Chapter 385: Just as Expected from Uncle Yunheng, He's Amazing!

Chapter 385: Just as Expected from Uncle Yunheng, He's Amazing!

At the new ancestral hall of the Ye Deng clan.

The clan members were collecting their company dividends for the year. The later one's name was on the list, the higher the dividend amount they received. By the time Deng Changxiong and Deng Changbao took the stage to collect their money, the amount had already reached several hundred thousand.

As for Deng Shirong, who was responsible for the grand finale, it goes without saying. He received a total of four million RMB, and even though he had received a similar amount last year, it still left the clan members in awe.

After distributing all the dividends, the next step was to award scholarships. Due to the company's steadily increasing income, the scholarship awards were no longer donations but direct contributions from the clan's company. The reward amounts were also increased tenfold compared to before.

After all, the previous rewards were still highly attractive when the clan members' economic conditions were not as good. Now, with every household well-off, they valued the honor of receiving the clan's scholarship more than the actual monetary reward.

To motivate the students in the clan to study hard, increasing the scholarship rewards was the most direct and effective method.

After distributing all the scholarships, Deng Shirong gave a speech to encourage the students in the clan, bringing the clan meeting to a close.

Before adjourning, Deng Shirong looked at the clan members and announced a piece of news: "Fellow clan members, I have one last thing to tell everyone. My second son, Deng Yunheng, will be holding his wedding banquet here on the seventh day of the second lunar month next year. Everyone is invited to come for the meal and bring your elders and children. I am extending the invitation now, so there will be no individual invitations later."

As soon as this news was announced, the entire hall erupted in excitement.

Although Deng Yunheng was not yet the highest-ranking official in the clan, he was undoubtedly the youngest and most promising. Many clan members had already heard about him becoming a county magistrate, and now that they knew he was getting married, they were all curious about the bride's background and family.

Deng YunGui asked, "Ninth Uncle, where is the bride from?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "The bride is from Wuhan, Hubei."

Deng Changbao was surprised, "My goodness, how did Uncle Yunheng find a bride so far away!"

Deng Changxiong added, "Hubei is quite far from our Guangxi, separated by Hunan. It's at least over a thousand kilometers, right?"

Deng Shirong replied, "Yes, it's over a thousand kilometers, but the distance isn't too much of an issue nowadays. With better transportation, it only takes a few hours to fly from Nanning to Wuhan. In the past, if a bride was from a slightly distant place, she might not be able to visit her parents for years."

Deng Yunqiang asked, "Ninth Uncle, given Yunheng's current status, the person he's marrying must be someone special. What's the background of her family?"

Since this wasn't a secret, and a clan member had asked, Deng Shirong didn't hide it and said directly, "The bride's father is a high-ranking official in the province."

This statement caused another wave of shock among the clan members. Even ordinary people understood the significance of a provincial official. The Ye Deng clan, with over three thousand members, had yet to produce a provincial-level official, with the highest-ranking one being a city-level official.

While they were shocked, the clan members also felt it was reasonable.

After all, Deng Yunheng's excellence was known to everyone in the clan. He was the first to be admitted to a top university like Tsinghua or Peking University, and at a young age, he had already become a county magistrate. Being chosen by a provincial-level official as a son-in-law was not surprising.

"Truly, Uncle Yunheng is amazing!"

"Uncle Yunheng already had a bright future, and now with such a powerful father-in-law backing him, I can't even imagine how high he will rise."

"I believe Uncle Yunheng will definitely become the highest-ranking official in our Ye Deng clan."

"That's for sure. Uncle Yunheng is still so young and is already a deputy department-level cadre!"

"..."

Hearing the clan members' discussions, Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Alright, everything has been said. Remember to come for the wedding banquet."

"Clan head, we won't forget."

"Ninth Uncle, if you need any help, just let us know."

"Ninth Uncle, how do you want to handle Yunheng's wedding? We have plenty of people in the clan, so it won't be difficult to organize."

"..."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Of course, I will need help. I'll let everyone know when the time comes."

Satisfied with this, the clan members happily collected their cash and left with their neighbors to return home.

...

