I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 174 Adding a Child to the Family, A Perfect Ending

"Director Zhang, are we going to the city?"

“My baby is almost a month old. How can I not go and prepare for the full moon celebration? My father came back from his trip a couple of days ago and is also coming to see his grandson. I have to take care of both the old and the young. It’s so annoying.”

My beloved black 1.8L manual Volkswagen Santana looks like a construction site vehicle. It's really durable. What's even more impressive is that the auto repair shops along the provincial highway in Fengyi County can also repair it. It's far superior to an Audi A6.

At this time, a feather and down pre-processing plant had been built outside the "pond breeding area". It was used for things like degreasing, but it couldn't be used to make down jackets. However, Uncle Zhang was shameless enough to get a down comforter production line.

Originally, this was the internal logistics supply station of "Zhang An Clothing". Besides clothing, it must also have bedding and other bedding.

With three campuses and a boarding super Hope Primary School, the annual stable supply is 4,500 fixed purchase quantities plus 1,500 variable purchase quantities, which means 5,000 to 6,000 sets per year.

The bedding is mainly cotton quilts. Because the dormitories of Xindongweigang Middle School have air conditioning and heating, the quilt covers are cotton, but the quilt fillings are one down quilt and one cotton quilt.

A down comforter measuring 1.5 meters by 1.8 meters to 2.2 meters has a factory price of 1,500 yuan, which is basically no different from high-end down comforters on the market.

However, since it was produced by Xindongwei Port Middle School, the price was not unreasonable. On the contrary, it was quite famous in the school circles of Shazhou, Mazhou, and Jianggao. Teachers from other schools would often pull strings to get one or two of these products to use, and the reputation was excellent.

As the former head of the private education department, Uncle Zhang is quite knowledgeable about reputation.

Having eaten pork for so many years, I don't need to know how pigs run.

So Zhang An Education invested in a pre-processing production line and a down comforter production line in Fengyi County. Other companies came to conduct training but had many concerns. Zhang An Education, however, did not. They directly planned a standard production line of Zhang An Apparel here, and employee training began in early April.

It's just that it's all included in vocational skills training and pre-employment training, so there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

In terms of data, Pengcheng City has done a commendable job in its "rural and farmer employment support policies".

Zhang An Education has expanded its vocational skills training business in a comprehensive manner, and has not encountered much resistance or significant obstacles.

Pengcheng City's three largest "illegal intermediaries" have undergone rectification, and of the two smaller ones, one has been shut down, while the other has moved to Wudu City to resume its old business.

Uncle Zhang has now paved the way for farmers in Chenzhuang Town to find employment. Migrant workers who work at any company in the "Zhang'an Industrial Alliance" will now have a "skills training expenses deduction" item on their pay slips.

The experience was quite uninspiring, for a simple reason: they didn't pay for the training themselves.

Although the main reason was not having money and being worried about wasting money, the reality was that I didn't pay for the training station. As long as I didn't waste food, I ate as much as I wanted. The agreement also clearly stated that the money would be deducted from my salary after I passed the training and started working.

This model is now the main model promoted by "Zhang An Education", and the "Zhang An Industrial Alliance" can be regarded as a pilot zone.

It's not just in the production workshops; even in tech companies like "Zhang Xiaobai Technology Co., Ltd." that have a large number of software development positions, "coders" can be trained. However, the partners have changed from Chenzhuang Town in Fengyi County, a poor township, to vocational schools and higher vocational colleges in cities like Taihu City, Yangtai City, and Huaiyin City.

Strictly speaking, the earliest prototypes of the model were "Zhang'an Education", "Yangtai Teachers College" in Yangtai City, and "Shanghu Teachers College" in the neighboring Shanghu City.

However, because the "1998 Plan students" are more famous, and the recent graduates who went to teach at "Zhang An Hope Primary School" enjoyed special training with "Zhang An certification", they could join "Zhang An Education" as assistants after one or two years at the Hope Primary School. Usually, people would not notice that its model was no different from the current one.

After all, the salaries at "Zhang An Education" are quite high, which is too far removed from the average person's income, so it lacks a sense of realism.

The underlying principles are actually exactly the same.

