Chapter 55: Are You Calling Me? Do We Know Each Other?

Our family has been in Changjiang for generations. Forget twenty years ago, even ten years ago when I was in college, Changjiang was truly bustling. Every day, the cargo trucks would line up for kilometers.

Today, seventy percent of those factories are barely hanging on, and thirty percent are completely beyond saving.

In the past, Changjiang was known as the little Jiangnan of the interior—a water transport hub where goods were traded from the north and south. But now, I am almost embarrassed to say it out loud!

Sitting in the front passenger seat was a young man in his early thirties.

"Officer Hu is a college man, a civilized person, so he doesn't use rough language. The old Changzhou used to be the Chang of prosperity, but now, it is utterly vulgar!"

"What kind of businesses are thriving in Changzhou now? Bars and dance halls that don't close until three or four in the morning. Twenty days out of a month, we deal with the messes from those places. We've seen it all."

"Brother Hu, can I go to this bookstore to buy a couple of books? I still have no idea how many more days I'll be locked up here!" Liang Jiyong asked.

Hearing this, Hu Jin'an nodded. It wasn't a big deal.

This was not a traditional bookstore, and even the name was interesting: Savory Study!

Whether it was modeled after the Three-Flavor Study, one couldn't be sure, but upon entering, you could indeed smell the fragrance of printing ink and books.

In his mind, Qingzhi's figure surfaced once again. Would they cross paths again?

In his heart, Liang Jiyong actually held a trace of anticipation.

Yet, it was merely the anticipation of meeting her again, of asking her name, and nothing more. Or perhaps, inviting her for a cup of tea or something similar, and nothing more!

Although the store mainly stocked various classics and miscellaneous books, there were also some reference books.

Liang Jiyong chose a mathematics and an English grammar reference book. Casually, in the classics section, he caught sight of a long-haired girl wearing a trench coat and a woolen cap.

In an instant, he felt the shadow of Qingzhi.

Liang Jiyong let out a breath and walked over.

His heartbeat actually accelerated slightly.

"Qingzhi!"

Liang Jiyong called out, but the girl did not react.

At that moment, he also seemed to sense that this was not Qingzhi.

The girl turned her head back. She was indeed a very pretty girl, her demeanor similar to Qingzhi's, but she possessed only seventy percent of the scholarly air, with an extra thirty percent of wildness.

Noticing Liang Jiyong's gaze fixed on her.

"Were you calling me just now?"

Her voice was very pleasant. Liang Jiyong said apologetically, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else!"

"Are you going to follow up by asking for my name? This pickup line is so cliché!"

Although very gentle, this girl did not have an introverted personality.

Liang Jiyong smiled helplessly, "Sorry, I really mistook you for someone else. Excuse me, I'll take my leave!"

Liang Jiyong hurriedly made his escape.

Watching Liang Jiyong's departing back, the gentle girl muttered to herself, wondering if he really wasn't trying to pick her up.

He looked pleasant enough, though. Oh well, she had a date tonight...

Right at that moment, from the other side of the bookshelf, another girl walked around wearing a beige trench coat and a woolen cap. She was beautiful and refined, holding a book in her hands as she looked around...

"Just now, I clearly heard his voice. Could it be auditory hallucinations? Goodness, I..."

Her face flushed slightly, and she exhaled a few breaths to calm her emotions.

Meanwhile, the girl who had just assumed Liang Jiyong was trying to pick her up happened to see someone wearing almost the exact same outfit, yet giving her an involuntary feeling of jealousy.

For some inexplicable reason, she wondered if the boy from earlier had been looking for this girl instead.

Right, why not find out by testing it!

"Qingzhi!"

Qingzhi turned her head to see a girl wearing the exact same trench coat and a similarly colored cap, a look of slight astonishment crossing her face.

"Y-you're calling me? Do we know each other?"

"Heh, is your name really Qingzhi?" the gentle, pretty girl asked out of curiosity.

Qingzhi nodded, suddenly realizing that even her parents didn't know her pen name, and she had only ever told one person...

"Was the boy from just now looking for you?"

"Where is he?" Qingzhi asked involuntarily.

"He went outside. If you chase after him now, you might still catch him!"

"Thank you!" Qingzhi suddenly bolted outside. Pushing open the door, she looked at the stream of people in the night, and her heart felt inexplicably desolate.

At that moment, a person wearing a black leather jacket and a cap walked over briskly. Qingzhi instinctively took two steps back to make way.

Yet just as they brushed past each other, the man in the leather jacket suddenly grabbed Qingzhi's backpack.

Although it had dual shoulder straps, it was of a fashionable type and not particularly sturdy.

One of the shoulder straps ripped, and Qingzhi was yanked sideways.

Even so, she managed to grab the remaining strap while regaining her wits.

"Robbery!"

Having failed his initial strike, the man in the leather jacket grew extremely irritated. If he were surrounded by a crowd, he would be done for.

"Let go, or I'll kill you!"

A dagger appeared in his hand, slashing toward the hand Qingzhi was using to grip the strap.

Terrified, Qingzhi instantly let go and stepped back.

