I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 94 So Wild

"Oh, Mr. Zhang, it's great to finally meet you!"

Secretary Liu put on an air of ecstasy, but in reality, the waiting list for appointments had been incredibly long.

In the past period, the Chengdong District of Jiangning City also gave instructions that he could be more flexible in his methods and should try his best to satisfy and reassure investors.

Who are the investors?
That's of course Zhang Da'an, the boss of "Zhang An Health".

Over four days, Secretary Liu had very detailed communication with Liu Jingbo of Mazhou City, mainly focusing on how to provide supporting services to ensure that "Zhang An Education" and "Zhang An Health" can respectively secure investment.

Once it's landed, things will be much easier, and everyone will be happy.

"Secretary Liu, welcome, welcome. I've had so many events these past few days that I haven't been able to refuse any of them. I'm so sorry for neglecting you. Come on, let's go straight to Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant and chat while we eat."

It wasn't a particularly formal social event, mainly because it wasn't necessary. Although Liu Yuanshan hadn't seen Zhang Da'an after four days of trying, it didn't stop him from having a pleasant conversation with Uncle Zhang.

Zhang Zhengdong is not only the principal and headmaster of Xindongweigang Middle School, but also the deputy general manager of a municipal education investment company.

As for his position as the head of the Private Education Section of the Education Bureau, it's being promoted discreetly for now. Once the Private Education Section is officially upgraded, Principal Zhang will have to reinstate his position as section chief.

In this situation, within the industry, more people refer to Zhang Zhengdong as "General Manager Zhang".

After being put on hold for four days, Liu Yuanshan initially got angry, but later he lost his temper because he really couldn't do anything to Zhang Da'an.

They can relocate the entire "Zhang An Health" facility at any time; this is not a joke or boast.

During these four days, Liu Yuanshan made more than a dozen phone reports. He also visited the candy factory of "Zhang An Foods" and found that its output was more than ten times that of "Zhang An Health".

Distributors and wholesalers who come directly to the store almost always bring at least two large trucks with them.

Both sides of the road were lined with twelve-wheel forklifts, which were loading and unloading goods almost 24 hours a day. The factory now operates on three shifts, with people stopping but machines never stopping.

With this level of production capacity and profitability, how could Liu Yuanshan possibly complain?

Moreover, selling health supplements is somewhat unethical, unlike selling lollipops which is more honest.

If Zhang Da'an were to give the Chengdong District of Jiangning City a choice between "Zhang'an Health" and "Zhang'an Food," he would almost certainly choose the latter without hesitation.

Therefore, even if Liu Yuanshan, the secretary, had resentment and grievances, he had to suppress them and endure them.

He still had to put on a smile and say some polite words to Zhang Da'an.

In officialdom, if you don't have this much shamelessness, you won't go very far.

Of course, if someone's personal abilities are truly exceptional, then it doesn't matter; they'll have the right to bark wherever they go.

"Secretary Liu, I have already learned about your purpose in coming here, as well as the thoughts of the East District."

They found a private room at Zhuangyuanlou and sat down. Liang Chunbo and his group had now learned reception etiquette, so they easily took on the role of temporary waiters.

He poured a little tea for everyone who was seated, and then went outside to prepare some fruits and snacks that wouldn't get your hands dirty.

"Expanding production capacity and increasing efficiency is definitely a good thing. Who doesn't want to make more money? But Secretary Liu, to be honest, my focus is still on 'Zhang An Education' right now. I've been running back and forth between Ma Chau and Sha Chau almost every day lately. If the Ma Chau branch of Xin Dongwei Port Middle School doesn't achieve good results, it will have a big impact on me."

Zhang Da'an spoke frankly and directly, showing no need to beat around the bush; his strength was undeniable.

"Mr. Zhang, we in the Chengdong District understand your difficulties. However, the 'Top Scholar' list is selling so well right now, and with autumn approaching and the National Day holiday coming up, this is a fantastic business opportunity. We in the Chengdong District are concerned about the potential losses of one or two hundred million yuan. We are committed to being an excellent service-oriented government, and we have been working hard to create a favorable business environment for investors. With so many high-quality companies under Mr. Zhang's name, we wholeheartedly support him settling down in the Chengdong District..."

Liu Yuanshan didn't hold back when it came to sweet talk; he just hoped that one or two hundred million yuan wouldn't be wasted like fallen flowers in the Qinhuai River.

