thebusnovel Chapter 50 Hong Kong Strike
Chapter 50 Hong Kong Strike
Time flies, and two months slipped by quietly amidst the hustle and bustle. The wind in Hong Kong still carried a salty, damp air, sweeping across the waves of Victoria Harbour, yet it couldn't dispel the increasingly intense restlessness on the streets. Lin Zhou stood by his window, gazing at the treetops swaying in the wind along the distant roadside, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the windowsill, his eyes as calm as a deep pool.
In the past two months, he has drastically restructured the personnel of his businesses, systematically assigning responsibilities to trustworthy individuals. Zhonghua Daily has long been on track, and Chen Jingzhi's editing skills and critical thinking have been fully utilized during this period. The newspaper's circulation has steadily increased, making it a rising star in Hong Kong's media landscape.
Li Wangcai, quick-witted and skilled in interpersonal relationships, managed the newspaper's business and logistics with great efficiency. The two complemented each other perfectly, one working inside and the other outside. Lin Zhou simply handed over all management of the newspaper to them, only sending them new chapters of "The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty" at a fixed time each week, and not interfering in any other matters.
This serialized novel is now a flagship publication of the Hong Kong Chinese Daily. Xu Ziling's carefree spirit and Kou Zhong's heroic character are vividly portrayed by Lin Zhou, and the swordplay and intrigue of the martial arts world and the treacherous political landscape have captivated countless Hong Kong readers.
Every morning, newspapers were snapped up at newsstands, and citizens could be seen discussing the plot everywhere on the streets. Some bookstores even clipped and bound novel chapters from the newspapers and sold them privately for profit. Lin Zhou didn't care. He simply found the draft in his spatial storage, spent a few minutes printing it out, and could easily meet the newspaper's serialization needs. Why not take advantage of such an effortless way to gain enormous influence?
Lin Zhou handed over the management of Zhonghua Home Appliance Factory to Su Wanqing. Since taking over the management of Zhonghua Home Appliance Factory, Su Wanqing has demonstrated amazing business acumen and execution ability. She not only managed the home appliance factory in an orderly manner, but also quickly became familiar with the operation mode of the home appliance industry during her time as Lin Zhou's assistant general manager. She was thoroughly familiar with every aspect, from raw material procurement to production line management and product quality control. Lin Zhou trusted her completely, especially since the core product of the home appliance factory was now the air fryer, a product that was considered a "novelty" in the current global market. From the beginning, Lin Zhou had no intention of selling it locally in a piecemeal fashion.
His target was the international trade fair to be held in the United States in June. Lin Zhou knew that the healthy and convenient cooking concept of air fryers would cause a sensation once introduced to the Western market, where people value quality of life.
Therefore, for the past two months, the production line of the home appliance factory has been operating at full capacity, and all the air fryers produced have been transported to a large warehouse at the back of the factory for storage. Yes, Lin Zhou specially built a large warehouse to store the finished air fryers.
Inside the warehouse, rows of brand-new, cardboard-boxed air fryers were neatly stacked, almost reaching the ceiling. But looking at this mountain of inventory, Lin Zhou still felt uncertain. He had estimated the potential of the American market, and the current stockpile was probably insufficient to meet the large orders that might arise at the trade fair. He would have to have the factory continue to operate at full capacity.
As for Zhonghua Security Company, Lin Zhou entrusted it entirely to Zhao Jianjun, whose responsibility was to recruit new security guards and conduct daily training until 200 people were recruited. This reconnaissance soldier, with his military background, possessed a decisive and efficient military style. He conducted high-intensity special training for the recruited security guards according to military training standards, with drills, weighted running, combat, and emergency response being carried out in rotation. He transformed a group of young people who had long since retired from the military into a disciplined and highly effective team. In addition to daily training, Lin Zhou also instructed Zhao Jianjun to arrange for the guards to take turns guarding the gates of Zhonghua Daily and Zhonghua Home Appliance Factory, conducting 24-hour patrols.
The streets of Hong Kong are no longer as peaceful as they once were. The labor dispute at the plastic flower factory acted as a fuse, igniting a wave of strikes across the city. What began as a strike by factory workers demanding fair wages and working conditions quickly escalated into a large-scale movement sweeping across Hong Kong, as workers from various industries joined in. Demonstrators were a common sight on the streets, their chants and sirens mingling, creating a chaotic atmosphere and even leading to acts of vandalism, looting, and arson.
Lin Zhou's Zhonghua Appliance Factory is located in the countryside of Yuen Long, far from the city center, and has not yet been affected by the strike wave, but he dares not let his guard down. He instructed Zhao Jianjun to strengthen security, both to prevent potential disturbances by unrest and to protect the property of the newspaper and the appliance factory, avoiding unnecessary losses. With Zhao Jianjun and his trained security team on duty, Lin Zhou could truly relax and once again become a hands-off manager.
However, staying at home for so long has left Lin Zhou somewhat depressed. In the past, he would shuttle between different companies to solve problems, leading a fulfilling and busy life. But now, for safety reasons, he can only minimize going out. Each day, besides handling necessary tasks, he spends his time either watching movies and reading novels or planning his future business ventures.
Whenever Lin Zhou heard news reports of street strikes on the radio, a surge of anger welled up within him, and this anger was directed directly at Mr. Li, the owner of the plastic flower factory. Mr. Li was quite well-known in Hong Kong's business circles, having made his fortune in the plastic flower industry. However, in Lin Zhou's eyes, this man was a typical "banana"—yellow on the outside but white on the inside—extremely obsequious to foreigners, willing to sacrifice the interests of his own compatriots in order to curry favor with foreign businessmen. Yet, he treated the factory workers with extreme meanness and indifference, providing them with meager wages, terrible working conditions, and even the most basic labor protections.
The workers repeatedly negotiated with him, hoping to improve their working conditions and increase their wages, but he ignored them and even hired thugs to suppress them. This led to the complete escalation of the labor dispute and ultimately triggered a city-wide strike in Hong Kong. What Lin Zhou found even more despicable was that the widely circulated concept of "shared area" was supposedly first invented by this Mr. Li, which was a disguised way of exploiting homebuyers and is still criticized to this day.
Thinking this, Lin Zhou's eyes gradually turned cold. He wasn't usually one to hold grudges, but he absolutely couldn't tolerate such a scoundrel who fawned over foreigners and oppressed his fellow countrymen running rampant. This major strike not only threw Hong Kong's social order into chaos but also indirectly affected his business layout and development plans. Since this Boss Li was so ungrateful and repeatedly crossed the line, then Lin Zhou wouldn't be polite.
"Since you want to be a clown, then I'll play along." Lin Zhou muttered to himself, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table. A bold plan was gradually taking shape in his mind. He knew that the best way to deal with a profit-driven and unstable businessman like Boss Li was to start with what he cared about most and deliver a fatal blow.
The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the hustle and bustle of the streets seemed to subside temporarily with the arrival of night. Lin Zhou stood up, stretched, and gazed into the distance once more. In chaotic times, only strength and wisdom can ensure survival. Everything he was doing now was paving the way for the future.