Chapter 68

"It seems that after being reborn, the heavens have been quite kind to me, giving me a radiant smile as soon as I returned."

Zhou Ming walked out of the Linyang train station, looked up at the sky that had just cleared, and felt as refreshed as the weather after a rain. Not far away, a black car was parked, and a man was waving to Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming recognized him as Dai Zhenjiang, the director of the Nanhui County Agricultural Bank.

The matters in Nanjiang had come to a temporary conclusion. Zhou Ming had briefed Du Peng on the land speculation and warned him to be cautious of the potential land speculation trend that might follow. With Du Peng's intelligence, he could handle the rest. All of this was due to the variables that his rebirth might bring. Zhou Ming still vividly remembered the real estate bubble in Qionghai from his previous life and did not want to create another one in Nanjiang. He indeed wanted to make money to ensure a good life for those he cared about and those who cared about him, but he was far from being someone who would resort to any means to achieve his goals.

As for Tang Ran, she was very reluctant to see Zhou Ming leave. During their last meal together, she shed tears continuously. Although she did not insist that Zhou Ming stay, her silent tears made Zhou Ming even more distressed. He comforted her for a long time before she finally stopped crying. He just didn't know how this innocent girl would feel once he was really gone.

Putting aside his thoughts about Nanjiang, Zhou Ming walked up to Dai Zhenjiang and said, "I'm really sorry, Director Dai, for making you come to pick me up."

Dai Zhenjiang waved his hand indifferently and said, "Your method of reselling treasury bonds has already earned me over 100,000 yuan. Picking you up is nothing. Besides, I was planning to come to the city today anyway."

"Then congratulations, Director Dai, on your wealth!" Zhou Ming glanced at the car behind Dai Zhenjiang and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this car should be your new private vehicle, right?"

Dai Zhenjiang nodded and said, "Yes, I just bought it."

Zhou Ming was not surprised by this. After all, Dai Zhenjiang was the director of the Nanhui County Agricultural Bank, with access to a large amount of resources. Even when Zhou Ming was around, he had easily earned tens of thousands of yuan. Now that Zhou Ming had taught him the method and he had teamed up with Doggy, the local bully in Nanhui County, it would be strange if he hadn't made so much money.

Dai Zhenjiang looked Zhou Ming up and down and said, "It seems that your two-month trip has been quite fruitful. At least you look like a successful businessman now."

Zhou Ming shrugged and said, "Not bad, I did make some money. At least I can settle my debts with you, Director Dai."

"You're still as low-key and cautious as before," Dai Zhenjiang remarked. He then invited Zhou Ming into the car and drove him back to Nanhui County. In the car, Dai Zhenjiang brought up the topic of treasury bonds. Zhou Ming casually asked, "Director Dai, is the treasury bond business hitting a bottleneck, making it hard to continue?"

Dai Zhenjiang braked suddenly and turned to Zhou Ming in surprise, "You know about this? You didn't see that this business wouldn't last long and deliberately hand it all over to me, did you?"

"Indeed, I saw that this business couldn't last forever, which is why I let it go. After all, the amount of treasury bonds issued by the state is limited, and a large portion of them cannot be immediately cashed out because they haven't matured. Even if we are the only ones doing this in Linyang, the supply will eventually run out," Zhou Ming explained. "Of course, there are bigger opportunities waiting for me in Nanjiang. Otherwise, if I had really intended to, I could have continued for another two months and then let it go. What do you think, Director Dai?"

Dai Zhenjiang sighed and said, "No wonder you're a college-educated man; you have a long-term perspective. Unlike us, who only think about short-term gains."

"Indeed, as you said, the treasury bonds in Nanhui County have been mostly collected. I had Doggy collect them from neighboring counties and the city, and it went smoothly at first. But later, people seemed to catch on and wouldn't let us collect anymore. Doggy's people even got into fights with people from other places, which alarmed the police and led to many arrests. It's now difficult to collect them," Dai Zhenjiang explained.

Zhou Ming was surprised. He hadn't expected that the situation in Linyang over the treasury bonds had become so heated, with fights breaking out and the police getting involved.

However, this was normal. Capital has a nature of its own. As a famous saying goes: when there is a 10% profit, capital starts to stir; when there is a 100% profit, capital becomes reckless; and when there is a 300% profit, capital will do anything, even risk the gallows. The current profit from treasury bonds clearly exceeded 300%, so from this perspective, it was quite restrained that they only fought.

"Zhou Ming, you discovered and started this business. You must have a solution, right?" Dai Zhenjiang asked.

