Rebirth of Bloody Romance

The bright sunshine lazily fell through the gaps between the mottled leaves and sprinkled on the old streets, adding a warm and peaceful atmosphere to this ordinary weekend. Zhong Yuemin's life seemed to become leisurely with the change of seasons. His days were no longer as busy as before, but more leisurely and comfortable.

Li Hongxia's pancake stall is still doing a booming business. Now her craftsmanship is superb, and the pancakes she makes are crispy and delicious, leaving people with an endless aftertaste.

Today, her two children have become her capable helpers. They are full of smiles and energy, running this small pancake stall with their mother. The laughter and the aroma of pancakes interweave to form a unique landscape.

Zhong Yuemin would occasionally visit them, but since he was not good at making pancakes, he found that he could hardly help much there. Therefore, he decided to keep more time for himself and enjoy this rare leisure time.

The Sunday market was bustling with people. Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai seemed like two souls free from the hustle and bustle, enjoying their quiet time.

Zhou Xiaobai shuttled between the stalls, selecting the main dish for today's table. Finally, a bunch of fresh leeks caught her eye. She picked it up gently, paid for it, and was about to put the leeks into the basket, but a big hand took the basket first.

"Wife, I'll carry it for you." There was a hint of imperceptible tenderness in Zhong Yuemin's voice and a smile flashed in his eyes.

Zhou Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, then a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she couldn't hide her smile. "Oh! The direction of the sun is wrong today. Why did it suddenly change?" She joked, her tone full of playfulness.

Zhong Yuemin pretended to be displeased and gently pushed the basket back, pretending to be angry and said, "Don't be so kind, or I'll let you carry it yourself."

Seeing this, Zhou Xiaobai quickly waved her hands, with a sly smile on her lips. "Don't be angry, don't be angry, I just said that. It's your fault that you never help when the soy sauce bottle falls over. And you always argue with me, but why are you suddenly so nice to me today? Could it be that... you have some intention?" There was a hint of teasing in her words, and her eyes were shining with anticipation.

The vegetable market is bustling with people, with a wide variety of stalls on display, and the air is filled with the mixed aroma of fresh fruits and vegetables and cooked food.

Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai walked side by side, and their conversation attracted envious glances from people around them.

"Look at what you said, as if I usually treat you badly." Zhong Yuemin pretended to be aggrieved, but there was a playful smile on the corner of his mouth. "I just saw that you looked particularly delicate carrying a basket today. How can our Miss Zhou do such rough work?"

Zhou Xiaobai was amused by him, her eyes curved into crescents, and she said angrily, "You are the only one who is talkative, but I am a little uncomfortable with your sudden attentiveness. Tell me, are you thinking about asking me to make something delicious for you again?"

Zhong Yuemin blinked and said mysteriously, "Oh, my wife is extremely smart and can't hide anything from you. However, this time I do have an idea, but it's not about food, but..." He deliberately lengthened his voice, with a cunning light flashing in his eyes.

"And what?" Zhou Xiaobai's curiosity was completely aroused. He gestured with his hands, eager to know the answer.

Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly, leaned close to Zhou Xiaobai's ear, and whispered, "Tonight, let's have a small gathering for the two of us. We won't talk about family matters. Just the two of us, drink some wine, chat, and enjoy the rare quiet time."

Zhou Xiaobai's cheeks flushed slightly when she heard this, and a hint of tenderness and expectation flashed in her eyes. She gently punched Zhong Yuemin's chest and scolded him with a smile. "I knew you had bad intentions, but... I like this idea."

The two smiled at each other and continued to stroll in the vegetable market, picking out ingredients for tonight. Zhou Xiaobai occasionally stopped to ask Zhong Yuemin for his opinion, and he always patiently gave suggestions. The conversation between the two was full of the trivialities and warmth of life.

"This fish looks good. How about steaming it tonight?" Zhou Xiaobai asked, pointing at a lively fish.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Everything my wife cooks will taste delicious." Zhong Yuemin nodded in agreement, his eyes full of trust and dependence on Zhou Xiaobai.

The two of them walked through the bustling market, laughing and joking. The sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds and shone onto the bluestone slabs, adding a bit of warmth to this ordinary day.

Zhou Xiaobai's cheeks were slightly red. The pat she gave Zhong Yuemin was more like a little fun between lovers than real anger. "Honestly, Yuemin, why are you suddenly so considerate today?"

There was a hint of sweet curiosity in Zhou Xiaobai's voice. She deliberately slowed down her pace and walked side by side with Zhong Yuemin. The shadows of the two people stretched and shortened on the ground, as if they were sometimes close and sometimes playing.

