Chapter 51

On a Sunday morning, Lu Zheng arrived at the county fertilizer factory.

The wide iron gate led to a fountain pool, followed by the employee dormitory buildings, the factory office area, and then the factory zone, where tall silver metal tanks and chimneys spewing black smoke stood high into the sky.

The factory manager, Gao Dayou, was in his forties, sharp and capable, a former military man with a commanding presence.

Originally, Gao Dayou served as the deputy director of the county industry bureau and the factory manager (at the level of a section chief). A month ago, the county industry bureau was reorganized into an industrial company, with the property rights split, and the fertilizer factory was only under business guidance. Gao Dayou had intended to join the industrial company, as it still had ties to administrative officials, but a letter from the organization forced him to continue as the factory manager, though his section chief benefits remained unchanged.

Accompanying the young standing committee member around the factory, Gao Dayou felt a deep sense of respect. He had also been a soldier, but the other man was a true combat hero who had fought the Vietnamese on the front lines and was a first-class model of the Ministry of Public Security. Compared to him, Gao Dayou's experiences were far inferior.

The age of this standing committee member had long been blurred in the psychological contrast.

As Lu Zheng walked through the small boiler, deoxygenation water tank, power generation workshop, and finished product workshop, he listened to Gao Dayou introduce the factory's situation. Gao Dayou mentioned that by this year, the county fertilizer factory's ammonia synthesis capacity had reached 20,000 tons. The fertilizer industry is characterized by high temperatures, high pressure, flammability, explosiveness, and toxicity. Even a small equipment defect could cause a shutdown. During Gao Dayou's tenure as factory manager, there had only been a few minor accidents that caused temporary shutdowns, with no fatalities and no unexpected economic losses.

Behind Lu Zheng and Gao Dayou, Du Xiaohu and several middle-level managers from the fertilizer factory followed.

Before coming, Lu Zheng had instructed Gao Dayou to treat it as a private inspection and not to make a big fuss, but Gao Dayou still hung a red banner at the factory gate welcoming the leadership and notified some middle-level managers to accompany them.

The group climbed the iron ladder to the second-floor rest room of the power generation workshop. Although it was called the second floor, the entire workshop was open, with large machinery and small command and rest rooms accessible by narrow iron ladders.

Sitting in the cramped rest room, a worker poured hot water for them. Lu Zheng listened to Gao Dayou's emphasis on safety production and smiled, saying, "I came today to ask you, if you were to manage it yourself, for example, if you could allocate profits to introduce new technology for expansion, and if you could evaluate employee salaries, and of course, if you had to handle sales yourself, what do you think the future of our fertilizer factory would be?"

Gao Dayou smiled and said, "I can't say. Without the support of the state and the collective effort, how could the fertilizer factory have a future?"

Lu Zheng smiled, nodded, and then stood up, "Let's go, let's take a look."

They walked through a few more workshops, and Lu Zheng politely declined Gao Dayou's invitation to lunch, got into Du Xiaohu's minivan, and quickly left the factory grounds.

Watching the minivan drive away, Gao Dayou scratched his head, unable to understand the purpose of Secretary Lu's visit to the fertilizer factory.

...

The minivan sped away from the fertilizer factory, weaving through the streets of the county, and finally stopped in front of the clock tower at the train station. On the steps of the ticket office, Wei Xiangxiu, wearing a black wool coat, stood elegantly and seductively, exuding a professional yet sexy charm.

Lu Zheng opened the car door and called out, "Get in!"

He had already instructed Du Xiaohu to tell her to meet him at the ticket office at 11:00 AM. The train station was a mix of people and vehicles, making it less likely to attract attention.

Wei Xiangxiu quickly got in, like a thief, though she was unwilling and didn't know what was going on, she dared not refuse Lu Zheng's summons.

The minivan slowly started and left the station square.

Lu Zheng glanced at the fashionable woman with curly hair sitting next to him, her delicate face, red lips, and beautiful eyes, a woman who would make any normal man's heart race.

"Let's go to Wushan!" Lu Zheng patted Du Xiaohu's shoulder.

Wei Xiangxiu exclaimed, "Ah! I told Biaozi that you were looking for me, but I didn't say I couldn't return in the afternoon."

Lu Zheng frowned, "Did you really say that?" Although he had post-traumatic stress from his rebirth, when it came to specific matters and conversations, Wei Xiangxiu's attempts to play mind games were far from sufficient.

Wei Xiangxiu fell silent and looked out the window.

From Guangning to Wushan, it was a one-hour drive. On the outskirts of the city, construction sites were everywhere, and the sounds of hammers and chisels could be heard clearly even in the minivan.

Lu Zheng first went to the Wushan City Mechanical and Electrical Engineering College, which had its origins in the Yong'an Prefecture Middle School in 1902. It later evolved into a girls' school during the Republic of China era and an experimental school of the provincial computing technology institute after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1982, it became the Wushan Mechanical and Electrical Engineering College, a full-time secondary professional school focused on training highly skilled technicians and senior technicians.

Lu Zheng enrolled in the correspondence program, which would start in the spring, with classes on weekends.

