1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 595 Uncle Yang

By mid-to-late August, the water level in the disaster-stricken areas in East China had basically receded. Following an order from the organization, countless supplies and engineering teams used Dezhou as a transit point and rushed to twenty disaster-stricken cities including Jintan and Danyang.

As the leading city in this aid project, Dezhou, which has become vibrant in the past two years, has become more prosperous. No matter when and where, walking on the street, you can always see rows of various vehicles that are stuck in traffic jams, and countless people from inside and outside the province who are in a hurry but dressed in a bright and beautiful manner. It is obvious that Dezhou, which was first dubbed the "Little Hong Kong in the North" by the media, now has an urban traffic plan that cannot keep up with the suddenly accelerated development speed. The city must be worried about where to raise the funds needed for the expansion.

As expected, due to the sudden emergence of countless opportunities, a large number of foreign population began to pour into a number of cities and counties including Dezhou's main urban area. In just less than a month, the number of new population in Dezhou's main urban area alone reached 13.2. Even if we do not take into account the small township clusters that have begun to rapidly develop in various places, Dezhou's urbanization indicators and permanent population indicators this year can easily reach the minimum requirements of a prefecture-level city.

Of course, with the rapid influx of population, in addition to the fact that the original infrastructure and public service resources of DZ City began to be stretched, the public security of the city, which had been finally controlled to a good level, also fluctuated again. Fortunately, Texas is not a super-large city like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and the local local tyrants have become a loose but organic whole in the two-year "taming" process. Therefore, after a brief commotion, the situation quickly developed in a stable direction without even the need for the city's public security system to swing an iron fist.

What’s interesting is that during this suddenly accelerated integration process, the new influx of workers and residents not only got to experience the “ferocious culture of northwestern Shandong,” but also saw what it means to have a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

This is roughly the story.

As the DZ city's old district shantytown renovation plan had to be slowed down again due to the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas, for the new influx of migrant workers, those urban villages that looked a bit shabby became their first choice for renting houses.

At any time, urban villages, where good and bad people mix together, have never been a safe place. So when the migrant population began to pour in in large numbers, the shanty towns were not only the main battlefield for the confrontation between foreign gangs and local local bosses, but also the focus of attention of the police officers.

After more than half a month of fierce confrontation and rectification, the public security situation in various urban villages was finally under control.

However, the peaceful days barely lasted for a few days before the shanty towns were hit by a series of thefts again, which attracted the great attention of the public security system and nearby local tyrants... As mentioned earlier, due to the times, for the grassroots people, stealing people's money in this era is far more hateful than beating someone into the hospital.

However, once the investigation was underway, it was discovered that what was stolen from each household was not property, but some vegetables and food such as radishes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, etc. in the storage room and cellar... Of course, sometimes one would also find that half of the steamed bun left over from yesterday in the kitchen was inexplicably missing.

To be honest, these thieves were very careful in their finishing touches. They only took a few vegetables each time and piled the vegetables back to their original state when they were done. If it weren't for the fact that it was not the time when every household in Qi and Lu had not yet purchased large quantities of vegetables and food to prepare for the winter, you might not have been able to find them, given the careless character of the people in Qi and Lu.

But unfortunately, the residents who still live in the shantytowns, who are also the workers and citizens at the grassroots level of society, are not well off. There are actually not many vegetables and real goods in the storage rooms and cellars, so the theft of vegetables and food was quickly discovered.

Food is the most important thing for people. In this era when materials are still not abundant, especially in a place like a shantytown, having food stolen from home is really a terrible thing. So a group of local thugs led by Niu Wa quickly took action and locked their targets on a group of guys who held signs all day long, spoke with foreign accents, squatted at various intersections and labor markets during the day, and slept in train stations at night.

These people's behavior is very strange. It is obvious that many of them have found short-term jobs during the day. According to the current custom in Texas, such short-term workers are paid on the same day, and the wages are not low. In other words, they have no money at all. Is it necessary for them to sleep in the train station every day?
And when local tyrants like Niu Wa learned through some channels that these people had rented houses in some shanty towns more than half a month ago, their doubts became even greater.

So, without any hesitation, Niu Wa and the other local thugs went straight to the place where those people had rented the house, and found an excuse to go in and take a look.

Then, there was silence.

The house was not empty; on the contrary, it was packed with people.

Have you seen the staff dormitories of those processing factories in the Yangtze River Delta in the early 2000s?
Yes, it's the kind where a ten-square-meter room is turned into an eight-person room by using bunk beds.

This is the case here, and the situation is even worse. Many rooms have more than ten people living in them, which shows how poor the living environment is.

What’s more, unlike the factory workers’ dormitories, all the people living here are the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled.

From the old man who was hunched over and looked as if he could hardly stand up straight;

Down to the infant who is still in swaddling clothes, howling in his mother's arms;
There are even many disabled people with strange appearances and missing limbs.

