Chapter 279: Better Today Than Yesterday In the sleeper car of the train bound for Jingzhou City. Ning Weidong sat on the bunk by the window, looking at the endless plain outside. The village in the distance was emitting gray smoke from burning wood, and further away was a city with tall chimneys standing side by side. The yellow smoke coming out of the chimneys polluted the air and also symbolized the power of industry. Although Zhao's father expressed his disapproval of Ning Weidong's going to Handong, Ning Weidong finally decided to make this trip. A real man cannot be deprived of his ambition. Since Ning Weidong has made his decision, he will not change it easily. More importantly, the chips in Ning Weidong's hand were earned by himself, not given by the Zhao family. Moreover, the importance of Handong is even higher than that of Heilongjiang Province at present. Ning Weidong will never allow the electronics factory here to make mistakes. Vodka is just a stepping stone. To put it bluntly, it is just alcohol mixed with water and has no technical content at all.

The reason why they were able to cash in on Sulian, to put it bluntly, was that they exploited loopholes in the system and took advantage of the remoteness of the Far East and Baikal regions and the selfishness of various interest groups. There are no irreplaceable technical barriers. In a few years, Moscow's control over the local areas will be further weakened, and the powerful people in the Far East and Baikal will be able to completely break away from Ning Weidong and do things on their own. Therefore, Ning Weidong must master a truly competitive product line before that. The electronics factory is the top priority. Although at this stage, Toyo's electrical products are at the peak of technology and product quality that are difficult to surpass, this does not mean that they are invincible, especially in a semi-closed market like Speedlink. As long as Ning Weidong's products are of acceptable quality, relatively low in price, and have a legitimate relationship with the government, they will be enough to compete with Toyo's products. Ning Weidong looked at the chimney in the distance, thoughts surging in his mind. At this moment, the door of the box opened and Wang Yuanping came in from outside, holding two aluminum lunch boxes and placing them on the small coffee table in the middle of the box. Ning Weidong got on the bus last night and sat for seven or eight hours. He was hungry. Just asked Wang Yuanping to go to the dining car to buy food. This time on the trip to Handong, Ning Weidong only brought Wang Yuanping. Picking up the chopsticks he brought, Ning Weidong invited Wang Yuanping to eat together. At this time, the train slowed down and the radio began to announce that we had arrived at Xuzhou Railway Station. Ning Weidong heard it and looked at his watch. It’s not far from Xuzhou to Jingzhou, only five or six hours left. The train stopped for a few minutes. Ning Weidong ate quickly. When the train broadcast announced that it was ready to depart, he had finished most of his meal. But at this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open. Ning Weidong frowned. Although there were only two of them, he and Wang Yuanping, they occupied a room for four people. Normally, no one should be able to come in. However, the figure that appeared outside the door the next moment surprised Ning Weidong: "Why are you here?" An Ning walked in with a smile on her face, wearing a knee-length light brown woolen coat: "You didn't expect it~"

Then he sat down next to Ning Weidong without any hesitation and explained, "I bought a ticket to return to Beijing yesterday, but I didn't know you booked a ticket for today. I wanted to refund the ticket, but then I changed my mind and decided to sit in Xuzhou and wait for you to come and then go back to Jingzhou together." Ning Weidong suddenly realized that it was no wonder that An Ning appeared here. This woman is indeed good at creating some little surprises. Her sudden appearance here made Ning Weidong feel overjoyed. "By the way, which box number is your ticket in?" Ning Weidong asked. An Ning said: "I bought the number six in carriage 2." Ning Weidong looked at Wang Yuanping and said, "Old Wang, go over there first and come back after you get off the bus." Wang Yuanping responded without hesitation and got up to leave. An Ning saw him closing the door from outside and was somewhat confused about Wang Yuanping's identity. Ning Weidong didn't explain to her, and asked her again: "Have you eaten?" An Ning said: "I ate this morning, I'm not hungry." Ning Weidong smiled, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, pushed the lunch box aside, and hugged An Ning over: "Are you really not hungry? Did you miss me?" An Ning's eyes were charming, and she held Ning Weidong's face with both hands: "Of course I miss you, you are so cruel, you just threw me to Handong and left me there, and you ran to Sulian by yourself, and there is no news from me, I am so worried." With a "bam", Ning Weidong kissed An Ning on the mouth. An Ning had just come in from outside and her lips were cold. The two of them were affectionate for a while, but unfortunately the place was not right, so they stopped there. Ning Weidong then asked about Handong's situation. I only talked about it on the phone before, and some things couldn't be explained clearly. Besides, An Ning was in a hurry to come here and didn't wait in Jingzhou. There must be a reason for that. Sure enough, Ning Weidong's expression became solemn as he spoke in detail. The situation in Jingzhou was more serious than he had expected in the capital. Everyone from top to bottom there was hostile to him and Zhao Lichun, the outsider. Although Ning Weidong had anticipated this situation, he did not expect the rejection to be so strong. Ning Weidong sneered: "They do their thing, we do ours. Handong's coastline is so long that it can accommodate it. Why make it so ugly~" An Ning said: "I'm afraid some people don't think so. They think we have overstepped the boundaries." Ning Weidong curled his lips and said, "Crossing the border? Who marked out the territory for them? Do they really think they are the king of the mountain?" Although he said this, Ning Weidong knew very well that since the South had decided to lean towards the West in the early 1980s, it was inevitable that the South would surpass the North in economic development. This is not a question of people; it comes down to resources and the inclination of correct policies. In Ning Weidong's impression, for a long time in the future, a faction in the South will create public opinion, saying that the North's economy is not doing well because of its people. In fact, the gap in economic development has nothing to do with people at all.

