Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 441 Accumulating for the Next Generation

"Oh my, my nephew and niece are so cute."

When Ren Zheng saw Zhou Xianyang's son, he immediately felt a fondness for him, especially since Zhou Zeqian was so sensible at such a young age. Before Zhou Xianyang could even remind him, he took the initiative to greet him.

Having met many people with Grandpa Bai Yongkang before, Zhou Zeqian had long since learned how to greet others; it was just that Zhou Shuyu was a little shy and hid behind her brother.

Ren Zheng turned to Li Zhao and Zhang Jianghe and said, "Brothers, put out your cigarettes. There are kids here today, so we'll just eat, no cigarettes or alcohol."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhao and Zhang Jianghe quickly stubbed out their cigarettes. Zhou Xianyang had informed them before bringing the child, so it wasn't unusual.

Now that he sees his son and daughter are so sensible and smart, Zhou Xianyang wishes he could keep them by his side 24/7. After finishing his work, he brings the children over.

Ren Zheng handed over the menu and asked, "Xianyang, I just ordered twelve dishes, all of them are quite light. Do you want to order any more? A couple for my nephew and niece."

"That's enough, Brother Ren. We might not even be able to finish all twelve dishes. Let's just leave it at that. They're not picky eaters; they'll eat anything."

Zhou Xianyang said with a smile that although he grew up in wealth and ate mostly white flour and meat, he made a lot of money as he grew up and became the richest man in mainland China.
However, Zhou Xianyang really didn't have the habit of being extravagant. He would buy as much as he could eat, and even when he was in a neighboring city, he would eat a small lunchbox with one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, and there was no waste at all.

He didn't say it, but he had admired Zhou Fengnian since he was a child. He couldn't learn academic research, but he had learned a lot from Zhou Xianyang in other aspects, including never being extravagant.

After the dishes were served, Zhou Fengnian and Ren Zheng called on the two children, since it was unlikely that they could carry the food with their arms, so they had to take care of them.

However, every time they picked up a piece of food, they would hear Zhou Zeqian say thank you. Ren Zheng and the others picked up food with great enthusiasm, almost to the point of placing all the plates of food next to Zhou Zeqian.

After Ren Zheng sat back down, he said with emotion, "Hey, Brother Xianyang, after seeing your son, I suddenly want to get married too."
I didn't want to get married before because my family pressured me, but now I really want to have a child as sensible as your son.

"Haha, now even I rarely get to take care of my son. Either my dad takes care of him, or Qing'an's grandfather takes care of him. Zeqian knows the old cadres' compound better than I do."

Zhou Xianyang said boastfully that showing off his son was more fulfilling than showing off his business, after all, it was a tradition in China for thousands of years.

“My dad also said that with Zeqian’s intelligence, he might inherit his knowledge and position in the future.”

"Wow, if Uncle Zhou says so, then he must be right! He's probably the smartest scientist in China!"

Ren Zheng flattered him, saying that he hadn't met Zhou Fengnian yet, but in Ren Zheng's opinion, he and Zhou Xianyang had been on good terms for several years, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to call him "uncle."
"No, Brother Ren, please don't say that. My dad isn't the smartest. There are many people smarter than him, but he's the most famous."

Zhou Xianyang quickly said that he had said the same thing before, but he was immediately reprimanded.

"But my son is another story. He might be even more amazing than his grandfather in the future."

"Sigh, now that you mention it, I'm starting to regret not getting married sooner and having a daughter who could then marry your son."

"Haha, it's not too late for you to get married now."

After chatting and laughing for a while, everyone at the table had almost finished eating, and Ren Zheng then got down to business.

"Brother Xianyang, this is your share of the movie theater's profits. I've already taken care of it for you."

Ren Zheng took out a transfer slip. He had already transferred more than 13 million yuan in dividends to Zhou Xianyang's account. He just needed to take the transfer slip to check.

"Our cinemas are doing better and better, and we have more and more money in our hands. Brother Xianyang, what do you think? Should we continue to expand?"

Ren Zheng asked with a smile, and Li Zhao and Zhang Jianghe beside him also had smiles on their faces.

A few years ago, the three of them were somewhat idle, taking advantage of their parents' names to take advantage of others; to put it bluntly, they were street urchins.

But now they have become successful businessmen. Although they did not pursue official careers, the country is now vigorously promoting reform and opening up and developing the economy.

Anyone with money and investment skills will be treated as an honored guest wherever they go.