In no time, it was New Year's Eve.

Deng Shirong, as usual, prepared a large table of delicious dishes, and the family gathered to eat and chat.

Deng Shirong looked at his eldest son and said, "YunTai, as the eldest, why don't you summarize your achievements for the year?"

"Sure."

Deng YunTai responded, put down his chopsticks, and said, "This year, the revenue of the Yongjia Supermarket in Bobai remained stable, while the revenue of the Yongjia Supermarket in Nanning saw a slight increase. The Yongjia Supermarket in Liuzhou developed very rapidly, and with a larger inventory, the costs were even lower than before. Therefore, the profits of both the Bobai and Nanning Yongjia Supermarkets were higher than last year.

Including the profits from the Liuzhou Yongjia Supermarket, the total profit this year reached around 3.2 million RMB."

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Good job. Keep it up. As long as we have enough chain supermarkets, even if each one only makes a few hundred thousand, the total will still be a substantial amount."

Buoyed by the success, Deng YunTai confidently said, "I plan to open two more supermarkets next year."

In the past, he wouldn't have dared to say such things because neither the Yongjia Supermarket in Bobai nor the one in Nanning was entirely his creation; his father had played a significant role.

However, with the opening of the Yongjia Supermarket in Liuzhou, everything changed.

This supermarket was entirely his own creation from start to finish, and with this successful experience, he had strong confidence in the development of the chain supermarkets.

Deng Shirong reminded him, "Opening supermarkets isn't difficult, but managing them is. You must establish a good management system. I don't know much about this, so you'll have to figure it out yourself or hire management experts to help improve the system.

In any case, management is crucial, so you must pay attention to it."

Deng YunTai nodded and said, "Understood. I'll hire some management experts."

Deng Shirong added, "For this, you can talk to Yunheng and Xiaosong. They graduated from Tsinghua and Peking University and have access to the best talents in the country. They can help you find classmates or alumni who are good at management. This would be much more reliable than hiring on your own."

Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but praise, "Dad, that's a great idea."

Deng YunTai responded, "Alright, then I'll talk to them about it when YunHeng gets married and they come back."

Deng Shirong nodded and turned to his youngest daughter, saying, "Azhu, summarize your achievements for the year."

Deng YunZhu put down her chopsticks and said, "This year, the profit from Nanning La Meizi Hotpot was quite good, increasing by almost half compared to last year. I'm also setting up a branch in Liuzhou, which is currently under renovation. It should open in a couple of months."

Deng Shirong said, "Once the Liuzhou branch is up and running, I suggest you open your third branch in Nanning. Concentrating your hotpot restaurants will make management easier and help you quickly dominate the Nanning market."

Deng YunZhu nodded, "Alright, once the Liuzhou branch opens and stabilizes, I'll return to Nanning to find a location for the third branch."

Deng Shirong nodded and turned to his fourth son, saying, "Xiaohua, summarize your business performance this year."

Deng YunHua chuckled, "Dad, my appliance sales were excellent this year. I made 680,000 RMB."

Deng Shirong smiled and praised, "Not bad. Nowadays, wedding dowries often include the 'four major items.' Since your appliance store offers better prices than others, people preparing dowries naturally prefer to buy from you. As long as you capture this customer base, you won't have to worry about making money."

Deng YunHua couldn't help but exclaim, "If I hadn't opened this appliance store, I wouldn't have realized how many wealthy people there are."

Deng YunZhu added, "It's not that there are more wealthy people, but that people in the city are more particular about the 'four major items' for weddings. Men have to empty their savings to provide the dowry, which isn't a reflection of their true purchasing power but a necessity."

Deng Shirong said, "Wedding dowries are indeed becoming more extravagant. When your mother and I got married, it was during the People's Commune period. At that time, private plots and family sideline businesses were abolished, and everyone ate from a communal pot. All the grain, vegetables, oil, salt, pigs, chickens, geese, and ducks were handed over to the public canteen.

Back then, weddings didn't require a dowry. We just prepared simple candies and cookies and held a tea party to entertain relatives and friends."

