Several more rooms were added on either side of the entrance to the repair shop. These rooms housed three special forces soldiers selected by Yang Shiqi as guards. They were part of the twenty special forces soldiers Zhao Qiang had requested. These twenty already highly skilled soldiers were equipped with the most advanced running shoes, bulletproof vests, and X-ray vision goggles. Zhao Qiang had originally planned to manufacture only ten sets, but after Yang Shiqi repeatedly pleaded with him, ten more sets were added, so each of the twenty soldiers had one. Normally, Yang Shiqi had three soldiers protecting her, while the remaining seventeen had three serving as guards for Zhao Qiang. Luo Wei, Hu Qian, Xu Xiaoya, and Zhang Lingfeng each had two bodyguards, and the remaining six remained in the military camp to provide support, ready to respond immediately to any emergency. These twenty soldiers were divided into two squads. The squad leader was Liu Jia, the deputy squad leader was Xu Changhe, the squad leader was Ma Dahong, and the deputy squad leader was Wang Jin. They were politically reliable, which was Yang Shiqi's first requirement for selecting them. Otherwise, no one could afford the losses if something happened. After all, running shoes, bulletproof vests, and X-ray glasses are currently high-tech products, and even the state had not received any information about them. This was somewhat like a private armed force.
There was another room next to the gate of the repair shop, one for Wang Meng and another for Zhang Lingfeng. Wang Meng had no problem with living in the room next to the gate, but Zhang Lingfeng had many complaints. He wanted to sleep next to Hu Qian and Luo Wei, but that was impossible. In fact, he never slept there at night; he only rested there briefly during the day when he needed to report something.
Hu Qian and her brother Bu Wei added two more rooms behind the office, with entrances also inside the office, against the north wall, one on the left and one on the right. The door on the west wall leads to Xu Xiaoya's bedroom, and another door has been added to the east wall, connecting to the former manager's office next door. Zhao Qiang has converted it into his maintenance room and bedroom. Various materials are stored inside. There is ample power supply. Bu Wei said the renovation was necessary.
The kitchen and dining room are connected to the original reception room. Yang Shiqi specially found a cook from the army who is good at cooking, so that everyone can have hot meals when Luo Wei is not available to cook. That night, Luo Wei arrived an hour early and busied herself in the kitchen. By the time the eight dishes were served, everyone had arrived.
At the very center of the long round table sat Zhao Qiang, with Xu Xiaoya to his right. To his left was Hu Qian, followed by Yang Shiqi, Luo Wei, and Zhang Lingfeng. Wang Yidong was not allowed to attend meetings like this; there were certain secrets that were not at his rank.
Zhao Qiang acted like a parent, warmly urging, "Hurry up and eat, I'm starving again."
Everyone was already familiar with Zhao Qiang's catchphrase: he was practically always hungry. So no one spoke, and everyone ate their own food. When Zhang Lingfeng also put down his chopsticks, Zhao Qiang felt embarrassed to continue eating. He wiped his mouth and led the way back to his office. Although there was a private meeting room, everyone still preferred to sit at their own desks to talk.
Zhang Lingfeng grinned and said, "Everyone, let's give a round of applause to welcome General Manager Xu back after completing his studies!"
Xu Xiaoya rolled her eyes at Zhang Lingfeng: "What were you doing during dinner? Why didn't you suggest opening champagne to celebrate?"
Zhang Lingfeng glanced at Zhao Qiang and said cautiously, "How could I dare to bring it up if Master didn't say anything? He always prefers to eat in silence, and now I've gotten used to it too."
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "I was just worried that I wouldn't have enough to eat. I didn't want to take too long to eat, so how could I manage without working hard?"
Everyone laughed. Zhao Qiang's habit was forced upon him. In fact, he preferred to eat alone, eating bowl after bowl without anyone saying anything. When he was alone with everyone else, he felt embarrassed to eat anymore, as that would make him seem like a useless glutton.
Xu Xiaoya said, "Alright, everyone, please be quiet. Over the past six months, all the companies have achieved remarkable results. I won't offer any praise, as that would be too formal. Now, let's each talk about the difficulties our companies are currently facing and our future development plans. Zhao Qiang can offer corrections and guidance at any time. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, this will be the plan for the second half of the year."
