Poor Village

The Jiuzhou Mini gradually drove away. Pulling his suitcase, Wang Yuhui returned to this long-unseen home.

The bungalows in his memory hadn't changed much. The jujube tree in front of the door had grown even larger.

Stepping inside, it was as if nothing had changed since he left last year.

His dad was smoking dried leaves in the courtyard, and his mom was making cloth shoes in the sunlight.

"Dad, Mom!" Wang Yuhui couldn't help but call out loudly.

After a year, his parents, who often toiled in the fields, looked even more aged. Though only in their sixties, their hair was already completely white.

Hearing their child's voice and seeing him return home, the elderly couple appeared exceptionally happy.

"You're back! How long are you staying for Chinese New Year this time?" Mom asked, setting down the half-finished cloth shoes she was making.

"I might have to go back in a few days..." Wang Yuhui's smile turned a bit somber.

The land that gave birth to him and raised him couldn't accommodate his ambitions after growing up. There were no bustling high-rises, no prosperous economy, and certainly no suitable job opportunities for him.

If he could, he would have loved to work in his hometown and be with his parents and family, but reality was often filled with too many helpless situations.

Without enough time to chat with his parents, Wang Yuhui said somewhat hurriedly.

"Dad, Mom, I'll talk to you later. I need to call the company first; there's a work matter that needs handling."

"What's so important that you're busy right after getting home?" his mother grumbled.

"What do you know, woman? If the child needs to be busy, there's a reason. Go on!"

With his father's understanding words, Wang Yuhui put down his suitcase and ran up to the second floor of the bungalow.

It wasn't too remote, but it wasn't very prosperous either. To get a decent phone signal in the countryside, you had to go up to the second floor.

At this moment, the Nokia N75's screen showed a full two bars of signal!

Finding the number of the product department manager in his contacts, Wang Yuhui dialed without hesitation.

Ring, ring, ring----

The call rang twice and was quickly answered.

A steady voice came from the phone: "Wang Yuhui? You should be home by now. Is something wrong?"

Wang Yuhui sat on a stool placed on the roof. "Yes, I just got home, Brother Liu. There's something I need to report to you."

"Oh? What is it? Can't it wait until after the New Year? Everyone's on holiday now." The other person's voice sounded a little impatient, and there was noticeable background noise, suggesting they were busy with something.

Wang Yuhui said solemnly, "I think it's better to tell you right now; it concerns our work for the coming year."

The person on the phone sounded curious: "Tell me about it."

"The basic situation is this: I just arrived in Jiangzhou City today, um, my hometown, a small fifth-tier city."

"As soon as I got off the train, I saw a very unique car called the Jiuzhou Mini. It's a product from a local car manufacturer."

"From what I understand, this product has been out for about three months, and its sales are very good. Currently, the total sales are around three thousand units."

"And there are many pre-orders. From the time of ordering, you have to wait about a month to pick up the car!"

"You can easily see them on the streets; they're even used as unlicensed taxis."

Wang Yuhui roughly described the circumstances he had witnessed.

As it was work-related, it immediately piqued the manager's interest. The background noise lessened, and he moved to a quieter spot. "A local car brand with surprisingly good sales? But I haven't heard any news about a small local car company recently."

Wang Yuhui countered, revealing more information: "No, this might not even be considered a car company. This vehicle can't be registered, and its top speed is only a little over forty kilometers per hour!"

"And it uses a lead-acid battery as its power source, which is very different from traditional engines."

"How can such a car sell? Who would buy it?"

Wang Yuhui said with a hint of wonder, "No, this kind of car has a huge market! For the elderly who find it inconvenient to get a driver's license, or even for younger people, no car is more suitable than this one!"

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

"...That sounds a little interesting. Tell me what you know."

Wang Yuhui continued.

"We've never paid attention to this demographic before. We always thought we could only make big money with cars that had engines and could be registered.