Currently, a considerable number of rural laborers in Fengyi County are eager to change their lives. The changes in Chenzhuang Town are not limited to one or two villages; they have a very wide impact. More than 60,000 people have benefited from improvements in water, electricity, communications, roads, bridges, transportation, employment, taxation, and other aspects.

Especially after rural laborers are transformed into industrial production laborers, the concentration of rural land use has greatly increased, and the money in hand does not lie.

Even though so much time has passed, I can still smell the meat being cooked next door, even if I'm blind.

The number of qualified construction workers alone exceeds three thousand. One-tenth of them remain in their hometown, while the remaining two thousand or so are introduced to construction sites of all sizes throughout the province by Fengyi County and Zhang'an Education.

Unlike other "foremen" who contract out work, the biggest advantage here is that you can get 100% of your wages.

Of course, the best option would be to join the construction company under "Zhang An Real Estate," but they didn't have the necessary qualifications before, so they bought one from Chongzhou City this year, and the number of employees has instantly expanded to three hundred.

There will definitely be no expansion in the short term. The training progress cannot keep up. In addition, a considerable number of positions will be reserved for local universities in Pengcheng City. The "civil engineering dogs" in the universities also have to go to construction sites, and they can only enjoy the air conditioning in the office for a few minutes.

Because of the excellent trust established with Zhang Zhengdong and the seriousness with which they took the training exams, the skilled workers from Chenzhuang Town were generally very popular. They were fearless on the construction site, except for the workers who might "think about something."

They are hardworking, quick learners with excellent skills, and strictly abide by rules and regulations. This disciplined "iron army" has signed long-term cooperation agreements with many of the top construction companies in Chongzhou. This group of "master craftsmen" may not be considered anything special locally, but they are collectively known as "Chenzhuang craftsmen" in other places, and their reputation is actually quite well-known.

After all, the employers don't need to worry about the "foreman" leading people to climb the tower crane, and the "foreman" isn't afraid that the employers won't pay the wages. The guarantee promises from Fengyi County and "Zhang An Education" are no joke.

So whether it was the construction site in Chenzhuang Town or the upstream construction site of the "Dasha River", Uncle Zhang had a good relationship with his fellow workers. He only spent a little time on spring plowing, and most of the time he worked on mobile offices or in the "Rural Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity Industrial Demonstration Park".

Fengyi County now has a clear urban development plan. After the decline of the "Brahman" power in the original town of Chengguan, although the county's economy is not developed, the market fairness is unprecedented due to the presence of a strong county magistrate. This has led to neighboring counties, whether from Central Plains Province or Shandong Province, being willing to trade their agricultural and sideline products in Fengyi County.

This highway leading to Pengcheng City is considered a "second main road." Once completed and open to traffic, it will save individual farmers in Peicheng County who sell agricultural products about 200 yuan per trip.

The calculations were easy, which led many farmers from Peicheng County to come to Fengyi County in groups to check out the market. Zhang Zhengdong's construction site near the "pond breeding area" is the newly planned "Chengbei Agricultural Wholesale Market," which is also managed under the name of "Rural Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity Industrial Demonstration Park."

Therefore, many merchants from Peicheng County who came in advance to reserve their spots also knew Zhang Zhengdong. Mainly because they had never seen what the county magistrate looked like in their hometown, and it was the first time they had seen someone who spent every day at construction sites, so it was quite a novelty.

After hanging around for a while, he started to con Uncle Zhang, saying that when it comes to dog meat, it has to be from Peicheng County...

However, the same is true of Xiayi County in Jianghuai Province, Yuguo County in Zhongyuan Province, Fangyu County and Shanfu County in Qilu Province. Merchants from Xiayi County even said that their dog meat can be stewed with Dangshan pears to make dog meat soup.

Uncle Zhang was so envious he cried.

At this time, I heard that Uncle Zhang was going to the city to see his child. His 1.8-liter manual Volkswagen Santana was crammed with so much stuff that it was 1.8 tons overloaded. People stuffed it with all sorts of things, such as red dates, lotus seeds, fried dough twists, honey-glazed pastries, etc.

