All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Lei Dongbao stated his requirements, and everyone looked at each other in surprise. This was the first time they had ever heard of selling things without making a profit. However, no one dared to disobey Lei Dongbao's words, and they began to work according to his plan.

The next day, seven or eight young men from Xiaolei Village rode bicycles to the surrounding villages and towns to advertise: Xiaolei Village's bricks are of good quality and at a great price, only four cents a piece, come and buy them quickly!

This kind of disruptive attack happened almost overnight. Dozens of tractors surrounded Xiao Lei's brick factory, all there to haul away bricks. These red bricks were practically at cost price, something no other factory could offer!

Xiao Lei's unconventional price reduction offended almost all the surrounding production brigades, causing the brick kilns in those brigades to shut down almost overnight.

In this era, collective interests were paramount, yet Lei Dongbao allowed the brigade to operate a brick factory without making a single penny, solely to ensure that the brick factory workers received wages.

Lei Dongbao's behavior, to put it bluntly, is criminal. Many commune cadres have taken this matter to the town and county levels, demanding an explanation from higher authorities!

When Old Xu from the county found out, he was also furious. Lei Dongbao was a cadre he valued highly, but this behavior put the county in a very passive position. Old Xu ordered Lei Dongbao to go to the county and explain things clearly!

Lei Dongbao was just about to go to the county to find Lao Xu when he was asked to go there. Perfect timing! He pushed his bicycle out of the brigade headquarters and looked at the long line of tractors hauling bricks on the road. He couldn't help but smile. No matter the era, cheap is king!

Unfortunately, such behavior is destined to be unacceptable in this era. Only when the market economy truly takes hold will it be the time for them to truly shine.

Chapter 15: Big Projects

Lei Dongbao rode his bicycle towards the county town. Along the way, he saw many village brigades running village-run enterprises, which were more like small family workshops than enterprises, and most of them were low-tech products.

For example, farms, brick factories, tile factories, and even some small wineries are mostly primary-stage products. The larger ones have an annual output value of only tens of thousands or even thousands of yuan, with extremely low profits. They are all family-run workshops, and they are easily replicated.

The prototype of Xiao Lei's family is located in the Jiangzhe area. This place has a long history of doing business. However, it has only been 79 years since then, and many villages do not dare to make a big show of it. Most of them are just small-scale operations.

Lei Dongbao wasn't really sure what the future held for Xiaolei Village, because he was just an ordinary person with a few more skills. However, his daring and enterprising nature gave him boundless confidence, and he believed that he could create a miracle for Xiaolei Village.

Upon arriving in the county, Lei Dongbao went directly to the county government. He had been there many times before. Old Xu was a very approachable person; as long as you could get things done, he would support you and explain the policies to you very clearly.

Unlike others, who go on and on about grand principles, leaving you to guess on your own, if you get it right, it's his credit; if you get it wrong, it's because you didn't understand it properly—just a mediocre person!

In the world of "Like a Flowing River," it's quite surprising that a roughneck like Lei Dongbao could have such a connection with Lao Xu. Lao Xu's background is only briefly mentioned in the TV series, but a closer analysis reveals that Lao Xu is the one who lives the most carefree life.

With a powerful family background, he started as a factory leader at Jinzhou Chemical Plant, and was later transferred to a county as county head. A few years later, he returned to Beijing and entered a ministry. Ten years later, he was the deputy director of the State Planning Commission. This kind of talent is the one who truly controls the overall situation.

For Lao Xu, Xiao Leijia, Lei Dongbao's home, was more like an experimental field. In Lao Xu's view, the country's reform and opening up had just begun, and everyone was feeling their way across the river. Many places were too conservative, but Xiao Leijia was able to take the lead in taking the first step, which was a kind of progress.

Old Xu couldn't quite figure out Lei Dongbao, but he admired him quite a bit. This young man had a spirit of courage and determination.

When Lei Dongbao arrived at Lao Xu's office, Lao Xu was still in a meeting. His secretary, Chen Pingyuan, came over and poured him a cup of tea. Lei Dongbao quickly stood up, took the cup, and said thank you.

In a few years, Chen Pingyuan, the man in front of us, will be Lei Dongbao's old partner, because he was the future county magistrate. Later, he was imprisoned for some reason, and Lei Dongbao was also implicated and spent two years in jail. Of course, Lei Dongbao will definitely not follow the old path now, because he doesn't need to.

