Chapter 65

To be honest, Hu Wenhui was quite looking forward to the day thirty years from now, when that guy called "Flying Against the Light" would depict today's "Aphrodisiac for Fighter Jets" plan with his brush.

However, that was a story for later. The current Hu Wenhui wasn't the time to rest on his laurels. When Secretary Huang visited the sanatorium for the second time, only he and Hu Wenhui were in the room, and they talked for a whole day. Secretary Huang, who had arrived in the morning with the dew, left under the starlight.

As for what agreement the two had reached, only they knew for the time being, and even Lin Qianjun couldn't be present this time.

No matter what, this matter was finally coming to a close. Hu Wenhai watched as Lin Qianjun on the platform became more and more distant, until the entire train station disappeared on the horizon.

However, Hu Wenhui wasn't traveling alone. Lin Qianjun had arranged two sleeper tickets for him, and the other berth was occupied by a PLA soldier in civilian clothes.

Although he was not yet twenty, the poor Hu Wenhui was already enjoying treatment above the county level. The state-mandated personal guard was something he couldn't refuse.

There wouldn't be any KGB or CIA assassins along the way to give these guards a chance to show their worth. But on the other hand, having such a clearly military-style escort, and even having the conductor guide them through a special passage when boarding the train, did give Hu Wenhui a small comfort after his loss.

"Mom, Dad, I'm back!" Before his rebirth, Hu Wenhui had been away from home for quite some time, sometimes even for half a year, traveling frequently.

But he didn't know if it was because he was younger, or if the comfortable life of the past eighteen years had dulled his nerves. After returning from his first trip abroad in this life, Hu Wenhui found himself actually missing home.

"Good to be back, let me see, have you lost weight?" A mother worries when her child is far away, and Hu Wenhui's journey was more than a thousand miles. Xiao Yeqin had been anxiously waiting.

"Mom, look, I'm fine!" Hu Wenhui struck a pose to show that he was in perfect condition.

"Alright, there are so many people on the street, let's talk about it at home." Hu Jiefang had returned to the country early and naturally wasn't worried about his son's life abroad—what a joke, would the extravagant American lifestyle make this newly rich tycoon suffer? Old Hu was more worried that his son would be tempted to stay in America.

It had to be said that Old Hu had also risen in status because of his son. Originally, as the factory director of Factory 501, his car was just a Beijing 212 jeep, but now it had been replaced by a domestically produced Santana.

The car, still shiny and new, was clearly a recent model.

Old Hu had also learned to drive at some point, though he still had the fumbling ways of a new driver. But with the few cars on the road, it was like the African savanna, and there was no need to worry about any old ladies blocking the way.

The novice driver, Hu Jiefang, drove recklessly but managed to get home.

"Grandpa!" As soon as Hu Wenhui got out of the car, he saw Hu Shiwu standing at the gate. Seeing the old man's weary body and excited eyes, Hu Wenhui's tears welled up.

"Good grandson! Good grandson!" Hu Shiwu hugged Hu Wenhui tightly, as if his grandson, no matter how big he grew, was still a little one in his arms.

It seemed to be the first time in decades that Hu Shiwu had been separated from his grandson for so long, and tears also welled up in his eyes.

He wiped the tears from his eyes, but his eyes were full of smiles: "Good to be back, come in, your mother made your favorite beef and potato stew, using the big steamer from Factory 501!"

Hearing this, Hu Wenhui's mouth started to water. In the 1980s, few people ate in the canteen at noon, as it cost money and grain tickets, which wasn't worth it!

The factory's boiler was connected to a huge steamer cabinet, filled with aluminum lunch boxes brought by the workers. Hu Wenhui's favorite was the beef and potato stew made in this steamer. In the morning, he would put the marinated beef and potatoes in the lunch box, and by noon, he would have a hot meal ready.

When the factory's boiler started, the steam, reaching over 140 degrees, would enter the steamer, and even the toughest beef would turn into a mouthwatering delicacy!

When these all-purpose state-owned factories disappeared from China, this factory delicacy also vanished from Hu Wenhui's memory. In less than ten years, even state-owned enterprises wouldn't provide this steaming service to workers.

