Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 574 Want to Invest

Zhou Zhengdong and his group came to Lujiawan with only two purposes: one was to see the living environment of Chen Fan, and the other was to express their gratitude to Lujiawan.

So they didn't have a clear goal to do anything. After giving out the gifts, they wandered around the brigade accompanied by Zhang Wenliang.

Chen Fan?

He rarely comes back, so naturally he's busy running around, being pulled aside to explain various aspects of the situation and asked to oversee it.

However, they did not deliberately separate; they would occasionally look at their own things, and sometimes they would walk together again.

Along the river embankment, a group of people rode horses, leisurely gazing at the rural scenery of Jiangnan.

Chen Fan glanced at Zhou Yali, who was fiddling with the shotgun, and reached out to help her hold it upright. "Although shotguns have a short range, country kids like to run around, so don't lay the muzzle flat. It's best to hold it up and point it at the sky. Unless you turn the safety on."

Zhou Yali readily agreed, "Oh."

He immediately and obediently held the gun upright.

Closing the insurance is out of the question; otherwise, what if we miss a great opportunity?
She's never hunted before.

After confirming there were no problems, Chen Fan turned to Zhou Zhengdong and said, "From the provincial capital to Yunhu, you've seen quite a few urban and rural scenes along the way. In any respect, as far as rural areas are concerned, Lujiawan is the best right now."

But a year ago, Lujiawan was no different from other production teams in terms of housing, transportation, education, medical care, and most importantly, income.

Even so, compared to other parts of the country, the rural areas in the Jiangnan region are considered to be in a superior condition. As a land of plenty, as long as there are no floods, people are generally well-off, with only a handful of places like the Northeast comparable.

Zhou Zhengdong nodded, looking at the neatly arranged two-story houses in each of the small teams, and couldn't help but sigh, "Such villages are indeed rare. What's most special here isn't the good material conditions, but the spirit of the villagers, which gives people a particularly inspiring feeling."

Zhang Wenliang laughed from the side, "That's because there's something to look forward to. Although I worked very hard before, as soon as I thought about the year-end bonus, a strong laborer would only get a hundred or so yuan, and I just couldn't muster any enthusiasm."

Yang Xingxiu was also there today, mainly to accompany Zhao Wanru. Hearing her husband's words, she chimed in with a smile, "But we couldn't just not work, otherwise we wouldn't even get that hundred or so yuan. So back then, we all envied the workers; the men wanted to go to the factory, and the women wanted to marry outside."

As she spoke, she looked at Chen Fan, her smile widening, "It wasn't until Xiao Fan came and led everyone to engage in animal husbandry, set up a cooked food workshop, and used his personal connections to pave the way for opening Luwan cooked food shops in the county town, the prefectural committee, and selling to large organizations that our lives started to improve."

As Zhou Zhengdong listened to their words, he nodded gently. After she finished speaking, he said seriously, "I have seen your farm and cooked food workshop. Although they are not large in scale, they are very standardized, the process is very strict, and the hygiene is very good. They are very good."

At the same time, you were not content with the status quo and started a feed mill and a down processing plant, bringing endless possibilities for the future.

The group chatted as they walked, occasionally gathering and dispersing. Once they were a little away from the others, Zhou Zhengdong whispered to Chen Fan, "When I was in Beijing, someone suggested to me that they wanted to invest in China. Is the mainland accepting foreign investment now? If so, I think Lujiawan is a good project."

His observations in Lujiawan over the past two days have piqued his interest in the place, and he thinks it would be a great choice for investment.

At his age, he deeply understands that when investing in projects, one must not only look at the project's prospects, but also at the people one partners with.

The hardworking and honest villagers of Lujiawan, along with the selfless brigade cadres, were clearly the most ideal partners.

Not to mention that with his nephew in there, he definitely wouldn't be scammed.

Hearing his words, Chen Fan pondered for two seconds and said, "It is possible, but there are no clear relevant policies yet. It is basically a case-by-case discussion. I think we might as well wait and see."

After pausing for two seconds, he turned to look at Lujiawan and chuckled softly, "As for investing in Lujiawan, you'd better not even think about it. Don't be fooled by Secretary Yang and the others' enthusiasm and proactive approach; they are actually very concerned about the collective interest."

If it were a project less closely connected to Lujiawan, it might be more feasible. But given the current state of the Lujiawan project, they would absolutely not allow outsiders to get involved, let alone foreign capital.