Deng YunHeng said, "Dad, the era you got married in was a difficult time. I have a classmate from Luchuan County who told me that his grandparents starved to death during that period. How tough was it back then?"

Deng YunZhu followed up, "Dad, Eldest Brother was born during that time. How difficult was it for our family? Could we even get enough to eat?"

Deng Shirong said, "Our family was relatively fortunate. To be precise, not just our family, but our entire Bobai County was better off than other places."

Deng YunHua asked, "Why was that? Did our county have more grain stored than other places?"

Deng Shirong laughed, "Our county did have more grain, but not because of previous storage. It was because our county was fortunate to have a good leader who conducted thorough investigations in the countryside and wasn't misled by the exaggerated reports of grain production. That year, while other counties relaxed their winter planting, he led our county to focus on winter planting.

By the time spring harvest came, the results were evident.

Other counties, having exaggerated their grain production, relaxed their eating and canceled winter planting, making it difficult to avoid food shortages. In contrast, our Bobai County managed its resources carefully and focused on winter planting, achieving a bountiful harvest and smoothly navigating through the difficult period."

Deng YunTai remarked, "Having a good leader really makes a difference. If our county hadn't had such a leader during that difficult time, we might have faced the same fate as other counties, with many starving to death."

Deng Shirong said, "Without a good leader, the consequences are unpredictable. I read a report recently that in 1960, the most difficult year, our county's natural population growth rate was 11.8‰. At that time, other counties were experiencing widespread starvation, leaving no energy for childbirth.

From this, it's clear that our county was indeed better off than others."

Deng YunHeng said, "Dad, you should tell Second Brother and Third Brother about this. They should avoid making similar mistakes when they become leaders, such as making decisions without thorough investigation, which could bring disaster to the people."

Deng Shirong replied, "There's no need for me to say much. Your Second Brother and Third Brother are high achievers from Tsinghua and Peking University. Their understanding of these matters far surpasses mine. They definitely know better and won't make such low-level mistakes."

Deng Shirong then turned to his youngest son, "Xiaoheng, you'll be taking the college entrance exam next year. Only one semester remains, so you need to work hard. Although our family's living conditions are now quite good, and your future will be better than most regardless of how well you do in school, your college entrance exam results will still have a significant impact on your life. Getting into a key university versus not getting into university can make a huge difference. So, don't slack off; work hard and strive for your best results."

Deng YunHeng nodded, "Dad, I understand. I've been working hard and haven't relaxed. You'll hear good news from me!"

Deng Shirong nodded and then relaxed, sipping his wine.

Little Dong'er, who had been listening intently, couldn't sit still anymore and asked, "Grandpa, now that Uncle Man has finished, shouldn't it be my turn? Why didn't you ask me?"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Deng Shirong smiled, "Alright, alright, it's your turn, Little Dong'er. Tell Grandpa about your achievements this year."

Little Dong'er immediately lifted her head, a proud expression on her face, "I got first place in both the spring and autumn semester exams and was named an outstanding Young Pioneer and an outstanding all-round student. I also became the class monitor. Tell me, Grandpa, am I impressive?"

Deng Shirong praised, "Impressive indeed. Neither your Second Uncle nor your Third Uncle were as outstanding as you when they were in primary school. Keep up the good work, Little Dong'er. If you can get first place in the entire grade next semester, I'll take you on a trip to Guilin."

Dong'er's eyes lit up at the words, "Grandpa, are you serious?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "Of course, I'm serious. If you can get first place in the entire grade, I'll take you to Guilin for a great trip during the summer vacation."

Dong'er's excitement surged, and she said with determination, "Grandpa, just watch me. Next semester, I'll definitely get first place in the entire grade."

At this, Dongzi couldn't contain himself anymore and shouted, "Grandpa, I want to go to Guilin too."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Dongzi, you can go too, but only if your sister agrees to take you. If she doesn't agree, you'll have to stay home. Of course, this is based on your sister getting first place in the entire grade. If she doesn't, then the deal is off."

Dongzi looked at his sister with hopeful eyes, "Sister, can you take me with you?"

Little Dong'er, acting like a mature adult, patted her brother's shoulder and said, "As long as you listen to me, I'll take you."

