Restarting life by going to the countryside to support medical work

Chapter 640 Brothers
Cheng Jianwen arrived at the Li family home at around 5 p.m., while Li Yancheng didn't get home until after 8 p.m.

"Operation Winter" officially begins tomorrow. As the commander-in-chief of this joint operation, he has many things to personally oversee and coordinate with the Municipal Supervisory Commission. After arranging tomorrow's work, he returned home. For the first time, he and his brother sat down alone and discussed the future of the Cheng family.

In the study on the second floor of the main house in the backyard of No. 20 Meishan East Alley, Li Yancheng and Cheng Jianwen, brothers, sat facing each other.

"I just heard you say downstairs that you've almost finished your site visits and decided where to invest and build a factory?"

Li Yancheng picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, put the glass down, and looked at Cheng Jianwen sitting opposite him, asking a question.

"It's decided, it'll be in Shenzhen."

"That place is good. The country is going to turn it into a special economic zone, and all kinds of policies are tilted towards that area. There is great potential there. Luo Yang, have you met him?"

"I met him, and that was the last time I met him. I had a good talk with him, and that's when I finally decided to locate the new factory in Shenzhen."

Cheng Jianwen traveled to many places on this trip, visiting cities along the eastern coast and in the south, and had in-depth conversations with local government officials.

Li Yancheng did not interfere with the decision of which city to invest in. He only mentioned to Cheng Jianwen that if they went to Shenzhen, he could talk to Luo Yang, who was a deputy leader in the city government. Luo Yang would explain all the policies and systems there to him clearly and without any concealment.

Cheng Jianwen knew that Luo Yang, whom his brother had introduced, was the second brother of his sister-in-law's family, and he also knew who his sister-in-law's father was. He really didn't expect that his sister-in-law, who looked aloof and was even younger than his wife, would have such a distinguished background.

He was also curious about how his brother managed to marry his sister-in-law.

In Cheng Jianwen's view, a family with the Luo family background should definitely marry their daughters to someone of equal social standing. His brother was just an orphan at the time, so how did he catch the eye of that old man Luo?

That's not all. What intrigued him most was what his brother had done to end up on the Ugly Country's C-section list.

He only learned about this by chance from someone else when he came to Hong Kong from the United States. Of course, the person who told him this did not know that he was Li Yancheng's younger brother.

When Cheng Jianwen found out, he almost jumped up on the spot. Then he felt it was impossible because his brother was only the deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. Although his position was not low and his status was very important, if he was on the list because of this, then the list of the C department would probably be so long that it would circle the earth several times.

It was only after learning this news that he belatedly realized why his parents had repeatedly warned him not to tell anyone that their family had found their eldest grandson.

At first, he thought his parents were worried that there might be enemies of the Cheng family who would harm his brother, but now it seems that's not the case at all. His parents weren't worried that their own enemies would harm his brother, but rather that they would harm their own family.

No wonder the old man wanted to gradually shift the company's business to Hong Kong Island. It turns out he wasn't considering it from a business perspective. Come to think of it, if he really wanted to consider it from a business perspective, continuing to develop in Europe and America would have been the best choice.

The reason for the plan to quietly move here is entirely due to considerations of the lives and property safety of the entire family.

But what exactly did his brother do to get on that list?
Cheng Jianwen was completely baffled, but he couldn't ask, because he knew very well that this must involve a lot of secrets. Not to mention whether people would tell him if he asked, sometimes knowing too many secrets is not a good thing.

However, it was still necessary to give a reminder, so after answering Li Yancheng's question, he cautiously continued.

"Brother, I heard something when I was in Hong Kong."

"What's the matter?" Li Yancheng asked curiously.

"I heard that you're on the list for Section C."

"hehe"

Li Yancheng immediately laughed.

Seeing him smile, Cheng Jianwen realized that he had worried for nothing.

"Thank you for reminding me. I have heard about this matter before, but I won't tell you the specifics. Knowing too much won't do you any good."

Just remember, no matter what, don't let outsiders know about our relationship. I heard the old man say that even the collateral branches of the family only know that they found the child who was lost years ago; not everyone knows my identity.

Only a limited number of people actually know my identity, and that's enough. I don't want to cause you any trouble because of my affairs.

"Brother, you're exaggerating. We're family, and family should share both good times and bad."

“It’s different, it’s different.” Li Yancheng waved his hand with a smile: “My situation is rather special, so the phrase ‘sharing weal and woe’ doesn’t apply to me.”

He caused this situation because of official business, and of course he doesn't want to drag outsiders into this mess.

He has always stayed in China, where he is on his home turf. Even if those so-called organizations wanted to do something to him, they could only do it secretly. But the Cheng family is different.

If those people find out about his relationship with the Cheng family, well, the Cheng family is in for a world of trouble.

Li Yancheng had no intention of developing any further close relationship with the Cheng family beyond blood ties, but that didn't mean he wanted to see the Cheng family suffer because of him.

Therefore, he will definitely give the necessary reminders. As for whether the Cheng family will leak the information themselves, that's another matter.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's get back to the point. Now that you've decided to invest in Shenzhen, has the investment scale been determined? You haven't given a definite answer yet, and some people are getting impatient; they've even called me."

Before dinner, the department head in charge of commerce called Li Yancheng. This was Su Xiaotong's cousin, whom Li Yancheng would meet every year when he visited Su Xiaotong for the Spring Festival.

Although he was older, he was witty and humorous, so the two of them developed a good relationship.

After failing to get a definite answer from Cheng Jianwen, he had no choice but to call Li Yancheng, hoping that he could help him put in a good word so that the Cheng family's first investment in China would at least exceed five million US dollars.