Many people believe that attracting foreign investment only began after 79. However, according to official data, my country approved 120 foreign investment projects in 1978, with a contracted foreign investment of US$8.1 million and actual utilized foreign investment of US$2.6 million.

Panasonic was the first foreign company to commit to investing in China, and the following year it provided a complete set of black and white picture tube equipment to the Shanghai Bulb Factory, thus initiating technological cooperation.

In addition, in July 1978, Dongguan County Taiping Garment Factory partnered with Hong Kong businessmen to establish Taiping Handbag Factory, becoming the first processing enterprise in the country to receive supplied materials, and obtained the first license issued by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, "粤字001".

This is only the officially released data, and does not include projects that have not been approved through formal channels, or the number of foreign companies that have illegally entered the Chinese market.

The so-called illegal entry is mostly concentrated in the hometowns of overseas Chinese along the coast of Fujian and Guangdong, where clans are relatively well preserved and it is very "convenient" for people of the same clan to do things.

So, at some point, small factories began to employ villagers, and the commune turned a blind eye to their existence.

Therefore, even before the meeting, many places from top to bottom had already begun preparations to attract foreign investment.

Therefore, it is only natural that Zhou Zhengdong received an investment invitation.

However, Chen Fan did not expect that instead of taking a liking to the project recommended by the big shot, he would set his sights on Lujiawan.

Or is it because of myself?

He turned to look at Zhou Zhengdong and smiled, "You're more familiar with investment matters than I am. How should I put it? The direction of the mainland opening its doors and doing business with the world is unlikely to change. I think you might as well start considering this now."

However, on the other hand, we also need to make corresponding preparations, namely the selection of investment projects and the transformation of investment management methods for projects in mainland China.

After all, you are familiar with the business environment in the United States, which is quite different from the situation here. If you have time in the future, you might as well come to the mainland more often to take a look.

in addition,……"

He smiled meaningfully and said, "Aren't you a lawyer? Sino-US cooperation is just around the corner. After the formal establishment of diplomatic relations, cooperation in the commercial field will definitely expand, including investment and even other exchanges. You have a lot to contribute in this regard."

Zhou Zhengdong was an elite, and now that Chen Fan had put it bluntly, he understood the reasoning behind it.

He nodded excitedly, "I hadn't thought of that before."

He turned to look at Chen Fan and laughed, "When I get back, I'll try to contact Washington. If we can confirm that diplomatic relations will be established soon, I might set up an office in Beijing. That would make it easier for us to meet then."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any suggestions for this office?"

Chen Fan said with a smile, "I don't have any specific suggestions, but I do have a piece of advice."

Zhou Zhengdong raised an eyebrow slightly. "Go on."

Chen Fan said, "Since you've set your sights on the mainland, don't hesitate. If there are suitable projects, you might as well take the initiative."

It was during a visit by the vice president that Konosuke Matsushita took the initiative to express his desire to invest in mainland China, which set a precedent for Panasonic.

Chen Fan had no intention of letting Zhou Zhengdong set this precedent; it was neither appropriate nor convenient. Not being the first to act, but rather seizing the opportunity—this was Chen Fan's established principle. Zhou Zhengdong was somewhat surprised by his words, "You just said that there's no clear policy yet, and that I should wait."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "When I said to wait a bit, I meant to see if the two countries could establish diplomatic relations smoothly, and also to see the mainland's attitude towards foreign investment."

After hearing just the beginning, Zhou Zhengdong understood: "As long as the direction is confirmed and there are no problems, we can go ahead and do it boldly?!"

Chen Fan nodded slightly. After the meeting at the end of this year, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year, the direction can be determined, and it will not be too late to take action then.

He then continued, "Once the investment is confirmed, you will definitely encounter all sorts of problems. At this time, you must remember that first, your determination must not waver, and second, you must be flexible in dealing with both superiors and subordinates. And there is one more important point."

Zhou Zhengdong stared at him without blinking, showing no disregard for him because he was a junior and young.

Chen Fan gestured as he spoke, "Don't easily report the problems below to higher authorities. Solve the problem where it occurs, and try to adapt to local customs and follow the rules."

That's a rather veiled way of putting it.

But Zhou Zhengdong immediately understood. He chuckled twice and said, "So it turns out that not everyone is completely loyal."

Chen Fan shrugged. "When there are hundreds of people, there are all sorts of people; when there are tens of thousands, there are bound to be bad guys."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong couldn't help but throw his head back and burst into laughter.