Zhong Yuemin raised a sly smile. He stopped and turned to face Zhou Xiaobai, his eyes full of doting. "Wife, you don't understand this, right? Life always needs some unexpected surprises to keep it fresh. Besides, seeing you running around for the family every day, how can I, the head of the family, sit back and watch?"

Zhou Xiaobai felt a warm current in her heart when she heard that. She gently stroked her hair, her eyes moving. "You only know how to say sweet words to make me happy. But I like it."

The two continued walking forward. When they passed a bunch of roses, Zhong Yuemin suddenly stopped and held Zhou Xiaobai's hand. "Wife, wait for me."

As he spoke, Zhong Yuemin walked quickly to the roses, and soon came over with a bunch of gorgeous roses and handed them to Zhou Xiaobai.

"Look, my dear, this is a surprise for you." Zhong Yuemin's eyes were shining with anticipation and tenderness, as if all the colors of the world were concentrated on this bouquet of flowers.

Zhou Xiaobai was stunned. She took the flower and sniffed it gently. The fragrance was as beautiful as their mood at the moment. "Yuemin, you...you are such a fool, but I like it so much."

Passers-by cast envious glances at them, and even the air seemed to have become sweet. Zhong Yuemin took the opportunity to put his arm around Zhou Xiaobai's shoulders, and the two smiled at each other and continued their grocery shopping trip, but this time, their steps were lighter and their moods were happier.

The warm atmosphere after returning from shopping has not yet completely dissipated, and a figure suddenly appearing at the door breaks the tranquility.

Gao Songshan, with a smile on his face, as if he had important news to share, walked quickly towards Zhong Yuemin. "Yuemin, you are finally back! Why did you buy some vegetables? What do you want to eat? Just tell me, I will prepare it and bring it to you." Zhong Yuemin thought to himself, I would like to, but the two women at home don't want to!

Zhong Yuemin raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes lingered on Gao Songshan for a moment, and he thought to himself: "This guy is usually not so enthusiastic, there must be something going on today."

So, Zhong Yuemin said bluntly, "How come you have time to come here today? Is there something going on?"

"Hehe..." Gao Songshan laughed dryly twice, as if his thoughts were seen through, and scratched his head embarrassedly.

At this time, Zhou Xiaobai intervened at the right time. With the delicacy unique to women, she noticed the subtle changes in the air, and said to Gao Songshan with a smile, "Master Gao, you and Yuemin can chat slowly. I'll go check on the children to prevent them from being naughty." After that, she turned around and left lightly, leaving the two men sitting opposite each other in the living room.

After Zhou Xiaobai left, Gao Songshan immediately took action. He hurriedly poured a cup of hot tea for Zhong Yuemin. His respectful attitude made Zhong Yuemin a little uncomfortable.

Seeing Gao Songshan being so attentive, Zhong Yuemin finally couldn't help himself. The corner of his mouth twitched and he said jokingly, "Mr. Gao, what are you talking about? Just say it. There's no need to use this trick between us."

Gao Songshan lowered his voice, his eyes flickering with mystery and excitement. He approached Zhong Yuemin and whispered, "Yuemin, do you want Moutai? This is not ordinary stuff."

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin raised his eyebrows and looked at Gao Songshan in some confusion. "Do you think I'm short of wine? I have a lot of good wine in my wine cellar." He responded with a smile, thinking Gao Songshan was joking.

But Gao Songshan quickly waved his hands and explained, "Yuemin, you misunderstood. I'm not talking about you drinking it yourself, I'm talking about our restaurant. The other party now has 600 bottles of Moutai, this is a rare opportunity!"

Zhong Yuemin was immediately interested when he heard this. He knew the scarcity of Moutai. Especially in this era, it was not easy to get so much Moutai at one time. "600 bottles? So many?"

"Yes, 600 bottles, and they are all authentic Moutai." Gao Songshan patted his chest proudly, as if these 600 bottles of Moutai were brewed by him personally. "You also know that Moutai is sold in few places and the price is expensive. It costs yuan a bottle through regular channels, but it is impossible to buy it. If you want to buy it, don't even think about it if it's not yuan a bottle."

Maotai is very scarce. It is usually sold on counters of grocery stores near embassies, but ordinary people don’t buy it. Even if a restaurant has a few bottles of Maotai hidden away, they won’t sell it unless they have a special relationship with the restaurant.

Gao Songshan was a little anxious when he saw Zhong Yuemin was silent, so he tried harder to explain. "Yuemin, listen to me, this is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That second-generation has the approval slip, the supply is absolutely reliable, and the price is so low, only seven yuan a bottle. If we can get all this batch of Moutai and sell it several times in the market, the profit will be considerable."

