Chapter 166: Arranging to Return to Linyang

Recently, President Dong Zhen visited the Military General Hospital to see the former national leader, Cao Yinghua, who was hospitalized for pneumonia. Dong Zhen approached the bedside to inquire about Cao Yinghua's condition. Cao Yinghua reassured him that he was not in serious danger. During the visit, Cao Yinghua held Dong Zhen's hand and asked about the state of the reform and opening-up, saying, "Reform and opening-up are important national policies. Our country and nation have suffered too much hardship. When we were fighting the revolution with the Chairman, we had only one belief: to ensure that all the people in the country live a good life."

Dong Zhen was deeply touched by Cao Yinghua's concern for national policies even while he was ill. He was moved by Cao Yinghua's patriotic and people-oriented heart. Dong Zhen immediately issued instructions to the hospital: "Comrade Cao Yinghua is a great revolutionary and statesman, one of the founders of the People's Army, and an outstanding leader who has held important positions in the party and the state for a long time. He has made immortal contributions to the party and the people. The Military General Hospital must spare no effort to treat this veteran comrade."

...

This was a press release issued by the central government. To others, this news might seem like a routine visit of national leaders to a veteran comrade, but to Zhou Ming, it was quite significant. He recalled the date of Cao Yinghua's death—though he couldn't remember the exact time, he was certain it would be within the next two years.

Of course, Cao Yinghua's death was not a direct concern for Zhou Ming, but it made him suddenly understand why Cao Jianing was so eager to push for the restructuring and listing of shares. The reason was that Cao Yinghua, as the greatest supporter, would be gone soon. Once Cao Yinghua passed away, it would be much harder to carry out these plans.

This urgency meant that after Cao Yinghua fell ill and was hospitalized, Cao Jianing had to make the most of the time while the old leader was still alive, rushing to get things done.

Zhou Ming sighed as he thought, "It seems every family has its own difficulties!"

Although Zhou Ming couldn't truly understand the situation within the Cao family, seeing Cao Jianing's urgency suggested it was quite challenging. After all, being born into a political family often comes with many constraints and obstacles.

What surprised Zhou Ming was that in this situation, he had played a crucial supporting role. He wasn't sure if the changes he brought to the Cao family were good or bad. However, regardless of the outcome, Zhou Ming was still far from being part of the top national elite that the Cao family represented, so it wouldn't affect him much for now.

Putting down the newspaper, Zhou Ming looked out at the receding scenery. He was on a train heading to Linyang. Since the matters in Nanjiang were mostly settled, he was returning home.

Firstly, regarding the securities market in Nanjiang, after the recent stock market crash, under Zhou Ming's management, the market operations had been largely transformed into the system Zhou Ming remembered from the future. The trading mechanisms like limit-up, limit-down, and T+1 had been officially implemented. Usually, such a drastic change in stock market regulations would face significant resistance, but the impact of the stock market crash had muted any opposition this time.

In the days before Zhou Ming left Nanjiang, the Securities Regulatory Commission had been established. The first chairman of the commission was Cao Jianing, and his Guoli Company had received city approval for stock restructuring and had begun trading on the stock exchange. Although this setup was irregular, in the nascent stage of everything, anything could happen.

Although the Securities Regulatory Commission was a temporary setup and even Cao Jianing, as its chairman, was also the chairman of two listed companies and the general manager of a securities company, Zhou Ming's advanced ideas from over twenty years ahead ensured that the commission's functions were properly established.

With the maturation of securities company regulations and the establishment of the Securities Regulatory Commission, the stock market gradually returned to normal levels and began accurately reflecting the development of listed companies.

Zhou Ming had elevated the securities market, and his own company had not lagged behind. The Jinpeng Company, co-founded with Du Peng, had previously made a substantial profit from the stock market surge. Now, leveraging his connections with Cao Jianing, Zhou Ming had started collaborating on mobile signal construction and promotion business with his Guoli Company.

