The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 140 They want to rent our house? [Please subscribe]

On New Year's Day, Zhou Zhiqiang and his wife Guo Yuting rode their bicycles to the compound of senior cadres.

Zhou Zhiqiang had placed a child seat directly behind the middle seat of his car, and it was fixed in place.

The two arrived at Yu's house early in the morning.

I was thinking of giving her something, but Fang Mengjie refused to accept any of it, saying that she had everything she needed at home. She even took out some of her own things to take with her to the Chen family.

Yu Zhongguo is stationed at an overseas martial arts school, and his salary is enough to allow his family to live a very good life.

Moreover, they will receive subsidies there, which can be brought back with you, adding up to another sum of money.

After helping out at the Yu family's house for a while, cleaning inside and out, Fang Mengjie called over Zhou Zhiqiang and Guo Yuting and said:
"It's about time. Why don't we go to the Chen family now? We'll have lunch and dinner there. It wouldn't be good to go too late."

Fang Mengjie thought it would be impolite to arrive late, but if she arrived a little earlier, she could help with making lunch.

"Okay, let's go."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, those who had children took their children and those who had things took their things; they took two bottles of wine alone, but it was estimated that only Chen Junfeng and his eldest son would drink those two bottles.

Chen Junfeng's eldest son, Chen Weiguo, didn't receive any care from his father. He chose to become a policeman on his own, and now his rank is not as high as Chen Li's.

He's just a squad leader at the police station now, and his rank isn't even as high as his sister Chen Li's.

If Chen's father doesn't put in the effort, then Chen Weiguo will have to rely on catching thieves and criminals on a daily basis to slowly accumulate merits and get promoted.

However, it took him four years to become a squad leader, which shows that his father did not take care of him.

Both families live in the same neighborhood, but Chen's father's house is a bit bigger.

However, when Zhou Zhiqiang and his group arrived at the door, they suddenly heard what sounded like a rather heated argument inside.

Zhou Zhiqiang was unsure whether to knock on the door, but he leaned closer to listen to what was going on inside.

They were arguing during the Chinese New Year, making it uncertain whether they would come for dinner again.

"What do you want to do if you don't go on blind dates? You'll be twenty-five after the New Year, do you think you're fifteen?"

"I'm not going on blind dates anyway. What you say won't change anything."

Through the door, Zhou Zhiqiang didn't hear much, but he could hear things being smashed. However, he roughly knew what was going on: Chen Li's mother was forcing Chen Li to go on blind dates.

But Chen Li is stubborn, something Zhou Zhiqiang had already figured out. He knew he had to go along with her, otherwise the more he pressured her, the more stubborn she would become.

Guo Yuting also curiously leaned forward and eavesdropped at the door. The couple, like spies, lay in wait at the door of the deputy leader of the light industry.

However, while they were eavesdropping, Yu Jingyu asked loudly with some confusion, "Big brother, what are you doing? Why didn't you knock?"

The child's voice was sharp and loud, and everyone inside the house heard it, causing the argument to immediately cease.

Fang Mengjie quickly pulled the child aside, signaling him to shut up; she had felt it wasn't right to eavesdrop by the door, but she didn't know how to address Zhou Zhiqiang, so she remained silent.

However, interrupted like this, Zhou Zhiqiang couldn't keep eavesdropping, so he knocked on the door.

Soon, a resolute-looking young man opened the door. Seeing Zhou Zhiqiang outside, he said, "Comrade Zhou Zhiqiang, this is our first meeting. I am Chen Li's brother, Chen Weiguo. Thank you for taking care of Chen Li."

"Hello, actually Chen Li doesn't need me to take care of her much. She's very capable and has helped me a lot at the factory."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "You're older than me, just call me Zhiqiang. This is my wife, Guo Yuting, and Aunt Fang."

“I know Aunt Fang very well; we’ve spent the Lunar New Year together for the past few years.”

After Chen Weiguo finished speaking, he quickly slapped his head and stepped aside, saying, "Look at me, I don't care about the occasion when I start talking. You guys come in first, don't get cold outside."

After Zhou Zhiqiang and his group entered the house, Chen Weiguo asked his wife to make tea and serve fruit to them, while he himself accepted the gifts brought by Zhou Zhiqiang and prepared to put them away.

"Dad, Aunt Fang and Zhiqiang's family are here. Don't hide in the study anymore."

Before Chen Weiguo went to put away the gifts, he shouted into the study, which immediately brought out Chen Junfeng, who was hiding there.

After coming out, Chen Junfeng first glared at his son, then said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, do as you please, just like in previous years; Zhiqiang is here, come, let's go to the study to chat."

They chatted their own thing, we'll chat ours; Tian Qiao, your sister-in-law is here, come out quickly.

After calling out to his mother, Chen's father asked Zhou Zhiqiang to go to the study with him; he also seemed to want to hide, and it was unclear who he was chatting with outside.

His son, Chen Weiguo, has limited vision and never listens to his father's arrangements. He didn't like going to school and insisted on becoming a policeman. He can't get along with his father.

Unable to chat with his younger siblings and relatives, and with Yu Zhongguo unable to return for three years, Chen's father could only chat idly with Zhou Zhiqiang.

After entering the study, Mr. Chen sighed and said, "Oh, please excuse me. Both mother and daughter are stubborn, and they rarely get along without arguing."

"Understood, understood."

Zhou Zhiqiang chuckled but didn't say much.

"I heard you got promoted? You're going to be the deputy director of the Second Machine Tool Plant after the New Year, right?"

