My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 964 I'll risk my life to drag this big ship along.

The scenery is beautiful, and these two factories are located at opposite ends of this section of the Yangtze River canyon.

The straight "lane" that stretches for two kilometers is only a couple hundred meters wide. It is said to have been the last line of defense for the wartime capital during the War of Resistance against Japan.

The army struggled to traverse the mountain ranges, and the navy couldn't even board large ships.

Only the air force frequently invaded the wartime capital, causing many major bombing and air disasters.

Therefore, the production of anti-aircraft guns and torpedo boats here is also of profound significance.

Now, the two banks are lined with lush, towering greenery.

After soaking in the hot springs and eating fish, we slowly walked up the mountain path behind us, winding for about a kilometer until we reached the mountain viewing platform.

Although the scenery can't compare to the summit of Mount Kuimen, its location is superb.

Without the commanding presence of the summit of Mount Kuimen, it's easier to feel a sense of leisurely tranquility, like gazing at the southern mountains.

Moreover, by following the road behind and taking a detour of several kilometers to transport the anti-aircraft guns up, even bombers would not fare well.

Of course, it has to be one of those old-fashioned bombers from before the 1950s.

Because it is sandwiched between two large factories, the mountaintop viewing platform had reinforced concrete walkway railings with a grid pattern in the 1980s.

This unique landscape, where one can immerse oneself in nature and remain unaffected by the upheavals of the times, is indeed a wonderful place to enjoy one's retirement.

Both companies have a sanatorium on this site, and the guesthouses, which are basically not open to the public, only accept personnel within the system.

Of course, the best small building was reserved for the leaders of the bidding bureau, and the chef even asked what dishes they wanted for dinner.

The inexperienced foreign technicians who followed were all amazed by the carefree, idyllic resort atmosphere.

Who says mainlanders don't understand cultural enjoyment? They're just not at a high enough level.

Everyone followed Wei Dong's example and sat in a rattan chair in the pine forest, listening to the chirping of insects and birds, drinking tea and chatting.

Those with good sense even helped by pulling out extension cords so the proprietress could easily open her folding laptop and chatter away while casually typing on the keyboard.

Only the logistics staff continued along the road into the mountains, working tirelessly day and night. It was said that the sanatoriums for the petroleum system and other units were only two or three miles away.

You must choose a feng shui treasure land for your home.

In their minds, there is no such thing as land ownership or resettlement; everything belongs to the state. If a state-owned enterprise wants to choose a sanatorium in a scenic area, it is only natural that the working class should be in charge.

The factory's tens of thousands of employees are eagerly anticipating this.

Wei Dong had been ambiguous about this change for several years, but the truth will finally come out this year.

Therefore, he didn't mind using this tactic to test the progress of the changes.

At this time, Xiao Cong was probably around one and a half years old, and it was the first time he had played so wildly in the countryside. He also tried to poke, kick, and hit his older sister.

Unexpectedly, even the little tiger and the big mastiff had to give way to him, but the princess wouldn't indulge him.

Even Dong Xueqing had to be polite to her at all times and dared not provoke her. Now, after being provoked by the little one a few times, she didn't hesitate to give Chongchong a smooth kick in the chest.

The silly boy, who already had a bit of a tyrannical tendency in the factory area, took the opportunity to fall to his knees.

He immediately started wailing at his parents, but his mother immediately pretended that there was some amazing text on the screen and studied it intently.

The father, slumped in his wicker chair lost in thought, was annoyed when disturbed and said impatiently, "So what if you hit him? What's with all the crying for a grown man!"

He also praised his wife's attitude: "I told you that's the right thing to do, otherwise no one will be able to control our son when he grows up, and he'll become a spendthrift sooner or later."

Dong Xueqing said meaningfully, "Hmm, did Miss Qin say when she plans to have children? I'd be even happier if we could raise Xiaodie together."

Wei Dong immediately changed the subject, saying, "Hey, you're working, why are you bringing her up?"

Dong Xueqing chuckled to herself, "Work? This morning, Miss Qin called to ask if I knew Miss Zhang. It seems like I haven't heard that name in a few years."

Wei Dong immediately felt as if he had been struck by lightning: "What are you all talking about! International calls are so expensive, why are you discussing such trivial things!"

But after thinking it over, he explained, "It has nothing to do with me anymore. Didn't she want to go abroad? If she makes money, then she can go. She also made a lot of contributions to the establishment of the Shanghai branch. But if someone who has left wants to come back, what will happen to the others? So I'd rather pay to buy her out. She can work with the overseas company, but it's impossible to go back to the previous situation." Actually, when he said this, Dong Xueqing's expression changed. Naturally, she was thinking of her sister. She grabbed her husband's arm with both hands and shook it gently, as if she was comforting him, or as if she was apologizing.

I had said before that I would not talk about this anymore, and only my tender feelings remained unspoken.

Wei Dong understood, and he clenched his fingers tightly in return: "Actually, your sister and I are from the older generation who have suffered a lot. We don't have that much love or affection. We're just living together. I'm happy that we can support her to see the world and make peace with herself when things get better. But leaving still bothers me a lot. Let's live well. There are so many things to do."

Dong Xueqing nodded obediently with her bright, sparkling eyes.

They stopped looking at the computer and let Wei Dong slump in the rattan chair. The couple would spend their whole lives watching the clouds drift over the distant mountains and the river rushing below. It was a feeling that even the gods wouldn't trade.

