2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 85 The Truth
I had too much to drink while hosting guests last night.

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Is the agricultural machinery factory about to undergo a major upheaval?

Chu Ning and Chu An were both taken aback.

Although Chu An is now famous and making a lot of money, it's still the place he grew up in. He pays close attention to any slight disturbance, especially when Chu Jianjun's claims are so outrageous.

"How exactly will the world change?"

Chu Jianjun replied while shoveling food into his mouth, "Why does a kid ask so many questions?"

You'll know after the New Year.

"Tch!" Chu An pouted, dissatisfied with his father being the eldest son. He could only tentatively ask again, "So, is it...changing for the better, or changing for the worse?"

Chu Jianjun, "..."

After a long silence, with a complex look in his eyes, he finally shook his head.

For a moment, Chu An couldn't tell whether he didn't want to talk about it, or whether he was unsure whether things would turn out for the better or for the worse.

Chu Jianjun clearly didn't want to talk about this issue anymore, and instead asked about the siblings' recent situation.

The first person to be affected was Chu An, who learned that Chu An had already completed his enrollment procedures in Shengjing and bought a house.

A pang of pain shot through me. "Earning money isn't easy, don't waste it."

Chu Jianjun wasn't too surprised by the huge changes Chu An had undergone in the past few months; in his words, it was because he had met a benefactor.

As for how much money Chu An earns and how much development he will have in the future.
"At first, I was quite surprised when I heard from Russia that you were acting in a TV series. But later..."

Later, he became numb to it. When Chu Jianjun returned to China, it was right when Chu An and Ji Yang were at their worst.

Chu Jianjun also saw the missing person notice, but firstly, he was very busy; secondly, his son's sudden success left him, as the father, somewhat at a loss.

But later, Chu An handled things with ease, and with CCTV's strong support, he truly became numb.

The final conclusion is: "Do whatever you want! We'll try not to cause any trouble at home."

Chu An had no objection, but he was also quite surprised that his father could be so open-minded. In his memory, his father, Chu Jianjun, was sometimes quite fussy and indecisive.

Moreover, she is indecisive and somewhat sentimental.

He was genuinely afraid that Chu Jianjun would take advantage of his father's position and give reckless orders.

As for Chu Ning, Chu Jianjun remained true to his 'original intention': "Go back to repeat the year next year! Let's see what you have to say now!?"

Chu Ning retorted stubbornly, "Do you need to tell me? My brother and I have already made arrangements."

After hearing this, Chu Jianjun hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He ate a few mouthfuls of rice in silence, then asked, "By the way, I saw that your shop is closed?"

Chu Ning seemed to have found an outlet for his frustration, "Isn't it that Ma Guoyou you saved back then?! He's no good at all!"

Chu Ning recounted the incident to Chu Jianjun. Initially, she was worried about affecting Chu An and wanted to avoid trouble, but she became increasingly angry as she spoke. "Dad! You can't be a pushover this time!"

"Even if we can't deal with Ma Guoyou, we have to let the neighbors know what kind of person he really is."

"Ugh!!"

Chu Jianjun sighed deeply, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Leave this to Dad. No one can bully my daughter."

Chu An's brows twitched upon hearing this. In most stories, if this situation occurred, it usually meant that the characters would fight desperately.

He cautioned, "Take it easy, our situation is great right now, there's no need to trade one for one with someone like this."

Chu Jianjun was taken aback, then suddenly laughed, "You little rascal, you're different now! Trying to persuade your old man?"

Chu An grinned and said, "You can find us a stepmother later, so we can settle down and enjoy our lives at home."

Chu Jianjun chuckled and said leisurely, "Your dad isn't old yet!"

Chu An, "."

Despite having many grievances against this father.

Overall, Chu An felt sorry for him.

Putting aside everything else, raising the two sisters as both father and mother is already quite an achievement.

Moreover, given Chu Jianjun's circumstances, he has rejected every attempt to introduce him to a wife over the years.

The real concern is that the two children won't get along well with their stepmother.

The next day, before Chu An even got out of bed, Chu Jianjun went out.

He brought back a lot of local specialties and candies from Russia.

They went from house to house, sharing a little with each family.

Firstly, it was to let the neighbors know that he was back; secondly, it was also to thank everyone for taking care of the siblings while he was away.

Chu Ning was extremely dissatisfied with this, saying, "What kind of consideration is this? Not gossiping is already an act of kindness!"

Chu An was also puzzled, "Why does it feel like everything I said last night was for nothing?!"

My biological father has turned into a pushover again.

As expected, he even sent a gift to Ma Guoyou's family, and it was the largest gift of all.

"My two little ones are so immature. I heard they had a fight with you? Don't take it to heart."

Ma Guoyou gave a forced smile, "Old Chu, I'm not trying to be mean, but those two kids of yours really need to be disciplined! Especially little Chu An, just because he's a little famous, he's become so arrogant!"

"You didn't see it, you were pointing your finger at me and yelling at me! Anyone else would have had their head smashed open!"