Having seized the bag, the man in the leather jacket immediately bolted into a nearby alley. A few public-spirited youths gave chase, but quickly grew timid upon discovering the robber was armed, and within moments, he vanished without a trace.

...

Liang Jiyong had no idea that he and Qingzhi had brushed past each other, nor did he know that Qingzhi had fallen into danger!

Liang Jiyong had been brought to the criminal investigation team of a jurisdictional sub-station. It was already eight o'clock. Hu Jin'an simply asked a few basic questions about the case, and then had Liang Jiyong wait inside a detention cell.

"Brother, you're being wronged here."

"It's fine, it's very quiet here. It's a good chance for me to read."

"Heh, I'm on duty tonight right next door. Just shout if you need anything. Later, I'll have someone bring you a pot of water. This is a thirty-year-old building, the heating isn't great, and it gets quite cold at night. Drink some water to warm up!"

"Alright, many thanks, Brother Hu!"

Liang Jiyong sat down, not overthinking it because overthinking was useless. The lighting was reasonably bright, and he began to read his books.

Meanwhile, at the Changjiang compound, a meeting was underway in a large conference hall.

Around the oval table, extra chairs had been added on three sides. The middle-aged officials sitting on the edge of their seats with cautious expressions were the primary leaders of various departments across Changjiang.

Because Changjiang's economic figures for the year had just been released, and they were far from optimistic. Economic growth was a mere 5.6 percent, falling far short of expectations.

Most importantly, Changzhou—the provincial capital that had once accounted for half of Changjiang's economy—had experienced negative economic growth.

Last year, at least fifty percent of state-owned mega-factories had remained profitable, but this year, less than thirty percent could even afford to pay wages.

Things had taken a sharp downward turn.

Pingzhou, which had previously developed rapidly, also seemed to have reached a plateau. While this was an economic rule, without Pingzhou's upward pull, Changjiang's economy looked appalling.

The rest of the cities showed barely any bright spots.

With the New Year approaching, Shao Jinchuan's brows were furrowed into deep wrinkles, much like the character for the river in his name.

...

"Stability overrides everything else. This winter will be the coldest winter Changjiang has ever seen.

Yet, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?

Comrades, for this winter, I, Shao Jinchuan, ask of you all to pull out all the stops like the eight immortals crossing the sea. We must guarantee the basic livelihood needs of the workers. We have the determination and perseverance to solve our problems.

I, too, come from a working-class background. Knowing that my old fellow workers are suffering from the cold and going hungry leaves me restless day and night.

This Spring Festival, aside from essential condolence visits, all expenses are to be slashed to ensure that every worker can eat a hot meal and wear a cotton-padded jacket this winter. If problems arise anywhere, severe punishment will follow."

Shao Jinchuan's anger caused everyone's expressions to shift.

Shao Jinchuan had returned to Changjiang for a year now, yet Changjiang's economy had gone from bad to worse, leaving him with a deep sense of helplessness.

Change was imperative, but resistance was ubiquitous because it would inevitably touch upon vested interests.

And the hardest thing to coordinate in this world is interest. With interests taking precedence, people are blinded by greed; how many go crazy for the sake of profit!

After Shao Jinchuan finished speaking, Bu Yuan also spoke up. Facing the impending crisis, his interests aligned completely with Shao Jinchuan's.

Shao Jinchuan had only been back in Changjiang for a year; it would be unfair to hold him entirely responsible for the current state of development.

Yet he himself had spent many years here, rising step by step.

He considered himself to have achieved certain accomplishments in the economy, as evidenced by the rapid economic development of Changjiang over the past decade.

However, starting two or three years ago, why did his old methods suddenly stop working?

He had also been improving and summarizing, keeping pace with the times. But now, inside and out, top to bottom, no one dared claim their own ideas were right.

They were entirely crossing the river by feeling for stones, and he felt somewhat dizzy and disoriented.

One day an embezzler was uncovered in an enterprise, the next day some equipment malfunctioned, and the day after that products failed to sell.

On his front, the most important task was developing the economy.

Development was the absolute principle.

"Just now, Secretary Shao set the tone. Let me make some specific arrangements..." Bu Yuan lowered his posture significantly.

By the time the tasks were assigned, it was already past nine o'clock. Most of the people present were around fifty years old, with only a few slightly younger ones in their early forties.

Hours of continuous meetings had left everyone exhausted.

"Secretary Shao, do you have any further instructions?" Bu Yuan asked.

"It's getting late. Let's see if the comrades have anything else to say."

Under such circumstances, nobody would normally stand up to ramble on for another long stretch.

Yet today, someone actually did.

A slightly dark-skinned man in his early forties raised his hand.

"Comrade Jianguo wishes to speak. Excellent, today we are here to speak our minds freely!" Shao Jinchuan said with a smile.

Zhou Jianguo stood up, his slightly deep tone echoing through the room.

"I will take up a few minutes of everyone's time. What I want to discuss is a successful case of enterprise restructuring by a state-owned factory in Yunzhou. From this case, I believe we can find some experiential lessons to draw upon. Whether correct or not, I invite everyone to discuss it!"

As soon as Zhou Jianguo started speaking, a wave of chill seemed to sweep through the room, instantly jolting the drowsy and sleepy attendees wide awake.

