Chapter 323 Deeply Shocked From the very beginning, I didn't want this...

Qin Xiangxiang's decision to send Grandpa Ouyang to Shenzhen Special Economic Zone to guide the construction of the factory area was truly a case of "discerning talent." Putting aside other aspects, the old man really had three tricks up his sleeve in this regard.

Upon arriving in the special economic zone, Mr. Ouyang gathered a group of veteran shipbuilding and military industry workers to discuss the design of this moisture-proof building.

They plan to design double-walled structures for the factory, with a ventilation channel between the inner and outer walls to create airflow and remove moisture. Anyone with life experience knows that the smaller the gap, the greater the airflow speed.

The factory also needs to be designed with high windows and ventilation towers to prevent humid air from lingering. The ground is also designed with three layers of moisture-proof flooring. At the same time, Mr. Ouyang and others improved a marine anti-rust paint and formulated a rust inhibitor, which is sprayed on the inside and outside of the machine as well as on various metal surfaces for rust and moisture prevention. The effect is remarkable and non-toxic and harmless.

The desiccant used by the Haidao Feiyan Textile Factory has been upgraded this year. Desiccant hanging places have been set up around the factory. This desiccant is replaced and dried regularly and can be reused.

Grandpa Ouyang and others also designed the stacking height of different items and the distance from the wall to ensure air circulation. They even wrote a production management regulation for this purpose.

...

These measures should reduce the moisture pressure on the special zone plant and reduce its reliance on industrial dehumidifiers.

"The country doesn't lack talent; it's just that talent isn't being utilized..."

Apart from retired senior cadres like Mr. Ouyang who are not under supervision, many other scientific and technological cadres are in major research institutes and large state-owned enterprises. Private factories and enterprises are all makeshift teams with no academic qualifications or culture, relying entirely on experience, imitation, and "spur-of-the-moment ideas."

However, private enterprises are more market-responsive. They do not have cumbersome procedures and regulations. As long as there is market demand, they will directly "create" and have a strong ability to adapt to market needs. They just lack "technical capabilities".

As a result, a trend emerged of "weekend technical cadres," who worked in large state-owned factories during the week and went to small private factories on weekends to provide technical guidance.

However, this poses a danger to technical staff currently employed. Generally speaking, if no one reports it, there will be no problem. But once someone reports it, they may face punishment from their employer or even imprisonment.

Most of these reports come from the technician's colleagues or superiors in the same unit, who are jealous of his extra income outside.

Many people earn only six or seven hundred yuan a year, but by going out to provide guidance a few times, they can earn six or seven hundred yuan, which makes others envious.

"I've sent another batch of people to the special economic zone factory..."

Qin Xiangxiang felt like she was playing chess, frantically sending a bunch of pieces south, and the Special Administrative Region government strongly encouraged her behavior, simply because the Special Administrative Region was so short of talent.

“Our factory has another batch of spots for overseas training this year. I picked about twenty, and Secretary Li even asked me if I wanted to go… Of course I didn’t go.”

Since the opening up, state-owned factories like Feiyan Textile Factory have had a number of opportunities to study abroad every year. Many ordinary factory workers who received these opportunities either returned to China after studying abroad, or stayed abroad to marry locals and open dumpling, shumai, and steamed bun shops.

This kind of overseas study is similar to the return of educated youth to the city back then. In most cases, if one spouse goes abroad for further studies, the other will eventually have an affair and end up with a foreigner.

Qin Xiangxiang has been following the gossip quite a bit over the past few years.

"My mom's factory had two old technicians, Old Chen and his wife. Both of their daughters went to Liben for further studies. One daughter came back, but the other didn't. The daughter who didn't come back had an affair with someone from Liben. Her husband chased after them from China and beat them both up. The Liben man paid a lot of money..."

"She went abroad for further studies, but didn't learn much. Now it seems she's running a noodle shop in Liben? She works part-time there, making Shanghai-style noodles. I heard it's even doing well overseas."

"And there's a female student at my son's school who married a repairman named Liben, and recently brought a lot of imported color TVs back to China..."

Although some people think it's inappropriate for a top student to marry a repairman, such a student could only do odd jobs abroad, and would be quite successful back home, at least improving the family's material life.

"Li Jianzhi, what if I also go abroad for further studies, find a rich foreign man, and abandon my husband and children?"

Li Jianzhi: "You're too lazy to bother."

For those who went abroad to study and settle down in the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing either. If they were ordinary people from poor families, sneaking out of the country at that time was a way of defying fate.

If you are a highly educated professional in China, you may not necessarily do well abroad unless you are in the arts or sciences. This is because Chinese diplomas and technical titles are not recognized overseas. Many technical personnel can only do the most ordinary jobs, going from professors to sales clerks, repairmen, drivers, supermarket employees, etc.

Even if someone was once very knowledgeable, if they work mediocre jobs for several years without access to advanced research or honing their skills, that knowledge will eventually rot away and disappear.

