Chapter 377: Jingzhou

"Sigh, this is all fate."

Zhong Dingbang knew Zhang Ping'an would not lie to him and could only attribute it to fate; Zheng Shenghua was two years younger than him, yet now he had gone before him.

In fact, what Zhong Dingbang did not know was that without the gifts Zhang Ping'an had been sending over these years, his own physical condition would not have been much better.

Zhang Ping'an performed acupuncture on Zhong Dingbang with two needles and then went out to decoct medicine; everyone else followed him out to let Zhong Laotou rest properly.

"Brother Ping'an, is my father really alright?"

"He's fine, it's just excessive grief combined with his old age; he'll be better after drinking the medicine and resting for two days."

"Mm."

The 1981 Spring Festival ended in such a hurried manner, and Zhang Ping'an only felt at ease after the three women and the children returned.

He held respect for Elder Zheng, but he had always been wary of the unscrupulous Zheng Zhiming; however, he did not need to take action himself now, as this venereal disease was enough to torment him to death.

Even in later generations, this disease was difficult to treat effectively, let alone now; plus, Zheng Zhiming would likely not go to the hospital, so as long as it dragged on, he would almost certainly die.

Although Zhang Ping'an had a way to treat it, he was not kind enough to return evil with good; he wished for Zheng Zhiming to kick the bucket sooner, so as to save people from thinking about messing with him every day.

With Elder Zheng gone, the Zhong Family would certainly not touch Zheng Zhiming; as long as he did not commit any more crimes in the future, living out his life in peace would be fine, but the fear was that a dog cannot change its habit of eating excrement.

Zhang Ping'an also left six security guards in Sijiucheng; they did nothing else but take turns keeping a close watch on Zheng Zhiming, just in case.

In the blink of an eye, it was March, and the logistics company that Zhang Ping'an had asked Qian Dahu to establish had already been put into use; currently, warehousing and logistics centers were under construction in several major cities across the country.

Pengcheng, Jinghai, Jingzhou, Modu, and Sijiucheng—a line running from south to north, and the intermediate stations would be filled in later.

At the same time, the branches of the Oriental Group were also finalized, directly adopting the logistics company's inspection plan and selecting sites in these five places respectively.

At this moment, in the office of the thirty-three-year-old Deputy Mayor Zhao Lichun in Jingzhou City, Handong Province.

"We must ensure the Oriental Group's branch is located in Jingzhou; look at how many jobs just one logistics center has created for us, and it will also be a major taxpayer in the future."

"Yes, Mayor Zhao, I will follow up on this simultaneously."

"Mm, notify me the moment there is news."

"Yes."

Zhao Lichun was currently in high spirits; as a thirty-three-year-old deputy department-level official, he was determined to revitalize the Jingzhou economy, and his style of work was very radical—a typical reformist.

He had noticed the Oriental Group when Zhang Weijun was investing in Yantai, but because he was wary of Liu Haiyang's background, he could not make direct contact; however, Qian Dahu sending people to inspect the logistics center last year gave him an opportunity.

"General Manager Qian, rest assured, Jingzhou, as the provincial capital and a major thoroughfare for north-south traffic, is the most suitable place for you to build a logistics and warehousing center."

"Mayor Zhao's words hit the nail on the head; I don't seem to have a reason to refuse. After an on-site inspection, I will let Mayor Zhao know."

"Hahaha, good. Our Jingzhou welcomes patriotic businessmen like General Manager Qian to invest, and we will also provide your company with the greatest preferential treatment."

"Hahaha, good. Mayor Zhao is truly a good mayor for the people."

It was also Qian Dahu's first time dealing with a High-level Worker; he hadn't expected him to be so easygoing. If this were those foreign devils in Xiangjiang, who knew how much money would have to be paid to get things done.

Just like that, the man was willing and the woman was willing, and the logistics and warehousing center was quickly finalized in Jingzhou and had now been put into use.