If these people had not acted extremely familiar with each other and showed no signs of being controlled, Niu Wa and the others would have almost thought they had accidentally entered a human traffickers' lair.

In fact, Niu Wa and his friends were not unfamiliar with this situation, so after some indirect questioning, they easily understood some basic circumstances.

As expected, these people were disaster victims;
Because their hometown was hit by a disaster and they were left homeless, they had to bring their families to Texas to make a living.

Of course, unlike what one might imagine, these disaster victims came from all over the country, not just from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui.

Although the news has confirmed that the East China flood has left 200 million homeless people in Jiangsu alone, it is obvious that although this flood is called the "East China Flood", in fact the affected areas are far more than just Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. The flood has submerged farmland and destroyed houses, and the number of homeless people is definitely more than 200 million.

and so……

Why would those young men, who were obviously the sons, husbands, and fathers of these old, weak, and disabled people, sleep at the train station;

It is self-evident why residents of the shanty towns lost food in their homes.

Niu Wa, who had fought with others like a wild dog and was bleeding over a few plastic bottles in the trash can two years ago, was very familiar with the scene before him.

So, without any hesitation, he turned around and left, and then told Miss Li, who treated him as her own son, everything.

Then...

Suddenly, some inconspicuous changes began to take place in Texas City.

First, some branches of Mo Mo Bai Chao suddenly got confused and started a street lottery. As long as you can answer a few questions that even a three-year-old child can answer, you will get a free meal... The weird thing is that they seem to like to join the crowd squatting on the street holding signs, and in order not to delay people's job search, they will very considerately pack up four full boxes of meals and two large boxes of rice and send them to the winners, under the pretext of not wanting to ruin their reputation. Even if it is a take-out, the winners must be well fed.

Next, many street job seekers who originally had difficulty finding work due to their accents suddenly had waves of customers in front of them. After asking about their specialties in a fierce manner, they were like the warlords in the old society who were recruiting men everywhere. They kicked them out of the queue and threw them a contract... Most of them were people from various construction teams recruiting, but there were also some companies with fashionable-sounding names, which would at least give them an inexplicable short-term job.

And then……

Many of the remaining thieves suddenly discovered that the owners of the residences they had visited before seemed to have forgotten to lock the doors, and they could easily enter the kitchen and cellar with a slight push.

Moreover, the food left over from yesterday in the kitchen suddenly became abundant. There were steamed buns, dumplings, cooked corn, mixed cold dishes, and everything else. Although they were just ordinary food, they were in large quantities. If one or two were taken away, the host would not notice.
As for the cellar, although there were still not many vegetables in it, they were placed more messily. Potatoes and sweet potatoes were mixed together at random. If you took away a few of them at random, even a god would not notice anything unusual, and it would even save you the trouble of putting things back in place.

The most exaggerated thing is that I don’t know if these Qi and Lu people who speak in a bad tone have the habit of losing things. It is obviously a cellar for storing vegetables, but in an inconspicuous corner, there is a pancake packed in a plastic bag. It must be the food that the owner bought from the street, and it fell here when he was putting the vegetables away... When I touched it, it was still warm.

Once, twice, three times...

Every time he revisited the cellar when he was penniless, he would find pancakes, buns, and even fried dough sticks forgotten in the corner. Even a fool would know that something was wrong.

No one can know what the mood of those who quietly pushed open the cellar to find food is;
But strangely, in many places in Dezhou's main urban area, especially in the old shantytowns, people have suddenly and tacitly formed the habit of not locking the cellar. Even in some shantytowns, if you lock the cellar door, you will be met with contemptuous looks from your neighbors.

As for the merchants in the main urban area, especially the catering merchants in the commercial demonstration zone, they also formed the habit of "not giving money to those who ask for money, but giving enough food to those who beg for food" in a very short period of time. But that is another story.

Of course, this kind of thing has little to do with Yang Mo. His current position determines that he must focus on the big and let go of the small. Even if he knows that this matter is actually another willful collaboration of the store managers of Mo Mo Bai Chao, he will pretend not to know... The positioning of the Mo Mo Bai Chao project in Yang Mo's system is extremely special. As long as those store managers still stick to their original intentions, even if they cross the line from time to time and reversely bundle the resources of other units, it is completely within his tolerance.

………………

In October, the autumn rain began to drizzle again in Texas. Just when many people were worried about whether there would be another heavy rainfall, Yang Mo enthusiastically stretched out his arms in his office and hugged the person in front of him tightly.

"Lao Zhang, I haven't seen you for half a year, and you're still as fat as ever. It looks like you didn't suffer much in Western Xinjiang!"

Yang Mo looked at the chubby face with many sun spots in front of him with a smile, then tilted his head with a look of disgust: "It's just that the smell of leather teeth is too pungent, and you didn't even wash it properly when you came back!"