Dongzi nodded his head vigorously, "Sister, I'll listen to you."

This scene made everyone laugh again.

...

Meanwhile.

In the government compound of the county, the Song family was also having their New Year's Eve dinner.

Song Father was in an excellent mood. His eldest daughter had made significant progress in her career this year, and in terms of rank, she was now on par with him.

In time, his eldest daughter would surely surpass him, and Song Father believed this day wouldn't be far off, likely within a few years.

He knew his own limits well. If nothing unexpected happened, his career would end at the county level. It would be very difficult to advance further, especially since he had no special background and his long-time leader had already retired. The leap from county to provincial level was a significant gap, and without special circumstances, it was almost impossible to make that leap.

However, his eldest daughter was different. Graduating from Peking University, she had an advantage that most officials couldn't match. After a few years at the county level, the provincial threshold would likely not be a barrier for her.

Seeing his father's radiant face, Song Yu swallowed her food and said, "My smooth promotion this year is largely due to Uncle Deng's help."

Song Father waved his hand with a smile, "I'll repay that favor. This year, I also helped Uncle Deng's son-in-law become the full-time deputy secretary of the county. It's likely because of this that Uncle Deng returned the favor and helped you."

Song Mother sighed, "The Ye Deng clan is truly remarkable. Their clan's company was only established a short time ago, yet it has already grown into a large group with billions in assets!"

Song Yu nodded, "No one could have predicted this, especially the Kangshifu instant noodle factory. It grew rapidly, and its products are sold all over the country, generating billions in revenue each year. It's like printing money."

Hearing this, Song Father couldn't help but praise, "The Ye Deng clan is indeed extraordinary, and the one who led them to this point, Uncle Deng, is also very impressive."

Song's eldest brother added, "They say like father, like son. Uncle Deng is so capable, and his son is also a remarkable person. He entered the workforce two years later than Xiao Yu but has already surpassed her in terms of rank. His talent is truly exceptional; he was born for this."

Song Yu laughed, "My classmate is a well-known figure among Peking University's alumni. Achieving such success is quite normal for him."

Song Mother asked, "Old Song, do you think, given Deng Yunheng's promotion speed, he could reach the provincial level before he turns thirty?"

Song Father pondered, "There's a chance, but it would be very difficult to achieve."

Song Yu sipped her soup and said, "Dad, I think his chances are quite high. After all, he's only twenty-five, and he has four or five years before he turns thirty."

Song Father replied, "That's true, but the leap from county to provincial level is a significant hurdle. For me, my current position is likely my limit. It's almost impossible to advance further."

Song Yu smiled, "By conventional standards, that's true. The provincial level is a significant barrier for many, but Deng Yunheng's promotion speed can't be judged by conventional standards. What might be a huge gap for others could be easily crossed by him."

Song Mother nodded in agreement, "Xiao Yu's point makes sense. Think about it, both he and Xiao Yu graduated from Peking University and started at the same level. Despite entering the workforce two years later, he has already surpassed her in rank. His capabilities are truly unmatched."

Song Father said, "We'll see. If he can reach the provincial level before he turns thirty, his chances of becoming a provincial-level official are at least seventy to eighty percent."

At this, everyone except Song Yu drew in a sharp breath.

Reaching the provincial level was something they could easily accept, as Bo Bai County was known for producing many officials. Over the decades, at least twenty had reached the provincial level, so it wasn't uncommon for Peking University graduates to achieve this rank.

However, reaching the provincial level was a different story.

Apart from a few during the war years, Bo Bai County had produced very few provincial-level officials since liberation.

If Deng Yunheng could reach the provincial level, he would have a significant place in the annals of Bo Bai County, truly bringing honor to his ancestors. As long as Bo Bai County existed, his name would be remembered and revered by future generations.

The Song family continued to chat about official matters while enjoying their New Year's Eve dinner, a common topic during their family gatherings. After all, with two family members at the county level, their discussions naturally revolved around these two core figures.

...

PS: I'm sweating. Mentioning things from that era can lead to scrutiny. Thank you to all my relatives for your support and monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end