Chapter 72

The 760 Factory was located in the county town, so it took no more than five minutes for three police cars to arrive, one of which was a sedan. It was important to note that in this era, unlike the later period when public vehicles were abundant, especially in Linyang's Nanhui County, which was not economically developed, the sedan in the County Public Security Bureau was a symbol of the leadership's status. Therefore, as soon as the sedan entered the factory premises, it immediately caused a stir.

"Quick, quick, isn't that the car of Director Guo from the County Bureau? Why is it coming into our factory? Could it be that something major has happened in our factory?"

"You don't know, do you? I heard that the child of Factory Manager Ma was beaten by the child of the Lao Zhou family, even breaking his nose. It could be life-threatening. You know how much Factory Manager Ma cherishes his child. Now that his child has been beaten to this extent by Zhou Ming, he will definitely want to kill Zhou Ming. Director Guo must have come to handle this matter after receiving the report."

"Yes! The factory is currently undergoing restructuring, and Director Huang and Factory Manager Ma are planning to take over the factory. I also heard that Director Huang's father was the vice-county magistrate, who had a lot of power in the county. Now that Factory Manager Ma has been offended, Director Huang will definitely help him. It looks like Zhou Ming is in big trouble."

"Who can he blame? Who made him so naive? He fought with Factory Manager Ma's child in the factory over a woman before, and he was fired. That could be considered impulsive, but now, knowing that Factory Manager Ma and Director Huang are planning to take over the factory, he still fights with Factory Manager Ma's child. That's really being ignorant. When Factory Manager Ma and Director Huang take over the factory, they will be kicked out of their assigned housing and will have to cry."

"Really, I don't understand what's wrong with Zhou Ming. He's a college graduate! I think the kids from the factory's technical school are more sensible."

...

Amidst the factory workers' discussions, the County Bureau's cars drove straight to Zhou Ming's house, and those who were not working also ran over to watch the commotion.

Zhou Ming and his parents were waiting at the door. What puzzled the onlookers was that although Zhou Ming's parents looked a bit nervous, they did not seem panicked at all.

Then, Director Guo got out of the car, and Zhou Ming stepped forward to greet him. Director Guo quickly shook Zhou Ming's hand, shook it vigorously, and greeted Zhou Ming and his parents.

This scene left everyone speechless. Everyone thought Zhou Ming was in trouble and would be arrested, but they never expected Director Guo to greet Zhou Ming so warmly. Although they were just ordinary workers in the factory and did not understand the intricacies of officialdom, at least Director Guo's actions did not seem like those of someone coming to arrest someone. Instead, it was more like a subordinate visiting the child of a superior leader.

What was going on?

Everyone was puzzled by this question. The conversation between Zhou Ming and Director Guo soon clarified everyone's doubts.

"Thank you very much, Director Guo, for taking the time to visit me despite your busy schedule. My parents and I are very grateful to you," Zhou Ming said.

Director Guo replied, "Mr. Zhou, you are too kind. You are a major Hong Kong investor in Linyang, and the city leaders have instructed us to take good care of you. I feel very guilty that you have been so frightened. If I don't come to see you, I might not be able to report back to our leaders."

What? A Hong Kong investor?

Upon hearing Director Guo's words, everyone widened their eyes in disbelief, staring at Zhou Ming.

Reform and opening-up had been going on for several years, and although Nanhui was inland, the factory workers understood what a Hong Kong investor was. They were bosses from Hong Kong, a place where the ground was said to be paved with gold. They could easily spend tens or even hundreds of thousands, and even if they weren't that rich, they could at least be millionaires. But how could Zhou Ming, who had grown up in the factory, gone to college, and returned to the factory after graduation, be a Hong Kong investor?

Everyone in the factory knew each other's situations. Zhou Ming was born and raised in the factory, went to school in the factory, and returned to the factory after graduating from college. He was a genuine 760 Factory person. How could he suddenly become a Hong Kong investor after a trip outside? Was there any justice in the world?

Everyone's first reaction was that they must have heard wrong or were dreaming. But no matter how hard they rubbed their eyes, slapped their ears, or pinched themselves, the fact remained.

Then, Director Guo shook hands and greeted Zhou Ming's parents. Zhou Ming's parents, who had never met such a high-ranking official, shook hands with Director Guo nervously and invited him to come inside and sit down.

Director Guo did not refuse and went inside with Zhou Ming and his parents for a while.

After about ten minutes, Zhou Ming and his parents escorted Director Guo out. Zhou Ming shook hands with Director Guo and said, "Director Guo, you already know what happened. I had a conflict with Deputy Factory Manager Ma Jianjun and Sales Department Director Huang Zheng, and I was forced to hit Factory Manager Ma's child. You may not know these two people well, but they are very petty. I'm afraid they might come to my house for revenge, so I would like to request that some police officers stay to protect my parents. Is that possible?"

