I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 108 Mutual Reinforcement, A Difficult Situation.

In Jiangning, the provincial capital, after Zhang Da'an and his men attended the retrial of Guan Changsheng's beating, they were interviewed by a newspaper from the eastern part of the city. It was called an interview, but it was really just a simple questioning outside the courtroom, far less intense than the barrage of photos and videos taken by Jiangkou TV.

The interview questions and answers were so outrageous that Jiangkou TV removed the original audio from the footage and only added the text.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, do you have any thoughts on the retrial of this case?"

"Of course, there are opinions. Mr. Guan is my right-hand man in the development of functional beverage products, meaning he's one of my people. Those unscrupulous individuals hitting, cursing, and insulting him are disrespecting me. I brought capital from Shazhou City and revitalized a mess in the Chengdong District that should have closed down, mainly because I admire Mr. Guan and he's responsible. Disrespecting me isn't unacceptable, but hitting and cursing someone who has made contributions is going too far. If I don't pursue this to the end, people outside will think that the investment environment in the Chengdong District is no different from a public toilet, crawling with rats, cockroaches, and maggots..."

"..."

Not far away, Liu Yuanshan's "boss" twitched at the corner of his mouth. He knew that Zhang Da'an would definitely not say anything nice, but was it a bit dirty to say it like this?
Of course, he doesn't care now. He's about to take on a job at the labor and employment security unit, so he no longer needs to wait for opportunities in the eastern part of the city.

Liu Yuanshan, the secretary who turned thirty last year, helped both of them change their fate, and they were finally able to start anew.

There won't be any further power struggles, since he's already taken on a role at the labor and employment security unit, and it'll be easy for him to occasionally step in and intensify the efforts in the eastern part of the city.

In addition, we finalized the qualification for engineering equipment skills training with Zhang Da'an in advance, and allocated a piece of land at the easternmost end of Xianlin Avenue. The county-level city under the jurisdiction of Runzhou next door also followed suit and allocated a piece of land, so that there is a set of vocational skills training points on both sides.

Although the advertisements haven't been placed yet, construction companies from Yangtai City and Chongzhou City have already inquired about the price of the group training.

However, the first order was introduced by the Chengdong District.

It's not very big; it's just a logistics and loading/unloading area for a "university town," and a short-term forklift training center.

The five people collected 2,500 yuan.

However, it was of great significance. The leaders of the Chengdong District all came over to show their faces, taking photos and writing inscriptions as appropriate. Only after all that was done did the start-up time for the second phase of the "Zhang An Health" production line be confirmed.

The overall relocation is no longer being discussed. Instead, a spring recruitment and training program has begun. Recruitment notices can be seen at the entrance of "Zhang An Health". Not only in the suburbs of Jiangning City, but also in the urban area, many workers from companies with poor performance come to see what the situation is like.

The basic salary of front-line workers at "Zhang An Foods" is as high as 1,800 yuan. This news has not spread completely to Jiangning City. The reason why it is said that it has not spread completely is because many people think that the news that is circulating in reality is nonsense and a rumor.

Without seeing it with their own eyes, no one believed it.

However, the news continued to circulate because of the internet.

In the "Ango Cup" chat room, blog, and forum under "ZA", many parents of students who have signed up for the "Top Scholar Accompanying Class" will mention it to some relatives and friends.

Rumors are based on the principle of seeing is believing and hearing is deceiving, but if someone familiar with the person confirms it, even if it's just an online friend, it will increase the credibility of the rumor.

So some teenagers in Jiangning who bought computers and were proactive would take a bus to the eastern part of the city to check things out, and then have their laid-off parents ride with them in a Mazda to visit a larger factory.

The guy playing the game has a really nice voice in the chat room...

So before the retrial of Guan Changsheng's assault case, the kids who came early to have their dads or moms apply for jobs were actually teenagers planning to participate in the "Ango Cup".

The market environment has fluctuated dramatically over the past few years. The economy has indeed experienced high growth, but for ordinary urban families, perhaps in 1946 or 1995, they could grit their teeth and spend tens of thousands of yuan to buy a computer for their children to practice typing. But by 1946 or 1996, their workplaces might suddenly go out of business.

It suddenly shut down without warning, and then became a joint venture or private factory. The only thing that remained unchanged was that the factory director and manager were still the same people.

