Living like a salted fish in the end times

Chapter 344 Condolences
Three days later, when Zhang Hao was about to go out to sea by boat, he suddenly received a call from his father.

"Xiaohao, are you still in Shencheng?"

The old man's tone was a little low.

"Here! Dad, is there something wrong with you?"

Zhang Hao tentatively said.

What he is most afraid of now is hearing the news that his father is sick. After all, people in their 80s were not particularly rare in the past, but they are definitely considered birthdays in the present.

You must know that since the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano, the elderly population has been the hardest hit area of ​​death, so that the population aging crisis that has intensified in the past has disappeared directly after this battle, and the pension pool has become extremely full.

Zhang Chongxin sighed, and cut to the chase:

"Your Uncle Zhou passed away last night. If you have time, send him there for the last time on my behalf. After all, our two families have had a relationship for so many years."

"Uncle Zhou?" Zhang Hao couldn't help being taken aback, and then said with emotion: "A few days ago when Zhou Hengming came over, we both talked about Uncle Zhou's situation. I didn't expect this kind of thing to happen just after he left..."

"Old people are like this. If people say it's gone, it's gone."

"Dad, I'll just go. You're not in good health, so don't try to be brave." Zhang Hao hurriedly warned.

While Zhang Chongxin was relieved, he couldn't help reminding:

"Don't force yourself here. Business is important. If it really doesn't work, I'll ask your eldest sister and elder brother-in-law to go."

Zhang Hao quickly comforted him: "Dad, don't worry, Shencheng is not far from Minde. I will take the train there tomorrow morning, and I will try to return on the same day. It shouldn't take much time."

"That's good, give me a call when you get there."

"Understood, it's okay, I'll hang up first."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hao immediately called his wife.

"Honey, I just received the news that Uncle Zhou has left. The old man is not in a good mood. Take Guoguo home for a few days."

"Uncle Zhou? Which Uncle Zhou?"

Yang Huaqing was at a loss.

"I'm talking about Uncle Zhou Jianneng, his son Zhou Hengming, who comes to our house to pay New Year's greetings every New Year, have you forgotten?" Zhang Hao reminded.

"So it's their house!" Yang Huaqing quickly remembered, and then said flatly: "Then I'll clean up right away, and I'll go back later."

"By the way, you can tell the boss and the second child again, and tell them to go home quickly on weekends and spend as much time with the old man as possible." Zhang Hao added.

"Understood, is there anything else?"

"No, I will officially go to sea the day after tomorrow, so I will let you know in advance."

"Well, pay attention to rest more, don't get tired."

Yang Huaqing said carelessly.

"Don't be tired, I'm not yet seventy or eighty!"

Zhang Hao joked to himself.

……

Early the next morning, before seven o'clock.

Zhang Hao dressed lightly, took his brother-in-law, and a security team of dozens of people, and directly boarded the temporary train going south to Fujian.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Min De finally arrived.

Zhou Hengming, who received the news, was wearing a black coat and had already waited at the train station in advance.

After Zhang Hao got out of the car, he stepped forward and grabbed the opponent's hand: "Brother Hengming, please forgive me!"

"Consul, I didn't expect you to be busy..."

Zhang Hao waved his hand and interrupted: "Let's not talk about the friendship between our two families for many years. To be honest, Uncle Zhou can be regarded as my lucky man. If it wasn't for his help back then, I couldn't even raise the capital to start a business."

"You are too serious."

Zhou Hengming hastily evaded.

He was also a participant in what happened back then, and he knew it clearly. Seriously speaking, their family definitely took advantage of this matter.

"Let's not talk about this, let's go!"

Zhang Hao waved his hand.

On the way, Zhou Hengming briefly reviewed the whole process of Zhou Jianneng's death, and he was glad to say that if he came back one day later, he might not even see his old father for the last time.

Zhang Hao casually asked: "Brother Zhou, did Uncle Zhou have any last wishes?"

"If you want to talk about last wishes, there is really one."

"What is it?"

"My dad started from scratch and worked hard all his life. What he couldn't let go of was Xinyu Electric. He hoped that I could rebuild the brand of Xinyu Electric."

Zhou Hengming replied.

Zhang Hao tentatively asked: "Brother Zhou, from what you said, do you want to go out and do it alone?"

"I have this idea."

Zhou Hengming simply admitted.

"Is it over there at the power plant..."

Zhang Hao frowned.