Someone of Zhou Xianyang's rank, after going to a neighboring city, if the local Party Secretary Liu wanted to meet with Zhou Xianyang, he would have to see if Zhou Xianyang had the time.

Zhou Xianyang is now able to meet with provincial-level officials.

Although Ren Zheng and the other two are quite different, they are still successful entrepreneurs who earn tens of millions of yuan every year.

Their rapid development is largely due to the simplicity of opening a movie theater; as long as there are good movies, there's a continuous stream of people drawn to watch them.

In particular, Ren Zheng was able to use his connections to get access to foreign films. As long as no one investigated, the Hong Kong and American films they showed could attract a lot of people.

This is quite unique in mainland China. There aren't many movie theaters these days, but there are quite a few video rental stores. However, video rental stores don't have as many movie resources and aren't very large.

"Expansion is fine, but even if we expand, we don't need you guys to do it together, Brother Ren. Why don't you take some time to do something else?"

Zhou Xianyang gave an example: "Look at my department stores and supermarkets, I'm about to open my fifth one. I just need to check the accounts and hold a few meetings every year, and the rest will be taken care of by people in the industry."

"Brother Ren, you guys could also spare some time to do something else; making movie theaters isn't difficult. As long as you have resources, money, and your connections, it shouldn't be too hard to start one."

Ren Zheng, Li Zhao, and Zhang Jianghe nodded in agreement upon hearing this; they also felt that opening a movie theater wasn't difficult.

They just need to pay for a venue, register locally, and then bring in the equipment, and they're basically up and running. Besides, given their backgrounds, no one will cause them any trouble.

It's good enough that Ren Zheng and his two friends don't cause trouble for others. Unless someone like Zhou Xianyang causes trouble for them, people from small places can easily get their way.

After thinking for a moment, Ren Zheng said, "Brother Xianyang, we've recently saved up some money, but we don't know where to invest it. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Although they have been spending a lot lately, they have been earning even more. Moreover, based on their current spending levels, Ren Zheng and the other two earn tens of millions a year, but have only spent less than 300,000, which is already quite extravagant.

To date, the least wealthy of the three of them has over seven million yuan, making them wealthy in this era, surpassing many private enterprises.

"Let's build houses. This policy wasn't just introduced this year, but there were pilot programs last year. This year it's a nationwide trial, where private individuals buy land, build houses, and then sell them."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xianyang continued, "My dad said this will definitely become a hit in the future, but he hopes I will go into manufacturing and lead the workers to get rich. He doesn't recommend that I get into real estate."

Besides, I really haven't had time lately; those factories are keeping me busy non-stop.

Li Zhao scratched his head and asked, "Build houses and sell them. Can you make money from that?"

"Don't tell me, it's really possible!"

Zhang Jianghe suddenly spoke up: "Think about it, why do so many people want to work at Shenzhou Computer Factory? A while ago, a distant relative of mine came to my door, asking my dad to help him get a job at Shenzhou Computer Factory. As long as you are a regular employee at this factory, you are eligible for housing. Even the government's benefits can't compare to that. Many people say that it's better to go to Shenzhou Computer Factory than to go to the government."

"Houses in Beijing are in high demand right now. Some people have been waiting in line for five or six years and still can't get one. If we can build houses, we definitely won't have to worry about selling them."

Zhang Jianghe had only heard about it from his father, who had also mentioned the welfare housing reform. Now, hearing Zhou Xianyang say this, he immediately remembered what his father had said that night.

"Now that I hear that, it's actually quite possible; there's no shortage of buyers for in-demand items."

Ren Zheng was somewhat tempted after hearing this. The three brothers had money but didn't know what to do with it. If they couldn't learn anything from Zhou Xianyang tonight, they were planning to go back and open a nightclub.

“Brother Ren, Brother Li, Brother Zhang, if you’re going into real estate, I’ll invest some money and take a 20% stake.”

Zhou Xianyang pointed to the money on the transfer slip and said that he wanted to invest 13 million and then take a 20% stake.

"That won't do. We only plan to raise 15 million, and Brother Xianyang, you've already invested half of it. How can we let you have 20%?"

Ren Zheng quickly said that he really wanted to maintain his relationship with Zhou Xianyang, not just because of what his grandfather said, but because Zhou Xianyang himself was already a rare figure in the country.

Zhou Xianyang waved his hand and said, "I'm just investing money without doing any work, and I'll just sit back and wait for the dividends. 20% is enough."

Before Zhou Xianyang could finish speaking, Ren Zheng interrupted and said, "Brother Xianyang, business isn't done like that. If we were to really calculate it, the three of us wouldn't be watching every day. You take 40%, and we'll split the rest."

