Chapter 98: Everything Goes Smoothly

When Zhu Daodong returned to the hotel, it was almost ten o'clock. He had no time to go shopping the next day, and he would be leaving in the afternoon. Therefore, on his way back, he went to the Friendship Building and bought five large bags of White Rabbit milk candies, as well as five-spice beans, pear paste candies, peanut brittle, and Shikumen old wine. He also saw some ready-to-eat tofu skins and bought several large bags. Besides eating them on the way, he planned to give some to the Houjiatang Tofu Factory, hoping that one day the tofu skins from Houjiatang could be sold in Shanghai, which would truly make the tofu factory famous.

Apart from a few books, everything Zhu Daodong was carrying was either food or drink. He had several large bags of various items. Later, he bought a large woven bag and filled it to the brim, finally solving his problem.

With great effort, he carried the woven bag to his room. He had just sat down and hadn't even had a chance to drink water when there was a knock on the door. At this distance, Zhu Daodong didn't need to listen carefully to know that it was Hou Feng and Hu Zhengqing outside.

"Why haven't you rested yet?" Zhu Daodong opened the door and smiled.

"Secretary Chen called earlier. You weren't here, so he asked me to tell you to call him as soon as you get to work tomorrow. He has something to discuss with you," Hou Feng said. The afternoon's phone conference was not successful, and it was clear that Secretary Zhu was in a bad mood. In the evening, Secretary Chen called personally, which showed how important Secretary Zhu was to him.

"Did Secretary Chen say what it was about?" Zhu Daodong had planned to call Chen Shuli after work to explain, but he had run into Lin Shiqi and Zhou Jian, and he only managed to return now because he had helped the National Security Agency. Otherwise, he might still be writing a statement somewhere.

"No," Hou Feng shook his head lightly. He saw the woven bag in the room and said happily, "Secretary Zhu, you bought a lot of things."

"All food. Since we're in Shanghai, we can't go back empty-handed. By the way, these are Shanghai-style tofu skins. Try them and see how they differ from the ones we produce in our village." Zhu Daodong opened the woven bag and took out two packs of tofu skins, giving one to each of them.

"I think our tofu skins are better," Hou Feng tore open the packaging, put a piece in his mouth, and after savoring it, concluded.

"Maybe we don't like the taste, but people in Shanghai do." Hu Zhengqing also tried a piece. The tofu skins from Shanghai could be described as mild and smooth, suitable for everyone, while the tofu skins from Shulinling were spicy and fragrant, with a heavier flavor.

"You have a point. I have some more here. Hou Feng, when we get back to Shulinling, remind me to send some tofu skins to your village's tofu factory. To grow and strengthen, you need to find and leverage your advantages." Zhu Daodong nodded, agreeing with Hu Zhengqing's view.

After sitting for a while, Hou Feng and Hu Zhengqing returned to their rooms. Seeing that Zhu Daodong had bought so many Shanghai specialties, they decided to do the same before leaving the next day. After they left, Zhu Daodong picked up the phone in the room and called Chen Shuli's office. He had only intended to try, but the call was quickly connected.

"Secretary, it's Zhu Daodong. You're still up so late? Did you go drinking with the leaders again? Take care of your health," Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Why did you come back so late?" Chen Shuli hadn't drunk tonight. He stayed in the office specifically waiting for Zhu Daodong. In the afternoon, he had Xu Rui handle the documents for Zhu Daodong's sale of Shulinling wine. The process for the 500 cases of Shulinling wine was as follows: the winery used the wine to offset five months of management fees, and Zhu Daodong, representing the Shulinling township government, sold the wine to Xiangshan Villa. The proceeds, except for 10,000 yuan used for the winery's management fees, were given to Zhu Daodong as a bonus. Now, as long as Zhu Daodong returned, filled in the amounts, and signed his name, the 20,000 yuan would become his legitimate income.

"I went to Nanjing Road to buy some Shanghai specialties. I just got back and heard from Hou Feng and Hu Zhengqing that you called. Secretary, is there anything wrong?" Zhu Daodong said.

"The fact that you remembered to buy specialties shows that the afternoon's phone conference didn't affect you. Daodong, you should know that misappropriating the feed factory's funds violates financial regulations. Your intention might have been to benefit the whole township, but such actions can have serious consequences and even affect your future. Do you understand what I mean?" Chen Shuli said earnestly.

"Secretary, I have deeply recognized my mistake. This afternoon, I went to the bookstore and bought some financial books to improve myself. I will try my best to avoid such mistakes in the future," Zhu Daodong said sincerely.

"It's good that you have this attitude. Regarding the stock subscription certificates, I discussed with Hou Lihua, Hu Fenqiang, and Ma Mingyi tonight. You can't use the feed factory's funds, nor can you use the village's money for this. However, personal funds are not restricted. After our discussion, we decided that you, Zhu Daodong, have a good eye, and we can't miss such an opportunity. Therefore, I, Hou Lihua, and Hu Fenqiang will each buy 3,000 yuan worth of stock subscription certificates, and Ma Mingyi will buy 900 yuan. We will borrow the money from the feed factory and repay it as soon as you return." Chen Shuli suggested that Zhu Daodong buy the stock subscription certificates on his behalf, not because he thought they would bring significant returns, but more to comfort Zhu Daodong. If Zhu Daodong became disheartened over this, it would not only affect the feed factory but also himself. Therefore, Chen Shuli went to great lengths to support Zhu Daodong.

"Thank you for your support, Secretary." Zhu Daodong understood that this was their strongest support. Otherwise, these people wouldn't know what stocks were, let alone spend so much money on stock subscription certificates.

