Poor Countryside

As the Jiuzhou Mini gradually disappeared into the distance, Wang Yuhui pulled his suitcase and returned to the home he had not seen in so long.

The single-story house in his memories had hardly changed. The jujube tree out front had grown a little bigger.

When he stepped inside, everything seemed just as it had been before he left last year.

His father smoked leaf tobacco in the courtyard, while his mother made cloth shoes in the sun.

"Dad, Mom!" Wang Yuhui called out, unable to keep his voice down.

A year had passed. His parents, who spent so much of their time working in the fields, looked even older. They were only in their sixties, yet their hair was already completely white.

Hearing their son's voice and seeing him come home, the two looked overjoyed.

"You're back! How long will you stay this time for the New Year?" His mother set down the half-finished cloth shoe in her hands and asked happily.

"I might have to go back in a few days..." Wang Yuhui's smile grew a little forlorn.

The land where he had been born and raised could not support the ambitions he had developed as an adult. There were no gleaming high-rises, no thriving economy, and certainly no suitable jobs for him.

If he could, he would have liked to work in his hometown and stay close to his parents and family. But reality always brought too many disappointments.

Before he could chat with his parents for long, Wang Yuhui hurriedly said, "Dad, Mom, we can talk later. I need to call the company first. There's a work matter I have to take care of."

"What could be so important? You're busy as soon as you get home," his mother muttered.

"What would you know about it? If our son has work to do, he must have his reasons. Go on!"

At his father's understanding words, Wang Yuhui set down his suitcase and dashed up the stairs to the second floor.

The village wasn't exactly remote, but it wasn't prosperous either. If he wanted better mobile reception, he had to go upstairs.

Just then, the display on his Nokia N75 showed a full two bars of signal!

He found the number of the manager in charge of the product department in his contacts and called without hesitation.

Brr, brr—

The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

A steady voice came through: "Wang Yuhui, you should be home by now, right? What's up?"

Wang Yuhui sat down on a stool on the rooftop. "That's right, I just got home. Brother Liu, I have something I need to report to you."

"Oh? What is it? Can't it wait until after the New Year? Everyone's on holiday right now." The other man sounded a little impatient, and Wang Yuhui could clearly hear a commotion in the background. He seemed to be busy with something.

Wang Yuhui said solemnly, "I think it's better to tell you right away. It has to do with our work next year."

The man on the phone grew curious. "Let's hear it."

"Here's the basic situation. I arrived in Jiangzhou City today—my hometown, a small fifth-tier city."

"When I got off the train, I saw a very unusual vehicle called the Jiuzhou Mini. It's made by a local automaker."

"From what I've learned, the model was released about three months ago, and it's selling very well. So far, around three thousand have been sold."

"There are also a lot of orders. After placing an order, buyers have to wait about a month before they can pick up their cars!"

"You can easily spot them on the streets. Some people even use them as unlicensed taxis."

Wang Yuhui gave him a rough account of what he had seen.

The matter had to do with work, so the manager showed some interest. The commotion quieted as he moved somewhere more peaceful. "A local car brand is selling well? But I haven't heard anything recently about any small local automaker."

Wang Yuhui corrected him and added more details. "No, it might not even count as a car company. The vehicle can't be registered, and its top speed is only a little over forty kilometers per hour!

"On top of that, it runs on lead-acid batteries, which is very different from a conventional engine."

"How could anyone sell a car like that? Who would buy it?"

Wang Yuhui sounded almost wistful. "That's not right. There's a huge market for this kind of vehicle!

"For older people who can't easily get a driver's license, and even for younger people, nothing could be more suitable!

"It doesn't need gas, and it's perfect for short commutes or getting around the city!"

"...That does sound a little interesting. Tell me more about what you've found."

Wang Yuhui continued.

"We've never paid attention to this group before. We've always thought that only cars with engines and license plates could make serious money.

"That used to be true of the market, but the company's performance over the last couple of years hasn't been as good as expected, to be honest...

"Remember those tiny electric cars we've seen before? The electric four-wheelers that can be built with just a dozen or so workers?"

The man on the phone sounded puzzled. "Those things are just junk, aren't they? They have no advantages besides being able to move."

Wang Yuhui sighed. "Right. They do look like junk to us, and most consumers probably think so too.

"But they're aimed at the right market. They're perfect for older people and others who can't get a driver's license!

"Why else would people keep making such lousy cars? More and more companies seem to be getting into the business!

"This company has already sold several thousand in a small fifth-tier city alone, and people from nearby cities have even come specifically to buy one.

"They sell for a little over twenty thousand yuan, and even the top model costs only a little over thirty thousand. That might not seem like much, but I've roughly estimated the profit per vehicle at three or four thousand yuan. If sales are good, it could definitely become one of the company's profit centers!

"Oh, I also took some photos of the Jiuzhou Mini. I'll send them to you by MMS in a moment."

"From the way you describe it, this model sounds pretty impressive. Let me take a look first."

They ended the call for the moment. Wang Yuhui sent the other man several photos of the Jiuzhou Mini's exterior and interior from his phone.

Sending the few photos took several minutes.

Less than two minutes after the last photo went through, the other man called.

As soon as Wang Yuhui answered, the manager spoke urgently. "Put together a simple market research report when you have time. Focus on the target market and the model's strengths and weaknesses!"

After giving him a few simple instructions, the manager added with a sigh, "This car is quite mature—very mature. It doesn't look like something a small factory could have designed. They've really done a remarkable job!"

Outsiders saw only the spectacle; insiders understood the details. Their factory's cars weren't getting much of a response from the market, but he could still recognize how good this one was, especially after hearing what Wang Yuhui had said.

Wang Yuhui said, "I have a feeling that if we can make this kind of car, it could become one of our company's main models!"

The manager fell into thought. "And we already have the Shuanghuan Little Noble, which isn't too different from this model. We'd only need to make some minor changes before we could sell it. We wouldn't have to spend much on research and development.

"We'd just remove the engine and transmission, then switch it over to an electric motor, battery, and controller."

Wang Yuhui sighed again. "We—or really, most domestic automakers—have overlooked this market.

"Older people aren't poor. Some of them are even wealthier than young people!

"Until now, there hasn't been a good, convenient vehicle for them to get around in, partly because of their age. These low-speed electric cars can fill that gap in the market."

"Joint-venture brands may not have overlooked it, but they make more money selling regular cars..."

After taking a moment to calm down, the manager added to the task he had already assigned.

"I'll approve five thousand yuan in market research expenses for you. Gather more information about the local market and the Jiuzhou Mini.

"Send me your report in two days. If it looks promising, you can buy one and bring it back for us to study.

"I'll also get some people to research the market among older consumers right away and ask them whether they're interested in buying one.

"Most people have gone home for the New Year by now, which might actually be an opportunity to get a clearer picture of the national market.

"If this really is a huge, untapped market, the company will consider giving you a suitable bonus!"

Wang Yuhui quickly replied, "No problem. But I'll need to ask for a few more days off to stay in my hometown, since it takes about a month from placing an order to picking up the car."

"Take about half a month. Pay extra, and you should be able to buy one from someone who's already placed an order!"

"Okay. We'll have to discuss the exact cost later, though."

He wouldn't get a full month off anymore, but at least he could stay home a few more days. He could even see out the fifteenth day of the New Year with his family.

After a long while, he ended the call and gazed up at the sky. If only I could work near home. Too bad the Jiuzhou Automobile Factory was still so small...