The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 124 A Generous Gift Followed by Persuading Them to Leave [Please Subscribe]

"Finally back! I haven't slept well these past two days."

After returning home, Zhou Zhiqiang stretched and prepared to clean the house.

While settling her son in, Guo Yuting called out, "Zhiqiang, wait for me a moment, let's clean together."

"Okay, I'll go unlock it first."

After saying that, Zhou Zhiqiang unlocked the cellar and the storage room and went inside to take a look.

Seeing the several hundred kilograms of grain stored at home, Zhou Zhiqiang felt a sense of peace.

This year, we'll eat what we stored from last year, and then store the new grain we buy each month for next year. This should last for more than a year, and the newly stored grain should also be enough.

Besides, both he and his wife work, and Zhou Zhiqiang might even become a level 15 cadre next year, so why would they worry about not having enough food?
After the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Zhiqiang left the Yu family home and returned to his courtyard house to rest for two days before starting work.

Yu Zhongjia really didn't get enough rest.

During the day, he would accompany Yu Zhongguo to visit his comrades-in-arms, and sometimes his comrades-in-arms would come to his house for drinks.

Basically, I would visit twice a day, for two meals a day.

Yu Zhongguo hadn't been back for several years, and now that he was back on vacation, it wasn't for long. Plus, he had such a great piece of news—finding his son—so naturally he wanted to show off to his old comrades.

Seeing Yu Zhongguo so smug, his comrades were clearly tempted to beat him up; even Zhou Zhiqiang could tell.

But there's nothing they can do; none of their sons are as outstanding as Zhou Zhiqiang.

Even looking at the whole country, you probably can't find many like him among his peers.

However, Zhou Zhiqiang was not overly arrogant. He attributed all the praise he received to the extra time he spent reading and the collective effort he had put in.

His achievements today are largely due to the contributions of his research assistants, while his own diligent reading accounts for only a small part.

Therefore, Zhou Zhiqiang dared not slack off at all, and he would only rest when he was tired every day. He attributed any praise to the collective.

His modesty made Yu Zhongguo save face in front of his old comrades, so when they were drinking at the dinner table, he almost chug the whole bottle of liquor.

For two days, Zhou Zhiqiang carried the person back.

That wasn't the end of it. That evening, his two younger siblings, who were the original owner of the body, came looking for him again.

It was on the first day that she realized Zhou Zhiqiang had a good temper, so she started pestering him the next night.

They started asking him all sorts of questions, even making him tell stories, and dragging him outside to build a snowman.

After Zhou Zhiqiang used his exquisite craftsmanship to build a lifelike horse, Yu Jingyu and Yu Xunnan cheered and applauded, asking him to build a great general.

It was lively, but the liveliness was exhausting. Zhou Zhiqiang saw his wife smiling and seemed quite happy, so he didn't leave immediately.

However, after the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Zhiqiang immediately went home under the pretext of cleaning the courtyard house. After all, he would clean for a day on the second day, rest on the third day, and then be busy again on the fourth day.

After returning home, Zhou Zhiqiang and his wife started working together, and it took them a whole morning to clean the house.

Guo Yuting rubbed her lower back and sighed, "Finally finished cleaning up. It was quite a lot of work to clean up such a big yard."

"Zhiqiang, if we live in one of those three-courtyard houses in the future, won't it be even more troublesome to clean up?"

"Just leave it to our son. We can have two more children next year or the year after. We can let them take care of all the housekeeping then."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "You can sit in the yard and direct the operation!"

Guo Yuting's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but her face quickly fell as she said, "But childbirth is too painful and troublesome."

"Haha, then I have no choice but to join forces."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "What do you want to eat for lunch? I'll cook today, you take care of Bocai."

"Let's just make fried sauce, it'll save us the trouble."

"There's no such thing as an easy way to make noodles; you're just craving them."

Despite saying that, Zhou Zhiqiang still went to the kitchen to cook.

I kneaded the dough, rolled out the noodles, then diced the meat and made the sauce. There weren't many fresh vegetables to go with it, so I just chopped some cabbage and shredded white radish. It's winter, so this is the only way I can make do.

Making Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste) is quite troublesome. If you really want to speed things up, you can prepare frozen steamed buns beforehand, steam them, and then stir-fry some vegetables – that's the easiest way.

After working hard for half a day, Zhou Zhiqiang finally finished making the noodles with soybean paste and brought them to the back of the main house for a delicious meal with Guo Yuting.

After finishing her meal, Guo Yuting felt sleepy and wanted to go back to her room to rest.

However, Zhou Zhiqiang still has energy. He can work all day after sleeping only five or six hours a day.

I can't sleep at noon, but there's not much work to do at home.

