Chapter 80: The Meeting of a Thousand Employees

Amid the applause and cheers from all the veteran employee representatives, Zhou Ming, along with his parents and Su Han, took their seats in the front row, right in the center of the auditorium. Shortly after, Linyang Mayor Chen Da and a group of county officials entered the hall, prompting everyone to stand and applaud the leaders.

Chen Da approached Zhou Ming and said, "Mr. Zhou is a well-known entrepreneur in Hong Kong, and I've heard that you were a hero who turned the tide during the economic crisis there. Your return to Linyang to take over Factory 760 is a strong endorsement of your hometown and the country's reform and opening-up policies. Today is a significant day for Factory 760's signing ceremony. Would you join me on stage, Mr. Zhou?"

Hearing Chen Da's words, the county officials behind him showed expressions of surprise. This wasn't because Chen Da wasn't known for doing things that connected with the people, but because after the last restructuring meeting, Chen Da had returned to the county and, during the summary meeting, had angrily criticized County Party Secretary Gu Ping, even pointing his finger at him, accusing him of lacking organizational ability.

Because of this, when the city later decided to officially hand over Factory 760 to Zhou Ming, the county immediately sent a notice to the factory, instructing them to carry out all necessary publicity work and to ensure that the employees were well-informed, ensuring that no further incidents would occur.

Everyone thought that Chen Da had a poor impression of Zhou Ming. After all, given what had happened, any official in Chen Da's position wouldn't be in a good mood. However, today, Chen Da took the initiative to invite Zhou Ming to join him on stage, which was quite a significant gesture. No matter how wealthy Zhou Ming might be, Chen Da was still the mayor of Linyang, and he didn't need to make such a gesture unless Zhou Ming had some hidden background.

With this in mind, the county officials began to look at Zhou Ming with a newfound respect.

Zhou Ming and Chen Da walked up to the stage together. The signing ceremony itself was not particularly noteworthy, as it followed a standard, somewhat dull process. First, Chen Da read out the major policy guidelines and offered encouragement to Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming then expressed his commitment to upholding the city's policy, taking the spirit of Factory 760 as his mission, and vowed to make the factory bigger and stronger, living up to the expectations of the city 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, which was met with a round of enthusiastic applause. Everyone understood that from this moment on, Factory 760 was now under Zhou Ming's control.

After the signing ceremony, the factory's former director, Wang Chunhua, took the stage. He was a highly respected elder in the entire Nanhui County. When Zhou Ming's parents saw him, they stood up in respect, and even County Party Secretary Gu Ping greeted him with respect, addressing him as "Old Director."

Wang Chunhua had once given up a provincial position to voluntarily take a post in Nanhui County as the factory director, and he held that position for over ten years. Although he had many opportunities for promotion, he declined them all, earning great respect both within the factory and throughout Nanhui County.

When Zhou Ming saw the old director walk up, he stepped forward and said, "Hello, Old Director. About the position of factory director…"

The old director, wise and experienced, guessed what Zhou Ming was about to say and waved his hand. "I'm getting old, and I can't handle the responsibilities of a factory director anymore. It's better to leave it to you young people."

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "Thank you, Old Director. However, Secretary Gu mentioned that the county party committee would retain the factory's party branch and invited you to serve as the party branch secretary. What do you think?"

"Oh, in that case, Secretary Gu really values this old body of mine," Wang Chunhua replied.

County Party Secretary Gu Ping, who was nearby, responded, "Old Director, you're being too modest. You are an old revolutionary in Nanhui County and the most ideologically conscious leader of Factory 760. No matter how policies and circumstances change, it's all for the betterment of the factory's development. But the spirit you embody, Old Director, can never be lost."

Wang Chunhua laughed heartily, then looked Zhou Ming up and down before patting him on the shoulder and saying earnestly, "You young people have great energy, but some things might not be as simple as you think. Now that you've taken over Factory 760, this old body of mine can't do much anymore. Whether Factory 760 can regain its former glory is entirely up to you now!"

Wang Chunhua's words left Zhou Ming slightly surprised, as it was clear that the old director was hinting at something. But before Zhou Ming could ask more, the old director left.

