Chapter 243: Solve the Problem!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Please have a seat, no need to be so formal.”

Everyone took their seats, and at that moment, Yang Liu walked in with three cups of tea.

“Lao Ye, why did you call me over in such a hurry?” Fu Hongshan looked at both of them, who were leisurely sipping their tea, and couldn’t help but bring up the topic.

“Young man, show Lao Fu what you’ve got,” Ye Zhengfeng called out to Zhou Chao, who was enjoying his tea.

Zhou Chao, who was sipping his tea, was suddenly startled by Ye Zhengfeng’s call.

He almost choked on his tea and had to put down the cup. He picked up the box that Ye Zhengfeng had placed on the table earlier and handed it to Fu Hongshan, saying, “Mr. Fu Hongshan, please take a look.”

Fu Hongshan, still puzzled by the relaxed demeanor of Ye Zhengfeng and Zhou Chao, took the box from Zhou Chao’s hand. He muttered to himself, “What could be so important that Lao Ye called me over like this?”

When Fu Hongshan opened the box and saw the object inside, he was immediately captivated by it. After a moment, he regained his composure and asked, “Are these domestically produced or imported?”

After all, as the person in charge of economic development, Fu Hongshan could tell at a glance that the box contained 12-inch silicon wafers.

Ye Zhengfeng put down his teacup and said with a smile, “If they were imported, why would 1 have called you here? They are definitely domestically produced!”

“No way, if these were domestically produced, how come I haven’t heard of it? Is it from a newly built wafer factory?” Fu Hongshan, after saying this, looked shocked and turned his gaze towards Zhou Chao, who was sitting next to him.

“Could it be that you’re the one producing these?” Fu Hongshan asked in astonishment.

“Well, Lao Fu, do you still remember the steel plant from before? This young man here razed it to the ground, then brought in over a dozen construction teams. In just over a month, he built this factory from scratch. The speed was astonishing, even I was amazed,” Ye Zhengfeng said. He was surprised when he first learned about the progress of the factory. After all, the usual construction period for such projects was measured in years, but Zhou Chao had completed it in just over a month. Money certainly made a difference.

“Lao Ye, are you saying that this wafer factory is right here in Peng City? And it’s already built?” Fu Hongshan stood up suddenly, a smile spreading across his face.

“Why else did I bring you here? To just have a casual chat? Given how fast you work, if 1 didn’t call you today, you might have missed out on the important stuff!”

“Let’s not dwell on these matters; we’ve been old partners for so many years!” Regarding Ye Zhengfeng’s words, Fu Hongshan understood clearly that this was about maintaining internal harmony!

“Today, 1 called you here to inform you that the wafer factory may start production soon. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and this brat insisted that I attend his ceremony. 1 don’t know if you’ll have time to join us then.”

“I’ll definitely have time, and if not, I’ll make time!” Fu Hongshan’s smile widened upon hearing the invitation.

“Great, I’ll have Zhou Chao arrange it when the time comes.” Ye Zhengfeng placed his teacup on the table and said with a smile.

“All right, Lao Ye, I have some other matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now. Xiao Chao, make sure to strive for an early start to production!”

“Of course, Mr. Fu Hongshan!” Zhou Chao nodded in satisfaction. After Fu Hongshan bid farewell to Ye Zhengfeng and left the office, Zhou Chao turned his gaze back to Ye Zhengfeng.

“Uncle Ye, you know, what I’m doing falls under the high-tech emerging industry category. Shouldn’t your institute show some support as well?” “Support in what way? Tax exemptions?”

“Well, you know, the initial investment we made was substantial, and we’ll need even more funding for research and development in the future. Don’t you think so?”

“Tax exemptions are definitely possible. The specific policies are related, so if you’re not familiar with them, you can look them up yourself.”

Ye Zhengfeng’s response quickly extinguished Zhou Chao’s hidden agenda.

“Oh, by the way, Uncle Ye, I noticed you were quite angry after the meeting. What happened?” Zhou Chao took the teapot and refilled Ye Zhengfeng’s tea cup with hot water.

“Don’t even get me started on that. It makes me furious just thinking about it. There was a shared bike project, which was initially popular, but the investors pulled out later. Now the streets are littered with abandoned shared bikes, and there’s a mountain of them in the southern suburbs!”

Upon hearing Ye Zhengfeng’s words, Zhou Chao recalled having heard about this and seen news of several shared bike companies going bankrupt, leaving many bikes abandoned.

“Uncle Ye, what’s the plan for dealing with that batch of bikes?”

“Today’s meeting was primarily about discussing this issue. Many people proposed recycling or exporting them abroad, but that would incur significant expenses, and we don’t have a good solution at the moment.”

Hearing Ye Zhengfeng’s words, Zhou Chao fell into contemplation, wondering if he had any channels to address this bike issue.

“Bikes, bikes! I’ve got it!” After some thought, Zhou Chao came up with an idea.

“Uncle Ye, how about you entrust this batch of bicycles to me? I’ll handle it.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhengfeng looked at Zhou Chao with a puzzled expression and then asked, “You’ll handle it? How do you plan to solve it?”

“Uncle Ye, how is the quality of these bikes? Are they all still usable?”

“Well, the quality is pretty good. They’re still in decent condition, but some are a bit worn.”

“That’s good! Uncle Ye, here’s my plan!”

Zhou Chao paused for a moment and continued, “When I was traveling in Shudu before, 1 noticed that many children had to walk long distances to get to school. At that time, I donated some school buses to local schools. However, this is definitely not a complete solution. Coincidentally, you mentioned that there are many bicycles available. So, I plan to refurbish and repair these bicycles and then, through my group’s charity subsidiary, transport these bicycles to remote areas to give them to those children.”

Ye Zhengfeng pondered for a while, considering the feasibility of the idea.

After a while, he looked at Zhou Chao and said, “Your idea is feasible. Most rural areas are now accessible by roads, and bicycles can significantly reduce the travel time for these schoolchildren. It’s a good idea, but the specific implementation will depend on the local situation. This will be a significant project, and your investment won’t be a small amount.”

Zhou Chao smiled and replied earnestly, “Isn’t this what entrepreneurs like us should do?”

“Hahaha, well said! That’s the kind of mindset we need. For the good of the country and the people! Your commitment to this cause shows that I didn’t make a mistake in my judgment.

I’ll schedule a meeting to discuss this matter as soon as possible, and you should also be prepared. Once it’s confirmed, we’ll implement it as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Ye.”

“Well, it’s getting late. You should get back to your work. If there are any developments, I’ll give you a call. Also, make sure the semiconductor plant progresses quickly and starts production as soon as possible.”

“Rest assured, Uncle Ye. I’ll get right on it these next few days. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright.”

After leaving the office, Zhou Chao felt the weight of his responsibilities increase, but he also felt a sense of satisfaction.

As he stepped out of the institute’s compound, he immediately got into his car.

“Boss, you’re back!”

“Yes, let’s find a place to have lunch. It’s almost noon, and I haven’t had breakfast.”

“Sure thing!” Lin Wu started the car and left the Municipal Committee compound..