You, Mr. Zhang Da'an, don't like money, but we in the East District love it very much!

I absolutely love it!!
“Secretary Liu, a hundred or two hundred million is nothing to me. Or rather, if President Guan hadn’t come to Shazhou City and knelt down to kowtow to me, I wouldn’t have even glanced at this sesame seed. I only took on this mess because of President Guan’s sincerity. To be honest, I could do this kind of business in Shazhou City as well, and I could do it on a larger scale because it’s closer. If you ask me to increase investment, I’ll definitely have to strengthen management, but I’m not in Jiangning City. If something happens, the negative impact will inevitably affect ‘Zhang An Education’.”

Still unmoved, Zhang Da'an swirled his teacup, then said with a smile, "For example, if General Manager Guan were beaten up in his old workplace dormitory, leaving him bruised and battered, you can hide it for a while, but not forever. If word gets back to Shazhou City, it'll be seen as me, Zhang An, being incompetent, unable to even protect my senior executives. If I can't protect my senior executives, how can I protect my top-tier teachers? The ordinary employees in the schools, factories, and companies will only think I'm a powerless boss, which will have a completely negative effect on the cohesion within the company."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanshan was startled. He hadn't expected Zhang Da'an to still remember this incident. He thought that the matter of Guan Changsheng being beaten was over and forgotten, but it turned out that Zhang Da'an was still holding onto it and had no intention of giving up.

Indeed, the matter of "the God of Literature" cannot be judged simply. They have three top scholars in the imperial examinations. What if they become the top martial arts scholar next year?

"Don't even mention revenue of one or two hundred million; even if it were one or two billion, for me, 'Zhang An Health' would still be a liability. Secretary Liu isn't in business and doesn't understand our style here. If we can't handle external issues, our peers and competitors will think we're failing, and even our customers will think the company is being targeted and could be taken over at any time. So, I'm not exaggerating; I have assessed the potential damage 'Zhang An Health' could cause. If necessary, I plan to relocate 'Zhang An Health' entirely before the end of the year and rename it 'Zhang An Biotechnology'."

"Mr. Zhang! Mr. Zhang, please calm down! The district has been following up on Mr. Guan's matter and has dealt with the responsible parties seriously. We..."

boom!
"How about I beat you into a pig's head today and then throw 80,000 yuan at you—"

Zhang Da'an slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, staring at Liu Yuanshan. "You're asking for it! Do you really think you're so great just because you're a lowly county magistrate? What a piece of trash you are!"

After saying that, Zhang Da'an didn't even look at Liu Yuanshan and his group, and said as he walked, "Continue to serve the food and drink well, so that people from Shazhou won't think we are unreasonable."

"Yes, boss."

Liang Chunbo was also startled by his "elder cousin". When he replied, he secretly glanced at the "high-ranking officials" from Jiangning and saw that they all looked quite ugly.

"Pineapple Boy" couldn't help but get excited: Big Brother An is awesome!
For the sake of making more money for "Zhang An Health," Liu Yuanshan's secretary was extremely frustrated, and the twists and turns brought him to the point of collapse.

Although Zhang Da'an slammed his fist on the table and ridiculed him, his experience told him that things had taken a turn for the better.

After all, he wasn't the only one who lost face in this private room. If the news got out, it would be the people in the room who did it. Everyone still has to serve as public servants in the East District of the city, so they should keep quiet when they should.

In his hotel room at Xindongwei Port Middle School, Liu Yuanshan smoked one cigarette after another, then diligently wrote his analysis report. After finishing, he made a phone call back to Jiangning.

"Boss, this is what happened..."

Liu Yuanshan was not swayed by Zhang Da'an's reprimands. His report was very detailed, including not only the capital scale behind "Zhang An Health" but also the operational status and basic strength of "Zhang An Health" related companies.

Finally, Guan Changsheng was mentioned.

"Guan Changsheng's dormitory was smashed to pieces, and he was even beaten so badly that he had to go to the hospital. In the end, the provincial pharmaceutical company stepped in to mediate. I'm afraid we'll still need to communicate with the provincial pharmaceutical company and make some arrangements. Xiao Liu, what's your opinion?"

“Boss, if I had to choose between ‘Zhang An Health’ and the Provincial Pharmaceutical Company, I would definitely choose ‘Zhang An Health’.”

