Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 198 The Banquet

Lin Zhou and Lou Xiao'e led Chen Jiaming and Chen Jiaqi out of the gate of the No. 95 courtyard house. The two chatted as they arrived at the entrance of the alley. Lin Zhou waved to Lou Xiao'e and, without lingering any longer, turned and walked towards his own courtyard.

On his way back, Lin Zhou raised his hand and rubbed his temples. The chaos and gossip in the courtyard seemed to have been shut out by the gate of the courtyard, becoming a thing of the past.

The mess in that courtyard was never his concern. He had only come here to join in the fun, and now that he had said goodbye, he had no further involvement.

From now on, the grudges and disputes in that courtyard will have nothing to do with Lin Zhou. His gaze has always been set on a more distant and broader world.

A gentle breeze blew in from the alley, dispelling some of the unpleasantness in Lin Zhou's heart and gradually shifting his thoughts from the trivialities of the courtyard to the upcoming main event: the topping-out celebration banquet of Zhonghua Building.

Shortly after Lin Zhou returned home, he received a notification that the celebration banquet arranged by Zhonghua Group had been canceled. This was because the government officials they had invited were attending, and the leaders had reported this to their superiors, resulting in this notification.

The notice emphasized that this was no longer an ordinary celebration banquet, but a formal gala organized by government departments, far exceeding the scale of ordinary commercial events.

Not only were there professional hosts to oversee the process, but the performers of the cultural troupe also prepared carefully choreographed programs, and even provincial-level leaders attended and delivered speeches.

This level of attention demonstrates the government's recognition of Zhonghua Group's investment and construction in Beijing.

When the banquet was about to begin, Liu Yaolong arranged for his driver to pick up Lin Zhou.

After picking up Lin Zhou, the driver steadily steered the black Crown sedan toward the city center, where there were many more pedestrians and vehicles along the way.

The streets are lined with many newly opened shops and former public-private joint ventures. These shops, each with its own signboard, exude the unique vitality of the early days of reform and opening up.

Lin Zhou leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

From smuggling themselves from Beijing to Hong Kong, from the initial Zhonghua Daily and Zhonghua Security to the completion of the Zhonghua Building and the commencement of construction on the Luohu Industrial Park.

In just over a decade, this journey has felt like a decades-long one for others.

And the foundation of all this began in Hong Kong in 1966.

At that time, Hong Kong was a place where all industries were waiting to be developed, but it was also a place where all sorts of people were mixed together. He carried with him an external space and all the resources of the future generation inside, but he dared to think and act. He first founded the Zhonghua Daily with his accurate vision and decisive methods.

They carved out a path and gained a firm foothold in Hong Kong's media industry by providing authentic reports on people's livelihoods and serializing captivating novels!

Following that, recognizing the need for social order, Zhonghua Security was established. With its strict management and professional expertise, it quickly became a benchmark in Hong Kong's security industry and won the trust of all sectors.

These two foundational industries provided a solid foundation for his other ventures, while also allowing him to accumulate valuable connections and resources.

Later, after seeing the air fryer in the space house, he keenly seized the opportunity of the electronics industry and established Zhonghua Home Appliance Factory, launching the Zhonghua air fryer.

This innovative invention and the global patent application have also opened up the international market for Zhonghua air fryers.

Subsequently, the Zhonghua handheld game console was launched. At that time, the electronics industry in Hong Kong was still in its infancy, and the Zhonghua handheld game console came out of nowhere.

With its novel design, stable performance, and affordable price, it quickly won the hearts of consumers and was in short supply as soon as it was launched.

In order to prevent other manufacturers from surpassing its products and to keep up with market demands, Zhonghua handheld game consoles have been continuously upgraded and iterated. From the initial basic model to the later models with more functions and more exquisite features, each update has sparked a new buying frenzy.

As handheld game consoles continue to develop, Zhonghua Home Appliance Factory is also expanding its scale. From the initial small factory, it has gradually expanded and formed a small industrial park integrating R&D, upstream and downstream production, and sales.

Inside the park, production lines run day and night, the R&D team is dedicated to their work, and the sales team travels all over the world, presenting a thriving scene.

The reason why Zhonghua Group was able to quickly establish itself in Hong Kong and grow bigger and bigger is not only due to its accurate market judgment and excellent product quality, but also to another crucial reason...

That is, the group's welfare benefits for its workers are among the best in Hong Kong and even Southeast Asia.

In Hong Kong during that era, many factories exploited their workers in pursuit of profits, with low wages, long working hours, and poor working conditions being the norm. Lin Zhou, however, went against the grain.

