Chapter 388: Preparing to Welcome the Great Moment

"Excellent! I knew Chairman Liang would be a role model for all of us entrepreneurs from Jingchu. Your actions just now have inherited the glorious traditions of the great revolutionary martyrs. At this moment, the spirit of the formidable Hanzi and Biazi has possessed you! Chairman Liang, you represent not just yourself but the entire five-thousand-year tradition of our great nation. You are not alone!"

Zhou Ming spoke to Liang Tian with great enthusiasm. Although to others, his excitement seemed like a life-saving grace, Liang Tian felt as if he was being hammered repeatedly on his heart, almost making him want to vomit blood.

The reason was obvious—two million yuan! Not two hundred. No matter where this amount was placed, it would be a huge sum. Even though Linchu Machinery Company was currently doing well, two million yuan was not a small amount. Once the money was taken out, Liang Tian would have to tighten his belt and live frugally!

Moreover, what was Zhou Ming even talking about? Although his words might sound inspiring and could stir people's emotions, the references to Hanzi and Biazi were incomprehensible, and what was with that phrase "not alone"? It sounded like an insult!

At this moment, Liang Tian wanted nothing more than to immediately pull out a knife and stab Zhou Ming. The enormous sum of money was painful to part with, but he still had to maintain a nonchalant facade. "Boss Zhou, this is just a token of our appreciation. After all, Linchu Machinery Company is financially robust, and this amount is not a problem. What's most important is that we can support you and contribute to the development of the 760 Factory and the township industrial park. That's what makes me the happiest."

Zhou Ming shook Liang Tian's hand vigorously and even patted him a few times. "Good person, Factory Director Wang, did you see that? Chairman Liang is definitely the one who has helped our 760 Factory the most!"

Zhou Ming's words were directed at Wang Chen, the factory director of the Eight Treasure Porridge factory. Normally, Wang Chen would have replied immediately, but today he remained silent for a long time. The situation had left him utterly stunned.

For Wang Chen, the events unfolding before him had completely overturned his worldview. He couldn't understand why Zhou Ming would dare to ask Liang Tian for two million yuan for repairs, and how Liang Tian could agree to it. Even in fictional narratives, this would be considered implausible. Yet, it was happening right in front of him, making him feel like he was living in a different world.

Of course, Zhou Ming didn't really expect Wang Chen to say anything. Many things were beyond Wang Chen's comprehension, which is why he was so confused.

"Alright, Boss Zhou, I still have things to attend to at the company. I'm very satisfied to have met with you today and contributed to the development of the township industrial park, making amends for the previous mistakes of our company."

After exchanging mutual compliments, Liang Tian could no longer endure the mental torment and quickly left with Liang An. If he had to interact with Zhou Ming any longer, he couldn't guarantee he would be able to control his anger. After getting back into the car, Liang Tian vowed never to encounter Zhou Ming again. This was like a nightmare, and it was all because of his son Liang An and that incident with the stir-fried bamboo shoots and meat.

Once Liang Tian had left, Wang Chen gradually came back to his senses. He turned to Zhou Ming and asked, somewhat bewildered, "Boss Zhou, what kind of trickery is this?"

"What trickery? I don't perform magic. It's just that Chairman Liang had no choice but to give us the money," Zhou Ming explained.

Wang Chen asked if it was related to Liang An, which was a reasonable assumption given that the trouble had started with Liang An's actions and that he had been detained by the police. But Zhou Ming knew the truth was more complex.

"It's both related and not related to Liang An," Zhou Ming said after some thought, leaving Wang Chen even more confused.

However, Zhou Ming had no habit of misleading his own people, so he continued, "Do you remember what I said last time, Factory Director Wang? We are preparing to welcome a great moment. Today is January 4th, and this great moment is approaching. Because of this, Chairman Liang must pay, whether he wants to or not."

If Zhou Ming's previous words only left Wang Chen feeling perplexed, this statement caused his brain to short-circuit completely.

Zhou Ming patted Wang Chen on the shoulder and said, "Some things are not about not saying, but rather about not being the right time to say them. In any case, Factory Director Wang, as long as you work hard, you will see miracles happening on this land."

