Chapter 80

Amidst the applause and cheers of all the veteran employees, Zhou Ming, along with his parents and Su Han, took their seats in the front row of the auditorium. Not long after, Mayor Chen Da of Linyang and a group of county officials entered the hall, and everyone stood up to applaud the leaders.

Chen Da approached Zhou Ming and said, "Mr. Zhou is a renowned entrepreneur in Gangcheng, and I've heard that you were the hero who saved the city during the economic crisis. This time, Mr. Zhou has returned to Linyang to take over Factory 760, which is a significant support for the reform and opening-up policies of our hometown and the country. Today is a big day for the signing of the contract for Factory 760. Mr. Zhou, would you please join me on stage?"

Upon hearing Chen Da's words, the county officials behind him were all very surprised. It wasn't that Chen Da never did anything to be close to the people, but after the last restructuring meeting, he had slammed the table and even scolded the county party secretary, Gu Ping, for lacking organizational skills.

Because of this, when the city later decided to officially transfer Factory 760 to Zhou Ming, the county immediately issued a document to the factory, requiring it to do all the necessary publicity and ideological work among the employees to ensure that no unexpected incidents would occur.

Everyone thought that Chen Da had a poor impression of Zhou Ming. After all, such an incident would make any official unhappy. However, today, Chen Da had proactively invited Zhou Ming to go on stage with him, which was a significant matter. Regardless of how wealthy Zhou Ming was, Chen Da was still the mayor of Linyang and didn't need to put on such a show for him, unless Zhou Ming had some hidden background.

Thinking of this, the county officials all looked at Zhou Ming with newfound respect.

Zhou Ming and Chen Da walked on stage together. The signing ceremony was nothing special, just a tedious process. First, Chen Da read out the major policy guidelines, then encouraged Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming responded that he would adhere to the policies of the city party committee and government, take on the responsibility of promoting the spirit of Factory 760, and make it a strong and prosperous enterprise, living up to the expectations of the city party committee, government, and all the employees and their families.

Finally, under Chen Da's witness, Zhou Ming and County Party Secretary Gu Ping signed the contract, and the hall erupted in enthusiastic applause. Everyone knew that from this moment on, Factory 760 would belong to the Zhou family.

After the signing ceremony, the old factory manager, Wang Chunhua, walked on stage. He was a highly respected veteran in the entire Nanhui County. Zhou Ming's parents showed great respect to him, and even County Party Secretary Gu Ping had to respectfully call him "Old Factory Manager."

This old factory manager had given up his job in the province to voluntarily come to Nanhui County to be the factory manager. He had held this position for over a decade, and despite many opportunities for promotion, he had always declined, earning him great respect in the factory and throughout Nanhui County.

Seeing the old factory manager walk on stage, Zhou Ming stepped forward and said, "Old Factory Manager, hello. Regarding the position of factory manager..."

The old factory manager, being a seasoned veteran, guessed what Zhou Ming was about to say and waved his hand, saying, "I'm too old to continue as factory manager. It's better to leave it to the young people like you."

Zhou Ming nodded and said to Wang Chunhua, "Thank you, Old Factory Manager. However, Secretary Gu said that the county party committee will retain the factory's party branch and invite you to be the party branch secretary. What do you think?"

"That's very kind of Secretary Gu," Wang Chunhua said.

County Party Secretary Gu Ping, who was standing nearby, added, "Old Factory Manager, you are a veteran of Nanhui County and the most ideologically advanced leader of Factory 760. No matter how policies and situations change, it's for the better development of the factory, but the spirit you embody must never be lost."

Wang Chunhua laughed and then looked Zhou Ming up and down, patting his shoulder and saying earnestly, "Young man, you have a lot of drive, but some things may not be as simple as you think. Factory 760 is now in your hands. I'm too old to continue, and whether Factory 760 can regain its former glory depends entirely on you!"

Wang Chunhua's words surprised Zhou Ming, clearly hinting at something, but before Zhou Ming could ask more, the old factory manager left.

After the old factory manager left, another deputy factory manager, Cai Zhongxian, walked over. He smiled at Zhou Ming and said, "Mr. Zhou, the employee assembly is ready. When do you plan to go over?"

Zhou Ming grew up in Factory 760 and was familiar with the factory leadership. Although there were many deputy factory managers, most were nominal positions. The only ones with real power were Ma Jianjun and Cai Zhongxian. Compared to Ma Jianjun, Cai Zhongxian was low-key, but because his name was similar to a famous eunuch in history, he was called "Nine Thousand Years" behind his back.

