1994: Starting with unpaid leave

After being called out by Dong Jianguo at the Master Kong booth, Guo Dongliang walked out of the booth and faced the tall, thin man directly.

"We did use an electric rice cooker, but I've seen the exhibition requirements, and there's no rule saying that using such an appliance is against the rules. Where did you get this rule from?!"

"No, who the hell are you?!"

"I am Master Kong's regional manager in Harbin..."

"I……"

The tall, thin man instantly lost his temper.

Even if you have a secure job, if you offend the person in charge of the Taiwanese business, your job can be smashed to pieces by your superiors.

Guo Dongliang nodded to Dong Jianguo, then addressed the crowd:

"Everyone, please don't misunderstand. Although our company's boss is Taiwanese, we have always been committed to local development. Our branch factory in Harbin has provided hundreds of jobs for the people of Harbin! Even so, we have never thought of discriminating against them."

"If we have to withdraw from the exhibition due to violations, we will definitely comply with the relevant rules once we see the corresponding documents. But the key issue is that rules cannot be made up arbitrarily! From the time we received the notification to participate in the exhibition until now, we have never received any related notifications!"

"Everyone who opens a factory or runs a business wants to get things done, not to be treated like a puppet. Don't you agree?!"

"Now, I think this leader needs to give us a reasonable explanation, don't you all agree?!"

"right!"

A chorus of shouts startled the tall, thin man.

He hadn't expected that these two people's few words would cause everyone present to point their fingers at him.

This time, he was genuinely panicked.

He even regretted it a little, wondering why he had shown off at the dinner table and made a boastful statement to Director Jiang that he could handle things.

Even sending a few subordinates is better than coming in person only to be roasted over a fire!

Dong Jianguo squatted down, brought his face close to the tall, thin man, sneered, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Why did you have to step forward like that? Do you think Director Jiang will remember your kindness? Or that he'll mention your name in front of his high-ranking relative over something so trivial? I advise you to stop dreaming!"

The tall, thin man was startled and couldn't help but look up at the young man in front of him:

"You...you knew all along?!"

"Of course, I can know everything with just a few calculations!"

The tall, thin guy was even more surprising!

In Northeast China, mystical practices like spirit mediums and household guardian spirits have always enjoyed a strong following among the people.

He believed it too!

"What else have you figured out?"

Dong Jianguo looked up and snorted coldly:

"I've also figured out that if you don't leave now, you're going to have a really bad day!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the tall, thin man's face contorted into a grimace.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out on the outskirts of the crowd.

"Make way, make way! Deputy Director Li from the Provincial Bureau and Director Wang from the Investment Promotion Office are here!"

Upon hearing this, the previously arrogant, tall, thin man instantly became timid and hurriedly turned to look at Director Jiang in the distance.

Director Jiang's face was ashen as he glared hatefully in the direction the leader had come from.

I clearly remember the leader coming to inspect, and it should have been later, so how come...

Knowing that this matter might escalate, Director Jiang simply stamped his foot, turned around, and ran away!

"What's going on? So many people are gathered here, what kind of behavior is this!"

A man with gray hair and wearing a black woolen overcoat, who looked like a leader, walked over. He was none other than Deputy Director Li of the Provincial Bureau.

Standing next to him was an elderly man wearing a jacket and glasses, who was presumably Director Wang from the investment promotion office.

Dong Jianguo looked up and immediately saw Deputy Director Wan and his secretary, Secretary Wang.

Secretary Wang followed at the back of the crowd and quietly gave himself an OK sign.

Dong Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems everything is going well.

When the tall, thin man saw so many leaders arrive, he immediately wanted to make a hasty retreat.

But when he turned around, Guo Dongliang blocked his way.

"Boss, where are you rushing off to?! You haven't explained things between us yet!"

"What exactly is going on?!" Deputy Director Li asked with a frown, his words carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Now that things have come to this, only by quickly shifting the blame can they have a glimmer of hope. Thinking this, the tall, thin man hurriedly bowed and reported:

"Director Li, Director Wang! It's not a big deal, it's just that the vendors at this booth are acting outrageously! They're illegally connecting wires and using high-powered appliances at the exhibition, refusing to rectify the situation, and even verbally abusing our staff, disrupting the exhibition order!"

"That's not all; he also incited the public to attack Taiwanese businessmen, trying to sabotage the excellent trend of foreign investment in our Heilongjiang province..."

Deputy Director Li looked up at the banner at Dong Jianguo's booth.

"Hezhiwei? Is your factory Hezhiwei Food Factory?"

Dong Jianguo nodded and jumped off the display stand.

"Director Li, Director Wang, hello. I am Dong Jianguo, the factory manager of Hezhiwei Food Factory. I didn't expect to be so rude on our first meeting. I'm so sorry..."

Director Li glanced at Dong Jianguo and nodded:

"I have some impression of your products... they've indeed been selling quite well on the lines managed by the Harbin Railway Bureau recently. But that's no excuse for you to cause trouble and give us special treatment! How could you make such a fuss?"

Dong Jianguo replied calmly and respectfully, "Sir, you can't just listen to one side of the story; there's more to the story!"

After saying that, Dong Jianguo didn't hold back and told Zhang Zhiyi everything he had learned before.

Finally, he pointed to the fragrant braised eggs and chicken feet in the pot:

"Boss, we're using the most ordinary rice cookers, and the electricity is from the State Grid. We haven't violated any regulations; we just want to prove at this trade fair that products made by companies from Heilongjiang Province are no worse than those from others!"

"I put in so much effort to finally get this opportunity to showcase myself, but some people, just for their own selfish reasons and without any benefit, are trying to incite the exhibition organizers to kick me out. To be honest, I'm heartbroken!"

"It doesn't matter if I'm the only one who's upset. Our factory is small, has few product varieties, and limited funds and technology, so we deserve our bad luck. But if Heilongjiang Province does this in front of merchants from all over the country, who will dare to invest here in the future?!"

Now that he had finally met with the provincial bureau leaders, Dong Jianguo couldn't hold back any longer and spoke his mind completely.

The old saying, "Investment doesn't cross the Shanhaiguan Pass," was a seemingly casual remark that reduced the number of opportunities for young people in Northeast China to stay and work in their hometowns!

The result was another brilliant comment:

There are no human traffickers in Northeast China, but children are still going missing every year...

If a poor geographical location and a cold climate are considered to be a lack of favorable timing, then the rat droppings that fall into the pot are undoubtedly a disruption of human harmony!

People like this shouldn't be tolerated!