The market has basically been like that in the past, but our company's performance in the last two years, to be honest, hasn't been as ideal as expected..."

"Remember those micro electric cars we saw before? Those four-wheeled electric vehicles that could be produced with just a dozen people."

The person on the phone asked doubtfully, "Aren't those just junk? They have no advantages other than being able to move."

Wang Yuhui said with a touch of emotion, "Yes, to us, they are indeed junk, and to most consumers, they are also junk.

But their market positioning is correct. The target audience is the elderly or those who can't obtain a driver's license. This type of vehicle is perfect for them!

Why are such poor cars still being made, and why are there more and more signs of this trend!

In just one small fifth-tier city, this company has already sold thousands of units, and people from surrounding cities are even coming to buy this car.

The price is just over twenty thousand yuan, with the top trim around thirty thousand. It doesn't seem like a high price, but I've roughly estimated the profit per unit to be around three to four thousand yuan. If sales are good, it could definitely become one of the company's profit points!"

"Oh, right. I also took some photos of this Jiuzhou Mini. I'll send them to you via MMS later so you can take a look."

"From what you're saying, this model seems really impressive. I'll take a look first before I decide."

The call ended temporarily. Wang Yuhui transferred the photos he had taken of the Jiuzhou Mini's exterior and interior to the other party via MMS.

It took several minutes for the pictures to transmit.

After the last picture was sent, less than two minutes passed before the phone on the other end rang.

As soon as the call was answered, the manager on the other end eagerly said, "Can you prepare a simple market research report? The main focus should be on the target demographic and the pros and cons of the model!"

After briefly arranging things, the manager then sighed, "This car is quite mature. Yes, very mature. It doesn't look like something a small factory could design. It's truly impressive!"

Amateurs watch the excitement, while professionals see the substance. Although the cars produced by their factory didn't have great market reception, they could still recognize the excellence of this vehicle. Combined with what Wang Yuhui had just said.

Wang Yuhui: "I have a premonition that if this car can be produced, it could become a flagship model for our company!"

The manager also fell into thought: "Besides, we have the Shuanghuan Little Noble, which is quite similar to this model. We can sell it with minor modifications and won't need to invest too much in R&D funds.

We just need to remove the engine and transmission and convert it to an electric motor, battery, and controller system."

Wang Yuhui exclaimed again: "We, or rather, the vast majority of domestic car manufacturers, have overlooked something.

Elderly people are not poor. In fact, some elderly people are wealthier than some young people!

In the past, due to age and other issues, they didn't have a good, suitable vehicle for commuting. This type of low-speed electric vehicle could perfectly fill this market gap."

Manager: "Joint venture car manufacturers might not have overlooked it, but they make more money building normal cars..."

After calming down a bit through the conversation, the manager continued to elaborate on the task he had previously assigned.

"I'll approve five thousand yuan for your market research expenses first. Please gather more information on the local market and this Jiuzhou Mini model.

Send it to me in two days. If it's feasible, you can directly purchase a unit for research.

At the same time, I will immediately arrange for staff to conduct market research among the elderly demographic, inquiring about their car purchase intentions.

Most people are heading home for the New Year now, so this might be an opportunity to get a clearer picture of the national market.

If this is indeed a huge and untapped market, the company will consider giving you a corresponding reward!"

Wang Yuhui quickly replied, "No problem, but I need to apply to stay in my hometown for a few more days, as it takes about a month from ordering to picking up the car."

Manager: "I'll give you about half a month. Pay extra, and you should be able to buy one from the people who ordered it earlier!"

"Okay, but the specific cost will need to be discussed further at that time."

Although he didn't get a month-long vacation, being able to stay home for a few extra days was still good. At the very least, he could celebrate the Lantern Festival at home.

After a long pause, the phone call ended. Wang Yuhui gazed at the sky, lost in thought. It would be great if he could work near home, but unfortunately, this Jiuzhou Automobile Factory was still too small