Chapter 217: Spring Festival

February 7th. Zhou Ming took the train back to Linyang. Yuan Zhigang followed Zhou Ming off the train. Zhou Ming stretched and said, "Finally back." Yuan Zhigang trailed behind, feeling as if he was still in a dream, even though they had returned to Linyang.

Yuan Zhigang's feeling of unreality was understandable. Just ten days ago, he was merely a sales director at a small county factory with no administrative rank. His promotion to this position came due to unexpected changes at the factory, so he was hardly above the average person. He used to greet any familiar face at the local police station and see the county directors as high-ranking officials.

However, on this trip with Zhou Ming, Yuan Zhigang had met the executive vice governor of Lingnan in Nanjing, then the son of General Cao in Baiyun City, and finally the secretary of the Military Commission chairman in Binhai. Yuan Zhigang knew this was due to his insufficient qualifications because Zhou Ming had previously gone alone to meet the Military Commission chairman.

Each of these leaders had seemed as distant as stars in his mind, but now they were dining at the same table as him, making it almost unbelievable.

At the train station, Su Han was there to meet Zhou Ming, and another car from the factory came to pick up Yuan Zhigang. Zhou Ming instructed Yuan Zhigang to digest the results of the business trip and maintain contact with the relevant parties before sending him on his way.

Zhou Ming and Su Han then headed to the city's department store, where his parents were shopping for the New Year.

Arriving at the store, Zhou Ming looked at the crowded entrance and remarked, "It's really excessive how many people come to the city to shop for the New Year."

In this era, commercial development was not as advanced as in later years. Many items were unavailable in the rural towns and factories, so people had to come to the city or county to buy things. During festivals, the city and county markets would become crowded, especially during the New Year, when everyone rushed to buy New Year's goods. Since markets were small at that time, the density of people was similar to that of tourist golden weeks in the future.

Finding his parents in such a crowd would have been impossible, but Zhou Ming had equipped them with a pager. He paged them and waited at the entrance.

"Zhou Ming, didn't you plan to take three or four more days to finish things? Have you arranged everything already?" Su Han asked.

Zhou Ming nodded, "Originally, I planned to visit the provincial capital of Jingchu Province, Tanzhou, after returning from Binhai. But then I heard from Du Peng that Governor Xiong is returning to the central government for a report, so he had his secretary handle my matters in advance. That's why I came back directly."

Zhou Ming then asked Su Han, "While I was away, nothing unusual happened at the factory, right?"

Su Han shook her head, "No, everything was normal. Although the 760 Factory might not be large, it has all the necessary regulations in place. With my reputation established through the series of events involving Cai Zhongxian and the Xiling Canned Food Factory, there shouldn't be any major issues."

Zhou Ming then inquired, "How about the production of the Eight-Treasure Porridge?"

Su Han responded, "Uncle Wang's workers at the Xiling Canned Food Factory have been working very hard, so the production of Eight-Treasure Porridge has exceeded expectations. But I'm worried that producing so much might cause problems."

"Are you worried that we might not sell all the Eight-Treasure Porridge and end up wasting it?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Considering that our previous communication with the county supply and marketing cooperatives was not smooth, and the transportation from other provinces is inconvenient, there are many things we cannot control. It's better to think ahead," Su Han said.

"Your concerns are valid. However, remember what I told you—I had smooth communication with other provinces. Plus, with our exclusive sponsorship of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala this year, the porridge will definitely sell well after the Spring Festival. We need to prepare for that. It's better to have too much stock than to run out when demand is high," Zhou Ming said.

Su Han wanted to say more, but Zhou Ming suddenly asked, "Didn't that fat guy from the Weihu Supply and Marketing Cooperative give you trouble after I left?"

Su Han replied, "Yes, he paged me yesterday, complaining that our Eight-Treasure Porridge was selling poorly at their stores and asking for more discounts and kickbacks."

"People's greed is insatiable," Zhou Ming said. "Just let him be. As long as we get through this Spring Festival, we won't have to worry about the sales of our Eight-Treasure Porridge."

As Zhou Ming finished speaking, his parents emerged from the store with bags and packages. Zhou Ming immediately went to help carry their New Year's goods. Seeing his parents drenched in sweat, he asked, "Mom and Dad, why didn't you wait for me to come back and shop together?"

His mother, Wang Fengqin, smiled and said, "It was boring waiting at the station. Besides, your dad and I rarely come to the city. Since the New Year is coming, we thought we'd take this opportunity to buy more so we wouldn't have to come back to the city."

Faced with his parents' explanation, Zhou Ming had no choice but to help them with their shopping. He then drove them to an appliance store. Wang Fengqin asked, "Zhou Ming, are you buying some appliances?"

"Just a big TV and a large refrigerator for home," Zhou Ming said. "Since our factory's Eight-Treasure Porridge is the exclusive sponsor of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, having a TV at home will let us watch the gala."

