I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 95 Unable to Control His Mouth
Secretary Liu had a slight misunderstanding about Uncle Zhang's "wildness." He thought Uncle Zhang liked to "have a cigarette" or "have some fries," but in reality, Uncle Zhang had no concept of that at all.

Ever since he left the army, he's been holed up in a rural middle school, living as an unknown fool. If he really wanted to make money, he wouldn't have bothered at Dongweigang Middle School for so long.

Asking Liu Yuanshan what the benefits would be was actually a question for his beloved nephew.

Liu Yuanshan had misunderstood the situation, so after some consideration, he said, "President Zhang, given the circumstances of Shazhou City Education Investment Company, there is hope that we can transfer our organizational affiliation to Jiangning City. For President Zhang, this would provide room for advancement..."

"Huh? There's room for improvement?"

"Uh... what's wrong, Mr. Zhang? Is there something amiss?"

"I'm already in my forties, what progress can I possibly make?"

"..."

What are you doing, you erhu idiot?!
Liu Yuanshan was completely dumbfounded; he had no idea how to start the conversation.

So you don't want to improve? If you don't want to improve, why did you produce so many results?!

You're just being ridiculous!
If you don't want to advance, then you can be my vice president!
After figuring out Zhang Zhengdong's abilities, Liu Yuanshan was green with envy. If he had such an extraordinary nephew, he dared to dream of rising step by step and all the way up, and even dared to dream of taking a trip to the capital.

"Mr. Zhang, don't you really have any grander dreams for your career development?"

"Dreams are nothing. My life these past two years can be summed up in one sentence: I do whatever Zhang An tells me to do."

Uncle Zhang, munching on a tender peanut, said frankly, "I don't care about anything else. This is my level. The two foreign language phrases I've learned were forced upon me by him. I'm really not used to looking all respectable in a suit every day, but I have no choice. I'm forced to do this..."

Uncle Zhang started complaining like Xianglin's wife, then poured himself a full glass of chilled beer and then poured one for Liu Yuanshan. The two chatted idly like that.

Actually, the two had no connection at all over the past few decades, but the environment of this "old Northeast" was just too suitable for catching up and reminiscing. So they made an effort to reminisce even though there was no history. The charm of "flowers and hairs in one body" lies in getting along well. If you're eating from the same pot, you're friends.

Perhaps feeling that the cups weren't enough, the two opened bottles and started chugging. With a "clink," the beer bottles lightly touched, and the two began chugging from their own bottles.

Ha~~
Enjoyable.

This beer isn't a common brand; it's a special brew from the "Yuquan Brewery." The taste is top-notch, but the production volume is low, so it can only be sold in districts and counties and can't be sold outside of Northeast China.

The proprietress couldn't actually bring over much; there were about three hundred boxes, which were shipped over.

Only when Zhang Zhengdong came would they bring out this "Yuquan Special Brew".

The good wine also helped Liu Yuanshan and Zhang Zhengdong get into a good chat; it didn't give them a headache, but it certainly added to the fun.

The key point is that Liu Yuanshan thought it was local beer and wondered if the people of Shazhou were crazy, why didn't they know to sell such good beer outside?
"...Mr. Zhang, I really envy you. You have a wonderful nephew."

"It's a pity it's not my son."

"That's right. If I had a son like that, I could walk sideways in Jiangning for the next ten years!"

"Of course! Come on, eat meat! This place uses Northeastern-style sauce on their pork bones, it's delicious. Later, let the owner cut two pounds of hand-pulled noodles, mix them with the sauce, and it'll be amazing..."

Liu Yuanshan wanted to slap himself. This girl's mouth was usually so tight, had Zhang Zhengdong drugged her drink?!

They ended up chatting away, and the proprietress would occasionally come over to add some side dishes. Surprisingly, the two of them managed to finish almost all of what would normally be enough for five people. In particular, the proprietress had a nephew who had just graduated from junior high school who came over to help with the barbecue, and they would bring over more barbecue every now and then.

Let's have some skewers!
Let's get started!
The iron skewers were like bayonets; the two of them had eaten at least two pounds of meat, so indigestion was inevitable.

Especially since he downed half a case of beer, he just sat there burping non-stop.

Then we went to the school hospital of Xindongweigang Middle School to lie down and continue chatting, one bed for each of us.

Despite being speechless with frustration, the on-duty doctor still gave Zhang Zhengdong and Liu Yuanshan an abdominal massage.

