Chapter 410: Inspecting the Industrial Park

Zhao Lichun is known as a "pioneer of reform," so he is naturally a man of boldness and resolve in his conduct; he likely looks down on mere money, as power is the goal he pursues.

Moreover, according to unofficial history, Zhao Lichun is very likely the son of Zhao Gang, having come to Handong from Sijiucheng for certain reasons.

All along the way, Zhang Ping'an was quickly recalling some secret rumors he had seen in his past life; could this Liu Haiyang be the Provincial Governor Liu who would later partner with Zhao Lichun?

Thinking about it, Zhang Ping'an felt it was truly possible; the original drama did not mention Provincial Governor Liu's specific name—no, this age doesn't seem to match.

Liu Haiyang is older than him, and the nominal plot is set around 2013; at that time, Liu Haiyang would have been over seventy and should have retired long ago.

Zhang Ping'an thought for a while but couldn't sort it out, so he simply stopped dwelling on it; in any case, there are still seven or eight years before Qi Tongwei enters politics, so there is no need to rush.

"Dad, we can reach the industrial park by evening. Should we head straight there or rest for a night first? It's a bit far from the Reception House."

"We won't be able to see much if we go in the evening. Let's go tomorrow morning."

"Alright."

By evening, the group arrived at the Reception House. After a simple dinner, everyone went to rest, and the next morning, they headed to the industrial park.

"Dad, this place covers nearly a thousand mu and is currently the largest industrial park in Jingzhou. It covers all the daily necessities factories our supermarkets need, and the scale is quite significant."

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. There is one thing you must pay attention to: environmental pollution. It must comply with the national emission standards."

"Dad, don't worry. We follow international standards; we only go higher, never lower."

"That's good."

Zhang Ping'an then selected a few factories to visit. With the 10S Management Standard he personally customized, the factories were indeed clean and bright.

At noon, they randomly chose a factory to eat at. Although the taste of the employee meal was average, it had a good variety, with a standard of four dishes—two meat and two vegetable—every day, sometimes with small pieces of fruit after the meal.

"Hmm..."

Many employees looked at Zhang Ping'an and his group with curiosity. They were clearly big shots; no one expected them to eat the communal canteen food with them.

One must know that the factory leaders all had their own private kitchens and ate in small private rooms at noon.

Zhang Ping'an naturally heard the employees' discussions and frowned slightly. The factory leaders, even in the middle of winter, had a layer of cold sweat on their foreheads.

Zhang Weibing also had a dark face. These factory leaders were all mid-to-high-level Cadres poached at high prices from large state-owned factories. He hadn't expected that, while nothing else was apparent, they had learned the eating and drinking habits of the large factory leaders thoroughly.

The factory hadn't been running for long, yet the atmosphere had already been spoiled. This wouldn't do. In the conference room, looking at the several somewhat guilty Factory Directors and department heads, Zhang Ping'an did not hesitate.

"You should all resign voluntarily. The relevant compensation will be provided. Of course, if you have done anything to damage the company's interests during this period, we will also hold you accountable."

Ignoring their ugly expressions, Zhang Ping'an continued:

"Weibing, have Xiaohu come over to take charge here temporarily. His Supervision Department isn't just for the group's Charity Foundation."

"After the inspection, anyone found in this situation will be dismissed without exception. Let them come here to work, not to enjoy themselves or act superior to others."

"Alright, Dad."

"You don't need to blame yourself for this. You aren't very familiar with the social nuances of domestic factories. We can have them in our factories in the future, but we should rely more on the system."

Zhang Ping'an's company management system leaned more towards the foreign company systems of later generations, focusing less on social nuances and solely on individual ability.

"Yes, alright, Dad. I won't let it happen again."

"Hmm."

With this little episode, Zhang Ping'an didn't intend to continue the inspection. He estimated that these factories had this situation to varying degrees; he would wait for Qian Xiaohu to come and clear things up.

"Weibing, you stay here and wait for Xiaohu and the others to arrive. I'll go to the food production park this afternoon to take a look."

"Alright, Dad."

In the evening, Zhang Ping'an arrived in Yantai and stayed at the city's Reception House. He planned to go to the school tomorrow to see Qi Tongwei.

The next day, at the gate of Yantai Senior High School, Zhang Ping'an got out of the car and handed a cigarette to the elderly guard.

"Sir, could you help me call Qi Tongwei from Class One, Senior Three? I'm his godfather."

"Oh, oh, alright."

The elderly guard had originally been ready to let them through upon seeing the luxury car, but then they stopped by the side of the road.

After more than ten minutes, Qi Tongwei arrived, followed by a middle-aged man of about forty with slightly graying hair.

"Godfather!" Qi Tongwei said excitedly.

The current Qi Tongwei did not have the poverty of his early years; his body had developed normally, and he was now about 1.75 meters tall. If he grew for another two years, he would be quite tall.

"Hmm, and this is?"

"Oh, right, this is my homeroom teacher, Qian Jianguo. He was worried about me... hehe."

It was the guard's fault for not being clear, only saying that a man who looked like a leader had driven a car to find Qi Tongwei.

Qian Jianguo knew Qi Tongwei's family situation and knew it wasn't wealthy enough to have a car, so he was worried he was being scammed and followed along.

"Hello, Teacher Qian. I am Qi Tongwei's godfather, Zhang Ping'an. I'm not a scammer."

"Ahem, hello, hello. You two go ahead and talk." Qian Jianguo felt a bit awkward after his intentions were exposed.

"Let's go, Tongwei, let's go into the car and talk for a while."

"Alright. By the way, Godfather, how do you have time to come to Yantai and specifically come to see me?"

"Didn't I hear you were about to take the college entrance exam? How is it? Do you have confidence in Handong University?"

"I do. Godfather, you even knew I was going to apply for Handong University?"

"Hmm, not only do I know, I also support you. Perhaps only there can you fully utilize your talents."

"Thank you, Godfather."

The two chatted for a long time before Zhang Ping'an took out the snacks he had prepared—all beef jerky made from Space Ingredients, some dried vegetables, and fruit—and finally took out a bottle of Medicinal Wine.

"Take these and eat them. You study a lot in high school and it consumes a lot of energy, so nourish yourself more. Give this Medicinal Wine to your homeroom teacher; I see his health doesn't seem very good, and this will be of some help to him."

"Here are also some study materials I saw in Sijiucheng; I bought them for you while I was at it."

This homeroom teacher was clearly a responsible person, and Zhang Ping'an didn't mind helping him out.

"Alright, Godfather. My homeroom teacher is indeed very frail, but he still insists on teaching us every day and is very patient with us."

Qi Tongwei did not refuse. This homeroom teacher was very good to him; sometimes when he didn't want to go home during holidays, he would sleep in his homeroom teacher's dormitory. The two were almost like an uncle and nephew in private.

"Mm, go ahead, I'll be waiting for the good news of you passing the exam."

"Mm, Godfather, just you wait and see," Qi Tongwei said with full confidence.

Qi Tongwei carried the large and small bags into the campus and handed the Medicinal Wine directly to Qian Jianguo.

"Uncle Qian, this is from my godfather; he says it's good for your health."

"No, how could I accept your godfather's things?"

"It's fine, Uncle Qian. I didn't pay when I slept in your dormitory before, and my godfather is an expert in Traditional Chinese Medicine; he could tell what your problem was at a glance. Once you're better, you'll be able to teach us even better."

"This..."

"Let's go, Uncle Qian. Come back to the dormitory with me; there are too many things."

In the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an went to the food production park. Although it was better than the industrial park, there were still quite a few problems. This was the downside of rapid expansion; management talent was still too scarce.