"Yes, Boss Zhou, I believe that under your leadership, the Eight Treasure Porridge factory, the 760 Factory, and the entire township industrial park will continue to innovate and create miracles!" Wang Chen firmly believed, though he was unsure whether it was a blessing or a curse to work for such a boss. On one hand, Zhou Ming led the company to create various miracles; on the other hand, being one of Zhou Ming's subordinates meant having to endure the miracles he created. The pressure was immense.

At that moment, no matter how high Wang Chen thought of Zhou Ming or how impressive he imagined the miracles to be, when the miracles actually happened, he still felt he had underestimated Zhou Ming.

Time quickly passed, and soon it was the seventeenth day of 1989. On that morning, Zhou Ming drove to the new Eight Treasure Porridge factory. As he arrived at the factory gate, he paused and looked at the newly repaired entrance.

Compared to half a month ago, the gate had been completely restored. The cost of 50,000 yuan originally budgeted by Wang Chen had covered it. This wasn't because Linchu Machinery Company hadn't transferred the funds, but rather because the gate didn't need that much money. Making it too extravagant might not be beneficial, especially in light of the upcoming event. It was better to invest more in infrastructure development for the industrial park.

Thinking this, Zhou Ming looked around and saw the road leading to the factory was wide and straight, paved with gray-black asphalt. There were sidewalks and blind paths, trees planted at regular intervals, and trash bins placed at short distances. Everything adhered to modern industrial park standards, without the common issues of dirt and disorder.

"This is more like it. Development isn't just about boosting GDP; it's crucial to advance spiritual civilization in parallel," Zhou Ming muttered to himself. He supported the later national leaders' policy of developing both material and spiritual civilization. Without attention to spiritual civilization, the country could have faced severe problems. Many countries' slums and gang conflicts were no joke. At least domestically, such issues were rare.

Additionally, if the central government hadn't insisted on spiritual civilization, people who had gotten rich might have behaved even worse abroad, embarrassing the country and the nation.

In the past, people had no concept of queuing and didn't feel embarrassed about cutting in line. Spitting and littering were common.

Now that he was back, Zhou Ming decided to lead by example. Perhaps one day, textbooks would mention how the country's spiritual civilization began with the township industrial park in Linyang, and with him, Zhou Ming. That thought made him a bit excited.

"Boss Zhou, you're here! Is there something you need?" A voice interrupted Zhou Ming's reverie. He looked up to see a staff member from the Eight Treasure Porridge factory's reception office approaching, noticing his car parked at the gate.

"It's nothing. I just suddenly thought of something. You carry on with your work," Zhou Ming said, waving his hand. He restarted the car and drove into the factory area. At the administrative building of the Eight Treasure Porridge factory, Factory Director Wang Chen and other leaders were waiting at the entrance. When they saw Zhou Ming's car, they rushed over to greet him.

However, Zhou Ming did not exchange pleasantries. He simply said, "Meeting in the conference room," and hurried upstairs with them.

Knowing Zhou Ming would visit, the conference room at the Eight Treasure Porridge factory was prepared. Zhou Ming and the factory's leaders quickly settled in.

As before, Zhou Ming wasted no time and said directly, "The reason for this sudden meeting is to inform you of a very important message. In the future, two working groups from the city's Public Security Bureau and Propaganda Department will be stationed at our factory to inspect the security situation and the ideological state of every factory leader and staff member."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, the Eight Treasure Porridge factory's cadres erupted in shock. They exclaimed, "Boss Zhou, why is this happening? Are people targeting our Eight Treasure Porridge factory again? Is there no end to this? Why is our factory so unlucky?"

Zhou Ming gestured for them to be quiet. "Please rest assured. I can guarantee that this inspection by the city's working groups is not malicious but a necessity for preparing for a great moment!"

"Therefore," Zhou Ming continued, "I hope everyone will cooperate with the city's working groups and ensure there are no slip-ups or exceptions!"

"Guarantee to complete the task!" Everyone responded in unison.

Zhou Ming, still not entirely at ease, addressed Wang Chen directly. "Factory Director Wang, I need you to personally supervise this."

Wang Chen, catching onto something, assured Zhou Ming, "Rest assured, Boss Zhou. I will supervise thoroughly and not let you down!"

Zhou Ming nodded in satisfaction and then looked north, taking a deep breath, thinking to himself: At this moment, the train must have already left the station.