Rebirth 1979: Hunting wild boars and saving educated youth

Chapter 124 Theory of Surplus Value

In the office, sunlight shines through the window onto the wooden desk.

Chen Feng poured tea for Ning Hezhong with a faint smile on his face. He said, "Governor Ning, come and try the tea from our mountains. In the past, there was really no good tea in these mountains, but since we established the Chinese medicine breeding base, we also opened a tea garden. This new tea tastes really good. Come and try it."

Ning Hezhong took the teacup and looked at Chen Feng, muttering to himself, who wouldn't be nervous after hearing what he said just now?

The faces of the city leaders all turned as pale as pig livers, but Chen Feng looked as if nothing had happened and was in a leisurely manner.

He took a sip of the tea and it was indeed quite good, with a strong aroma and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

Putting down the teacup, he said, "Tea, after all, is mainly used to quench thirst. Director Chen, if you were to sell this tea in the market, wouldn't it be too expensive for ordinary people to afford?"

Chen Feng's smile widened upon hearing this, and he nodded, saying, "So, I sincerely hope that under Governor Ning's leadership, the people of Dongjiang Province will be able to afford my tea and wine. That's what we call truly benefiting the people's livelihood."

As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Hezhong's eyes instantly became deep.

Chen Feng continued slowly, "Leaders keep coming in like a revolving door, but the people are still so poor. What's the point? Who will take what these leaders say seriously? No matter how beautiful and high-sounding their words are, they will eventually lose their credibility in the hearts of the people."

As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Hezhong's anger flared up. He never expected that Chen Feng had the courage to speak to him like that.

Suppressing his anger, he slowly said, "Oh? So Director Chen says you're not going to listen to me? Are you planning to go against the people, go all the way to the end, and continue to exploit them?"

Chen Feng smiled, waved his hand, and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Governor Ning, what era is this now? Why are you still making accusations?"

"Go to Mashan Village and ask the villagers who work at my winery. They all live in new houses now, their mud houses are history. Some even have televisions. They used to eat meat only a few times a year, but now they get a better meal every now and then."

"Why? Because I make money and give them salaries, bonuses, and year-end bonuses. Ask them, am I the opposite of them?"

Ning Hezhong snorted coldly: "The money you earn is just exploiting their surplus value, isn't it?"

Chen Feng calmly asked, "What about Teresa Teng? Governor Ning, you should have learned about our factory before you came here, right? Teresa Teng's advertising played an indispensable role in the success of our winery."

"They're both exploiting surplus value, so why is it that among so many wineries in Dongjiang Province, only our Phnom Penh winery has the highest surplus value?"

Ning Hezhong was speechless for a moment.

Chen Feng continued, "That's because I know how to use market forces to increase their surplus value. With Teresa Teng's advertising and the effectiveness of our wine, our factory workers' incomes are high, and their lives have naturally improved."

"Governor Ning, do you think the surplus value of labor can only be exploited and not increased?"

These words left Ning Hezhong stunned and shocked, and he was speechless for a moment.

After Ning Hezhong left, Chen Feng's Phnom Penh Winery began to face comprehensive pressure.

Just three days later, as he stepped into the office, Xiao Liu hurried in, clutching a stack of documents and frowning. "Director, our winery has been in a real mess lately."

As Xiao Liu spoke, he spread out the documents on the table and pointed at them one by one. "Look, these are the minutes of the town standing committee meeting. Someone proposed reconsidering the use of collective land by our Jinbian Winery. They said it's for standardized management. I don't know what the ulterior motive is."

Chen Feng frowned, took the document and looked through it carefully, then a faint smile appeared on his lips. "We have all the necessary procedures for this matter, so we're not afraid of an investigation. Tell the legal department to prepare all the information and be ready to respond at any time."

Before he finished speaking, the phone rang. Chen Feng picked up. It was Captain Zhang from the Fire Brigade. "Mr. Chen, we have a routine inspection tomorrow. We'll focus on your safety facilities and emergency plans. Please prepare in advance."

"Okay, Captain Zhang, we welcome inspections at any time. Safety is no small matter, and we take it seriously." Chen Feng agreed. After hanging up the phone, he turned to Xiao Liu and asked, "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Xiao Liu flipped through his notebook. "There's also someone from the Quality Inspection Bureau. They said they've received several consumer complaints and need to conduct random inspections of our wine to see if there are any quality issues. Also, the Price Bureau sent a letter, asking us to provide a detailed cost breakdown to verify whether our pricing is reasonable."

"What the hell is going on?" Chen Feng shook his head slightly, but his eyes were firm. "Tell all departments to cooperate actively. We have nothing to fear from our own shadows. Also, the marketing department, suspend the promotional activities until this storm has passed."

Bao Guoqiang pushed the door open at this time, looking worried, "Chen Feng, this situation is not right, we need to think of a countermeasure."

Chen Feng stood up and patted Bao Guoqiang on the shoulder. "Guoqiang, don't worry. Let's do our job well, provide excellent quality and good service, and let the rest go with the wind. Remember, this is our golden age. Only the real gold will remain after the storm."

Not far from Ninghai University.

Ning Yao and his father Ning Hezhong sat opposite each other in the teahouse where they met last time, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Ning Yao spoke first, "Dad, why are you doing this? Interfering with my private life?"

Ning Hezhong snorted. "You're still asking me? You're a female teacher, living in a male student's house. How will outsiders see it? Is it good for your reputation?"

Ning Yao's eyes flashed with stubbornness, "So, you're afraid of embarrassing you?"

"I'm worried you'd get hurt!" Ning Hezhong's voice rose a few notches. "If he really wanted you to do this, he should have let you move out instead of leaving you in this dangerous situation."

Ning Yao's eyes were slightly red, but her tone was firm, "I do! You couldn't protect Mom back then, and now I've found someone who can protect me, so why can't I?"

Ning Hezhong's expression was painful, but he quickly recovered and said in a serious tone, "If you don't move out, I will never agree to your relationship."

Ning Yao was stunned when he heard this.

She caught the subtlety in her father's words and asked tentatively, "You mean... as long as I move out, you'll agree to our relationship?"

Ning Hezhong was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "This isn't the old society anymore. I respect your parents' wishes. What I object to is your unmarried cohabitation. It's inappropriate. If you move out and start dating openly, why should I object?"

Ning Yao was pleasantly surprised: "Dad, thank you! Then... I'll go talk to him."

Ning Hezhong waved his hand, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, "I just hope you are happy, but remember, no matter what, you must respect yourself and love yourself."