He offered Zhonghua's workers wages far above the industry average. Not only that, he also provided them with comfortable dormitories, clean canteens, holiday benefits, medical and injury insurance, and even made it easier for their children to enroll in school.

He traveled from the future and firmly believed that workers are the foundation of an enterprise. Only by ensuring that workers have a stable livelihood and can work wholeheartedly can an enterprise go further and more steadily.

His philosophy has earned Zhonghua Group a reputation as a "conscientious enterprise" in Hong Kong.

Tens of thousands of workers work and live in Zhonghua's industrial park. They have a strong sense of belonging and identification with the group, and their enthusiasm for work is exceptionally high. This has enabled Zhonghua to maintain a high level of production efficiency and product quality, forming a virtuous cycle.

It is precisely because of this strong foundation and good reputation that Zhonghua Group has been able to ride the waves in Hong Kong's business world, rise rapidly, and become an indispensable force in Hong Kong's business community.

As the curtain rose on reform and opening up in mainland China, and the policy winds swept across the country, Lin Zhou became one of the first Hong Kong companies to respond to the call and return to invest in the mainland.

As the capital of mainland China, Beijing is the political, economic, and cultural center, naturally making it a top priority for Zhonghua Group's mainland investments.

While the Zhonghua Building in Beijing is under steady construction, the new industrial park invested in has also begun construction in Luohu, Guangdong, the southern gateway of the city.

Luohu is adjacent to Hong Kong and enjoys a unique geographical advantage. It is an important hub for exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong, with obvious policy advantages and abundant labor resources.

Lin Zhou acted decisively, acquiring a large tract of land in Luohu and investing in the construction of a large industrial park. He introduced Hong Kong's advanced production technology and management experience to the mainland, which not only promoted local economic development but also laid a solid foundation for the further expansion of Zhonghua Group.

Liu Yaolong was in charge of coordinating and managing all the building projects in Sijiu City.

Over the years, Liu Yaolong has followed Zhou Jianming of Zhonghua Real Estate from Hong Kong to the mainland, working his way up through thick and thin, and has already honed his excellent management skills.

Seeing that Liu Yaolong was steady and thoughtful, Zhou Jianming entrusted him with the management of the Zhonghua Building construction, while he returned to the Hong Kong headquarters.

After Liu Yaolong took over the work, he indeed managed all the affairs of Zhonghua Building in an orderly manner. From construction progress to quality control, from personnel coordination to government liaison, he handled every detail properly, which made Zhou Jianming very reassured.

That's why Lin Zhou decided to stay behind the scenes at tonight's topping-out celebration banquet, leaving the spotlight to Liu Yaolong.

In Lin Zhou's view, the development of a company is never about one person fighting alone, but requires a group of like-minded people working side by side.

As the head of Zhonghua Group, his main role is to grasp the direction and formulate strategies. Public occasions like this are good opportunities to train subordinates and establish their authority.

Liu Yaolong has devoted a great deal of effort to the construction of Zhonghua Building, and he deserves to stand in the spotlight and accept this honor and recognition.

The car drove on and eventually stopped in front of a grandly decorated hotel.

The hotel entrance was already newly decorated, with a red carpet stretching from the roadside all the way to the hotel lobby. Flowers and greenery were placed on both sides, and a banner reading "Warmly celebrate the successful topping-out of Zhonghua Building" was hung, creating a festive atmosphere.

Many guests dressed in formal attire have arrived one after another, including business associates, government officials, and media reporters. Everyone has a smile on their face, exchanging pleasantries and chatting with each other, creating a very lively scene.

Lin Zhou pushed open the car door and got out of the car. Zhao Jianjun, who had been waiting for a long time, and several of his comrades immediately stepped forward to protect him on both sides.

Lin Zhou led them ahead, his posture upright and his demeanor composed. He wore a gentle smile, yet his aura was undeniable.

His appearance immediately attracted the attention of many people. Many guests stopped to chat, and those who knew Lin Zhou took the initiative to come forward to greet him.

"Mr. Lin, congratulations on the completion of the Zhonghua Building! A truly joyous occasion!"

"Mr. Lin, I've long admired your name, and meeting you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved!"

"President Lin, the Zhonghua Building is truly a new landmark in Beijing, adding luster to the development of our inland region!"

Congratulations and praises poured in, and Lin Zhou responded with a smile, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. His demeanor was humble and composed, without a trace of the airs of a large corporation's boss, yet he inspired respect in everyone.

He walked slowly into the hotel lobby while talking to someone.