Since they didn't give them any digestive tablets, the two of them ended up drinking alcohol.

After recovering, they felt better, but couldn't sleep. So, the two grown men strolled along Zhuangyuan Street at one or two in the morning, leaving the young couple from the bonded area who came over for a late-night snack dumbfounded.

Even the proprietress of the "old Northeast" restaurant was completely bewildered. What was going on?

Why don't you kill a chicken at my shop and then we can have a meal together?

Let's keep eating skewers!
Let's get started!
This time, we didn't drink alcohol, but we got some tea water. The proprietress also added dried tangerine peel and hawthorn to help them digest.

The owner has been running the shop here for over a year and has never seen a single drunkard or troublemaker. Anyone who does appear is immediately chased away. There are over thirty full-time security guards and over a hundred part-time security guards, all of whom are young men from Lingxi.

They don't care if they're local or from out of town; they just listen to "Big Brother."

The two old men continued their conversation based on the drunken talk from the first half of the night. The main topic was that Liu Yuanshan's secretary was indeed highly skilled. After reviewing Zhang Da'an's actions, Uncle Zhang felt as if he had been enlightened by a set of questions.

Don't ask why it wasn't an epiphany; his nephew just compiled a question bank!
"Damn, so Zhang An even managed to outmaneuver Ding Yaobang from Chengnan Middle School?"

"Just a matter of convenience."

While gnawing on a piece of bone-in meat, Liu Yuanshan tapped the table with his finger and said, "He doesn't need to know who's stirring things up or trying to sow discord. That kind of thing happens everywhere. What he wants is to crush whoever stands out. This Ding Yaobang you mentioned, he's doomed. Even if he doesn't sit on the bench in the south of the city until he dies, he'll never get promoted. It's simple: whoever initiated Ding Yaobang's entry is slapping Zhang An in the face and disrespecting you, right?"

"is it?"

"..."

While Liu Yuanshan was speechless as he reviewed the situation with Zhang Zhengdong, he once again thought to himself: This guy is incredibly lucky!
Previously, Liu Yuanshan had been thinking about making progress together with Zhang Zhengdong, but now he has lost that idea and simply thinks that Zhang Zhengdong is a really good person.

He's not cunning, not stupid, and quite sincere towards people.

It's worth making friends with.

In the world of fame and fortune in Jiangning...

too tired.

Liu Yuanshan and Zhang Zhengdong discussed some matters thoroughly, and although Zhang Zhengdong was a country bumpkin, his support was so effective that it deeply moved Liu Yuanshan.

True friends are hard to find!

Only Zhang Zhengdong understands my way of dealing with the world, Liu Yuanshan!
And wisdom!

They still have a conscience! They still have dreams!

……

"...Holy crap, Lao Liu, you've really had it tough. You managed to take over a highly polluting, low-efficiency factory in the East District?"

"What the hell can we do? Our Chengdong District is a suburb, what can we do if they don't take over? Originally, it wouldn't have been impossible to let the surrounding suburban counties absorb this. But the higher-ups are reluctant to give up jobs and tax revenue, they have to consider the overall economic picture. Actually, our original suggestion was cross-city cooperation. The neighboring Runzhou needs this kind of thing. As the provincial capital, we can accept manufacturing, but we need to add value. Now we're trying to do everything at once, making a complete mess. The city center is doing a great job with the economic figures, but we suburban areas are the ones suffering the most, it's worse than spoiled salted duck."

Liu Yuanshan poured out his grievances, recounting many old stories. Some land ownership disputes in the Chengdong District involved multiple units, but the higher-ups did not support him, which meant he was being relentlessly attacked.

Back then, when he was a frontline soldier, he couldn't utter a single word when someone pointed a finger at him and cursed him.

Only those who have experienced it truly understand its joys and sorrows.

Zhang Zhengdong was a country bumpkin who had never seen such a scene before. Of course, this was also related to the fact that Shazhou City was so poor in the early years that it didn't even have paved roads. However, Zhang Zhengdong had served in the army and had heard of similar events before, but he didn't know the ins and outs of it at the time.

After listening to Liu Yuanshan's complaints, he sighed even more: "My nephew is really something else, always thinking three steps ahead and ten steps ahead. I couldn't have had it easier. I didn't do anything and I became the vice president. Hey, after listening to your analysis, Lao Liu, is my old company commander becoming the general manager also his doing?"

"That's necessary!"

