All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Yang Xun's words surprised Lei Dongbao. Then, he saw two little girls take the two corners of his color TV, lift it up, and walk into the electronics store!

Alright, Lei Dongbao had nothing more to say. It seemed that Cheng Yang Appliance City really knew how to market. Thinking about Yang Xun's experience, Lei Dongbao understood perfectly.

Then, Yang Xun took Lei Dongbao to visit Cheng Yang Electrical Appliance City. In terms of size, decoration, and even the variety of appliances, this electrical appliance city completely surpassed his own Jiangcheng Electrical Appliance City. Lei Dongbao's mood gradually became heavy. It seemed that he had underestimated Yang Xun. He was a formidable opponent.

Yang Xun wore a smile the whole time. Although he still addressed Lei Dongbao affectionately as "Brother Lei," he seemed to be showing off in front of Lei Dongbao as if he were a victor, until the two arrived at the high-end electronics section, which was where the large color TV was displayed.

Besides the large color TV, there was a series of high-end electrical appliances around. Lei Dongbao checked them one by one, and the more he looked, the heavier his mood became. It seemed that he had indeed underestimated Cheng Yang Electrical Appliance City.

Yang Xun had been watching Lei Dongbao's expression closely, and seeing his appearance, the glint in his eyes shone even brighter.

He slowly walked to a square electrical appliance next to him, pressed a button, and the machine slowly opened a slot. Yang Xun took a disc from the shelf next to him, put it in, and pressed another button. The machine slowly retracted the disc, and after a while, all the color TVs around him started playing the picture again. A roaring lion with a lion's head sounded, and then the movie started.

Yes, it was a Hollywood DVD. Lei Dongbao was shocked beyond words. He stared at the thing in front of him, completely captivated!

Looking at Lei Dongbao's shocked expression, Yang Xun, standing to the side, felt a sudden surge of disdain for some reason. In his mind, Lei Dongbao had always been a high-class figure.

Back when he was still selling steamed buns, he heard that Lei Dongbao had led Xiaolei Village to prosperity. Later, Xiaolei Village's Thunder brand electric fans, then the Jinzhou Second Machinery Factory, and that time he taught Yang Shaodong a lesson, and finally contracting a state-owned enterprise, one thing after another made Yang Xun feel inferior to Lei Dongbao.

But now Lei Dongbao was captivated by a color TV, which felt like a disillusionment with his idol. Yang Xun had no idea what Lei Dongbao was thinking at that moment.

Lei Dongbao was indeed attracted by the movie on the color TV in front of him. Actually, he was not attracted by the movie, but by the little gadget next to him!

LaserDisc Player!

At that moment, many thoughts raced through his mind!

The world's first VCD player was born in 1993, and in just a few years, China entered the VCD era!

Since it was born, it did not apply for a complete machine patent and had no core technology. VCDs quickly became widespread, and many domestic factories took the opportunity to seize the market. They could earn hundreds of millions of US dollars in foreign exchange every year by exporting VCDs!

While domestic businessmen were fighting tooth and nail over VCDs, foreign capitalists had already set their sights on this lucrative market. They quickly developed DVDs based on VCDs and filed a series of technology patent applications. From then on, this great electrical appliance invented by the Chinese people was completely out of reach of the Chinese people!

By the early 21st century, DVDs had rapidly taken over the VCD market, almost completely eliminating the domestic VCD market within a year or two!

The ruthlessness of foreign capitalists can be seen from DVDs.

Because VCDs were not patented, domestic manufacturers produced and sold them without restraint, even exporting them abroad and earning a lot of US dollars. In the late 1990s, DVD technology patents were officially applied for. The Japanese, together with several major American capital giants, quickly formed a patent alliance and began to target Chinese companies.

In the early 21st century, in 2001 alone, China exported 10.8 million DVDs. As domestic companies competed for market share and profits, a price war broke out, and eventually the export price of each DVD dropped from over one hundred US dollars to around thirty to forty US dollars.

However, while Chinese companies were fighting amongst themselves, the authorities ignored them and kept raising their patent fees every year, eventually demanding that domestic companies pay 50% of their patent fees!