This Zhou Jianguo was about to set off a bombshell!

An enterprise in Yunzhou had successfully restructured through an employee buyout system for share-reform, while the management held shares, and the buyout funds were actually secured by mortgaging the enterprise's assets.

It was essentially the management mortgaging the enterprise's assets to buy it, and using the borrowed funds to revive the company.

"This issue..." Bu Yuan frowned slightly and glanced toward Shao Jinchuan.

Zhou Jianguo was a young cadre highly valued by Shao Jinchuan. At forty-two, there were very few like him in Changjiang.

And Zhou Jianguo was indeed someone who could get things done and dared to act.

Upon arriving in Yunzhou, he had quietly and successfully restructured the Red Flag Factory.

Yet, after a successful restructuring that one should try to keep under wraps, why bring it out to discuss? What was his intention?

Was this Zhou Jianguo's own idea, or had Shao Jinchuan truly resolved to be the first to eat the crab?

Perhaps Changjiang's predicament had left Shao Jinchuan unable to sit still anymore.

But as for him, Bu Yuan, should he follow along and take this risk?

The first person to eat the crab—if cooked right, everyone rejoices, but if it turns out undercooked, you won't have a moment of peace!

Bu Yuan hesitated. Deep down, he didn't want to eat this crab—at least, he didn't want to be the first one.

However, if they dragged their feet further, when would a conclusion ever be reached?

Dragging things out again and again would cause his sole advantage of youth to vanish completely.

Shao Jinchuan tapped his fingers on the table. The sound wasn't loud, but it felt as though it struck everyone's heart!

"Let's end today's meeting here..."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Jianguo's expression dimmed slightly. In the end, Secretary Shao still hadn't made up his mind.

"It's already very late, no need to rush this exact moment. It's also been a while since we held a democratic lifestyle meeting, and it's not easy to get so many people gathered together. Let's have some tea and pastries prepared so we can eat and chat freely—speakers bear no blame!"

The situation took a turn. In Bu Yuan's heart, a quote echoed once more: folding hands into clouds and turning them into rain; Shao Jinchuan's maneuver was truly seasoned.

"Secretary Shao, Comrade Chen Wei, the leader of the Red Flag Factory's restructuring and currently the General Manager of Red Flag Machinery Co., Ltd., is also in Changjiang. Might we invite him over to talk about the problems and solutions encountered during the restructuring process..."

Zhou Jianguo's voice came again.

This time, Shao Jinchuan was somewhat surprised, but immediately nodded.

"Very well, I know this Comrade Chen Wei. His father was an aid-construction expert who used to work with me. In the blink of an eye, over thirty years have passed. The last time I saw him, he was only seven or eight years old!"

Everyone was surprised to learn that Chen Wei was actually an acquaintance of Shao Jinchuan.

After a ten-minute break, some people stepped out to smoke or use the restroom.

Ten minutes later, the meeting resumed, though a few extra tables had been added along with pastries and tea. It felt more grounded than before, yet no one felt relaxed.

Chen Wei sat beside Zhou Jianguo. Facing so many supreme leaders for the first time, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

The core figures had not yet arrived.

Soon, they stepped into the conference hall one by one, and those present instinctively stood up out of respect.

A military officer in uniform walked in with steady strides, acknowledging the greetings with a nod.

"Commander Long, hello!"

Chen Wei hurriedly greeted him. This was the only primary figure he recognized, whereas he had almost no impression of Shao Jinchuan since he was too young back then.

"Chen Wei, you rascal, not bad at all—quietly pulling off a major feat.

Splendid, the Red Flag Factory was restructured nicely. In a few days, I'll go look for the old company commander, and the two of us can have a good drink together!"

"Definitely!" Chen Wei said promptly.

"How is the old company commander lately? He has a stubborn streak, I'm afraid the restructuring took quite a toll on him!"

"Brother Liang has a great sense of the overall situation. Shao'an has also returned to the Red Flag Factory, participating in the share reform and currently serving as the technical director."

"Oh, Shao'an is back? Good. Father and son go into battle together; that boy Shao'an is a fine fellow.

By the way, where is that rascal Liang Jiyong? He stood me up—I was about to issue his enlistment notice, yet instead of joining the army, he went to take the college entrance exams. Is he even cut out for that?"

Chen Wei hesitated slightly before answering truthfully, "Jiyong has changed a lot over the past half year. He's much more mature and steady than before, and his academic performance has improved significantly. Passing the college exams this year shouldn't be a problem for him.

However, there's still definitely a gap compared to Shao'an and Shaoping. He should currently be in Changjiang as well!"

"Oh, that kid came to Changjiang? Where is he? I need to go kick him twice!" Commander Long seemed quite familiar with Liang Jiyong.

"Right now, he should be in a detention cell. As for which one specifically, I'm not sure!"

"What's going on? Did that kid beat someone up?" Commander Long asked in surprise.

He knew the kid frequently got into fights, but what did a little child getting into a scuffle matter?

Yet to be hauled straight from Yunzhou to Changjiang made this issue somewhat serious.

"He did beat someone, but there was a reason..."