Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 437 [Circulating Change]

The joint inspection lasted three days. As a project strongly promoted by the top leadership, there was no resistance, and a smooth journey was inevitable.

On the first day, they surveyed the terrain, learned about Dongyang's local customs and existing industrial structure, and by the second day, the project approval process had already been finalized in the county government building. By the third day, some documents had already been taken back to Jinling for filing.

In the past few days, news of a big shot coming to Dongyang has been subtly sensed by the locals. It wasn't as dramatic as closing the roads, but the convoy was like a long dragon, and it was all high-end public buses. The locals aren't blind.

The delegation also visited the old development zone, which greatly excited the local entrepreneurs.

They couldn't get any tangible benefits from the inspection team, but the feeling that "Dongyang is about to take off" was real enough.

On the third day, as the inspection was coming to a close, Lu Bu specifically wanted to visit Maofang Middle School to see what kind of place had produced two top scholars, a writer, and especially a prodigy like Zhai Da.

At Maofang Middle School, which was still on winter break, all school leaders and staff were on duty to give a warm welcome.

Zhai Da led the group on a tour of the campus. It was his first time doing this since returning from the Spring Festival, and he found it all very novel.

It is indeed much better than before.

When Lu Bu learned that Shen Rui, who had been accompanying the inspection team for the past few days and had offered many constructive suggestions that had left a deep impression on him, was a political teacher at the school, he was quite surprised.

Zhai Da's exceptional ability to judge character has once again been proven.

Or rather, it's about their strong ability to recruit people.

Even the most ordinary person will always encounter some "outstanding people" in their life, but it is extremely difficult to unite them in one's life and career.

It requires both ability and courage.

In particular, when Zhai Da first met many people, he did not appear in a "high position" manner; his personal character and affability were also indispensable.

After they had finished looking around, the group headed towards the school gate. Lu Qinqian, thinking that they would have to take a bus again, said, "Where is the restroom? I need to use the restroom."

Upon hearing this, Principal Wang and the leadership of Maofang Middle School immediately froze.

Including Zhai Da
Principal Wang quickly said, "Director Lu, let's go back to the teaching building. There's a private restroom for teachers on the top floor."

Lu Bu looked back at the teaching building a few hundred meters away and at the fact that there was no elevator, then shook his head and said, "No need to go through all that trouble, there's one right next to the playground."

"Oh, that one."

Unfortunately, as they were talking, the group had already headed that way. Did they need the principal's approval just to use the restroom?

The toilet was so big that the others didn't think much of it and decided to go in together to relieve themselves. When traveling with an inspection team, they also needed to take care of their personal needs in a timely manner; otherwise, they wouldn't have the nerve to make the convoy wait for them to use the toilet.

Zhai Da made one last effort: "How about you go one by one?"

He wasn't sure whether Lu should open the large or small window.

Lu Bu laughed: "Making things so complicated, do you expect me to monopolize the restroom?"

Zhai Da: But it has a panoramic sunroof inside.
Sure enough, Lu Bu's smile vanished once he went inside.

The "big" opening is a long, unbroken line, so I won't go into detail. The "small" opening is also a long, unbroken line, with no obstructions.

The mayor of Qian City glanced at the director of the provincial development and reform commission, who in turn glanced at the director of the science and technology bureau.

No one zipped up the zipper first.

The harsh conditions weren't a big deal for him; he's not young anymore, and he's been through the same thing before.
This sudden openness caught me a little off guard.
When you reach middle age, do you suddenly feel the need to pull out a weapon and compete?
After a long silence, Lu Bu said, "Actually, I just came to wash my hands. You guys continue."

"Actually, I just came to wash my hands."

"My hands were sticky too."

A group of bigwigs filed in, and then filed out.
Zhai Da sighed and looked at Principal Wang of Maofang Middle School.

So, shouldn't we spend our money wisely?

It turned out that Principal Wang was not sad at all, but rather quite happy!
The principal glanced meaningfully at the Dongyang County leadership team, whose faces were grim, not far away.

Zhai Da:
This chicken neck company is probably trying to get more funding through this!
Goodness, so the principal is only in the atmosphere!

------

Hongqi Department Store, Liangpi (cold skin noodles) every day.

Before Lu left, Zhai Da finally brought him here, but it was just the two of them.

This is also an opportunity to have a private conversation before the end of the visit.

Lu and his entourage will leave tonight, taking a flight back to Beijing at 9 pm. The second-in-command from the scattered provinces will stay a few more days.