The year 4698 was a time of great upheaval, marking one month since the country officially joined the World Trade Organization.

While Zhang Da'an was ranting outside the court, many newly recruited workers from "Zhang An Health" came to watch the spectacle, as did the suspect's family members.

Those sentenced to less than three years are alright, but those sentenced to more than three years are just wailing.

There were also those who planned to rush up and entangle them, but Jiangkou TV cut the footage from that segment.

The reason is simple: Zhang Da'an brought more than a hundred security guards, who rushed up and started fighting, all the way to the main gate.

This was quite a commotion, but the entire East District remained completely silent, which was a clear indication of their stance.

The work of appeasing Zhang Da'an has nothing to do with him; that's a matter for the Chengdong District.

When this news reached Liu Yuanshan's ears, it was already late at night, another night spent eating leftover fried dough sticks.

Liu Yuanshan had thought Zhang Zhengdong was a fool, but he now realized he was wrong, terribly wrong. Zhang Zhengdong was actually a great philanthropist.

His nephew is the real mastermind, full of wicked schemes.

In what situation would you have over a hundred security guards take action?
are you crazy?

Zhang Da'an was indeed well-prepared; if the Chengdong District dared to arrest him, he dared to spend six months in the detention center.

If you ask him to go to the police station and explain the facts, he will definitely say that he just wanted to retaliate.

He, Zhang Da'an, had no objection to being sentenced or imprisoned as he saw fit.

He hasn't been arrested or given a statement, so he's fine, he hasn't broken the law, and he's still a law-abiding citizen.

If anyone says he isn't, the evidence is irrefutable.

There are too many connections involved here, and the timeline is closely related to the fact that the "Zhang An Hope Primary School" project has been constantly exceeding its standards.

The provincial youth development foundation was practically begging Zhang Da'an, this outstanding young man, to join an equally excellent youth organization.

Unfortunately, Zhang Da'an remained unmoved and instead inspected suitable industrial land in Jiangning City.

No sooner had I stepped into the Chengnan District, which is also a suburb, than I received a call from the Chengdong District, along with an official car speeding down Xianlin Avenue.

Mr. Zhang, if you need land, just say so. There are plenty of ways and means in the East District. There's no need to go to the South District.

Zhang Da'an said he was going to visit the Academy of Sciences campus to learn something, which relieved the Chengdong District. However, the next day, Zhang Da'an drove his newly bought A6 to JB District, which was still a suburb.

The people from the eastern district once again formed a group, carried the train across the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge, and then pulled Zhang Da'an along to "go home".

What is home?
Chengdong District is Mr. Zhang's warmest home.

After all this trouble, they were determined to keep Zhang Da'an, this super-rich man, here.

The resources that Zhang Zhengdong in Pengcheng City and Zhang Da'an in Jiangning City, this uncle and nephew, currently control are mutually reinforcing.

Zhang Da'an's investments in Jiangning City are not afraid of being large in scale, and Zhang Zhengdong's targeted education assistance projects in Pengcheng City are not afraid of being wide in scope. The units that play a lubricating and linking role are the relevant departments such as civil affairs, education, and youth development foundation.

Meanwhile, in terms of personnel mobility, a single enterprise has seen a long-distance mobilization of thousands of employees, which is unprecedented among private enterprises.

This is not just about organizing people to return home during the Spring Festival travel rush; it involves skills training for workers and is of great significance.

Everyone knows that "attracting investment" is highly sought after. In fact, just as important as "attracting investment" is "attracting talent." However, due to the special nature of the era's ultra-fast development, "attracting investment" has a greater say, and thus, "attracting talent" can be almost equivalent to "working like a beast of burden" for a certain period of time.

Ultimately, the focus will shift from "working like cattle and horses" to truly "attracting talent." However, college graduates in 1946 and 1998 will find it difficult to benefit from talent programs. It will generally be more than a decade later that cities and regions with substantial funding and supporting facilities will launch their own talent settlement plans.

Zhang An Education's investment in vocational skills training in Chengdong District of Jiangning City, including engineering vehicle training, directly aligns with the booming development of the civil engineering industry. Not only Chengdong District, but even the city government of Jiangning is envious. However, all the procedures were completed last year, so it would be inappropriate to compete for it again.