Just as Zhou Zhiqiang was about to go to his study to read a book or do some research and development on new agricultural machinery, someone suddenly knocked on the front door.

Who's here at this hour? Is it to wish us a Happy New Year?

Zhou Zhiqiang thought to himself, even if visiting relatives doesn't start until tomorrow, who would come knocking on their door so early?

However, after the door opened, Zhou Zhiqiang was somewhat surprised and asked, "Deputy Factory Director An?"

"Excuse me, Section Chief Zhou."

An Xiangjie smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Logically, tomorrow is the day for New Year's greetings, but you haven't been to the factory for a long time recently, and I wasn't sure if you would start work early tomorrow, so I took the liberty of coming to visit today."

"Come in, Deputy Factory Director An."

"Okay, then I'll take my leave. Xiao Li, bring the gifts in."

Before An Xiangjie came in, he had his driver bring in the gifts he had brought.

He knew that Zhou Zhiqiang had a habit of hoarding supplies. In fact, people like them all had this habit; whenever they sensed something was amiss, they would stock up on supplies at home first.

During the war, they stocked up on a lot of supplies at home when they settled down.

An Xiangjie knew that Zhou Zhiqiang was definitely not a stupid person, judging from his ability, his way of doing things, his calm personality, and his unique insight.

There must be something Zhou Zhiqiang could learn from his actions.

An Xiangjie brought quite a few gifts this time, including nourishing items such as ginseng and deer antler, as well as some things that children can use.

“Deputy Factory Director An, these gifts are far too expensive.”

"It's not expensive at all. Just consider it as me helping you purchase it. Here's the list. Section Chief Zhou, you can hand over the money to the logistics department later."

An Xiangjie smiled and handed Zhou Zhiqiang a shopping list. The things he brought this time were indeed quite valuable, but he also had a way to get Zhou Zhiqiang to accept them.

This shopping list is also supposed to cost money, but the value of many items on it has been significantly reduced.

For example, ginseng that has been growing for more than ten years as wild ginseng is now grown for only two years, resulting in a tenfold price reduction. The price in pharmacies is now eleven or twelve yuan.

There were other cured meats and tonics, all of which were short-weighted on the list. Furthermore, Deputy Factory Director An was well aware of the rules and reported these purchases as unplanned orders. Even the strictest audits wouldn't uncover these.

After reading it, Zhou Zhiqiang could only say that it was indeed a capitalist's method of bribery. Unless someone had a particularly strong will, they would be slowly corrupted.

Those who buy things will think that they also spent money, so it's not like they're receiving a gift or taking advantage of someone, and there's no reason for them to make a mistake.

However, Zhou Zhiqiang knew that this trend would intensify in a few years.

At that time, a massive censorship will occur from the bottom up.

Deputy Factory Director An and his ilk will be in trouble if they don't leave; even that woman from the Rong family will have to be quarantined and investigated.

It will take more than a decade for him to recover.

After welcoming the man in, Zhou Zhiqiang said apologetically to An Xiangjie, "Deputy Factory Director An, I didn't know you were coming today. My wife went for a nap."

"Wait for me in the study for a moment, I'll start a fire and make tea."

Not wanting to leave someone unattended, Zhou Zhiqiang took a few pieces of coal, lit the stove in the study, and then brewed a pot of tea and brought it over.

After pouring the tea, Zhou Zhiqiang sat down and asked directly, "Deputy Factory Director An, are you having some concerns because the factory is being reformed and placed under the direct jurisdiction of a ministry?"

An Xiangjie thought to himself, "Talking to a smart person feels like they've read my mind."

He nodded and said, "That's true. I won't go into the other departments, but in logistics, the procedures are much stricter than before."

"Because you, Deputy Factory Director An, have made significant contributions in the past, and the leadership has seen your excellent performance and good reputation within the factory, the review is only for improving the logistics process."

Zhou Zhiqiang's words made it very clear that An Xiangjie's identity was a big problem.

It is directly under the ministry, the factory level has been upgraded, and there are also recent foreign exchange earnings targets.

Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory was already a factory that the ministry was paying close attention to. At this time, it seemed a bit out of place for a private bourgeois to still be in the position of deputy factory director.

But An Xiangjie performed too well. He donated money and effort some time ago, appearing to be actively contributing to industrial development, and he also had a good reputation within the factory.

There's no excuse to replace people. A high-performing and well-behaved deputy factory director was dismissed for no reason, simply because of his class background, just because he was from the bourgeoisie.
That's not mentioned in the document!

If this were to be done, the private sector owners in other public-private joint venture factories would be filled with dread.

Therefore, we can only improve the review process to ensure that no accidents occur. This is also to ensure that Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory can successfully complete its foreign exchange earnings task, which is why we made this decision.

"Section Chief Zhou is indeed a smart man."

