Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 458 Zhou Banxian (Thanks to the Alliance Leader Night with Moonlight)
At Zhou Yi's request, Zhou Jianye told Zhou Yi all the details about the person who had deceived him.

Zhou Yi silently made a mental note of it, planning to find an opportunity to investigate this guy named Feng Kun after he returned to Wu Guang.

"Third Uncle, have you paid off the money you owed to your neighbor? If not, take some from my house first, I'll talk to my mom."

The fact that his wife and children were sent back suggests that he was likely threatened.

Moreover, even now, Uncle San never intended to profit from the money he made from reselling steel coils.

“It’s alright, it’s just a little short, but there’s some money on its way. We can make up the difference once the funds arrive,” Zhou Jianye said through gritted teeth. “If it really doesn’t work, I’ll sell the house there and pay it back first.”

Zhou Yi was nodding, thinking that in his previous life his third uncle hadn't sent his wife and children back, and nothing bad had happened afterward, so he figured he could get through this ordeal on his own.

But when he said he wanted to sell the house, Zhou Yi got anxious.

He quickly stopped him, saying, "Third Uncle, please don't! If you really need money, just tell my family. We'll sell everything we own to help you make up the difference, but there's one thing. Please don't sell the house! If you sell the house, you'll regret it later."

Zhou Jianye frowned and said dismissively, "It's not as exaggerated as you make it out to be. It's just a house. I'll sell it and wait a few more years to make some money, then I can buy it back."

Seeing that he still hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem, Zhou Yi immediately said earnestly, "Third Uncle, listen to me, you can't sell houses, no matter what you sell. Houses will be valuable for at least the next twenty years. So if you make money in your business and have extra money, use it all to buy houses, understand? Your business may not be able to be passed on to your brother, but if you leave the houses to your brother, he can become a landlord in the future, and that life will be incredibly comfortable."

Zhou Jianye found these words utterly baffling. There were many commercial housing options available, especially in the south. But in most parts of the country, housing was still allocated by work units. How expensive could those be? Why would he want to buy more houses? Had this brat become obsessed with being a policeman?

Just one year later, when Zhou Jianye heard that the country was carrying out housing reform and abolishing the welfare housing allocation policy, he was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth.

Is my nephew a fortune teller who also works part-time?

……

The restaurant Zhou Yi chose was one with a nice ambiance but relatively affordable prices.

He knew that if Qian Hongxing were to make the arrangements, it would inevitably be a grand banquet, an occasion that would easily remind him of Chen Gengyun.

Zhou Yi and Zhou Jianye arrived at the restaurant first; Zhou Yi had booked a small private room for four people.

The private room has a window overlooking a small river with water and green trees, which adds a unique charm.

About ten minutes after they arrived, Qian Hongxing also arrived, and Zhou Yi told him the private room number over the phone.

When Qian Hongxing arrived, he greeted Zhou Yi warmly, saying that the place was nice, simple and elegant, and a good place.

"Mr. Qian, let me introduce you. This is my third uncle, Zhou Jianye. I've mentioned him to you before. He's a businessman in the south," Zhou Yi said.

"Third Uncle, this is Mr. Qian Hongxing, a leading entrepreneur in the city's food industry."

The two immediately shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Mr. Qian, I've heard so much about you. Zhou Yi has mentioned you many times before. It's an honor to finally meet you today."

"Oh, not at all, it's me. I heard Officer Zhou mention last time that he has a third uncle who does big business in the south. I've admired him for a long time."

Zhou Jianye, feeling guilty, repeatedly said, "No, no, not at all."

Seeing the two exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Yi quickly smiled and said, "Let's sit down and talk. You two don't need to be so polite. We're all on the same side."

Upon hearing the words "one of our own," Qian Hongxing was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

"By the way, Third Uncle, how old are you this year? You look quite young," Qian Hongxing asked.

Zhou Jianye said with a smile, "I'm thirty-three this year."

"Really? If you're thirty-three, then you're a dragon?"

"That's right, that's right."

Qian Hongxing said, "I was also born in the Year of the Dragon."

Zhou Jianye's eyes widened excitedly as he said, "Really? Mr. Qian is the same age as me!"

Zhou Yi was taking a sip of water when he almost sprayed it in Zhou Jianye's face. He gave him a look that said: You've gone too far with your acting, Uncle.

Qian Hongxing laughed heartily and said, "Third Uncle is joking. I'm a full twelve years older than you, I'm forty-five this year."

"Oh my, what a coincidence! That money is always my elder brother. I'll have to toast you properly later."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "Fine, they've become brothers, and I've been demoted in rank again."

So he quickly said, "Let's order first, then we can eat and chat."

Then they called the waiter to order food. When ordering drinks, Qian Hongxing asked Zhou Yi if he could drink, and Zhou Yi said it didn't matter when there were no cases.

"Then let's have a drink, it's a rare treat."