In his previous life, Lu Zheng had invested heavily in the electronics industry and had always been interested in electronics. His interest began when he wanted to own a radio and admired the old farmers in Nanying who could find various electronic boards, diodes, and other components to build their own radios. From then on, he developed a mysterious curiosity about electronic products.

The provincial electronic computing technology institute was located in Wushan, and some of its researchers also taught at the mechanical and electrical engineering college. Lu Zheng chose the relatively obscure integrated circuit technology program because the faculty in this field was among the best in the country, even at the university level. Lu Zheng believed that with his basic understanding of the electronics industry from his previous life and the systematic learning he would receive, he might achieve unexpected results.

Of course, this was just a personal interest. Enrolling in the secondary college correspondence program was mainly to obtain a secondary college diploma, and then to pursue a junior college, bachelor's, or even a master's degree. However, since he was in school, he wanted to learn something he was interested in, rather than just getting a degree, which would be a waste of time.

The registration process was smooth. The night school was very popular, but the correspondence program, which required a strict final exam and focused on technical skills rather than vocational training, had few participants. There was no need to queue, and after a quick trip to the academic affairs office and the admissions office, Lu Zheng completed his registration.

Leaving the school gate, which locals simply called "Dianxiao," it was 12:30 PM. Without asking Wei Xiangxiu's opinion, Lu Zheng instructed Du Xiaohu, "Let's go get something to eat. Find a lamb skewer stall, let's go to the farmers' market."

Wushan was developing rapidly, with high-rise buildings sprouting up almost daily. The minivan slowly moved through the bustling bicycle traffic, heading towards Liberation Square. The flower beds were decorated with "Warmly Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China," and the square was filled with leisurely pedestrians, including some foreigners with high noses and blue eyes.

The Wushan Department Store, separated from Liberation Square by a wide street, was a five-story, light yellow building, about 100 meters long, looking grand and modern. The young people entering and exiting were dressed fashionably.

Looking out the window at the bustling city, Wei Xiangxiu's eyes flashed with envy. After all, no girl would want to live a life far from the city.

The minivan passed Liberation Square and continued west along the wide Liberation Road for two blocks before turning into a side street. On the south side was the farmers' market, a narrow, long street lined with stalls selling poultry, fish, meat, agricultural products, shoes, hats, clothes, and daily necessities. Among the bustling stalls were various wooden, brick, and metal shops, and the market had gradually evolved into a street of snacks and sundries.

The car couldn't enter the market, so Du Xiaohu parked it in an open area in front of the market. The three of them got out and followed the crowd into the market, where the vendors' calls for business were loud and continuous, making Lu Zheng's head slightly ache, as he was not a fan of crowds.

Fortunately, the deep-eyed Xinjiang man with a white hat was easy to find, and his harsh calls for lamb skewers were unique. Soon, the three of them arrived at his stall.

Few people would eat lamb skewers as a main meal, and the Xinjiang man's stall was small, with only a table and a few young men sitting, who had already finished their skewers and were drinking beer.

"Only lamb skewers?" Seeing the ingredients, Lu Zheng turned to Wei Xiangxiu and asked, "Do you eat lamb?"

Wei Xiangxiu, unsure of why Lu Zheng had brought her to the city, was on high alert. When Lu Zheng suddenly spoke to her, she felt a sudden tension and then nodded slightly, saying, "Sure."

Lu Zheng turned to the Xinjiang man and held up ten fingers, saying, "Ten yuan worth of skewers! The big ones!"

Although the Xinjiang man only had lamb skewers, he was a good businessman. The skewers came in large and small sizes. The small ones, with very small pieces of meat, cost one jiao each and were often bought by primary school students with pocket money. The large ones, costing three jiao each, were seven for two yuan, with larger pieces of meat, making them very satisfying to eat.

When Lu Zheng ordered ten yuan worth of skewers, Wei Xiangxiu was surprised. Although she had heard that Director Lu had a distant relative who did business and often supported him, even lending him a car, she was still shocked by how much he was willing to spend.

The story of Lu Zheng's family was widely spread in the bureau, with some adding details and others exaggerating. The version Wei Xiangxiu heard was the most popular and widely accepted.

When Lu Zheng ordered the skewers, Du Xiaohu had already walked to the table of young men, frowned, and knocked on the table, "You're done, right? Move!"

One of the young men stood up, cursing, "Who the hell are you?"

The leader, a bald young man, was shrewd. Seeing the woman with the group, he knew they were not ordinary people. The woman's beauty and high-quality coat, which must have cost at least 100 yuan, made it clear they were not to be trifled with.

The bald young man then stood up, holding his beer bottle, and waved his hand, "We're tired, let's go dancing!"

The group stood up, kicking the beer bottles, and glared at Du Xiaohu as they passed by him.

Lu Zheng saw this and smiled, pulling out a half-pack of cigarettes from his pocket and throwing it to them, saying, "Thanks, guys!"

The bald young man caught the cigarettes, seeing they were Hongtashan, and licked his lips, smiling at Lu Zheng, "Brother, you're a man of your word!" He waved and wobbled into the crowd.

Wei Xiangxiu looked at Lu Zheng in surprise. This thug was in a good mood today. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so polite. A few small-time hooligans would have been kicked away long ago.