Out with the old, in with the new

  "Today is the first Spring Festival after our group's return to China and the completion of all projects, it is the first Spring Festival worth celebrating on our road to success. I believe that the future of the group will become even more glorious under everyone's unity and hard work. On this occasion, as the new year approaches, I would like to extend New Year's greetings to all employees, to all friends who support and care about the development of AsiaMe Group and Zhongzhong Group. Wishing everyone a happy new year, smooth work, happy family reunion, and progress in study."

  As the country's first super-large industrial group, China Heavy Group has several companies and dozens of factories under its umbrella, including steel, cement, automobiles, transportation, power, engineering construction, etc. With nearly 650,000 employees at all levels, a large part of them are just laborers for the group, but many have moved from simple physical work to complex technical work, from the lowest salary treatment to being able to receive very generous treatment, so no one would think that there wouldn't be any talent among these tens of thousands of people.

  Of course, having confidence in one's own group is a good thing, but before being fully confident, more work must be done.

  "Hello grandma, this is a New Year's gift for you, I hope you accept it. On behalf of the company, I wish you a happy new year!! Wishing your whole family happiness, health and unity!!"

  After the New Year's party, the next activity was for the leaders of each department to divide into groups, carrying a large number of gifts and red envelopes, going from door to door to pay their respects. Zhang Yu's first assigned household was a low-income family. The elderly mother originally had only one son, but due to the chaotic situation in the country, they lost their land and had no way out. Her son had to sell all his property and bring his mother to the United States, where they finally settled down. The son used to be an apprentice at a shipyard in Jiangnan and had some technical skills, so after training for some time in the US, he was arranged to return to China. Now, the mother and son live in a two-bedroom apartment, and their lives have slowly improved. Unfortunately, tonight her son is on duty, so Zhang Yu can only bring New Year's greetings to the old mother and leave behind a generous subsidy for low-income families.

  Zhang Yu's greeting seemed to have gone wrong, the elderly grandmother not only didn't show any excitement but instead burst into tears, which made Zhang Yu panic and quickly ask what was going on. Only then did he learn that this old lady's family had been extremely poor in the past, and when they were in America, they would be grateful just to have enough food to fill their stomachs every day. They never expected that their son's job change would bring about such a huge change for the family. Thinking back to the poverty and hardship of previous Spring Festivals, compared to today's prosperity and wealth, it was already very moving. However, Zhang Yu still brought big bags of gifts and red envelopes to pay his respects, which made the old lady's tears flow like the Yellow River bursting its banks, unstoppable.

  Finally persuaded the elderly mother not to cry, and made some delicious food waiting for her son to come back and enjoy. "I should have put a few more dollars in!" muttered, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes, Zhang Yu quickly changed his mood and continued to walk towards the second household with a smile. The second household was a dual-income family, according to the company's regulations, it was simply a meritorious family, so besides preparing two sets of gifts, there was also a special gift.

  "Happy New Year, everyone! You're all making dumplings, can I have some later? As soon as he knocked on the door and entered, he saw the family of three gathered around a small table making dumplings. Zhang Yu looked at the child with flour all over his hands, even his white face had a bit stuck to it, and said: "This is a New Year's gift for your family, thank you for your contributions to the company in the past year. On behalf of the group, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for your unwavering support, this is just a small token from the company, and the child gets some too!!" Zhang Yu took out three red envelopes and handed them one by one to the two stunned spouses, only the little kid saw the red envelope and reached out to take it."

  The husband was so busy wiping his hands that he didn't know what to do, while the wife next to him had already opened her mouth in surprise. When did she ever receive such good treatment? The two of them were stunned by everything that happened after the door was opened, and only the sound of the child laughing with a red envelope in hand echoed through the house, quickly bringing the couple back to their senses. Just as they were about to say thank you, Zhang Yu spoke up again.