Many of the top university graduates of this era, when they returned to China decades later to attend their university's anniversary celebrations, discovered that many of those who had gone abroad to settle down were frustrated and unsuccessful.

Those classmates who stayed in China, even those from less prestigious schools, became industry leaders, accumulating countless honors and patents, or becoming high-ranking government officials. Meanwhile, those who developed their careers abroad found themselves with little room for advancement after reaching mid-level positions, and had limited access to cutting-edge scientific research.

Many people have thus concluded that perhaps the "pot" itself is more important than the "radish".

The times are like a wave; some people rise, some fall. Luck is something that is completely unpredictable.

Unbeknownst to me, fate took a sudden turn for the worse.

Li Jianzhi remembered his mother telling him about a friend's daughter who went abroad to study. The parents were very happy and willing, but one day, the girl's father went abroad to visit his daughter and was robbed on the street.

Many people who have studied abroad have experience and usually carry some loose change with them. If they are robbed, they can give the robbed person a small amount of money and usually won't get into trouble.

The father, who was robbed in China, got angry and argued with the robbers. He then got shot in the head in front of his child.

People just don't want to listen to your rambling.

Such stories are actually quite common. There's a similar scene in the movie "Comrades: Almost a Love Story." You might be considered a big shot in Hong Kong, but when you go abroad, a black guy sees you wearing a gold watch and stabs you to death in the street. It's full of dark humor.

Li Jianzhi's mother sometimes lamented to him that so-and-so went abroad to study but unfortunately couldn't come back. Some people said, "How much does a plane ticket cost? How could it not come back?"

The subtext is that if you develop a drug addiction while studying abroad, you definitely need to stay in a country where those things are legal.

The same applies to some celebrity children; once they develop the addiction, they can't quit. The domestic system is too strict, so they can only live in countries with less strict management.

Later, some wealthy small business owners didn't expect their children to be outstanding. As long as they stayed away from drugs, gambling, and prostitution and had a stable job with a few thousand yuan, their parents would be happy.

"Yeah... I'm too lazy to bother with it." Qin Xiang thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something was wrong. She was too lazy to bother with it, so why did she end up investing five million in a large factory in the special economic zone?

Qin Xiangxiang: "...You mean I just wanted an imported car, how did it turn into such a large special economic zone factory?"

Li Jianzhi: "This is because we caught the wave of the times. The special economic zone needs to develop and attract investment, which pushes us forward..."

"We must seize this great opportunity of our time."

Qin Xiangxiang: "..." From the very beginning, I didn't want to.

But this feeling isn't bad either.

Having been a factory manager for over a decade, I might not be used to it if I were to step down one day.

Her accumulated wealth and connections... this was the result of more than a decade of accumulation. If she were to lose everything overnight, she would truly roll her eyes and faint.

Last year, Qin Xiangxiang sent a lot of imported cosmetics to Professor Shen Wenbo and others. After research in the laboratory by Professor Shen and others, it was found that the core advantage of these imported foreign products lies in the purification process and formulation.

Most of them do not contain any magical ingredients.

Professor Shen and his students worked together to optimize the purification process, improve the traditional formulas for clam oil and snow cream, and remove the odor from the oils. They also extracted natural fragrances from various flowers to replace cheap fragrances. The lipstick formula was also improved through process and fragrance technology. In the end, they developed some affordable and high-quality skincare and makeup products.

These affordable products are cheaper than imported goods and more effective than traditional domestic products. Qin Xiangxiang said, "Then let's call them 'Flying Swallow Oriental Charm' skincare and makeup products. We won't directly compare them with imported goods. We'll sell them to people who think imported goods are too expensive and traditional domestic products are too rough."

In other words, it's a mid-range product that focuses on cost-effectiveness.

People's lives have improved, and their demands have also increased. Launching such affordable and high-quality products at this time will have a very broad market.

Li Jianzhi couldn't help but give his wife some straightforward recommendations: "Why don't you guys research other lipstick shades, or lip glosses? Like burnt tomato, reddish-brown, cherry, or even iced oolong, wild rose, or frozen hawthorn..."

Most lipstick shades nowadays are pure red, some are even fluorescent, and some have a purplish undertone. Later, Li Jianzhi also heard of something called "rotten tomato red"—mainly because the description was so bizarre, the "rotten tomato red" shade left a deep impression.

Rotten tomato and frozen hawthorn are shades that easily evoke vibrant colors, while icy oolong and wild rose are more abstract...

As for why Li Jianzhi could remember these abstract color codes, it's because he had seen men wear them, especially the Ice Oolong. These kinds of colors are suitable for everyday use without makeup, and they won't look too out of place on either men or women; they can brighten the complexion.

Qin Xiangxiang was utterly shocked: "????!!!!!"

"How do you, a middle-aged naval officer, know so many lipstick colors?"

Li Jianzhi: "..."

It's fair to say that the military is a melting pot, with all sorts of talents. Many people go out on weekends to keep watch, wear wigs, put on makeup, do cosplay, go clubbing, or watch live streams.

Young people, in particular, haven't missed out on any of the latest trends.