Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 701 Naming
"Waaaaah... I'll miss you all so much."

Zhou Yali held the little monkey and rested her head on Jiang Tiantian's shoulder, which made the two sisters feel helpless. Even though they knew that their cousin was acting, they could not care about the strange looks around them and could only hug her and comfort her in a low voice.

How did my cousin manage to act like this, with people coming and going in the airport waiting room?
Chen Fan stood aside with his hands in his pockets, ignoring the situation, and continued chatting with Zhou Zhengdong about company matters. "It doesn't matter if the company is registered in the United States, but we'll definitely need to travel here frequently for future collaborations with domestic companies."

Currently, Hong Kong is still the most convenient place to travel to mainland China. Although Japan has direct flights to mainland China, there are only two flights a week. In case of emergencies, it is still necessary to transfer through Hong Kong or take a train.

Therefore, it would be better to locate the technology and after-sales service center in Hong Kong. Besides its proximity to the mainland and convenient transportation, Hong Kong also boasts a vast talent pool. Furthermore, local universities have mutual recognition agreements with Commonwealth countries, making it easy to find both entry-level technicians and high-level R&D talent.

Zhou Zhengdong nodded slowly, "Then why not register it directly in Hong Kong?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. After a two-second silence, he said, "Registering in the United States and then using the Hong Kong company as a branch is more conducive to dealing with various parties."

Zhou Zhengdong's eyes darted around, and he thought of how many Chinese businesses in Chinatown were also hiring white people as senior executives, so he fell silent.

After a while, he asked with a hint of curiosity, "I see many Hong Kong people studying in the United States, Britain, and Canada, but I rarely hear of them studying in Hong Kong. Is their local education system very good?"

Chen Fan took out a cigarette, handed one over, lit one for himself, and said, "Hong Kong implements the British 'elite education' system. In terms of universal access, they used to have six years of free compulsory education, which was extended to nine years this year, so the basic education is still quite good."

In terms of top universities, there are currently only two recognized universities: the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. These two universities are considered good universities in Asia and have good research capabilities.

Between free education and universities are several schools similar to vocational and technical schools in mainland China, such as the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education and the Workers' Night School founded in 1947.

After several name changes and expansions, the Workers' Night School was finally officially renamed the Hong Kong Institute of Professional and Continuing Education in 87, offering full-time and part-time bachelor's degrees, higher diplomas, applied education diplomas and diploma courses.

In fact, most of the later universities in Hong Kong were established in this way. Before the 90s, only the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong were recognized.

With these two universities at the top, other vocational education as the backbone, and free education as the foundation, Hong Kong's education system is formed.

With a comprehensive education system and the backing of the mainland, Hong Kong is the best choice for building a talent pool that spans from construction to research and development.

Zhou Zhengdong nodded slowly, "I'm still racking my brains about where to recruit people. Even if we can get the agency rights and the commissioning company will provide training and some maintenance services, the cost is extremely high. The most suitable option is to cultivate our own talent."

Hiring people from abroad is not stable enough. We are doing long-term business, not temporary business trips. Sending people from abroad is not only more expensive, but employee stability cannot be guaranteed.

If what you say is true, and Hong Kong can provide enough talent, then it would be the most suitable choice.

He sighed as he spoke, "Unfortunately, university students in China are all assigned jobs uniformly, so we are not eligible to participate."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Forget about domestic college students for now. At least for the next ten years, there will only be a talent shortage, not a talent surplus, so graduates won't be leaving the country. In that time, the company could even develop its own training system."

Zhou Zhengdong paused for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Create your own training system? Hmm, that's a good idea."

He suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "We'll talk about that later. You don't know, there's an American company called Procter & Gamble that specializes in consumer goods, like soap and shampoo. They've implemented an internal training system since 1970."

Through this training system, they optimize the matching of people to positions, improve employees' abilities and technical skills, and enhance their overall quality.

Over the years, the results seem to have been quite good. Many business schools are paying attention to this case study. Many companies are also interested in replicating this system.

Now that you mention it, it does sound a bit like Procter & Gamble's approach.

After saying that, he clicked his tongue regretfully, "Unfortunately, I heard that this system requires a huge investment, and our company is still too small to afford it."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Actually, all large companies have such systems; the difference lies only in the degree of implementation. Large companies have their advantages, and small companies have their own methods."