However, in terms of financial support and policy assistance, Jiangning City would very much welcome "Zhang An Education" to establish a headquarters, and the headquarters building can be located in the city center.

The city's slightest hint has caused great anxiety in the eastern district, making them extremely sensitive, fearing that Zhang Da'an might take funds to build factories or buildings in neighboring districts and counties.

When Uncle Zhang told a group of fellow villagers in Fengyi County, Pengcheng City, that he would build a "primary school for a thousand people," Zhang Da'an, after visiting the border area between Jiangning and Runzhou, and based on the existing vocational skills training base, asked the Chengdong District if he had the honor of building a "large-scale industrial park."

"..."

Liu Yuanshan, who was already numb, knew better than anyone how disgusting the uncle and nephew Zhang Zhengdong and Zhang Da'an were. One was straightforward, and the other was cunning, but both were extremely so.

Liu Yuanshan hadn't anticipated the current situation to this extent. But the problem is, it's not just Pengcheng City and Fengyi County that are caught in a dilemma; there's also Jiangning City and Chengnan District. Is that all?

No, Shazhou City is among them; the Youth Development Foundation is among them; and relevant departments such as labor and employment security and civil affairs are also among them...

The most disgusting thing is that every bottle of "Top Scholar Gold List" produced in January 1946 and the new packaging of "Little Top Scholar Series" gummy candies produced in December last year have a line of small print: For every product sold, one cent will be donated to "Zhang An Hope Primary School".

Fuck you.

A single pack of "Little Champion QQ Candy" can cover the food and clothing expenses for a "thousand-student elementary school".

That's awesome.

As for "Top Scholar's List," just drink it. Whether the more you drink this health supplement-flavored beverage you become smarter is unknown, but it's certainly quite kind.

Meal allowances and transportation allowances have all been taken care of.

There isn't a single person in Pengcheng who can understand this matter. Only someone in Jiangning City, with a comprehensive view of the province, can provide a high-level, far-sighted, and unfathomable understanding...

The problem is, once you get to this point, what's the point of trying to stop it?

The Publicity Department has been making great strides, publishing over thirty articles reporting on positive aspects of the situation, covering every major and minor publication in the province.

The provincial news special report began to heat up at the end of last year, and the in-depth report started on New Year's Day. When Uncle Zhang ate the twenty-eighth unique flavor of dog meat, Uncle Zhang's handsome appearance appeared on the front page for the first time.

Even the news program on Jiangkou TV has a "personal interview" program, and middle-aged women actually quite like Uncle Zhang's reliable and tough positive image.

This "personal interview" was by no means an isolated event; it featured a great deal of indirect description, especially reports on moral and ethical aspects. For example, it was the first time that he had been exposed to the public about the fact that he had mentored two top scorers in the college entrance examination.

His decision to remain single until the age of forty for the sake of his nephew who had lost both parents has evoked pity from many sensitive and sensual women, who find it hard to believe that such an extraordinary man exists in the world.

In fact, if you don't know the truth and only look at the news reports, Uncle Zhang's resume is so clean it couldn't be cleaner.

Having served in the military, shedding sweat and blood; after returning from the army, for over a decade, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to a rural middle school, without complaint or regret, resolutely obeying the organization's arrangements; relying on his own efforts, he built the school and established factories without causing trouble for higher authorities; cultivating top scorers in the college entrance examination, the school's achievements are evident to all; responding to the call, he promoted positive guidance for privately-run schools...

On its own, it's so cool.

Put together, it makes perfect sense.

Only those who are in the thick of it and know all the facts can truly understand just how outrageous it is.

The problem now is...

Do you have the truth? Do you have a conscience?

Liu Yuanshan finally understood why the more you know, the less you actually know.

He doesn't know anything!

He doesn't understand anything! In fact, Liu Yuanshan really didn't understand anything either. Zhang Da'an didn't say that he would just make a fuss after the retrial of Guan Changsheng's beating case and that would be the end of it.

He told Uncle Zhang that he was both literate and skilled in martial arts, and was very handsome.

The beating was a test of the attitude of the Chengdong District government.

He had plenty of legitimate means. Huang Dingjun, a nobody from Lingxi Province, gave Zhang Da'an's uncle Zhang Zhengdong a good report before he was about to move to a new stage.