But it's clear that long-distance call fees are worthless to some people.

Xiaodie kicked her younger brother in the face again, sending Xiaocong sprawling backwards in a "swan landing" motion. Just then, the rarely relaxed guard came out of the back building carrying a red telephone: "A leader is looking for you."

The fact that they were able to call here so precisely makes their reason quite clear: "You've visited several shipyards, what are your impressions?"

To Wei Dong's surprise, he said, "When did you get involved in shipyard affairs?"

Old Fang put it simply: "The Bidding and Investment Bureau is under the Ministry of Transport. I came here to deal with the docks and containers. Given the relationship between Guoji and Guoyuan, do you think I have any connection with the shipyard?"

Wei Dongcai asked, "What did they say to you?"

Old Fang may be retired, but he's not giving up on his work: "The shipyards are all screaming for help. You may not know, but in the past ten years or so, the entire shipbuilding industry, including the world shipbuilding industry, has experienced a trade downturn due to the Suez Canal Crisis and the Iran-Iraq War. Shipyards have overcapacity and no orders from the international market, let alone domestic ones. So in 1982, all eight ministries of machinery were reformed into relevant ministries, except for the Sixth Ministry of Machinery, which was directly transformed into the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. They were in a great hurry."

The automobile industry corporation that Wei Dong knew was only under the First Ministry of Machine Building, which was the Ministry of Machinery Industry after the 1982 Reform. The shipbuilding industry was separated and corporatized, which was the most urgent need for marketization.

"But it seems that there are no changes in the factories?" In any case, within the range that Wei Dong could see, only the shore machine factory related to Zhong Zhenhua showed some signs of life.

As for the others, it's like letting Weidong sit on the hilltop next to the shipyard right now; if the fire doesn't reach his feet, how can anything change?

All reform policies are just superficial changes for grassroots levels, only concerned with working hours and the availability of sanatoriums.

Old Fang said helplessly, "We have no money and no orders. We finally got some shipbuilding orders from the private sector, but they were snatched up by private companies."

Wei Dong suddenly realized that the company in Wanqing had been secretly operating under a foreign trade license for nearly ten years, and all the profits they had made in recent years had been invested in shipbuilding. They had indeed taken advantage of the booming private shipbuilding industry in the Anhui and Jiangsu regions.

They built ships weighing 100,000 to 200,000 tons at a small shipyard, offering good quality at low prices.

Maybe... In any case, he's offended too many people.

"I saw your scheme to get Lao Wang involved in the Jiangzhou Yishan Real Estate Project. It's a good idea. China Merchants Bank is essentially an investment guarantor, which can attract a wide range of investments from Hong Kong and overseas, while also preventing the traceability of overseas investment funds. I understand your intentions. So, through this method, China Merchants Bank can also take the opportunity to participate in the investment of the Shanghai Deep-Water Port. We can use higher bank wealth management interest rates to attract Hong Kong and overseas funds, and invest in and control the deep-water port. As long as the revenue from the container terminal exceeds this interest rate, won't China Merchants Bank make money?"

Wei Dong chuckled: "This is just a legalized form of illegal fundraising. It's just that you and I both believe that the container terminal is bound to be a hot project. This fundraising isn't the kind of illegal fundraising that uses money from later investors to pay high interest rates for earlier investors. It's a legitimate financial capital business. Okay, that's exactly what I was saying. I don't want too many personal names involved in the Shanghai deep-water port project. It would be best if the bidding bureau came."

Now he increasingly feels that the Bidding and Investment Bureau is a catch-all, and anything he used to worry about involving personal assets or surnames can be stuffed into this special "private" state-owned enterprise.

In fact, this is the highest level of "state-owned assets managed by private enterprises".

Old Fang laughed too: "Didn't you take the lead in the European investors' shares in the docks and containers? They still retain a small shareholder with five percent. They've been talking to me about this recently, and they're a bit regretful and want to invest more money to increase their share. Because from the trend they've observed, this downward cycle that has continued from 1974 to now seems to have ended. There's a strong momentum of trade growth, and the shipbuilding industry is showing signs of expanding its capacity. Can we keep up with this international trend?"

Wei Dong was secretly thrilled. Yes!
Even if he had never been involved in shipping in his previous life, netizens are very clear that the international shipping industry was definitely booming around the turn of the century.

That's why he dared to target docks and container ships, dared to encourage Li Bancheng and others to bet on quay cranes, and dared to advocate for Chen Wenliang to build large ships.

He just didn't know where the specific node was.

Anyway, I'm coming.

"Of course we have to keep up, we'll do whatever it takes to pull this big ship along."

Old Fang smiled even more kindly: "Well, some people only see what's in front of them, and some people only see what's in their own industry. When you took over the bidding bureau, there were definitely a lot of people watching. But the first thing you did was inspect several shipyards under the Yangtze River Shipbuilding Industry Company. You must have reported to your superiors on each of them."

Wei Dong chuckled, "I wasn't inspecting anything. I just bought two high-speed boats. Without a shipyard to receive them, these hydrofoils can't be moored, can't be repaired, and can't even be launched!"

Despite being only 20 meters long and weighing over 200 tons, the hydrofoil must be hoisted into the water. Only large shipyards have this equipment.

Old Fang burst into laughter: "So this is what they call an unexpected success! Let's take over the Yangtze River Shipbuilding Industry Company!"

Let Wei Dongcai do it?
You make it sound so simple and easy?
(End of this chapter)