He turned his head and saw that Zhou Yali had stopped crying and was whispering to the two sisters. He couldn't help but frown slightly. What kind of trouble was this girl up to now?

He then ignored her and turned to say, "I heard from Yali that the Zhou family used to raise several servants?"

Zhou Zhengdong blinked, surprised that his daughter would even mention this.

But then I thought, he's my nephew, practically a member of the Zhou family, so it's okay if he finds out.

He nodded and said, "That's true. Actually, they weren't exactly born into the family. They were originally a few people who followed your maternal grandfather to the Northeast to make a living. Their strength and personality weren't suitable for living independently, so they worked for your maternal grandfather. Over time, they became affiliated with the Zhou family."

Later, the families intermarried, and the children born were raised by the Zhou family, who also paid for their upbringing. When they grew up, they stayed in the Zhou family to work. Although the concept of "born into the family" no longer existed at that time, that was the reality.

Later, your maternal grandfather took his whole family and left their hometown for America. They all followed without hesitation. For decades, through thick and thin, the Zhou family protected them, and they supported the Zhou family in return. Now, their families and the Zhou family are inseparable. We don't treat them like servants; we treat them almost like family.

He gave a brief explanation, then looked at Chen Fan, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "I was just using this as an analogy. Actually, the company's training is similar to raising a house servant. You don't just randomly hire a farmhand in your household, do you?"

Zhou Zhengdong nodded. "Yes, generally, we need to observe them for three years first. We need to assess their character first, then their abilities. Those who are both virtuous and talented are the best, those who are virtuous but not talented are average, those who are talented but not virtuous can be used but not retained, and those who are neither virtuous nor talented should be discarded."

At this point, Zhou Zhengdong understood somewhat. He frowned slightly and said while thinking, "You mean that when a company hires someone, it should start to investigate them from the moment they join the company and classify them according to standards?"

After determining their character and abilities, then they can be trained.

To raise a son born into a family, one must bestow kindness to win his heart, display authority to intimidate his actions, and give him wealth to secure his life…

He looked up at Chen Fan, a hint of confusion in his eyes, "But isn't it inappropriate to move it to the company to train employees?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Of course we can't just copy it directly. We'll modify it a bit and it should be about the same. It's just a matter of using bonuses to incentivize people at the grassroots level, using job incentives for middle management, and using equity to bind people at the senior level, plus contracts to bind them. You know more about this than I do."

Actually, the most crucial point here, as you just mentioned, is...

Zhou Zhengdong's eyes darted around slightly. "Does the investment need to be large?"

Chen Fan nodded. "So you have to be willing to give."

Zhou Zhengdong pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "Yes, I understand the situation. As for whether to do it and how to do it, I will go to Procter & Gamble to learn more about it after I return to the United States. I will let you know when I have made a decision."

Chen Fan said, "It's alright, there's no rush. We can treat this as the next step in the company's development plan. The most important thing right now is to secure the agency rights and build up the after-sales service system."

Zhou Zhengdong smiled and patted his arm. "There's something else I need you to discuss with Yali and make a decision." Chen Fan paused, turned to look at Zhou Yali, then back at her. "What is it?"

Zhou Zhengdong raised his voice slightly, "Yali, come here."

Zhou Yali turned around, saw clearly the gesture her father was making, and quickly ran over, her eyes shining and her mouth wide open, and asked, "You're pointing at my little brother, does that mean he's coming too?"

Zhou Zhengdong's expression stiffened slightly, and a hint of regret appeared in his eyes. "No."

"what?"

Zhou Yali turned to look at Chen Fan, "So I don't need to go, and I'll stay here with my brother?"

Zhou Zhengdong's face darkened. "I asked you to discuss with Xiao Fan about coming up with a company name."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "I just remembered that the publishing company is still called Zhou's. Now that the company has been transferred to you, it's not appropriate to keep the name. Also, the name of your newly established technology company was just something they randomly picked when they asked the agency to handle the registration; it needs to be changed as well."

Furthermore, a new telecommunications company is now being established to be responsible for the maintenance of future program-controlled exchanges.

"Now that our business is expanding and our company is growing larger, we haven't even decided on a suitable company name yet. That's not right."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Yali couldn't help but pout, "Then why are you only bringing this up now? We're about to board the plane, isn't it too late?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhou Zhengdong's face. "I just remembered."

