Chapter 20

When Li Xuan arrived, it was just the time for lunch. The company provided lunch for the employees, and the restaurant they had contacted in advance would deliver the boxed meals on time every day. Li Ke was particularly meticulous about this; he had personally tasted the food from the restaurant before choosing it, believing that only when everyone ate well could they work well.

Seeing Du Fatso engrossed in testing the Hong Kong Blocks game, Li Xuan went out to fetch his lunch box. Du Wenqiang had been promoted to the head of the company's technology department, making him the third most important person in the company after Li Xuan and Li Ke.

His lunch box was more lavish than others, with two vegetable dishes and one semi-meat dish, while he had an extra meat dish. Du Wenqiang was a carnivore who loved eating meat, had a good appetite, and disliked exercise, so the nutrients he consumed all turned into fat, making him a dead fat man.

"Hello, Young Master Xuan!"

The employees in the factory all recognized this infrequent visitor, their small boss, and greeted him with nods. Li Xuan also nodded and smiled at everyone. The lunch break lasted an hour, and many people would go downstairs to the convenience store to eat their lunch. If they were in a group of two or three, they would also buy a bottle of cold beer to quench their thirst.

"Hello, boss!"

Li Xuan was surprised to hear a greeting in Mandarin, which made him pause. This was the first time he had heard someone speak Mandarin in person since he had crossed over. Previously, during his summer job, he had only communicated with mainland researchers over the phone in Mandarin, which gave him a sense of familiarity.

"Hello, from the mainland? What's your name?"

The man Li Xuan was talking to was about thirty years old, with a square face and sharp features. Clearly, he hadn't expected Li Xuan to speak Mandarin and was momentarily taken aback. After a few seconds, he smiled awkwardly, "Hello, Young Master Xuan. My name is Dong Jianguo, from Xi'an!"

"March third, the weather is new, many beautiful women by the waters of Chang'an! Xi'an is a great place!" Li Xuan quoted a line from Du Fu's poem, "How long have you been in Hong Kong?"

"Exactly one year!" Dong Jianguo felt that his boss was easy to get along with, so he became less nervous.

"Oh, after a year, you're free, and you've got your ID card, right?"

The Hong Kong government had a new policy that allowed people to officially obtain Hong Kong residency after living there for a year. With a Hong Kong ID card, they wouldn't have to worry about being denied re-entry when returning from the mainland.

"Yes, I got it not long ago! I have a mother in Xi'an, and I couldn't go back for over a year after coming to Hong Kong. I finally went back a few days ago! Before going to the mainland, I quit my previous job, and when your company was hiring, I applied!" Dong Jianguo briefly explained his situation.

Although he had been learning Cantonese for a year, his tongue wasn't quite flexible yet, so he could only use it for simple communication. It was rare to meet someone in the company who understood Mandarin, so he couldn't help but talk more.

Li Xuan listened patiently to his story. He had studied abroad before and could deeply understand the frustration of being in a foreign place where the language was a barrier. When others gathered in groups to chat and laugh, he could only stand aside, unable to join in, which was a very lonely feeling.

"Work hard and try to bring your mother to Hong Kong to enjoy a better life!" Li Xuan patted Dong Jianguo's shoulder to encourage him.

"Yes!" Although the boss in front of him looked much younger, Dong Jianguo felt no sense of discomfort and responded solemnly.

Hong Kong was indeed like a paradise compared to the mainland. The starting salary for an ordinary apprentice was around 700 to 800 Hong Kong dollars, which was equivalent to 200 to 300 RMB at the exchange rate, while the average worker in the mainland earned only 30 to 40 RMB, and farmers earned even less.

According to Hong Kong media reports, from January to now, hundreds of thousands of people had swum across the sea from the mainland to Hong Kong. Every night, dozens of bodies would be found in the bay between Shekou District in Shenzhen and Tuen Mun in the New Territories, but this did not stop the flood of people fleeing to Hong Kong.

"Have you worked in electronics on the mainland?" Li Xuan noticed that Dong Jianguo's work clothes and hands were clean, so he probably didn't work on the assembly line.

"I graduated from Xi'an University of Electronic Science and Technology and worked as a technical manager in a state-owned electronics factory in Xi'an before coming to Hong Kong!" Dong Jianguo's tone was filled with pride.

Given his age, he was likely a university graduate from before the Cultural Revolution, which made him a high-level talent in the mainland. Li Xuan shook his head in his heart; unfortunately, Hong Kong did not recognize mainland degrees, so he had to start from scratch. However, the salary offered by Ke's Electronics Factory was not low. The starting salary for employees responsible for assembling game cabinets was less, at 35 HKD per day, with 2.5 hours of overtime counted as half a day's work, and one day off per week. The starting salary for those responsible for soldering circuit board components was much higher, at 70 HKD per day. This salary level was absolutely unmatched by any electronics company in the mainland.

Li Xuan chatted a bit more with Dong Jianguo before taking Du Wenqiang's lunch box back to the office. He had already had lunch before coming to the company. When he returned to the office, Du Wenqiang was still engrossed in playing the new Hong Kong Blocks game developed by Li Xuan.

He was the second person to test the game, with the first being Li Xuan's roommate, Lin Yuhao. Lin Yuhao had been in a similar state to Du Wenqiang, completely immersed and unable to tear himself away. He would come to play Li Xuan's computer whenever he had free time.

Li Xuan knew his game was a success. After all, it was a classic game that had been tested by countless players in the future, so its success was inevitable.

"Alright, let's eat. The food will get cold if we don't eat soon!" Li Xuan waited for a while, but seeing that Du Wenqiang had no intention of stopping, he had to interrupt him after he lost a game and was about to start another one.

"This game is really great! It's simple but very fun!" Du Wenqiang finally looked away from the computer screen and smiled at Li Xuan, "Young Master Xuan, how did you come up with this idea? It's amazing, this game will definitely be a hit!"

"As long as you think it's good, I only made the CP/M version. The work of porting it to arcade machines will be your responsibility!" Li Xuan patted Du Fatso's shoulder and said.

"Are you serious, Young Master Xuan?" Du Wenqiang sighed. Porting the game from a computer to an arcade machine was no less challenging than cracking a new game.

"In the future, I'll only be responsible for the game ideas, and you'll take over the other tasks. Otherwise, why would I pay you such a high salary?" Li Xuan smiled, enjoying the perks of being the boss.

"By the way, do you know any classmates or friends with similar technical skills who are interested in game development? If so, let me know, and I'll talk to them. If I think they're suitable, I'll hire them!" Li Xuan suddenly added, "In the future, we need to build our own R&D team to develop new games. Making pirated versions is not the right path!"

"Young Master Xuan, just to be clear, I'm a company veteran. Will these newcomers be my subordinates?" Du Wenqiang joked.

"Don't dream. Our company always promotes the best. Capable people lead, and if a dead fat man like you, who looks so creepy when he smiles, becomes a senior executive, it would damage our company's image!" Li Xuan joked back.

"I do know a few people, all tech enthusiasts I usually exchange ideas with. But I can't guarantee how many you can attract!" Du Wenqiang said seriously.

"Over the next few days, talk to them and see if they're interested. If they are, introduce them to me, and I'll arrange a time to meet and discuss further!"