Compared to Ma Jianjun, Zhou Ming knew less about this "Nine Thousand Years," but given his ability to share power with Ma Jianjun, he was no pushover.

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go over after we see off Mayor Chen and the county leaders."

Just as Zhou Ming finished speaking, Chen Da's secretary came over to invite him for a group photo. After taking the photo with Mayor Chen and other county officials, Zhou Ming followed Cai Zhongxian to the factory.

By this time, an old workshop had been cleared out, and nearly a thousand employees were already waiting there when Zhou Ming arrived.

Holding a staff meeting was Zhou Ming's idea. After all, a signing ceremony only represented official recognition, but through this meeting, Zhou Ming could tell everyone that Factory 760 now belonged to the Zhou family, and his father, Zhou Guoping, would be the new factory manager starting today!

As he walked into the workshop, thunderous applause broke out. Zhou Ming, along with his parents and Su Han, walked up to the stage.

Zhou Ming had intended to let his parents speak first, but seeing the sea of nearly a thousand people, Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin felt instinctively intimidated, so Zhou Ming had to step forward and speak first.

"Comrades of Factory 760, hello. I am Zhou Ming, the son of Zhou Guoping. I believe some of you know me, and others have heard my name. I am here to tell you that just now, at the signing ceremony presided over by Mayor Chen and other county leaders, Factory 760 has been officially contracted to me!" Zhou Ming said.

Due to the thorough propaganda and ideological work done by the factory, there was some whispering among the employees, but overall, there was no major disturbance.

This situation pleased Zhou Ming, and he continued, "Next, I will announce some personnel changes. Old Factory Manager Wang Chunhua has voluntarily resigned as factory manager and will serve as the party branch secretary. The position of factory manager will be taken by Zhou Guoping, and Wang Fengqin will be the deputy factory manager. Additionally, Factory 760 will be reorganized into the 760 Limited Liability Company, with Su Han serving as the general manager, managing all internal and external affairs."

The employees were not surprised by Zhou Ming's announcements. After all, everyone would use their power to secure good positions for their family members. Which leader wouldn't do the same? Now that Zhou Ming had taken over the entire Factory 760, it would be considered unfilial if he didn't appoint his parents as leaders.

"Additionally, I have an announcement to make. Today, we received news from the county party committee that the investigation into former deputy factory manager Ma Jianjun and former sales department director Huang Zheng has made significant progress. They have been confirmed to have embezzled state assets and organized debauchery. Currently, including Ma Jianjun, Huang Zheng, and their families, a total of fifteen people have been transferred to the procuratorate and will soon be prosecuted!"

Zhou Ming's tone was calm, but it caused a stir among the employees. These were the workers of Factory 760, most of whom had never left their hometown. In their minds, the factory leaders were like gods, but now, a child of a regular worker had brought them down. This was hard to believe.

For some grassroots cadres and veteran employees, they were terrified. They knew that Ma Jianjun and Huang Zheng had been easily imprisoned because of Zhou Ming's planning. They were also worried because they had once looked down on the Zhou family and bullied them. They feared that Zhou Ming might seek revenge.

Seeing the faces of the people below, Zhou Ming knew what they were thinking, but he didn't say anything, wanting to keep them in awe. If the boss didn't instill fear, these people might one day overstep their bounds and challenge his parents.

Zhou Ming raised his hands to signal for the noise to die down and continued, "The case of Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun serves as a warning, especially to the factory leaders."

Hearing this, the cadres below all shivered involuntarily.

"However, I believe this is more of an incentive to push us forward," Zhou Ming continued. "To respond to the city's support for our factory's restructuring, Factory 760 will undergo a significant reform. We will break the current system of equal distribution and adopt a more advanced piece-rate system, linking wages to work efficiency to improve our productivity!"

Zhou Ming paused and then continued, "However, before this, I know that the factory has not paid wages for three months due to poor performance. I can assure you that the overdue wages will be paid by next Monday at the latest!"

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, the hall erupted in cheers. Nearly a thousand workers waved their arms and shouted, "Long live Factory Manager Zhou! You are the Guanyin Bodhisattva who has come to save us! No matter what reforms Factory Manager Zhou implements, we will support you with both hands!"

Hearing the enthusiastic cheers, Zhou Ming felt a bit embarrassed. These lovely workers, he had only done what he should, yet they treated him like a god.