After the wine and dishes were served, Zhou Yi raised his glass and said, "Mr. Qian, it's like this, the reason for this meal today is actually because of that case from back then. I received a first-class merit award, which was just approved a couple of days ago. Also, my third uncle just returned from the south yesterday, so I thought it would be better to introduce you two."

"A first-class merit award! Excellent! We should celebrate! Officer Zhou has a bright future ahead of him."

“Come on, let’s have one first,” Zhou Jianye said.

The three clinked glasses and then drank it all in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, Zhou Yi got down to business.

"Mr. Qian, have you heard about the recent wave of layoffs at No. 1 Steel and No. 2 Steel?"

Qian Hongxing nodded: "Yes, I heard about it. This is really sudden. Suddenly there are so many unemployed people in society. In the past few days, the number of people coming to our factory looking for work has increased dozens of times."

To those who don't know, it's quite sudden, but Zhou Yi knows it's been a chronic problem for a long time.

"Will that affect your business?"

"Things are alright right now, but a trend has already started to emerge. The demand for goods from some distribution channels has begun to decline. After all, with so many people running out of money, they will naturally cut back on their food and clothing."

Qian Hongxing suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Officer Zhou, are your parents also laid off? Should I arrange jobs for them at my factory?"

Zhou Yi put down his wine glass and quickly waved his hand, saying, "No need, they have me, there's no problem for now."

Qian Hongxing nodded: "Okay, if you need anything, just let me know."

"Okay. I brought my third uncle here today mainly because I wanted to discuss a matter with you, Mr. Qian."

Upon hearing this, Qian Hongxing said seriously, "Officer Zhou, please speak."

“I want my third uncle to do business in Hongcheng,” Zhou Yi said.

Zhou Jianye nodded instinctively, but the next second, he was immediately filled with questions: "Huh?"

Qian Hongxing, being such a shrewd businessman, understood immediately and waved his hand, saying, "Officer Zhou, Brother Jianye, you'll have to let me invest in this business. How much do you estimate would be appropriate?" Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi waved his hand. "No, Mr. Qian, I'm not here to ask you to invest; I'm here to work for you."

"What?" This time, both Qian Hongxing and Zhou Jianye were dumbfounded.

"Zhou Yi, you've confused me. What exactly are you planning to do?" Zhou Jianye asked.

"Yes, Officer Zhou, stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me what you're thinking."

“Okay, then I’ll be frank,” Zhou Yi said. “You might laugh at me if I say this, but I really want to do my part to help laid-off workers make a living. To be honest, people like my parents have been working in factories since they were younger than me. They’ve actually been living in the closed little society of the steel factory all along.”

"For people like them, being laid off means losing not only their source of income, but also their will to live. Perhaps this sounds a bit alarmist, but I have a feeling that the impact of this wave of layoffs may be greater and more profound than anyone imagines."

"It's not just about not having a job and not being able to earn money."

Zhou Yi's thoughts seemed to fly back to Hongcheng in his previous life.

Around this time, many unemployed workers appeared on the streets, but the real impact had not yet appeared, as many people were still barely able to make a living.

Various tragedies began to emerge gradually from the end of the year, because by then, many people could no longer bear it.

Some people steal scrap metal, while others scavenge for garbage. In his previous life, Zhou Yi had accompanied Zhang Ning on a police mission. Two scavengers got into a fight over a trash can. When they were brought back for questioning, they found out that one was from a steel company and the other from a steel company, both laid-off workers. The scrap metal they had fought so fiercely for was probably only worth three or four yuan.

Many more people choose to sell their blood on the black market in other places to make a living, just like Xu Sanguan in Yu Hua's novel.

Each time a person sells their blood, they can earn twenty yuan, enough to buy rice for a family of three for a week.

Zhou Yi had personally witnessed those who made a living by selling their blood; their faces were deathly pale, even paler than the dead.

Besides these, there were also those who committed crimes, sold their bodies, and even those who shared a final meal of dumplings with their families before passing away together.

There are also many things that can't be said or thought about at all.

Fortunately, Zhou Yi had a job in their previous life, so their family didn't have to suffer too much and managed to get through it.

In this life, Zhou Yi is doing better and better, so naturally he has nothing to worry about.

But what about others?
Zhou Yi knew her thoughts were overly sentimental, but after witnessing such human tragedies, she couldn't help but be moved.

There are tens of thousands of employees at No. 1 and No. 2 Steel Plants, and the same is true for state-owned enterprises in other cities; there's simply nothing he can do. But he'll help whoever he can, just like when he's a policeman—he can't stop crime from happening, but he can save whoever he can.

After listening to Zhou Yi's "speculations," Qian Hongxing said with a serious expression, "Officer Zhou, I understand. You want to mobilize some laid-off workers so they can have food to eat, right?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

“I don’t object to that. The city even awarded me one of the top ten outstanding youths, so it’s only right that I give back to society. But to be honest, my business can’t accommodate so many people right now. If I expand recruitment and solve the employment problem for some people, production costs will increase significantly. But the downstream market will not expand, so my business will be affected. At that time, my workers and the upstream and downstream companies will also be affected.”