Uncle Zhang accepted all comers' gifts and registered them with the company canteen as soon as he brought his goods. He refused to accept gifts, saying it was "a turtle's butt"—a traitorous act.

Except for dog meat.

They sped along the road, and the driver was an experienced one. Last year, he was complaining about how bad the road was and how impossible it was to drive on, but this year he's praising the director for being so awesome.

Previously, Ms. Li was hospitalized for more than half a month because she gave birth to twins. Now she has been discharged from the hospital with her children. Both mother and children are safe and healthy.

Zhang Da'an already owned property in Pengcheng City. As soon as Uncle Zhang arrived, Teacher Li and her husband each hugged one of the properties.

The old man, grinning foolishly in the corridor, was still muttering to himself. Before getting on the bus, he stuffed three large red envelopes into the car, two for his grandchildren and one for his second daughter-in-law.

"Dad, did you come by car?"

"Or should I take a plane?"

The old man rolled his eyes and was about to take out his cigarette when he remembered the arrival of a new baby and quickly put it away.

Smoking is harmful to your health!
Where is Zhang An?

"Setting up a table for writing is for naming your younger siblings. If he, the God of Literature, won't name them, are you the one who should?"

"I am the one who should be the father."

"I've written down the words for you to choose from, what more do you want? With the limited knowledge you have, how many principles can you possibly articulate?"

"..."

The old man didn't light a cigarette; he just held it under his nose and smelled it, enjoying the taste.

When he was discharged from the hospital, he no longer rode in a Volkswagen Santana, but in a spacious and comfortable minibus. Now, when the old man goes out to visit his comrades-in-arms, he rides in this minibus.

Comfortable and satisfying, you can lie down however you like.

The accommodation is not far from the old course of the Yellow River and you can see Zhulin Temple. The location is not great, but it is convenient. It has everything you need, and there is also a China University of Mining and Technology Affiliated Hospital nearby.

The adjacent plot of land has been confirmed to be developed by "Zhang An Real Estate," and it will still be an internal welfare housing unit with property rights that is not for sale to the public.

The main target audience is the teachers and staff of "Zhang An Education" in Pengcheng City. The branch school of Xindongweigang Middle School has been basically confirmed and will definitely open in Pengcheng City this summer.

To attract high-income earners with an annual income of over five million, the districts and counties within Pengcheng City are all competing. However, agricultural counties like Peicheng and Fengyi were eliminated from the start due to their poor infrastructure, which prevented them from attracting a sufficient number of coaches.

Another issue is that real estate in county towns is not attractive. For example, the welfare housing provided to coaches by "Zhang An Education" is mainly located in the urban area of ​​Shazhou City.

The Mazhou and Jianggao campuses also made this choice. The reason is simple: when coaches reach this stage, they also need to start thinking about the next generation.

They themselves came from positions at Xindongweigang Middle School and knew very well how prestigious their own institution was. Some of their children, who were only twelve or thirteen years old and were already first-level assistant lecturers, hoped to get promoted to lecturers and then find a way to get their children into Xindongweigang Middle School.

The on-campus staff education benefits that are available in regular schools are not available at Xindongweigang Middle School. There is only one spot available for this purpose, but being on the waiting list does not guarantee admission.

If you fail the cross-interview, you're out.

The boss treats people who don't make money like dirt...

Cao Yanke, the math group leader who had been recruited from Pengcheng City, had returned to Pengcheng for a month-long inspection tour.

If all goes well, Cao Yanke will become the principal of Pengcheng Branch of Xindongwei Port Middle School.

The current key location under investigation is Jiulishan. To the east is the Grand Canal, and to the south is the old course of the Yellow River. This is a characteristic of the new Dongwei Port Middle School, which is that it must be close to the river to facilitate water diversion and renovation.

Whether it's the main campus of Xindongweigang Middle School, or the Mazhou and Jianggao campuses, they are all surrounded by water. The overall school plan is designed to resemble a school park. Opinions on the style vary; some people find it classy, ​​while others find it luxurious. But you have to be able to tell at a glance that this place is not ordinary.

A school's atmosphere is like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi—the most popular cars among bosses these days—it can reduce the cost of explanation to some extent.

Of course, if someone's status is at Zhang Da'an's level, he doesn't need any explanation.

