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

"Allowing some people to get rich first can include our fellow workers and farmers!"

"Mr. Wu, you've really hit the nail on the head," Chen Dong said, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

He understood the old man's vision all too well. In this era, older generation revolutionaries like Wu Nansheng always put the interests of workers and peasants first, unlike those in later generations who forget their roots and only focus on making money off ordinary people.

Some so-called experts and scholars have even suggested things like renting out spare houses when unemployed, or being anxious about only having one million in bank savings.

It's practically a modern-day version of "Why don't they eat meat porridge!"

"Actually, providing car loans and discounts to employees may seem like we are giving back to the company, but in essence, we are cultivating China's own car consumer market."

Following Wu Nansheng's lead, Chen Dong further elaborated, "Think about it, in the past, ordinary people thought that cars were a luxury item, something that only officials and business people could afford to ride in."

"But now, our front-line assembly workers, as long as they are willing and capable, can earn enough each month to support their families and even buy a car they built themselves on installment. When they drive the car they made on the streets of Tuocheng, the sense of pride they feel is something that no amount of money can buy."

Wu Nansheng stopped and turned to look at Chen Dong, his eyes full of approval. "What a brilliant idea of ​​'cultivating the consumer market,' Comrade Chen Dong! You're not just doing business; you're putting into practice the advanced concepts that our country has always advocated!"

"The true meaning of common prosperity is to let those who create wealth enjoy it first!"

Zhou Haimin, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly and quickly took out his notebook to record the conversation. He secretly rejoiced that he had benefited greatly from coming with Old Wu today.

"Mr. Wu, you flatter me. I grew up in a capitalist country, how would I know these things? I just think that the workers are the foundation of our Xiaochi Motors. They shouldn't be doing the hardest and most tiring work and not being able to enjoy the fruits of their labor," Chen Dong said, indicating that he was not as great as Wu Nansheng said. He was just fulfilling the labor contracts he signed with these workers.

"Comrade Zai Dong, your thinking is already very progressive," Wu Nansheng laughed and patted Chen Dong's arm, just like an elder praising his junior.

After leaving the final assembly workshop, the group went to the spare parts warehouse. The warehouse was filled with shelves, and various spare parts were neatly arranged and categorized. Wu Nansheng picked up a piston, examined its inscription from all angles, and asked Chen Dong, "Is this part manufactured by us or imported?"

"This is made in China. The supporting factory is in Rongcheng. It only started production last year. The localization rate of our Xiaochi Auto parts has reached 70%," Chen Dong replied casually, glancing at the inscription on the piston in Wu Nansheng's hand.

Wu Nansheng nodded. "Seventy percent is not low, but the remaining thirty percent still needs to be localized as soon as possible. We can't let others hold us back at a critical moment."

The "bottleneck" issue that Wu Nansheng mentioned is simply impossible for Chen Dong. In fact, it's more likely that Chen Dong will use patent barriers to block other car companies.

With access to the WTO system, he could get any equipment or machine tool he wanted, and he could even get any spare parts he wanted. Chen Dong could even pay the system to design a custom product for him and make large-scale purchases.

Even the various types of batteries and motors that Chen Dong could order from the WTO system, so who could hold Xiaochi Motors by the throat!

The fact is, Wu Nansheng was unaware that Chen Dong possessed the system. Therefore, Chen Dong needed to let Wu Nansheng know that Xiaochi was capable of being completely domestically produced. "Don't worry, Mr. Wu, we are working hard to increase the localization rate of our Xiaochi auto parts to over 90% as soon as possible!"

"Then I'll be living off your good news, hehehe!"

Chen Dong accompanied Wu Nansheng to two more dormitory buildings to check on the workers' living conditions. Around noon, Wu Nansheng declined Chen Dong's suggestion to go out for lunch and chose to eat at Xiaochi's canteen instead.

After finishing his meal, Wu Nansheng did not choose to take a nap. Instead, he continued to drive to Nanshan District. Chen Dong did not ride with Wu Nansheng. He knew that the old man was getting on in years and was tired after traveling all morning. He thought it would be good to let the old man take a nap in the car during the half-hour break on the way to Nanshan District.

The convoy drove into Huanghe North Road in Nanshan District and, under the direction of traffic police, slowly turned into the parking lot entrance of Huaxingsheng Supermarket. The parking lot was full of bicycles. The mall security guards had already received instructions from their superiors and temporarily cleared out several parking spaces so that the leaders' cars would not be without a place to park.

Even though it wasn't a weekend, the number of people coming to Huaxingsheng Supermarket didn't decrease. The temperature in Tuocheng was already starting to rise, and the air conditioning in Huaxingsheng Supermarket became the perfect place for the surrounding residents to escape the heat.

In previous summers, supermarket entrances would be crowded with people wanting to get in, mostly hoping to enjoy the cool air conditioning. These days, air conditioning is a real luxury appliance; for ordinary families, buying an electric fan is already a huge expense.

Imported air conditioners from Japan often start at several thousand yuan. Even Xing Sheng's own Lotus air conditioner costs nearly 1,500 yuan. For an ordinary working family with a monthly salary of only 100 yuan, a domestic air conditioner is equivalent to almost two years' salary.

Moreover, even if you can afford to buy it, the electricity bill is still beyond your means. Even if you can afford a monthly electricity bill of ten or twenty yuan, apart from the streets connected to the power plant, other places will still experience intermittent power outages from time to time.

Especially in the summer, when power plants operate at full capacity and the power load far exceeds expectations, transformers cannot withstand the load and will trip and go out of service. Frequent power outages are a childhood memory for people in the 1980s and 1990s.

On the contrary, some state-owned factories have their own small power generation equipment, so they can continue to operate without interruption even if the power grid is shut down. However, there is no need to worry about power outages in Jiping, as the Linshui Power Plant itself is sufficient.

When Wu Nansheng got out of the car, he saw a large crowd gathered at the supermarket entrance. The police were maintaining order at the entrance to prevent anyone from bumping into the arriving leaders. Chen Zaixing had been waiting at the entrance with a smile for a long time. When he saw Wu Nansheng and Chen Dong walking over, Chen Zaixing immediately went to greet them.

Today, Chen Zaixing wasn't wearing his gold Rolex; instead, he was wearing a Shanghai-brand watch. When Wu Nansheng saw Chen Zaixing, he habitually glanced at his wrist before smiling and saying, "Young comrade, why aren't you wearing your gold watch anymore?"