Upon hearing Zhou Ming's plan to buy a TV, Wang Fengqin quickly shook her head. "I heard that TVs are expensive, over a thousand yuan. We don't need one. We can watch TV at the Workers' Activity Center. We used to watch the Spring Festival Gala there every year, didn't we?"

It's often said that parents understand their children, but children also understand their parents. Zhou Ming understood why Wang Fengqin said this—she had a frugal habit. Even after more than twenty years, if Zhou Ming spent an extra yuan, his mother would feel distressed. Given the tough conditions now, his parents' first reaction was to save every penny, even though he was now a wealthy man.

Zhou Ming said to Wang Fengqin, "Mom, things are different now. I have money, and we're also the owners of the 760 Factory. We should enjoy the benefits, and it wouldn't be right to watch the Spring Festival Gala with ordinary workers at the activity center. Look, did any of the factory leaders ever watch the gala there?"

After Zhou Ming's explanation, Wang Fengqin realized and reluctantly agreed, "Alright, but let's buy a cheaper one. Your dad and I don't watch TV much at home."

Zhou Ming nodded, but he was telling a white lie. In the end, he bought the best and most expensive TV for his home.

After shopping, Zhou Ming returned to the factory and set up the TV. He spent the entire day watching TV with his parents.

At that time, apart from "Journey to the West," there were no other popular TV shows. The entertainment industry was extremely scarce, and the fantasy and magical elements of "Journey to the West" were captivating. Since its debut during the Spring Festival of 1986, it had become immensely popular across the country, and CCTV would broadcast it every Spring Festival for over a decade.

The next day, Zhou Ming held a meeting with all the factory staff. He first reported the results of his business trip, instructing the Eight-Treasure Porridge workshop to work overtime to produce more porridge and be ready to supply all over the country. He also discussed the metal parts processing, an unexpected bonus from his collaboration with Cao Jianning in Baiyun City.

Zhou Ming had learned that a German factory was relocating to Baiyun City, and Cao Jianning, who handled this, offered to subcontract some of the production tasks to the 760 Factory.

This news thrilled Zhou Ming. Although the 760 Factory was a metalworking factory with workers skilled mainly in operating lathes, the opportunity to take on new production tasks was excellent. This would help solve the problem of utilizing the factory's workforce, which was also facing transformation with the production of Eight-Treasure Porridge.

In the final part of the meeting, Zhou Ming discussed the holiday schedule and duty arrangements for the Spring Festival.

After the meeting, Zhou Ming paged Yan Fuping, the owner of the Weihu Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Yan Fuping quickly returned the call, and Zhou Ming barely had a chance to greet him before Yan Fuping began complaining. "Boss Zhou, you're finally back. I have to tell you, your Eight-Treasure Porridge is not selling well in the stores. Nobody wants to buy it, and now those stores want to return the goods. I had to persuade them to stay calm. You need to provide more discounts or kickbacks to help smooth things over."

Hearing Yan Fuping's complaint, Zhou Ming sneered inwardly: It's not that it's not selling; it's that you're trying to extort more money!

Thinking this, Zhou Ming responded, "Boss Yan, please trust me. Any difficulties we face are only temporary. Once the Spring Festival is over, the Eight-Treasure Porridge will sell very well!"

"I'm afraid

 there won't even be places to sell it by then," Yan Fuping said.

Previously, Zhou Ming was focused on the local market, but after traveling around the country, he saw things differently. He simply told Yan Fuping, "Please trust me," and ended the call.

Nine days passed quickly, and soon it was New Year's Eve. That night, Zhou Ming and his parents sat around the table for the New Year's Eve dinner. Su Han had also wanted to spend the New Year at Zhou Ming's house, but Wang Fengqin thought it was inappropriate for Su Han to stay since she was not yet married to Zhou Ming. So, they persuaded her to return to her own home for the New Year.

The Spring Festival Gala began at eight o'clock as it had for over twenty years. After an opening dance, the hosts came out. When they mentioned Linyang Eight-Treasure Porridge during the gala, Zhou Ming's parents were surprised. His mother, Wang Fengqin, said, "Zhou Ming, you really got the ad on CCTV?"

Zhou Ming nodded, "Yes, Mom and Dad, didn't I mention this before?"

Wang Fengqin shook her head, "Not that I forgot, but after watching TV for so many years, seeing something from our factory on TV feels unreal."

"Actually, there's nothing special about what's on TV. It's all products from small factories like ours. Look at those beers and health products before; their factories might not be bigger than ours! But they dared to advertise on CCTV, and that's how they grew. We need to be like them, growing bigger and stronger!" Zhou Ming said. "Once tonight is over, I believe there will be a surge of demand for Eight-Treasure Porridge!"