Chapter 218: Only Accept Eight-Treasure Porridge as Gifts

On the first day of the lunar New Year, Zhou Ming woke up to the sounds of firecrackers throughout the factory. This is a traditional custom in China, but in later years, firecrackers were banned in urban areas, so Zhou Ming hadn't heard them on New Year's morning for a long time.

After breakfast at home, his parents busied themselves preparing gifts for New Year's visits. This had been a family tradition, but this year was completely different. At eight in the morning, just as Zhou Ming's parents were about to leave, Sales Director Yuan Zhigang arrived with his family to offer New Year's greetings.

"Happy New Year, Mr. Zhou! Happy New Year, Zhou Boss!"

Yuan Zhigang greeted Zhou Ming and his parents warmly as soon as he entered. Zhou Ming and his parents thanked him while reciprocating the New Year's wishes. Zhou Ming's father even went out to light a small string of firecrackers as a sign of respect for the visitors.

Yuan Zhigang was a smart man. Noticing that Zhou Ming and his parents were preparing to leave, he had no intention of staying long. However, Yuan Zhigang had barely been seated for twenty minutes before Factory Production Director Li Hua and his family arrived to offer their New Year's greetings.

Seeing Li Hua, Yuan Zhigang tactfully took his leave, and Zhou Ming's father lit another string of firecrackers.

Just like Yuan Zhigang, Li Hua also hadn't planned to stay long, but before he could leave, the next group of visitors arrived.

Thus, on the first day of the New Year, all factory leaders, including the highly respected old factory director Wang Chunhua, came to offer their greetings. Zhou Ming lost count of how many waves of visitors there were, but he remembered that by eleven in the morning, all the firecrackers at home had been used up, forcing them to borrow more from the neighbors.

By the afternoon, after almost all acquaintances had come by, the area around the door was covered in red, resembling a carpet made of firecrackers.

In reality, if it were a factory leader, they wouldn't have set off so many firecrackers despite having many guests. But Zhou Ming's parents were ordinary workers at the factory, and their straightforward, simple nature remained unchanged even after suddenly becoming factory owners. They weren't quite sure how to handle the situation, so their first instinct was to give the best hospitality to everyone.

It was customary not to sweep in front of the door on the first day of the New Year as it was considered inauspicious. That evening, Wang Fengqin looked at the red firecracker debris at the door and said, "Zhou Ming, you've really made something of yourself. In the past, your dad and I would have to go out to visit relatives for New Year's. We never had the right to enter the homes of these leaders. Who would have thought such a big change would happen this year? Leaders who wouldn't have let us in before are now coming to offer their New Year's greetings."

"Mom, our family was never inferior to anyone. Didn't you and Dad always receive respect from the factory workers? It's a big achievement that I was able to buy the 760 Factory, and you and Dad are also quite impressive!" Zhou Ming said.

"Stop flattering me," Wang Fengqin replied. "If we were as capable as you say, we would have become factory directors a long time ago. How could it be that you had to spend money to buy this factory?"

Suddenly, Wang Fengqin remembered something and asked, "Zhou Ming, everyone's been saying that our sponsorship of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala is great. But sponsoring such a big event on CCTV must cost a lot of money, right?"

"Mom, don't worry about that. People call me a big capitalist outside. I definitely wouldn't make a losing deal. Some investment is necessary. After all, there's a saying, 'You can't catch wolves if you don't part with the child,'" Zhou Ming explained.

"Well, I hope the Eight-Treasure Porridge sells really well. I heard that the production workshop worked overtime before the New Year to produce a lot. If it's distributed to all the factory workers, it'll take a long time to consume," Wang Fengqin said.

"That won't be a problem. Mom, didn't you and Xiaohan go to pray to the Bodhisattva before? I believe the Bodhisattva will bless us with profits!" Zhou Ming said.

Wang Fengqin couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. "I was praying for your and your dad's safety. It's enough for you to live a peaceful and healthy life. Besides, you can't rely on the Bodhisattva for making money. Stop talking like that; if the Bodhisattva hears you, they might come down to give you a lesson!"

Whether it was due to divine intervention or not, shortly after Zhou Ming and his mother had this conversation, a thin worker rushed to Zhou Ming's house. Zhou Ming recognized him as Zhang Jianguo, the worker who had initially supported Zhou Ming during the wage reform.

Zhou Ming greeted him and asked, "Has something happened at the factory?"

Since Zhang Jianguo was on duty during the New Year, Zhou Ming was curious. Zhang Jianguo greeted Zhou Ming and Wang Fengqin and then replied, "Mr. Zhou, I just received a call from Yanjing. The first batch of Eight-Treasure Porridge we shipped has sold out. They need us to urgently send a second batch."