If the people in the North were really incompetent, then how did the economy and industry develop in the first thirty years after the founding of the People's Republic of China? The reason why the southern economy has experienced explosive growth after the reform and opening up is still capital appreciation. There is a poem that goes, "The tiger and the dragon are more powerful today than before, and the world has changed dramatically." How to prove that the present is better than the past? How can we prove the correctness of the present? The three words "now is better than the past" actually doomed the economy of the north, especially the northeast, to decline. Before Ning Weidong traveled through time, facts had already proven that when the northern economy encountered difficulties, it did not receive assistance but was instead bled out of it. Then a large number of funds and personnel were withdrawn. Ning Weidong already knew the answer. The original situation of the north being heavy and the south being light would definitely be completely reversed in the future. However, such a "present is better than the past" is bound to cause a lot of problems. The economy of the South, which was developed with the help of foreign capital, is inherently weak against foreign countries, and it is not so easy to get foreign money. This is why we hold the Dongfeng "Truth" in our hands. The prestige of sweeping across 17 halls in the peninsula is still there, making the West led by America feel apprehensive. Otherwise, all other countries in the world that have introduced Western capital, one by one, will have a good ending. Ning Weidong was talking to An Ning while his thoughts were wandering. Before he knew it, it was afternoon and the train slowly stopped at the platform of Jingzhou Railway Station. Wang Yuanping came back ten minutes early. The three of them simply packed their luggage and walked out of the train. Ning Weidong was in front, An Ning was beside him but they did not show any particular intimacy, and Wang Yuanping followed behind with the luggage. As soon as Ning Weidong came down, he heard a voice calling "Brother Weidong". He looked in the direction of the voice and saw Bai Fengqin waving at him not far away and jogging towards him. "Fengqin~" Ning Weidong responded with a smile and walked towards Bai Fengqin. An Ning, who was standing by, also saw Bai Fengqin. She curled her lips quickly, controlled her expression immediately, and followed her. "Fengqin, didn't I tell you to wait at school and I'll come to see you in a couple of days?" Ning Weidong walked closer and reached out to rub the top of Bai Fengqin's head. Bai Fengqin pouted. She was very happy to see Ning Weidong, but immediately became alert when she noticed An Ning. Although An Ning and Ning Weidong don't seem to be close, the fact that Ning Weidong came all the way to Handong with this woman by his side shows that this woman is not ordinary. More importantly, this woman is quite beautiful. During the past six months of studying in another city, Bai Fengqin has grown a lot. Although the university is called an ivory tower, it is also a small society. Especially in this era, those who can get admitted to universities are the real elites, not those clear-eyed college students. What's more, it is the Law Department of Handong University. Although Bai Fengqin has only been here for half a year, she has learned a lot. Although she was on guard at the moment, she didn't show it on her face. She continued to talk to Ning Weidong, "Brother Weidong, let me introduce you. This is my classmate Wu Huifen. She lives in the same dormitory with me and she takes good care of me." Just now, when Bai Fengqin trotted over, Ning Weidong saw that there were two other people coming with her. Ning Weidong was slightly surprised, then he extended his hand: "Hello, classmate Wu, Fengqin mentioned in her last letter home that there is a very good older sister in the same dormitory." As he spoke, Ning Weidong looked at the woman in front of him, feeling a little surprised.