The next day, Zhu Daodong wrote a 9,900 yuan IOU to Hou Feng. Hou Feng might have received a call from Hou Lihua last night, as he didn't ask any questions and directly gave the money to Zhu Daodong. It was the last day for selling stock subscription certificates, and Zhu Daodong went to Li Yang's office. Adding his own 6,000 yuan, he bought 530 stock subscription certificates in total.

Since Chen Shuli and the others didn't bring their ID cards, all the stock subscription certificates were bought under Zhu Daodong's name. He also asked Li Yang, and it was easy to transfer ownership. As long as you had the subscription certificate, you could handle stock transactions at the securities company without the need for the person to be present.

"Li Yang, today is the last day. If you trust me, listen to my advice and buy some," Zhu Daodong said seriously after putting the 550 stock subscription certificates in a bag.

"Don't look at me working in the bank, but I don't have much money. I used my father's money in school, and now I'm embarrassed to ask my family for more. Where would I get the money to buy this?" Li Yang said with a bitter face. Zhu Daodong had bought 530 stock subscription certificates from him, exceeding his sales target. He found Zhu Daodong increasingly mysterious. Including the 100 certificates he had bought earlier, Zhu Daodong had spent nearly 20,000 yuan on stock subscription certificates. This thing was essentially just a piece of paper. Was it worth investing so much money?

"If you don't have money, borrow it! If you can't borrow it, I'll help you borrow it." Zhu Daodong knew that Li Yang was a big spender, and although his family was well-off, his expenses after starting work were tighter than when he was in school.

Under Zhu Daodong's persuasion, Li Yang finally bought 20 stock subscription certificates. This time, he sold 630 certificates through Zhu Daodong, and according to the bank's commission, he would earn nearly 190 yuan. He only spent about 400 yuan himself.

When Zhu Daodong returned to the hotel, it was already noon. Before entering the hotel, he ran into Zhou Jian in the lobby. Seeing Zhu Daodong, Zhou Jian's usually calm face showed a hint of excitement. Without waiting for Zhu Daodong to approach, he came forward.

"Comrade Zhu Daodong, I represent the Eighth Bureau to thank you, sincerely thank you!" Zhou Jian tightly held Zhu Daodong's hand and said with a smile.

"Li Bing is a big catch?" Zhu Daodong, seeing his excitement, immediately thought of Li Bing. Zhou Jian's gratitude could only mean one thing: Li Bing.

"Yes, he is a big catch, a very big catch." Zhou Jian said excitedly.

Li Bing, originally named Li Xianbin, was one of the best pilots in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, serving in the 22nd Squadron of the 8th Division. On November 11, 1965, Li Xianbin took off from Hangzhou Jianqiao Airport in an Il-28 bomber. During the flight, he shot and injured the navigator Li Caiwang, and due to a handling error, the plane's tail hit the ground when landing at Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan, causing the tail compartment communicator Lian Bao to die.

The Taiwanese authorities awarded the three "anti-communist heroes," and Li Xianbin received a 2.8 million New Taiwan Dollar reward and joined the Taiwanese Air Force, retiring as a colonel.

Such a person could definitely be called a big catch. Zhou Jian's genuine emotion and excitement were understandable. Although Zhou Jian had been in the National Security Agency for over a decade, and the Eighth Bureau was responsible for monitoring, investigating, and arresting foreign spies, his department mainly focused on monitoring, and it was rare for him to personally make an arrest. Li Bing, even within the bureau, was a significant figure, not because of his current status but because of his past. Capturing a defector from the People's Liberation Army was a significant achievement. It would be hard for him not to be recognized, and the entire team that came to Shanghai would at least receive a collective second-class merit.

All of this was thanks to Zhu Daodong. Otherwise, even if they had found Li Bing and knew he was staying at the Wanbao Hotel, they wouldn't have taken any action against him, as many Taiwanese compatriots were investing in the mainland and visiting relatives after the reform and opening up. They couldn't take action against everyone. At most, they would send someone to monitor them upon entry and abandon the case if there were no abnormalities.

Without Zhu Daodong, Li Bing would have been abandoned. Thinking about this, Zhou Jian often broke out in a cold sweat. The line between success and failure was thin, and this time, he stood firmly on the side of success.

Besides thanking Zhu Daodong, Zhou Jian also needed to complete the statement. This time, it didn't need to be done at Zhou Jian's office. In Zhu Daodong's room, Zhu Daodong repeated what he had said the previous night, and Zhou Jian recorded it. After Zhu Daodong signed and fingerprinted it, the matter was settled.

"Next time you come to Beijing, call me. I'll treat you to Beijing roast duck." Zhou Jian, as he left, tightly held Zhu Daodong's hand and said warmly.

"I know a bit about your work. I might not run into you if I go to Beijing." Zhu Daodong smiled but carefully kept Zhou Jian's address and phone number in Beijing.

"We spend half the year in Beijing. Lin Shiqi was supposed to come today to apologize again for last night, but she has something she can't leave. You're leaving this afternoon, so I'm representing her. Next time you come to Beijing, she'll make it up to you." Zhou Jian said happily. This trip to Shanghai had gone smoothly, especially with Li Bing, which was an unexpected bonus, boosting the morale of the entire team.

"That's fine. Please tell her that I'm fine now, and I accept her apology." Zhu Daodong knew that Lin Shiqi was apologizing for stepping on his foot. After returning last night, he found his foot swollen. After soaking it in hot water for half an hour, it started to reduce the swelling by the next morning.

In the afternoon, Zhu Daodong boarded the train from Shanghai to Gunan. They changed trains in the provincial capital and returned to Yuhua County on the morning of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.