Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 461 The father and son should keep a low profile

Early Saturday morning, groups of workers from the Shenzhou Computer Factory, dressed in overalls, walked happily toward the factory.

They were all older than most, and some were accompanied by their children.

The factory's finance, human resources, and bank staff had all arrived, along with staff from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission's reform team. Upon seeing the arriving workers, they would guide them through the process of signing for and receiving their pay.

A week has passed since Zhou Xianyang held a meeting at the factory, and Feiyang Group and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission's reform team are making great progress in the restructuring.

The authorities were quite supportive of this matter, and various decisions and policies were given the green light all the way.

After the restructuring plan was finalized, the equity and management were quickly settled. Zhou Xianyang also had people from Feiyang Group arrange for bank representatives to come directly to the factory to distribute the money.

Once the workers' issues are resolved, training can begin.

From now on, this brand will be Shenzhou Feiyang Computer, which can be considered a joint brand after the reorganization.

The training of employees was not a decision made on a whim by Zhou Xianyang. He also called on some people from the original Shenzhou Computer Factory, along with the managers who developed the new process, to discuss and finalize the training process together.

In the future, they will introduce semi-mechanized production workshops in large quantities and establish branch factories.

Zhou Xianyang's ambitions are far from small; he plans to build his own brand encompassing both hardware and software, from computers and operating systems to application software and the internet.
All that's missing is to start planning from the source: electronic component factories.

Although he took over a large number of employees, if he continued to develop according to his plan, these 10,000 people would actually be insufficient.

We need to establish a presence both domestically and internationally. Once the plan is launched, we might be so busy that we'll need to hire more people.

As for the fact that people from the old city of Beijing are reluctant to leave their hometowns and don't want to go to other places?
There's no such thing. If you pay enough, you'll be all smiles wherever you go.

Those who go to other places to expand their business will have opportunities for promotion and salary increases, and there may even be competition for these jobs.

"Zhang Erhe, 25 years of service, monthly salary of 2250 yuan, resettlement fee of 112,500 yuan. If there are no problems, please sign here."

Do you want cash or bank transfer? If it's a bank transfer, the bank will transfer the money to you within two days. You need to go there to sign the documents for the factory's employee welfare payments.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Erhe nodded happily and said, "That's right, that's the amount. Just transfer the money, thank you, comrade."

Receiving such a large sum of money when he was only a few years away from retirement was a pleasant surprise for him, and he felt even more grateful to Zhou Xianyang.

At the same time, Zhou Fengnian's image became great in Zhang Erhe's mind. Zhou Fengnian had been away from Shenzhou Computer Factory for almost twenty years, but Zhang Erhe had already attributed the credit for Shenzhou Computer Factory's rapid development over the years to Zhou Fengnian.

If it weren't for the old factory director, how could their factory have developed so quickly?

"Liu Xiang, with 27 years of service, a monthly salary of 1950 yuan, and a total resettlement allowance of 105,300 yuan."

"Zhao Sansheng, with nineteen years of service, a monthly salary of 2150 yuan, and a total resettlement allowance of 81,700 yuan."

The money was handed out quickly. Most of the people who came with their families asked for cash, but many more opted for bank transfers.

These workers trusted Zhou Xianyang completely. Besides, there were two boxes of money behind the bank, the banknotes were right there, and there were several armed guards nearby. They didn't think the bank would default on their payments at all.

After signing their names regarding welfare contributions, these workers were considered retired, setting a good example for other workers.

Feiyang Group will not mistreat any employee. Even if Zhou Xianyang takes over for only a minute, and these workers retire during the time he takes over, Zhou Xianyang will still take care of them.

Zhou Xianyang has little interest in money; he prefers to use money to get things done rather than to save it up.

If he really liked money, his personal assets could increase five or six times.

The rumors about him being a "spendthrift" stemmed from his extensive charitable donations, which were said by other business owners.

When the country was building its first aircraft carrier, Zhou Xianyang donated 20 million yuan. Two years ago, when news broke that the country was preparing to build a second aircraft carrier, Zhou Xianyang donated another 50 million yuan, all of which were personal donations. He has never been stingy in this regard.

The reason why Dongcheng District was so reluctant to let Zhou Yan retire, and even invited her to take up a secondary post when she reached retirement age, was largely because they hoped that when Zhou Xianyang donated money for charity, he would give more consideration to Dongcheng District.

It can save them a lot of financial expenses every year.