Chu Jianjun: "Yes, yes, yes, I'll teach him a lesson later!"

At noon, Old Chu went home for lunch. Chu Ning angrily served him rice and slammed it in front of his father, saying, "You were trying to stand up for me! But after just one night, you've already back to being a coward!"

Chu Jianjun was a little embarrassed and didn't argue with his daughter. He simply explained, "Let's wait a bit longer. The situation is a bit complicated right now."

Chu An asked curiously, "What's complicated about it?"

Chu Jianjun: "A working group came to the factory, it seems to be investigating that incident from back then."

Chu An frowned. "More than ten years have passed, and you're still investigating?!"

Chu Jianjun simply shook his head and didn't reply.

The matter back then was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

That was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. State-owned enterprises in Northeast China were struggling to keep up with the wave of reform and were showing signs of fatigue.

The newly appointed factory director is young and energetic, with strong connections, and has secured an imported, fully-equipped production line for the factory. If this project is successfully implemented, Ningyuan Agricultural Machinery Factory will undoubtedly become a leader in the domestic agricultural machinery industry.

As a result, the new production line had just been installed and was still being debugged when the factory manager, eager for quick success, wanted to put it into production ahead of schedule. Despite Chu Jianjun's strong opposition, Ma Guoyou arranged for workers to force the machine to start.

结果
The accident was a major one; not only did people die, but equipment worth millions was also destroyed.

Then, Chu Jianjun took the blame, Ma Guoyou escaped unscathed, and the factory director also left the scene in disgrace.

So many years have passed, and many issues have already been settled.

For example, Chu Jianjun was the person primarily responsible, and he was demoted, given a major demerit, and publicly criticized. The factory director and the workshop's Party branch failed in their oversight; the others were investigated and punished accordingly.

However, some issues remain unresolved to this day.

For example, the issue of the loss of that imported equipment.

It's a mess right now, and some say it was caused by Chu Jianjun.

Some argue that foreign experts held back during the debugging process, and the responsibility lies with the foreign countries.

Some say that the young factory manager didn't import that equipment to manufacture agricultural machinery; he had other ideas and uses for it.

The equipment had been undergoing modifications ever since it entered the factory, and this was the root cause of the accident and the losses.

Anyway, there is anything to say.

"The working group will come down to check the equipment issues."

Upon hearing this, Chu An understood. "No wonder Ma Guoyou wanted to report our shop. So this is the root of the problem."

Chu Jianjun sneered, "Isn't that exactly the case? Once the things from back then are brought up again, your father won't be able to escape."

"Otherwise, with your great reputation outside, he wouldn't dare to do anything underhanded behind your back!" Chu An couldn't help but feel that his father had never respected Ma Guoyou.

"So what do you want to do?"

Chu Jianjun: "What can we do? Let's just put up with him for now and deal with it after the New Year."

The New Year passed by as uneventfully as ever.

The Chu family doesn't have many relatives in Ningyuan.

Chu An's mother was from the countryside, and Chu An's maternal grandparents had passed away early. After Chu An's mother's death, there was less and less contact between Chu An and his uncle's family. Occasionally, in the autumn, his uncle would come to the county town to sell grain and would visit Chu An's family. It had been two or three years since he last came.

Chu Jianjun's parents also died early, while Chu An had an uncle who used to work at the agricultural machinery factory.

But during the era of supporting the Third Front, the whole family moved to Sichuan Province, and we usually only made phone calls.

In addition, there is no woman in the family, so during the Spring Festival, it's just the three of them having a meal and watching the Spring Festival Gala.

In Northeast China, people visit each other on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Chu Jianjun took his two children and went from house to house to offer New Year's greetings.

Because of Chu An, the neighbors were extremely hospitable.

The factory resumed its holiday on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. On the afternoon of the seventh day, Chu Jianjun asked Chu Ningxin to prepare a table full of dishes, saying that there would be guests later.

Chu Ning was extremely unwilling, "We haven't even finished the thirty-yuan portion yet, it's such a waste!"

Despite saying that, she still considered her father's feelings and prepared a table full of delicious food.

Around 6 o'clock, Chu Jianjun went to open the door following the knocking sound, and let in a middle-aged man who was about the same age as Chu Jianjun.

Chu An was quite curious. He had originally thought his father had invited an acquaintance from the factory, but this person was a complete stranger. After taking off his overcoat and cotton hat, he saw that the man was wearing glasses and an executive jacket.

A handsome, refined older man.

"Is this your Xiao An? He's grown so much."

The handsome middle-aged man sighed, gesturing with his hands, "Back then... I was this tall, not even in elementary school yet, right?"

Chu Jianjun: "Absolutely! He's the naughtiest guy in the whole compound!"

Chu Anxin said, "Don't you recognize me? You don't care about the entertainment industry, but wearing an administrative jacket means you must work for the system."

Quickly cooperate with Old Chu, "Dad, who is this?"

Chu Jianjun: "Call him Uncle Yang."