"Consul, the power plant is very good, and no one can challenge my position, but no matter how good it is, it is not our family's business." Zhou Hengming explained.

"I understand." Zhang Hao nodded, followed by persuasion: "The environment has been bad these past few years, and it is not a good time to start a business. I suggest you wait a few more years."

"It's okay to wait a few years, but I'm a little confused about entrepreneurial projects. I don't know what project to choose?"

"You don't make electrical appliances anymore?"

Zhou Hengming nodded: "Well, the electrical appliance market has long been saturated. I don't have the technology and I don't have much money. It's not wise to rush in."

"Would you like to take my advice?"

Zhang Hao wanted to give him a hand.

"Consul, just wait for your words."

Zhou Hengming was obviously relieved.

Zhang Hao said bluntly: "My Suguang New Energy Company...you should know about it? In recent years, a lot of new technologies have been developed. You can try your luck in the past, and you may have unexpected gains."

"Dawn New Energy?" Zhou Hengming was thoughtful.

"Well, Shuguang Company has always been very low-key and has a low reputation, but it spends tens of billions of funds on scientific research every year. With so much money spent, it has produced some results."

Zhou Hengming nodded, and then took the opportunity to ask: "Consul, when will the graphene battery project that Minde Times and Shuguang cooperate with be successful?"

"It's still early, I'm afraid it will be more than ten years."

Zhang Hao sighed helplessly.

Scientific research sometimes really depends on luck. He recruited so many talents in advance and invested a lot of money. As a result, the progress did not speed up much.

I don't know which link went wrong.

"It's still you who are patient. If it were me, I would have given up long ago." Zhou Hengming said with emotion from the bottom of his heart.

"There is no way. After spending so much money, we can only go one way. Besides, I am still very optimistic about graphene batteries. This project will definitely succeed. At most, it is a matter of time."

Zhang Hao showed a touch of helplessness.

Zhou Hengming immediately gave a thumbs up: "I really can see the day when the Minde era surpassed BYD earlier. My dad often told me before that the biggest regret in his life is not being able to bring the Minde era forward."

"Uncle Zhou has tried his best, but it's a pity that Minde's foundation is too weak. If you want to surpass BYD, you will definitely not be able to succeed in a short time."

Zhang Hao sighed.

The two chatted and chatted, and soon the funeral home arrived.

In order to facilitate Zhang Hao's worship, Zhou Hengming sent the old father's body over overnight. When he learned that the consul was coming, the funeral home was full of people.

Most of them are members of the Tongxinhui.

Zhang Hao exchanged a few words with everyone, followed by a brief worship, and when he was about to leave, Mayor Jiao blocked the gate of the funeral parlor again.

"Consul, Minde is here, why didn't you notify me in advance?" Jiao Huaxian pretended to be surprised.

"Old Jiao, you should call me Lao Zhang! I am here for a private matter, so I don't want to disturb you."

Zhang Hao explained casually.

Jiao Huaxian raised his eyebrows: "Why bother? This is a rare opportunity, and I just want to report to you about our Minde development plan!"

"How about next time? You also know that I'm going to sea soon, Shencheng is waiting for me!"

Zhang Hao spread his hands and declined politely.

"Isn't it okay to just delay it for two hours? It's time for dinner soon. I prepared a table of light meals nearby. How about we chat while eating?"

Jiao Huaxian tried his best to persuade Dao to stay.

Zhang Hao had no way to refuse, so he could only agree.

……

In a hotel next to the funeral parlor, Jiao Huaxian has booked the entire hotel in advance for the safety of the consul. These are the basic operations.

"Old Zhang, please sit down."

Zhang Hao glanced at the table, shook his head on the spot, and said casually: "The meal is very rich! This is not the simple meal you mentioned."

"These are nothing. Thanks to you, Minde has developed rapidly over the years, and its living conditions have also improved a lot, not much worse than your capital."

Jiao Huaxian explained casually.

"Okay, then I will be disrespectful."

Zhang Hao didn't dwell on this issue any longer.

Jiao Huaxian took out a bottle of red wine from the bag beside him: "Would you like some?"

"Forget it, I'm not in the mood."

Zhang Hao quickly waved his hand.

Jiao Huaxian put down the red wine, then said with a smile:

"Then eat more food."

Zhang Hao was not polite, and picked up his chopsticks to eat. He took the train for seven or eight hours today, and he hardly ate at noon. Now, smelling the aroma of the food, his appetite was suddenly whetted.