Zhong Yuemin frowned when he heard this. It's not that he didn't believe Gao Songshan's words, but he was curious about this mysterious "second generation" and why he wanted to see him. "Is he really reliable?" he confirmed again.

"It's really reliable!" Gao Songshan answered confidently, patting his chest as if he was using his own reputation as a guarantee.

Seeing Gao Songshan so determined, Zhong Yuemin's doubts were slightly alleviated. "Why don't you just buy it directly? Do you still need to discuss this with me?"

Gao Songshan smiled awkwardly and explained, "I want it too, but the other party refused to sell it to me and insisted on meeting you. I was also puzzled, but he said that as long as you nod, this batch of Moutai will be ours."

"Why are you meeting me?"

Gao Songshan shook his head. "I don't know about that."

Zhong Yuemin frowned slightly, and his eyes stayed on Gao Songshan's face for a few seconds, as if he was weighing something. "The supply of wine and beverages in our hotel has always been relatively stable, but if this batch of wine is really as cheap as you said, the profit margin is indeed not small. However, why did the other party specifically want to see me? Is there something fishy here?"

Gao Songshan scratched his head, looking somewhat helpless. "I'm also confused, Yuemin. But that's what they said, and they won't talk about it without seeing you. I was thinking that if we could get this batch of wine, it would be a great opportunity for our hotel, so I came to discuss it with you."

Zhong Yuemin hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded. "Okay, then I'll go meet this person."

Gao Songshan's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Yuemin, how about we meet at Zui Xiang Lou at 8 o'clock tomorrow night?"

Zhong Yuemin nodded gently. "Okay, I'll be there on time."

"Yuemin, if this succeeds, our restaurant's business will definitely reach a higher level." After saying this, he left happily.

After Gao Songshan left, Zhong Yuemin was wondering who the other person was and what he wanted to do. The phone rang, interrupting Zhong Yuemin's thoughts.

Zhong Yuemin picked up the phone, and the voice of Director Shang of the Third Wool Textile Factory came from the other end. "Hello, Director Zhong."

This address seemed to bring Zhong Yuemin back to the days when he was working at the Third Woolen Textile Factory. Although he was no longer the factory director, the people at the Third Woolen Textile Factory said that Zhong Yuemin would always be their Factory Director Zhong.

"Director Shang, is there anything wrong?" Zhong Yuemin asked with concern.

"Director Zhong, I have important news to tell you. The factory's profits need to be reformed." Director Shang's tone was solemn.

"Profit reform? How exactly should it be changed?" Zhong Yuemin immediately realized that this could be a far-reaching change.

"The new regulations from above require profit to be converted into tax," explained Director Shang. This term, which sounded both fresh and unfamiliar at the time, was actually a major breakthrough in the reform of state-owned enterprises. It meant that the way state-owned enterprises handed over profits would undergo a fundamental change, from the original full payment to income tax.

"That's good!" Zhong Yuemin's eyes flashed with light when he heard it.

Zhong Yuemin knows very well that this reform is like a spring rain for state-owned enterprises, which will nourish the hearts of those enterprises that have been suffering from drought for a long time.

Before the profit-to-tax reform, all profits of state-owned enterprises had to be turned over to the state, which to some extent restricted the enterprises’ ability to develop independently. Enterprises often lacked the motivation to update technology and equipment and expand production capacity, because no matter how much profit they made, it would eventually belong to the state.

The implementation of the profit-to-tax reform has opened a new door for enterprises. Enterprises can independently decide how to use retained profits based on their own operating conditions, which will undoubtedly greatly stimulate their production enthusiasm and innovation vitality.

At the same time, profit-to-tax reform is also an important part of the stage of delegating power, making profit concessions and expanding independent management rights in the reform of state-owned enterprises. Its implementation indicates that the reform of state-owned enterprises is moving towards a deeper level and a wider range.

"From 1979 to 1984, during these five years, the reform of state-owned enterprises went through a stage of decentralization and expansion of independent management rights. The dual-track system, as a natural product of this stage, also provided our enterprises with more development opportunities."

Zhong Yuemin recalled that period of history with deep emotion. He knew that every policy adjustment was accompanied by the pain and rebirth of enterprises. However, it was these moments of challenges and opportunities that shaped the tenacity and perseverance of enterprises and promoted the vigorous development of the national economy.

Now, with the implementation of profit-to-tax reform, Zhong Yuemin believes that the No. 3 Woolen Textile Factory and even the entire state-owned enterprises will usher in a new spring of development.