Rebirth 03: Starting a Business After Giving Up a Secure Job

Chapter 154 Giving Back to the Hometown

In March, various operations at Rongcheng Station gradually got back on track.

The coverage of the domestic service sector in several new residential buildings in the High-tech Zone has been steadily increasing. Liao Ping's team of certified domestic workers has expanded to nearly 100. After the "Sichuan Girl" special label was launched, many employers specifically searched for "Sichuan native" nannies on the platform.

When Xu Qiang handed over the weekly report summary of the four sections of Rongcheng Station to Lin Feng, he circled a number in red on the page of the housekeeping section: the appointment schedule had already reached the beginning of May.

After Lin Feng finished reading the weekly report, he called Tan Zhao in.

"Make arrangements for Rongping. Come with me to Rongping tomorrow. Take Sun Ke from the recruitment section of Rongcheng Station and Zhou Hai from the housing rental section with you. Also, have Zhou Zhongcheng come along; he'll handle the personnel and business registration procedures."

Tan Zhao nodded and noted it down, then asked what materials needed to be prepared.

Lin Feng asked him to print several copies of the introductory materials for the Shenzhen and Chengdu stations of the Tongcheng Life Network, and also to bring the construction plan for the Rongping station that he had prepared after the Spring Festival.

The next morning, Lin Feng drove his black Audi A6, carrying Tan Zhao, Sun Ke, Zhou Hai, and Zhou Zhongcheng, from Rongcheng towards Rongping.

The car entered the highway, and outside the window lay the hilly landscape of southern Sichuan. Sun Ke sat in the back seat, reviewing information about Rongping County. Rongping County had a population of over one million, and its new industrial park had only been established for a year, with about twenty companies already located there. He believed that recruitment needs should be focused on general workers and entry-level positions.

Zhou Hai said that the rental market in Jucheng is different from that in Rongcheng. There are no large real estate agencies. Housing information relies entirely on introductions from acquaintances and flyers on utility poles. The information collection methods need to be adjusted.

Lin Feng listened to their discussion, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

He had just driven this road once before going home for the Spring Festival. Even earlier, it was the only way he could take from Rongping to Chengdu for university. Each time, he would take a long-distance bus for more than three hours on the highway, and then transfer to a public bus to Xichuan University of Technology after arriving in Chengdu.

The Audi exited the highway and turned onto Yingbin Avenue in Rongping County. The county town hadn't changed much; the familiar shops and street scenes still lined both sides of the main street.

Lin Feng slowed down the car and glanced at the school gate as he passed Rongping No. 2 Middle School. The iron gate was still the same one, but the old man in the guardhouse had changed.

Lin Feng didn't go home; he went directly to the county government.

Uncle Lin Guodong was already waiting at the entrance of the county government. He was wearing a dark gray jacket, his hair was neatly combed, and he was chatting with the guard next to the guardhouse.

Upon seeing a black Audi drive in, he paused for a moment, then recognized the Sichuan license plate and Lin Feng, and quickly walked down the steps.

Lin Feng got out of the car and called out, "Uncle." Lin Guodong looked his nephew up and down a few times, then slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"You little rascal, you said you'd be back after the Spring Festival, but you're only just now coming. Your dad just called to ask if you'd arrived yet."

Lin Feng introduced his companions to his uncle one by one. Lin Guodong shook hands with everyone, and when he shook Zhou Zhongcheng's hand, he asked if the human resources manager was in charge of recruitment. Zhou Zhongcheng said yes.

Lin Guodong said he met with Director Ma of the Labor and Employment Center later and would like to communicate with him more about recruitment.

"Director Ma is my old classmate. We trained together at the county party school back then. Later, he was transferred to the Labor Bureau, and I went to the Industry and Commerce Bureau. We've always had a good relationship. When you came back for the New Year, you said you wanted to help the county solve the problem of information asymmetry in employment. I mentioned this to him, and he was very interested."

As Lin Guodong led them inside, he briefly described the layout of the county government compound.

"The Investment Promotion Bureau is on the second floor, the Labor and Employment Center is on the third floor, and the TV station's GG department is in the building next door. I organized a lunch gathering today, and Director Ma and Director Zhong from the Investment Promotion Bureau are both coming. I've arranged to meet with the TV station staff this afternoon."

Lin Feng led a few people and followed his uncle into the county government building.

This is an office building built in the mid-1990s. The terrazzo floor is polished to a shine, and the walls are covered with slogans such as "Emancipate the mind."

The slogan is "Seek truth from facts".

Several yellowed notices were posted on the bulletin board in the stairwell.

Lin Guodong first led them to the Investment Promotion Bureau. Director Zhong's office was at the end of the corridor on the second floor. The door was ajar, and Lin Guodong knocked on the door frame and pushed the door open to go in.

Director Zhong was a short, stout man in his fifties, wearing a white shirt and dark blue trousers, his hair parted to the side. He was reading a…

A document.

He glanced at Lin Feng over his reading glasses a few times, then stood up and shook hands with him.

"Old Lin has mentioned you to me several times, saying that his nephew, who runs a company in Chengdu, is coming back to support the development of his hometown in the county."

