Chapter 74: Causing Trouble

September 23rd was an ordinary day, but for all the employees of the 760 Factory in Nanhui County, Linyang City, it was far from ordinary. On this day, the factory was holding a reform meeting to officially put the reform process on the agenda.

Early in the morning, as people headed to work at the factory as usual, they noticed banners supporting reform and opening up hung at the factory gate and on several prominent notice boards and news corridors. It was clear this was the work of the factory's logistics department.

For the factory workers, the reform wasn't news. In fact, a year ago the county had announced plans to study reform, with the primary target being the 760 Factory. The factory's propaganda department had been working with the county to prepare the workers and their families for almost a year, so everyone was mentally prepared. Therefore, the sudden appearance of the banners only surprised them that the reform was indeed happening, but otherwise, it didn't cause any major issues. Everyone went about their work as usual.

For Zhou Ming, however, this day was long-awaited. Since his rebirth, whether it was making money through treasury bonds or later earning money in Nanjing and Port City, it had all been for the purpose of buying the 760 Factory himself and giving it to his parents, so that they could finally stand tall and be leaders after a lifetime of hard work.

In the morning, Zhou Ming's parents had gotten up early to prepare breakfast. When Zhou Ming woke up, he saw his parents and Su Han having breakfast in the living room.

This scene made Zhou Ming pause, as it looked very much like a new daughter-in-law having breakfast with her in-laws. In reality, after bringing Su Han back to the factory, Zhou Ming had seen the condition of her small restaurant and, worried that she might face trouble, had let her stay at his home temporarily.

When Zhou Ming went to the backyard to freshen up and returned to the living room for breakfast, he noticed that his parents and Su Han were all dressed in the clothes Zhou Ming had brought back from Port City. They were all nervously waiting.

Zhou Ming said, "Mom, Dad, Su Han, there's no need to be so nervous. Everything will be fine."

"But today is the day when the county is coming to announce the factory's reform. How can we not be nervous? I know Huang Zheng has been going to the county a lot lately, and he's even been to the city a few times. Besides, his family has connections in the county. Zhou Ming, you've only been away for two months. Even if you made some money, it's hard to believe you could take over the factory from him!" Wang Fengqin expressed her concerns.

Su Han also said, "I think Aunt's worries are justified. Zhou Ming, you haven't said much. How can you expect Uncle and Aunt to not be worried?"

Zhou Ming was surprised that his mother and Su Han were on the same side, but he understood this must be due to Su Han compromising and aligning with his mother.

"Mom, Su Han, it's not that I haven't said anything. I've already told you everything I know; you just don't believe me."

Before Zhou Ming could finish, Su Han interjected, "What have you said? You only mentioned that you contacted your friends to reach city leaders who would help you resolve the issue, but who are these city leaders? You haven't even met them. You just say others will speak on your behalf to help you take over the 760 Factory. How can we believe you?"

Zhou Ming shrugged helplessly, "That's the truth. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

After breakfast, Zhou Ming, his parents, and Su Han watched TV at home for a while, and then they left for the factory auditorium at nine o'clock.

At the auditorium entrance, there were banners welcoming county leaders and supporting reform and the factory's restructuring.

At this point, Zhou Ming's parents and Su Han appeared even more nervous, so Zhou Ming tried to comfort them and make them relax. Suddenly, Su Han pointed to the auditorium and said, "Zhou Ming, look! It seems there's a problem. Why isn't the auditorium open yet?"

Zhou Ming and his parents looked in the direction Su Han was pointing and saw a crowd gathered at the entrance. These were old factory employee representatives, obviously here to express their opinions on the factory reform. They were gathered in groups, chatting away.

"Could the meeting have been canceled?" Wang Fengqin asked anxiously.

"I don't think so," Zhou Guoping said. "If the meeting had been canceled, there would have been a notice. Since these employee representatives are still here, it means no cancellation has been announced, but there might be other issues."

"Whatever the issue is, it won't change the final outcome," Zhou Ming said. "Mom and Dad, let's go over there first."

Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin nodded and walked with Zhou Ming and Su Han toward the crowd.

As they approached the entrance, Zhou Ming spotted Huang Zheng among the crowd. Not wanting to cause a conflict with him at the moment, Zhou Ming tried to steer clear. However, Huang Zheng spotted him immediately.

