aircannonsinc Chapter 90 Shopping
Chapter 90 Shopping
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it has arrived in the 1970s. Today, Hong Kong has long since shed some of its stagnation in the world. On the surface of Victoria Harbour, the whistles of ships rise and fall, the docks are piled with goods from all over the world, container trucks shuttle back and forth, and the air is filled with the vibrant energy and the smell of money.
On the terrace of the hillside villa, Lin Zhou leaned back in a wicker chair, holding a financial newspaper in his hand, but his gaze went beyond the shimmering sea and landed on the towering buildings that rose from the ground not far away.
The wicker chair beside him swayed gently as Su Wanqing walked over with two freshly brewed cups of coffee, handing one to him before sitting down beside him. She wore a well-tailored beige suit, her hair neatly styled in a bun, and two round pearl earrings, exuding both gentleness and decisive competence.
"Looking at the construction sites around here again?" Su Wanqing took a sip of coffee, her gaze following his line of sight. "I heard a new commercial district is going to be built here, and construction is scheduled to begin next month."
Lin Zhou put down the newspaper, his fingertips tracing the warm coffee cup, and chuckled softly: "It's not just the business district. I've had someone inquire, and the government is going to release several industrial land parcels next month. They're located south of Zhonghua Industrial Park, which would be perfect for expanding our industrial park."
Three years is enough time for many things to change dramatically.
Today, Zhonghua is no longer the small company that struggled to start with just a handheld game console. Even the land here has seen a surge in value due to the existence of the Zhonghua Industrial Park.
Under Lin Zhou's leadership and Su Wanqing's assistance, Zhonghua Group's handheld console has reached its third generation. It has not only optimized the game graphics and battery life, but also added a two-player battle function. It not only sold out in Hong Kong, but also opened up the market in the Middle East and Russia. Orders from distributors came in like snowflakes, and the goods in the warehouse were often transported to various ports as soon as they came off the production line.
The air fryer, which was initially questioned by many, became a new favorite among Hong Kong families thanks to Lin Zhou's improvements, and was even exported to Europe and America, becoming another major pillar industry for Zhonghua.
The second phase of the industrial park has been completed and all the factory buildings are now in use. Today, Zhonghua has more than 20,000 employees and has a complete R&D, production, marketing and overseas business departments. It has become an undisputed benchmark enterprise in Hong Kong's technology manufacturing industry. Many world-class multinational investment banks hope that Lin Zhou will provide financing and they also want to invest in Zhonghua to get a share of the pie.
"The expansion was approved by the senior management last week." Su Wanqing opened her notebook and traced lines of neat handwriting with her fingertips. "However, there's a problem: the existing suppliers can't keep up with the chip production capacity needed for the new production line, so we need to find new partners. I've already had the purchasing department screen a few, and we can arrange negotiations next week."
Lin Zhou nodded and downed his coffee in one gulp: "The chip is the core component, we can't be careless. You keep a close eye on it yourself. Also, tell the R&D department to speed up the upgrade plan for the handheld game console. I heard that there are already companies in Japan developing similar products, we can't fall behind."
"I know." Su Wanqing closed her notebook, looked up at him, a sly glint in her eyes, "But it's the weekend, can we not talk about work?"
Lin Zhou was taken aback, then chuckled. He then remembered that today was their wedding anniversary. He had been so busy preparing for the third phase of the industrial park and overseas market expansion that he had almost forgotten such an important day.
"It's my fault." Lin Zhou reached out and took her hand, his fingertips gently tracing the wedding ring on her ring finger. "Tell me, where do you want to go?"
Su Wanqing curved her lips into a smile, a gentle smile appearing in her eyes: "I want to go to Temple Street for a stroll; it's been a long time since I've been there."
Temple Street is the most vibrant and lively place in Hong Kong, and it was also a place the two often went when they were dating. Back then, Zhonghua wasn't as busy as he is now, and the two of them had a lot of free time. They loved to go to the Temple Street night market, eat a bowl of fish balls, buy a drink, and hold hands in the bustling crowd, feeling happy all the time.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly as Lin Zhou drove his car towards Temple Street.
As the car entered the old town, high-rise buildings were gradually replaced by low-rise houses. Shops on both sides of the street displayed all kinds of signs, and Cantonese songs drifted from roadside radios, mixed with the cries of vendors, creating a lively atmosphere that warmed one's heart.
The two parked their car, held hands, and slowly blended into the crowd.
Temple Street is still the same as I remember. The old lady selling fish balls is still in the same old spot, the fish balls in the pot are bubbling and steaming, and the aroma is irresistible; the uncle selling ice cream pushes his cart, and the freezer on the cart is tightly wrapped so that the temperature inside will be kept for a long time.
"Grandma, two bowls of fish balls, with extra chili sauce." Su Wanqing waved to the old woman familiarly, her tone full of excitement.
The old woman looked up and saw the two of them. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled as she replied, "Miss Wanqing, Azhou, it's been so long!"
"Grandma's fish balls are the best, I'll never forget them." Lin Zhou smiled as he handed over the money and took the two bowls of fish balls from the old woman.
The two found a stone bench by the roadside, sat down, enjoyed the breeze, and ate the chewy fish balls, as if they had returned to the time three years ago.
"Do you remember?" Su Wanqing suddenly spoke, her eyes full of laughter. "Once we came to eat fish balls, and it started raining heavily as soon as we sat down. The two of us squeezed under a small umbrella and got soaked. We even caught a cold for several days afterward."
Lin Zhou smiled, a warm feeling welling up in his heart: "How could I not remember? You said you'd hire Grandma later so she could make fish balls for us every day."
"That was a joke." Su Wanqing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lightly punched him. "It's your fault for dragging me here that day, and we ended up getting soaked in the rain."
The two chatted and laughed as they finished the fish balls, then bought an ice cream and shared it, taking bites from each other. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a warm, golden glow on them.
As they strolled deeper into Temple Street, Su Wanqing's attention was drawn to a small shop selling old records. She pulled Lin Zhou inside, rummaging through rows of yellowed records. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she picked up a record, excitedly exclaiming, "Look, it's 'Pearl of the Orient'!"
That was their favorite song when they were dating, and it was also the background music played at their wedding.
Lin Zhou looked at her excited expression, his eyes filled with tenderness. He walked over to the shop owner, whispered a few words, and the owner smiled and nodded, wrapped up the record, and handed it to him.
As they left the record store, Su Wanqing was still holding the record, completely captivated. Lin Zhou looked at her and suddenly said, "Wanqing, thank you."
Su Wanqing looked up at him, puzzled. "Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for being with me all this way." Lin Zhou held her hand tightly, his voice deep and sincere. "From the initial establishment of the factory to Zhonghua today, without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Su Wanqing's eyes reddened slightly. She tiptoed and gently kissed the corner of his lips, her voice tender yet firm: "Lin Zhou, we are husband and wife, and we should share joys and sorrows. Zhonghua doesn't belong to you alone; it belongs to all of us at Zhonghua."
As the sun sets, its orange-red afterglow bathes the entire temple street.
The two walked hand in hand slowly toward the parking lot. Su Wanqing held the old record in her arms, while Lin Zhou carried the fish balls and ice cream he had just bought. Behind them, the streetlights gradually lit up, and laughter rose and fell.
Lin Zhou turned his head to look at Su Wanqing beside him. Her profile was incredibly gentle in the sunset. He suddenly felt that no matter how much he had accomplished in the past three years, it couldn't compare to the warmth of having her by his side at this moment.
Hong Kong in the 1970s was just beginning to see the entertainment industry take off, and its financial market was also turbulent, with storms that could erupt at any moment.