Lei Dongbao chatted with Chen Pingyuan for a while with a smile. Chen Pingyuan was quite polite to Lei Dongbao, after all, he was someone that Lao Xu thought highly of. Moreover, Chen Pingyuan was also very good at handling things. He knew that Lao Xu was optimistic about reform and opening up, so he tried his best to follow Lao Xu and treated Lei Dongbao very well.

Lei Dongbao chatted with him, laughing it off. Chen Pingyuan, on the surface, seemed to support Lei Dongbao, but in reality, he was a cunning old fox with a strong sense of self-interest. Because of his lack of education, he couldn't advance in the future, so he gradually got himself into trouble.

After chatting for a while, Lao Xu finally finished the meeting, pushed open the office door, and saw Lei Dongbao. Instead of laughing heartily as usual, he put on a serious face, returned to his seat, and waited for Lei Dongbao to give his explanation.

Lei Dongbao put down his teacup, chuckled twice, took a document out of his briefcase, and handed it to Lao Xu.

Old Xu glanced at the document silently, but did not open it. He then looked up and stared directly at Lei Dongbao.

Seeing his expression, Lei Dongbao had no choice but to sit down opposite him, tap the table aimlessly, and sigh.

"Old Xu, put the brick factory matter aside for now. I'll raise the prices as soon as I get back. I lowered the prices just to teach them a lesson. Besides, I really don't care about the meager profits from that brick factory. I have a new project. Take a look at my proposal first!"

After listening to Lei Dongbao's words, Old Xu slammed his hand on the table and said somewhat angrily.

“It’s not about whether to lower prices or not, Lei Dongbao. I think you have no sense of the big picture at all. There are so many brick factories in the county. If you lower prices like this, how will the other brick factories make a living? Your Xiaolei family is now famous. When people talk about your Xiaolei family, they will think of cheap bricks. You have set a very bad example, do you know that?”

Lei Dongbao chuckled, secretly thinking that the advertisement was actually quite good. These days, doing something slightly outrageous can cause a stir, but he also knew that he couldn't be too hasty; the time wasn't right yet.

After scolding him, Old Xu calmed down a bit, picked up Lei Dongbao's plan, and started reading. As soon as he started reading, his brows furrowed. After a while, his brows relaxed. He spent more than twenty minutes reading a document of less than two thousand words before putting it down and speaking after a long silence.

Are you confident about the electric fan project?

Lei Dongbao nodded and said directly.

"Actually, electric fans are not difficult to manufacture. The structure of an electric fan is simple, consisting of components such as the fan head, blades, guard, and control device. The most difficult part is the motor inside the fan head, but if you think about it, there are ways to do it, because there is a motor factory in the county."

In fact, electric fans in the 1980s and 90s were extremely simple in construction. Many famous appliance brands in later generations, such as Midea, gradually developed from family workshops and township enterprises into world-class companies.

Moreover, Midea also started by assembling electric fans. What Lei Dongbao wanted to do was lead Xiaoleijia to start by assembling electric fans. This path was not too difficult, and the money came quickly.

How quickly can you make money manufacturing electric fans?

In the early 1980s, the average wage was only thirty or forty yuan, but an electric fan could sell for one or two hundred yuan. In those days, an electric fan was definitely a high-end product. However, the cost of an electric fan was not high; the most expensive part was the electric motor.

Many people in later generations miss the high quality of electrical appliances in the 1980s and 90s. If you spent half a year's salary to buy an electric fan and the quality was poor, the company that sold the electric fan would be condemned by the people of the whole country.

The parts for electric fans can be purchased in bulk from Guangdong Province. The most scarce part, the electric fan motor, requires the support of the county's motor factory. As long as the county provides loan support and some technical personnel, Xiaolei Village could have electric fans on the market as early as next year.

Moreover, Lei Dongbao believed that as long as Xiaolei Village earned its first pot of gold, it could quickly develop other industries, and electric fan manufacturing was just the first step.

When Lao Xu saw Lei Dongbao's business plan, he was both shocked and excited. He never expected that an ordinary farmer would have such vision and foresight.

Lei Dongbao had thought about this project for a long time and felt it was very feasible. Then, he asked Lei Dongbao some questions, and Lei Dongbao also painted a rosy picture for him. As long as the county supported it, the electric fans from Xiao Lei's family could start to be distributed in early spring next year. Moreover, Lei Dongbao predicted that as long as the county's support kept up, the output value in the first year could exceed one million, ensuring that it would set a good example for the county.

Old Xu was so excited by the prospect of breaking one million in annual output value in the first year that he jumped up, stood up, paced back and forth in the office several times, and finally slammed his hand on the table, saying seriously.

