Chapter 105: Public-Private Partnership 2.0

If they transfer their household registration, they will be sent to the countryside; if they don't, at most they will be moved back to their place of origin. But the three years of the special period are hard to endure. Zhang Ping'an can support them once or twice, but they will have husbands' families by then, and Zhang Ping'an cannot support them forever, which is why he was hesitant.

"Uncle, can we not transfer?"

Both of them looked uneasy. Seeing this, Zhang Ping'an could not say much more. Forget it, getting a job in the city is the dream of almost every villager, so he stopped trying to stop them.

"Yes, why not? You can go together when the time comes."

"Mm, okay." The two girls were finally all smiles.

On the way home.

"Ping'an, is it bad for us to move our household registration to the city?" San Jie Zhang Xiaohua asked, having noticed Zhang Ping'an's hesitation just now.

"Mm~ hard to say."

"Then I won't move it for now."

Zhang Ping'an had to give San Jie a thumbs up; she could always detect his abnormalities and trusted everything he said implicitly.

In fact, it was this Public-Private Partnership that gave Zhang Xiaohua confidence. Zhang Ping'an had said it would happen, and it had indeed come true, so the household registration matter should be fine too.

"That works too."

With the Public-Private Partnership matter settled here, Zhang Ping'an felt he had finished one of his worries. Now that his relatives all had jobs, he also had to go back to the Rolling Mill to test the waters.

When Zhang Ping'an went to the Rolling Mill to deliver goods the next morning, he was stunned; the people in the Security Section at the gate had all been replaced.

"Comrade, this is a restricted area of the Rolling Mill; outsiders are not allowed to enter."

"Hello, Comrade. I am an employee of the Rolling Mill. I have been out on procurement and just returned today." Zhang Ping'an took out his employee ID and handed it over.

"Oh?"

"Ping'an."

"Uncle Li? What is going on here?" Zhang Ping'an looked at Li Baoguo, who was walking out from inside, with a bewildered expression.

"Cough, this is a long story. You go in and deliver the goods first. Remember to re-register your employee information. We'll talk in detail at noon."

"Oh, oh, okay."

The security guard from the Security Section saw this and silently memorized Zhang Ping'an's appearance; someone who could call Section Chief Li 'Uncle' was no ordinary person.

Zhang Ping'an was puzzled; given Li Baoguo's rank, he shouldn't be working in the Rolling Mill's Security Section.

Zhang Ping'an arrived at the kitchen warehouse and found that the person registering was also a new face, though Wu Qiang was still there. The two of them just nodded briefly.

Zhang Ping'an went upstairs with the slip and knocked on the door of Lou Zhenyu's office, but a strange voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Zhang Ping'an looked and, sure enough, it was a new face, but one that looked somewhat familiar; he didn't know where he had seen it before.

"Hello, Leader. I am Zhang Ping'an from the Procurement Section."

"Mm, bring the slip here. Not bad. I've been looking at the statistics, and your performance has always been good. Keep up the good work. By the way, let me introduce myself: I am Li Huaide, currently serving as the Logistics Director of the Rolling Mill."

"Many thanks for the praise, Director Li."

At this moment, Li Huaide looked to be just in his early thirties, at most thirty-five.

Zhang Ping'an was a bit dazed. No wonder he felt he looked familiar; this was none other than the young version of the big villain boss from the original show, the future Rolling Mill Factory Director, Li Huaide.

"Mm, go get busy."

"Goodbye, Director." Zhang Ping'an took the money handed over by Li Huaide, greeted him, and left.

Zhang Ping'an remembered Li Baoguo's words and turned back to go to the Personnel Section to update his identity information. On his way out, he ran into Xu Damao.

"Uncle Zhang, I'm going to update my information first. Wait for me."

"Okay."

It was only a matter of a few minutes anyway, and Zhang Ping'an also wanted to ask how much Damao knew about the current situation in the factory.

"Uncle Zhang, let's go. When did all the people in the Security Section get replaced?"

"You just found out too?"

"Yeah, they hadn't been replaced when I went to the countryside yesterday, but they were replaced today."