"Mr. Qian, I understand. So what I mean is not for you to expand recruitment, nor for Hongxing Foods to solve this problem, but to set up a new factory."

"What will you do with the new factory?"

Zhou Jianye couldn't help but say, "Zhou Yi, you've never done business before, so don't give me any bad advice that could rip off Boss Qian. We have to be honest."

Qian Hongxing waved his hand, signaling Zhou Yi to continue.

Zhou Yi took a deep breath. He had been thinking about this for a long time, trying to figure out what he could do about it.

Initially, he considered setting up a small-scale electronics factory with assembly line processing, given the increasing demand for digital products due to technological advancements. However, after much deliberation, he realized it wouldn't work. This is a characteristic of the southern coastal region, where factors such as a large pool of young workers, policy support, and convenient import/export arrangements have created companies like Moukang.

Hongcheng can't do it. Even if they solve the order or equipment problems, the logistics costs are too high, and it's easy for them to lose money.

His last visit to Anyuan gave him some inspiration.

We must adapt to local conditions and take advantage of favorable timing, location, and human factors.

"I'll stick to the food industry," Zhou Yi said.

Qian Hongxing was taken aback: "Still making food?"

"Yes, but it's not quite the same as the food you're making now. To be precise, it's about building a soybean deep processing cluster, introducing advanced overseas low-temperature desolventizing technology, and establishing an industrial chain encompassing oil extraction, protein extraction, and feed processing."

Zhou Jianye was taken aback. Soybean processing? He didn't know anything about agriculture, and this had nothing to do with him.

Qian Hongxing asked thoughtfully, "Is there anything else?"

Upon hearing these three words, Zhou Yi knew that Qian Hongxing was indeed a shrewd businessman. He replied, "Yes, the processing industry chain is only the first step. The second step is the key. Our main focus is not the domestic market, but the overseas market."

"Overseas?" Upon hearing these two words, Zhou Jianye perked up.

"Yes, the primary products are organic soybeans and non-GMO soybean oil. Uncle, could you look into how to apply for something called ECOCERT certification? With that, we can enter the high-end overseas market. Once the industrial chain and market are stable, we can start processing products, such as extracting soybean peptide powder. This is a raw material for many health products and has a very large market."

Zhou Yi laid out his thoughts completely, except for information about the future.

The opportune moment for this event is naturally the development of the times. This year, Hong Kong returned to China, attracting Hong Kong investment and gradually developing import and export trade. In four years, my country will join the WTO, and the international trade industry will officially begin to take off. Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.

In terms of location, Hongcheng is situated in three counties, and most of the land is used for agriculture. Places like Xinbei Township, which previously had underground coal mines, are extremely rare. In addition to Hongcheng, there are also a large number of farmers in the surrounding areas who rely on farming for a living, with soybeans being one of the main crops.

As for the personnel, Qian Hongxing is originally in the food processing business, so he's most familiar with that area. His third uncle has been in the south for many years, and his specialty is market expansion and sales. Without him, even if Kong Laosan had hung the steel coils at the factory manager's door last time, there would have been no way to get them.

"Gentlemen, the overseas market is a huge blue ocean market. In countries with mature industries, labor costs are high, like in the United States. But in countries with low labor costs, they can't develop large-scale manufacturing industries and complete supply chains, like India. But these problems can be solved in our country, and that's our advantage. High quality and low price is the key to unlocking that blue ocean market."

Qian Hongxing's eyes brightened; he was a businessman with a keen business sense.

He also sensed the constraints his business was facing. The Hongcheng market was only so big, and its expansion throughout the province wasn't as fast as he had imagined, let alone nationwide. This was due to competition and local protectionism towards businesses, just like the protection the Hongcheng government offered him.

He naturally wanted to expand his business, and he had considered venturing overseas, but he lacked understanding of the international landscape. In the 1990s, the inland economy was still largely confined to domestic circulation, and import/export related businesses were mainly concentrated in the southern coastal areas. He lacked suitable opportunities for expansion.
So Zhou Yi's words immediately moved him, but he still had reservations.

“Officer Zhou, to be honest, your business plan is excellent. My only concern is whether business overseas is easy to do. Organic soybeans, non-GMO soybean oil, and soybean peptide powder raw materials—it’s quite difficult to open up the domestic market for these products right now. If you can’t succeed in the high-end overseas market, I’m afraid your cash flow will be in trouble.” Qian Hongxing spoke frankly, because the investment would be substantial.

Zhou Yi pointed to his third uncle and said, "He's got the overseas market sorted out."

"Third Uncle, if you can find overseas sales channels, our business can continue. If not, then it will have to fail."

Zhou Jianye said with some difficulty, "Finding foreigners isn't difficult; there are quite a few foreigners in the South now. But I can't just tell them without any proof, can I? They won't believe me then."

Zhou Yi smiled mysteriously and said, "That's simple, it can be solved in three words."

"What?"

"PPT!"

Zhou Jianye and Qian Hongxing were both taken aback: "Butt kick?"

(End of this chapter)