"Lei Dongbao, you better do a good job. As long as you achieve results, I'll back you up!"

Chapter 16: Visiting the Brother-in-Law

With Lao Xu's support, Lei Dongbao nodded confidently and then discussed the details with Lao Xu for a long time until Lao Xu had something to do before seeing him off.

Old Xu also assured Lei Dongbao that a meeting would be held in the next two days, during which he would contact the bank and Xiao Lei's family to coordinate. He also asked Lei Dongbao to submit a detailed plan, which should include everything from the production site to the manufacturing of electric fans and how to sell them.

Lei Dongbao readily agreed. In Xiao Lei's household, he was the one who made the decisions, so none of these were problems. The only issue was the final sales, which was even less of a concern. In those days, electric fans were still a novelty, and plenty of people were eager to buy them.

After saying goodbye to Lao Xu, Lei Dongbao prepared to head home, but before he even left the city, he ran into an acquaintance.

This man was Yang Xun. He was still carrying his load on his shoulder pole, selling steamed buns, but he looked extremely disheveled. He was running along the road with his load on his shoulder pole, with two uniformed men chasing after him.

Just as Yang Xun was about to be caught, Lei Dongbao suddenly cut in front of the two pursuers on his bicycle. Yang Xun turned around, saw that it was Lei Dongbao, and his face lit up with joy. However, when he saw Lei Dongbao's eyes, he understood immediately. He then picked up his basket and deliberately chose to go into the alleys, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The two pursuers were furious at the sight and were about to unleash a torrent of curses when Lei Dongbao's burly figure made them pause. Then, Lei Dongbao spoke coldly.

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the county government?"

Upon hearing this, the two dared not utter the swear word again, and one of them asked uncertainly.

What are you doing at the county government?

Lei Dongbao glanced at the other person and said slowly.

"I had an appointment with County Chief Xu. What's wrong? Do you know someone here?"

The two people opposite each other looked at each other in silence, pointing in the direction of the county government.

Lei Dongbao snorted, rode his bicycle in the opposite direction, infuriating the two men, but they ultimately did not chase after him.

When Lei Dongbao returned home, he forgot about the matter and began planning to build an electrical appliance factory. He summoned several people in charge of the brigade and discussed the matter behind closed doors.

Rather than discussing it, it was more like Lei Dongbao directing everyone on what to do. Nobody knew anything about electric fans, but nobody was particularly supportive. They felt that going from a brick factory to raising rabbits and then to electric fans was too fast.

After all, electric fans are considered high-tech by everyone. We are just ordinary farmers. How could we possibly make one?

Lei Dongbao didn't preach to them much; he only said one sentence.

"This must be done!"

Although Lei Dongbao knew that once this matter was announced, there would definitely be many people in Xiaolei Village who would oppose it, in the early days of reform and opening up, in order to take the lead over others, a strong figure had to emerge.

Lei Dongbao always regarded Huaxi Village and Daqiuzhuang as role models, and his goal was to lead Xiaolei Village to become a world-renowned village as well.

Regarding the brick factory, Lei Dongbao quickly restored the original price. Of course, before restoring the price, he also discussed it with the secretaries of several surrounding brigades. From now on, no matter who raises or lowers the price of bricks, they must discuss it together before taking any action, otherwise they will be blamed for not playing by the rules.

After the brick factory's prices recovered, sales also slowed down quickly. However, Lei Dongbao didn't care about this small amount of money. He took out the prepared blueprints, started selecting a site in the village, gathered the village's construction team, and prepared to build a new factory to prepare for the electrical appliance factory.

Besides raising Angora rabbits, other industries in the village are almost at a standstill. The Angora rabbit breeding is progressing smoothly and is proceeding according to Lei Dongbao's plan. The person in charge is now his wife, Song Yunping. The women in the village are also very enthusiastic about raising Angora rabbits.

From last year to this year, the rabbits have been sheared twice, and the number of rabbits has doubled. Most importantly, the price of rabbit fur has never been low, with rabbit fur costing tens of yuan per kilogram, which is an astronomical price for rural areas that have not yet entered the 1980s.

Raising ten Angora rabbits can generate more income in a year than a family of seven or eight working hard to farm for a year. This income infuriated the families who had not previously adopted rabbits, and they all demanded that Lei Dongbao purchase another batch of breeding rabbits.

Lei Dongbao entrusted this matter to Lei Shigen, telling him to go ahead and purchase the goods with peace of mind, and to encourage everyone to raise rabbits without worrying about a rabbit plague. He said that this time next year would be the time when everyone would really make big money.