Schools within Pengcheng City certainly don't welcome Xindongweigang Middle School, but the situation with parents and teachers is more nuanced.

At least at Cao Yanke's former workplace, Pengcheng Middle School, many teachers wanted to give it a try. Because of Cao Yanke's connections, they also understood that under the "Zhang An Certification" system, coaches and teachers are two different things.

"Wenquxing" does not require your intelligence.

Those who knew they definitely wouldn't get a job at Xindongweigang Middle School were much more direct, completely unwelcoming of its arrival. The local education bureaus in various districts and counties were also having a major headache, as they had never seen such a powerful private education enterprise before.

It's not impossible to force someone to demonstrate a talent, but you'll have to bear the consequences.

After all, you can start a war at will, but you can decide how to start it and how to end it. That's up to Zhang Da'an, that beast who has no principles and no bottom line.

The provincial authorities have already learned their lesson. Even if people within Pengcheng City's internal system want to prove the comprehensive strength of the "local bullies," the fact that their battle record is verifiable is very convincing to those within the system.

What's more, there's also the county magistrate of Fengyi County.

The person who became the county head was only doing so to match the title of "Jiangkou Provincial Rural Education and Employment Pilot Demonstration Zone". The director of the demonstration zone management committee is the real high-ranking position.

There are also insightful people in Pengcheng City who can see at a glance that the province intends to elevate the "Jiangkou Provincial Rural Education and Employment Pilot Demonstration Zone" to a higher level. Once it reaches the national level, no matter what Pengcheng City does in the future, whether it's science, education, culture, health, agriculture, forestry, fishery, animal husbandry, or more directly, employment and taxation, there will always be something that can amplify the local proposition.

This is why the Pengcheng branch of Xindongweigang Middle School has generated so much buzz and heated discussion. However, no one doubts that the school will be established there; the only point of contention is where it will be located.

No sooner had Uncle Zhang arrived at his residence than he was presented with congratulatory gifts for the birth of a son or daughter. These were all secretaries from various offices. They would come, say a few auspicious words with a smile, and then leave without lingering.

We didn't sit in the living room for even a moment, leaving plenty of time for Director Zhang.

“Magistrate Zhang, you have quite the air of a ‘county magistrate’.”

"Are you very free? Have you finished writing your characters?"

"Here, pick whatever you like."

On the long table that had been set out, there was a large pile of red paper with gold characters, which were nothing more than words like virtue and talent, intelligence, perseverance, and literary talent.

There are also many other virtues such as benevolence, righteousness, virtue, and spirituality.

Next to it was the old man's name, Zhang Hong followed by Zhang Dong, the lineage was clear, there was a beginning and an end, and it had roots and a foundation.

"How about calling him Zhang De?"

Zhang Da'an suggested that the "little brother's" real name is Zhang Cong, his nickname at home is "Little Onion" and outside he is "Big Onion".

There's no way around it; the "Da" generation is here. If an elder passes away, when sending a wreath, it still has to be added to the name. The funeral couplet on the wreath will definitely say, "Desired XX Zhang Da Cong deeply mourns XXX," which is still just "Da Cong" (a derogatory term for a senior member).

So Zhang Da'an wondered if he should make some changes.

As it turned out, Uncle Zhang was quite stubborn and very careful about naming his son and daughter. He said, "Whatever you name them will be something lacking. My son will definitely not be as immoral as you."

"I'll slap you twice, can't you even speak properly?"

The old man was still choosing a name when he heard his son barking like a dog, and he immediately flew into a rage.

My virtuous grandson received blessings from his cousin, the God of Literature, and his life is destined for great fortune.

"Then what do you think should we call him, Uncle?"

"Lacking wisdom, the son is named Zhang Cong and the daughter is named Zhang Hui."

"That's not a good name, Zhang Zhi."

"What if people give him the nickname 'Hemorrhoids'?"

"..."

"..."

Such an incredible response left the grandfather and grandson standing nearby completely stunned.

No, you're a father, are you sure you're speaking human language?
Uncle Zhang ignored the strange looks from the two men, picked up the character "聪" (cōng) and looked at it. He nodded slightly and said, "Look at this character '聪'. The left side has an ear, which means it listens to advice, like me; the right side has the character for 'boss,' which means it can become a boss like me in the future."