Zhai Da ordered a large portion for Lu Bu, and three portions for himself, before sitting down to sharpen his chopsticks.

There were a few other diners in the restaurant. Some of them might have recognized Zhai Da, but they obviously couldn't guess who was sitting opposite him.

He looks quite imposing; he must be a bureau chief, right?

Zhai Da explained, "This is the best liangpi (cold skin noodles) in Dongyang. There are older ones, but they don't taste as authentic."

Lu Qinjian showed no signs of discomfort and skillfully began rubbing the disposable chopsticks.

At his level, life isn't necessarily that "unstable." If he were in northern Beijing, he might occasionally grab a bowl of noodles with soybean paste at a small shop while rushing around.

In other words, when going to the grassroots level in an official capacity, the pomp and circumstance will increase with the degree of "remoteness".

The farther and higher.

It's one thing to be in northern Beijing, another to go to Shanghai, but coming to a small county like this is sometimes beyond his control.

When he doesn't put on a serious face, his subordinates think, "The leader is testing me." But when he does put on a serious face, they feel uneasy, thinking something terrible has happened.

It may take two years for more specific regulations to be introduced before it can be used as a shield.

Therefore, Lu Qinjian had no problem with eating cold noodles every day. As a big shot who was selected from the ranks of "educated youth", his life experience had a strong influence on society, and he had also spent time in the cowshed.

"The situation in Dongyang is better than I expected, and they are very accepting of your return. Looking back now, perhaps choosing this place was a good move."

Zhai Da praised, "Dongyang has a suitable environment, which was also built by you, Lu Bu, allowing our efforts to penetrate to the grassroots level, so that I can enjoy all the benefits I'm entitled to in this small county."

"Big bowls of cold noodles, big bowls of rice noodles, and big bowls of beef tendon noodles are all here!"

Looking at the three overflowing dishes in front of him, Zhai Da asked in confusion, "Why are the portions so much bigger than before?"

The proprietress laughed and said, "If even three servings aren't enough for Mr. Zhai, how can I save face? Besides, we can offer extra portions for free."

Zhai Da: But the problem is, with things prepared like this, I can't eat three servings anymore.
Zhai Da pushed one of the cold noodles in front of Lu Qinjian: "Then don't bring the other one. It's not good to waste food. Just give this one to Minister Lu."

The aunt didn't say much, and just smiled and agreed.

However, after returning home, she quietly chatted with her husband in the kitchen at the food preparation area in that corner.

"Did you ask? Is he a high-ranking official?"

"How can you ask that? Wouldn't that make you a laughingstock? It would be a disgrace to the people of Dongyang."

“That’s true.” “But I heard Mr. Zhai mention ‘ruble’! He must be a Russian businessman.”

"Do Russians look like this?"

"You don't understand, there are people over there who look just like us."

The kitchen owner glanced at the table in the distance and subconsciously said, "You mean, Xiao Zhai?"

The older woman corrected her, "Call him Boss Zhai. 'Little Zhai' is not someone you can call him. Are you even acquainted with him?"

"We didn't meet in person, and besides, he ate here since elementary school. Don't interrupt. What benefits do you think it would be for us if Boss Zhai invested back in Dongyang? Would our business be better? I heard it's in the Sunmazhuang area, which is quite far from us. If there are any benefits, they would be for the government and bigger bosses. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with our shop."

The older woman gave her husband a disdainful look: "I don't know anything more."

Kitchen owner: "What are you so smug about??"

"I don't know if it's good for our little shabby shop, but it's definitely good for Dongyang."

"Does selling cold noodles your whole life really make you think you're a capitalist? We're just ordinary people."

The aunt laughed:

"If our hometown is good, then we are good."

Zhai Da and Lu Bu discussed some miscellaneous matters, especially those that could only be discussed in private conversations.

After finishing all the cold noodles, the two got up to leave, as Lu Bu had to catch a flight that evening.

"You know what, the food at this little shop is pretty good."

"I would never lie to you, no matter who else I lie to!"

The two chatted and laughed as they prepared to pay the bill, but as expected, the proprietress refused to accept the money again.

"Boss Zhai, come eat whenever you want, it's free!"

Before Zhai Da could say anything, Lu Qinjian objected, laughing and saying, "That won't do. Today is my treat. Boss lady, you can give him a discount next time."

As he spoke, he pulled out a fifty-yuan note from his wallet and handed it over.

The proprietress was too embarrassed to offer much advice to a stranger, and she didn't try to stop the unfamiliar hand. She just looked at Zhai Da with a bit of a loss.