Yes! For a DVD player that costs $40, the patent alliance charges a patent fee of $20!

Black, please!

That's really dark!

But they've got you figured out, because China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. If you want to play along with them, you have to abide by their rules.

With the advent of the DVD era, VCD was quickly phased out. Then, with the rise of the internet, watching movies on computers quickly replaced DVD. Finally, with the advent of the mobile phone era, computers and PCs gradually became obsolete. As technology develops rapidly, countless cutting-edge technologies and innovations are born in each era.

At this moment, Lei Dongbao's mind was like fireworks, a jumble of thoughts mixed with excitement. He felt as if he had found a path for his future!

Yes, I need to start with VCDs, then DVDs, then computers, and finally mobile phones. I must be one step ahead of others in these technologies!

That's it!

As the male protagonist on the TV shot and killed a random passerby, Lei Dongbao jumped up excitedly, leaving Yang Xun, who was standing next to him, stunned.

Lei Dongbao's thoughts finally returned to his body. He turned around, glanced at Yang Xun, laughed heartily, and then said with a smile.

"What is this thing? It's awesome! I want it! How much is it? Give me a receipt. I have to buy one, and I also have to buy this color TV. Yang Xun, you'd better give me a few more discs!"

Yang Xun was both amused and exasperated, but he nodded in agreement and immediately had someone make arrangements for Lei Dongbao.

Half an hour later, Lei Dongbao carried a large color TV, along with a laser disc player and the ten discs given by Yang Xun, back into the car.

Yang Xun was indeed very generous. A VCD that would cost a few dollars in later years was worth more than five hundred dollars for the laser CD he had!

And that laser disc player, priced at 28,000 yuan, and the large color TV at 16,000 yuan. Lei Dongbao spent over 40,000 yuan in one go. No wonder this store doesn't seem to have much foot traffic, but its monthly sales exceed 10 million yuan. Lei Dongbao finally understood.

After saying goodbye to Yang Xun, Lei Dongbao drove his car back to Jiangcheng. Yang Xun, who was standing at the entrance of Cheng Yang Electrical Appliances City, watched Lei Dongbao's car slowly disappear around the street corner. A look of disdain appeared on his lips. The disillusionment of an idol is that simple.

That evening, Yang Xun, Yang Shaodong, and Yang Xun reunited. This time, instead of drinking Moutai, they had a whole case of beer. After a few rounds of drinks, Yang Shaodong complained somewhat.

"I thought that guy surnamed Lei was some kind of connoisseur. Turns out he's just a country bumpkin who's never seen the world. Young Master Cheng, since he won't listen to reason, then let's not hold back. So what if he has a lot of shops? We'll open a hundred of them next year, take over An Yun Province, and let that guy surnamed Lei eat his dust!"

Cheng Shao didn't speak, but took a sip of beer and then looked at Yang Xun.

Yang Xun smiled knowingly, then nodded and said.

"Actually, I've already had someone conduct market research and selected locations for ten storefronts. Renovations can begin as early as before the new year, and we can open for business next spring. We plan to open thirty stores next year. By the way, Young Master Cheng, what do you think about what I told you?"

Yang Xun's words left Yang Shaodong, who was opposite him, baffled. He took a sip of beer and grumbled somewhat discontentedly.

"What's wrong? How come I didn't know?"

Cheng Shao glanced at Yang Shaodong coldly and said casually.

"Regarding relationships, Yang Xun's idea is that we could give up a certain percentage of the shares in our stores in other cities to our local connections. This way, we can openly sell high-end appliances in each city. What do you think?"

Yang Shaodong paused for a moment, then thought for a moment and said.

"You've already made your decision, why are you asking me? Just give it to me, I'm not a major shareholder anyway!"

Yang Shaodong's obviously dissatisfied tone made Cheng Shao frown, and the room fell silent. Clearly, this iron triangle was not as reliable as imagined.

But no one saw that Yang Xun, sitting in the corner, slowly revealed a barely perceptible smug smile!

Chapter 96: A Powerful Onslaught

The Heavens Begin with Love in the Courtyard, Volume 96: The Arrival of the Fierce Force. After returning to Jiangcheng, Lei Dongbao immediately took the laser disc player to the R&D department; it was his prized possession!