There are nearly two thousand retired workers, all of whom were among the original group when the factory was first built or were among the workers recruited during the first expansion.

They are all approaching old age, have high salaries, and are somewhat unable to work anymore; these are the types of people most disliked by private business owners during restructuring.

The resettlement compensation offered is too much; it's enough to rip off a huge chunk of the private business owner's wealth.

That's why most people keep being pressured, and some even collude with the former factory manager to trick them into voluntarily resigning.

After these people receive their money and sign the papers, they can be considered to have entered retirement life ahead of schedule; some people even received more than 100,000 yuan, and with a little more money, they can buy a house in the third or fourth ring road area.

The factory renovation will take two months, and employee training will take two months. It should be able to start operations and be ready for work by the middle of next year.

Moreover, Zhou Xianyang has already instructed his technical staff to begin working on new flagship products.

While things are progressing smoothly on Zhou Xianyang's side, it's hard to say what will happen elsewhere.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission's reform team is having a huge headache right now; even the director in charge, Fan Wenhao, has been working non-stop for several days.

Although he received a can of fine tea the day after parting ways with Zhou Xianyang, Fan Wenhao was so busy in the following days that he barely had time to sit down.

When the newspaper reporters went to the newspaper, they praised Zhou Xianyang extensively in the newspaper after they returned, and even used the headline "The only entrepreneur who considers the workers."

The news spread online, giving Zhou Xianyang another moment in the spotlight, but also putting the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission's reform team in a difficult position.

With the advent of the internet, news spread rapidly, and by the fifth day, the other two branch factories had learned about the head office's reforms.

On the sixth day, the workers at the branch factory united to put pressure on Liu Chuanzhi and Dong Jianping's company, as well as the local State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission's reform team.

Their reasoning was quite compelling: as employees of the same Shenzhou Computer Factory, the branch factory should not be inferior to the head office.

Liu Chuanzhi and Dong Jianping were both sweating profusely. They had thought they had gotten a great deal, that the government intended to support them, and that the government would cover the majority of the resettlement costs.

Once they take over the branch factory, they can quickly establish their own brand and occupy a share of the computer market.

However, Zhou Xianyang's actions have made even the reorganization difficult, and who knows what other troubles might arise next.

The workers who benefited praised Zhou Xianyang and Zhou Fengnian enthusiastically, but Liu Chuanzhi, Dong Jianping, and others basically cursed Zhou Xianyang three times a day.

Why can't welfare benefits be distributed discreetly? Why make such a big fuss?
However, apart from these people, most people in China praised Zhou Xianyang's actions.

I've seen plenty of stingy and miserly private business owners, but this is the first time I've seen one voluntarily give me money.

------

Sunday, Nanluoguxiang. Zhou Fengnian put down his newspaper, glanced at Zhou Xianyang sitting across from him, waiting for praise, and said, "I act on impulse. At my level, 'reputation' can't influence me anymore."

"Is it completely useless?"

Zhou Xianyang raised an eyebrow and asked, "I don't believe you. Are you just pretending to be nonchalant when you say that?"

"Why would I need to lie to you, Zeqian? Do you know why I wouldn't?"

Zhou Fengnian turned to Zhou Zeqian, who was standing to the side, and asked. His grandson was also reading the newspaper.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zeqian guessed and said, "Grandpa knows what he's done, right?"

“Zeqian is better than you. What you know is only my outward performance; I just keep much more hidden from you.”

After noticing the looks in his son's and grandson's eyes, Zhou Fengnian paused for a moment and continued, "Don't look anymore. I can't tell you, so these reports are useless to me."

"And didn't you see? It all talks about your father, Zhou Xianyang; my name hasn't appeared even once."

Without instructions from above, important figures cannot be reported on without authorization, especially someone like Zhou Fengnian.

Previously, there was little regulation of newspapers and similar media, resulting in many traitors among them. After being brought under control, they became more obedient.

Given Zhou Fengnian's current status, it's no exaggeration to say that no major domestic secret project can be kept from him; the secrets in his head are the lifeline of the nation.

Zhou Xianyang looked at his son and asked in surprise, "Dad, you're teaching Zeqian this at such a young age?"

"What are you guessing?"

“Dad, it’s not something Grandpa taught me. All the scientists I’ve met have said the same thing: what they do is seen by others, there’s no need to publicize it everywhere.”

Before Zhou Fengnian could speak, Zhou Zeqian spoke first.