Zhang Wenshun stared at the guy with an unhappy face: "What do you mean you didn't suffer much?" "I've been eating so much beef and mutton for the past six months that I've had blisters on my mouth every other day, and I've almost got alcoholic liver from drinking so much. The smell of skin and teeth is almost pickled into the meat. I have to wear two weapons behind my waist every time I go out... Do you want to go and try it?"

Yang Mo bared his teeth, then took out a cigarette and handed it over: "Is it so chaotic in Kyrgyzstan?"

Zhang Wenshun rolled his eyes. "What do you think? The situation in the Bear Country is in chaos right now, and Kyrgyzstan is still far from being stable. I have never heard as many noises in my life as I have heard in the past six months. If I hadn't used money to pave the way for myself and hadn't dealt with some local tyrants, and if Shen Xing hadn't sent some people to help, whether I could stand in front of you today would be another matter!"

Yang Mo hummed softly.

The world has never been stable. You cannot feel many things in your country, but once you step out of the border, and in 1991 when the Bear Country was about to officially collapse, it is a different story. So unlike the springboard market that is being gradually rolled out in Mexico as planned, the comprehensive risks of the springboard market in Central Asia are actually much greater, and the work is actually much more difficult to carry out.

Seeing the worry on Yang Mo's face, Zhang Wenshun laughed: "Although it's not very peaceful over there, your initial judgment was correct. There is indeed great potential in Central Asia. We have only tried to build two simple ferry points and sent six or seven batches of goods tentatively, but the harvest is very considerable."

As he spoke, he handed over a document from his briefcase: "Since you, Mr. Yang, urged me to come back this time, it's just right. I'll report on my work over the past six months."

Yang Mo waved his hand: "There are no outsiders in the office, so there is no need to call me Mr. Yang. It seems strange."

As he said this, he took the materials handed over by Zhang Wenshun and began to look through them carefully.

Huh?
After turning to the first page, Yang Mo looked at Zhang Wenshun in surprise, then lowered his head and continued reading.

As of September 9, with Irkeshtam Port as the ferry point and Bishkek as the distribution point, a total of 30 small agricultural vehicles of various types were exported, and undelivered orders for 4400 vehicles were received before December?
The actual sales volume of SUV modified vehicles and modified RVs reached 1170 and 652 respectively, and the undelivered orders before the end of the year were 1950 and 770;
As of September 9, the actual export volume of various canned vegetables, represented by canned white eggplant and canned cucumber, reached 30 million boxes, and the undelivered order volume was 227 million boxes;

The actual export volume of various canned meats, represented by canned chicken and canned marine fish, even exceeded that of canned vegetables, reaching 322 million boxes, and the undelivered orders reached an astonishing 560 million boxes;

As for canned fruits, the export volume was significantly lower than expected. The actual export volume was only 67 boxes, and the number of undelivered orders was only 41 boxes.

A large number of Sino-Kyrgyz joint venture projects such as purple candy, sanitary napkins, leather tanneries, shoe factories, and oil factories are progressing smoothly. Among them, 16 have officially started infrastructure construction. Although the construction time is much longer than in China due to climatic reasons, these joint ventures will be able to go into production smoothly by April or May next year when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming. Then, relying on the channels of the local tyrants and official channels, they will flow into the Bear Country and other Central Asian countries.

Although all of these projects except for the automobile assembly plant are light industrial projects, this is exactly what Yang Mo requires... Unlike the Mexican springboard market, engaging in heavy industrial projects other than automobiles in the economic circulation circle dominated by the Bear Country would undoubtedly be asking for trouble.

In addition, there are many other achievements reported in the document.
There are aspects of channel expansion;

There are official relations to maintain;

Those with financial foreign exchange cooperation (primary);

There are security work related;

There are those related to the construction of logistics system;

There are even some exchanges and purchases of technical information... Of course, these technical information have been screened by relevant departments, and the ones that can be retained and presented to Yang Mo are all technologies suitable for light industrial manufacturing or some chemical fields.

Although these achievements are actually just part of the process, they are work that has been carried out simultaneously; at a time when the Soviet Union is visibly on the verge of collapse, the difficulty of carrying out many tasks is no longer comparable, but no matter how you look at it, such results have been achieved in just over half a year. In addition to lamenting the dividends of the times that future generations cannot even imagine, the work ability of this fat guy in front of him has obviously exceeded Yang Mo's expectations... although he has long known that this guy's comprehensive ability has actually been underestimated.

After closing the report, Yang Mo sighed, "It seems that if the current momentum continues, it should not be impossible to apply to the organization to build one or two bonded warehouses in Western Xinjiang next year or the year after... By then, this line will be completely open."

