Zhang Cheng, Li Qiming, Zhang Jianhao, and Xiao Tao boarded a bus back to Funing County, carrying the clothing that Brother Dao had previously confiscated.
As for the new styles in Zhang Tian's factory, Zhang Cheng figured he would have to wait until the weather got warmer before picking them up. Right now, those bell-bottoms and floral shirts were too conspicuous in Funing County.
The bus bumped along, and there seemed to be two more toll booths along the roadside than on the way there. The bus driver's face was ashen, and he was cursing under his breath.
Around 5 p.m., we finally returned to Funing County.
Outside the station, the scene remained somewhat desolate, with rickshaws a rare sight.
Zhang Cheng hired eight porters to carry the goods to the shops on South Street.
On the way, Zhang Cheng told Zhang Jianhao and the others to deliver the goods to the shop first, while he turned a corner and headed straight for the police station.
Zhao Daming was indeed still in his office. As soon as Zhang Cheng entered, his face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Brother, you're really something!"
Zhao Daming strode forward and patted Zhang Cheng heavily on the shoulders with both hands.
"Jingtao called me and said, 'You little rascal, you went to Jiaxing that same day and immediately got in touch with that Gao Datong and became friends!'"
Zhang Cheng grinned:
"Brother Zhao, please stop teasing me."
Director Gao had no idea; it was all his subordinates who were running things around in his name.
He took out the Type 54 pistol and the remaining bullets from his pocket and handed them over.
"Brother, here you go."
Zhao Daming's eyes narrowed, and he quickly took the item, casually stuffing it into his pocket. The office door had already been closed when he entered.
He lowered his voice:
"I have good news for you."
"Oh? What good news?"
Zhang Cheng became interested.
"Our Funing County has passed the rating!"
"real?"
Zhang Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up.
If Funing County were to become a prefecture-level city, its budgets and development opportunities would be completely different.
"The news can't be kept secret for long; it will be announced soon."
Zhao Daming pulled Zhang Cheng to sit down, his smile impossible to hide.
"Now that the county has been upgraded to a city, many infrastructure projects have been put on the agenda."
Road construction plans from each town, township, and village were all laid out on the table.
He continued:
"Furthermore, with the expansion of the new district, support for various industries will also increase."
Brother, there are opportunities everywhere in Funing right now. Do you have any new ideas?
Zhang Cheng pondered.
His current operations are not small, but when it comes to directly intervening in major projects in the city, his connections and scale are still far from sufficient.
He wasn't very interested in small-scale dabbling.
He shrugged:
"Brother, I'm just a kid from the mountains. I've gotten to where I am today entirely thanks to you brothers who helped me."
"How could I possibly understand those intricacies?"
"That's what you're saying."
Zhao Daming waved his hand.
"You're quite capable; if you don't understand something, you can learn it!"
He leaned closer, his voice even lower:
"Are you interested in the hardware industry?"
Zhang Cheng raised an eyebrow.
"The power supply bureau submitted a proposal to the municipal party committee, and the municipal party committee has approved it."
"What exactly?"
"electricity!"
Zhao Daming spoke slowly and deliberately.
"electricity?"
Zhang Cheng's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the city was about to carry out large-scale electricity rollout?
"The power supply bureau will definitely be in charge of the main power cables."
However, the power company plans to outsource the wiring, switches, and accessories for household appliances.
This is no small deal. According to the power supply bureau's preliminary estimate, the various hardware materials outsourced in this phase alone will cost at least eight million.
Eight million? Zhang Cheng secretly calculated that to bring electricity to all the towns and villages in the Funing area, eight million was probably just a drop in the bucket, and it wouldn't be surprising if it were increased to eighty million later.
"This is only the budget for the first phase."
Zhao Daming added.
Zhang Cheng understood.
Hardware isn't cheap these days. A 1.5 square millimeter copper core wire costs one yuan per meter, and a 2.0 square millimeter one is even more expensive.
For a single household to install wiring, the wires alone would be several meters long, plus the switches and sockets, the total investment is considerable.
The real expense is in the external wiring, including utility poles, supports, transformers, and so on.
The profit margin here is staggering.
Funing County has just been upgraded to a city, and the new leadership is certainly eager to achieve some impressive results, so they won't be too stingy when it comes to spending money.
"Bro, there must be a lot of people eyeing this job, right?"
"That's natural."
In the past two days, many private enterprises from other places have come to Funing, hoping to get a share of the pie.
What I mean is, you can first book the route from the county town to your Zhangjia Village.
Old Liu from the power supply bureau is my comrade-in-arms, someone I've risked my life for. I checked for you; the starting bid for that section of road is around 600,000 yuan.
Zhao Daming gestured with his eyes:
"We can go to bid next month, and at this price, we're almost certain to win."
Zhang Cheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
The straight-line distance from Funing County to Zhangjia Village is more than 40 li (approximately 20 kilometers).
High-voltage lines use steel-cored aluminum stranded wire, with each pole spaced 100 meters apart. Including labor and other miscellaneous costs, the project can be completed for around 400,000 yuan.
Once the power line is installed, the surrounding villages will definitely get electricity as well, which will generate at least tens of thousands of yuan in profit.
These days, cooperating with the government is still the fastest and most stable way to make money.
Zhao Daming took out several sheets of paper from the drawer and pushed them in front of Zhang Cheng:
"These are wire factories from several nearby cities, and their reputation is decent."
The names below are those of experienced contractors in Lanzhou; they've all done work pulling cables to rural areas.
Zhang Cheng took the several sheets of paper covered with writing, knowing the weight of this favor.
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