"That's great!" Zhou Ming said. "Mom, I told you we wouldn't need all the factory workers to finish the Eight-Treasure Porridge. The Bodhisattva will bless us."

Wang Fengqin could only agree, even though she felt Zhou Ming's comment was a bit disrespectful to the Bodhisattva. However, she was more pleased that the Eight-Treasure Porridge was selling well and that her son could make more money.

"Then please notify Sales Director Yuan Zhigang, Production Director Li Hua, and Office Director Sun Jie to come to the factory for a meeting immediately," Zhou Ming instructed Zhang Jianguo. Zhang Jianguo agreed and hurried off to find the other directors.

At this moment, Zhou Ming's pager suddenly went off—it was a call from Du Peng. To facilitate communication, Zhou Ming had installed a telephone at home along with the TV and refrigerator he bought before the New Year. He immediately called back Du Peng.

As soon as the call connected, Du Peng's excited voice came through, "Zhou Ming, you're incredible! You've turned Eight-Treasure Porridge into such a sensation!"

Zhou Ming moved the receiver slightly away from his ear and said, "Du Peng, can you stop being so dramatic? As a Red Second Generation, you should learn to stay calm."

Du Peng laughed on the other end, "I don't have your level of composure. Even in front of Elder Yang, you were so calm and reasonable. Do you know how popular your Eight-Treasure Porridge is in Yanjing right now?"

"How popular?" Zhou Ming asked. "Today is only the second day of sales in the capital, right?"

"What's the matter with the second day of sales? Just the fact that you had exclusive sponsorship for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala yesterday is enough to make Eight-Treasure Porridge a huge hit!" Du Peng said.

Du Peng then briefly explained the situation in Yanjing. On New Year's Day, most people were busy with New Year's visits, and many shops were closed, so Du Peng hadn't paid much attention to the Eight-Treasure Porridge. However, what happened next made it impossible not to notice.

Just as in the past, after Dong Zhen was removed from his post, Du Peng's grandfather was elected as the President of the country. With his high standing in the central government and his significant contributions during the large-scale espionage incident, Du Zhong's prestige now rivaled Elder Yang's.

On New Year's Day, many people visited Du Peng's home to offer New Year's greetings, bringing a lot of gifts. What surprised Du Peng was that unlike previous years when gifts were mostly cigarettes and alcohol, this year many people brought Eight-Treasure Porridge gift boxes, which made him take notice.

Later, Du Peng found out that the surge in demand was influenced by the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. Within a day, Eight-Treasure Porridge had been snatched up all over the capital.

"Really? It's that explosive?" Zhou Ming was a bit surprised. Although he knew the CCTV Spring Festival Gala had a huge influence, the situation was even more astonishing than he had anticipated.

"It's definitely explosive!" Du Peng said. "Zhou Ming, you don't know. Your advertising slogans have become popular catchphrases. 'Lotus seeds bring health, longan brings nutrition; longan and lotus seed Eight-Treasure Porridge is tasty and nutritious.' And that line, 'This year, don't accept gifts, only accept Eight-Treasure Porridge.' I've already heard it countless times this year. I don't know how you came up with such catchy and memorable slogans. Even film producers at the movie city are praising your creativity."

Zhou Ming could only smile wryly. He had come up with these slogans on a whim. Since advertising wasn't as developed back then, ads were more like incomprehensible documentaries. Zhou Ming had added a few memorable phrases from later years, not expecting such a great effect.

"So, is this why you received so many Eight-Tre

asure Porridge gifts on the first day of the New Year?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Absolutely! Now, when visiting for New Year's, especially to visit leaders, if you don't bring a bag of Eight-Treasure Porridge, you'll feel embarrassed. I checked, and even if Eight-Treasure Porridge is priced at twenty yuan a can, people are still buying it," Du Peng said.

"Wow, Eight-Treasure Porridge has become a luxury item," Zhou Ming said with a laugh.

"I regret not having pushed to get the Shaqima out before the Spring Festival and launched it alongside your Eight-Treasure Porridge. I might have made a big profit during the New Year too. Now I'm so regretful!" Du Peng lamented.

Zhou Ming laughed. He knew that Du Peng had initially been interested in this, but setting up a company wasn't easy, and he had other commitments before the New Year, so the project was put aside. Now, Du Peng regretted not moving forward with it.

With the success in Yanjing, it looked like the situation in Binhai, Nanjing, and Baiyun City would also be promising.