Chapter 456: Deng Yunsong, Pei Qinghua, at the county level!

Chapter 456: Deng Yunsong, Pei Qinghua, at the county level!

The following day.

The events that occurred at the Deng Clan's meeting spread rapidly throughout Shuangwang, and then to other towns.

"No wonder the Ye Deng Clan has developed to this point; their clan head is truly amazing."

"Indeed, the entire clan is banned from gambling and drugs. No other clan in Bobai can achieve this."

"This is something no other clan can do. A clan head as respected as the Ye Deng Clan's head is hard to find in Bobai. If the clan head doesn’t have enough authority, breaking someone’s legs would likely result in their family members fighting back."

"That is true. I heard that the mother of Guai Ma Qi even begged for leniency, but their clan head didn’t give a single bit of face and insisted that the legs had to be broken. Try that with other clan heads, and their family members would surely fight back!"

"So, the Ye Deng Clan's success is not without reason. Take our village, for example; if fewer people ran off to gamble, and instead focused on working, our village probably wouldn’t be as poor as it is now."

"Yes, the Ye Deng Clan's ability to ban gambling for the entire clan is what I admire most."

"..."

After the news spread, everyone who talked about the Ye Deng Clan head couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, the Ye Deng Clan head’s actions of sending people to break the legs of drug addicts in other towns greatly intimidated the addicts. They would now think twice before trying to drag anyone from the Ye Deng Clan into their world of ofTrouThis Ye Deng Clan head is indeed ruthless, and they are not to be provoked.

As for the parents and siblings of A Jie Shiba and the other three, they all remained silent on the matter. Not only did the Ye Deng Clan cover the medical expenses, but even if they just threw the injured back, they wouldn’t dare to complain.

On one hand, their sons and siblings had caused others to become addicted to drugs, which was their fault.

On the other hand, the Ye Deng Clan in Shuangwang Town was too powerful. If they dared to complain, the influential people from their village would personally hand them over to the Ye Deng Clan for handling.

Moreover, after their sons and siblings became addicted to drugs, the things they did caused a lot of pain. Now that their legs are broken, they are not only not blaming but are even grateful.

...

In the afternoon.

At the entrance of a primary school in Nanning, the school bell rang, and students began to leave the school one by one.

Unlike children in later times, the roads were not as busy, and many nearby students went home by themselves, with only a few parents insisting on picking up their children.

At this moment, Deng Shirong stood at the school gate, waiting for his grandchildren to finish school.

Since the day his grandchildren started school, Deng Shirong had strict requirements, insisting that the children be picked up and dropped off, and even if his daughter-in-law did it, security personnel must accompany them to ensure safety.

The main reason for this strictness was the rampant child traffickers of the era, who not only deceived but also dared to kidnap. Deng Shirong did not want his grandchildren to be deceived or kidnapped, making it hard to find them again.

Therefore, Deng Shirong never took the safety of the children lightly.

Soon, Dongzi rushed out of the, seeing his grandfather waiting for him and his sister, happily ran over to greet him: "Grandpa."

Though his eldest grandson’s academic performance was poor, Deng Shirong still liked him, smiling and asked, "Dongzi, did you listen carefully in class today?"

"Ahem!"

Dongzi covered it up with a cough and changed the subject, "Grandpa, let’s wait a bit longer, sis should come out soon!"

Deng Shirong chuckled, knowing he probably didn’t listen carefully in class. Learning mainly depends on self-motivation, and forcing him wouldn’t help much, so he didn’t press the issue further but asked about some interesting school events.

Sure enough, Dongzi was more interested in these things and began to talk about them enthusiastically.

A few minutes later, Xiao Dong'er also came out.

Xiao Dong'er, now 14 years old by Chinese age, was in her adolescence, growing rapidly. She was already over 1.5 meters tall, a beautiful and graceful young lady.

She inherited all the best traits from her parents, with a beautiful face and fair skin, especially her expressive large eyes, which were incredibly captivating. Every boy in her class liked her.

The teachers treated her like a treasure, after all, with her beautiful appearance and excellent academic performance, which teacher wouldn't like such a student?

"Grandpa!"