Zhou Ming's voice was not loud, but the surrounding crowd still heard him. They were not pleased: everyone knew that the police protected leaders. How could Zhou Ming, a mysterious Hong Kong investor, request police protection? Was he overestimating himself?

But the next thing that happened left them even more stunned.

Director Guo thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, although the security in Nanhui County is generally good, we cannot rule out the possibility of someone seeking personal revenge. Moreover, Mr. Zhou is a distinguished guest whom we need to treat with special attention. I think it is necessary."

What? Leave police officers to protect the Zhou family? And it's necessary?

These people suddenly felt that the world was no longer the one they knew. Why would the County Bureau send people to protect a worker who had been fired from the factory? Not to mention that the factory security department had just announced that Zhou Ming's mother, Wang Fengqin, might have stolen from the factory, and Zhou Ming had just beaten Ma Lin until his mouth bled. It seemed that Director Guo was aware of these situations, yet he did not arrest Zhou Ming but instead listened to him and left police officers to protect his parents. Why did this logic make no sense?

Marx once said: Reality does not change according to people's will.

Regardless of whether the onlookers could accept it, Director Guo left a few police officers to guard Zhou Ming's house on a 24-hour rotating shift before he left. Moreover, he instructed the urban management and town police station to pay close attention to the security of Zhou Ming's neighborhood, and to respond and arrive at the scene as quickly as possible if any situation arose.

Zhou Ming and his parents returned to the house. Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin were still in shock. Wang Fengqin, still feeling incredulous, said to Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, I heard Director Guo say... are you really coming to Nanhui County to buy the 760 Factory? Are you really a Hong Kong investor?"

Facing his parents, Zhou Ming did not hide anything. He said, "Mom, I am your son, and you should know that I am not really a Hong Kong investor. It's just that this identity makes the government take me more seriously."

This answer made Wang Fengqin tense up. "So, are you still deceiving the government?"

Zhou Ming quickly reassured Wang Fengqin. "Mom, don't worry, it's not like that. In fact, I can be considered a Hong Kong investor because I have indeed made a lot of money doing business in Hong Kong, and my Hong Kong investor status has been confirmed by the government. So there won't be any problems."

Wang Fengqin finally relaxed, but Zhou Guoping had more questions. "Zhou Ming, your mother and I have worked in the 760 Factory all our lives. Even if the factory's performance is not good now, it's worth at least tens of millions. Where did you get so much money to buy the factory?"

Hearing Zhou Guoping's question, Wang Fengqin became anxious again. "Yes! Zhou Ming, are you doing something illegal outside? I heard that Hong Kong is very chaotic, and anything can happen. Don't do those things in the factory; you'll be arrested by the police."

"Mom and Dad, don't worry, that's not the case," Zhou Ming said. "Do you remember the government bond business I did before?"

Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin nodded, and Zhou Ming continued, "Actually, I did a similar business in Hong Kong, but it was more profitable. I made a lot of money. Later, I heard that the factory was going to be restructured, and the county set the price at three million. I thought my money was just enough, so I found some friends to help me, and I came back to buy the 760 Factory."

"Three million? How is that possible?" Zhou Guoping exclaimed. "There are so many workshops and machines in the factory. Each one costs hundreds of thousands. Just the equipment alone is worth more than three million!"

Wang Fengqin also said to Zhou Ming, "Yes, did your friends make a mistake? The 760 Factory is a well-known unit in Nanhui County. Even if its performance has not been good in recent years, it shouldn't be worth so little!"

Faced with his parents' surprise, Zhou Ming did not know how to explain. He knew that the factory's poor performance in recent years was deliberately caused by the factory leaders, and the price of the entire factory was also manipulated to allow them to take it over at a lower price. In his previous life, Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun had taken over the factory for 1.5 million and then sold it for 8 million after running it for about half a year, making a profit of 6.5 million!

But since these things had not happened yet, even if he told his parents, they would find it hard to believe. So Zhou Ming said, "Mom and Dad, don't worry. The county will set a reasonable price."

Wang Fengqin said, "That's true. Since it's our son taking over, the cheaper the better. But when the time comes, Zhou Ming, you should give your father a leadership position. He has always dreamed of being a leader."

Zhou Guoping, a honest worker, blushed when teased by Wang Fengqin. "I don't need a leadership position. Just being a workshop director is fine."

Zhou Ming laughed. "Dad, you're too modest. I think you should be the factory manager!"