  "The company plans to open a school after the new year, and children can attend for free. Even if you go on a business trip to the United States, your kids can follow along, and we'll also be opening schools there at the same time. We'll have elementary and middle schools, all for free, of course. There are more details about discipline that you can ask about later, I won't bother you anymore." Zhang Yu smiled and bid farewell to the family, adding as he lightly closed the door: "The water in the kitchen has already boiled, the dumplings can be cooked now!"

  "Why, is there only one person?" Zhang Yu arrived at the third house, a home of an employee with an intermediate technical title. However, the cold and quiet atmosphere made him somewhat surprised, and he certainly wouldn't foolishly go to break this tranquility.

  "Right, sit down!" A chair was quickly placed beside him. "Before going to the United States, I was a lonely person, but in these years following the group, I learned a lot of skills and earned a lot of money. But this skill of finding a wife is really something I haven't learned about!" After finishing speaking, the technician quickly poured Zhang Yu a cup of wine. The several small dishes on the table looked very exquisite, obviously bought from an outside restaurant, and the wine was authentic Maotai.

  "Fate will naturally bring it, aren't there many good women in our group who are still single?" Zhang Yu took a sip of wine and made the best New Year's wish. He also handed over the red envelope with one hand. "Love and career are both important, but sometimes emotional things rely on fate. Just waiting and making empty efforts won't work. When fate arrives, it will naturally happen, but career success can be achieved through one's own efforts. This is a reward for your achievements in the past year, doesn't it show off your excellent abilities? As long as you are willing to wait patiently, there will always be a good girl who walks into your world from the vast sea of people, and that's when it's truly called a double harvest of career and love!"

  "Thanks, boss! Let's have another drink! I didn't get to drink with you much when we were in the States, so now that I've got the chance, I'm going to make the most of it!" He said, refilling Zhang Yu's glass. "We're all the same, really - big men with ambitions, and neither you nor the chairman have found a wife yet! What's the rush for us small potatoes? Oh, right, boss - if you find a good girl, don't forget about me, Ge!"

  The two of them clinked cups and exchanged toasts for a while, but in his heart, Zhang Yu still remembered that he had to finish the remaining few cups quickly and rush to the next location, striving to complete all tasks before 24:00.

  "Everyone has worked hard!! I'll treat you to a midnight snack later." Back at the security building, Zhang Yu saw a team of people who had just returned from their patrol. On New Year's Eve, they were still on duty, and Zhang Yu couldn't help but offer them some words of encouragement.

  "How are you, brother?!" Seeing his older brother sitting crookedly on the rattan chair, still panting slightly. The two brothers made a lot of money, but up until now, they were still living in the company dorms. Even Zhang YuSheng, who had become the president of two groups, only owned one set of house keys. Zhang Yu, who lived on the third floor, was even more miserable, with only one bedroom and one bathroom to his name. So every time he came back from work, Zhang Yu would always go lie down on his older brother's living room sofa, while Zhang YuSheng could only sit on the rattan chair. The two of them would slowly discuss business, one lying down and the other sitting up.

  "'Silent gaze, only tears of gratitude', I think this sentence best represents my entire journey. From New York in the US to Liuzhou in southwest China, from bustling metropolises to small towns in remote areas. The arduous and long construction process, endless overtime, and relentless pursuit of progress - not a single employee has ever complained about our shortcomings. No matter how difficult the task, they always work overtime to ensure quality completion. Wherever we are, whenever it is, they always contribute their strength to the company's growth and development. Without fancy words or showy displays, they simply strive for perfection in every small detail of their work, making their posts shine with excellence. This is the best way they repay us. What more can I say? Besides being moved, I am still moved!!"

  "I'm almost there too!" Zhang Yu said, rubbing his temples a few times. Good wine is always more potent later on, it seems he was indeed a bit tipsy. "By the way, don't you plan on visiting Lu Rongting for New Year's greetings? It seems we haven't even discussed things like taxation yet, if we just let them slip away easily, how can his wealth ambitions be fulfilled?"