"..."

"..."

Surprisingly, not only the old man, but Zhang Da'an was also persuaded.

Before his rebirth, Uncle Zhang didn't have this skill of word decomposition, but now it's actually quite interesting.

"And what about the younger sister? Why is she named Zhang Hui?"

“Look at this character ‘慧’ (hui). The heart radical is at the bottom, which means you can keep your composure and have a stable mindset. The two ‘丰’ (feng) radicals on top represent success in both love and career. The ‘彐’ (xu) radical in the middle was formerly a simplified form of ‘雪’ (xue), which means your daughter is very intelligent and will definitely be filial to her parents in the future.”

"That woman is quite the talker, isn't she? She must be quite shrewd to be an official." "Hahahaha..."

Upon hearing the old man's praise, Uncle Zhang smiled proudly, "I learned it from the local people. In any village, there are a dozen or so old ladies sitting under the trees by the bridge, who can't even write their own names, but they can all talk a lot."

Seeing that Uncle Zhang was quite happy, Zhang Da'an didn't argue and let him be happy.

After deciding on the names, Zhang Da'an picked up a pen and wrote "Zhang Cong" and "Zhang Hui" under Zhang Dong's name.

Actually, the names were already decided at birth, but Teacher Li insisted on waiting for Zhang Da'an to write his name before finalizing it. So, on the birth certificate, "Zhang Cong" was called "Zhang Wuyi" and "Zhang Hui" was called "Zhang Lingliu".

The reason is that one was born at 2:51 and the other at 3:06.

Teacher Li wasn't always this neurotic. Ever since she married into the Zhang family, it seems the Li family's good traditions have been ruined.

The obstetricians all suspected that County Magistrate Zhang's wife had some serious illness, but they dared not say so.

But it doesn't matter, since it can be changed when registering the household registration anyway.

"Oh, by the way, I've already finished my mission. What about you? Shouldn't you hurry up?"

Uncle Zhang put down the red paper with gold lettering in his hand and then asked his nephew about the issue of carrying on the family line.

"I don't care, anyway, I'm born an illegitimate child."

"..."

"..."

This left both the old man and Uncle Zhang speechless.

This made them recall that, in terms of Zong Sang's (beast's) level of depravity, he had to be "the God of Literature".

They really don't count as people.

Meanwhile, inside the room, "Little Xi Shi" and "Sai Zhaojun" were busy laying out diaper pads. Zhang Cong and Zhang Hui were not very tall, and they were currently in a relatively relaxed phase, eating and sleeping.

When they get a little older, they officially enter the torment period. They don't know when they will wake up, when they will cry, or when they will be hungry and want to eat something hot.

Fortunately, Ms. Li was well-nourished and her two children didn't go hungry. When she had a spare moment, she leaned against the headboard and sighed, "At least I can take a break for a while."

"Auntie is amazing, she gave birth to two children."

Looking at the two little ones in the enclosure, Shi Yelu was extremely envious. She had been getting fucked every day recently, but there was no sign of pregnancy. She rushed over to help out this time because she had her reasons.

I'll soak up my aunt's good fortune with pregnancy, hoping to have a great pregnancy myself, and then get pregnant with several babies at once, giving birth to more babies than a sow...

"Lulu, don't worry. As long as Zhang An doesn't go looking for a few random women outside, he'll definitely stay with you... oh, and Dou Dou too. You two have a great chance."

Teacher Li knew that saying such things was disgusting, morally reprehensible to the point of making her feel ashamed, but what could she do? Her own nephew was like this, and she couldn't possibly say anything to Zhang Da'an. She could have said something before, but now that she had a child, he would also be taking the college entrance examination in eighteen years...

They were counting on their nephew to carry their younger siblings.

For the sake of her son and daughter, Teacher Li continued to act as the "matchmaker" for Wu Erlang's family, going against her conscience. It was truly a terrible thing to do.

Fortunately, the two nannies were broad-minded and didn't take it to heart at all. They even had a detailed exchange of experiences with Teacher Li.