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

“Boss, even if we cooperate perfectly to give the Provincial Pharmaceutical Company face, they won’t invest in a new factory here. Besides, the land and buildings have already been sold, and all the historical issues have been settled. The Provincial Pharmaceutical Company is free of any trouble, so they don’t care what nice things they say. But what about our East District?”

"You keep talking."

"The eastern district is a suburb. Even if the city plans a university town, the increased employment will mainly come from the tertiary sector. There will be some construction and logistics jobs in the short term, but that will only last three or four years at most. Once this sector increases, it will definitely decrease. Boss, if things go wrong, the city might push housing prices to a frighteningly high level in order to boost the economy..."

Flicked his cigarette ash and continued, "Boss, even if the land price of commercial housing in the East District rises, it will only harm us. Only by taking advantage of the current low land prices and quickly introducing a group of strong secondary industry enterprises can we offset the future consumption and employment pressures in the East District. To be honest, boss, I am very, very optimistic about the prospects of 'Zhang An Health'."

"Is there a new discovery?"

"Next to the bonded zone in Shazhou City, Shazhou City seems to have planned a factory area for Zhang An, and the registered company is 'Zhang An Food,' which specializes in producing gummy candy products. I've been keeping an eye on it these past few days, and the supply can't keep up with the demand. We're shipping out orders starting at 20 or 30 tons, and many wholesalers are bringing their own trucks to grab the goods."

When this topic came up, Liu Yuanshan emphasized again, "Boss, as long as Zhang An's title of top scholar doesn't disappear, this business can continue. A small bag of gummy candies costs five cents to a dollar, and the profit margin is terrifying. I believe that this is definitely something that needs to be expanded, and it would be very suitable to open a production line in our eastern district."

"The city has already set its sights on planning high-tech enterprises in the eastern part of the city."

"We've been saying this for five years now, boss. The Academy of Sciences' industrial park is in the southern part of the city, and the related financial companies are in the city center. What we're assigned to are only polluting companies, and they're very likely to be production lines that have been phased out. Furthermore, the electronics industry in Jiangning City isn't strong. The only high-tech industries that can be transferred here are electronics or petrochemicals. Petrochemicals are state-owned enterprises, and we're not high enough in rank to have any say. As for electronics, you know the situation."

Getting a little frustrated, Liu Yuanshan frowned, took a drag of his cigarette, and then sighed before continuing, "If we were to let Zhang An allocate some of his expanded production line, even if it seemed like just an ordinary food processing business, his reputation would be there. A big name means high profit margins, so it wouldn't be just ordinary manufacturing; it would have added value. Comparing the salaries of lecturers at 'Zhang An Education' with others, I've concluded that it benefits frontline employees. Such a company would be a high-quality company, one that can be developed into a star enterprise."

"Could you provide me with a detailed report? I'll have someone go to Shazhou to pick it up; please don't fax it."

"Give me two or three days, and I'll take some people for another tour. I've also been in contact with Liu Jingbo in Mazhou City these past few days, and they've expressed interest in cooperation. If things go well, we might even get some extra benefits."

"Okay, then, I'll look into the case of Guan Changsheng being beaten again and try to advance both cases simultaneously. By the way, who else knows about what you just mentioned?"

No one else knows.

"That's good, let's hurry!" "Okay, I'll hurry."

As a shrewd and calculating individual, Liu Yuanshan never considered Zhang Da'an as an ordinary eighteen-year-old. Anyone who could amass such a fortune was regarded as a contemporary "champion."

chapped.

Liu Yuanshan lit another cigarette and sat in his chair, carefully considering Zhang Da'an's previous attitude towards him. He felt that Zhang Da'an didn't really dislike the one or two hundred million, but rather... thought it wasn't enough.

It's true that Chengdong District of Jiangning City is a suburb, but it's still a suburb of the provincial capital. Its biggest advantage is that it's located in the provincial capital, so everything else can be put aside.

As for policies, just give full play to your initiative.

He picked up a pen and wrote the two characters "Zhang An" on the paper. Then he wrote down all the related companies, such as "Zhang An Education," "Zhang An Health," "Zhang An Media," and "Zhang An Food." Next, he wrote down Shazhou, Mazhou, Jianggao, and so on.

"Um……"

After a while, he listed the interpersonal relationships he had investigated, including Qiu Jianmin, Guan Changsheng, Liu Jingbo, and of course Zhang Zhengdong.

Finally, I circled the three characters "Zhang Zhengdong".

