Chapter 173: The Commercial Potential of the Rolling Suitcase
Seeing that the deal was likely to go through, the real estate agent smiled and said, "1.35 million HKD, Mr. Yang. If you're interested, I can negotiate the price down a little for you."
"Alright. My lawyer will be in touch with you," Yang Wendong replied without any expression, though mentally he noted that this villa cost even more than the construction of the Hong Kong Chinese Daily building.
Still, that was to be expected. Villas in Mid-Levels, like office towers in Central, were extremely scarce assets. Even for collateral purposes, banks were more than happy to accept them.
The agent, seeing Yang's interest, quickly added, "Understood. I'll do my best to get you a better deal."
The next day, Yang and Su Yiyi went to see another villa. It was slightly less luxurious and listed for 1.1 million HKD.
With few high-end Mid-Levels villas available, Yang's legal team took over negotiations for both properties. Although 1.3 million was no small amount, Yang had ordered his staff to gather data on recent sales, and he studied the market himself to understand the pricing.
After ten days of back-and-forth, Yang's legal department reached an agreement with the owner's legal team. The Deep Water Bay No. 86 villa would be sold for 1.31 million HKD.
The price was about 15% higher than the average for the three villas sold last year, but considering the rising market, it was still acceptable.
Yang approved the deal, paying 300,000 HKD himself and financing the rest with a loan from Liu Chong Hing Bank. For such a premium Mid-Levels property, Hong Kong's wealthy fully recognized its value, and banks were more than happy to lend against it.
March 26th — The day after the deal was finalized, Yang brought Su Yiyi and Auntie Guo to the new home.
Yang smiled and said, "Yiyi, Auntie Guo, this will be our new home from now on."
Auntie Guo responded, "I won't be moving in. It's not right for a mother-in-law to live with the couple. Besides, I don't know anyone around here. I'd be bored stiff. When you have kids, I'll come and help out."
"Well, the house has more rooms than we can use. You're welcome anytime," Yang said, then added, "Though I'll need to assign a few bodyguards to you—just in case."
"Alright." Auntie Guo understood. With wealth came risk.
Yang turned to Su Yiyi. "Yiyi, do you think we need to add anything to the house?"
"No, it's already great," Su Yiyi said. "We're changing all the furniture, right? Just keep it similar to before."
"Mhm. I'll have someone come clean the place. Once the new furniture airs out, we can move in," Yang nodded.
The transaction didn't include any furniture. The seller had been open to selling, but Yang preferred to start fresh.
"Okay." Su Yiyi had no complaints.
For someone who had grown up in squatter huts, her current life felt like a dream come true.
After touring the house, Yang turned to Brian, the butler, and said, "Brian, I'd like you to install a large water tank nearby. Something with a capacity of several dozen cubic meters."
"A water tank? Understood." Brian was slightly puzzled but didn't ask questions. As a professional butler, he knew to follow orders. Besides, it wasn't an expensive request.
"Everything else, just handle it the way you always have," Yang added.
In two years, a severe drought was expected. While he planned to help others when the time came, step one was ensuring his own family had enough water.
Given his wealth, he could easily afford to fly in water from overseas. But preparing early was always better.
March 28th – Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong:
A McDonnell Douglas plane descended onto the runway. Over a hundred passengers disembarked and began filing through the terminal.
Most were Asian, with a few white passengers among them. The majority had traveled from the U.S., transferring through Japan.
"Robert, these bags are too heavy. Just give me mine," said Robin, a blonde woman walking behind a man who was lugging two heavy suitcases.
"It's fine," Robert laughed. "This is just another gym session for me—I work out regularly."
"Alright then," Robin agreed. The bags were packed to the brim. Carrying them for long stretches would have worn her out.
They were here for an important visit and would be staying in Hong Kong for a while, hence the extra luggage.
As they walked toward the exit, they noticed a young Chinese woman ahead pulling a suitcase behind her.
"What is that? She's pulling a suitcase?" Robin exclaimed in surprise.
Robert turned and saw it too. The woman had a handle in hand, attached to a suitcase the same size as the one he was holding. It rolled smoothly on wheels underneath.
He immediately set down his own heavy bags and stared. "A suitcase… with wheels? Why have I never seen this before?"