After Chen's father sat down, he invited Zhou Zhiqiang to sit down as well. Then he continued chatting, saying, "You're a few years younger than my eldest son, but you're much better than him. If you were anywhere else, he would definitely call you 'leader' when he sees you." He even knew where Zhou Zhiqiang was and what position he held. This wasn't something he had just heard about casually. However, just as Zhou Zhiqiang was about to say something, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Dad, you don't dare to talk about Mom and my sister, you just keep talking about me."

Chen Weiguo walked in carrying a teapot and a water cup, just in time to hear his father using him as an example.

Mr. Chen said bluntly, "Are you saying I'm wrong? Look at yourself now. To put it nicely, you're a squad leader, but you're not even a section chief."

Zhiqiang is two or three years younger than you, and he's already the deputy director of a factory directly under a ministry. It'll only be two or three years before he becomes the director.

"Uncle Chen, it's not appropriate to use me as an example. I was handpicked and promoted."

Zhou Zhiqiang quickly said, not wanting to get involved in the father and son's argument: "If I can't get the Second Machine Tool Factory up and running, I might become the factory's scapegoat."

If the Second Machine Tool Plant doesn't change, it will definitely be gradually abandoned by the Ministry of Machine Building and eventually taken over by the Industrial Bureau.
"Your abilities are still reassuring, otherwise Wu Jianhong wouldn't have chosen you. I heard that when the big leader went to Shanghai, he specifically praised you for a long time."

Mr. Chen said with a smile, "You even took his bamboo stick. I remember Mr. Zhou wanted it too, but the big leader didn't give it to him, so you got it instead."

The top leader mentioned this matter in a meeting a few days ago, saying that he should keep several good bamboo sticks on hand so that even if someone takes them, he won't be caught off guard and unable to find a suitable one.

Zhou Zhiqiang laughed and said, "Haha, the big leader asked me what reward I wanted, so I can only say what I want."

Mr. Chen smiled and asked again, "Zhiqiang, are you interested in developing your career in the light industry?"

"Not for the time being. Or rather, for the next thirty years, our country will still be dominated by heavy industry."

Zhou Zhiqiang shook his head and said, "Military industry, national defense, and industrial base all require heavy industry. Moreover, the international situation does not allow us to develop light industry. We must prioritize the development of heavy industry."

If the light industry wants to develop, let's wait until the international situation stabilizes in a few decades and it's time to focus on economic development.

We are currently in a cold war, and a cold war could turn into a hot war at any time. Even if Zhou Zhiqiang knew what the future held, he dared not say that things would definitely proceed as he knew them.

If a bullet were to accidentally discharge, war could break out.

Now is not the time to develop light industry; heavy industry and chemical industry are the most important.

Father Chen nodded and said, "Yes, the light industry is like a stepmother, providing too little support. We give even less to those below, making it difficult to develop a good situation."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "Resources are limited, so we can only allocate them preferentially, allowing a few industries to develop first, and then driving the development of other industries."
"Speaking of which, my transfer this time was like this: Deputy Leader Wu felt that I had developed sufficiently at the Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory, so he wanted me to also lead the Second Machine Tool Factory."

"Looking at the big picture from a small example, the future industrial landscape in China will likely resemble this. After all, many light industries rely heavily on machinery and equipment, which requires heavy industry to develop to a certain level before it can provide support in return."

Zhou Zhiqiang and Chen's father talked for a long time, mostly about work.

They both share a similarity in that they work from home, so they enjoy talking about work-related matters.

Chen Weiguo, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore. He got up and left, but then, finding it boring outside, he went back into the study.

After spending some time in the study, he still couldn't understand what Chen's father and Zhou Zhiqiang were talking about. They were currently discussing the abnormal industrial structure of Russia and the industrial development of the United States.

Chen Weiguo couldn't understand a word, so he got up and went out again.

Finally, Chen's father got fed up with his son who kept opening and closing doors, so he told him to leave and locked the study door from the inside.

It wasn't until someone knocked on the door to urge them to have lunch that Chen's father and Zhou Zhiqiang went out together.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was quite pleasant, with adults and children all sitting together, and the lunch was very plentiful.

Chen's father also asked Zhou Zhiqiang if he wanted to drink, but Zhou Zhiqiang refused, saying that drinking might impair the dexterity of his hands.

Chen Weiguo wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Chen Li shut him down with two sentences: "Do you want to damage the hands of an eighth-level fitter, eighth-level machinist, and eighth-level welder?"

Knowing that Zhou Zhiqiang would be personally processing a batch of high-precision parts after the New Year, she scolded her brother without any restraint.

After lunch.

Because he had drunk a little alcohol, Mr. Chen needed to rest for a while, so he didn't continue chatting with Zhou Zhiqiang.

If it weren't for the drinking, he probably could have chatted with Zhou Zhiqiang for an entire afternoon.

So Zhou Zhiqiang and his wife Guo Yuting brought their children to the yard to set off firecrackers.

It's just a small firecracker, so it won't hurt a child's hand, and it can also help his son practice walking.

This is a compound for high-ranking officials, so security is definitely guaranteed. Even if no one is watching over it, there's no risk of losing face, since there are guards at the entrances and exits.

Just as Zhou Zhiqiang was watching the children play with firecrackers, his wife suddenly tugged at his sleeve cautiously, then leaned closer and whispered, "Zhiqiang, Chen Li just said she wants to rent our house and stay for a while."

"Huh? What did you say?"

Zhou Zhiqiang was stunned when he heard this, as if he had misheard. He quickly asked again, "Did you just say that Chen Li wants to rent our house?"

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(End of this chapter)