"Let me go first," Zhang Lingfeng said eagerly.
Yang Shiqi said with some dissatisfaction: "You're the one making the most money right now. Your Zhang family is rolling in money. You're all the rage in the province."
Zhang Lingfeng said, "Young Master Yang, look at what you're saying. The Zhang family is my master and my parents. Besides, my current achievements are too far from my goal. I strongly request that Master increase the supply of mother tea, preferably 100,000 servings a day. That way, I can bring you back 3 billion in profit every month!"
Zhang Lingfeng wasn't bragging at all. To outsiders, a monthly profit of 3 billion yuan would seem like a pipe dream, but none of the people present reacted. It's no wonder that any of them would have the same result if they had run a slimming tea business.
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "I can only provide 10,000 portions of mother tea per day. I can't produce more than that. I'm already satisfied with 10 million a day until I've made enough money." Of the 10 million profit, Zhao Qiang gets 7 million, and the Zhang family gets 3 million.
Zhang Lingfeng was not giving up: "Then we can open a new product, or raise the price of the slimming tea. Because of the supply shortage, the full course of slimming tea on the black market has been sold for between 15,000 and 18,000 yuan, and it may even break through 20,000 yuan."
Zhao Qiang still denied it: "I haven't thought of any good projects for developing new products yet. In addition, we need a lot of experimental support. There is no need to raise prices. Let them speculate. Anyway, it will definitely benefit our publicity. It is impossible for us to take all the profits. If we go too far, it will not be good for anyone."
Zhang Lingfeng knew it was hopeless, so he could only say one last thing, "Master, some people are now saying that drinking the entire course of slimming tea together will have an instant slimming effect. At least ten people online have already tried it, and the effect is best when the first stage is combined. Some wealthy people are specifically buying the first stage of slimming tea to combine and drink, thus saving a lot of time. Some people are criticizing us, saying that we are prolonging the slimming period and making more money from users. What should we do about this?" Zhao Qiang actually understood perfectly well. The slimming tea he made was just Xu Xiaoya's slimming tea packaged separately. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered this trick, but if the slimming process was completed in one day or even less, it would not be conducive to cultivating long-term customers, and it would not be suitable for the youth health product company to open more projects in the future.
Zhao Qiang said, "Revise the instructions for the slimming tea, issue a serious warning that excessive fat reduction at one time can cause damage to the body, and also find a few experts to do a few programs to scare people who do this."
Zhang Lingfeng was convinced, but Xu Xiaoya was not happy. "Zhao Qiang, if you do this, won't the slimming tea I sold to others have already caused irreversible damage to their bodies? Although it's not true, people will definitely believe it when the expert goes on the show. Even if they don't believe it, they'll still have a grudge. I have to give them an explanation."
Two votes short! Could some kind old man please cast your vote? I'd be so grateful! The ones behind are catching up so fast!
Volume 2 [223] Ordinary Dry Cell Batteries Now Available
Uncle Qiang scratched his head. "Loyalty and righteousness are hard to reconcile. Why don't you just bear with it? You can stay silent and study Huimo from now on..."
Zhang Lingfeng said to Xu Xiaoya, "Don't worry, Ms. Xu. Leave this to me. In Donghai City, anyone who dares to utter a sound will be silenced. If they don't, they'll really suffer losses."
Xu Xiaoya had no choice; she had to prioritize the overall situation. "Alright," she said, "Zhang Lingfeng will be responsible for warning anyone who comes looking for trouble." Yang Shiqi then said, "I don't have much to say. High-energy batteries don't need large-scale production right now; they're just for exploratory experiments in various industries and for supplying border outposts and special industries that lack electricity. What I really need is mass production of the high-energy batteries you provided in your samples. That's what truly has real value in aerospace and military fields."
According to Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi's classification, energy batteries are divided into three levels: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Higher-end batteries are further divided into Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5, with their compression ratio and energy storage capacity increasing exponentially with each level. The sample Zhao Qiang handcrafted belongs to Level 3. This type of battery can effortlessly power tanks. A single Level 3 battery allows a tank to jettison its main and auxiliary fuel tanks, doubling its range, increasing horsepower, and allowing for a larger ammunition load. But that's not the most important factor; even more impressively, it eliminates the tank's loud engine noise, making it more suitable for surprise attacks.
