is crying. Our ballpoint pen tips, when did they become industrial gems?!

A small German company that makes lighter gaskets exclaimed: "Hey, don't come over here! I don't have the crown jewel of industry, don't attract the attention of Cthulhu!"
There's another exaggerated thing that lets you feel the terrifying industrial potential revealed in just a glimpse of Industrial Cthulhu.

When the price of lava cloth rose from 2 yuan/ton to 70 yuan/ton, Sinopec made its move. It had never made lava cloth before, but three months later it started large-scale production across the entire industry chain, directly causing the price to plummet!

Please note that we did not have this industry chain before, but within three months we had the entire chain from source to downstream.

On the runway of Shancheng Airport, a Boon 747 roared into the sky, carrying Chen Mo and Zhou Mingzhe, who needed to return to Shenzhen to handle the technical handover and finalize matters, and flew south.

Chen Mo has drawn up a blueprint for the future of Orange Technology, and after the mobilization meeting for all employees by Director Feng, the clarion call for tackling production capacity challenges has been sounded.

All that's left for Chengke is to execute Chen Mo's established plan and race against time.

Meanwhile, the hustle and bustle of the mountain city train station and Chen Mo's quiet first-class cabin on the airplane seemed like another world.

The green train, spewing out white steam and cooling water, slowly came to a stop, and weary travelers poured out like a tide.

Among the crowd, a middle-aged woman who looked travel-worn stood out.

She wore a faded old coat, carried a bulging woven bag and a faded plastic bucket, her face was sallow, her lips were chapped, and her steps were unsteady.

She is Xiaoying's mother. In order to save a few dozen yuan, she endured more than 30 hours on a hard seat, without eating a single grain of rice, to return from Shenzhen to Chongqing.

"Mom!" A clear, tearful cry pierced through the noise.

A girl with a ponytail, wearing a relatively clean school uniform, and rosy cheeks rushed over like a small cannonball, clutching two bright yellow tangerines tightly in her hand.

She threw herself into her mother's arms, hugging her thin waist tightly, her voice filled with grievance and expectation: "Mom! Can you not go out to work this time? They built a huge orange tree across from our house, and it glows at night, it's so beautiful!"

Xiaoying's mother put down her heavy luggage, and a gentle smile instantly bloomed on her tired face.

Her rough hands stroked her daughter's head, gently soothing her: "My sweet girl, Mommy's back, Mommy's back!"

Then, she took the tangerine from Xiaoying and looked at the expectant look in her daughter's eyes, feeling a mix of emotions.

The mother and daughter, supporting each other, squeezed through the bustling crowd and returned to the familiar stilted house by the Jialin River.

Xiaoying pointed eagerly across the street: "Mom, look! That's it! It looks a bit 'aloof' during the day, all dark!"

Following her daughter's finger, Xiaoying's mother looked across the street at the uniquely designed Half Orange Building, covered with dark glass curtain walls, which did indeed appear somewhat austere and mysterious under the gray winter sky.

She was somewhat surprised. In just over a year since she left home, the unfinished Mosquito Garden building across the street had transformed into such a colossal structure shrouded in mist, exuding a sense of "mystery and aloofness."

Xiaoying chirped on, "It even lit up for a while last night! It turned into a glowing orange, reflected in the river, it was so beautiful!"

"Uncle Wang from the demolition office said that the area around our house is being demolished to make way for a main road that leads to the river!"

She clung to her mother's arm and shook it, pleading, "Mommy! Our house will be demolished and we'll get money! Please, don't go out to work anymore, okay? Stay here!"

Xiaoying's mother looked at her daughter's expectant eyes, smiled, and did not immediately agree.

She put down her luggage and went to the inner room to see her elderly mother-in-law.

The old man's rheumatism flared up again, and he was groaning in pain.

Xiaoying's mother carefully took out several boxes of medicine from the woven bag: "Mom, I brought you some new medicine from Shenzhen. I heard it works well, but it's expensive, two hundred yuan a box. Please take it on time."

In the following days, the demolition compensation agreement became the top priority.

Xiaoying had already started her winter vacation, and now she clung to her mother like a little shadow, following her every step of the way to the demolition office to sign documents, put her fingerprints, and collect her bankbook.

Looking at the string of numbers on the passbook, Xiaoying's mother felt a little more at ease, but the worry between her brows did not completely disappear.

The wage level in Chongqing is still incomparable to that in Shenzhen.

She planned to use the compensation money for her daughter's education and her parents' medical treatment, but she would probably still have to go out.
Xiaoying keenly sensed her mother's hesitation; she didn't want to experience separation again!
The clever girl began to inquire everywhere.

While wandering around the factory area, she saw a bright red job posting on the gate of a factory called "Chengke Micro Motor Factory," and her eyes lit up immediately!
"Mommy! Mommy! Look!"

Xiaoying excitedly dragged her mother to the job posting: "This factory is hiring! The pay seems pretty good! You should stay in Chongqing! Don't go to Shenzhen!"

Xiaoying's mother was so pestered by her daughter that she had no choice but to go closer to take a look.

Starting salary of 3000 yuan?
Her heart skipped a beat.

This salary is indeed much lower than the 4500 yuan that is commonly paid in Shenzhen electronics factories after working 8 hours of overtime.

But then I thought about it again. The average wage for ordinary workers in local factories in Chongqing is only around 2500 yuan. Orange Technology's starting salary of 3000 yuan is already considered to be above average in Chongqing.