Hu Wenhui wasn't in a hurry, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned around and relaxed.

"Mom, Dad, Grandpa, this is Wang Ye, the guard assigned to me by the state..."

The Hu family then realized, oh, we picked up someone else at the train station! He looks like a soldier?

"Comrades, I am ordered by my superiors to protect Comrade Hu Wenhui's safety, and I will be a bother to you from now on!"

"Alright, no need to call us comrades, we don't have that kind of status!" Xiao Yeqin was the most satisfied with Wang Ye as a guard—what mother wouldn't be happy to have someone protect her son?

"Great, my grandson has become a communicator, which is equivalent to county-level treatment, right?" Hu Shiwu was proud and proud, clearly ready to brag to his old friends in a few days.

"I see you're on your way to becoming a bureaucrat!" Hu Jiefang grumbled a few words but didn't say much more.

"Let's go, there wasn't much to eat on the train, right? Wenhui, and Xiao Wang, come in, let's eat!"

"Let's eat, let's eat!" Hu Wenhui cheered and rushed into the house. In the center of the table, two large aluminum lunch boxes of beef and potato stew were emitting a fragrant aroma, making everyone's mouths water.

...

As the lights came on, Hu Wenhui's side room was lit up. Hu Jiefang and Hu Wenhui sat opposite each other, and the joy on Hu Jiefang's face from earlier was gone.

"You, explain this to me." Hu Jiefang slapped a red-headed document on the table, his face dark.

"Notification on the establishment of New Science Company?"

"Don't tell me this isn't your doing." Hu Jiefang's face was cold.

"Cough, indeed, I suggested it to the state." Hu Wenhui couldn't deny it and nodded in admission.

"What do you want to do? You should have discussed it with me first. This is a big deal, how could you make the decision on your own!" Hu Jiefang tried to keep his temper at first, but eventually shouted.

Hu Wenhui rubbed his forehead, knowing his stubborn father would have objections. But Factory 501 had good conditions, and most importantly, he knew it well, making it the best foundation for establishing the New Science Company.

Rather than face unknown personnel, he preferred to deal with his father first.

"Father, this is for the good of Factory 501. After establishing the New Science Company, I will introduce new equipment and technology to improve the production capacity of Factory 501. Isn't this a win-win situation?"

"What kind of good thing is this? You want to turn Factory 501 into your own asset, you want to be a capitalist!"

"Father, how many years has it been since the reform and opening up? We're not talking about individual households, many state-owned enterprises have contracted and affiliated people, aren't they capitalists? In the capital, there are even private enterprises now. Why can others do it, but I can't?"

Hu Jiefang was speechless, and in a hurry, he said, "What about the original workers of Factory 501 if you buy the factory?"

"They can work at the New Science Company, I'll pay them, and their wages will be no less than before."

"What if they don't want to come?"

"They can stay at Factory 501. Although the land and equipment of Factory 501 are sold to the New Science Company, the personnel structure remains. Those who don't want to come to the New Science Company can take a lump sum to buy out their years of service at Factory 501, and the city government can reassign them to new jobs. Or they can stay in the administrative positions at Factory 501 or find their own way."

"Find their own way?" Hu Jiefang's eyes widened. In the 1980s, for Northeastern state-owned enterprises, these four words only applied to workers who had made serious mistakes.

Hu Wenhui spread his hands and shrugged, "We can't let the state support them for nothing, can we?"

"Father, do you remember what I told you? The biggest problem with state-owned enterprises is that they support too many people beyond their capacity. To let one generation in, so many old masters had to retire early. Is this normal? Is this responsible to the state?"

"But, find their own way, what can they do!" Hu Jiefang still couldn't understand; these four words had too much impact on him.

Hu Wenhui raised a finger and said solemnly, "First, they can work at the New Science Company. Second, they can accept the jobs assigned by the city government. Third, although the New Science Company has bought the land and equipment of Factory 501, the workers have two identities: they are employees of the New Science Company and also employees of Factory 501, one team with two names. This will ensure that some positions remain at Factory 501, and some people can be accommodated. If they don't accept any of these three options, you have no reason to stop them from finding their own way, right?"

...