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "With the current production line level, it's simply impossible to manufacture high-energy batteries. High-energy is already the limit, and it would require workers to accumulate experience for a long time. More advanced production lines are not only unavailable in our country, but even Europe and America don't have them. If we rely entirely on ourselves to produce them, we'd work ourselves to death and still wouldn't be able to meet the demand."
Yang Shiqi shrugged. "So I have nothing more to say. All production plans will be made according to Zhao Qiang's plan."
Luo Wei said, "Let me explain. Currently, Qimingdeng Electronics only produces two products: one is slow-release devices, for which the only supplier is Yang Shiqi's distillation factory, and the output is not large; the second is fast chargers. Because each province has authorized manufacturers, our sales have dropped significantly. Currently, the inventory in the warehouse is enough to sell for three months. So although the revenue has not decreased significantly, production in the workshop has almost stopped."
Zhao Qiang said, "In that case, we should start producing ordinary dry cell batteries."
Zhao Qiang's description of ordinary dry-cell batteries actually refers to high-energy batteries. This particular high-energy battery is far from ordinary because it uses new energy storage materials and incorporates a slow-release device, significantly increasing its capacity. However, this increase is relative to ordinary dry-cell batteries; it's still far from being comparable to high-energy batteries! This is because the energy isn't compressed within the dry-cell battery. If compression were required, the battery casing would need to be modified, otherwise, an explosion could easily occur. But modification involves materials, and Zhao Qiang didn't have the extra materials for civilian products.
Even without compressing the energy inside the battery, a regular battery that used to last a week on standby can now last for over a hundred days, and high-capacity batteries can even last a year under normal use! If a flashlight uses this new type of battery, it only needs to be charged once or twice in its lifetime to complete its mission. The extended battery life also solves the problem of difficult disposal of waste batteries for the country. It should be said that this is a win-win business that benefits the country and its people, and the relevant patent technology has already been applied for.
Luo Wei said, "The production line installation is complete, but it will still take more than a week to train the workers before production can begin."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then go ahead and do it. Try to get the new battery on the market next month; the related promotional work should begin."
While taking notes, Xu Xiaoya said, "Okay, I'll assist Wei with the publicity, and Hu Qian will also provide online support."
"
Hu Qian put down her pen and said, "No problem. This kind of battery has an absolute technological advantage, so like slimming tea, it should be a hot commodity. I think the news will definitely cause a sensation online. Then we can manipulate public opinion behind the scenes, and it will definitely be positive reports."
If negative reports surface, the intelligent life system Wei will handle them, so Zhao Qiang isn't worried. He asked Hu Qian beside him, "What's the situation with Rednet Technology? What about the China Red Operating System?"
"Sales momentum continues to increase at a rate of 10% per month." As she spoke, Hu Qian produced several documents, saying, "These are recent letters of intent from several ministries, and several large domestic software manufacturers have also sent letters requesting our source code as a reference to verify the security of our system and to ensure it provides a perfect interface for their software."
Zhao Qiang considered for a moment: "We can't give out the source code. There are too many traitors among these government agencies and software manufacturers. If we release it to just one, Microsoft will get it in no time. Then they'll make improvements to our China Red Operating System, greatly increasing our sales and advertising pressure. This is detrimental to the China Red Operating System, which hasn't fully established itself yet. I think Microsoft understands this. Although mainland China isn't their primary target market, Microsoft should be aware of the future threat the China Red Operating System will pose to them. I estimate that corresponding measures are already being implemented."
Hu Qian said, "That's right, that's what I was thinking too. Now that you've expressed your opinion, I'm even more convinced of my idea. Currently, the China Red operating system has a market share of about 20% in China. In just a few months, we've achieved such results, and I'm personally quite satisfied with that."
An operating system is not a weight-loss tea; no one blindly worships it. Even if various test data show that the China Red operating system is indeed superior to Microsoft's operating system, many people's current computer resources are already idle, and the added workload will not affect their work in the slightest. Therefore, it is simply impossible to sweep Microsoft's operating system out of the country in one fell swoop, and as for occupying the foreign market, that is a long way off.