Liu Yuanshan couldn't hide his envy and continued to advise Zhang Zhengdong, "First of all, Director Qiu has definitely reached the age limit in the bureau, so there's absolutely no chance of him being promoted exceptionally. It's not like before, right?"

"Indeed, he's over fifty years old, and it's really inappropriate for him to still be staying in the bureau."

"..."

You've got a sweet tongue.

Liu Yuanshan had nothing to say about Zhang Zhengdong's embellishment of his "old company commander." That's just his personality, and besides, he didn't make any extreme remarks, which was already better than many others.

"But Lao Zhang, you've reached the age limit in the bureau, but it's a different story in the business world. In businesses these days, people generally value ability, not just age. What is ability? Businesses mainly look at profitability. Based on your education investment company's performance, you are undoubtedly number one in the education industry in Shazhou City. Even if the profit of the main campus of Xindongwei Port Middle School is only ten million, ten percent of that is still one million. This isn't some fee imposed by the Education Bureau; it's real, tangible profit."

"That's more than ten million, and more than twenty percent."

"I was just saying, just giving an example."

However, Liu Yuanshan was also annoyed. The profit margin of Xindongwei Port Middle School would be incredible in his eastern district, and a group of people could immediately rush into the city to clock in for work.

Unfortunately not.

"General Manager Qiu's abilities have already been directly reflected in the results. He's doing a good job as general manager, and it's not good to remove him without a major reason. Besides, local areas have their own way of doing things. Outsiders may not know how this education investment company got started, but surely the people in Shazhou City know, right?"

"That's right, without Zhang An, we're nothing."

"That's the truth!"

Liu Yuanshan nodded repeatedly, "The second thing to mention is interpersonal relationships. President Qiu is like a link, at least on the surface. In reality, the core link of the education investment company is you. From the perspective of the company's development, you are the core person. President Qiu has secured the position of general manager to protect you and give you a boost, so that no one can be parachuted in."

"There's another floor?"

"What do you think? Now that your nephew has established the Mazhou campus, the education investment company's level will definitely be raised. Even if Shazhou City doesn't report it, watch out, Wudu City will send materials to the higher-ups. Once the commendation work is done, it will be convenient for someone from Wudu to come and 'assist and guide the work.' But they will definitely give advance notice and won't overstep their bounds. They'll just stay for a year or two, then go somewhere else, and maybe even establish a similar company. Once the company's level goes up, the deputy general manager's level will definitely have to go up as well."

"No wonder my old man reminded me that there was an opportunity."

"That's just Mr. Zhang being modest; it goes far beyond that. Old Zhang, you don't have a good enough understanding of your nephew's expansion speed; it's too superficial."

Pointing out Zhang Zhengdong's shortcomings directly, Liu Yuanshan took out a piece of paper covered with his scribbles and notes, which included names of companies such as "Zhang An Media," "Zhang An Education," "Zhang An Healthcare," and "Zhang An Culture." He pointed to them, saying, "These companies are all interconnected and can be linked together. So, it's not just a matter for the Education Bureau alone. We can bring many other companies on board. For example, the business department of Shazhou TV Station already receives a share of the profits from 'Zhuangyuan Shuo' and 'Dangyang Shuo.'"

"Is there still this matter?"

"Didn't your nephew tell you?"

“He thinks I’m mentally challenged.”

"..."

Young people are going a bit too far.

How could you treat your uncle like an idiot?

Excessive!

Upon deeper reflection, Liu Yuanshan became even more envious of Zhang Zhengdong. After all, if he had such an extraordinary nephew, who always put his needs first and even defused all the craters and lightning bolts...

My God, I can't even imagine.

“I anticipate that your nephew will want to scale up the Shazhou City Education Investment Company to the level of a ‘large-scale enterprise’ within two years. By then, you’ll be more than qualified to be a county magistrate.”

"Really? Is it that amazing... that ruthless?"

Uncle Zhang was shocked. Had his nephew really gone to such an extent?
"Just look at one move. If he opens another branch next year, it's a 100% certainty; if not, it's another story. But he definitely needs to hurry, otherwise you'll be forty-two, and then..."

"Forty-one! There are still a few months until forty-two."

"..."

"Hey, I didn't ask you, Lao Liu, how old are you?"

Thirty years old.

"You're exactly twelve years younger than me... wait, you're thirty, how come you're still working as a secretary?"

"..."

If you're going to chat, then chat properly!

Which pot does not open which pot.

unlucky!

(End of this chapter)