Zhang Da'an conveniently added fuel to the fire. Although Uncle Zhang's old unit hadn't yet launched any "Learn from Comrade Zhang Zhengdong" campaign, they had at least given it some publicity.

Something that brings honor should definitely make the young soldiers happy too.

Zhang Zhengdong did not disgrace the army.

In terms of being upright and able to withstand tests, Uncle Zhang truly stood the test, unlike his nephew who couldn't withstand any tests at all.

When multiple reports create the impression of a "grand event," some things or people can no longer be judged by the original standards. Even pork, if injected with water, will have more weight, let alone people.

Therefore, in response to the inquiries from his former superiors and colleagues in the Chengdong District, Liu Yuanshan, who had conducted on-site investigations of Zhang Da'an's industries in Shazhou City, gave his own judgment, which was also his actual assessment.

“Building industrial parks on a large scale is not unprecedented. Cases like the ‘Singapore Industrial Park’ are not new either. I believe there will be no shortage of such cases in the future. The district is worried about land vacancy, which would lead to unnecessary waste of resources. This concern, when applied to investors without a strong foundation, does indeed seem like a case of ‘getting something for nothing.’ However, Zhang An’s industrial distribution is actually traceable. First, in the education industry, in addition to the brand name of his New Dongwei Port Middle School, the derived printing, publishing, and media industries all have considerable output value.”

"Take supplementary teaching materials like 'The Top Scholar's Handbook' as an example. Sales exceeded eight million in 2014, and last year it definitely broke one hundred million, becoming the most reliable source of special funds for the Shazhou City Education Bureau. In terms of publishing alone, Jiangning City has the strength and ability to promote 'The Top Scholar's Handbook' throughout the entire Jianghuai Province, and there will be virtually no resistance. This can be described as a gold mine, capable of creating at least three-digit jobs. Whether it can reach four-digit depends on the specific job categories. If it's logistics, transportation, warehousing, and storage, four-digit is not a problem. This doesn't even include sales, promotion, and other positions. If we include the increase in jobs related to bookstores, four-digit is absolutely guaranteed."

"Then as long as the main wholesale point or the largest warehouse of 'The Scholar's Manual' is located in Jiangning City, in our Chengdong District, that's enough. It's definitely not a loss."

"Secondly, non-large-scale equipment vocational skills training can be developed into a demonstration site, requiring only one or two buildings. The training space needed for secondary and tertiary industry skills positions such as housekeeping, garment manufacturing, and catering can be expanded vertically without considering horizontal land use requirements. With one demonstration site, there can be a second and a third, added according to industry categories. For example, the computer training classes that 'Zhang An Education' currently collaborates with units in Shazhou City, Changshan City, etc., can also be placed in this 'large-scale park.' With so many units in one district, this can be considered a fixed increase. As for whether related industries can be developed, we may not be able to think of it, but Zhang An is exceptionally capable and profit-driven; it's impossible for him not to make big money."

"Finally, we need to return to 'Zhang An Health' itself. This is the core local enterprise of our Chengdong District. 'Zhang An Education' and 'Zhang An Food' are very difficult to poach; Shazhou City will not allow them to leave. And we obviously don't need a new Dongwei Port Middle School, at least not in the next few years. In strengthening 'Zhang An Health's' capabilities, besides the usual increases in production capacity and expansion of sales channels, if we want to further ensure that 'Zhang An Health' doesn't become the next 'Chengdong Xianlin Health,' we need to genuinely focus on research and development. Previously, when we developed the 'University Town,' the research resources we could utilize were actually very limited, and even if we had them, they were beyond the reach of our Chengdong District. Now it's different. Although 'Zhang An Health' seems to be selling health products, it's actually selling beverages. 'Zhang An Health' doesn't have real health product research and development. 'Zhang An Food's' product development department focuses on food research, not health products..."

If the person on the other end of the phone still has no ideas after saying all this, then they've really wasted all these years.

It's hard to say about other aspects of Jiangning City, but in terms of the number of universities, only Beijing and Shanghai surpass it nationwide. However, its scientific and educational strength has never been translated into economic benefits on a large scale. A large part of the research capabilities of its universities are used to supply talent and research results to large enterprises in Beijing, Shanghai, Bao'an and other cities.