Zhao Qiang said, "Technical support for users must keep up. Any problems must be resolved promptly, and if they cannot be resolved, they should be reported to me. In addition, our operating system is compatible with all current software. Therefore, there is no need to open up the source code to software vendors to facilitate their interface creation. From the very beginning, we have not tried to curry favor with them, and there is even less need to do so today. As for government procurement, Hu Qian, you should guide public opinion and advocate that Chinese people use their own domestic operating system. With your position, I think there is no need to be afraid of those ministries suppressing the company. So whether they want to purchase or not, we will not flatter them."
In fact, with everyone's effective management, there were no major issues to deal with in the company, so the meeting ended quickly. Xu Xiaoya went home to see her parents, as they hadn't seen each other for several months. Yang Shiqi went back to the military camp behind the overhaul plant to rest. Luo Wei stayed behind to guard the Yuan blue and white porcelain jar, as she was still worried. Hu Qian went to Rednet Technology to work overtime. She had already obtained several samples of the new type of battery from Luo Wei and needed to go back and quickly test them and write a few articles.
Zhao Qiang, bored after pacing around the office twice, couldn't stand Luo Wei's grateful looks. So he went to Wang Meng's place, intending to take him to Shunfeng Technology to find someone to play cards. Wang Meng was cleaning his slingshot in his room. Zhao Qiang thought his weapon was too outdated. Zhao Qiang and Wei were researching a weapon that didn't need bullets, only compressed and released air. This weapon required a powerful energy supply, making mass production impossible unless high-energy batteries could be truly mass-produced.
"Brother Qiang, it's a bit muggy tonight, it looks like it's going to rain. Look, this is a photo of my grandma working in the fields. Her eyesight has been restored, Brother Qiang. I really want to thank you." Wang Meng put down his slingshot and picked up a letter on the table. Inside were several photos that had just been sent. Wang Meng's grandma had returned from surgery in Beijing and now had her sight restored and could move around freely.
Wang Meng was happy, and Zhao Qiang was genuinely happy too. During this time, the two had become like brothers; Zhao Qiang truly treated Wang Meng like family, and Wang Meng faithfully followed Zhao Qiang. Although Zhao Qiang hadn't encountered any danger yet, leaving him with no opportunity to use his talents, his life had indeed been too uneventful. His biggest achievement was restoring an antique yesterday.
"The wheat in the yard has grown so tall, it won't be long before it needs to be harvested."
Zhao Qiang put down the photos. One of them was taken in a wheat field. Zhao Qiang wasn't worried about the work in the fields. His father was now the village chief, in charge of whether villagers could work in the factory, which was a good job with a monthly income of over two thousand yuan. Zhao Weidong was doing very well in Zaolin Town, so naturally he didn't have to worry about farming.
Zhao Qiang then said, "Let's go to Shunfeng Technology to play cards with some of my classmates, and then come back to sleep."
Playing cards is much more interesting than watching TV alone, and Zhao Qiang's classmates include women. As a single man, Wang Meng was naturally happy. He tucked the slingshot into his waistband and put on his clothes: "Alright."
The business hall on the first floor of Shunfeng Technology is closed at night. The repair department is located in a corner next to the business hall. The repair department has two doors: one leading to the business hall, which is locked from the business hall direction at night; the other door, leading outwards, is open at night, where Liu Dazhuang and several repairmen either work overtime repairing machines or play games.
When Zhao Qiang and Wang Meng came in, a young man in his early twenties drove up and carried a machine into the repair shop. There are often many people coming to repair machines at night, so there is usually an accountant working overtime in the repair shop. Today, Zhou Junjun is on duty. She is an alumna of Zhao Qiang's Donghai University and has officially graduated. She has been promoted from an ordinary salesperson to an accountant in the finance department. She is paid for working overtime at night. She lives in the dormitory in the Shunfeng Technology Building. She treats working overtime as a way to cool off and earn money. When there are customers, she is responsible for greeting and collecting payments. When there are no customers, she enjoys watching movies and listening to music.
I'm guaranteeing three consecutive chapters. If you have any monthly tickets, please lend a hand. Thank you so much! Just finished scolding my old friend Yang... 8 Fishing Bookstore offers a different experience!