  "I don't know, anyway I sent someone to investigate a few days ago. Lu Rongting didn't pay much attention to what happened that day, after all we are the ones who ran away and the temple can't run away from us. We worked hard to establish so many foundations, of course we won't let go easily. He has enough ability to grasp our lifeline and slowly play us to death!"

  For the current situation, both of them naturally understood very well in their hearts that breaking with Lu Rongting was inevitable. However, they did not expect it to happen so quickly. No one would blame themselves for being young and impulsive at first, but since it was an inevitable break, they could no longer dwell on what had already happened. Focusing on the present and grasping the future is the right way to go.

  "Our plan needs to be made public now!" After staring at the ceiling for a while, Zhang Yu-sheng, who was reclining in a rattan chair, spoke up first. "Most of the old employees in the group know our purpose for coming back, and we ourselves have also accumulated more strength over time. As long as we handle it properly, we have the ability to quickly and effectively take down this territory in Guangxi. After all, the railways and highways that span Guangxi have already been repaired, and our influence among the masses throughout Guangxi is also enormous."

  "You mean to start preparing for a formal split or conflict with Lu Rongting? That won't involve too wide a scope, will it? Confronting a militarist like him is just a matter of who gets the upper hand first, whoever falls behind loses. Are you thinking something more complicated than that?" Zhang Yu heard the undertone in his brother's words. As for taking on a group of former Qing soldiers who had just put down their big knives and picked up single-shot rifles, Zhang Yu was confident he could handle them, but other aspects were not so easy to say.

  "We two brothers have not easily crossed over just to be suppressed alive by a group of feudal bureaucratic warlords. Can we afford such an identity as a traverser? Anyway, I am preparing to start building a party, and the party must exist and must exist as soon as possible." Zhang Yu's tone at the end was very resolute. "In short, we cannot waste this trip. We can't just watch the historical tragedy repeat itself again, and it's being performed in front of us."

  From the hardships of American entrepreneurship, how much sweat has been poured to make the dreams in their hearts sprout that little bit of tender green. The two people who have walked to this step can no longer turn back, and the choice they need to make is when to expand their dreams, rather than getting bogged down in other problems.

  "The relationship between the party, the army and the masses must be established, and there must be a sufficient interdependent and healthy development relationship. Among them, the most direct connection is interest, national interest is too broad, for individuals, it's impossible to bear such a heavy responsibility, small shoulders can't carry the burden of national undertakings. We can only serve as guides, using actual interests and future interests as bait, gradually uniting everyone, until the group expands to the entire nation, the entire country!"

  "The formation of interests is not just two kinds, the first is to drive the entire social economy with industry, benefiting more people's interests can form overall interests, and economic interests are mutually bound. The second is to drive the progress of collective consciousness with overall interests, forming a seamless connection between overall mass interests, political interests, and absolute benefits. A country is just a gathering of interest groups, whether it is ** or multi-party cooperation, they are all different interest groups seeking greater benefits while taking into account certain common interests. In short, we can establish a political party, control military power and industrial power, gradually driving the overall progress of other social interests, truly achieving mutual integration with the people's interests, everything will not be difficult!"

  Zhang Yu's supplement received the nod of approval from his older brother, and after another round of individual thinking, Zhang Yusheng spoke up again: "Then let's do it that way! You take care of the military aspect, and I'll boldly do what needs to be done. Once we officially start work, I'll quickly gather the main leaders of each department in the group, outstanding employees in each position, people with a certain influence in society, and so on, and after exchanging opinions with them, we'll establish specific measures for the next step. In addition, I plan to not only open the group's directly affiliated primary school free of charge to all children of employees, but also to face the whole society and promote the common progress of the quality of the entire nation, especially since education is originally for the younger generation."