Zhang Wenshun naturally knew what a bonded warehouse meant, and nodded expectantly: "I hope so, but the situation in the Bear Country and Central Asia is very turbulent right now, and no one can predict what will happen tomorrow. We just have to leave it to fate."

Yang Mo laughed. "It will be turbulent for several years, but I think the situation will eventually develop in a direction that is favorable to us, just as we judged at the time. So it is not wrong to take advantage of this critical window to consolidate the foundation and relationship of this trade transit line, even if the initial investment is larger. Otherwise, when European and American capital begins to flow in in large quantities, we will be passive."

"But you are right. Everyone can see the current situation of the Bear Country. Central Asia is full of uncertainties. You may be fine today, but you may be in a sack tomorrow. That's why I urgently transferred you back... Don't go abroad during this period. If there is anything important, just let your team go there for you. When the situation over there is basically determined, it won't be too late for you to run to Central Asia."

As he spoke, Yang Mo patted the work report in his hand and looked at him with a smile on his face: "Well, you have to stay in China for at least half a year. Are you interested in being a new director for fun? Anyway, with all the achievements you have made, being the director of the External Affairs Department is enough."

Department of External Affairs?
Zhang Wenshun pointed at his nose in disbelief: "Me?"

Unlike the concurrent position of Director of Investment Management Department of Dezhou Urban Property Fund Company, since the operation of Dezhou Urban Property Fund Company is managed by Dahua Company, the position of Director of Investment Management Department is actually somewhat empty. On the contrary, the director of Dahua Company who is related to the business seems to have more foundation.

This is the case for ordinary ministers who are involved in business, let alone a newly established and powerful department like the External Affairs Department?

Yang Mo looked at him with a smile: "Since it is called the External Affairs Department, it is naturally the management department responsible for foreign-related business. You are now the actual person in charge of the Central Asian trade transit line. It is natural for you to be the director of the External Affairs Department 1... Besides, both the First and Second Departments have the right to control the foreign exchange quota. Central Asia is in need of a large amount of foreign exchange turnover. If you don't become the director, aren't you afraid that the work will not be carried out at that time?"

Zhang Wenshun was suddenly moved, but still a little hesitant: "But, I just came back to report on my work. Even if you don't allow me to go abroad during this period, I still have to go back to Xijiang to take charge of the work in the following period. Is it appropriate for me to be the director of the First External Affairs Department?"

Yang Mo laughed: "What's the big deal? Can't we just put the office of External Affairs Department 1 in Xijiang? This kind of thing is not without precedent... Can't you see that I still haven't decided on the personnel organization framework of External Affairs Department 1?"

If Zhang Wenshun still doesn't know that this Department of External Affairs is reserved for him, then he should just find a piece of tofu and kill himself.

After taking a deep look at Yang Mo, he said without any hesitation: "Okay, as long as your Dahua Company officially offers the job, I'll take the position of Director of the External Affairs Department!"

Zhang Wenshun's personnel relationship is not with Dahua Company. He previously went to Dezhou Urban Property Fund Company to serve as the director of the Investment Management Department. He also went there as the acting section chief of Momo Baitou. Therefore, if he wants to be the director of the External Comprehensive Department, he has to go through the procedures... However, he said "issued a letter of appointment" instead of "transferred over", which shows his position.

Yang Mo didn't have a problem with this. If this guy asked him to transfer him from the drilling company, he would look down on this fat guy.

He nodded immediately and said, "Okay, whatever you say. I will hold a board meeting tomorrow to go over this matter."

Seeing this guy talking about such an extremely important personnel appointment as if it were a game of house, Zhang Wenshun's eyes flashed with emotion. To be able to achieve this level in a state-owned enterprise where rules and games are everywhere... Even looking at the domestic situation, this guy is definitely one of the few exceptions.

No wonder...

Thinking of this, Zhang Wenshun showed a bit of strangeness on his face: "By the way, kid, did you forget to fulfill your promise to that person...they even called me!"

???

Yang Mo looked puzzled: "What promise? When have I ever broken my promise?"

Zhang Wenshun carefully discerned his expression, which became even weirder: "You..."

After a long tone, the fat man smacked his lips with a bit of toothache: "Forget it, I don't know the cause and effect of this matter, so I won't argue about it. It just so happens that I brought the person to you... You should talk to the real owner!"

After that, under Yang Mo's puzzled gaze, Zhang Wenshun picked up the mobile phone provided by the company and sent a message to the paging station.

Then in less than two minutes, the office door was knocked open.

When Zhang Wenshun stood up and opened the door, a charming figure appeared in front of Yang Mo, and then greeted him with a smile: "Hello, Uncle Zhang, hello, Uncle Yang!"

Uncle Yang!!!??????
Hearing such an unfamiliar name that he had only heard a few times in his previous life, Yang Mo choked on a mouthful of hot tea...

(End of this chapter)