Chapter 100: Further Expansion and Security Measures
If you're buying property, it's never wise to view just one place—especially now that Yang Wendong's circumstances had changed. This wasn't like renting. He intended to live in this new home for a considerable time, especially since he'd already committed to establishing his industrial ventures right here on the Kowloon Peninsula.
Over the course of the day, the group visited two more agencies to view additional listings, focusing mostly on villas.
Since the purchase would be funded through a bank loan, Yang naturally aimed to get it right the first time. Villas were more comfortable, and once Kowloon's development caught up, such properties would become increasingly rare and valuable.
Though the Kowloon Peninsula was large, areas with both sea views and solid economic development were actually limited. At this point in time, most of Kowloon was still home to working-class people, or else served as a commercial district supporting the port. Even in industrial terms, Hong Kong Island remained dominant.
In the end, Yang and his group decided on four adjoining villas in Yifu Garden, settling the price at HK$253,000.
"HK$253,000… I remember a year ago, even having HK$25 on me felt amazing," Su Yiyi said, clearly overwhelmed after the deal was finalized.
"Well, it's the bank's money," Yang said with a chuckle.
There was no reason not to use bank funds. The properties, after all, would belong to him. He was simply letting his earliest comrades live in them.
Su Yiyi asked, "So… we're going to start renovations now?"
Yang nodded. "Yeah. I already asked Old Wei to find the right people. He has contacts in this area."
"Oh, and how long until we can move in?" Su asked.
"It'll take some time," Yang replied. "Renovations can be done fast—if you pay, they'll work around the clock. We can hire more workers, too.
But even with high-end materials, the place still needs to air out. Most building materials are at least somewhat toxic, especially the glues. We have to let the fumes dissipate before moving in."
Even decades into the future, most adhesives used in construction still contained formaldehyde. Naturally, things weren't any safer now. For health and safety, it was best to wait. There was no rush.
"Got it," Su nodded cheerfully.
After stepping out of the building, Yang and Su were greeted by Zhao Liming, Lin Haoyu, and their families. Everyone was immensely grateful, but Yang simply smiled and brushed it off.
Back when he was young, their families had taken care of him. Without them, he might not have even survived. Though his soul had changed, it didn't matter. The houses were just places to live, nothing more.
Besides the question of conscience, if Yang rose to fame and wealth but failed to look after those who had once looked after him, that would become a stain on his life.
Later, he invited everyone to a nearby restaurant—one of the most upscale dining spots in Kowloon's commercial center. Compared to where they had lived before, the amenities and location were far superior.
The property transaction had gone off just as planned.
Yang didn't use his own money for the HK$250,000+ purchase. Instead, he reached out to Ning Wenjue, who quickly processed the deal through Liu Chong Hing Bank under its VIP client program.
Given how hot Changxing Industrial's business was, and the fact that villas could serve as loan collateral, the bank's loan department easily approved it.
Two days later, the funds were released. Just like that, Yang became the owner of his first real estate properties in Hong Kong. He only had to put down HK$20,000—the rest came from a separate loan negotiated via Liu Chong Hing. He had learned this trick from Chan Sung-ching.
Renovations followed. Yang helped design the internal layout and chose the furniture, but left the actual work to professionals. He'd check in occasionally, but his main focus remained Post-it production.
In the new Changxing factory, a large new machine—clearly bigger than the rest—was running rapidly, surrounded by curious employees.
Su Yiyi checked her watch and said, "Brother Dong, 41 Post-it pads in ten minutes. That's around 240 to 250 per hour."
"Mm. Just about what Dongsheng promised," Yang nodded.
Wei Zetao added, "This machine arrived yesterday and was running by evening. In 12 hours, it produced about 2,800 pads.
But six were defective. That failure rate is a bit high. We might need to tweak it further."
"That's fine," Yang said. "It's not like this is a mature Japanese machine. Some issues are to be expected."
A 0.2% defect rate might seem negligible, but identifying those defects was the real challenge—and it required skilled labor. That's the tough part of manufacturing, and why experienced workers were so valuable.
Wei added, "The refinement process will take time. 3M just increased their order quantities. They called me last night asking if we could ramp up faster.
If you approve, I'd like to place another order with Dongsheng for these new machines."
"How many?" Yang asked.
"Thirty more," Wei said. "Dongsheng needs time to build them, so we can't order more than that in the short term.
Once they're installed, our output will more than double. Our current floor space can accommodate them and still have room to spare.
Trying to triple output using the old smaller machines would eat up too much space."
"Alright, go ahead. We need to meet 3M's demand as quickly as possible," Yang agreed.
Aside from labor, Dongsheng's production capacity was the other main bottleneck holding back faster expansion.
Wei smiled. "At this rate, Mr. Yang, you might soon become one of Hong Kong's most talked-about entrepreneurs—especially considering you started from the shantytowns.
You might even outshine the other Chinese tycoons."
"Our product is mainly B2B," Yang replied. "We're not like the consumer goods brands. I doubt we'll be that famous."
Wei nodded. "That's true. But customs records and employee counts—once they hit a certain scale, it's hard to stay under the radar. It'll be up to the media whether or not they expose it."
"We'll see," Yang said. He wasn't too concerned.
Across Hong Kong and even the modern world, there were plenty of low-profile tycoons. But you wouldn't find them in manufacturing—factories couldn't stay hidden once they got big.
Only real estate and finance allowed for true stealth. As long as you didn't do high-profile acquisitions, own landmark buildings, or join major corporate boards, you could fly under the radar indefinitely.
"Actually, being known isn't a big deal," Wei added. "But you really should consider hiring some security."
He paused, then continued, "Even now, it wouldn't be a bad idea. At the very least, hire an experienced bodyguard who can also double as your driver."
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that," Yang nodded. In a few months, even his bank account would turn from negative to positive. It was time to start taking safety seriously.
This wasn't the era where he could walk around carelessly. Especially in 1950s Hong Kong—one wrong run-in with the wrong street gang, and things could turn ugly.
"I'll look into it," Wei said. "See if I can find someone suitable."
"Thanks, Old Wei," Yang smiled.
A few days later, Yang interviewed a man named Jiang Yongqiang. After a practical test, Yang hired him on the spot.
He also purchased a new car—with Liu Chong Hing Bank's quiet approval.
To his surprise, there was no such thing as car financing in this era.
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