After carefully reviewing Zhang Zhengdong's resume, I realized he was an extremely unsophisticated grassroots rural cadre. According to normal development patterns, his retirement benefits at the age of sixty should be no different from when he was the principal of Dongweigang Middle School.

But Zhang Da'an's meteoric rise led Zhang Zhengdong to unknowingly cover in one year what others took ten years to achieve.

Shazhou City Education Investment Company.

Liu Yuanshan wrote the company's name down on paper. Although the general manager was Qiu Jianmin, the deputy general manager was Zhang Zhengdong.

Previously, Qiu Jianmin was the deputy director of the Shazhou City Education Bureau...

"What's going on? Did you start scheming from the moment you were in the womb?"

At this point, Liu Yuanshan was quite certain that Zhang Da'an, this young man, was definitely planning to give his uncle a push for advancement, and he had his eye on the special case of "promotion without regard to convention".

Generally speaking, if someone is over the age limit, they can forget about shining and making a difference without a sufficiently deep and broad base of support.

Therefore, generally speaking, only local officials who have done outstanding work are likely to have this possibility.

In the case of enterprises, small-scale businesses have no chance unless they are large-scale, have a wide influence, and possess a certain timeliness.

Logically, Liu Yuanshan felt that Zhang Zhengdong had no chance; it was impossible. But reality doesn't follow logic, so Liu Yuanshan assumed that Zhang Da'an had a plan and the ability, but he just couldn't think of it.

With this basic assessment, things became simple. He planned to treat Zhang Zhengdong to a late-night snack tonight: peanuts, edamame, barbecue, and half a case of chilled beer.

Zhuangyuan Street now boasts numerous shops and convenient transportation, but these are not its selling points.

The selling point is...quality.

Even barbecue stalls that stay open until 3 or 4 a.m. won't have a single oil stain on the ground. There's a point deduction system in place; once you've deducted enough points, you're out.

In addition, with a large number of security guards, the intersection has increased from one police station to one office and three guard posts. Therefore, the consumer profile of Zhuangyuan Street is quite different from that of a typical roadside snack street. It is more like the tourist snack street that can be seen everywhere ten years later.

The sellers were kept in check and were of high quality. The consumer group was also of high quality due to the level of security. The parents accompanying their children to school were not stupid; it was unlikely that they would start singing loudly while eating barbecue and then form a group to dance in the square to add to the fun.

At this time, apart from the city center, most of the entertainment venues in Shazhou City had something to offer. For the villagers from all directions, there were very few interesting places to go for entertainment. Zhuangyuan Street and Zhuangyuan Food City became places where people didn't have to worry about their personal safety and could relax a little.

In particular, in order to ensure the stable operation of Xindongwei Port Middle School, the original inland waterway, which was just a makeshift facility, was shut down in the first half of the year. The future plan is to transform it into a drinking water source for the northwest area of ​​Shazhou City.

The math is simple: the ship can use other locks, but the school stays here for a day, and that's a day's worth of profit.

No one dislikes a beautiful landscape, especially after the expansion of Zhuangyuan Street this year. The riverbank and railings are all made of granite, and nearly 600 willow and dawn redwood trees have been transplanted. A waterside boardwalk has also been built to make it convenient for anglers to sit and enjoy the scenery all day.

The land surrounding the school still belongs to "Zhang'an Education". Now that they've done environmental beautification without charging a fee, there must be a basic requirement, which is to improve basic quality.

The urban management officers in Binjiang Town imposed the highest and most severe fines in history.

We have to be ruthless; the higher-ups' requirement is to ensure the smooth operation of Xindongwei Port Middle School.

After the expansion of the perimeter, there has indeed been an increase in additional customer traffic. Originally, it was mainly parents accompanying their children to school and local residents of Binjiang Town, but now it also attracts some "petit bourgeois" people from Linjiang Town and the city. In addition, some of the business activities of "Zhang An Education" are also located here, so the overall benefits are quite considerable.

Ultimately, however, it's the consumer economy brought about by the size of the school that Binjiang Town will definitely consider.

Today, Xindongweigang Middle School has become another calling card for Binjiang Town. Previously, it was mainly known as the "hometown of small hardware" and its export business was indeed quite successful, but its science, education, culture and health were not worth mentioning.

This campus, resembling a tourist attraction, has indeed found a new path.

Any sane cadre from Binjiang Town would bring this up on a scale and hawk it when they go to meetings in the city. Whether it works or not is another matter; the point is to let people know that such an industry is developing.

