Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 437 The Entangling Master

The New Year holiday is coming to an end soon. Tomorrow is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and it will be time to go back to work. There will only be four or five days of holiday, so Zhou Fengnian won't be able to rest for very long.

For someone like him, getting ten days off a year is considered pretty good.

If you really want to take a break, you can. As long as Zhou Fengnian lowers his mental hurdle a bit, he can let things slide for a few more days, regardless of the reports from below or the progress of research and development.

However, his current position is too high and he enjoys too good a treatment, so Zhou Fengnian himself feels embarrassed if he really relaxes.

Moreover, during the Spring Festival, Zhou Fengnian had a long break and even played mahjong all day.

I won over a thousand yuan from my eldest brother Zhou Weitian and second brother Zhou Jia'an, over two thousand yuan from my father, and finally a little over four thousand yuan from Zhou Xianyang and his brothers.

Zhou Fengnian has a photographic memory and excellent eyesight, making him incredibly skilled at mahjong.

After another self-draw, Zhou Xianzhe quickly said, "I'm not playing anymore, I can't beat Uncle San."

Zhou Xianrui also spoke up, saying, "Third brother, we can't stay with you. Third uncle is too powerful; even the three of us combined can't beat him."

Zhou Xianyang sighed upon hearing this, his face showing resentment; he still wanted to win all of his father's money.

"Mahjong is a game of strategy and intelligence; you're far from being able to beat me!"

Zhou Fengnian said with a smile that these kids were trying to collude to win his money; with his eyesight and memory, it was like he had X-ray vision.

Finally, when everyone stopped playing, Zhou Yan happily put away the money, thus ending the mahjong competition at home.

Zhou Yan was overjoyed to have won more than 7,000 yuan in one afternoon, which was equivalent to ten months of Zhou Fengnian's salary.

In the years before, their family had the highest savings, but now, after the reform and opening up, Zhou Fengnian's family is considered relatively poor compared to his brothers.

"Alright, you guys have fun, we need to go back."

Zhou's father said, "Your mother and I need to tidy up the house when we get back, and then we'll wish the other villagers a Happy New Year. The factory will start operating the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, then be careful on the road, and give me a call when you arrive."

Zhou Fengnian said, "Dad, don't forget what I told you, bring Mom to Beijing in March."

The serum injection at the Institute of Biological Cells is scheduled for him in March; Zhou's mother will be injected first then.

By this time next year, there will be more second-generation cell evolution serum being produced, and new serums can be developed, with more slots available for allocation.

Based on current scientific research progress, this experiment is very likely to be popularized among the general public in 20 or 30 years.

Mr. Zhou waved his hand and said, "I know. When I get back, I'll have the chili sauce factory recruit people, just like you said."

Although the old man's health has improved and he can continue to work hard, he is not omnipotent after all, and he can't do everything in finance and sales anymore.

Furthermore, Zhou Fengnian also discussed with his father the matter of purchasing agricultural products, organizing centralized production, order-based procurement, and enabling farmers to engage in large-scale planting.

They will definitely buy it anyway, and the orders are for at least five years, with a decent purchase price, so farmers can make some money.

When Zhou's father heard this, he immediately agreed. He said he wanted to save more money for his great-grandchildren, but in reality, he didn't need to work so hard.

Each of Zhou Xianyang's brothers has their own business, and they can earn nearly 100 million yuan a year if they are not wealthy. Why would a seventy-year-old man help their sons accumulate wealth?

Moreover, Zhou's father was also from a farming background, and when he heard that it could help farmers, he didn't think much about it at all; in fact, his purchase price was not low to begin with, but he just didn't think about ordering planting.

This method can be used safely in Beijing and the Yanhe area. Zhou Fengnian still has influence, and if anything goes wrong, he can resolve it with a word.

Last year, Mr. Zhou managed to revive the old Zhou's chili sauce factory to some extent. If he wanted to do it well, it would be quite easy. Unfortunately, the previous group of people were really incompetent!

They ruined a perfectly good chili sauce factory; they don't care because it's not their own.

With the new chili sauces from Lao Zhou's Chili Sauce Factory, they can definitely satisfy most people's tastes, after all, they were developed by Zhou Fengnian, and there are many varieties.

Next, we can just focus on production. There's no need to worry about distribution channels; Zhou Xianyang and his brothers can handle that perfectly well.

After Zhou's father left, his eldest and second eldest brothers' families also left to go home. They went back to prepare for the busy work and had a long rest. The restaurant and factory needed to be prepared in advance to open.