"Auntie, if I don't get my period this month, is it possible that I'm pregnant?"

"It's definitely possible."

“Before my period, I used to feel irritable and angry, and my breasts would feel swollen and sore the day before my period. I was supposed to have my period soon, but I didn’t feel any swelling at all, and I was in a great mood. If you’re pregnant, Auntie will give you a big red envelope.”

"You silly girl, I'm the one giving you a big red envelope. You're the junior, and I'm the senior. Why are you doing it the other way around?"

While we were chatting, there was a knock on the door, and then a young nanny came in and placed the warmed milk on the bedside table. "Teacher Li, the milk is ready."

"Xiaoxue, just call me Auntie."

"..."

Unlike Wang Douyan, who was gradually opening up, Yang Xuehua was still embarrassed, her face flushed, and she stood to the side, somewhat at a loss.

She was noticeably plumper and had better skin. She was very worried when she came, but she's actually much better now.

If it weren't for Qiu Jianmin's connections, she wouldn't have been able to come, and she would have had nowhere to go.

In terms of the severity of their family background, theirs was even worse than Wang Douyan's.

"Oh, Auntie, it's not too late to let Xiaoxue call her that later."

Shi Yelu rolled her eyes and then said, "Xiaoxue, you go ahead and get busy."

"Then I'll go keep an eye on things in the kitchen."

After saying that, Yang Xuehua quickly left, as if fleeing, not wanting to linger.

After she left, Teacher Li looked at Shi Yelu with a reproachful expression and tapped her forehead, saying, "You little rascal, you're getting more and more cunning."

"Auntie, you don't know, let me tell you..."

She whispered a few words in Teacher Li's ear, and Teacher Li Jiawen was immediately taken aback, looking at Shi Yelu in disbelief, "Really? Xiaoxue is so pretty, doesn't he like her?"

With a pout, "Little Xi Shi" immediately complained, "It doesn't seem like the boss cares much. If I don't take the initiative to contact him, he can play games all night."

"real or fake?"

"Really? You can ask DouDou if you don't believe me. He even said the game is much more fun than ours."

"..."

Teacher Li suddenly realized that she, as the "Wang Po" (a famous matchmaker), was indeed challenging Wu Erlang's (another famous matchmaker) business.

Going to Jingyang Ridge to hunt the giant tiger with its piercing eyes and white forehead would be so interesting and challenging, much more difficult than killing Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian.

For a moment, Teacher Li even felt a little sorry for these girls.

There are actually quite a few people asking about the nephew's descendants. People from Shazhou, Wudu, Jiangning, etc., will casually inquire about it whenever they come over.

Upon hearing that their nephew was still single, they were incredibly excited, even bringing up daughters from "royal relatives" to introduce him to potential partners; then, upon learning that their nephew had no intention of getting married, they were immediately filled with disappointment, repeatedly expressing their regret and immediately asking if they should strengthen the "nanny team"; finally, upon hearing that the "nanny team" was well-staffed and undergoing training in batches, they all offered to help introduce one or two talented domestic workers...

Such a mad world, such an absurd society, made the once naive Teacher Li realize that it was fortunate her husband was very principled, otherwise, this was how cadres were being tested.
Which cadre can withstand such a test!

My nephew is also quite extraordinary. As long as the looks and figure are up to par, he'll take them all, no matter who sent them.

To prevent the "nanny team" from producing a mutated "swallow" that could kill Chief Instructor Zhang, the training, which was previously held at the Foreign Trade Hotel in Shazhou City, has now been moved directly to a resort, with the city taking full control. Everything that needs to be reviewed must be reviewed, and only those that are close to the mark will be allowed to proceed.

That's not reliable either; you need to do background checks and ask other departments to help you look into it.

If we make a mistake and send the "God of Literature" back to the heavens...

Wouldn't it explode?

Nowadays, the grand theater in Shazhou City has teachers who specialize in singing female roles to help with physical training. The traditional welcoming posture is too formal and completely unsuitable for the nanny group. A building has been set up in the resort with a training office for people with all kinds of talents.

Yang Xuehua specifically practiced various stir-fries and snacks from Jianghuai Province. She could make dozens of different kinds of farm-style dishes, such as "Yiwanxiang".

