Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 404: Getting rich first leads to getting rich later
A few days later, after being questioned by relevant departments, the Zhou brothers, Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui, were released.

It happened to be a day off, but before they could even rest, the Zhou brothers, Weitian and Jia'an, dragged them to Zhou Fengnian's house.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou came along too, but they were old and only came to take the child for a look before leaving.

After Zhou Yan served tea, she even chased away the children, letting Zhou Linlin take the other younger children out to play, and gave them a few yuan.

Once everyone left, Zhou Xianyang couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what have you been doing for over a month? I heard you were questioned by the relevant departments?"

The three brothers have been a group since childhood, and they always get into trouble together; he's the one who comes up with the ideas.

But after he grew up, his two older cousins ​​left him behind and went to work for the Russians, where they apparently made quite a stir, which Zhou Xianyang greatly envied.

"It was nothing, just a few shots fired, causing a little commotion, but in the end it wasn't our problem, and we withdrew safely."

Zhou Xianzhe grinned and said, "Now that we've got a foothold, Xianrui and I have established a good relationship with that Ritoowski. From now on, we can get something from him every year."

"Tell me in more detail!"

Zhou Weitian slapped Zhou Xianzhe on the head with a resounding thud, the same motion he used when Zhou Fugui hit him years ago.

"Okay, okay."

Zhou Xianzhe covered his head and then began to recount their experiences.

When they went there, they were truly amazed by the extent of corruption within the Russian government, which was beyond their imagination. They simply gave some gifts and money, and they became honored guests of the local officials.

It was also a coincidence that a riot broke out in Russia, with tens of thousands of people reportedly involved. In addition, the Russian army was unstable, so Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui boldly stayed for a while and brought back a lot of things.

In addition to their existing tanks and aircraft, they even bought back a half-finished fourth-generation fighter jet from Russia.

This was a pleasant surprise for people in China, so I asked about it several times on my way back.

Going to Russia like Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui is actually a bit dangerous; China cannot have any contact with them on the surface. If something happens, they won't be able to escape and will be caught and imprisoned on charges.

However, these two lads were clever and knew how to pave the way with money. At this point, the Russians and China were practically heading in opposite directions.

They all planned reforms, and they all implemented reforms, but they were getting better and better with each reform, and everything was thriving.

The Russian was in no condition; a strong dose of medicine almost killed him.

The Zhou brothers, Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui, not only brought back the two tanks and the airplane, but also a lot of industrial products, such as the heavy trucks that were most popular with foreigners. All of these were obtained by exchanging food and clothing and other light industrial products.

"Third Uncle, they're really poor over there, and their workers are much more pitiful than ours. I can even trade a piece of clothing for thirty catties of honey."

Zhou Xianzhe said excitedly that this trip was a real win for the two brothers. They brought over 12 million worth of goods and exchanged them for industrial products worth at least 30 million.

It's more than doubled, and it only took a little over a month.

I spent most of the past month building relationships, so it might be even faster next time I go.

"That's normal. For a country with such a distorted industrial structure, they have no choice; the least valuable heavy industry and the most needed light industrial products are practically being traded for gold."

Zhou Fengnian casually replied that this "trade route" had spawned countless wealthy people, with even those without any background earning hundreds of millions.

Moreover, those with greater audacity would also engage in a new era of triangular trade, reselling Russian arms and heavy industrial products to Southeast Asia or the Middle East.

However, Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui didn't need to do that. They could import raw materials from Russia, bring them back for processing, and still make a lot of money.

Needless to say, people with powerful connections like Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui can get away with anything as long as they fulfill the expectations set by their superiors. In China, everything they do is legal.

What's illegal for others is legal for them.

"You've done a great job this time. The things you brought back have been a huge help to us. However, this can't be considered an open achievement, and your reward is also a secret one."
After all, "legal" border trade, as long as you're not caught by the Russians, is legal once it's brought back.” Seeing their excited expressions, Zhou Fengnian knew they weren't going to stop, and then continued, “Do you plan to continue in the future?”