Volume 2 [224] Playing the Scoundrel
"Hello, need your computer repaired?" Zhou Junjun looked up at Zhao Qiang and smiled, "Well, Zhao Qiang comes here often, so we're all quite familiar with each other. It's just that nobody knows the relationship between Shunfeng Technology and Zhao Qiang. Right now, Zhao Qiang is seen by others as an idle, unemployed bum."
"What kind of lousy technology is this? I paid during the day, and it still doesn't work at home." He grumbled, slamming the computer case onto the counter, nearly shattering the glass.
Zhou Junjun hurriedly smiled and said, "Can you tell me what the problem is? I'm not on duty during the day."
He said, "You can open it yourself. If you don't enter the system, the problem will be the same as before. I've wasted my time fixing it."
Liu Dazhuang had already put down his work and walked over. He plugged in the mouse, keyboard, and monitor, and turned on the computer. Everything was normal, and he successfully entered the system. Liu Dazhuang said, "I know your machine. The system was corrupted and has already been reinstalled, haha. I suggest you use optimization software, or simply switch to the China Red operating system; it's more durable and secure."
He stubbornly insisted, "That's impossible. When I came to pick up the computer this afternoon, it worked fine when I tried it out here, but it stopped working when I got home. You're deliberately using a good machine to cheat people out of their money, aren't you?"
Liu Dazhuang was very unhappy. "Comrade, please watch your words. Look at this monitor—is it connected to your computer? This is the largest computer company in Donghai City; how could we possibly..."
"He said loudly, "Why is this not a lie? Why doesn't it work when I go home? Give me a reason."
Zhao Qiang stepped forward and asked, "Why is it not working when you get home? You should at least tell them. I'm just an observer, so I'll give you my opinion."
Liu Dazhuang waved to Zhao Qiang. Now that Zhao Qiang had completely retired from Shunfeng Technology, he was neither working nor in a hurry. Liu Dazhuang was curious that he could still live in the repair shop. Later, Zhao Qiang explained that the original owner, Qi Lai, was his relative, which was why he was able to stay there. Liu Dazhuang and the others had no idea about the inside story, so they believed him.
The aggressive man shouted, "Black screen with white text? What the hell is this? I haven't been studying for many years, what kind of words are these? Fix it right now, or I'll compensate you tenfold for your losses. If you can't fix it, don't charge me. Don't think you can bully customers just because you're a big company."
After a moment's thought, Zhao Qiang figured that if he hadn't plugged the mouse and keyboard in the wrong way, then the keyboard was probably broken. Zhao Qiang asked, "Didn't you bring the keyboard?"
As he spoke, Zhao Qiang casually wrote a few words on a piece of paper, "Is this roughly what you see on the screen?"
murmuring
Nodding repeatedly, he said, "Not bad, not bad, it's just these few letters. Looks like you have some skill. Hurry up and fix it for me."
Liu Dazhuang was very grateful to Zhao Qiang. Since Wang Yidong took over Shunfeng Technology, Liu Dazhuang had been promoted to deputy manager of the maintenance department. In fact, his skills were not very good. He couldn't handle some difficult problems or when he encountered unreasonable people. The reason he was promoted to this position was because Zhao Qiang secretly hinted to Wang Yidong.
Zhou Junjun said, "If these letters are displayed, it means your keyboard is broken. You were able to enter the system smoothly because you replaced it with a good keyboard here."
He said with a stern face, "What are you talking about? I spent over 1,700 yuan on that keyboard last year. It's a genuine German product, much better than a mechanical keyboard. Even if yours breaks, it won't break."
Liu Dazhuang was furious: "Sir, if you say that, there's nothing we can do. Your main unit is fine, so we can no longer repair it."
He said fiercely, "I don't care. If you want to bully your customers because you're a big business, I'll show you what real bullying is!"
Liu Dazhuang said, "You're being unreasonable. If you don't leave, we'll call the police."
He slammed his hand on the computer case on the table: "Trying to cheat, huh? You failed to fix the computer and instead burned my keyboard. Now pay up! My keyboard cost 1,700. And my travel expenses and emotional distress damages should amount to at least 10,000!"