Besides that, I practice dancing whenever I have free time. The main purpose is to make my body more flexible and less stiff.

In order to serve Zhang Da'an, this native "high-level VIP," the city went to great lengths, granting almost every request.

With the addition of a new member to Zhang Zhengdong's family, the old man received well wishes and congratulations from the Education Bureau before he even left, which made Zhang Qihong extremely happy.

During dinner, the old man was even more proud when his son talked about how the local villagers would regularly "feed" him. But after taking a couple more sips, he warned, "I don't care about anything else, but if someone offers you money or women, don't touch them."

“Dad, do you think I’m Zhang An? I’m an upright person, and I can withstand any test. If I liked money, Dongweigang Middle School would have set up a factory long ago, and making 100,000 or 200,000 a year wouldn’t have been difficult at all.”

"Just don't touch it. I don't care about anything else, and I can't control it anyway."

Zhang Qihong didn't care about longevity before, but now he only drinks a couple of cups of wine, and he's quite happy that he has more grandchildren in the family.

I don't usually drink baijiu anymore, and I drink very little yellow beer either; I just have a bottle of water beer as a token gesture.

Although I always have a "Hua Zi" cigarette with me, I don't smoke it as much as before. I only smoke it when I'm really addicted. It's not a huge addiction. I always keep a small package of fried broad beans or bamboo shoots and soybeans in my pocket. They're not the hard kind of beans. The broad beans are crispy, almost like powder, while the soybeans are soft and taste good when wrapped with bamboo shoots.

The reason for this is that I'm afraid I'll lose all my teeth and then food won't taste good.

Right now, he just wants to try to live to 99, and then give it his all to become a centenarian.

Otherwise, with such good conditions now, it would be a waste not to enjoy any of them.

He used to have some complaints about physical examinations, but now he welcomes them very much, since they are reimbursed anyway.

"What do you mean 'treat me'? What's wrong with me? I'm not married, so I can't just accept women offered to me; I'm not an official, so I can just accept any amount of money offered to me. Do you think I'm like you, Uncle? Why do I need to withstand any tests? I don't need any tests at all."

"Yeah, yeah, you old man, you're awesome..."

Uncle Zhang was too lazy to waste words. He didn't have any "official airs" and was a construction site guy who spent all his time there, but he had more resentment on the construction site.

Now that he has established the "pond aquaculture area" and has achieved some output, he wants to take it a step further and asked his nephew, "Hey, can you give me some advice? Do you think we can create our own brand for the demonstration park?"

"It's very difficult to get started; the resource allocation is too poor."

As Zhang Da'an tore into a whole roast chicken, his mouth and hands were covered in oil, but he didn't care. That's the feeling of eating roast chicken.

"Why? I think 'Shanghu No. 2' is doing quite well now."

“Your area has too little water. If it were Pengcheng City, that wouldn’t be a big problem, as the water area would be sufficient. But considering only Fengyi County, it’s not enough to make it work. Uncle, don’t rush to refute me. The sand and gravel pits can create a considerable amount of water surface, but don’t forget, the yellow sand here isn’t like the Yangtze River, where you can’t just dig indiscriminately. The current area is already a ‘start-up fund’ given out of consideration for your reputation.”

I gave Uncle Zhang a slight nod, and he understood immediately, now that he's not a complete novice. He sighed helplessly, "Sigh, I know that sand and gravel pits will eventually come to an end, but I was thinking that if we could have more water surface area, the scale of pond aquaculture could be further expanded. I know that the higher-ups want Fengyi County to focus its efforts on rural education and employment, but people are still a bit greedy."

"That's enough, let's stop here. If you really want to do it, it can only be done in Pengcheng City, not in Fengyi County. Uncle, if you really don't want to give up, try to get some information in Pengcheng City. If the city is willing to push it, then we can get it done; if not, then we can't."

After stuffing a chicken wing into his mouth, Zhang Da'an continued, "However, I don't think Pengcheng City has the motivation for this. The reason is simple: it's unlikely to undertake a large-scale transformation before the mines are fully exploited. The local advantageous industries are mining and mining-related industrial equipment manufacturing. These are already established brands. Whoever makes the decision will focus on building up these established advantageous enterprises and making them bigger and stronger. If we start from scratch, who will tend the fire, who will cook the dishes, and who will serve the food?"