"Hey! Isn't this our Port City businessman, Boss Zhou?" Huang Zheng exclaimed, attracting everyone's attention.

Huang Zheng, who was originally a factory leader, now mocked Zhou Ming with a sarcastic tone. His remarks drew everyone's gaze toward Zhou Ming and his parents.

Having achieved his goal, Huang Zheng continued, "Everyone might not know this, but this is Zhou Ming from the Zhou family. He's supposedly made a lot of money after being away for two months in either Nanjing or Port City. He's come back claiming he's a big boss from Port City and is here to participate in the factory's restructuring and take over our 760 Factory."

Huang Zheng's words appeared to praise Zhou Ming but were actually a sarcastic remark. The crowd erupted into laughter, pointing and commenting loudly about Zhou Ming and his parents.

Some who were close to Huang Zheng mocked Zhou Ming with contempt, "Zhou Ming, you must still be dreaming. Old Zhou is just a factory trickster, and it seems he raised a little trickster too. A big boss from Port City? Why not claim you're a central leader? That might be more believable. But today, with county police present, if you make any trouble here, you'll be taken away immediately. For your own good, you should leave now and avoid embarrassing yourself."

Others, with a more neutral stance, said, "Old Zhou, you've been a factory worker for years. How did you raise such a child? The reform is a major matter for thousands of factory workers and their families. How can you let your child cause a scene here? If it were just a county leader, it would be one thing, but we've just been informed that Mayor Chen from Linyang City is coming to preside over the meeting. If your child causes trouble today, you and your wife will be letting down all the factory workers and their families."

Some even threatened Zhou Ming's parents, "Old Zhou, you're quite old now. You've always seemed so honest, yet you're allowing your child to act recklessly? I warn you, if your child messes up the reform process today, causing the factory's restructuring to fail in front of the mayor, be prepared for consequences."

Zhou Ming's parents, being honest and not very articulate, were at a loss, not knowing how to handle the situation. On the other hand, Su Han remained relatively calm. Having been through many situations with Zhou Ming, she had a lot of confidence in him.

Zhou Ming was not surprised by the reactions. He had already warned his parents that they might face ridicule today. The reason was simple: these people had spent their entire lives in the factory, earning a fixed salary and had no experience with finance and economics. They couldn't imagine the possibility of sudden wealth, let alone taking over an entire factory. It wasn't just about having money; it required deep connections.

To them, even if Zhou Ming had a way to become rich overnight, he could never have the connections needed for such an endeavor. Therefore, they saw him only as someone causing trouble.

Everyone knew the history between Zhou Ming's parents and Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun. With the factory restructuring and Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun trying to take over, it seemed strange if Zhou Ming's family wasn't causing trouble.

Wang Fengqin said to Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, should we go back first? We can come back after the meeting starts."

"Mom, once Mayor Chen arrives and the meeting begins, the factory will be ours. Dad will be the factory director, and we don't need to be afraid of them," Zhou Ming reassured.

Su Han also comforted Zhou Ming's parents, "Yes, Uncle and Aunt, Zhou Ming is very capable. You should trust him."

As Zhou Ming and Su Han tried to comfort his parents, Zhou Ming pointed at the old employee representatives and said, "You people should stop talking nonsense here. I'm here to take over this factory. Originally, my family had no grievances or grudges with you, and I didn't want to make things difficult for you. But with your attitude today, once I take over the factory, I will make sure to fire all of you!"

This statement initially stunned the crowd, but then it erupted into even louder laughter. Some pointed at Zhou Ming and said, "Haha! This kid must be dreaming! Look at you and your parents. You think you can take over the factory? Not in

 this lifetime or even the next!"

Some with a more aggressive attitude threatened, "Alright! I like your guts, but if you can't fire me, don't blame me if I get rough with you!"

Others boasted, "Oh, I'm so scared! I'm not afraid of being fired; I'm just worried you don't have the power to fire me!"

Seeing these reactions and hearing their words, Zhou Ming sneered, "Laugh all you want now. You might not be able to stop crying later!"

Before the crowd could react further, someone hurriedly ran towards them, shouting, "Mayor Chen has arrived, and the county leaders are here too!"