When Chen Yang came to Shanghai in his previous life, skyscrapers were everywhere. Although Shanghai now is still one of China's most developed cities, it is incomparable to the future.
To be precise, it's only slightly better than the newly developed small fishing village in Guangdong Province. It's similar to the urban villages of big cities in the future, with very few buildings exceeding ten stories.
With Wang Baolin, a local from Shanghai, they visited all the interesting places.
Liu Xiangyu, on the other hand, was amazed. After all, he lived in the poorest place in Anhui Province. Before coming to study, the tallest building he had ever seen was only a three-story building in the county town.
The bustling Shanghai today left a deep impression on him. He felt that if he could stay in this place in the future, he would have a vast stage.
People tend to move upwards, and water flows downwards; this is human nature.
At noon, Wang Baolin, being the local, specifically treated Chen Yang and Liu Xiangyu to a meal at a small eatery in a lane.
Thanks to the news of Chen Yang's radio shop obtaining a business license for individual proprietors from the government being widely reported, many private individuals in Shanghai have now started their own small businesses.
Those without money set up stalls, and those with money rented shops.
As long as they registered with the Administration for Industry and Commerce and paid a small fee, they could obtain a business license.
From then on, they could do business openly without fear of being apprehended.
Shanghai has a Jiangzhe cuisine influence, with dishes leaning slightly towards sweetness, which Chen Yang and Liu Xiangyu couldn't quite appreciate.
After the meal, Wang Baolin planned to continue taking Liu Xiangyu to explore the surrounding alleys. Chen Yang, however, had no such inclination.
He was going to meet the person who boasted about acquiring Shanghai's Third Radio Factory. It was only 1979, and to have designs on a state-owned factory at this time was not just bold.
It was a daydream!
It would be more appropriate in another ten years. It was still too early. Although the top leadership might have made a clear decision about reform and opening up, the extent of the reform was uncertain.
As for state-owned enterprises, they were absolutely untouchable. No one dared. Even the person who proposed reform and opening up did not have such a plan at that time.
This path was forged step by step; one cannot become a big shot overnight.
What is happening now is small-scale individual economic activity, which is experimental and within an acceptable range for everyone.
State-owned factories clearly do not fall into this category. The domestic economy is still at the tail end of a planned economy, and state-owned factories remain the absolute mainstream.
Once this door is opened, no one can predict what will happen in the future. If one region sees someone acquiring a state-owned factory, then everyone will follow suit, discarding struggling factories as burdens.
What if the path taken is wrong? If a huge number of state-owned factories disappear, the entire country will be finished.
Even in his previous life, it was only after that elder made several trips to the south, witnessed the reform deepen step by step, experimented in some areas, and saw that the reform was leading to better outcomes, that it was gradually promoted and finally approved.
Of course, even after approval, many conditions were set, and state-owned factories could not be sold indiscriminately.
And this audacious person was Zhang Weiyang.
Chen Yang had to find this kid. Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to quickly set up the factory in Jinling.
The neighboring factories had already helped train a batch of apprentices. If they were to set up a workshop and a production line now, they might not be able to produce high-end products, but assembling things would be no problem.
There were no telephones in those days. Chen Yang only learned that Zhang Weiyang had come to Shanghai during this period because they had corresponded before his arrival. Zhang Weiyang mentioned that he was going to discuss a major business deal.
Zhang Weiyang had also vowed in his letter that if the deal was successful, he would give Chen Yang a huge surprise.
Then, Chen Yang heard from Wang Baolin that there was a daring fellow who wanted to acquire Shanghai's Third Radio Factory, and his surname seemed to be Zhang.
Chen Yang guessed that it was most likely Zhang Weiyang.
Wang Baolin's knowledge was limited, and he was not aware of the acquirer's full name. However, when Chen Yang thought about Zhang Weiyang's letter, it was hard not to suspect it was this guy.
In the original course of history, how could anyone dare to have designs on a state-owned factory in 1979? Apart from Zhang Weiyang, who was influenced by his ideas, Chen Yang couldn't think of anyone else.
However, in this era, with no mobile phones and no telephones, Chen Yang had no way to quickly contact Zhang Weiyang. He had to resort to a cumbersome method.
Go to Shanghai's Third Radio Factory and wait for this kid!
Just like how he went to the Red Star Machinery Factory to wait for Chen Yang, only Chen Yang dared to do this. Despite Shanghai's Third Radio Factory being in a precarious state, it was still a large factory with thousands of employees.
Finding someone in such a factory was not an easy task.
Wang Baolin and Liu Xiangyu did not know why Chen Yang was going to Shanghai's Third Radio Factory. They thought he was interested in doing business and wanted to take a look.
Since they were planning to wander around anyway, they decided to go with Chen Yang.
Fortunately, these two were also inexperienced. If they had been more knowledgeable, they probably wouldn't have rashly followed Chen Yang to a large factory to look for someone. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Seeing that the two of them wanted to gain some experience, Chen Yang couldn't refuse. However, if the acquirer turned out not to be Zhang Weiyang, Chen Yang would be in an awkward position.
The other person might not be interested in meeting him. After all, he was just an unknown university student now. Someone with the nerve to discuss acquiring a state-owned factory at this time would not think highly of him.
Thus, the three young men, unaware of the immensity of the task, took a tram from the Bund and then wandered all the way to Shanghai's Third Radio Factory.
Chen Yang used his usual method. He first went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a few packs of cigarettes, then squatted by the roadside, watching the workers coming and going.
Soon, some workers who were craving a cigarette came to the spot where Chen Yang had scattered cigarette butts to smoke.
Seeing a worker approach, Chen Yang took a cigarette from his pocket and offered it. The worker, who was about to take one, hesitated, clearly surprised that someone would offer cigarettes to strangers in this era.
After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't resist taking it. A cigarette was not cheap, and since it was given freely, he might as well smoke it, especially since it was right outside his factory gate.
The security office was nearby. If this person dared to cause trouble, the factory's security department would teach him a lesson.
"Brother, you still have the mood to smoke? I heard your factory is about to be sold."
"I'm just unlucky. I just set up a stall to sell tea eggs outside your factory. I even got the business license. What bad luck."
Chen Yang offered the cigarette and lit it for the worker, then lit one for himself.
Smoking and drinking have always been the quickest ways for men to build rapport, regardless of the era.