Taking health supplements as an example, the biology major at Jiangning University is a top-tier major in the country and has achieved remarkable results, but none of them have been implemented in Jiangning; instead, they have all gone to Beijing and Shanghai.

Now that "Zhang An Health" has landed in Chengdong District, it is equivalent to landing in Jiangning City. Chengdong District can then act as a bridge to facilitate cooperation between Jiangning University and "Zhang An Health". As long as there is a scientific research achievement that can be commercialized in large quantities, then the brand and reputation will be established.

This is not to say that it is unimaginable, but that it is possible under certain conditions.

Liu Yuanshan is a typical practical young talent, not a bookworm sitting in an office. The reason he was willing to explain so clearly to his former superiors and colleagues is because he has already decided that he will no longer stay in the East District.

He will be a cross-provincial aid talent, and through communication and cooperation between the youth development foundations of the two places, he will become an outstanding representative of youth groups, and then ensure the implementation of compulsory education in Pengli County, as well as part of the literacy and poverty alleviation tasks.

This is a model task. After the New Year, someone from a higher level will come to endorse it and define it as a "key task." At the same time, Liu Yuanshan will become the main person in charge of the "key task," and Pengli County will become an important pilot for cooperation between the two places.

Ordinary people absolutely cannot handle this. Even the most powerful young masters cannot rely solely on their strength; they must also possess genuine ability.

It is a systems engineering project, but not a systems engineering project of natural science, but of social science.

Liu Yuanshan wouldn't have had this opportunity before, nor would he have touched it. No one would say they enjoy such a difficult job.

But the situation is what it is, and his "boss" has finally gotten out of the mire. Now everyone is without a backer and can only rely on their own abilities to make a living.

If we had to point out a difference, it would be that Liu Yuanshan has access to a considerable amount of resources.

The initial funding for building a "Hope Primary School" is only 300,000 yuan, with the majority coming from the state. However, it also depends on the actual conditions of the local area. In Pengli County, even if they wanted to build a decent primary school, they would have to mobilize the local people.

We can mobilize the people; there must be some subsidies for rice, flour, and cooking oil, even if it's just for work points. This form of subsidy is necessary.

Even close brothers need to keep clear accounts.

If the Chengdong District hadn't made that call, Liu Yuanshan's original plan was to work diligently and borrow a little financial support from the Zhang family. Now that the Chengdong District has made that call and knows Zhang Da'an's ambitions and the idea of ​​a "large-scale industrial park" in advance, he needs to change his mindset and stop thinking about just doing a small part of the task well.

There was one thing he didn't tell the truth about, and that was that "large-scale industrial parks" would be really difficult to fill given the current economic scale of the Chengdong District.

The characteristic of "industrial park economy" is not that one or two companies move in, but that one or two industries move in.

Enterprise and industry – a difference of just one word, yet worlds apart.

Developing distinctive industries is a long process. Usually, it starts with key enterprises, which develop into "large-scale enterprises" and eventually evolve into local leaders, which then drive a large number of surrounding areas to participate in the industry.

This isn't like agriculture, where you concentrate your efforts and arable land area, then grow some vegetables and fruits, and once the yield is high, you can get publicity in the newspapers.

Local industries with distinctive characteristics can only build a reputation by working consistently for ten years.

During this period, there may be various product wars, price wars, marketing wars, and so on. Every year, every quarter, and every month, new factories will be established and close down. In fact, very few companies can survive for ten years.

Liu Yuanshan was aware of this, which is why he envied Zhang Zhengdong the most. His nephew Zhang Da'an's "Zhang An Education" was perhaps the most successful private enterprise to have easily survived ten years.

There's no way around it; the prestige of being a top scorer in the college entrance examination for two consecutive years is so high that even after ten, twenty, or thirty years, one can still reap the benefits.

If Zhang Da'an were to become the top scorer in Jiangkou Province again in this year's college entrance examination, 2004-06-09...

Liu Yuanshan directly identified "Zhang An Education" as a century-old brand and a century-old enterprise.

So, ten years later, Liu Yuanshan was only forty-one years old, Zhang Zhengdong was fifty-three, and what about Zhang Da'an?

In ten years, he had witnessed far too many of the immense resources that could be unleashed in the world of fame and fortune.

He needs this decade's worth of experience.