Chen Fan wiped his face. Well, it turns out his uncle is unreliable too.

Now I know who my cousin took after in terms of personality.

Then, turning his head, he saw Zhou Yali staring with her big, bright eyes, "Little brother, you're so talented, I'll leave it to you. I promise I have no objections."

Chen Fan fell into deep thought. "Is naming something I can decide?" he wondered. "What can I do if an author is terrible at naming things?"
Zhou Zhengdong, Zhou Yali, and the two sisters who approached all looked at him, hoping to hear a nice name.

Chen Fan raised his head, met the gazes of the four people, and coughed lightly, "How about we name it Huateng? It means 'China's soaring development,' what do you think?"

Zhou Yali's face immediately fell. "The meaning is good, but can't you come up with a nicer name?"

Chen Fan: "You promised you wouldn't have any objections!"

Zhou Yali: "...But it really doesn't sound good. Let me think of another one."

Chen Fan: "You think naming a child is so easy? Why don't you try naming one yourself?"

Zhou Yali: "I'm not a literary figure or writer, but you are. Why should I be the one to get up?"

Chen Fan: "It's just a name, why do you need a home?"

Zhou Zhengdong looked left and right, and taking advantage of a break in the exchange between the two, he quickly coughed, "Well, in the past, when people started a company, they would mostly choose from words with auspicious meanings, such as Feng, Long, Heng, Heng, Yi, Xin, Chang, Ze, Qun, Run, Tai, Yuan, Xing, Wang, Sheng, Li, etc."

or,……"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yali raised her hand in rejection, "No way. It's so corny, not as good as what my brother suggested."

Zhou Zhengdong remained expressionless and silent.

Even he became withdrawn, so Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili dared not utter a sound. They stood obediently to the side, constantly watching to see if anyone was coming over, so as not to let anyone hear them.

Chen Fan thought of a few more, but Zhou Yali still didn't approve. In the end, he had no choice but to shrug and say, "Then you can go to Chinatown in Hong Kong or New York and see if there are any I Ching masters. Find one to give you a name."

Zhou Yali squinted, her features scrunched up, and after a moment, she suddenly opened her eyes, looked at Chen Fan and said, "Brother, you see, the company belongs to both of us, so it would be best if it had our mark on it. Your name has the character 'Fan' in it, and my name is Yali, so how about 'Extraordinary Yali'?"

Chen Fan covered his eyes with his hand, "I don't want to see."

Zhou Zhengdong glanced at his daughter and said, "I don't think you're anything special."

Zhou Yali pursed her lips, "Then let's call her Fanya."

Chen Fan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your name makes people think of me, so let's forget about it."

Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili beside them nodded almost imperceptibly. They knew that this company was going to provide after-sales service for communication equipment in mainland China, and it would definitely enter the domestic market in the future. At that time, anyone who knew Chen Fan and knew that he had this relative would easily make the connection to him.

Even if he does own half of the company, it's not appropriate to expose it like this. Speculation is also not an option, as that would have a significant impact on him.

It's important to understand that often people don't care about the truth; they're more willing to believe baseless rumors and speculation.

Therefore, the best approach is to avoid arousing other people's imaginations.

Zhou Yali understood this principle, so she didn't insist any further and could only widen her eyes and say, "Then you tell me."

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then said, "My surname is Chen and yours is Zhou, let's use a homophone..."

Zhou Yali's eyes widened. "Sinking Boat Company? Isn't that a bit bad?"

The three people next to him nodded in agreement, indicating that it was indeed a terrible situation.

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "A thousand sails pass by the sunken ship, and ten thousand trees bloom before the withered tree. How about naming the publishing company 'Thousand Sails,' since the pages of the books are like sails? And the technology company, let's call it 'Ten Thousand Trees in Spring.'"

Zhou Yali narrowed her eyes slightly. "Qianfan? Wanmu Chun? Winter goes and spring comes, all trees are embracing spring, grass grows and birds fly, hundreds of flowers bloom, and there are thousands of sails racing. This name is not bad."

Chen Fan let out a long breath, "Then it's settled."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Fan and his two companions watched them enter the boarding gate before turning back.

(End of this chapter)