Chu An said obediently, "Hello, Uncle Yang. The wine is all warmed up. Please sit down first, and I'll go get you some wine."

As he spoke, he went into the kitchen.

Chu Ning was ladling the braised fish out of the pot when she saw Chu An come in. "You're here? Who is it?"

Chu An: "I don't know him! He's definitely not from our department, and he seems to be an official."

Chu Ning didn't think much of it and took the fish out. A few pleasantries came from the living room, and after a while, Chu Ning returned with a strange expression.

Chu An, "What's wrong?"

Chu Ning: "Why did he come to our house?"

Chu An raised an eyebrow. "You've seen him before? Who is it?"

Chu Ning: "Yang Chenguang, the new factory director back then!"

hiss! !

Chu An gasped. This was getting interesting!
Even Chu An, a seasoned veteran, couldn't quite grasp the intricacies of the situation for the time being.

How did Dad end up with that factory manager who almost ruined him back then?

Chu Jianjun and Yang Chenguang clearly wanted to discuss business, so the siblings wisely stayed away from the table.

Leave some food in the kitchen to eat, and while you're at it, listen to what those two are talking about.

As a result, Chu An almost crashed his computer.

Even Chu Ning acted as if he were meeting his biological father for the first time.

Yang Chenguang: "The provincial department's investigation team has already reached a conclusion; the responsibility does not lie with you or me."

Yang Chenguang: "The old factory director was supposed to retire a long time ago, but there wasn't a suitable successor. The factory originally intended for Ma Guoyou to take over, but..."

"You've hit the jackpot this time. The provincial department has already issued the transfer order. After the fifteenth, I will officially take over the factory's work."

Chu Jianjun: "Then congratulations in advance! Not to congratulate you on taking office, but to congratulate our agricultural machinery factory on being saved!"

Yang Chenguang sighed, "We've wasted ten years!"

Chu Jianjun was very agitated. "What competitiveness can that set of German equipment have in making tractors that have been phased out by foreign countries? It can't save the agricultural machinery factory!"

"And your idea of ​​extending the industrial chain is definitely correct! It's just a pity that the employees didn't understand it back then, and the leadership team didn't understand it either, which led to so many accidents."

Yang Chenguang: "Say no more! Brother, I'll toast you. You've suffered all these years. If you hadn't protected me, I wouldn't have had this surprise attack today."

Chu Jianjun: "If we're talking about who's wronged, you're more wronged than me. You've been stuck in the same place for ten years."

Somewhat embarrassed, he said, "Originally, I wanted to wait until you were confident, and then we could finish what we didn't finish back then."

"I don't have much ability in my life, I just want to prove that we were right back then!"

There's nothing we can do.

“If the eldest brother weren’t skipping school, I wouldn’t be looking for you at this time.”

Chu An, "."

Chu Ning, "."

Chu Ning was completely confused. "What's going on? I don't understand what you're saying."

Chu An: "I think I understand, but I don't really understand."

The two old men were probably in high spirits, and they didn't break up until midnight.

Chu An and Chu Ning quickly helped Chu Jianjun onto the sofa.

"What's going on!?"

Chu Jianjun's face was flushed, and he reeked of alcohol. He was no longer timid and was full of vigor.

"Our agricultural machinery factory is really about to undergo a major transformation!"

"And now I can tell you, things are getting better!"

Chu An, "."

Under repeated questioning from the siblings, Chu Jianjun finally revealed the hidden story from back then.

Back then, when Yang Chenguang was transferred to the agricultural machinery factory, he brought with him a set of imported equipment. Everyone thought the agricultural machinery factory could turn its fortunes around and stand out in the increasingly fierce competition among agricultural machinery products.

Only Yang Chenguang and Chu Jianjun are clear-headed: the bloated and slow pace of old state-owned enterprises cannot compete with the efficiency and pragmatism of private enterprises.

Moreover, that equipment did not have a leading edge.

Yang Chenguang joined that production line not to produce traditional agricultural machinery to compete with private enterprises in the market.

He saw the gap in the niche market and planned to upgrade the equipment to specialize in niche machinery.

For example, "fruit and vegetable sorting machines" and "nut shelling and sorting machines" were products that were not yet available in China in the early 1990s, with no competitors, and that allowed for the development of both the existing resources of agricultural machinery factories and new machines.

Unfortunately, the older employees in the factory were used to resting on their laurels and unwilling to change; only Chu Jianjun supported him.

The two, along with their skilled workers, withstood the pressure and worked hard for two years, finally achieving some results.

As a result, Ma Guoyou had an accident.

Then, Ma Guoyou knelt down before Chu Jianjun, begging him to save his life.

Chu Jianjun
"Did I save Ma Guoyou?!" Chu Jianjun, fueled by alcohol, was very agitated, as if he wanted to vent all the grievances he had accumulated over the past ten years.

"What good would it do me to save such a thing!?"

"I saved Director Yang! I saved the hopes of tens of thousands of workers at the agricultural machinery factory!"

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(End of this chapter)