Chapter 22 The Gloomy Little Darling of the 1970s
Looking at her son beside her, who had a clear mind and unique insights, Shen Ci felt gratified. With such a good child, what else did she have to worry about?
She patted Zhou Huai on the shoulder approvingly and led him out of the dusty workshop.
"If I handed it over to you, do you think this factory can still be saved? What would you do?" She posed the question, wanting to hear his deeper thoughts.
Zhou Huai pondered for a moment, then answered clearly and logically.
"We must innovate and reform thoroughly. First, we need to change the stagnant spirit of the factory, but the most crucial thing is to keep up with market demand and design new styles."
As for these stockpiled inventories…
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the pile of dusty fabric.
"It's not that they're completely unsellable, it's just that we need to find the right customers. City dwellers don't appreciate these styles, but they're inexpensive, sturdy, and durable. If we put them in rural markets, they would appeal to middle-aged and elderly people. We can..."
Zhou Huai methodically outlined the improvement measures he could think of. After listening, Shen Ci secretly admired him, thinking that even if she were to personally implement them, she might not be able to think of them as thoroughly as this child.
He truly deserves to be a figure who will stir up the winds of change in the future.
With satisfaction, Shen Ci put his hands behind his back, like an old cadre, and drew a circle around the entire factory area from left to right with his fingers, then looked at Zhou Huai with satisfaction.
"Okay! From now on, this garment factory is yours. This is your work-study assignment."
She waved her hand, her voice light and cheerful, "Go for it, Mom believes in you!"
The money was spent, the work was done, and it even provided her son with an excellent opportunity to train – a win-win situation! If she had known earlier that Zhou Huai wasn't studying academic subjects at school but doing manual labor, she would have done it long ago.
What? !
A crack finally appeared on Zhou Huai's perpetually icy face!
What did he hear? This factory...is his? Is that what he understands? Shen Ci is going to hand over the entire garment factory to him?
Even if the profits are poor, it's still a sizable factory, a real asset! He's only fifteen years old, how can he own such a large business?
A few months ago, he was a poor boy in a remote mountain village who didn't even have his own room and could only sleep in a woodshed. A few months later, he actually owned such a large factory.
The huge shock left him momentarily stunned. What mother in the world would give away a factory so readily?
Equally shocked was Zhou Zheng, the bodyguard and driver, who silently reached up and closed his jaw.
Listen to this! Is this something a normal person would say? This is practically a god of wealth descending to earth!
Zhou Zheng was a prominent figure in Zhoujia Village. He had served in the army, seen the world, and came from a well-off family. Even so, he was still stunned by Shen Ci's casual remark.
Look at this mother, she just bought a factory! If an ordinary family owned a factory, they would wait until their children grew up and were capable of taking over before passing it on.
This guy is really something, giving his fifteen-year-old son practice right away?
Shen Ci's actions repeatedly challenged Zhou Zheng's understanding; there was no one in the world as bold and generous as him!
"Give me?"
Zhou Huai snapped out of his daze, his eyes filled with mixed emotions as he confirmed that this was undoubtedly the most precious gift he had ever received.
"Yes, look how smart you are, this is your task as an engineer."
Shen Ci spoke in a relaxed tone, as if she were talking about a trivial matter, "Mom believes you can do it! From now on, in addition to attending classes at school, you can manage the factory during the time you would normally spend learning industry, agriculture, and military skills."
Don't worry about money. Just come to Mom if you need anything, and I'll fully support you.
She added with a smile, "Mom is really looking forward to seeing this factory come back to life under your leadership."
Shen Ci believed that with Zhou Huai's intelligence and ability, he didn't need much guidance from her. A child who knows how to spend money is the one who knows how to make money; this principle couldn't be simpler.
"Alright, let's go find the factory manager to hand over our work now." She took the lead and stepped forward, with Zhou Huai following closely behind.
He had never understood what his family did for a living, or why his mother, whom he hadn't seen for over a decade, was so wealthy upon her return.
He thought that Shen Ci's work must be very hard, otherwise she wouldn't often be busy until late at night before going home.
But he never expected that his family owned a clothing factory, and that it was on the verge of bankruptcy. How could it possibly make money?
So... is she always staying up late because she's busy trying to salvage this mess?
A strange emotion welled up in my heart—it was heartache.
She worked so hard, so tirelessly, just to give him a better life. This factory was clearly so short of money, yet Shen Ci didn't hesitate to buy him a watch, donate money to his school, and do everything for him...
Zhou Huai clenched his fists tightly. He could not, and would never, let Shen Ci down. He had to manage the factory well and stop letting her struggle alone!
In the factory manager's office, the deputy factory manager had already been notified that the factory had a new owner, and he had been waiting anxiously since early morning.
Upon seeing Shen Ci present the relevant documents, he quickly stepped forward.
"President Shen, welcome, welcome..."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shen Ci got straight to the point, "Director Fu, what is the most pressing problem in the factory right now?"
Factory Director Fu glanced at Zhou Huai behind her, a boy who was about half a year old. He must be President Shen's son. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Nowadays, rich people who do business have to cultivate their children from a young age. They really start from the very beginning!
"Everything in the factory is failing right now, but what we lack most is funding," the factory manager sighed.
"Without funds, we can't replace the machines with new ones, we can't even maintain the old ones, and we can't pay the workers' wages..."
Considering Zhou Huai's young age, Shen Ci nominally took over as factory director, and the factory's ownership was temporarily registered in her name.
To everyone else, this was a sure-fire way to lose money; whoever took it on would be a sucker and just have to wait to lose money.
But when she said she was giving the factory to Zhou Huai, she meant it.
Shen Ci convened a short meeting with the deputy factory director and other factory leaders, and deliberately arranged for Zhou Huai to sit in the seat closest to her.
After listening to a long series of reports, it all boils down to two words: no money.
Shen Ci stood up and glanced at everyone present.
“I have a general understanding of the situation. From now on, I will report factory affairs to this comrade first.” She pointed to Zhou Huai.
"His name is Zhou Huai. From today onwards, he will be the deputy factory director. All major decisions will be submitted to Deputy Factory Director Zhou for approval first. Meeting adjourned!"
No sooner had they left than the meeting room erupted in chaos.
"Who is this woman? Is she really going to hand over the factory to a child to mess around with?"
"How old is that guy surnamed Zhou? He looks about the same age as my son. How can he be a deputy factory director?"
"What's the point of saying all this? The factory already belongs to someone else... Let's worry about our own jobs first!"
"Just wait and see how long this woman can keep this garment factory in her hands before it goes under. We've been partners for a long time, so I'm giving you all a piece of advice: hurry up and find another job!"
No one believed that a garment factory that was already a mess could be brought back to life in the hands of its new owner.
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