Moreover, and most importantly, seeing her daughter's bright, expectant eyes, Xiaoying's mother's heart melted.

"Okay, Mom will go ask." Xiaoying's mother walked to the bustling job posting table.

The person in charge of recruitment was a middle-aged woman who was busy organizing forms.

Xiaoying's mother spoke somewhat nervously: "Hello, ma'am! I wanted to ask if you have any requirements for hiring? I used to work in a factory in Shenzhen, assembling mobile phones!"

The older woman looked up: "Oh? Assembling mobile phones? Which factory?"

"It's that Futian factory, Longteng Electronics, the one that manufactures Orange phones!" Xiaoying's mother added, "You know Orange phones, right? The ones that charge really fast."

"Orange phone!" The recruiter's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with delight, "Oh my! What a coincidence!"

"Our Orange Technology Factory makes parts for Orange mobile phones!"

They specialize in making the tiny motors and those little things that spin around to maintain balance inside mobile phones!

Since you have experience assembling Orange phones, that's perfect, you're very familiar with the process!
"Come on over if you want, we're short of skilled workers!"

Xiaoying's mother felt much more at ease upon hearing this, since it was a product chain she was familiar with.

She quickly asked, "What other benefits are there besides the 3000?"

The recruitment woman lowered her voice, her tone both mysterious and encouraging.

"Our factory is now under contract with a mobile phone company for both production and sales. The big boss just invested a huge sum of money to expand production!"
As long as you work hard and perform well, you will have the opportunity to learn skills from Master Liu and Master Wang in the factory!
Those two are veteran level eight workers in the factory!

"If I could become their apprentice and learn some real skills, doubling my salary wouldn't be a problem!"

"Double your salary!" Xiaoying's mother's heart skipped a beat.

6000!

This is definitely a high salary in Chongqing!

With the prospect of staying by her daughter's side and earning such a high salary, she didn't hesitate for a second: "Okay! Sister, I'll sign up! I'm willing to come!"

Xiaoying's mother has found a job, but the family's housing situation is still unresolved.

The stilted house is going to be demolished, so we need to find a new house quickly.

Xiaoying's mother took Xiaoying to look at houses in the residential area across the river.

By chance, they found a house that was eager to be sold.

The person who opened the door was Mrs. Jiang, who had an elegant demeanor but whose brows showed anxiety.

She looked at the simply dressed mother and daughter and explained, "This house was only renovated two years ago. If it weren't for my husband's job transfer, which forced him to move to Shenzhen, I really wouldn't have been willing to sell it!"

"Look how great this location is, right facing the river. You can see the night view across the river as soon as you open the window at night," she pointed out the window.

Xiaoying followed Mrs. Jiang's finger and her eyes lit up instantly.
Right in front of the window is a panoramic view of the Half Orange Building, which looks "aloof" during the day!
Not far from the building, one can vaguely see the area of ​​the stilted houses that are about to be demolished.

She secretly thought to herself: If I live here, will I be able to see that glowing "big orange" every night?

Xiaoying took out her old Orange 1 phone, which she had used for more than half a year, and took a low-resolution photo of her "old home" as a memento.

The two adults started discussing the price.

Mrs. Jiang emphasized the renovation costs, the convenience of the new community, and the fact that it was a school district property for Shancheng No. 1 Middle School. Xiaoying's mother, on the other hand, was meticulous and carefully inspected every corner of the house.

Just then, a chubby boy wearing glasses and carrying a schoolbag walked out of the inner room, looking rather awkward.

He is Mrs. Jiang's son, Longlong, who has just returned from the well-known Longhua Foreign Language School in Shenzhen to complete the final transfer procedures.

He clutched a slightly worn cartoon hair clip tightly in his hand, mustered his courage, walked up to the cool-looking Xiaoying, and whispered, "Xiaoying, classmate? Do you...do you remember when we were in second grade, on the playground?"

Cool Xiaoying was immersed in her anticipation of "seeing Bancheng in the new house" when she was suddenly interrupted by this chubby boy, "Why are you still talking about second grade?"

She impatiently reached out and shoved Longlong, frowning, "Hey! Fatty! Who are you?"

"Stop trying to get close to me!" Xiaoying pointed at the black glass building outside the window, her face saying, "Get out of my way! Don't block my view!"

Longlong stumbled from the push, looking at Xiaoying's cool profile and undisguised disdain, then at the hair clip he had treasured for years and wanted to return to its rightful owner, his chubby face was full of disappointment and hurt.

He silently put the hair clip back into his pocket, lowered his head, and said nothing more.

Finally, after some bargaining, Xiaoying's mother and Mrs. Jiang reached a deal.

Mrs. Jiang was in a hurry to go to Shenzhen to meet up with Jiang Yu, so she made some concessions on the price.

After signing the contract, Mrs. Jiang hurriedly left with Longlong, who looked back every few steps, reluctant to part.

Xiaoying excitedly ran to the window of her new home, leaned against the windowsill, and gazed at the half-orange building across the river, its outline gradually emerging in the twilight. Her big eyes were filled with anticipation: "Mom! Do you think that 'big orange' building will still have its lights on tonight?"

Outside the window, the Jialin River flows quietly, reflecting the lights that gradually illuminate both banks.

The black glass, semi-orange building stood silently, as if gathering strength, waiting for the next moment to light up the mountain city's night sky.

Xiaoying and her family, along with countless ordinary people like them, have found their own new beginnings and glimmers of light in this vibrant and ever-changing mountain city.

(End of this chapter)