I just thought it looked familiar at first, but now I realize it matches the name. But on second thought, since Zhao Lichun had become his brother-in-law, it was normal to see Wu Huifen in Handong. Wu Huifen is obviously two or three years older than Bai Fengqin. It is not surprising that people of all ages take the college entrance examination at that time. She is also very beautiful, the kind of beauty who will bring peace and prosperity to the country and the people. At this time, Wu Huifen was also looking at Ning Weidong. The first impression was that he was tall, then handsome, and the name "Lu Bu" popped up in my mind. Lu Bu among men, Red Hare among horses, probably refers to this kind of person~ Before, she always heard Bai Fengqin talk about Brother Weidong. Although she didn't say anything, she was actually indignant in her heart. There was no such a good person in the world. Before coming here today, I was holding back my desire to see what kind of person this man who had bewitched Bai Fengqin was. At this time, Bai Fengqin introduced another person: "Brother Weidong, this is Liang Lu, the daughter of our college teacher Wang." Then she said: "Xiao Lu, you call Brother Weidong~" "Hello, Brother Weidong~" Liang Lu looked two years younger than Bai Fengqin. She had pigtails on her hair and looked a little childish, but she was a real beauty. After calling out, he looked up at Ning Weidong curiously. Ning Weidong didn't expect that Wu Huifen already knew Liang Lu, and from what Bai Fengqin said, Liang Lu's mother was their teacher. But none of this matters. What matters is that Liang Lu, who was sixteen or seventeen years old, was really beautiful. She was not inferior to Bai Fengqin even when standing next to her. Ning Weidong greeted them with a smile and was about to say a few more words, but at this moment, two more people came up from behind the three of them. Two people walked one in front and one behind, and they were obviously from government agencies. The one in the lead was in his forties, wearing a gray woolen coat, with his hair combed neatly in a 3:7 split style, and wearing a pair of black tortoise-shell glasses. "It's Comrade Ning Weidong, right~" The man came over and called out Ning Weidong's name directly. Ning Weidong looked at the other party. When the two people came towards him just now, Ning Weidong knew that they were coming for him: "It's me~" The visitor smiled and extended his hand, saying, "I am Ge Zheng. I apologize for coming here in such a presumptuous way today." Ning Weidong's heart trembled. The last time he met Li Yuanchao, Li Yuanchao had mentioned this person. Ge Zheng is a classmate of Li Yuanchao's second brother-in-law, and it was Ge Zheng who provided Li Yuanchao with the situation in Handong. At the same time, Ge Zheng is also the son-in-law of Wang Chunfeng, deputy director of the Handong Ge Committee, and now works in the Jingzhou Municipal Bureau. This person suddenly appeared at the train station, and I'm afraid he has bad intentions. Ning Weidong said with a smile: "Brother Ge, you are too polite. Yuan Chao told me about you before I came here. I was planning to visit you when I came to Jingzhou this time, but I didn't expect you to come first." Ge Zheng's eyes moved slightly, somewhat confused about the relationship between Ning Weidong and Li Yuanchao. He was not in the capital, and although he was a classmate of Li Yuanchao's second brother-in-law, there were different levels of closeness among classmates. But it was only for a moment, and Ge Zheng concealed his emotions: "Comrade Weidong, you are too polite." When Ge Zheng appeared, Liang Lu already showed a look of astonishment. Seeing this, Wu Huifen immediately asked in a low voice: "Xiao Lu, what's wrong?"

Liang Lu hurriedly pulled Wu Huifen, licked her pink lips, and whispered, "That man is my father's leader." Wu Huifen couldn't help showing her surprise. Liang Lu's father's leader! Liang Lu's father is already one of the top leaders in the Municipal Bureau, and Ge Zheng is at least a deputy. Such a person actually came to the train station to pick up Ning Weidong in person! Before, she had only heard Bai Fengqin say how powerful her brother was, but she didn't take it too seriously. She could see that Bai Fengqin's family was well-off and she was never tight on money for clothes and clothes. On the first day of school, she wore a watch and went to the bookstore to buy books without even looking at the prices. Birds of a feather flock together. If Bai Fengqin had not shown such a good family background, it would have been impossible for her to become good friends with Wu Huifen and Liang Lu right after arriving. But even so, she felt that Bai Fengqin was mostly bragging. When she heard that Ning Weidong was coming today, she insisted on dragging Liang Lu along, just to see who the man that Bai Fengqin had praised so highly of was. After seeing Ning Weidong just now, Wu Huifen was almost convinced. No wonder Bai Fengqin's eyes lit up when she mentioned her brother Weidong. But in Wu Huifen's opinion, being tall and handsome is just a plus, but it does not mean that a man is really excellent. However, when Ge Zheng appeared and Liang Lu pointed out the other party's identity, Wu Huifen was truly surprised at Ning Weidong's importance. Hidden beneath her calm and skilled appearance, she has a heart that is never content with her lot. At this moment, she was keenly aware that this man from the capital might be a shortcut for her to change her destiny. "Is there a chance if I marry him?" This thought flashed through Wu Huifen's mind, and she couldn't help but look at Bai Fengqin beside her. (End of this chapter)