------

"Notice from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Regarding the Removal of Comrade Cai Hongqiao from Office"

On the second day after the start of the project, this news, along with another notice appointing Cai Hongqiao as vice president, spread throughout the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Many people were shocked, never expecting that Cai Hongqiao would eventually become vice president.

He was qualified in all aspects, but some people were more senior than him and had a good relationship with Dean Wu.

But this time he still couldn't beat Cai Hongqiao.

Many people were unwilling, but since the appointment notices had arrived, they had no choice but to accept them silently.

After the announcement was finished, Dean Wu spoke up, saying, "Alright, now that the organization has made the announcement, we hope Comrade Hongqiao will fully support the development of the Academy of Sciences in the future."

After making some necessary remarks, Dean Wu also took the opportunity to adjust the division of labor, reorganizing the affairs of the three deans.

Zhou Fengnian's responsibilities have become more streamlined. Now, apart from approving and formulating research projects, his main tasks are the research projects he is in charge of.

This will save him a lot of time. Otherwise, in the past, he would have been leading a research team in the lab when Qian Zhi would call him.

Not answering isn't enough; both sides are important matters.

That is, Zhou Fengnian. While others were eager to seize power for themselves, he kept pushing it away.

Cai Hongqiao is now practically the first hurdle in the Chinese Academy of Sciences' administrative system. Only after he approves something will it be shown to President Wu. If President Wu trusts Cai Hongqiao, the vice president, then he almost doesn't even need to look at it.

When Cai Hongqiao walked out of the conference room, he couldn't suppress the wide grin on his face, but after a while, he calmly returned to his office.

He hadn't forgotten Zhou Fengnian's request for a diligent vice dean, and Cai Hongqiao also knew some rumors that the position of vice dean was supposedly proposed by Zhou Fengnian.

Without Zhou Fengnian's proposal, the entire Chinese Academy of Sciences would only have one president and one vice president, and there would be no second vice president.

Appointing a deputy usually involves a lot of procedures, but these procedures were all completed during the Chinese New Year period.

Although Zhou Fengnian and his colleagues were on holiday, others were working overtime, just at a slightly faster pace.

After the meeting, as Zhou Fengnian was about to return to his office, he saw Qian Zhi waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Zhou Fengnian went up to him and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

"Boss, Director Dang is here to see you."

"Sigh," Zhou Fengnian couldn't help but scratch his head upon hearing the name, then turned to ask, "Did you tell him I went to a meeting?"

Qian Zhi lowered his head sheepishly and said, "He wanted to come into the room to find you, but in my haste I said you were in a meeting in the conference room. Boss, should I go and tell him now that you went to conduct research elsewhere?"

“What’s the use of saying this now? Wouldn’t that be treating Dang Zhihui like a child?”

After Zhou Fengnian finished speaking, he had no choice but to walk towards his office.

Upon entering the room, Zhou Fengnian saw the person sitting on the sofa and said, "Qian Zhi, why didn't you even prepare a cup of tea? Quickly pour a cup of hot tea, or I'll hold you responsible if Director Dang gets cold."

Qian Zhi quickly replied, "Yes, sir, I'll go prepare right away."

"Vice President Zhou, no need, no need, it's my own choice not to drink."

Director Dang waved his hand and said with a smile, "I had an upset stomach from drinking too much tea. I had already drunk quite a bit before I came. Secretary Qian, pour Vice Dean Zhou a cup. Never mind, I'll do it."

Then Dang Zhihui stepped forward and took over the tea-pouring job from Qian Zhi, no matter how much Qian Zhi tried to persuade him.

Zhou Fengnian sighed and waved for Qian Zhi to leave.

After Dang Zhihui placed the tea on the table in front of Zhou Fengnian, he moved a stool and sat down opposite Zhou Fengnian.

"Director Dang, just tell me what you need. I'll grant any reasonable requests. You mentioned last time that you were short of money and manpower, and I've already taken care of those for you."

Zhou Fengnian couldn't help but say that Dang Zhihui was a real veteran in scientific research, and the shrewd smile on his face made Zhou Fengnian unable to vent his anger.

Dang Zhihui chuckled and said, "Vice Dean Zhou, I have no choice. Our research is currently stuck on the calculation stage, but the supercomputing center in Beijing is already overcrowded. Do you think it's possible for our institute to build its own?"

"Let's be realistic, don't ask for an exorbitant amount."