Seeing her grandfather come to pick her up, Xiao Dong'er's face lit up with a delighted smile as she greeted him sweetly.

The male classmates who had been secretly eyeing her were captivated by her flower-like smile, their eyes wide and unblinking.

Although the students of this era knew less than their counterparts in the future, the attraction between the opposite sexes remained a constant. Even as elementary school students, who didn't fully understand the complexities of relationships, they naturally paid more attention to the pretty girls.

Deng Shirong naturally noticed the glances the male students were giving his granddaughter. Instead of being angry, he felt very pleased. Their family had always been average in appearance, but with the marriage of a few beautiful daughters-in-law, their genes had been significantly improved. His grandchildren were all quite good-looking, and Xiao Dong'er, in particular, was even more outstanding.

With a few more generations of improvement, he believed their descendants would all be handsome and beautiful.

On the way home, Deng Shirong asked, "Xiao Dong'er, I heard from your mother that you have already finished all the first-year junior high school courses on your own?"

For ordinary students, keeping up with the curriculum was already quite an achievement. However, for top students, the current pace of teaching was often too slow, and many of them would start studying higher-level courses out of boredom.

As the top student in her grade, the current curriculum was nothing more than a minor task for Xiao Dong'er. She had started studying higher-level courses quite early, and Deng Shirong neither supported nor opposed this.

Originally, he should have supported his granddaughter's love for learning, but he wanted her to develop in all aspects—morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically—and to have a happy childhood, not just become a study machine. Such a childhood would be too dull.

Therefore, although Xiao Dong'er had the ability to complete all the junior high school courses during her elementary school years, Deng Shirong did not recommend it. Instead, he suggested she study one grade level ahead and use the rest of her time for play and other interesting activities.

Xiao Dong'er smiled and said, "Yes, Grandpa."

Deng Shirong said, "Since you have already finished all the first-year junior high school courses, you can relax a bit. There are still more than two months until the junior high school entrance exam. Although you should have no problem getting first in your grade, we should still review to ensure the best possible results."

Xiao Dong'er nodded and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I have a good grasp of the elementary school curriculum. I'll review for about half a month before the exam, and that should be enough."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "As long as you know what you're doing. Grandpa doesn't really understand these things."

Whenever the topic turned to learning, Dongzi would become invisible. Seeing that the conversation between his grandfather and sister had paused, he quickly interjected, "Grandpa, what are we having for dinner?"

Deng Shirong asked, "What do you want to eat, Dongzi?"

Dongzi blinked and said, "Grandpa, I want to eat braised pork."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "That's a coincidence. I just stewed some braised pork today."

...

At eight o'clock in the evening, Deng Shirong received a call from his third son.

After exchanging greetings, Deng Yunsong got straight to the point, "Dad, Qinghua and I have a change in our positions."

Deng Shirong's eyes lit up, and he asked, "A promotion? Are you staying in the ministry, or are you being transferred to a local position?"

Deng Yunsong said, "We're being transferred to a local position, exactly as you mentioned, to Zhejiang. I will be the second-in-command of the county-level city of Yongkang, and Qinghua will be the director of the Lishui Finance Bureau. We'll be starting our new roles in a few days."

"That's great!"

Deng Shirong was overjoyed but then added, "But this means you and Qinghua will be living apart."

Deng Yunsong sighed, "That's unavoidable. First, it's not easy to find two positions at the county level in the same place, and second, there are regulations that spouses cannot hold positions directly under the same leadership or in a direct superior-subordinate relationship.

"Moreover, they cannot work in the same agency where one of them holds a leadership position, especially in areas like organization, personnel, discipline inspection, auditing, and finance.

"So, living apart is inevitable. Fortunately, I checked, and the distance between the two places is only a few dozen kilometers, so we can still see each other often."

Deng Shirong asked, "What about the children? Are you planning to take them to Zhejiang, or should I bring them back to Nanning?"

Deng Yunsong said, "Qinghua wants to take the children to Lishui. With Deng Ermei helping to take care of them, it won't affect her work. Plus, since we won't be working in the same place, it's good for the children to be with Qinghua and Deng Ermei."