Zhang Ping'an nodded and didn't ask further. So they had just been replaced; that explained it. Otherwise, San Jie Fu Lao Jia would definitely have notified him.

"Uncle Zhang, can you still ride this tricycle back?" Xu Damao reminded him.

Zhang Ping'an was startled. That's right, this was a Rolling Mill tricycle. It was fine now during the Public-Private Partnership period, but in the future, he would probably have to register it before using it.

"I don't know. Our director didn't say. Forget it, let's return it first."

Anyway, there was still a tricycle at home, but Damao had reminded him: before ration coupons became popular, he should buy a Bicycle himself. He couldn't ride a tricycle everywhere.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Ping'an went straight to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, bought a Twenty-Eight Bar Bicycle without a second word, and then went to the Police Station to have the steel seal stamped.

Thinking of his appointment with Li Baoguo at noon, Zhang Ping'an returned to the Rolling Mill.

"Uncle Li."

"Mm, let's go, let's eat first."

The two found a small restaurant and had a simple meal.

"Uncle Li, what is your situation?"

"I was assigned to work at the Zhengyangmen Branch Bureau. The Rolling Mill is short-handed here, so I'm filling in for a shift. I'll go back after the New Year. How about it? Any interest in coming to the Security Section or going to the Sub-bureau with me?"

"Uh, forget it. I'm doing quite well as I am."

"You, you're just too lazy." He had heard about Zhang Ping'an's temperament from Dong Dali, so he didn't force him.

"From now on, the Rolling Mill will be a state-owned enterprise. Don't be as casual as you were before when doing things."

"Mm, Uncle Li, I understand."

"Most of the people in the old Security Section will be phased out. I estimate only a few will be left after the New Year. I heard you get along well with them?"

"Mm, we in procurement return to the factory at irregular times, so naturally, we have to maintain good relations with the Security Section."

"Mm, it's good that you don't have too much of a personal connection with them; some of them have sticky fingers. Alright, we've eaten well. Just keep today's words in mind."

"Alright, Uncle Li, I know the gravity of the situation."

"Mm, I'm off."

Zhang Ping'an had known from the start that there would surely be some with sticky fingers in the Security Section; apart from his good relationship with Tan Jun, he was only on nodding terms with the others.

As the brother-in-law of Lou Bancheng, Tan Jun certainly wasn't short on money, and he likely wouldn't engage in those kinds of petty, underhanded deeds.

Forget it, no point dwelling on those miscellaneous matters; wouldn't it be sweeter to go back and whisper sweet nothings to his own wife-to-be?

"Xiao Ling, have you told your father and mother?"

"Told them what?"

"About our two families meeting."

"Ah, I told them."

"What did Uncle and Auntie say?"

"They said you should just arrange the time, they are both free."

That made sense; now that the Pharmacy had also undergone a Public-Private Partnership, their medicinal herb business wasn't easy to run anymore, and they were all waiting to be reassigned.

"That works, then let's make it tomorrow. You go back and tell Uncle and Auntie that my parents and I will head over at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Mm." Wang Xiaoling would be eighteen next year, so getting engaged now was normal.

Thinking about being able to hold his fragrant, soft wife-to-be while sleeping next year, Zhang Ping'an was incredibly excited.

Zhang Ping'an ran to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy some snacks, cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and sugar, took out some fruit from his space to prepare, and only then went home to tell his parents about the matter.

"Done. Tomorrow, have San Jie take your younger brother along. Are the gifts all prepared?"

"I've bought everything."

Zhang Ping'an gestured to them, and Dong Dani stepped forward to check; not bad, the basic items were all there.

"Good."

"Knock, knock, knock."

"What is it, San Jie?"

"Daniu came back from procurement this afternoon and said the owner of the fabric store is looking for you for something, wants you to go there tomorrow. Also, Lao Jia said your Rolling Mill..."

"Got it, I know."

The next morning, after Zhang Ping'an finished his workout, he took a shower in his space and changed into a new set of clothes; he looked even more upright and stylish.

"Not bad, not bad," Dong Dani said, looking at her son with satisfaction.

"Mm, he really looks just like I did when I was young."

"..."