The Municipal Education Bureau also intends to further promote the scale, because as long as derivative industries are developed around Xindongwei Port Middle School, whether it is secondary, tertiary, or even primary industry, it is still within the business scope of the Municipal Education Investment Company.

It used to be quite difficult to cross boundaries, but now it's different. There's a shell company, and Zhang Zhengdong's nephew, the vice president of the education investment company, is indeed quite capable. The opportunity to expand territory may only last for three to five years. Who knows if national policies will change in the future?

Therefore, many units in the city, even those with the slightest contact, tacitly supported Zhang Zhengdong's promotion.

It's true that Qiu Jianmin was the first general manager of the education investment company, but his authority was questionable. The success was due to Zhang Zhengdong. Of course, everyone knows who actually made it happen, but no one says it.

Once you understand the ins and outs, it becomes much easier for outsiders to come and discuss cooperation.

If Liu Yuanshan were to go to General Manager Qiu Jianmin to discuss matters, it would be like carrying a pig's head but not finding the temple gate.

I found a shop called "Old Northeast". The shop was clean inside and out. The owner was also there to accompany her child to school. Her hometown was indeed in Northeast China, but due to job assignments in the past, she settled in Taihu City to work on blower research and development. Two years ago, her child's college entrance examination results were not ideal, so she paid 58,000 yuan to enroll him in "Zhang An Education". This year, he was admitted to the electromechanical engineering major at Luzhou Jiaotong University. He will most likely return to Taihu to take over his father's business in the future.

The shop owner didn't close down or sell the business just because her child got into university. First, it couldn't be transferred; if she quit, the Xindongwei Port Middle School would take back the operating rights. Second, the business was really profitable... earning more than 200,000 yuan a year.

The main reason is that most snacks in Northeast China are made with high-quality ingredients. In addition, the owner has the advantage of her hometown, so she can source some sausages from her hometown. Whether they are fried, grilled, boiled, or sliced ​​and plated as a cold dish, they are all quite good.

It is very popular among the local rural residents of Binjiang Town, saving them the effort of going to the city supermarket to buy it, or making sausages for themselves during the Chinese New Year.

Besides that, there are the workers from the bonded zone. They can ride their motorcycles for ten minutes and then gather in groups of three or five to have a drink here, which is much better than the hole-in-the-wall restaurants in town.

Because of the sheer volume, the owner initially started by doing it for fun while accompanying her child's studies, occasionally making dishes like sweet and sour pork. It became very popular, and with low profit margins and high sales volume, she made nearly 300,000 yuan a year, which shows she has real ability.

What completely moved the proprietress and convinced her to keep "Old Northeast" running was Zhang Da'an's promise: as long as the new Dongweigang Middle School Mazhou branch was completed, he would still reserve a shop for her.

Two hundred thousand a year is just a little hard to bear; two two hundred thousands a year, that's tempting.

The place where Liu Yuanshan treated Zhang Zhengdong to dinner was just an unassuming, home-style restaurant.

The spicy dried tofu has a slightly stronger flavor. Although Shazhou City is located in the Jiangnan region, people don't eat sweet food. They can have spicy food, but not too spicy. So, to adjust the flavor, the owner mainly stir-fries dried chilies and garlic, with a lot of soy sauce. That's about the taste.

As long as the sweet and sour pork is crispy, the proprietress can pour braised pork broth on it without any problem.

But the most popular item here is braised pork ribs, the kind that are torn by hand. Old men from the surrounding dozen or so villages would come over from time to time to buy some to take away.

The chilled beer was served, and Liu Yuanshan picked up a bottle and opened it with a hiss. After filling Zhang Zhengdong's glass, the two chatted while shelling edamame.

"Hua Mao Yi Ti" (a type of peanut) is not expensive because it is close to the countryside. Many local sandy peanuts are picked and delivered when they are still tender.

It tastes similar to a bursting, juicy alcoholic chocolate, but you can't find it in the city.

Who would be so bored as to bring tender peanuts to the market?
"Secretary Liu, is there some special situation?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, yes. We have a project in the Chengdong District that has been stalled for seven or eight years and has been unable to move forward. Mr. Zhang, you are the vice president of Shazhou City Education Investment Company. I think it would be great if we could get your support for this project."

"What project? What are the benefits?"

"..."

No, buddy, we're officials, and the first thing you ask is what the benefits are?

Is it really that direct?!
What's the situation here in Shazhou City?
So wild!!

(End of this chapter)