The weight difference between carrying and rolling such a case was massive. The labor savings were staggering.
"I've never seen one in the States either. If I had, I'd have bought one long ago," Robin said, then added, "I'll ask her. We're both women—she might be more comfortable talking to me. Hopefully, she speaks English."
"She probably does," Robert replied. "A lot of Hongkongers do, especially the well-dressed ones."
"Right." Robin walked ahead and struck up a conversation. As it turned out, the girl spoke English fluently and was happy to demonstrate how the suitcase worked.
After a few minutes, Robin returned. "She said it's a brand-new product from a local Hong Kong company. They call it a 'rolling suitcase.'
It has a retractable handle, which you saw, and the design is brilliant. Really user-friendly."
"Do you know which company makes it?" Robert asked, intrigued. "A single city like Hong Kong came up with this kind of innovation?"
Robin grinned. "It's someone we know—your old friend. The brand on the suitcase was DeLi."
"DeLi? You're telling me Eric invented this?" Robert was stunned. "Is he really that talented?"
"Some people just are," Robin shrugged. "One of my college professors once said: the gap between two people's talents can be wider than the gap between a person and a dog."
"Crude, but accurate," Robert muttered. "We originally came to Hong Kong to discuss other things with Eric. But this rolling suitcase might change everything."
"You're thinking of getting the distribution rights?" Robin asked. "But our company doesn't deal in this kind of product."
"Never have doesn't mean we never will. Our channels are the same, and this thing has more potential than Post-its," Robert said. "But before we negotiate, let's get one and study it."
Robin agreed. "The girl said they're selling them right here at the airport. Let's find one and take it back to the hotel."
"Alright," Robert nodded.
The two of them headed toward the airport shops.
"There's a crowd," Robin said, surprised.
Looking ahead at the swarm of people, Robert said, "Probably tourists like us. They saw it and now want one too."
Robin nodded. "This really is a great product. If we brought it to the U.S., I can't imagine how many people would buy it."
"Let's line up and buy one first," Robert said. His mind was racing, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
After a while, it was their turn.
"How much for one of these?" Robert asked.
The shopkeeper glanced at them. "Forty-five HKD each. Or ten U.S. dollars."
"That's expensive! Ten dollars is more than 45 HKD," Robin frowned.
The shopkeeper shrugged. "Then pay in HKD."
"Fine, I'll pay in local currency," Robert said, realizing there was no point arguing. "Are these selling well?"
"Very well," the shopkeeper replied. "Almost everyone who sees it wants one."
"When did you start selling them?"
"About a week ago," the shopkeeper said. "I've heard they're popping up in malls across Hong Kong now. You're lucky—it's still morning. In the afternoon, they often sell out."
"Thanks," Robert said.
The two of them took a cab to their hotel. The first thing they did was examine the suitcase.
Robin said, "The structure's simple—bottom wheels, recessed side panel, extendable handle. Any U.S. manufacturer could make this."
"Sure, but only after they've seen one," Robert replied. "Could you have thought this up on your own?"
"Of course not," Robin admitted. "It's like Post-its. Once you see it, it feels obvious. But before that—no one imagined it."
Robert smiled. "I didn't expect to find something this impressive in Hong Kong. It feels like discovering a new continent. Eric really is something else."
Robin nodded. "He's like Tesla, but for daily-use items. Not tech-heavy, but life-changing."
"Exactly," Robert agreed.
Robin added, "We could still copy this—even if it's patented."
"We could," Robert said. "But don't forget—our own success relies heavily on respecting intellectual property. If we start breaking the rules, we'll suffer long-term."
"You're right." Robin sighed. "Also, these plastic suitcases are bulky. Shipping them overseas would be expensive. Might cost more than manufacturing locally."
"True. That could be a challenge," Robert said. "Maybe we can convince him to set up production in the U.S. or Mexico. Then we handle distribution."
Robert shook his head. "I don't think he'll agree. I've talked to Eric before—he's not keen on building factories abroad.
But knowing him, he might already have a solution for the shipping cost."
"Fair enough. We'll bring it up when we meet him in a couple of days," Robin said.
"Mhm," Robert nodded.
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