Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1326: Morning in Nanyang (Second update, please subscribe)
The sun will eventually set, but the morning sun will also rise normally every day.

When the sky was about to brighten, some children in the community got up early and went to the milk distribution points or newspaper distribution points. They received newspapers and milk, and then rode their bicycles to deliver milk and newspapers to their neighbors.

When Ding Zekai put the milk under the neighbors' porches, he would put a thank-you note under the milk bottle to thank them for their care. Today was his last milk delivery.

In this way, he delivered milk to each household one by one. When he finished delivering to the last household, Ding Zekai looked at the time - 6:30 in the morning.

This time is just right, as I can go home to take a shower, have breakfast, and then go to school.

On the way home, when he occasionally met some teenagers, he would greet them enthusiastically.

In Nanyang, these children are always the first to get up. They will use the pocket money they earn to buy what they like or save enough money for their high school graduation trip. I don’t know since when, graduation trip has been included in the plans of high school students. They will not only travel to neighboring countries such as Siam, Japan and South Korea, but also to European countries such as the United States, Italy, Britain and France.

Different from others, Ding Zekai wanted to travel to Eastern European countries such as the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Hungary. However, it was not cheap to travel to those countries. For this dream, he started delivering newspapers and milk at the age of 8. He has saved money for several years now. He just needs to graduate from high school and take the joint entrance examination, then he can let himself go.

In Nanyang, delivering milk and newspapers are jobs done by children under the age of 8 and over the age of 14. Teenagers over the age of 15 can work in restaurants, retail stores, supermarkets, car washes, etc. According to the law, minors between the ages of 9 and 3 cannot work after 16 pm, and their working hours cannot exceed 4 hours a day. When they reach the age of , their working hours will reach hours a day.

So, this is why there were newspapers declaring the "tragic plight of child laborers in Nanyang" - working from six o'clock every day to nine o'clock at night, working up to fifteen hours a day.

However, as the victim of exploitation, Ding Zekai is still very much looking forward to his next job, and he has already found one, in a restaurant near the school. The working hours are also good, from 5:30 to 8:30 every evening.

The reason why he was looking forward to this job was that it paid more. It meant he could earn more money and travel to more places when he graduated from high school.

"Mom, I'm back..."

As soon as he entered the house, Ding Zekai, carrying six bottles of milk, walked towards the kitchen and shouted:

"I put the milk in the refrigerator, Mom. I'll have to ask someone to deliver the milk tomorrow. I've already made an order with Walnut, and he'll deliver it to our area."

"Got it, go take a shower quickly."

While his son was taking a bath, Ding Yongfu had just got up. After coming to the living room, he habitually glanced at the photo hanging on the wall. The photo showed a happy family of eleven, which made him couldn't help but smile.

His eyes turned to two other photos, which were photos of the eldest and the second oldest. They were wearing army and navy uniforms respectively, and they were both serving in the military.

Because of the recent crisis, the army has been in a state of combat readiness, so there has been almost no contact with my family.

"Now that the war has been lifted, one of them should be able to come back for the New Year!"

Thinking this in his mind, Ding Yongfu couldn't help but sigh.

"Although there were some disturbances, it was generally a peaceful year! I hope this year will be the same!"

Today is New Year's Day of 1963!
Logically speaking, he doesn't need to get up early, but over the years, Ding Yongfu has developed a habit of getting up early, eating breakfast quickly, and rushing to the factory as soon as possible.

After breakfast, Ding Yongfu said goodbye to his wife and children and drove to the factory. More than half an hour later, he arrived at Yongfu Printing and Dyeing Company.

Because it was New Year's Day, there was no one else except a few people on duty. The factory, which was very bustling in the past, was now deserted. But even so, Ding Yongfu was still inspecting each factory building one by one.

When he was inspecting the sixth workshop, someone came in. When the person saw him, he said:
"Boss, as soon as I heard the noise, I knew it must be you."

"Da Fu,"

Ding Yongfu smiled and said:
"This has been a habit for many years. I had this habit when I was in Shanghai... You don't know that when managing this factory, you can't just let it go..."

Talking about his experiences over the years, Ding Yongfu and Chen Dafu walked around the factory together.

"…When I was in Shanghai, although I opened my own factory, I was afraid that it would be difficult to succeed without the care of Boss Gu. At that time, there were relatively few large-scale factory owners from northern Jiangsu in Shanghai. But then the Anti-Japanese War broke out, and then the business got worse and worse. When the business closed that year, I went to Boss Gu's house to take a look. Boss Gu said, "The current situation is unstable, so it's better to close the business." So I closed the business, but where to go after closing the business?"

As he walked, Ding Yongfu talked about old times:

"At that time, you could either go to the United States, where a small yellow croaker was needed for a ticket, or come to Southeast Asia. At that time, who knew where Southeast Asia was!"

