Chapter 109: Market Strategy for the Rubik's Cube
"So soon?" Yang Wendong was overjoyed.
In Chinese culture, moving into a new home is a big deal. In his previous life in the 21st century, people even celebrated it like a wedding banquet.
Although he had moved several times since arriving in Hong Kong, each place better than the last, they were all rentals—none of them held much meaning. He'd never considered staying long-term in any of them.
But the villas he had just purchased, while not particularly luxurious, represented something different. Even if he became more successful later and moved again, this was still the first property he owned since arriving in Hong Kong. He'd be living there for quite a while.
Wei Zetao chuckled. "Yes, as long as the money is there, workers will work 24/7. One shift rests while the other takes over, just like our factory."
"Can we go check it out now?" Yang asked.
"Of course," Wei replied. "The renovation work is basically done. Mr. Yang, you should inspect it to make sure it matches your original request. If you have any adjustments, it's still possible to tweak things.
Once you confirm everything, we'll move on to furniture and soft furnishings. Then it'll be ready for move-in."
"Great. I'll take everyone over tomorrow," Yang said, nodding.
After just over a year of hustle in Hong Kong, he could finally move into his own home.
It was just a small villa on the Kowloon Peninsula—not particularly impressive, maybe even less valuable than a high-rise apartment in Central. But it was still a proper small luxury home. At least in terms of living experience, without considering commercial surroundings, it was an ideal place to live.
"OK, I'll arrange everything for tomorrow," Wei responded. After a short pause, he added, "Mr. Yang, the company's growing fast, and we've been tight on vehicles lately.
Even picking you all up tomorrow—we barely manage with just two cars."
"Yeah, let's buy a couple more cheap ones," Yang said without hesitation. "Second-hand is fine, as long as they look decent."
For a growing business, appearance matters—especially when it comes to cars. That's true both in modern China and 1950s Hong Kong. And time was the most precious resource during the early stage of business growth. He didn't want his staff wasting time on the road.
Besides, in this era, just having a car already made you part of the elite—better than 99% of the population.
"Got it," Wei nodded. "What brand should we get? American, German, or the cheaper Japanese ones?"
"American or German, whichever. You guys discuss it and prepare a spreadsheet. I'll take a look and decide," Yang replied.
This wasn't the future where Japanese cars dominated the global market. In this era, "Made in Japan" was still a low-end label—similar to how "Made in China" was viewed in the 1990s.
Of course, the Japanese were working hard to improve their electronics and automobiles, and within two decades, they'd stage a dramatic comeback. But that was none of Yang's business. He only cared about quality now. For appliances, Japanese brands might be worth a look—but for cars, where safety mattered most, American brands were still better.
As for fuel consumption? Not a concern—gas was cheap, and Yang's current wealth meant it didn't matter even if it wasn't.
"Understood," Wei said with a grin. Who didn't want a better, more reliable American or German car?
The next morning, two cars arrived to pick up Yang and his core team—Zhao Liming, Lin Haoyu, and Su Yiyi—and took them to Yifu Garden.
Several villas sat adjacent to one another, just as Yang had intended from the beginning.
The renovation contractor, already aware that the big boss was coming, had been waiting since early morning.
"Good morning, Mr. Yang," the contractor greeted warmly.
"Morning," Yang replied politely.
"Mr. Yang, the villas have been renovated exactly according to your instructions. Please come inside and take a look."
"Alright." Yang nodded and led the group into the closest house.
All the villas had the same layout and finishes—Yang owned them all, and didn't bother with custom designs for each one.
Under the contractor's guidance, the group toured the two-and-a-half-story villa. Yang made a few minor suggestions, and that was it.
"Old Wei, do they have split-type air conditioners on the market yet?" Yang asked. "You know, the kind with a separate indoor and outdoor unit connected by a copper pipe to circulate cold air?"
Wei responded with a question, "You mean Toshiba's air conditioners?"
"Toshiba? Yeah, probably." Yang nodded. While he hadn't bought a Japanese car, he was aware that in the 1950s, the Japanese were incredibly driven and had made impressive strides in home appliances and electronics.
Split-type ACs were, in fact, a Japanese invention. To be fair, Japan in this era still had true innovation power—unlike the scandal-plagued megacorps they'd become decades later. Brands like Sony and Toshiba were tech pioneers. If given the chance, investing in them wouldn't be a bad idea—maybe even picking up some shares for profit.
Of course, South Korea would be a bigger opportunity in the future. So would Taiwan. And then there was mainland China two decades down the line. East Asia's "Three Dragons" would all become global economic miracles. The root cause? The relentless drive embedded in Confucian culture.
"There is one on the market. If you want it, I'll take care of it," Wei said with a smile.
"Great." Yang nodded. "Once the new factory is finalized, make sure to install air conditioning in the main meeting room and our personal offices."
In this era, air conditioners were still quite expensive—especially since Hong Kong didn't produce its own and had to import them. Even with low import taxes, foreign goods were costly due to the lack of container shipping and high transport fees.
Last summer, while launching his business, Yang had been miserably overheated. He'd looked into AC prices but could only sigh and move on—they were simply unaffordable at the time.
Nowadays, I don't even care about the cost of air conditioning anymore—especially since the unit is listed under the company's name, which also qualifies it for tax deductions.
"Thanks, Mr. Yang," Wei Zetao smiled. As workers, they too wanted to enjoy air conditioning. After all, the summer heat was just too intense.