After Wang Chunhua left, another deputy factory director, Cai Zhongxian, approached. Smiling, he said to Zhou Ming, "Mr. Zhou, the employee assembly is ready. When do you plan to go over?"

Zhou Ming, having grown up in Factory 760, knew most of the factory leaders. Although there were many deputy directors, most were figureheads, with real power held only by Ma Jianjun and Cai Zhongxian. Compared to Ma Jianjun, Cai Zhongxian was a more low-key figure, but because his name was similar to that of a famous eunuch in history, people in the factory nicknamed him "Lord of 9,000 Years."

Zhou Ming knew less about this "Lord of 9,000 Years" compared to Ma Jianjun, but judging by his shared control over the factory's real power, he wasn't to be underestimated.

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

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, Chen Da's secretary approached and invited Zhou Ming over for a photo. After taking pictures with Mayor Chen and the other county officials, Zhou Ming followed Cai Zhongxian to the factory.

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

The idea of holding an employee assembly was Zhou Ming's own. While a signing ceremony could only represent official recognition, through this assembly, Zhou Ming could personally inform everyone that from now on, Factory 760 was under the Zhou family's control, and that his father, Zhou Guoping, would be the new factory director starting today!

As Zhou Ming, his parents, and Su Han walked onto the stage, the room erupted in thunderous applause.

Zhou Ming initially wanted his parents to speak first, but seeing the nearly thousand people below, both Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin instinctively felt nervous. Zhou Ming had no choice but to step forward and speak first.

"Comrades of Factory 760, hello everyone. I am Zhou Ming, the son of Zhou Guoping. I believe some of you may know me, and others may have heard my name. I'm standing here today to tell you that, just moments ago, during the signing ceremony hosted by Mayor Chen and the other county leaders, Factory 760 was officially contracted by me!" Zhou Ming announced.

Thanks to the factory's prior publicity and educational efforts, Zhou Ming's words were met with some murmuring, but overall, there was no major commotion, which satisfied him greatly.

He continued, "Next, I will be announcing some personnel appointments. First, Old Director Wang Chunhua has voluntarily resigned as factory director and will only serve as the party branch secretary. The position of factory director will be taken over by Zhou Guoping, and Wang Fengqin will serve as deputy director. Additionally, Factory 760 will be restructured into 760 Limited Liability Company, with Su Han as the general manager, responsible for managing all internal and external affairs."

The employees did not seem surprised by Zhou Ming's announcements. After all, everyone understood that people in power would naturally arrange good positions for their family members. In a factory setting, every leader did the same, so it wasn't surprising that Zhou Ming, who now owned the entire factory, would appoint his parents as factory director and deputy director.

"Furthermore, I have another matter to inform you of. Today, we received word from the county committee that the investigation into former Deputy Director Ma Jianjun and former Sales Director Huang Zheng has made significant progress. It has been confirmed that they were involved in embezzling state assets and organizing debauchery. Now, Ma Jianjun, Huang Zheng, along with their families—fifteen people in total—have been transferred to the Procuratorate and will be prosecuted soon!"

Zhou Ming's tone was very calm, but it caused a stir among the workers below. These were employees of Factory 760, and most had never traveled far from home. To them, the factory leaders who held power were like gods. They could hardly believe that a young man like Zhou Ming, the son of a factory worker, could bring down such powerful figures.

As for the grassroots cadres and veteran employee representatives, they were even more alarmed. They knew full well that the swift downfall of Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun was orchestrated by Zhou Ming. What worried them most was that they had once looked down on Zhou Ming's family and had even joined Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun in bullying them. Now, they feared Zhou Ming might seek revenge.

Zhou Ming could easily read the expressions on their faces. But he said nothing, leaving them to fear him, knowing that if a boss isn't feared, those people might one day climb over his parents'

 heads.

After Zhou Ming finished speaking, Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin followed up with a few words. However, both were so nervous that their speeches were short. Then, they introduced Su Han as the general manager.

But to everyone's surprise, Su Han, known for her beauty, didn't speak about any work-related matters. Instead, she smiled and said, "First, I must thank all of you for giving me this opportunity. I am not only the new general manager of the 760 Factory, but also Zhou Ming's fiancée, and I believe that with your help, we will be able to make the 760 Factory a great success."

Her words caused quite a commotion among the employees.