Chapter 179: Sailors of the Era

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye, the year 1992 arrived.

Following the speeches made during the southern tour, the people's enthusiasm for pursuing a happy life continued to surge, and a new wave of economic boom erupted in full force.

Engaging in business and trade was no longer considered a shameful thing.

Businessmen no longer had to live in fear that the crime of "speculation and profiteering" would suddenly fall upon them from the skies and bring utter ruin.

On the contrary, businessmen with even a sliver of capital had become hot commodities everywhere.

In developing the economy, starting capital was naturally of the utmost importance. The industrialization of Western nations had relied on colonization and plunder, with every single drop of initial capital stained with the blood of the innocent.

China did not possess that kind of strength, nor would it ever establish its industrial foundation through the exploitation and invasion of other countries.

China chose to treat foreign capital with favorable policies precisely to borrow the capital advantages of developed nations in order to develop its domestic livelihood economy.

......

On the third day after the elder statesman's southern tour, Lu Kun went to inspect the production and management operations of the Master Kong Food and Beverage Group.

The headquarters building of the Master Kong Food and Beverage Group.

Lu Kun sat in the general manager's office within the brand-new workspace, looking at the superior working environment with immense satisfaction:

He no longer had to work in the temporary office area near the factory buildings, far away from all kinds of noise and dust pollution......

Ever since he agreed to District Chief Lin's investment in the "Basket Project" some time ago, District Chief Lin had made a grand gesture, directly allocating a piece of wasteland more than ten mu in size, located just over two li away from the Master Kong Food and Beverage factory, to the Master Kong Food and Beverage Group.

Huang Mingbo had come running eagerly to Lu Kun, saying he wanted to use this wasteland to construct the headquarters building of the Master Kong Food and Beverage Group.

This land had been given for free, and the district government had even paved the road connecting the Master Kong Food and Beverage Group's factory and its headquarters.

......

A few days ago, Lu Kun received wind from District Chief Lin that the province's very first industrial park would likely be established right here at the Master Kong Food and Beverage Group.

Upon hearing this, Lu Kun understood instantly. This matter of the industrial park was likely the result of District Chief Lin pulling out all the stops to fight and negotiate with the higher-ups, finally securing the provincial government's agreement to place the industrial park within the district.

Lu Kun was overjoyed on the spot, immediately stating that as long as the news proved true, he would be willing to invest ten million RMB in the second phase of the Basket Project under the name of the Huakun Group.

District Chief Lin knew that Lu Kun was returning a favor for a favor, and naturally, both parties were extremely pleased.

Lu Kun had already started having the real estate company under his banner figure out ways to gradually acquire the scaled land plots within the industrial park zone.

Whether it was kept for future appreciation and value preservation, or turned around and sold to the provincial government after some time to earn a massive favor while making a quick buck on the side, this deal was exceptionally profitable.

As for the ten million RMB investment promised to District Chief Lin, it didn't matter in the least.

By the time the second phase of the Basket Project rolled around, it would be close to 1995 or 1996. By then, ten million would have depreciated significantly, and its purchasing power might only equate to six or seven million of the present currency value.

Now, developments across all industries were changing with each passing day. A few years down the line, although an investment of ten million wasn't loose change to Lu Kun, it wouldn't necessarily command all that much of his attention either.

Of course, Lu Kun wouldn't blindly act on hoarding land based solely on District Chief Lin's unilateral word.

He had indirectly verified the accuracy of this news from various bigwigs through multiple channels before ultimately deciding to make his move.

......

It was now precisely nine o'clock in the morning, exactly one hour away from the previously scheduled departure time for the inspection.

Lu Kun sat in the bright office, gazing out at the river view outside the window, feeling a surge of high spirits.

This was a sense of achievement that welled up spontaneously from within!

In his past life at this exact time, he had only just stepped out of Ping'an Village, heading to Guangdong to begin his grind, and even that small hardware factory which served as the launching pad for his life had not yet been acquired.

Yet in this lifetime, he was already the head of several large enterprises, standing at the very pinnacle of the Angui business community, an industrial pioneer and an undisputed powerhouse in Angui's economic sphere.

Even more, Lu Kun's current business empire was larger, and his business constraints were fewer, than during the most glorious period of his past life.

He was no longer anyone's puppet on a string!

......

Huang Mingbo knocked on the door and entered, walking over to sit beside Lu Kun with a face full of deep emotion. "District Chief Lin is truly generous. Leaving aside the return on investment for the Basket Project, just looking at this plot of land alone, we have already made a killing."

Lu Kun nodded in agreement, but did not mention another "grand gift" that District Chief Lin had given him.

This was a private "transaction" between Lu Kun and District Chief Lin, and there was no need for too many people to know.

Lu Kun smiled and said, "Our office area is also quite unique. Whenever we feel tired, we can gaze out at the vast river surface outside the window to relieve physical and mental fatigue."

Lu Kun loved this office area. Although this office building was considered top-tier for this era, it hadn't particularly caught Lu Kun's eye.

He preferred the riverside environment of this workspace, where every wisp of air carried a moist, refreshing touch.

Ah, industrial pollution and the like were still a long way off!

Huang Mingbo was also exceedingly happy. Looking at the brand-new office equipment in Lu Kun's office, he envisioned aloud, "There is still quite a bit of land allocated to us by the district chief. Once we free up our hands, we can have them construct and complete all the auxiliary buildings. By then, our Master Kong Food and Beverage Group will truly have the framework of a large enterprise."

Lu Kun nodded and said, "They must be built! Our current office area is indeed a bit cramped, like a little sparrow; it simply can't hold up the facade of a large enterprise."

"Aside from building offices, we also need to recruit people! Buildings are easy enough to manage—though our sparrow is small, it has all its vital organs—but manpower is always in short supply," Huang Mingbo said with a wry smile.

"Go ahead and arrange the recruitment yourself. You know what kind of talent is needed better than I do," Lu Kun patted Huang Mingbo on the shoulder and said.

"With those words from you, I can recruit people with bold confidence," Huang Mingbo said with a chuckle.

Huang Mingbo's internal emotions were no less profound than Lu Kun's.

Looking back, this past year had felt entirely like a dream.

Last year, he was still a notorious young teacher with a pregnant girlfriend and a life so lost he couldn't find a direction.

Upon first arriving in Angui, he had expected to become a food safety engineer, only to find that the factory he applied to hadn't even finished building its production sheds.

Yet today, he had already become the number-two figure of a large enterprise on the verge of takeoff, reaping a bumper harvest in both family and career.

"Cold-hearted people, thank you for looking down on me and slandering me in the past, forcing me to refuse to bow my head and live life even more brilliantly," Huang Mingbo murmured softly to himself.

......

"Old Huang, what are you daydreaming about? Time is almost up, we agreed to go inspect production and management together!" Lu Kun walked to the office door and called out to the dazed Huang Mingbo.

"Ah, coming right now!" Huang Mingbo gathered his emotions and hurried to catch up.