Deputy Factory Director An sighed and said, "Thanks to the efforts of Section Chief Zhou and others, I have suddenly been promoted one level, but I am not very at ease. Is this a good thing?"

"It's good for us, but it's not so good for you, Deputy Factory Director An. You've helped me a bit, and I remember that."

Let's chat for a bit, and if you don't like it, we can stop talking then.

Zhou Zhiqiang casually remarked that An Xiangjie was incredibly adept at handling things, subtly cultivating relationships and giving gifts in a way that was both effective and understated.

He's not someone you can dislike, and sometimes he actually helps you; despite the class conflict, he hasn't done anything wrong.

His goal was simple: to protect his family and then gradually develop his business. It's hard to say whether it was right or wrong; that's what everyone thinks.

But the environment wasn't right; this soil and this time of year weren't suitable for them.

“If I were you, after the promotion, I would immediately apply for a transfer to the south, or at the very least, become a cadre in Guangdong. There are many reasons, but I won’t go into details.”

While looking at the tea leaves in his cup, Zhou Zhiqiang continued, "My family will go with us. We'll take whatever we can from Beijing, and donate what we can't."

There are many advantages to being a cadre in Guangdong; even at the 13th level, one can get a decent position. Plus, it's close to Hong Kong Island, making business easier. If I were to pursue a more ambitious career, I definitely wouldn't stay in Beijing.

Upon hearing "Hong Kong Island," An Xiangjie quickly thought of something, but still asked, "Why can't we stay in Beijing?"

Zhou Zhiqiang casually remarked, "How many friends do I have in Beijing? Not counting fair-weather friends, how many are truly like-minded?"

Class was the most important reason. It was hard to say where the economic center was at that time. Both Shanghai and Northeast China were very developed, with Northeast China being more advanced due to its heavy industry.

But the political center was definitely Beijing, which was also the most politically active place.

It's just not right for a bourgeois to be in such a prominent place. If Zhou Zhiqiang were him, he wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably.

Going to Guangdong is the most comfortable way to live.

Moreover, finding a suitable reason, such as donating goods and applying for a transfer out of a key factory directly under a ministry, would be the best option for the leaders above.

Because of this issue, your supervisor will definitely want to take care of you and will most likely arrange a good position for you.

Moreover, Zhou Zhiqiang from Hong Kong Island had just mentioned it, and An Xiangjie understood; Guangdong and Hong Kong Island are considered the intersection of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, so going there would give him both an offensive and a defensive advantage.
After thinking for a while, An Xiangjie finally figured out where his discomfort came from.

Not safe.

He always had a feeling of insecurity deep down, but he hadn't realized it until Zhou Zhiqiang mentioned it to him.

Few people are foolish enough to preserve their family property from wartime to the present day; they would nod at the slightest hint of disbelief.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Section Chief Zhou."

An Xiangjie sighed deeply. He thought he could learn some of the Rong family's skills, but now that he had just become the deputy director of a factory directly under the ministry, he felt 'insecure'.

They lack the mental fortitude and the ability to ask Zhou Zhiqiang for advice after sensing something was wrong.

"I feel much better after getting the details. Thank you, Section Chief Zhou."

Zhou Zhiqiang laughed and said, "No need to thank me. That's how it is now, but the future is hard to say. If Anjia develops well in the future, we will definitely be able to continue drinking tea together."

An Xiangjie is only in his forties. If he takes good care of himself, he could live to be seventy or eighty. They can sit together and drink tea together in the future.

After An Xiangjie left, Zhou Zhiqiang went home to study and looked at the gift An Xiangjie had brought.

The list contains many entries, but not many others.

There's also a tiger penis. This kind of thing can only be bought in this era. And the ginseng isn't just one on the list, but three.

The list only recorded a little over a hundred yuan. Zhou Zhiqiang could just take the money to the factory and hand it over after work started. But the things An Xiangjie brought were worth at least seven or eight hundred yuan.

That's quite valuable!

After taking stock, Zhou Zhiqiang clicked his tongue and said, "Luckily, he listened and decided to leave. If he had been any bolder, he might have sent out another Qingshan Zishan in a couple of years."

Of course, he is definitely not like that. When it comes to willpower, Zhou Zhiqiang is confident that he will not be swayed by any sweet talk.

On matters of principle, Zhou Zhiqiang said he wouldn't commit a violation, and that meant he wouldn't.

　Second update, please vote for me!

　　One reader commented that the part about the original owner's father was too weak.

　　There are actually two purposes: to give the protagonist an identity that will ensure he's safe no matter what, and to ensure that trade with Africa increases after the 1970s, which will come in handy later.

　　Maybe my plot was too drawn out or something? I'm sorry, I'll try to improve it in the future.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)