Chapter 2181: Another Sunny Day

The next day, Zhou Andong was awakened by the chirping of cicadas outside. He got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and pushed open the window. It was another sunny day.

He had returned to the city yesterday afternoon. He first contacted the Civil Affairs Bureau and, upon learning that the veteran had been temporarily settled in the guesthouse, he felt relieved.

In the evening, he was called to the guesthouse conference room by Cheng Zhanjun for a meeting. It was still a meeting about post-disaster reconstruction, mainly focusing on village mergers and the farm's investment issues.

As for the construction of housing for disaster victims, for those present, it was the simplest issue; it was handed over to Yuxi Real Estate, so there was no need to worry about it at all.

Besides Cheng Zhanjun, Chen Wenqi, Deng Deng Zhangli, and the Civil Affairs Bureau, this meeting was also attended by the Municipal Finance Bureau, the Emergency Management Bureau, the Land and Resources Bureau, the Construction Bureau, the Transportation Bureau, the Water Conservancy Bureau, and the Power Bureau.

As for the Jiangzhou Yugong Group side, in addition to Zhou Andong, Wu Wu Huilin, and several other directors like Qian Zhen, the Audit Department, Finance Department, Investment Department, Logistics Department, and Strategic Planning Department were all present.

Of course, Zhang Chaoming, the general manager of the farm, which was the primary investing enterprise, also attended the meeting. Then there was Yuxi Real Estate; although it was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qiu Qiu Dongfang, it was the main construction party and also had to attend this meeting.

The meeting lasted until past ten o'clock in the evening. Once everything was finalized, everyone's tense nerves relaxed, as if all their fatigue had vanished, and their moods naturally improved.

Especially Cheng Zhanjun, Chen Wenqi, and Deng Deng Zhangli, who all let out a long sigh of relief. Without Zhou Andong and the support of Jiangzhou Yugong Group, the post-disaster reconstruction work would not have gone so smoothly.

Especially regarding finances, whether at the provincial or municipal level, every penny was being used where it was needed most. However, reconstruction work could not be delayed, so without Zhou Andong's support, the province and the city would have had to put other projects on hold to divert funds for disaster reconstruction.

After the meeting, they went to the restaurant to eat and drank until after midnight.

Zhou Andong stood by the window and yawned. After washing up in the bathroom, he went to the restaurant.

"Good morning, Chairman Zhou!"

A waiter saw Zhou Andong and greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning!"

Zhou Andong nodded with a smile, went to the food counter, and picked up a tray to get his meal.

He had gotten up a bit late, so there weren't many people in the restaurant. He found a seat at random and sat down.

"Chairman!"

Before Zhou Andong could take his first bite, Old Man Man arrived.

"Director Man!" Zhou Andong looked at Man Man Hongshan in surprise: "Did you stay at the guesthouse last night too?"

"I didn't!" Man Man Hongshan shook his head and sat down opposite him: "I have something I need to report to you."

Zhou Andong smiled and said: "What's so urgent that you chased me all the way here?"

"Hold a press conference to announce the investment in building a factory in India," Man Man Hongshan said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it: "The flood prevention and control work is over, so it's time for us to take the next step."

Zhou Andong took a bite of a bun and swallowed it before taking a sip of porridge: "Are Coca-Cola and Pepsi making moves again?"

Man Man Hongshan nodded: "Pepsi has started to lower prices and push goods, and besides lowering their price to two yuan, Coca-Cola is now running promotional activities, giving away ballpoint pens and keychains. Their sales volume is growing very fast."

Zhou Andong swallowed what was in his mouth and took a sip of porridge: "Hold the press conference tomorrow. Also, lower the price of Iced Black Tea; reduce it from two-fifty to two yuan, and keep the giveaway promotion active."

"Got it!" Man Man Hongshan asked: "Will you be attending tomorrow's press conference?"

Zhou Andong said: "No, I won't."

Man Man Hongshan felt a bit regretful. If Zhou Andong personally held the press conference, the influence would be even greater. But since the boss wasn't attending, there was nothing he could do.

Then the two chatted about other things. After Zhou Andong finished his meal, they left the guesthouse together.

"Chairman, are you heading back to the Group?"

"No!" Zhou Andong said lazily to Wang Wang Wentian as he got into the car: "I'm going to the mall to take a look. Go to the Department Store."

Watching Zhou Andong's car drive away, Man Man Hongshan got into his own car.

The Department Store had opened as early as 1952 and was the first large-scale shopping mall in Jiangzhou. It had witnessed the city's changes and development, carrying the memories and emotions of countless Jiangzhou people.

As time passed, Jiangzhou successively welcomed one new shopping mall after another. However, even though these latecomers were luxuriously decorated and filled with dazzling goods, their business could never surpass the Department Store.

The reasons for this might be quite complex, but one undeniable point was that the common people of Jiangzhou held a special attachment to the Department Store.

This attachment might stem from the laughter and joy of shopping with their parents as children, or from the satisfaction of purchasing a desired item there.

Or perhaps it was because the shopping habits formed over many years had been deeply imprinted in the hearts of Jiangzhou people, so no matter how the times changed, the status of the Department Store in the hearts of Jiangzhou people remained as solid as a rock.

Wang Wang Wentian drove the car into the Department Store parking lot. In this era, parking was still very easy; the small parking lot only had three cars, one of which was a truck.

Zhou Andong got out of the car, and Wang Wang Wentian and Yu Zhan followed him into the Department Store at a distance.

It had just passed ten o'clock, and the building had only been open for a little over an hour, but there were already quite a few people inside.

Zhou Andong didn't stop and went straight to the appliance section on the third floor, where a crowd had gathered around the Yuzhou VCD counter.

He walked over and took a look; it turned out they were playing "Flirting Scholar," and a group of people, regardless of gender, were watching with great interest.

Zhou Andong strolled around the appliance section, his eyes narrowing slightly, but a smile remained on his face.

In addition to imported brands like Yuzhou, Wan Yan, Sony, Hitachi, and Siemens, there were several new VCD brands. Among them, the ones Zhou Andong was most familiar with were BBK, Shinco, and Changhong. Additionally, there was a brand called Wansheng that he hadn't heard of.

"Comrade!" Zhou Andong found a salesperson and asked: "I'd like to ask, when did the BBK, Shinco, Changhong, and Wansheng VCDs go on the shelves?"

The salesperson rolled their eyes and prepared to turn away, but upon looking at Zhou Andong again, they quickly retracted their leg and smiled broadly:

"Chairman Zhou, it's you."

Zhou Andong's mouth twitched, and he could only offer a polite smile: "Can you answer my question just now?"

"Yes, yes!" The salesperson nodded vigorously: "BBK, Shinco, and Changhong all went on the shelves in May. As for Wansheng, it went on the shelves after the Spring Festival."

Zhou Andong continued to ask: "Where is Wansheng produced?"

"Fengjing!" the salesperson said: "It's also a brand from our province, but I heard that their technology and spare parts are from Yuzhou Technology."