Zhou Zeqian had previously visited many researchers with Zhou Fengnian. Yan Zhengzhi and many others liked Zhou Zeqian, a smart and composed young man.

They often pulled Zhou Zeqian aside, wanting to teach him something, and even asked Zhou Zeqian to go to them.

In addition, Zhou Zeqian went to the university to attend classes in advance, and gradually got to know many people, sometimes even having meals with the older generation.

"But you did a great job. You managed to get these workers settled safely and even forced the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to readjust the restructuring policies of the other two branch factories. That's excellent."

Zhou Fengnian shook his head and said, "After all, it was the factory I founded, and I don't want Shenzhou Computer Factory to end up in a bad way."

"Everyone in our family is excellent; they treat their employees well, and none of them are rich fools."

Zhou Weitian and his son Zhou Jia'an, along with Song Weinan and others, treated their employees very well and paid them quite high wages.

Although not as high as Zhou Xianyang's, it is still much higher than the average wage in Beijing.

"That is!"

Zhou Xianyang said with a smile, "I don't have the ability to make them all rich and powerful, but at least I can ensure that they have enough to eat, wear, and live in, and provide for their whole family."

Working at his company for a few years will definitely allow you to save up for a down payment on a house. There are also plenty of opportunities for internal promotion, and you'll have a stable chance to get a raise every year.

Zhou Xianyang is known for treating his employees well; working for him means you can buy a car and a house in no time. Moreover, despite spending so much on human resources, his company is still very profitable and can meet its annual expansion plans.

Zhou Fengnian nodded and said, "Yes, although workers and peasants are the leading class, they have suffered a lot and enjoyed very little happiness. You are doing very well now, and quite a few people have already told me about your work."

The farmers suffered for sixty or seventy years, the workers suffered for eighty or ninety years, and then...
It's a good thing that Zhou Xianyang remembers to lead others to prosperity, even though he does things in a high-profile way, which may displease some people.

But as long as he doesn't do anything wrong, Zhou Fengnian, as his father, can protect him, and no one dares to go over his head and openly embarrass Zhou Xianyang.

His son is quite famous; some old friends even called him specifically to talk about Zhou Xianyang.

There are many children of officials, but Zhou Xianyang is the only one like him.

The three generations of the family chatted in the study for a while, but Zhou Zeqian basically didn't say anything. He just read books or listened to his father and grandfather.

More often than not, it was Zhou Xianyang asking questions and Zhou Fengnian answering; it was from Zhou Fengnian that Zhou Xianyang learned that the next wave of development was in network communications, which is why he was able to quickly sit down at the table.

This news alone is precious enough.

Zhou Xianyang often asked Zhou Fengnian what the country planned to develop, and just knowing this was enough for him to prepare a lot.

Since it didn't involve any confidential information, Zhou Fengnian said so. Besides, newspapers usually give advance notice, so you can easily find out if you pay a little attention.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Fengnian noticed that it was getting late and asked, "What would you like to eat tonight? You can tell the chef now and we can start preparing early."

Upon hearing about food, Zhou Xianyang immediately said, "I'll order one from outside. Yushantang can deliver it directly to our home, which is quite convenient."

The new chef's skills are mediocre; the food is edible, but it's nowhere near as good as Chef Yang's, and far inferior to the chefs at the Imperial Kitchen.

"There's no need. If they eat out every day, will they give up their jobs?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Fengnian turned to Zhou Zeqian and said, "Zeqian, go and tell them that we're having dinner tonight, and ask the chef to prepare."

This is easy to make. Just prepare the broth, cut some meat and vegetables, and you don't need to prepare a lot.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zeqian put down his book and left the study to relay a message to the cook. Next to their courtyard was a public housing complex where the nanny, cook, and security personnel usually rested.

After Zhou Zeqian left, Zhou Fengnian said, "Xianyang, keep a low profile these next two years. Let others handle things."

"Hmm? Dad, what's wrong?"

Before Zhou Xianyang could finish speaking, he realized what was happening and asked, "You're really getting promoted?"

"More or less, but my main job is still at the Academy of Sciences; everything else is secondary."

Zhou Fengnian didn't reveal much, but the last time his superiors talked to him, the matter was basically settled.

The future is a technological competition, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) holds a crucial position. It has already played a significant role, leading many major national defense research projects.

For the sake of the future, Zhou Fengnian's position should be promoted. However, to make the best use of his talents, his main focus should still be on leading scientific research.

"From now on, try to get the group to handle things. What's rightfully yours will eventually be yours."

(End of this chapter)