Liu Dazhuang was almost brought to tears: "How can you be like this! You broke your keyboard and you're blaming us repairmen? We didn't even see a glimpse of the keyboard."
The thug stopped arguing, turned around and left the repair shop, not even taking the main unit, and drove away. Liu Dazhuang was a little worried and asked Zhao Qiang, "Who is this guy? Is he trying to extort our keyboards?"
Zhou Junjun was also scared: "Quickly call Boss Wang, or notify Sister Hua."
Sister Hua is Ma Hua. She came to Shunfeng Technology Company with Wang Yidong and is now the Finance Minister of Shunfeng Technology. She doesn't know much about Zhao Qiang, mainly because Zhao Qiang is not the kind of person who likes to publicize himself.
Liu Dazhuang took out his phone, and Zhao Qiang said, "Right now, President Wang is probably being intimate with his wife and kids. Don't bother him. With so many classmates around, you think you can't handle him if something comes up?"
Liu Dazhuang, brimming with confidence, made an internal call to summon Wang Nian, Hu Le, and others from the dormitory to come down, bringing the maintenance department to sixteen or seventeen people. If anyone dared to cause trouble, they wouldn't be afraid of him.
With so many people, the self-punishment game became more lively. Everyone pulled out tables and split into groups to play "Protect the Emperor" (a card game). Zhao Qiang was assigned to be a foot guard, but he still got caught. He was somewhat dejected: "Isn't there anything today? Looks like I'm starving. Go buy some food." Zhao Qiang casually pulled out two hundred yuan and threw it to Wang Nian, who was watching nearby. Wang Nian happily went to buy sunflower seeds and soda. Zhao Qiang didn't have a job, but this money seemed quite substantial. Was the squad leader really keeping him as a mistress? Everyone thought so.
Zhao Qiang kept losing, while Wang Meng kept getting stronger with each game, even managing seven kings at one point, which drew gasps of amazement from everyone. They all said he'd just hit the jackpot. Wang Meng just chuckled and said nothing. To others, he was always a quiet guy; they all treated him like the factory gatekeeper, so their conversations weren't very polite. Especially Zhao Qiang's male classmates, who were all proud of Liu Dazhuang, the deputy manager, and naturally didn't take Wang Meng seriously. Sometimes they'd argue with him over taking back cards, always ending in Wang Meng's defeat. Each time, he'd glance at Zhao Qiang, chuckle sheepishly, and that was it. This further convinced his classmates that Wang Meng was honest and simple.
Before Wang Nian had even bought back the snacks and soda, the truck led the way, followed by two Beijing Jeeps, and stormed into the Shunfeng Technology Building. As soon as the leader took the lead, at least six people rushed out, each carrying a rubber baton. It seemed they were really there to cause trouble. Liu Dazhuang was so frightened that his face changed color, and he fumbled for his phone.
"Mr. Wang, oh no, this is terrible!" At this moment, Liu Dazhuang didn't care whether Wang Yidong was being affectionate with his wife and children. He quickly made a call, because besides the six people who got out of the car, thirteen or fourteen people also got out of two other Beijing Jeeps, some even carrying machetes. Their fighting power was worlds apart from the dozen or so unarmed students from the repair department. Liu Dazhuang even forgot how brave Zhao Qiang had been back then; otherwise, he might have remained calmer.
Wang Yidong's tone was somewhat displeased: "What's wrong? Get to the point."
Liu Dazhuang continued to stammer, "Someone's causing trouble, they're about to rush in."
Wang Yidong was furious: "Quickly go to the repair shop behind the building and find Zhao Qiang!" Even though Wang Yidong was nervous, he knew that his real boss was Zhao Qiang.
Liu Dazhuang then remembered that Zhao Qiang was right beside him. He hurriedly said, "Mr. Wang, Zhao Qiang is right next to Wu. There are too many of them."
Wang Yidong breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright. As long as Zhao Qiang is here, you can do whatever you need to do." Wang Meng was holding a hand of cards. Zhao Qiang secretly glanced at it and cursed: "You bastard. Five more kings! Are you really cheating?! You think you're the Hong Kong gambling king? If you ever run out of money, I'll just send you to Hong Kong to gamble."
"