He reached out and patted Chen Fan on the shoulder, looking at his daughter who was still holding a gun and searching for prey in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh, "If your cousin had even a fraction of your skills, I would be laughing in my sleep."

Chen Fan looked at Zhou Yali's figure and grinned, "As the old saying goes, fate, luck, and feng shui are the three most important factors. In my opinion, she's just lucky."

Putting everything else aside, Zhou Yali's charming and naive nature, along with her ability to listen to advice, means that if she follows her suggestions, she might even make it onto the list of super-rich people in her lifetime.

To reap the rewards without sowing—isn't that just good fortune?!

Zhou Zhengdong was overjoyed, "Thank you for your kind words."

At this moment, Zhou Yali suddenly pulled on the reins, turned around and whispered, "Brother... Brother..."

Chen Fan's forehead creased with annoyance. He spurred his horse and trotted over, saying, "Why don't you shout a little louder? Who can hear you if you're so quiet?"

Zhou Yali waved her hand vigorously, "Keep your voice down, or the prey will all run away."

Chen Fan glanced in the direction she was looking and was speechless. "It's just a wild rabbit. There are plenty of them in the farm. Can't you get something else?"

Zhang Wenliang stopped talking to Zhao Wanru, turned to her and said, "Can animals raised in a farm be the same as those hunted in the wild?"

Yang Xingxiu also laughed and said, "You're talking about your sister. When you went hunting for the first time last year, you were even more excited than her."

Chen Fan refuted this righteously, "No way."

The two of them rolled their eyes at the same time, giving him a look that he could figure out for himself.

Chen Fan decisively ignored them and said to Zhou Yali, "Why don't you hunt the prey if you have it?"

Zhou Yali raised the hunting rifle in her hand, frowned and said, "It's too far away, I can't aim accurately, and if I get closer, I'm afraid it will run away."

Chen Fan was speechless. He looked at the rabbit on the inner slope of the riverbank and frowned. This distance was indeed a bit far for a novice.

He then took out a small stone, tossed it in his hand, and then threw it with a "biu" sound.

The plump rabbit fell to the ground with a thud. Chen Fan pointed at the rabbit and said to Zhou Yali, "Okay, now we can go and hunt it. It definitely won't run away."

Zhou Yali stared blankly at him, then at the rabbit whose fate was unknown, and couldn't help but panic, "Ah..."

boom……

She forgot she hadn't turned off the safety, and when she pressed down hard, a gunshot rang out, startling everyone.

Even the falcons flying in the sky were so frightened that they tumbled down and hid in Chen Fan's arms, refusing to fly away.

Chen Fan checked the falcon and, finding it uninjured, breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned and asked with a dark expression, "Still hunting?"

Zhou Yali held the gun, pouting, wanting to admit her mistake but reluctant to give it away.

Zhou Zhengdong spurred his horse to catch up, glared at her irritably, and handed the gun to Chen Fan, saying, "You're not allowed to take that gun again."

Chen Fan took the gun, fastened the safety, and seeing that Zhou Yali seemed about to cry, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Alright, alright, it's just hunting. There are so many hunting grounds in America, you'll have plenty of opportunities to play when you get back."

Zhou Yali glanced at her father, whose face was dark, and lowered her head to say, "Daddy won't allow it."

Zhao Wanru also reached out and poked her forehead, "Look at you, you can't even hold a gun properly, and now Mommy won't let you."

Chen Fan slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, glanced at Zhou Yali who was about to cry, and laughed, "There are only small animals here, hunting isn't very interesting. Aren't we heading to the Northeast tomorrow? There are big hunting grounds there, and you can even hunt tigers. We'll let you have your fill then."

Zhou Yali suddenly looked up. "Really?"

Zhao Wanru looked at Chen Fan with some concern and asked, "Is it safe?"

Chen Fan waved his hand and laughed, "Don't worry, I know the hunting team over there. A few months ago, I even hunted a tiger with them in the old forest. We even made an appointment to go hunting again in the summer."

"Let's just call them all this time. They're all seasoned hunters with decades of experience. With them around, she's sure to have a great time."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali was about to cheer, but she forcibly held back and looked at her parents expectantly, "Daddy, Mommy!"

Zhou Zhengdong glared at her, then turned to Chen Fan and smiled, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Zhou Yali immediately raised her hands, "Yay! I'm going to fight the tiger!"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, spurring his horse down the slope. Why bother hunting the tiger? Let's retrieve the rabbit first.

(End of this chapter)