At this time, mobile phones were bulky and had a rather imposing name—"Big Brother." Despite costing over thirty thousand yuan and often having poor signals, Zhou Ming predicted that these phones would eventually become a nationwide trend. The future of mobile phones would far exceed that of the stock market because, while not everyone traded stocks, everyone would eventually own a mobile phone.

Cao Jianing was skeptical. He acknowledged the convenience of mobile phones but found them too expensive, more than a set of commercial housing. He wondered who could afford them?

Zhou Ming responded, "Looking at developments in the United States, the future will be an information age, and instant communication will be a crucial part of this era. Technology is advancing beyond our imagination. Future phones might be very small, fit in any pocket, or even have functions currently only available on computers."

What Zhou Ming described were scenarios from twenty years into the future, which sounded like science fiction to Cao Jianing at the time. Despite his doubts, Cao Jianing was reluctant to let go of this business and continued to expand mobile phone and signal construction with Zhou Ming's Jinpeng Company.

Zhou Ming also did not forget about his Nanjiang nightclub. Before leaving, the second branch of the Nanjiang nightclub and the chain store in Baiyun City, the provincial capital, were under renovation. To establish the brand, management personnel were being actively trained. These personnel were selected from the most active and outstanding employees at the headquarters, ensuring they were well-versed in the nightclub's philosophy and operations, making them ready to take charge as soon as they were deployed.

Taking this opportunity to open the chain stores, Zhou Ming gave all nightclub employees a lecture, telling them that hard work would lead to opportunities for promotion and salary increases when new chain stores opened.

Having arranged everything in Nanjiang, Zhou Ming was ready to return home. He didn't ask Tang Ran to see him off because he knew she would be very emotional, which he didn't want to see. So only Du Peng went to see him off, and Kong Xiaolin stayed with Tang Ran.

Thinking of Kong Xiaolin, Zhou Ming considered her a real gem. The nightclub had become a landmark in Nanjiang's bustling district under her management. Walking on Nanjiang's commercial street, if anyone didn't know about the Nanjiang nightclub, it would surely be their first time in Nanjiang.

Kong Xiaolin was smart and capable, and the development of the Nanjiang nightclub was largely due to her efforts. Zhou Ming felt a bit embarrassed for having been hands-off, but more importantly, she was loyal.

Zhou Ming felt slightly uncomfortable recalling how he had persuaded Kong Xiaolin with a pyramid scheme at their first meeting at Nanhu Hotel. Her admiration for him had grown since then. It reminded Zhou Ming of the fans of Korean stars in his past life.

Yet, the theories he shared with her were nothing more than common knowledge in the future. He wondered if she would have been angry if she had known that the things he told her were so ordinary.

Having settled matters in Nanjiang, Zhou Ming naturally needed to return home. His parents and Su Han had no management experience. After buying Factory 760, he left it to them, intending to be hands-off. His father wanted to continue working in the workshop, and his mother wanted to accompany him. Such leadership was ineffective.

Although Zhou Ming had left Linyang, he kept in touch with the factory daily, making calls to his parents, Su Han, and Zhang Lei.

Problems began to arise shortly after his departure, which was why Zhou Ming was eager to return to Linyang after arranging things in Nanjiang.

Zhou Ming sighed inwardly, thinking, "It seems it's better to proceed steadily. Big steps can indeed lead to trouble. Here I am, running around as a firefighter—first saving Nanjiang from the housing boom and now dealing with factory issues."

Shaking his head and smiling wryly, Zhou Ming picked up his cup to have some tea. Noticing the water was nearly gone, he stood up to get some hot water and saw a few people chatting in the aisle.

Zhou Ming was in a sleeper cabin, and the aisle was narrow. With people sitting there, it blocked the aisle entirely.

People chatting on trains was normal, even with the prevalence of smartphones and laptops in the future. Zhou Ming had encountered this situation many times. However, when he heard the conversation and realized they were talking about him, he stopped in his tracks.