Deng Shirong said, "That's fine. You decide what's best. By the way, you being directly appointed as the second-in-command, you might have already unknowingly offended some people. After all, they might have been waiting for a long time for this promotion, only to have it taken by you. It's hard not to offend anyone.

"Anyway, once you get there, you need to be more cautious and not fall into anyone's traps without realizing it. Also, the way things work in the local government might be different from what you’re used to in the ministry, so you need to adapt quickly. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call your second brother; he has a lot of experience working in local positions."

Deng Yunsong replied, "I will, Dad. I’ll call him if I have any questions."

Deng Shirong continued, "Also, remember the leader I mentioned earlier. If you have the opportunity, try to get closer to him. If not, that’s fine too. But whatever you do, don’t offend him."

Deng Yunsong responded, "Got it, I understand."

Deng Shirong asked, "Your father-in-law should have some arrangements for you, right?"

Deng Yunsong smiled, "Yes, he does. When we get to Zhejiang, there will be someone to look after us."

Deng Shirong, understanding the situation, reminded him, "Even with someone looking after you, remember that you need to be competent yourself. You can’t rely solely on others."

Deng Yunsong replied, "I understand. I’ll do my best."

They continued chatting for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.

Since the call was made in the living room, Zhang Xiuping, who was watching TV, overheard most of the conversation. When she saw her father-in-law hang up, she asked, "Dad, has Xiaosong and Qinghua been promoted again?"

Deng Shirong, beaming with pride, said, "Yes, they’ve both been promoted. We now have two more county-level officials in our family!"

"That’s wonderful news!"

Zhang Xiuping was also delighted. The more officials in the family, the higher their positions, the more benefits it would bring to everyone else.

She understood the saying, "It’s easier to succeed with a powerful backer." For example, in their family's Yongjia Supermarket chain, they often had to deal with various public officials. Without proper connections, if someone with ill intentions tried to make things difficult, it would be very troublesome.

After all, ordinary people can’t compete with officials, a timeless truth.

But with official connections, many problems could be easily resolved.

"Indeed, it’s wonderful news. I’ll go back to the ancestral home in a few days to offer incense and tell the ancestors about this."

Deng Shirong was genuinely happy. In his previous life, his third son only enjoyed county-level benefits after retirement, which was already a significant achievement in the Ye Deng Clan. Only three people in the clan had higher positions than him.

Now, at the age of 27, his third son had already been promoted to county-level, a significant difference that couldn’t be measured in mere words.

Deng Shirong couldn’t predict how far his third son would go in this life, but he knew that the endpoint of his previous life was just the starting point of this one. The future was promising.

...

In the conference room of the Deng Clan Group headquarters, a high-level meeting was underway.

Deng Shirong, the chairman of the group, was listening to reports from the group’s executives.

"The chairman, the beer business is growing the fastest. After acquiring over a dozen breweries, our brewery network now spans the entire country, and our sales lead the market. We have gathered all the master brewers from the acquired breweries to develop better-tasting beer."

"Our eight-treasure porridge business is also growing rapidly, especially with the increasing procurement by the railway department. Despite new competitors, none can match our sales channels or brand recognition."

"Since we started advertising, the sales of iced black tea have also taken off..."

As the saying goes, "The beginning is always the hardest," which applies to any industry, especially business. Many famous corporations in the future had to overcome numerous obstacles in their early stages. For example, the founder of QQ, Pony Ma, had to pretend to be a woman to chat with male users and even considered selling QQ at a low price during the toughest times.

However, once QQ overcame the initial challenges and soared, expanding into other industries became much easier.

The Deng Clan Group was no different. After establishing the Master Kang brand and perfecting its sales channels over a few years, other products with the Master Kang label easily gained traction. Competitors with insufficient resources couldn’t challenge the group’s products.

However, facing strong competitors, thoroughly defeating them wasn’t easy.

For example, Master Kang’s flagship product, instant noodles, was now facing a powerful competitor, Uni-President.

"The chairman, as you predicted, Uni-President’s innovative instant noodles couldn’t compete with ours. Now, they’re resorting to price cuts and copying our products. They’ve copied all our instant noodle varieties, and even the packaging is almost identical. If you’re not careful, you might think it’s our Master Kang instant noodles."