  "Haha, you're quite direct. This generation with limited cultural foundation, even if they work hard, probably won't become scientists or anything like that. The scientific cause still relies on the current young generation. We have a pressing need to further refine our education system so we can rapidly and effectively improve China's, especially the southwest region's, education level, as well as its future technological and industrial level!"

  The two people kept exchanging opinions, and all sorts of issues from all over the world were brought up for discussion. At this moment near 1914, the two continued to discuss non-stop until the mechanical clock on the wall rang out the whole time, and when they looked up, they saw that the three needles had overlapped under the number "12", and unknowingly, the two people welcomed the fourth year after crossing over.

  "It's been four years, and it feels like we've been studying for a master's degree here, or starting a new career in a different place, or continuing our lives with a new lifestyle..."

  "Don't sigh, I've invited some security team members to have a drink and midnight snack, do you want to go?" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu stood up and adjusted his clothes, preparing to head out. "Of course, you can also take the opportunity to discuss how to expand the security team? Military matters, it's better for us to discuss with everyone together!" They exchanged a smile, and Zhang Yusheng had no choice but to bring out his treasured good wine and a bottle of red wine he brought back from America, following Zhang Yu as they headed out.

  "Everyone has been following the group for many years and is a sensible person. Let's not say unnecessary words, tonight on New Year's Eve we can spend it together, it's considered fate from our past lives. First, let's toast to us having fate to explain things together and work towards the same goal!"

  Under the dim light, the security patrol team's rest room was filled with the aroma of wine and hot food, instantly making the atmosphere in the room more festive. The holiday atmosphere finally poured into the security room, which had always been on high alert.

  "Everyone must also know that to achieve our great rejuvenation in this chaotic era, we can't do it without some endurance. Political power comes from the barrel of a gun, and now we only have over 200 guns, which is far from enough for practical needs." Zhang Yusheng's face was flushed with red, and he filled up the wine cups for more than ten security team members with a strong smell of alcohol. Those who could stick to their posts during this Spring Festival were all old team members with a strong sense of responsibility. After a round of drinking, everyone was in high spirits.

  "Chairman, just for this sentence, we should have another drink! Since I, a poor devil, followed the group, I've never thought that my life would still be mine. If it weren't for you all and the support of the group, I reckon I'd have died miserably on the streets long ago. To be able to live till today with such joy, I should first thank the Chairman and General Manager, let me toast you two a cup!"

  Another cup of wine down, the burning sensation on his face became even more intense. Countless ants seemed to be fiercely biting in his stomach, the feeling was like being burned by fire. "This wine can't be drunk anymore, everything has to have a limit. Drinking too much will harm the body, let's eat some dishes and chat!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu was the first to pick up his chopsticks and start eating a piece of chicken.

  After the wine and food were full, everyone started talking about the topic after burping. "Chairman, your plan has been implemented to this step, and other aspects have achieved a lot, we should make more efforts in the military aspect!" Tang Renhui was the first to finish picking his teeth and spoke up.

  "Well, anyway, you'll just have to wait for orders, as for when and how many people, go ask your commander Zhang Yu! I can only remind you all to pay attention to continuously learning scientific and cultural knowledge, become a knowledgeable person." Zhang Yusheng said, then lifted his leg up and stopped talking, the crowd also followed suit and started learning in an affected manner, everyone was staring at Zhang Yu.

  "There's no more meat left on my face! What the chairman said is an order! He said we need to expand, then we'll expand, if we need to go to war, then we'll go to war, and if we need to change our equipment, then we'll change it!" Zhang Yu teased for a while before getting back on track. "Anyway, the road ahead will only get more difficult, comrades must have enough mental preparation. Maybe by the time New China is established, we won't be able to celebrate Spring Festival like we do now, but on this path of struggle, with you and me, success is inevitable!"

  "Does the commander mean that we are going to formally establish an army?" asked Zhuang Jiaming, who was not very talkative, on the side.

  "Wait, winter is almost over, can spring be far behind?"