The effect was just as Zhao Lichun had imagined; the scale of the investment far exceeded any other company at present, and it had made no small contribution to driving the economic development of Jingzhou.

He was also determined to secure the current Oriental Group branch, but unfortunately, Qian Dahu had returned to Xiangjiang, and he had been unable to reach him; otherwise, he would certainly have been able to get there first.

"Ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling."

"Hello, this is the Deputy Mayor's office. Who is this?"

"I am Qian Dahu, looking for your Mayor Zhao."

"General Manager Qian, please wait a moment."

The Secretary realized who it was, hurriedly informed Zhao Lichun, and transferred the call.

"General Manager Qian, this is Zhao Lichun."

"Mayor Zhao, long time no see. I'm calling to tell you some good news today: our group has decided to set up a branch in your Jingzhou. I hope Mayor Zhao can provide some appropriate care."

"Hahaha, good, good, good. No wonder the magpies were chirping today; it turns out General Manager Qian brought good news."

"Our municipal government has a responsibility to provide protection for our enterprises; please rest assured about this, General Manager Qian."

"Hahaha, good."

To be honest, among all the High-level Workers Qian Dahu had dealt with, Zhao Lichun was the most comfortable to talk to and was someone without airs, so he didn't mind telling him a bit of inside information in advance.

Not long after Qian Dahu informed Zhao Lichun, the Oriental Group also confirmed the specific location, and Zhao Lichun immediately contacted Qian Daniu, the person in charge of this investment.

One could tell it was related to Qian Dahu just by the name; that's right, they were among the children Qian Dahu had adopted who had no names. There were five of them in total: Qian Daniu, Qian Xiaoniu, Qian Dali, Qian Daming, and Qian Xiaoming, all of whom could be considered his sworn younger brothers.

Fortunately, they were all ambitious; in their early thirties, they were already the backbone of the group and the right-hand men of Lou Xiaoe.

"I had long heard from my big brother that Mayor Zhao is a good mayor for the people. Seeing that we can invest in Jingzhou, it seems we came to the right place."

"Hahaha, not at all, not at all. We are public servants of the people; serving the people is what we should do. I don't deserve such praise from General Manager Qian."

Zhao Lichun was embarrassed by the praise; at this time, Zhao Lichun was indeed single-mindedly focused on developing the economy.

Even in the show, Zhao Lichun was a pioneer in the early stages of reform; the only criticism was what Chen Yanshi said about him living in an air-conditioned room in the summer, becoming detached from the masses and the Cadres;

And then there was the fact that he raised Zhao Ruilong, that good-for-nothing son who ruined a perfectly good hand of cards; otherwise, Zhao Lichun might have advanced even further.

"Mayor Zhao, our group currently lacks construction personnel and may need your side to provide some support."

"We want to complete the construction of the branch building within this year. Of course, the labor costs and such will be calculated as they should be."

"No problem. Jingzhou has plenty of construction teams; we will definitely complete it for your company with quality and quantity guaranteed. I will personally take charge and supervise."

"Good, good, good. This is truly our good mayor for the people."

Zhao Lichun was all smiles, almost getting lost in the repeated praises of "good mayor for the people."

Just like that, the Oriental Group branch began its vigorous construction in Jingzhou; with Zhao Lichun's supervision, it was believed that no one would dare to pass off inferior work as good.

Qian Daniu also offered the highest labor rates in the Mainland, and after another round of mutual commercial flattery with Zhao Lichun, he hurried to the next city.

In Jinghai, it was Qian Xiaoniu leading the team, but things were not as smooth for him as they were for his big brother Qian Daniu; although the site had been selected, the construction encountered trouble.

In the current Jinghai, due to its proximity to Xiangjiang, smuggling and illegal border crossing were rampant. When Zhang Weidong came to invest two years ago, Mayor Li Weidong had launched a vigorous crackdown on criminal activities;

For a time, many criminals were arrested, and the atmosphere in Jinghai was rectified, with public security improving significantly, but now there was a trend of it rearing its head again.