Lin Zhongjun said somewhat angrily, "Moreover, these copied products are two cents cheaper for the bagged version and fifty cents cheaper for the bowl version. They’re even spending money on TV advertisements. According to our latest statistics, they’ve already taken away at least ten percent of our market share this month."

Deng Shirong calmly replied, "This was expected. Since the other side has made their move, let’s follow the strategy we discussed. We’ll launch a time-limited promotional campaign, giving away sausages with every purchase. The more they buy, the more they get. We need to counter them promptly and prevent them from gaining momentum."

Lin Zhongjun nodded, "We’ve already started this, and we should see results soon."

Deng Shirong continued, "We’ll handle it as it comes. Our group has ample cash flow, and we’ve been operating in the market for many years. Our Master Kang instant noodles are deeply ingrained in people’s minds, and our sales channels are far superior to theirs. If there’s no significant price difference, they definitely can’t compete with us."

Deng Changyu said, "If it’s a normal competition, they’re no match for us. But we’re afraid they might drag us into a price war. If that happens, it will end up being a lose-lose situation for both sides, with no one benefiting."

Deng Shirong replied, "Even if there’s no benefit, we can’t back down. If we do, we’ll give them the opportunity to grow. We won’t lower the price of our instant noodles; instead, we’ll subsidize it with sausages. Even if we lose money on the instant noodles, we can make it up with the sausages. They definitely can’t compete with us."

Deng Changyu nodded, "Alright, we’ll go all out. I believe they can’t scare us, and they’ll eventually change their strategy."

Deng Shirong hummed in agreement. Having already discussed the strategy for the instant noodle competition, he didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he asked, "How’s the preparation for the Nongfu Spring mineral water going?"

Deng Changyu replied, "Everything is ready; we just need to launch the advertisement."

Deng Shirong said, "Ensure the supply chain is robust. This ad campaign will bring unprecedented sales growth, and we must be ready to meet the demand. We absolutely cannot have a shortage of supply."

"Chairman, rest assured. We’ve been preparing this mineral water for years, and everything is in place. Even if sales surge a hundredfold, we can handle it."

Deng Changyu then asked curiously, "Chairman, from what you’re saying, this ad campaign will be far more effective than any previous one. Where exactly are we going to place the ads?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "I’ve received word that CCTV is launching an ad bidding king. We’ll participate in the bidding. If we secure the title of the first ad bidding king, our ad will air during prime time on CCTV, and the effect will be explosive."

The group’s executives exchanged glances, as this was the first they were hearing about it. The name "CCTV ad bidding king" sounded impressive.

Curiosity piqued, the executives couldn’t help but ask more questions, and Deng Shirong answered them all.

In the novels set in this era from his previous life, the ad bidding king was a recurring theme. Therefore, Deng Shirong was quite familiar with the concept and understood its immense power, especially the first ad bidding king.

In his previous life, the first ad bidding king was won by Kongfu Yanjiu Liquor. They invested over thirty million yuan to secure the ad slot between the news and the weather forecast, surpassing well-known brands like Moutai.

It’s important to note that this happened in 1994 (the first ad bidding king was in 1995, but the bidding was held in November 1994). Spending over thirty million yuan for a prime-time ad slot was a significant investment.

The director of CCTV’s ad department was amazed and referred to the CEO of Kongfu Yanjiu Liquor as the "ad bidding king," a title that quickly gained widespread attention and sparked national discussion.

The results proved the power of the CCTV ad bidding king. After winning the title, Kongfu Yanjiu Liquor saw a surge in sales, with orders piling up, and they enjoyed a successful year until the next year when the title was taken by another liquor brand, Qinchi.

Among the various products of the Deng Clan Group, Deng Shirong had the highest expectations for the mineral water. The market potential for mineral water was far greater than any other product.

If Nongfu Spring could become the first ad bidding king on CCTV, this currently unknown brand would definitely soar to national fame. In this era, the CCTV ad bidding king had the power to create legends.

Coupled with the classic advertising slogans of Nongfu Spring, the sales of the mineral water were bound to explode.

...

PS: Thank you to all the relatives for your donations and monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end