"Yangzi, you have to earn some foreign exchange with these five passes to Hong Kong. I've given my word of honor to the leaders this time."
"These passes to Hong Kong won't be easy to get."
Before Chen Yang could wait for Zhang Weiyang to come from Shanghai, on the second day after he returned home, Zou Chenguang personally gave Chen Yang the passes to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong had not yet returned to China, and to go to Hong Kong from the mainland, one needed the consent of the British there.
This was also thanks to Shenzhen developing as a special economic zone. Although not officially approved yet, preparations were underway. The country was targeting the wealthy Hong Kong to attract investors.
Anhui Province also benefited from Chen Yang's efforts in promoting individual businesses, which was highly praised by the leaders. This led to an invitation from Guangdong Province to guide and learn from the preliminary construction of Shenzhen's special economic zone.
Going to Shenzhen naturally meant a visit to Hong Kong. Wasn't it said that one should go out and see the world? If not America, then Hong Kong would suffice.
Anhui Province had only received a total of eight quotas, meaning eight passes to Hong Kong. Zou Chenguang managed to secure five of them.
One could imagine how much effort he had put in!
These quotas were literally snatched from the hands of leaders who were preparing to explore the outside world.
If it hadn't been for the fact that it was for Chen Yang, who was going to earn foreign exchange, and Zou Chenguang's pledge of honor, the leaders would not have agreed to issue the passes. For Zou Chenguang, these passes were heavy with responsibility.
If not for his trust in Chen Yang and knowing his urgent need to go to Hong Kong, Zou Chenguang would never have made such a pledge to the leaders.
"Uncle, don't worry. If I can't earn foreign exchange this time, I won't have the face to see you."
Chen Yang also became extremely serious upon hearing Zou Chenguang's words. Since Zou Chenguang had pledged his honor to help him obtain the passes to Hong Kong, he could not possibly let down his good intentions.
"That's good. Prepare well. I have to go back; there's another meeting tomorrow, and the leaders will be coming to hear the report."
"The development of individual businesses in Anhui Province is still relatively slow, and I'm quite troubled by it. I need to think of ways to change the current situation."
Zou Chenguang sighed. Only with Chen Yang could he freely express his inner worries.
Talking about his troubles with others or leaders would be seen as incompetence, and with subordinates, it would undermine his authority as a leader.
"Uncle, since you're already here, please stay for a meal. If you leave without eating, it would be a failure of Chen Yang and me to host you!"
Shen Xue, holding little Chen Peng, had just entered the room. Hearing that Zou Chenguang was about to leave immediately, she quickly invited him to stay for a meal.
Chen Yang's business had been able to prosper thanks to Zou Chenguang's help. Neither Shen Xue nor Chen Yang were ungrateful people.
It would be improper for him to travel such a long distance and leave without even having a meal.
"Uncle, please stay for lunch. Tell me about the matters concerning individual businesses, and I'll help you brainstorm. We can also have a good chat, uncle and nephew."
Chen Yang could also sense Zou Chenguang's inner turmoil. The higher one's position, the greater the responsibility one had to bear.
Although he was not part of the system, he had the foresight of several decades of development ahead. He might be able to alleviate some of Zou Chenguang's confusion.
"Yangzi, Xue Yatou, since you've both said so much, then I'll stay for lunch before heading back."
"Yangzi, let's have a good drink today. Uncle has been feeling too cooped up lately. The leaders are entrusting me with such important responsibilities; if I don't achieve something, I'll have no face to see anyone."
Zou Chenguang sighed, feeling immense pressure. Anhui Province was originally the first province in the country to issue business licenses to individual businesses.
However, the development of individual businesses had now been surpassed by provinces like Jiangsu and Zhejiang. How could he, the Director of Industry and Commerce, not be anxious?
"You guys chat. I'll go to the kitchen to help out. Lunch will be ready soon, so we shouldn't delay Uncle's departure."
Shen Xue did not linger for further pleasantries. She did not understand men's discussions and would not interfere. She quickly prepared the meal so that Chen Yang and Zou Chenguang could have a good drink.
"Uncle, this matter is both difficult and simple. We need to wait for the right time."
Chen Yang knew better than anyone that Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces had the advantage of geographical location. Coastal areas had convenient shipping, and people's minds were more active.
Historically, Jiangsu and Zhejiang had always been prosperous regions for commerce. As for Anhui Province, it was a place that often suffered from famine. How could they compare?
Although the Huizhou merchants had a period of prosperity, what could the people of Anhui rely on for business now? They couldn't even get enough to eat. All handicraft and industrial production was managed by state-owned factories.
If policies were not relaxed, even if one wanted to do a small business, they couldn't procure goods.
After all, not everyone was like Chen Yang, who had the experience of future decades and knew how to find opportunities to make money.
Everyone was still thinking about how to get enough to eat and had no avenues for doing business, so they naturally didn't dare to take risks.
"Yangzi, what are your thoughts and ideas? Tell me everything. If there were no such uncle-nephew relationship, and you truly came up with a solution, then Uncle would have to thank you profusely."
Zou Chenguang knew that Chen Yang always had many brilliant ideas, and in this world, there was no business he couldn't accomplish.
"Uncle, this matter requires waiting for the right time, but it will be soon. As the year-end approaches, pay attention to Fengyang County; something big is about to happen."
"I can give you a suggestion, and you can start trying it now. However, to truly solve your current predicament, you'll have to wait until that big event is settled."
The big event Chen Yang was referring to was, of course, the Household Responsibility System. Once land was contracted to households, farmers would have the final say on what to grow on their land.
At that time, with increased enthusiasm for production, wouldn't everyone grow vegetables and fruits at home? If they occasionally brought them to the city to sell, why would they fear that small street vendors couldn't thrive?
Selling vegetables brought to the city was a business that would still exist decades later.
"Yangzi, stop being coy. Tell Uncle how to do it."
Zou Chenguang was as restless as a cat scratching at his heart, yearning to know how to proceed immediately.
"Uncle, I think you could set up markets in each region, on the first and fifteenth of each month, just like we used to go to market fairs."
"The only difference is that this market will be open every day. You can designate some stalls, and then allow the villagers around our towns and cities, if they have any local specialties, fish catches, hunted game, or homegrown radishes, vegetables, peanuts, and potatoes..."
"As long as they bring them to sell, we will arrange stalls for them. This way, city workers can eat vegetables grown by farmers in the countryside, and farmers in the countryside can earn some extra money."
What Chen Yang was describing was the farmer's market of later generations. However, at this time, many people engaged in trading secretly, and it was still called a black market.
Now, Chen Yang wanted Zou Chenguang to legalize these small businesses and encourage more people to sell vegetables.
This way, when the Household Responsibility System was implemented and they had land, everyone's enthusiasm for growing vegetables would certainly increase. In the future, there might even be permanent stalls for selling vegetables, and these would all become individual businesses.