Zhou Ming turned to Dai Zhenjiang and saw that he was looking at him with hope. Zhou Ming smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Director Dai, but I have to disappoint you. The nature of this business is such that it cannot last long."

Dai Zhenjiang sighed, but Zhou Ming's next words brightened his spirits.

Zhou Ming continued, "Although it can't last long, it can still be done for now. Since you said it's hard to collect treasury bonds and there are fights with people from other places, we can avoid competing with them. We can wait for them to collect the treasury bonds and then buy them from them. I believe they don't know about the different interest rates between banks, so we still have room to maneuver."

"Right!" Dai Zhenjiang suddenly realized, "I was so focused on the immediate profit that I didn't think of this. Zhou Ming, you're really smart, no wonder you're the talented student from Nanhui County who got into college!"

Zhou Ming smiled at Dai Zhenjiang's thumbs up and said, "Director Dai, you're too kind. It's just that you were too focused on the immediate profit, and I, as an outsider, could see the bigger picture."

Solving the money-making problem, Dai Zhenjiang was in high spirits. He laughed and said to Zhou Ming, "Even if you're not in a position to feel the pressure, you still have to have a reason to speak so confidently. Not everyone can come up with such a profound idea. Although this will cost us some profit, as you said, the key is to keep the business going and continue making money!"

Dai Zhenjiang then thought for a moment and said, "By the way, Zhou Ming, didn't you ask me to help you inquire about the restructuring of your 760 Factory? I have a relative who works in the city government and can help you check the situation."

Zhou Ming was initially taken aback, then he remembered that when he was in Hongcheng, to ensure that he could return and still catch the restructuring of the 760 Factory after making money, he had mentioned it to Dai Zhenjiang in every phone call, asking him to keep an eye on it and find some connections. After all, he was just a regular factory worker's family, and they didn't have many influential contacts, even in Nanhui County. He had to rely on Dai Zhenjiang. However, after making money and returning to Nanjiang, he met Du Peng, who had connections, and he had forgotten about it.

But even if he hadn't forgotten, it seemed that Dai Zhenjiang probably hadn't really helped him much during the two months he was away.

He was probably just mentioning it now because Zhou Ming had helped him solve the problem of continuing the treasury bond business, and he was in a good mood.

Thinking about this, Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Thank you, Director Dai, but I think I have a solution for this."

Dai Zhenjiang was surprised and looked at Zhou Ming with astonishment, "It seems you've gained a lot from your trip back from Nanjiang!"

"Not bad. I met some friends there, and we did business together, making a lot of money. They have some connections in Linyang, and I asked them to help me with the factory," Zhou Ming said.

"I knew it, Zhou Ming, you're not just a small fish!" Dai Zhenjiang said, "So it seems your parents' job issues are resolved, and they can return to the factory without any more trouble?"

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "Of course, I plan to buy the entire 760 Factory and give it to my parents."

Dai Zhenjiang was about to start the car when he heard Zhou Ming's words and slammed on the brakes, almost hitting his head on the steering wheel. However, he was too shocked to care. He looked at Zhou Ming with a stunned expression and said, "You... you said what? You're coming back to buy the 760 Factory? You're not joking, are you?"

Zhou Ming nodded confidently, "Of course, that's why I went to Nanjiang to do business. If I didn't do this, how could I solve those bastards' problems once and for all?"

Zhou Ming's words were simple, but they sent shockwaves through Dai Zhenjiang's mind. Although Dai Zhenjiang was just a county bank director, due to his family background, he was well-informed about many things. Nanhui County was his base, and the restructuring of the 760 Factory was a major event that everyone in Nanhui County and even the entire Linyang City was paying attention to. Dai Zhenjiang couldn't help but know about it. The restructuring of the 760 Factory, though a small county enterprise, was a political symbol in the current environment. Even city leaders might not have the final say, and Dai Zhenjiang had heard from a friend in the city that provincial officials were already inquiring about it and planning to intervene.

But now, Zhou Ming was saying he would buy the 760 Factory. Dai Zhenjiang knew Zhou Ming never exaggerated. If this was true, Zhou Ming had truly changed. Who were the friends who helped him secure the 760 Factory? What kind of business did Zhou Ming do in Nanjiang, and how much money did he make? What was his current status and position?

These questions weighed heavily on Dai Zhenjiang, making him feel both overwhelmed and terrified.

At this moment, Zhou Ming said to Dai Zhenjiang, "Director Dai, what are you staring at? Start the car."

Hearing Zhou Ming's words, Dai Zhenjiang nodded quickly, like a secretary meeting a leader, and said, "Of course, of course."