As for not having enough money, they can go to the credit union for a loan. They can borrow as much as they can. In the next few years, Xiao Lei's family should not worry about how much money they owe. They should focus on developing their business first.

Lei Dongbao himself would go to meetings in the county every few days with documents. Lei Dongbao needed support from all sides to set up the electrical appliance factory. Old Xu was also doing his best to facilitate the deal and hoped to get it done as soon as possible.

However, this matter is more difficult than imagined. Although Lao Xu has a powerful background, he is only the second-in-command after all. Moreover, many people in the county are not optimistic about Lei Dongbao's project and even oppose it, so they are very strict about lending.

Lei Dongbao was prepared to ask for 500,000 yuan, or even 200,000 yuan if necessary. However, after a week of meetings, the bank finally gave him 50,000 yuan out of respect for Lao Xu, with no interest rate discount whatsoever.

This infuriated Lei Dongbao. Through this incident, he could see that Lao Xu's foundation was not yet stable. The saying "Even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake" has indeed been true from ancient times to the present.

Old Xu was also furious about this matter. At this critical juncture in 79, his reformist stance had not yet gained momentum, and he was powerless to do anything about many things.

After his initial anger subsided, Lei Dongbao came to his senses and had a heart-to-heart talk with Lao Xu, telling him to take it easy and that once his Xiao Lei family achieved some success, certain people would naturally shut up.

Fifty thousand it is. So many famous companies in later generations probably didn't even have fifty thousand when they started. I don't believe in this nonsense!

Old Xu was surprised and moved by Lei Dongbao's generosity. Although he couldn't help Lei Dongbao with money, his connections were much more useful than money within the rules. Therefore, he wrote several letters of introduction for Lei Dongbao. With Old Xu's endorsement, Lei Dongbao's procurement channels became much easier.

After everything was settled, Lei Dongbao returned to Xiaolei Village and temporarily suspended the construction of the factory. He cleared out the village office and warehouse, which would become the Xiaolei Village Electric Appliance Factory in the future.

Lei Dongbao sent Lao Wu with him to Guangdong Province to investigate the market. Everyone else was to prepare. Whether Xiao Lei family could rise to prominence with electric fans depended on the results of this trip.

Before going to Guangdong Province, Lei Dongbao decided to visit his brother-in-law Song Yunhui at Anyun University in the neighboring city. In fact, his desire to develop electric fans was purely based on reading some Baidu Encyclopedia entries from later generations, which he felt had potential. If compared to the knowledge in this world, his brother-in-law could be considered a technical genius, and perhaps his suggestions were more reliable than his own wild ideas.

When Song Yunping found out that Lei Dongbao was going to visit Song Yunhui, she busied herself preparing for two days, gathering dozens of kilograms of clothes, food, and other necessities. Lei Dongbao became her tool, wearing a bitter face with nowhere to confide in.

To reward Lei Dongbao for his efforts, on the night before she left, Song Yunping finally fulfilled one of Lei Dongbao's long-held, slightly perverse requests.

The mental pleasure made Lei Dongbao feel energized, and he set off the next day. He had his fifth brother carry the luggage, while he carried a bag full of 50,000 yuan and rushed off to visit his brother-in-law.

Lei Dongbao never expected that this visit to his brother-in-law would be so fruitful, as it broadened his horizons!

Chapter 17: Has your brain gone awry?

The chemical engineering program at An Yun University is ranked first in the country, and his brother-in-law, Song Yunhui, has always been the top student in the program. In addition, he is young, hardworking, and well-liked by his teachers and classmates.

However, Song Yunhui is still a newbie and is currently sobbing under the covers in his dormitory because he was mocked three times by an elementary school student. Song Yunhui was so angry that he ran back to his dormitory. Lei Dongbao's arrival was obviously too late.

Lei Dongbao inquired for a long time and finally found out Song Yunhui's dormitory. He led Lao Wu, who was carrying things, to the dormitory. Before he even knocked, he saw several men of different ages inside, trying their best to comfort Song Yunhui. It was a rather harmonious and humorous scene.

Lei Dongbao knocked on the door. The people inside looked up and stared at him with some surprise. When Song Yunhui saw Lei Dongbao's sullen face with a half-smile, he immediately jumped out of bed, put on his shoes, and rushed to Lei Dongbao, asking him why he had come.

Lei Dongbao beckoned Lao Wu to come inside and put his things down, pointing to the large and small bags he had packed.