Chen Dafu responded:
"That's right. When I first came here, this place was all old forest!"

"Yes, but no matter what, it is our Tang people's place, which is better than the foreigners' territory! So, after thinking about it, I finally came here."

"Hehe, I didn't think too much about it at the time. Anyway, I was thankful that I could get on the boat." Chen Dafu said with a smile:
"Speaking of which, it was really God's blessing. At that time, the factory you had just closed down, and there happened to be a Nanyang ship in the Huangpu River. In order to make a living, my family boarded the ship. Within half a year, I saw in the newspaper that Yongfu had reopened. Then I wondered if it was your factory. It was such a coincidence."

Ding Yongfu nodded and said:

"Yes, it was a coincidence that I was thinking about what to do when I met Boss Gu here. Boss Gu was also here and advised me to continue with printing and dyeing, saying that it is better to do something familiar than to do something new. Now... the clothing industry was booming at that time, and Yongfu has been able to do it until now... all thanks to Boss Gu!"

Speaking of Boss Gu, Ding Yongfu said with emotion:

"Unfortunately, Boss Gu passed away a few years ago!"

The boss Gu he mentioned was Gu Zhuxuan, who was known as the "Jiangbei Tycoon" and died of illness a few years ago. Ding Yongfu was extremely grateful to Boss Gu. After all, he took care of him in Shanghai, and the current Yongfu Printing and Dyeing Company was also guided by him.

The two of them walked and talked in the factory, and soon arrived at the office building. When they were about to go upstairs, Ding Yongfu thought for a moment and said:
"Da Fu, you know, the printing and dyeing industry is very polluting right now, and the laws in Southeast Asia are becoming more and more stringent. Recently, the company is considering setting up a factory in South Korea."

Chen Dafu was stunned by the boss's words and said:

"We need to move the factory..."

Although he had been prepared for this, Chen Dafu still felt it was a little sudden. However, he nodded and said:
"I understand, Boss..."

"Ah, no, Dafu, the employees in the company are definitely being arranged. We have already contacted the Labor Department to help everyone find new jobs. They are definitely long-term contracts, but you know, Hong Kong Island also needs people. What do you think, Dafu..."

Looking at Chen Dafu who had followed him from Shanghai, Ding Yongfu said:

"Would you like to go to Hong Kong Island?"

"Go to Hong Kong Island..."

Chen Dafu was stunned for a moment and said:

"Boss, I, I..."

For Chen Dafu, who is already over 45 years old, he has never thought about working overseas at this age.

"Da Fu, think about it. If you go to Hong Kong Island, besides being promoted, you will also receive overseas allowances. How about it? Just consider it as helping me. I know you will retire in nine years. Logically speaking, I shouldn't let you go, but others..."

Looking at Chen Dafu, Ding Yongfu said:
"I'm worried! I really can't trust anyone else except you!"

While pleading in a more earnest tone, Ding Yongfu added:
"However, Dafu, don't worry. Even if you don't go, the company will not treat you unfairly. The headquarters still needs people. As for employee shares, the company will also convert them into new shares or cash according to the standard."

Listening to the boss's arrangement, Chen Dafu thought for a moment and said as if he had made up his mind:
"Okay, I'll follow your arrangements, boss. It's just Hong Kong Island, not too far away... When should I leave?"

"Next week!"

Ding Yongfu said:
"Next week, you can go to Hong Kong Island to make a preliminary visit. We have already found a factory. You can go there to inspect it first."

A few days later, just after the New Year's Day holiday, Chen Dafu took a taxi to the airport with his suitcase. Although the holiday had just ended, there were still quite a few passengers in the airport and it was very crowded. People from all directions brushed past him and rushed to the various exits of the airport, going their separate ways, echoing the monotonous and harsh voice coming from the loudspeaker.

Most of the passengers coming and going were like him, wearing suits and ties and pushing Nanyang-style trolley cases.

You can guess the identities of these people without even looking at them - they are overseas employees of various companies. They generally have one thing in common: they are young and full of vitality. Only the best employees can work overseas, and after the training, they will receive corresponding promotions.

During the holidays, they would take the round-trip tickets provided by the company to return to their families from abroad. After spending the holidays with their families, they would fly abroad again to continue working - to explore overseas markets.

In the past few years, thanks to their efforts, Nanyang's exports have made a new leap forward.

As Chen Dafu walked towards the waiting room, a tall young man came over with his wife and children, holding a plane ticket in his hand. Leading the children was a little girl of seven or eight years old. As the eldest sister, she walked while shouting:

"All of you, follow me. The plane we are going to take is to Hong Kong Island. Its flight number is..."

Did this family also go to Hong Kong Island?
Chen Dafu looked at the man of the family, and a thought came to his mind: perhaps, he also came to Hong Kong Island to work like himself?

(End of this chapter)