After speaking, Ren Zheng looked at Li Zhao and Zhang Jianghe and asked, "Is it acceptable? It's perfectly reasonable for Brother Xianyang to contribute 40% of the money and ideas."

"Brother Ren, I definitely have no objection. It's only right that Brother Xianyang takes 40%."

"Yes, if it weren't for Brother Xianyang, the three of us would never have thought of selling the house."

However, Zhou Xianyang did not agree to the 40% share, as he knew that this industry would definitely develop in the future and might reach a scale of hundreds of billions.

If you gain too much advantage early on, it will be difficult to maintain the relationship later, and you might even break up because of interests.

Even if they didn't break up, there's still a possibility that their interests could cause a rift, leading to them not putting in the effort. Zhou Xianyang was hoping that the three of them would succeed in the real estate business, and then he could sit back and share the profits.

After a round of polite refusals and negotiations, Zhou Xianyang took 30%, and the remaining 70% was distributed among Ren Zheng and the others according to their respective contributions.

The first time was a trial run; they didn't need to invest too much at once, so they used 30 million to build a community as a test.

Private housing has been circulating for quite some time now. In Beijing, the price of a house can rise to 100,000 yuan, while the price of a cheaper one is still 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.

However, only properties in locations like Nanluoguxiang can command such high prices, and even then, they are rare; they require property rights and a large area.

In remote areas, a 60-square-meter apartment costs only 30,000 to 40,000 yuan.

At this price, a dual-income family can definitely afford it with their savings. Even a single-income worker could afford it if they were a worker at a large factory like Shenzhou Computer Factory, Feiyang Electric Factory, or Huaxia Machine Tool Factory.

Based on current house prices, they plan to build some small and medium-sized units, enough for a family of three or four.

However, they still needed to find some construction engineers and workers, etc. But these were nothing to Ren Zheng and his group. They might not have many other skills, but they had a lot of connections.

The group then discussed things in the restaurant. However, Zhou Xianyang noticed that his son and daughter were a bit sleepy after finishing their meal, so he decided to take them home first and come out later.

The other three had almost finished eating, so they arranged to meet at another place later to talk.

Zhou Xianyang won't be staying in Beijing for long this time. Besides building an electronics research institute, he'll be finalizing business deals with Ren Zheng and the others.

Now Zhou Xianyang understands his grandfather's thoughts a little better. He was so old, yet he still wanted to go out and work to help his grandson build up a family business.

Seeing Zhou Zeqian's sensible appearance, Zhou Xianyang also had such a plan in mind; putting everything else aside, he now wanted to save 100 billion for his children so that even if they failed in academic research in the future, they could still live a carefree life.

------

"Let's calculate it this way. The previous structural design was too simplistic. Current equipment technology can't support instant progress; we can only make changes step by step."

After finalizing the structural design, Zhou Fengnian said to Dang Zhihui, "We also need to consider the materials. I remember that we don't seem to have this main material in China?"

Dang Zhihui shook his head and clicked his tongue, saying, "They're bought from outside, and they're not cheap either. Just for this small amount used in experiments, one pill costs over a hundred."

"Boss, most of the experimental funding you approved for our institute has been used to buy this stuff."

How much do most of their researchers earn in a month? Not even enough for one of these tiny things.

"You're beating around the bush again. Just tell me what you want from now on, you old man."

Zhou Fengnian pointed his finger and said, "You really think I'm a gentleman?"

"No, I was just expressing my feelings, boss, I really didn't mean anything by it."

Dang Zhihui quickly said, but he also wisely said in a low voice, "If only we could get some more funding and rewards."

"Show me results, and I'll help you get them!"

Without hesitation, Zhou Fengnian said, "I only look at the results. If you have results, I have the confidence to approve it for you, even if the dean disagrees."

But even if there were no results, that's one thing. Last time, a dozen or so people surrounded my office, why didn't you, Director Dang, help me out then?

Dang Zhihui said righteously, "I didn't know back then. If I had known, I would have risked my life to help you and them fight back."

"Okay you!"

Zhou Fengnian was too lazy to talk to this guy anymore. Dang Zhihui was a real anomaly in scientific research. Perhaps he should go to work as a local party cadre. He would use any method to achieve his goal.

The others watched as Zhou Fengnian and Dang Zhihui argued, and they chuckled silently on the sidelines.

After a while, Zhou Fengnian said, "I should go back now. I've been here for several days and I have a lot of things to do."

(End of this chapter)