Before Dang Zhihui could finish speaking, Zhou Fengnian waved his hand to interrupt, saying, "Several universities have applied but haven't agreed. Your research institute has no more than two hundred people in total, and you're being given a separate position? The others will cause a huge uproar when they find out."

"Then let us use it more often. Vice Dean Zhou, you should write a note and at least double the amount."

Dang Zhihui shrewdly counted on his fingers: "Vice President Zhou, you have a background in computer research and development, so a note from you will definitely work. I don't ask for too much, just give me twice as much time as I do now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Fengnian sighed and waved his hand, not knowing what to say.

"Vice Dean Zhou, we are in a real hurry."

"Everyone says that the old city and the surrounding Yanhe River area are just like that, but the research institutes and university project teams combined have a couple hundred people in line."

Zhou Fengnian said to Dang Zhihui, "Director Dang, please try to understand. We really can't squeeze any more in. After all, we're already very fortunate to have one staff member for three regions."

Currently, apart from the Northwest and Northeast, dozens of research project groups share one space in the rest of the region.

There are only so many supercomputing centers in the country. Right now, we are in the stage of explosive growth in scientific research. Project teams are being established one after another, and most of them still need computers to perform calculations and experiments.

Moreover, project teams from Henan Province and Shandong Province will also come to Sijiu City to apply for and queue up, since they are relatively close to this place.

"Yes, yes, we certainly understand, but Vice Dean Zhou, please try to understand us too."

Dang Zhihui continued with an awkward smile, saying that no matter what Zhou Fengnian said, he would just stay put.

Seeing this, Zhou Fengnian pointed to his watch and said, "Well, I have something to do later, I'll be going now."

"Okay, then I'll go with you to take a look."

Dang Zhihui stood up as well, and before Zhou Fengnian could even speak, he said, "Vice President Zhou, don't worry, I know the policy. I definitely won't get off the bus then. I won't worry about anything that doesn't concern me."

"You're resorting to dishonest tactics again, Director Dang."

"How could that be? I just wanted to learn more from Vice Dean Zhou. As a fellow researcher, I have immense respect for you."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Fengnian waved and walked out of the house.

However, Dang Zhihui actually followed, and even jogged up to him to help Zhou Fengnian open the door.

Zhou Fengnian took a deep breath, looked at Dang Zhihui for a while, then turned back to his desk, wrote a note for him, and said, "There are still vacant supercomputers at the International Exchange Center. You can go there; they're idle anyway."

"Over there? Is that alright, Vice Dean Zhou?"

Dang Zhihui quickly remembered, but asked with some concern, "Isn't that area specifically for international exchanges and receiving foreign researchers? What if we use it?"

"You know that, yet you still keep bothering me. Where am I supposed to find the time for you? Besides, I have the order I gave you, so why are you still afraid to use it?"

Zhou Fengnian paused for a moment, then continued, "Either keep it as is, or you can use this."

"Then we'll use this one."

Dang Zhihui was not a cowardly person. With someone higher up to support him, what was there to be afraid of? "I heard this is the latest supercomputer. We're really lucky to be able to use it."

"Not a single piece of information can be leaked, and if other project teams find out, it will be canceled immediately; also, it must be cleaned up after use, not a single speck of dust can be left."

After Zhou Fengnian finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "I'm really scared of you. Now go."

"Oh, thank you so much, boss."

After saying that, Dang Zhihui grinned and left.

After everyone left, Zhou Fengnian sighed. This guy could really hold his own for a whole day; although he was a few years older than him, his willpower was as firm as that of an ascetic.

He kept pestering me, and I could even go to his house for a free meal and a night's stay.

Sending him to the 'external exhibition window' is somewhat risky, but Zhou Fengnian can handle that risk.

Moreover, he reviewed this year's exchange plan last year and found that only seven groups of guests would be coming, with the first group arriving in more than forty days.

We can just have them clean up the scene later.

Zhou Fengnian was a little worried that other project teams would also find out and then come to him for a note.

He can manage if a few people go in, but if a whole group goes in, it won't work. In that case, Zhou Fengnian will have no choice but to bring Dang Zhihui and the others back as well.

Dang Zhihui and his colleagues were from the Institute of Materials Science. When Zhou Fengnian returned before the Lunar New Year, he was already thinking about providing more research support in this area next year.

So, taking advantage of the year-end meeting, he allocated a lot of support to them; if the progress there is slow, he will make time to go and check on it later.

(End of this chapter)