Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"Can you handle all of this by yourself?"

Chen Dong remained silent for a while, pondering Zhou Haimin's earnest words. Chen Dong was well aware of Zhou Haimin's meaning: in the future, if all models under Xiaochi Automobile wanted to expand beyond Tuocheng, they would indeed need the "care" of the Ministry of Industry and local government departments.

If the Ministry of Industry and local governments had given even a little support, Xiaochi Motors' future path would have been much smoother. In China, sometimes money doesn't guarantee you can do whatever you want!

"Secretary Zhou, I understand what you mean," Chen Dong's tone was much gentler than before, "but this cooperation must be based on the contract we signed with them!"

"We won't accept products that don't meet quality standards; we'll seek compensation for late deliveries; and we won't be foolish enough to be ripped off by inflated prices!"

Zhou Haimin smiled upon hearing Chen Dong's softened tone. "It's best to stick to the contract. The country is undergoing economic reforms now. If they want to do business with you, they need to act like business people. If your Xiaochi Motors is well-made and sells well, they'll naturally know how to treat you!"

After saying that, Zhou Haimin got up, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a letter, and handed it to Chen Dong. "This is a letter from the Ministry of Industry. People from Second Automobile Works and Shanghai Automobile Works will be arriving in Tuocheng tomorrow. I will have Comrade Yuanshan and the others accompany them to visit your Jinbu Automobile Industrial Park and learn about the situation."

"Okay," Chen Dong reached out and took the documents. A state-owned automobile factory, huh? Chen Dong would show them what a real automobile industry is all about!

Chen Dong left in his car. Zhou Haimin watched from his office window as Chen Dong's car drove out of the municipal party committee compound, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Perhaps having heard rumors, Ji Jiekang, the Party Secretary of Shenzhen, called to subtly inquire about Xiaochi Motors and Huasheng Company, wanting to know if some of Xiaochi Motors' business could be located in Shenzhen. Zhou Haimin brushed it off with a laugh.

Are you kidding me!

He now desperately wants the leaders and cadres of other cities to be unaware of the existence of Chen Dong and Huasheng Company. Shenzhen is a special economic zone, backed by Huadu and facing Hong Kong, yet you are still eating from our bowl while eyeing what we in Tuocheng have in the pot.

Don't even think about it. If you want to develop, does that mean my Tuocheng doesn't need to?

At the Tuocheng dual-use military and civilian airport, Ji Shuzhi and Bai Jianbo led their inspection team off the plane and boarded a bus arranged by the Tuocheng Bureau of Industry and Commerce to go to the guesthouse for their stay.

Lu Yuanshan, the director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, personally accompanied the inspection team. After having dinner at the city's guesthouse, Ji Shuzhi suggested going to Xiaochi Automobile to take a look.

Lu Yuanshan glanced at his watch and replied somewhat awkwardly, "Secretary Ji, look, it's almost five o'clock. It'll be dark by the time we drive there. The Jinbu Automotive Industrial Park isn't completely finished yet. Driving into the construction site in the dark will be risky!"

Ji Shuzhi waved his hand, "Comrade Yuanshan, we've all worked in industry our whole lives, we're not that delicate. It's not even five o'clock yet, going over there won't delay anything."

Bai Jianbo added, "Yes, Comrade Yuanshan, we're here with a tight schedule and a heavy workload. The sooner we can contact Xiaochi Motors, the more time we can gain. Please help us out!"

Hearing them say that, Lu Yuanshan couldn't refuse any longer, so he nodded and said, "Alright, alright, let's go over there. But you two, we've agreed that we'll just go in and take a look and then leave. After all, their factory isn't fully built yet, and they're working at night. It's not safe for us to go in rashly, and we don't want to disturb their work."

Ji Shuzhi smiled and said, "Don't worry, we know what we're doing."

The group left the guesthouse and split into two vans, heading towards Jinbu. Unlike Kunming and Shanghai, Tuocheng was not bustling at night. The streetlights were sparse, and the streets were lined with low-rise houses and old arcade buildings from the Republican era.

But as the car drove out of the city, the road conditions gradually opened up, and construction sites began to appear on both sides. Beams of searchlights crisscrossed in the night sky, and the roar of pile drivers rose and fell.

Bai Jianbo leaned closer to the car window, pointed to the construction site ahead, and asked, "Comrade Yuanshan, are we almost there?"

Following the direction Bai Jianbo pointed, Lu Yuanshan smiled proudly at the brightly lit construction site. "Yes, that's Xiaochi Motors' Jinbu Industrial Park. Huasheng Company has strong financial resources and moves very quickly. It's only been less than half a year since the company was registered and the project was initiated, and the first phase of the factory has already been built."

Lu Yuanshan pointed to the tallest building on the construction site and introduced it to Ji Shuzhi, Bai Jianbo and others, "See that building? That's Xiaochi Motors' future R&D building. Next to it are the welding workshop and the stamping workshop."

Pointing to four large buildings with bamboo frames not far away, he said, "Those are employee dormitory buildings that were specially approved by our municipal government and funded by Huasheng Company. They are planned to accommodate at least 6,000 employees, and more will be built in the future."

Lu Yuanshan spoke eloquently, while Ji Shuzhi, Bai Jianbo, and the others listened with furrowed brows, their hearts filled with mixed feelings. Huasheng Company's funds were truly substantial; just these four twenty-story buildings alone must have required an investment of no less than a million!

The car stopped at the entrance of the industrial park. To call it the entrance was a bit of a stretch; it was still a construction site. The gate had only just been erected with two concrete pillars and a temporary sign that read "Xiaochi Automobile Industrial Park."

Upon seeing that it was a vehicle from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, the security guard at the gate immediately reported it to the construction site manager from the Urban Construction Bureau via walkie-talkie. Soon, a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a safety helmet and blue work clothes came running over.

Upon seeing Lu Yuanshan get out of the car, he laughed and reached out his hand, "Director Lu, what brings you to our construction site at this hour? General Manager Chen isn't here right now; he's already returned to Lianzhai."

"Director Zheng, we're not here to see General Manager Chen. These are comrades from the Ministry of Industry who came to inspect the progress. They've come here temporarily to check on the progress," Lu Yuanshan introduced the group to Director Zheng of the Urban Construction Bureau.

"Welcome, leaders, to our Urban Construction Bureau's project site for guidance," Director Zheng, clearly a seasoned veteran, first offered himself a disclaimer. "Leaders, in principle, we would warmly welcome you both, but it's dark now, and the construction site is still under construction, with potholes everywhere."

"It's alright, Director Zheng. We'll just trouble you to show us around and give us a look at the layout," Bai Jianbo said with his hands behind his back, exuding a leader's air.

Director Zheng glanced at Lu Yuanshan, and seeing him nod, he didn't say anything more, "Alright then, those of you will follow me, watch your step!"