After exchanging a glance, Zhou Xianrui said, "Third Uncle, we want to continue doing this. Uncle Guo said that the border won't check us. As long as we can bring the goods back, it's legal."

So we plan to bring some 'raw materials' back for processing. These are worthless there, and we can make several times the money with just one trip.”

As expected, trading is still the most profitable business. Previously, Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui honestly sold food in China, even though the food they sold was innovative and full of novelty.

But the amount of money that can be earned is limited. Even if the number of workers and productivity increases fivefold, it is still far less than what Zhou Xianyang earns from export trade.

"Be careful, train some subordinates, and once they are familiar with the route, hand it over to others."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Fengnian still insisted, "Safety first. Take more people with you, and hire some security guards from your factory."

Zhou Xianzhe said, "Don't worry, Third Uncle. Uncle Guo said he'd send me a few, so we'll recruit a few more."

Zhou Xianrui added, "Third Uncle, this is a rare opportunity to expand our factory, and there's even support involved."

"That's true, but what do you two think, eldest brother and second brother?"

Zhou Fengnian asked Zhou Weitian and Zhou Jia'an, since this was their son, and as his uncle, it would be best for him to give advice.

"If you really want to be safe, you can venture out and explore. But listen to your third uncle, and hand this over to your subordinates as soon as possible. Don't go yourself every time!"

Zhou Weitian patted Zhou Xianzhe's head and said, "Although it sounds like there's no danger at all, I'm still worried."

This trip coincided with an internal incident in Russia, but fortunately it was in the south and didn't involve the Zhou brothers, Xianzhe and Xianrui.

Zhou Fengnian knew that in the coming years, the Russians would become increasingly chaotic and would be closer to disbanding.

The fact that they sold these two brothers unfinished fourth-generation fighter jets shows that the Russians are practically a bunch of madmen when it comes to military matters; there's nothing they wouldn't dare sell.

After discussion among the family, it was mainly because Zhou Weitian and Zhou Jia'an did not obstruct them that the two brothers, Zhou Xianzhe and Zhou Xianrui, were able to continue their work.

Zhou Xianyang wanted to go along and see for himself, and even said that the three brothers always worked together, and this time would be no exception. However, Bai Qing'an slapped him and made him behave.

Now that Bai Qing'an isn't filming anymore, she's returned to the performing arts troupe. However, she has starred in two films and is somewhat famous in China. In any case, she was recognized twice on the street.

This is why Bai Qing'an was able to film the movie so smoothly, thanks to Zhou Fengnian's help and support.

------

The office of China Overseas.

After being notified by Director Zhang, Zhou Fengnian quickly met with his superiors.

"Comrade Fengnian, please sit down. It took you so long to reply to Xiaoyu. Pour Comrade Fengnian a cup of tea."

When the leader saw Zhou Fengnian come in, he smiled and invited him to sit down. Zhou Fengnian smiled and said, "Leader, this is not a waste of time. It can't be implemented before the end of the year anyway. It's enough to have the message."

After the secretary brought over a cup of tea, the leader continued, "We have discussed the proposal you submitted, and it does need to be implemented. However, subsidizing it all would be a considerable financial expenditure."
Therefore, it's better to compare in batches. The first batch of cities implementing computer classes in junior and senior high schools will tentatively be ten. What do you think?

"That's great. If it were to be conducted simultaneously in more than a dozen cities, the Shenzhou Computer Factory wouldn't be able to handle that many, nor would it have that many qualified personnel to teach the courses."

Zhou Fengnian said, "Ten cities is about the limit that Shenzhou Computer Factory can support."

The leader smiled and said, "That's right. After they've developed well, they should always take care of those who haven't developed yet. Fengnian, your son has done a very good job in this regard."
The workers at your son's electronics factory are now earning almost more than many of our cadres. That's great; it's a perfect example of the wealthy helping the less fortunate.

Feiyang Electric Appliance Factory was particularly famous in Beijing. Not only did Zhou Xianyang earn a lot, but the workers also earned a lot, with high wages, frequent housing allocations, and various benefits.
The workers' welfare was second only to that of the Shenzhou Computer Factory.

(End of this chapter)