That's good! Sit down, everyone.

Lin Feng asked Zhou Zhongcheng to hand over the introductory materials for the local life website.

Director Zhong put on his reading glasses and flipped through a few pages. His brows gradually furrowed. When he turned to the second page, he put down the document and asked Lin Feng if this website was similar to the classifieds section in the newspaper.

Lin Feng said that's a fair understanding, but it's faster and more convenient than newspapers. Merchants post information on the website for free, users filter by region and category, and every piece of information is manually verified by on-the-ground promoters before being listed.

Last year, Shenzhen Station achieved the number one market share in both the housing rental and talent recruitment sectors.

Director Zhong tapped his fingers twice on the handrail.

"Rongping's situation is different from Shenzhen and Chengdu. Firstly, there are significant differences in population structure, and secondly, in industrial structure. I wonder if you've done any research?"

Lin Feng said that although Rongping's population is not large, the problem of information asymmetry is more serious than in big cities. There are no formal real estate agencies in the county town, and renting a house depends entirely on asking around in one's circle of acquaintances.

Without formal recruitment channels, newly established companies in industrial parks are struggling to find workers, and surplus rural laborers are finding it difficult to find jobs.

You can go to the entrance of the county labor and employment center to look at the bulletin board.

The goal of Tongcheng Life Network is not to compete with anyone, but to bring together this scattered information on one platform so that supply and demand can be accurately matched.

Director Zhong remained silent for a while, then picked up the documents and flipped through them again.

"I know about the recruitment in the industrial park you mentioned. Last year, two new electronics factories and a food processing plant opened in the industrial park, and they haven't filled all their positions even after several months of recruitment. If you can fill this gap, it would really be a good thing for the county."

He paused for a moment: "I'll give you the green light on the paperwork, but what are your requirements for the office space?"

Lin Feng said he wanted to rent a few storefronts near the county government so that people could easily come to him.

Director Zhong said he would coordinate, and that the county had several vacant storefronts on the commercial street, and the rent could be reduced or waived.

Lin Feng said he didn't need any reduction or exemption and would pay at market price, but hoped that water, electricity, and internet access could be provided as soon as possible.

Director Zhong nodded: "No problem."

After leaving the investment promotion bureau, Lin Guodong led them to the labor and employment service center on the third floor.

Director Ma was already waiting in the office. He was about the same age as Lin Guodong, tall and thin, and wearing a blue shirt.

Upon meeting Lin Feng, he was much more enthusiastic than Director Zhong, and took the initiative to extend his hand, saying that Old Lin had mentioned him to me several times, saying that he wanted to come back to help the county with its work, and that he had been waiting for Lin Feng to come to his door.

Lin Feng briefly explained the model of the recruitment section of the local life website.

Last year, Shenzhen Station helped thousands of companies and tens of thousands of job seekers complete job matching. This year, Huicheng Station launched the "Factory Area Living Service" model, which sets up service points directly at the entrance of the factory canteen.

Although Rongping Industrial Park is not large in scale, it can also use this model: Tongcheng Life Network sets up a fixed service point in each factory area, and workers can register their job needs when they pass by while eating. For those who do not know how to use the Internet, the on-site promoters will help them enter their information.

After listening, Director Ma stood up and walked to the wall, where a planning map of Rongping County Industrial Park was posted.

He pointed to several marked points on the map and said that about 20 companies have already moved into the first phase of the industrial park, and the second phase is currently attracting investment. It is expected that several more factories will move in before the end of the year.

Currently, companies mainly rely on referrals from acquaintances and posting notices at the entrance of labor and employment centers to recruit workers, but the results are very poor.

"Your arrival is timely. In the future, I can directly recommend companies to you for recruitment."

Lin Feng said that the initial information collection for the recruitment section of Rongping Station was done by people transferred from Rongcheng Station, and at the same time, they would also recruit local promoters in Rongping.

Director Ma agreed to help him post job advertisements in the county.

At noon, Lin Guodong booked a private room at Rongping Hotel next to the county government.

Director Zhong, Director Ma, and Director Liu from the TV station's GG department all came.

Director Liu is a woman in her thirties, young and capable, and speaks very quickly.

When she heard that Tongcheng Life Network was going to set up a station in Rongping, she immediately asked if she could advertise GG on the county TV station.

Lin Feng said that he had the same idea, but he didn't want to be a traditional guy. He wanted the TV station to produce a special program for Tongcheng Life Network to introduce how the local life information platform works.

The goal is to let ordinary people know that in the future, they will no longer need to go through intermediaries to rent a house, find a job, or buy and sell second-hand goods; they can simply open a local life website on their computer to solve these problems.

Director Liu thought for a moment and said that the special program needed to be approved, but she could first insert the promotional video of Tongcheng Life Network before and after Rongping News, and the price would be based on the preferential standards for local enterprises.

Lin Feng agreed.

During the banquet, Lin Feng, along with Zhou Zhongcheng, Tan Zhao, Sun Ke, and Zhou Hai, toasted the leaders and uncles.

Whether speaking or socializing, he handled it with ease. Lin Guodong watched from the side, nodding repeatedly in approval.