Therefore, when he officially started his work in Pengli County, he needed to use this result from ten years later.

It can't be considered an advance payment; it just means that young people from Pengli County will be able to secure a place in the "large-scale industrial park" in the future.

As for now, it's much simpler. Given the size of Zhang Zhengdong's project in Pengcheng, he only needs to do one-tenth to one-quarter of the work on Zhang Zhengdong's projects.

enough.

However, he still needs to visit Zhang Zhengdong's nephew, Zhang Da'an, again to get his verbal support.

Even if it's just a "human resources" activity, such as training local laborers in Pengli County and then sending them to "Zhang An Health" related companies, it's useless to have a good relationship with Guan Changsheng, and it's also useless to have a good relationship with Zhang Zhengdong.

It is a fact that Guan Changsheng is Zhang Da'an's dog, and Guan Changsheng has always made this statement on any occasion; Zhang Zhengdong, on the other hand, has no pursuit of power and wealth. He simply wants to protect his nephew's career and find him a job along the way.

Liu Yuanshan had already made up his mind that once he finished his investigation report, he would visit Zhang Da'an to wish him a Happy New Year during the Spring Festival.

During his time in Pengli County, although he encountered various emergencies that remained unresolved, the ordinary people around Fanghu seemed to sense something and would occasionally come to visit him.

Some were just chatting, others were simply curious, but everyone was very polite.

The elderly would ask him where he came from, while the young people wanted to know what he was there for. The children were much simpler; they would just come over laughing and asking him for "Little Scholar QQ Candy."

A person's temperament, speech, and spirit can be unconsciously conveyed to the outside world, and Liu Yuanshan gives the locals a different feeling.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what this "difference" is.

In particular, since both sides communicate in Mandarin, over the course of a few days, they went from being distant to being at peace, and then to being able to chat and eat sunflower seeds together in the guesthouse, reaching a state of intimacy.

"Cadre Liu, you're an official in Jiangning, why are you so foolish as to come to Pengli for some kind of research?"

“You’ve asked me so many times. I’m here to see where we can build a ‘Hope Primary School’. You’ve seen ‘Project Hope’ on the news, right? I’m here to help with this, to run around, take a look, and then determine the location.”

"Furongdun is rich, it doesn't need a 'Hope Primary School'..."

"It only counts if we go to the local area to conduct an on-site inspection."

"Could you help me get some relief funds?"

"That won't do, I can't make that decision."

"Well, you're not exactly a high-ranking official either."

"Look, it's about this big..."

Liu Yuanshan rushed over to chat with a fellow villager and gestured with a nail clipper.

After the laughter subsided, someone said, "I don't think it's necessary to study for too long. Being able to write your name is enough. Helping with chores at home is the real priority. The fields, the mountains, and the rivers are all places where people are needed. Cadre Liu, could you put in a good word for this 'Hope Primary School' project and see if we can just stop it and give the money to us? That would be great. We'll present you with a banner then."

"..."

Speechless as they were, the villagers' thoughts weren't just simple; they genuinely believed it.

In particular, they had done the math themselves. If they were to build a school the size of the one in the town, it would cost several hundred thousand yuan, not counting the land. If they were to estimate all the miscellaneous expenses, it would cost over a million yuan.

This sum of over a million was distributed among a dozen or twenty villages, meaning each village could receive thirty to forty thousand.

With 30,000 or 40,000 yuan, we could build an irrigation canal and buy a few more water pumps and pipes. Wouldn't that be better?

They're going to set up some kind of "Hope Primary School"...

What hope is there?
It's better to help with household chores; that's the proper thing to do.

The longer you study, the more money you waste; it's a complete loss.

Liu Yuanshan didn't find such thinking ridiculous. He had seen it many times. It wasn't just one or two places that were like this. In economically underdeveloped places, while respect for knowledge and education was important, most people would still compromise with reality first.

Extending the timeframe to a lifetime is, of course, a flawed concept.

But what if the timeframe is shortened to three, four, five, six, seven, or eight years?

More labor means more output, and perhaps more money and rice to spare in advance.

This is the reality of impoverished rural areas; we cannot be too demanding.

Liu Yuanshan handed out cigarettes to each of the villagers, then said with a smile, "Since it's called 'Hope Primary School,' it must bring hope..."

(End of this chapter)