Lei Dongbao may not be very knowledgeable about that kind of technology, but his ideas and forward-thinking vision are a hundred times more valuable than some technologies.

In the future, he will recruit more technical talents. For some technologies that have already appeared abroad, he will gradually buy them back in the next few years!

Of course, these technologies will be his trump cards, and he will never reveal them unless it is absolutely necessary. At least in the 1980s, he will not reveal his trump cards.

He has a very clear plan for his future. In the 1980s, he will only focus on technological research and development and accumulation. Only when he can control a company that is completely his own will he reveal his trump card!

Let's wait and see what the future holds!

As the Spring Festival of 1985 quietly approached, Lei Dongbao touched his full beard and realized that he hadn't shaved for three months.

Lei Dongbao has been in Jiangcheng for two years now. The Jiangcheng Electrical Appliance Factory has built a new batch of family housing, and Lei Dongbao was naturally allocated a three-bedroom, one-living-room house.

As early as 1983, before Song Yunhui got married, he had already brought Song Yunping and his son to Jiangcheng. Last July, he brought his mother over as well. This time, no matter how much his mother objected, he still brought her to Jiangcheng.

He was afraid that if he didn't bring his mother to Jiangcheng soon, he would never see her again.

Starting in the spring of 1984, the price of Angora rabbits on the international market plummeted. By July, the purchase price of Angora rabbits was only half of the previous year's price, and by the end of the year, it was only a quarter of the purchase price. At this price, it was a complete loss!

Therefore, Lei Dongbao hurriedly had his mother brought out of Xiaolei Village in July, because he was afraid that if she didn't leave soon, she wouldn't be able to leave.

Given my mother's habit of bragging in the village, those old women who have already lost everything will probably put her in a sack and beat her to death in the middle of the night. Who told her to keep bringing up Lei Dongbao all the time?

Lei Dongbao was completely disappointed with Xiaolei Village, but since he himself came from Xiaolei Village, he still kept an eye on news about it.

In 1983, Xiaolei Village experienced a brief resurgence, as the purchase price of Angora rabbits reached its peak that year, making it a bumper harvest year. In 1983, the average income of every household was still over a thousand yuan, and the village remained a wealthy one in the surrounding area.

Even Leiting Electric Factory cleared out its inventory of 100,000 units. In addition, kotatsu (heated tables) were still in high demand in winter. In 1983 alone, Leiting Electric Factory repaid more than 4 million yuan in bank loans. 1983 can be considered the last glorious moment for the Lei family.

But at the beginning of 1984, the situation quickly began to decline, and there was no way to stop it. Right after the New Year, the purchase price of Angora rabbits began to fall, and once it did, it was like diarrhea, and there was no way to stop it.

This completely ruined the business and triggered a chain reaction. Because of the bumper rabbit wool harvest last year, the Angora rabbit breeding base received another batch of the latest rabbit breeds before the new year. Combined with the existing number of Angora rabbits at the breeding base, Xiao Lei's Angora rabbit breeding base now has more than 150,000 Angora rabbits. This is a huge fortune, worth tens of millions!

However, most of this money is the savings of all the villagers in Xiaolei Village, and some of it is a bank loan. The most crucial point is that all the Angora rabbit grass in Xiaolei Village is now purchased from other villages, which incurs a considerable expense every day.

In 1984, at the beginning, we were still able to barely maintain a balance of income, since the price of rabbit fur had dropped, and we still had a considerable income.

However, the price of rabbit fur soon began to plummet. When the villagers did the math, they realized that the rabbit fur they sold wasn't even enough to cover the cost of feed. They were in a panic, but what could they do?

Not only were they helpless, but Jinling County was also helpless. They could only pray that the price of Angora rabbits would rebound in the second half of the year. But the heavens were clearly not on their side. In the autumn, the price of rabbit fur plummeted. Now, losing everything was a foregone conclusion.

By this time, many villagers had gone mad. Not only had they not had any income for half a year, but they also had to spend a considerable amount on feed every day, and now they couldn't even earn back the cost of the feed.