Director Ma jokingly said to Lao Lin, "You're happier today than during the New Year."

Lin Guodong said that was natural; his nephew had returned from Chengdu to contribute to his hometown, and he, as the uncle, was proud of him.

After lunch, Lin Guodong took Lin Feng to see several shops on the commercial street.

The storefront is located less than 200 meters from the county government, facing the street, consisting of three shared rooms, totaling about 100 square meters.

It used to be a clothing store, and there was a red sign that read "Prime Location for Sale" on the roller shutter door.

Lin Feng pushed open the door and looked around. The ceiling was high enough and the lighting was good. There was room to hang a sign at the entrance. Inside, there was a room partitioned off as an office, and outside there was a reception desk and several shared computers.

Around 5 o'clock, Lin Guofu, Lin Feng's father, called to say that dinner was ready and that Lin Feng should come home for dinner after he finished his work.

Lin Feng parked his car downstairs in Rongping Garden residential area and took the elevator up with two bottles of Wuliangye liquor he had brought back from Chengdu.

He bought this apartment for his parents in the best residential area in Rongping County before the Spring Festival. It is 198 square meters, with four bedrooms, two living rooms, and three bathrooms. It is a two-unit-per-floor apartment with good ventilation from north to south.

When the elevator reached the sixth floor, laughter and chatter could be heard coming from inside even before the doors opened.

Lin Feng pushed open the door, and the living room was full of people. His eldest uncle Lin Guodong, his eldest aunt, his third uncle Lin Guoliang, and his third aunt were all there. His father Lin Guofu was talking to his eldest uncle, while his mother Li Huilan and his third aunt were busy in the kitchen.

The television in the living room was on, the volume turned down low, and the screen was showing news from the county television station.

"Xiao Feng is back!" His aunt was the first to see him, and she stood up from the sofa and waved to him.

While Lin Feng was changing his slippers, his third uncle got up, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder, saying that he had heard his eldest brother talk about his afternoon conversations with the investment promotion bureau and the labor and employment center at the county government, and that the older brothers had been talking about it ever since he got back.

My uncle said that Rongping Garden is the most upscale residential community built in the county in the past two years. It has complete supporting facilities and is adjacent to the newly built civic square and the planned commercial complex.

Look at this grand, beautifully decorated living room; it's truly impressive.

Uncle held up his teacup and said to Lin Guofu, "Xiao Feng has been quick-witted since he was a child. A few years after graduation, he started his own business and became the first big boss in the Lin family."

Today, he personally took Xiaofeng to the county government. At first, Lao Zhong from the Investment Promotion Bureau was still aloof, but after Xiaofeng put the market data of Shenzhen and Chengdu on the table, Lao Zhong's attitude changed immediately.

The food was ready. Li Huilan and her third aunt brought out the last few dishes from the kitchen: stir-fried pork belly with garlic sprouts, stir-fried chicken giblets with pickled peppers, and...

Boiled beef, pickled cabbage and vermicelli soup, cucumber salad, and fried peanuts.

My aunt pulled out the folding dining table to turn it into a large round table, covered it with a tablecloth, and placed the dishes one after another.

Lin Feng opened the Wuliangye liquor he had brought and poured a glass for each of his uncles, his third uncle, and his father. He also poured juice for his aunt and his third aunt.

The glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Auntie said that Xiao Feng had only been running his business for a year, but he had already bought a new house this year.

The uncle praised Lin Feng, saying that he has not only bought a house but also returned to help the county with its work, and that he has become very successful.

Li Huilan smiled across from her, and her third aunt said, "Second sister-in-law, you're going to be so lucky in the future. You'll be living in such a nice house and you can see a garden every time you open the window."

Li Huilan said that Xiaofeng insisted on buying it, and she and his father both said it was too big and a waste for two people to live in.

Auntie looked around the spacious living room and the night view outside the window, and sighed that Li Huilan was lucky, as her son was capable and filial. Uncle, who was sitting next to her, nodded in agreement.

Aunt took over the conversation.

"The house is secondary; the main thing is Xiaofeng's thoughtfulness. He can make a lot of money in Chengdu and Shenzhen, yet he still thinks about coming back to help the people of Rongping find jobs and rent houses. This thoughtfulness is more valuable than a house. My brother kept talking about it on the way back from the county government today, saying that Old Zhong from the Investment Promotion Bureau treats Xiaofeng exceptionally well."

Third Uncle, a teacher, raised his glass to Lin Feng and said that he didn't usually drink, but he had to drink today.

Lin Feng's actions reminded him of his grandfather. When his grandfather was young, he was a village teacher who used his own money to buy textbooks for children from poor families, and everyone in the village spoke highly of him.

Lin Feng is now helping the people of Rongping solve their employment and housing problems, which is the same principle as what his grandfather did back then.

He tilted his head back and finished the drink.

Lin Feng raised his wine glass to the table of relatives and said, "Uncle, Aunt, Third Uncle, Third Aunt, Rongping is my hometown. Tongcheng Life Network has established itself in Shenzhen and Chengdu, so there's no reason why it shouldn't do well in our hometown. Uncle has been a great help today, and I know that. This glass is for all of you elders."