Five million US dollars is an astronomical figure in any era, and it is even more extraordinary for China, which is short of foreign exchange today.

“Brother, this is what I mean. I just want them to contact you. I can’t help you with your work. I know this investment is very important and significant for the country. The Cheng family is indeed concerned about the country’s development and hopes for its prosperity. But personally, I hope this investment can also benefit you.”

"Haha, thank you, thank you, Jianwen, thank you so much." Li Yancheng clasped his hands together and gestured towards Cheng Jianwen. "But there's no need to do that. The higher-ups know about our relationship. So, how much are you planning to invest for the first time?"

“My father and I discussed it, and we agreed that we should build a garment factory here.”

Starting with light industry is normal. In the near future, most Hong Kong businessmen who come here to invest and build factories will start with garment factories. The investment is small, the returns are quick, workers are easy to train, and they don't need high professional skills or complicated production lines. All they need is a sewing machine, and it's suitable for both men and women.

Labor costs are cheap in China, and the raw materials needed to make clothing can be purchased. Land is currently even cheaper. Foreign investors in China can also enjoy tax breaks of varying degrees for a certain period of time. This makes the cost of making a garment extremely low, giving them a cost advantage when selling it elsewhere.

Therefore, many of the overseas businessmen who invested in the mainland in the early stages invested in garment factories. Cheng Jianwen's statement was not unexpected for Li Yancheng.

He remained silent, waiting for the second young master of the Cheng family to continue.

"Investing in a garment factory doesn't cost much. Even if you build a larger factory, two or three million US dollars would be enough."

Hearing this, Li Yancheng remained silent, believing that Cheng Jianwen would definitely have more to say.

really……

"I also plan to build a home appliance factory to produce televisions, VCRs, tape recorders, washing machines, refrigerators..."

I rub!

Cheng Jianwen's next words almost made Li Yancheng's eyes pop out.

He had expected the Cheng family's first investment to be substantial, but he never anticipated such a pleasant surprise.

If you were to actually invest in a factory that produces all kinds of home appliances, the investment would be substantial, easily amounting to tens of millions of US dollars.

That's enough, that's absolutely enough.

Although the old patriarch of the Cheng family had told him before that the Cheng Group's first investment in China would definitely be substantial and that advanced production lines would be introduced, the old man had already retired and, apart from still holding some shares in the Cheng Group, did not hold any other position.

Investing in China requires a board vote. The old man can share his opinions with his son and grandson, but whether they accept them or not is another matter.

So when the old master of the Cheng family told him that day, he didn't take it too seriously. But it was different when Cheng Jianwen said it. An investment of twenty or thirty million US dollars was a very large investment in this era.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Yancheng nodded and said, "Thank you. This thank you is not for me personally, but for the country. Although I am but a nobody and cannot speak for the country."

“Brother, we’re family, so let’s not be formal. And I won’t hide it from you. The reason Cheng’s is willing to invest in China isn’t because we have too much money to burn, but because we genuinely believe we can achieve something and trust that our investment will yield good returns.”

"You're absolutely right about that. You're willing to build a factory here because you're attracted by the current low costs in China. You plan to ship the products overseas by sea, right?"

"That's right, the leaders of the commerce department and local governments think so too."

"Have you ever considered that the products you manufacture will be in short supply domestically?"

???

Cheng Jianwen looked at his brother sitting across from him speechlessly. He really wanted to ask, "Brother, do you know what you're saying?"

He believes that some of the clothing can be sold in major cities in China, but he is even more convinced that the majority will have to be sold overseas. Given the domestic consumption level, there simply isn't enough people to buy their clothing.

Needless to say, home appliances were also a big concern. Although his brother's family had everything, including a TV, refrigerator, washing machine, tape recorder, and ceiling fan, he also knew that a family like his brother's was definitely among the very small group of people in China.

Most people only earn a few dozen yuan a month. Do you think you can buy all those things with that little bit of money? You're kidding me.

He simply did not believe that ordinary Chinese people had that kind of spending power.

It's important to understand that household appliances such as televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines are not affordable for every family in Europe and America, let alone in a poor country like China.

Judging from his ghost-like expression, Li Yancheng knew what he was thinking.

He didn't explain, but just smiled faintly and said, "It hasn't happened yet, so it's pointless for me to say anything now. You'll find out when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jianwen frowned slightly. He realized that the older brother opposite him seemed very confident in what he had said, which piqued his interest.

"Brother, why do you think that the demand for those home appliances produced will be insufficient?"

"It's no use saying anything more now," Li Yancheng waved his hand. "Once your factory goes into production, you'll know whether what I said is true or false."

If we start building the factory now, it will take at least two or three years before it officially goes into production. Although there has been no uniform wage increase in China during these two or three years and everyone's income is low, the purchasing power will be truly astonishing once people can buy whatever they want.

Li Yancheng had witnessed it firsthand in his previous life. And this wasn't even a big city like Beijing. In the department stores, you could buy those unplanned items without coupons. Good heavens, the crowds were enormous, as if the money was free. Everyone was grabbing them. Large items like televisions, bicycles, radios, and tape recorders—you could sell them without coupons. Just take a few items from the warehouse and sell them all.

You have to use connections and find someone you know to buy things with real money, is that even acceptable?

Of course, this scene hasn't happened yet, and no one would believe it if it were told. No one would believe that the seemingly poor Chinese people have such strong purchasing power that they can sell out even motorcycles, let alone other household items.

Seeing that Li Yancheng was unwilling to say more, Cheng Jianwen could only suppress his doubts.

In their plan, at most 10% to 20% of the products produced in the factory will be sold domestically, with the rest being exported.

(End of this chapter)