Zhai Da smiled and comforted her, "You're right, Auntie, you can give me a free meal when I sneak in alone."

He deliberately lowered his voice as he spoke, "We can't let anyone know."

The woman gave a dry laugh, but in the end she accepted the money, opened the drawer and rummaged through it, finally giving him 36.5 yuan in change.

"Alright then, Mr. Zhai, come often and let outsiders try our Dongyang liangpi!"

Lu Qinjian was about to take the change when Zhai Da suddenly took it away, leaving the big shot stunned.

Shouldn't this change be given to me?

Does Dongyang have any special customs?

Zhai Da, clutching a handful of loose change, stared wide-eyed as a zigzag line appeared in his vision, pointing to a twenty-yuan bill that was neither new nor old.

"Congratulations, host, we have discovered the green equipment [Revolving Coins]: Twenty yuan has returned to someone's hands after going through many twists and turns, but it now carries many different 'thoughts'."

Ownership: Owned, activated.

"Equipment Effect 1 → Circulation: The wear and tear and aging of this banknote are greatly reduced, and holders will tend to use it for transactions. However, it is difficult for it to leave the Dongyang area through normal circulation, and it will always remain in the local area unintentionally."

"Equipment Effect 2 → People's Blessing: When a natural or man-made disaster is about to occur in the local area, the current holder will have a vague sense of it and be guided to participate in it. If it is deliberately intercepted, it will be ineffective."

"Special effect → After each normal circulation, a small amount of thought will accumulate on the top of the banknote, which will increase the speed of the local economic cycle to an extremely small extent. The range is not related to geography, but to the psychological cognition within the region."

"Unlocking Task: 100 normal transactions (1/100)"

"Note: No need for divine blessing, the people will be blessed. This is a regional exclusive equipment. Before mobile payment completely takes over, let's get it circulating and accumulating energy!"

Zhai Da remained silent for a long time:

so.
The 20 yuan I left in front of my maternal grandfather's grave has been used by someone to buy cold noodles?!

After a long while, he sighed and looked at the small refrigerator next to him.

Between Assam milk tea and iced black tea, I chose Six Walnuts.

Two bottles.

Then he handed the 20 back: "Add this one too."

Although she had smaller denominations, the shop owner seemed a bit nervous and didn't notice these details, so she gave change again.

Progress: (2/100)

Zhai Da then returned all the change to its rightful owner, Lu Qinjian, along with a bottle of beverage.

He explained, "I was feeling a bit bored and wanted to buy a drink, but I didn't bring any money. Sorry, sorry."

Lu Qinjian waved his hand and said, "It's nothing."

But then it dawned on me: He didn't bring any money to treat me to cold noodles; he really wasn't planning to pay! I thought he was joking.
After a brief incident, the two walked out of the shop together.

In winter, it gets dark quickly. By six o'clock, it's already completely dark outside, especially in the old town where there are few tall buildings. Looking out, all you can see is a pure, undeveloped night sky.

Lu Qinjian stared blankly for a while, when the car that was supposed to pick him up was already parked on the side of the road.

He turned and shook hands with Zhai Da: "President Zhai, please don't see me off at the airport. I'll catch up on some sleep on the way. I probably won't be able to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. I hope we can meet again. I've already heard about the mass production news from your side."

Given the vast industrial applications of silicon carbide power devices, there's no need to worry about orders.

As long as mass production is possible and the cost is right, the road ahead will be smooth.

Zhai Da laughed and said, "There's no ceremony for the groundbreaking ceremony. Let's save the formalities for the celebration later. Don't worry, you'll hear good news from me."

And it might happen faster than anyone imagines.

The two gave each other a loose hug, the kind that shows a close relationship between men, and then Lu Qinjian got into the car that would take him to the airport.

Zhai Da stood at the alley entrance for a moment, pondering whether to go straight home to rest or do something else.
Looking at the familiar roads in the old town, Zhai Da suddenly had an idea: let's go take a look at Sanmao Community, which is not far from Hongqi Shopping Mall.

He took his drink out of his pocket, and without lifting a finger, the pull tab flipped open by itself, making a not-so-crisp metallic sound, before floating into the nearby trash can.

We walked and drank, blending into the somewhat desolate night streets of the county town.
It appears empty, but it is actually full.

　As I mentioned yesterday, I'm rescheduling my leave request for tomorrow.

　　I took the second day off this month to adjust my state and sort out the plot.

　　I will submit a separate leave slip tomorrow.

　　Muah~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)