What can we do at this point?

By October, cheap rabbit meat was available everywhere in the vegetable markets of Jinling County, and the dried rabbit meat was sold as far as Anyun Province.

Aside from killing the rabbit for its meat, there was still no other way at this point.

By the Spring Festival of 1985, the atmosphere in Xiaolei Village was deathly still, a stark contrast to the previous year. No one in the village even set off firecrackers. The Leiting Electric Appliance Factory was also forced to partially shut down due to the large number of counterfeit kotatsu (warm tables) on the market. The entire Xiaolei Village was devoid of any joy or laughter.

At this moment, many villagers recalled Lei Dongbao's speech in the auditorium two years ago and regretted their past actions. However, it was clear that Lei Dongbao could no longer be invited back.

They even took his mother away, which clearly means they've decided to sever ties with Xiao Lei's family.

Lei Shigen also called Lei Dongbao to wish him a Happy New Year and invited him to spend the holiday at Xiao Lei's house, but Lei Dongbao declined with a laugh.

You can't expect someone to step in dog poop in the same place multiple times, can you?

During the Spring Festival that year, Song Yunhui brought his wife Cheng Kaiyan to pay New Year's greetings. Seeing the two still immersed in their love, Lei Dongbao could only offer his silent blessings.

Song Yunhui has clearly matured a lot, and he has a slight air of authority about him. He wears glasses and is very refined.

However, in front of Lei Dongbao, he still had to act like a newbie, asking Lei Dongbao many questions about domestic and international matters at home, and the two had a good chat.

In the spring of 1985, the 30th store of Jiangcheng Electrical Appliance City officially opened. However, Lei Dongbao also heard that a company from Fujian Province was negotiating with the Jiangcheng government to establish a logistics transit station in Jiangcheng.

Upon hearing this news, Lei Dongbao's first thought was, "Cheng Yang Appliances is coming."

His guess was right. Yang Xun had arrived, bringing Cheng Yang Electric Appliances with him, and he came with great force!

Their goal was clear: to establish a transit station in Jiangcheng similar to Lei Dongbao's, and then, naturally, to start opening stores and setting up shop by taking advantage of Jiangcheng's extensive transportation network!

Recalling what he saw in Licheng last year, Lei Dongbao frowned. Yang Xun's Cheng Yang Electric Appliances was clearly not the same as its competitors at all; it was a dragon crossing the river.

Sure, this guy's really pushing himself to the limit!

Yang Xun, this dragon crossing the river, was someone Lei Dongbao had personally cultivated. It was a pity that he couldn't use him back then. But perhaps this was a good thing. With such a smiling fox by his side, Lei Dongbao felt somewhat uneasy.

Cheng Yang Electric Appliances came in with great momentum. Right after the New Year, it had already reached a cooperation agreement with the Jiangcheng government and acquired a plot of land of more than 1,000 mu in the suburbs of the county. It quickly began to level the land and set up a transportation team. Other employees also began to enter the site one after another, which dazzled Lei Dongbao.

Lei Dongbao had no choice but to wait and see. He began to accelerate his expansion in Anyun Province and Zhijiang Province, establishing a more complete supply chain, a more complete logistics system, and a more mature after-sales service. These were the only things he could do.

Currently, Jiangcheng Electrical Appliance City has achieved full coverage in the prefecture-level cities of the two provinces. This year, Lei Dongbao has also begun to expand into county-level cities, opening branches in some populous county-level cities. He plans to open at least 20 more stores in the two provinces this year, reaching 50 stores by the end of the year.

He never pursues quantity when it comes to opening stores. For each new store, his marketing team spends at least three months on research and preparation to ensure that customers have the same experience in every store.

He plans to expand into other provinces in the future, just as he has done in the past. There are already so many similar appliance stores on the market, but his Jiangcheng Appliances has always maintained the best reputation.

Yang Xun's Cheng Yang Electric Appliances was indeed coming on strong. Before the site was even set up, they started recruiting on a large scale, offering higher salaries than Lei Dongbao's Jiangcheng Electric Appliances. They were even brazenly poaching people from Jiangcheng Electric Appliances, which annoyed Lei Dongbao.