"Another point is that the tone for this month's 'International Television Week' has been set. You're not in the industry, so you might not be aware, but I sent someone to attend, and I can clearly remind you that the second major topic of discussion is 'advertising.' In the future, if you want to build a brand, it will only become more and more difficult if you don't have enough money."

Zhang Da'an did not lie to Uncle Zhang about this. "Zhang'an Media" also participated in the discussion on "Advertising and Marketing Strategies in the Era of Media Conglomeration" at the 10th International Television Week in Beijing.

This essentially signals the arrival of full capitalization in the advertising industry. The old approach of using connections to secure prime-time advertising slots can still be used, but the effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

For any best-selling product targeting the consumer market, marketing expenses will skyrocket in the future. It won't just be limited to television and print advertising; it will be comprehensive and will even break through the limits of physical space to expand into the virtual space of the internet.

The number, size, decoration level, and employee attire of physical stores will be directly linked to the product level, as will the fees for celebrity endorsements.

These will all be important components of marketing.

In the past, winning a bid on CCTV and then selling liquor nationwide was simply a matter of factories working overtime to produce more. This approach is no longer in line with the times.

You won the bid, but the other store is decorated like a museum. Anyone passing by can tell at a glance that it's high-class, which diminishes your chances of winning the bid.

The demand for storytelling will continue to grow, and capital is the best at telling and packaging stories.

In this respect, those brands that do direct selling are actually ahead of the curve, but they haven't spent money on countdown news broadcasts on TV.

Take Amway as an example. You can't exactly run an ad on TV that says, "Have you heard of Amway?"

What if Pengcheng City neither supports nor opposes it?

"It doesn't matter. Don't get carried away with one thing. Things are different now. You're not a school principal anymore, you're a county head. No matter how lacking in self-awareness you are, you're still a county head. Agricultural counties have their own ways of doing things. If you can't sell ducks, sell chickens; if you can't sell chickens, sell sheep. As long as the rural labor force moves out and enters the urban service sector or factory production sector, the number of people on the land will be freed up, and then the land can be used in a concentrated manner. The demonstration zone is meant to set an example."

Zhang Da'an grabbed a tissue and wiped his hands haphazardly, then wiped his mouth as he said, "Uncle, your biggest problem is that you like to look down too much. I'm not saying I object to you spending all your time with ordinary people. But sometimes you have to keep an eye on things from above. Uniting the masses is one thing, uniting comrades is another. You have to think about the big picture."

"Then why aren't you united?"

"Nonsense, I'm the one who sets the overall picture; it's always others who unite me."

"..."

Uncle Zhang regretted asking the question earlier. He knew that what his nephew said would definitely not make him feel good.

In fact, he knew that things were already much better. Countless agricultural counties around him had turned into sand and gravel pits, and they couldn't raise any animals with fur in the countryside.

A little less is fine, it's just for personal consumption.

If there are even a few hundred or a few thousand more, they're doomed.

It took more than half a year to gain the trust of the villagers in Chenzhuang Town; it took another half a year to gain the recognition of a considerable number of farmers in Fengyi County.

This is only because he has no worries about having someone to back him up. Uncle Zhang sometimes thinks that if he had gone into Pengli all by himself like Liu Yuanshan, he would probably have been a dead crab.

I have no talent, so I absolutely cannot do anything beyond my capabilities, because that would harm my nephew's interests.

Not harming his nephew's interests is the most fundamental principle of his current code of conduct.

The other principles are merely minor principles attached to it. Without the most fundamental principle, what remains are nothing but "flowers in a mirror" and "the moon in the water," and are therefore meaningless.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't touch anything I can't do. Things are fine as they are now."

Uncle Zhang is quite open-minded. There are plenty of people in the world who want to realize their dreams. He doesn't have three heads and six arms. He's already done enough to be able to get by with so many people around him.

As I said before, Zhang Zhengdong came to Fengyi County in a daze, and when the time comes, he'll leave in a daze as well.

(End of this chapter)