However, even in a British-owned foreign firm, not everyone could enjoy the luxury of air conditioning. If you were lucky, they might at least give you an electric fan.
Electric fans, in fact, were already quite expensive, and Hong Kong didn't produce them locally.
Next, Yang Wendong arranged a few more tasks. Wei Zetao noted everything down, including buying a television, applying for a cable TV signal, installing a telephone line and handset, and purchasing a sofa, wardrobe, desk, and so on.
The matters regarding the future residence were almost wrapped up. The new furniture and appliances would soon be delivered, and after some time to let any odors dissipate, the place would be ready to move into.
The next day, Yang Wendong arrived at the office. Not long after, Wei Zetao and Hong Xuefei walked in, holding several Rubik's Cube toys in their hands.
Yang Wendong looked at them and asked with a smile, "Are these Rubik's Cubes made with the newest injection molding machine?"
When the Rubik's Cube structure patent was registered, Yang Wendong had immediately ordered the purchase of the latest injection molding machine. It was a standard piece of equipment, readily available in stock. Once the payment was made, Dongsheng managed to intercept a unit originally destined for another customer and sent it over.
The molding took a bit longer, as the Rubik's Cube required precise dimensions. These molds were more demanding than those used for ordinary toys. Thankfully, the money was in place, and the supplier's factory worked around the clock to complete the mold within a couple of weeks.
Over the past few days, the process engineering team had been constantly tuning the new injection molding machine. Yang Wendong was aware of this, though he'd only visited twice due to his focus on the new factory's issues.
Hong Xuefei said, "Yes, we spent a week on fine-tuning and finally nailed down all the process parameters. From appearance to functionality, the Rubik's Cubes produced meet our internal standards. Please take a look, Mr. Yang."
"Alright, have a seat," Yang Wendong said as he took a few cubes and began to fiddle with them.
He twisted and turned them a few times. They were a bit stiff—not quite as smooth as the cubes he remembered from his previous life—but for a first-generation product, that was expected. It wouldn't be fair to compare it with a version that was several decades more advanced.
After a few turns, the colored tiles were all scrambled. Then, using the "Rubik's Cube Great Restoration Technique" from his previous life, he quickly solved the puzzle, restoring each of the six faces to uniform color.
Both Hong Xuefei and Wei Zetao were stunned, eyes wide open.
They had been studying the Rubik's Cube for more than half a month and still hadn't figured out how to reliably solve it. The problem wasn't just one—every mix-up resulted in a different challenge, a new color pattern. Restoring each one quickly seemed impossible.
Yet somehow, in their boss's hands, no matter how scrambled the colors were, he could always restore them swiftly.
After placing the cube down, Yang Wendong looked at his fingers and said, "Not bad, the color hasn't faded."
Wei Zetao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Yang. We used a dual-color injection molding process, the same technique used for those colorful plastic flowers on the market now. The raw materials are also the same. Those flowers have been popular for over a year without any reports of fading."
"Hmm," Yang Wendong nodded and added, "Still, we need to be cautious. Plastic flowers are decorative art pieces; people mostly look at them and only occasionally touch them. But our Rubik's Cube will be in constant contact with human hands. Some people will even squeeze it tightly while playing, and it will come into contact with sweat. The requirements are even stricter than for ordinary toys.
Don't we have that high and low temperature testing chamber? Let's run some durability tests, especially in high temperatures. Plastic is usually sensitive to heat—let's see if prolonged exposure causes any fading."
In the manufacturing business, quality control is paramount. With products like glue traps, it's not a big deal—even if people use them, they usually just peel off the protective layer and toss them in a corner. Sticky notes are used more frequently, but as long as the adhesive works, there aren't usually issues.
But the Rubik's Cube is different. It's a toy that people handle extensively. If it gets damaged through use, that's one thing. But if it causes someone's hands to get stained or discolored, then that's a major issue.
Being meticulous is essential to running a successful factory. Even the smallest, most unnoticeable flaw can cause tremendous damage—not just financially, but also to your reputation, brand, and the trust of your business partners.
Hong Xuefei responded promptly, "Understood, Mr. Yang. I'll send some units over for testing shortly. There are established standards for toys in Europe and America. I'll follow those for the testing."
"Okay." Yang Wendong resumed fiddling with the cube and continued, "Next, we need to think about how to break into the market."
Wei Zetao said, "There are quite a few toy factories in Hong Kong. Most rely on exports. But for any of them—unless the products are custom-made for foreign clients—exporting successfully depends on their performance in the local Hong Kong market first. If the products don't sell well here, trading companies won't bother placing orders, and foreign toy companies definitely won't buy directly."
"That's a fair approach. If you can't even win over your local market, how can you convince overseas clients?" Yang Wendong nodded in agreement.
Even his previous products like glue traps and sticky notes had succeeded in the local market before expanding abroad.
Wei Zetao added, "Exactly. There are too many factories in Hong Kong, producing all sorts of items. But export decisions are in the hands of trading companies or foreign firms. They don't have the time to test or screen which product might do well overseas. So they just look at local market performance. A product that succeeds in Hong Kong might still fail abroad, but one that can't even succeed here probably has no chance outside."
"Alright." Yang Wendong nodded. "Then let's discuss how we're going to launch our Rubik's Cube in the Hong Kong market."
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