Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

"Games are a legitimate industry too."

Lu Chen didn't even raise his head, and said lazily.

"What a ridiculous industry!"

Lu Jianguo didn't believe it.

"If you can't make it, come back quickly. Don't waste your precious youth."

"Alright, alright, our son just got back, let him rest first."

Li Xiulan was too lazy to listen to Lu Jianguo's nagging.

"Chen'er, I've tidied up your room. The sheets and blankets are all new."

Go wash your face first, dinner will be ready soon.

Lu Chen nodded and carried his suitcase toward his room.

The house was built less than two years ago.

Moreover, the move coincided with my university years, and I stayed in Hangzhou after graduation.

So everything is still brand new.

Lu Chen put down his luggage and walked to the window.

The view from the 28th floor is excellent, with a large area of ​​low-rise residential buildings below.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the distance gleamed golden in the setting sun, and further away stretched a continuous expanse of buildings that seemed to go on forever.

This family, including his father and mother, were the first people he faced after his rebirth.

To be honest, being reborn and facing my parents who are still relatively young is quite a challenge.

Lu Chen didn't know how to deal with it for a while.

But the person is still the same person, and the parents are still the same parents.

The few words he spoke upon returning home drew Lu Chen into the warmth of family.

Let him know that he is not alone.

Therefore, Lu Chen made up his mind to work even harder to change things.

At the very least, we must prevent the shadow of future washing machine factory bankruptcies from looming over families again.

……

Once the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month is over, it will be New Year's Eve.

The festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year in 2009 was quite strong.

People started setting off firecrackers early in the morning.

Unlike later times, it was completely quiet.

The Spring Festival has no festive atmosphere at all; in fact, it's annoying.

Preparations for the New Year's Eve dinner began very early in the morning.

When Lu Chen was pulled out of bed by his mother.

It's only seven in the morning.

"Get up! It's the 30th of the lunar month today, we have a lot to do!"

Li Xiulan threw a set of red thermal underwear onto the bed.

"Wear this; you should wear red during your birth year to ward off evil!"

Lu Chen then remembered that 2009 was the Year of the Ox.

I will be 24 years old after the New Year.

It's definitely my birth year.

He accepted the bright red outfit with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Mom, it's so popular..."

"Red is auspicious! Put it on quickly!"

After washing up, I went to the living room, where my father was already putting up Spring Festival couplets.

"You've come at the right time. Can you check if it's pasted crookedly?"

Lu Jianguo stood on a stool, holding a pair of gold-embossed Spring Festival couplets in his hand.

First line: Fortune, wealth, and luck abound.

Second line: Families prosper, people prosper, and businesses prosper.

Horizontal scroll: Good fortune shines upon you

"A little to the left... a little more to the left... done!"

Lu Chen acted like an old man, all talk and no action.

After pasting up the Spring Festival couplets, the father and son worked together to paste window decorations and hang lanterns.

On the terrace of the large flat.

Lu Jianguo specially bought two large red lanterns, each two meters in diameter.

Once it's hung up, everyone downstairs can see it.

By the time I finished all that, it was already 10 a.m.

My mother was frying meatballs and ribbonfish in the kitchen, and the aroma filled the whole house.

Lu Chen tried to go in to help, but was kicked out.

"Go away, don't cause trouble here! Go talk to your dad!"

Lu Jianguo was making tea when he saw his son come over and gestured for him to sit down.

"Try it, it's a Tieguanyin tea that a friend gave me, he says it's authentic Anxi tea."

Lu Jianguo poured Lu Chen a glass.

"Glug glug..."

Lu Chen drank a lot of water.

"Hey, hey, drink slowly."

Drinking tea is about sipping slowly and deliberately; no one does it like you.

Lu Chen didn't care about anything else; he just felt thirsty.

He downed a pot of tea in a few gulps.

Anyway, he can't tell the difference between good and bad.

The father and son sat facing each other, and for a moment they fell silent.

Before Lu Chen was reborn, ZhengTu Technology went bankrupt.

Lu Jianguo really wouldn't help him at all in order to get him back.

He threw a tantrum and kept traveling to work in the south.

Later, when the family's laundry factory also went bankrupt, Lu Chen was even a little gloating.

However, as he grew older, Lu Chen gradually felt guilty.

Because he figured it out.

Where did the money for the founding of ZhengTu Technology come from?

When the company was facing bankruptcy, where did the house that he mortgaged to the bank come from?

Isn't it all given to us by our families?

So thinking about it later... sigh...

Fortunately, that's alright.

None of this had happened before I was reborn.

He still has a chance to change.

How many people work at your company now?

Lu Jianguo spoke first.

"About twenty people, we'll be recruiting more after the New Year."

"It must be difficult to manage, right?"

Lu Jianguo took a sip of tea.

"My washing machine factory now has more than 300 people, and there's a ton of work to do every day."

Procurement, production, sales, after-sales service—any problem in any of these areas is a headache.

Lu Chen then asked:

"How's the factory doing now?"

"Great! Excellent!"

Lu Jianguo perked up at this.

Last year, we had the "Home Appliances to the Countryside" program, right?

With government subsidies, farmers can buy home appliances at a 13% discount.

Our washing machine has a factory price of 600 yuan, but with subsidies it's only 522 yuan!

So it sold out instantly!

Ten thousand units were sold in Qin Province alone in one year!

Even with three shifts on the production line, we still can't keep up.

I'm thinking of adding two more lines!

Lu Chen's heart stirred.

He knew that the "Home Appliances to the Countryside" policy had indeed made many home appliance companies very wealthy.

But the problem also followed.

Blind expansion, outdated technology, and inventory backlog.

Once the policy benefits are over, many companies will quickly decline.

Lu Jianguo's washing machine factory fell right into all of the above pitfalls.

In my memory,

Lu Jianguo's "Chang'an Qingquan Washing Machine Factory" fell into difficulties around 2012.

At that time, the rural appliance subsidy program had ended, and the market was saturated.

The factory still uses old-fashioned pulsator washing machine production lines.

They simply cannot compete with the major brands that have already started making drum washing machines.

"Dad, I think we should be cautious about expanding production."

Lu Chen carefully considered his words before speaking.

"Be cautious about what?"

The market is so good now, it's the perfect time to expand!

Lu Jianguo disagreed.

The market is doing well because of policy support.

But policies always come to an end!

Lu Chen put down his teacup.

"I've studied the washing machine industry, and right now everyone's rushing to manufacture top-loading washing machines."

But the future trend is drum washing machines;

More water-saving, gentler on clothes, and quieter.

So although the price is a bit higher

But urban consumers definitely prefer it.

Lu Jianguo frowned:

"Roller drum? We don't have that technology, and the production line is expensive."

"Therefore, we need to plan ahead."

Lu Chen said earnestly:

"Dad, I suggest you don't rush to expand the production line for wave wheels."

Instead, they used a portion of the profits to introduce drum washing machine technology.

Or at least, start developing your own front-loading washing machine product.

"You make it sound so easy!"

Lu Jianguo shook his head.

"Technology imports cost money, research and development costs money, and we also need to train workers."

"Rapport swingers are selling just fine right now, why would I bother with that?"

"Because the technology for pulsator rollers is low-end; anyone can make them."

Once everyone starts doing it, a price war will break out, and profits will disappear.

Lu Chen explained patiently.

"However, drum washing machines require advanced technology, and there are few manufacturers that can produce them well, resulting in higher profit margins."

Believe me, future washing machines will be able to connect to the Internet of Things, enabling smart home appliances throughout the house.

"Dad, if you want the factory to have a long-term future, you have to transform it!"