After eating half full in one breath, the two started chatting about business.

"Old Zhang, I read the news a few days ago. It's really good. Now is really not the time to be anxious. The more anxious you are, the easier it is to do bad things."

Zhang Hao smiled wryly and shook his head: "Hehe, I heard that many people secretly scolded me, saying that I occupy the latrine and don't shit, and get out early if I don't have the ability."

"Don't pay attention to them. They don't hurt their backs when they stand and talk. They have forgotten the economic crisis in the past few years? If it happens again, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Jiao Huaxian sneered.

"Well, to be honest, this society is too impetuous, people change their minds, and everyone is dissatisfied with real life, and they always feel that no matter how hard they are, it won't go bad." Zhang Hao sighed.

"How can it be so easy to govern the country? After more than ten years of tossing and accumulating too many contradictions, it is time to calm down and practice hard internal skills, rest and recuperate."

Jiao Huaxian agreed.

"Old Jiao, you are right."

Zhang Hao toasted each other with tea instead of wine.

Jiao Huaxian put down his teacup, and then changed the topic: "However, Lao Zhang, our Minde situation is a bit special. The development has reached a critical period, and we can't stop if we want to..."

"I knew that it would be no good for you to find me."

"Old Zhang, Minde is the headquarters of your Tongxin Association. We are in a relationship where we both prosper and lose each other. Besides, this is not what I personally mean..."

Zhang Hao shook his head: "Say it? What do you want to do?"

"Hey, here's the thing. Over the past few years, due to the continuous drop in sea level, Minde has added a large piece of land, totaling more than 2000 square kilometers. We want to build a new economic development zone."

"Your industrial land is not enough?"

Zhang Hao frowned suddenly.

The economic crisis in the past few years has hit all places hard, and many companies have gone bankrupt. It stands to reason that there should be no shortage of industrial land.

"It's not enough, but..." Jiao Huaxian paused for a moment, and then said frankly: "Old Zhang, I won't hide it from you, the city's finances are tight, and we want to start a number of real estate projects, sell more land, and get more money." Take some labor."

"No, you really dare to think that the unemployment rate is so high right now, you still want to absorb new immigrants, are you not afraid to shoot yourself in the foot?"

"Old Zhang, Minde has a well-developed industry and commerce, and we have the ability to absorb the surplus labor force."

Jiao Huaxian said confidently.

Zhang Hao waved his hand: "That doesn't work either. The real estate industry is no different than others and occupies too many resources. As far as the current situation is concerned, it is not just needed."

"How come food, clothing, housing and transportation are not just needed?"

Jiao Huaxian argued with reason.

"Don't argue with me, I can't promise you this matter, and as far as I know, the future housing policy will be based on public rental housing, and the spring of real estate may be difficult to come." Zhang Hao reminded patiently.

Jiao Huaxian was not reconciled: "Old Zhang, there are so many immigrants going south every year, and we develop more communities, which can be regarded as a project to benefit the people after all."

"Hehe, you 'people' mean rich people, right? Ordinary people, how can they afford to buy a house now?"

Zhang Hao said angrily.

"Old Zhang, help me out. At worst, we can build a few more public rental housing complexes. A ratio of one to one will do."

Jiao Huaxian pleaded.

"It's not that I'm not accommodating. Many people know that I have major interests in Minde. It's too late for me to avoid suspicion. You'd better not embarrass me."

Zhang Hao said earnestly.

Jiao Huaxian sighed, and then chose the next best thing: "Then set up an industrial zone head office? Zhucheng set up Lingding New District a few years ago, isn't our request too much?"

"Please forgive me for being helpless." Zhang Hao picked up his tea and took a sip, "Old Jiao, how can Minde compare with the capital? Let me tell you the truth, in recent years, except for energy development, the approval of other major infrastructure projects has been suspended."

"Are you serious?" Jiao Huaxian asked in surprise.

"Of course, the frenzy of infrastructure construction is a thing of the past. During my tenure, the main task is to improve people's livelihood. This is the top priority."

Zhang Hao said earnestly.

"Housing is also an issue of people's livelihood?"

Jiao Huaxian didn't want to give up.

"Old Jiao, we have been old friends for many years, let me tell you this..." Zhang Hao tapped on the table lightly: "It is fundamental to be deeply involved in industry and commerce, don't always think about taking shortcuts, Minde does not have the resources of a big city. There is no need to put more pressure on yourself.”

ps: Ask for recommended tickets and monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)