At 10 a.m. on February 28, 2024, the memorial service for Zong Qinghou, a respected national entrepreneur and head of Wahaha Group, was held in Hangzhou.
That morning, Hangzhou was overcast with drizzle. Zong Qinghou's relatives, former colleagues, friends, and thousands of Hangzhou citizens who came spontaneously braved the heavy rain to rush to the Xiasha base of Wahaha Group to bid farewell to Zong Qinghou affectionately.
Zong Qinghou's wife, Shi Youzhen, was supported by her daughter and sadly recalled her late husband. Recalling the 44 years of ups and downs she and her husband have gone through together, tears ...... rolled in her eyes again and again
Young Zong Qinghou).
Shi Youzhen and Zong Qinghou married in the fall of 1979, and their matchmaker was a respected old teacher. The other party is not only a teacher, but also likes to "confront people". He and Shi Youzhen were neighbors and had taught Zong Qinghou.
When he learned that both of them were in their 30s and were single, he took the initiative to become Yue Xiaolao.
Shi Youzhen was born in Hangzhou in 1949, and her parents were ordinary people. After graduating from middle school, she responded to the call and became an educated youth in the Heilongjiang Construction Corps. Because I am an introvert and have a narrow contact area, I am delayed day by day.
After meeting Zong Qing for the first time, Shi Youzhen was a little nervous and a little shy. When he arrived at the teacher's house, Zong Qinghou was already waiting there.
More than 40 years have passed, and Shi Youzhen still remembers that first meeting in his life. On that day, Zong Qinghou was wearing a faded black and blue tunic and a pair of grass-green liberation shoes under his feet.
Shi Youzhen) Through exchanges, Shi Youzhen learned that Zong Qinghou's ancestral home is Suqian, Jiangsu. Born in 1945, he has been an educated youth in Shaoxing Tea Farm for 14 years. Following the trend of educated youths returning to the city, he returned to Hangzhou a year ago.
Unable to find an employer, her mother, who worked in the school-run factory, took early retirement and asked Zong Qinghou to take over, and she finally found a job.
Zong Qinghou is simple and sincere, he and Shi Youzhen told each other about their experiences and life ideals as educated youths, and they have a lot in common.
When it was time to say goodbye, Zong Qing felt embarrassed and hesitated several times. Shi Youzhen asked him: Do you have anything to say to me?
Brother and sister group photo (back row after Zong Qinghou)).
Zong Qinghou plucked up his courage and said: There is a situation I want to explain to you. Although I have been working for many years, I have three brothers and one sister. I gave all my salary to my mother to support the family, and I had no savings around me.
Shi Youzhen not only did not get angry, but felt that Zong Qinghou was a good man who cared about his family, was filial and responsible, and recognized him from the bottom of his heart.
On the same day, the two exchanged love tokens, and Zong Qinghou gave Shi Youzhen a plastic leather diary. Shi Youzhen gave him a handkerchief embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. These two inconspicuous things have been treasured by them for many years.
Because both of them are young, Shi Youzhen and Zong Qinghou got married in Hangzhou on May 1, 1980 after dating for more than half a year.
The weather is hot, and Zong Qing sent cold drinks to employees to relieve the heat).
At that time, Shi Youzhen worked in the business department and had a regular schedule. Zong Qinghou often works overtime in the unit, and Shi Youzhen buys vegetables and cooks every night.
On January 15, 1982, Shi Youzhen successfully gave birth to her daughter Zong Fuli in the hospital.
Although both work, she and her husband are not paid much. After the birth of the daughter, there were additional expenses, and the family's life was not comfortable. Shi Youzhen occasionally buys a fish, but she is reluctant to eat it all at once. She deliberately salted it so she could eat more.
Zong Qinghou pursued progress and was eager to change his family's living conditions.
Zong Qinghou in his early years).
In 1987, the Shangcheng District Culture and Education Bureau of Hangzhou wanted to contract out the distribution department of the school-run factory where Zong Qinghou worked, with an income target of 40,000 yuan. In order to scare away competitors, Zong Qinghou directly shouted out 100,000 yuan. As a result, he won the bid.
After returning home, Zong Qinghou asked his wife: Do you think it's a bit expensive for me to do this? Shi Youzhen said: Don't say that, I admire your progress and courage. You have worked in a school-run factory for many years, and you know what products are good to sell and what can be sold to make money. I'm sure you can do it.
Zong Qinghou became a manager, and the soldiers under him were only two retired teachers. The school-run factory produces popsicles, homework books, and ledgers. Zong Qinghou took the lead and rode a bicycle to the school gate to buy popsicles under the sun.
When he returned home in the evening, his shirt was stained with white sweat.
Zong Qinghou is also a "textbook administrator" who drives a tricycle to deliver goods).
Shi Youzhen felt sorry for her husband. When she wasn't at work, she lost face and helped Zong Qinghou open a "branch". Shi Youzhen also rode a bicycle to stationery stores and canteens to sell account books and popsicles.
Throughout the summer, Shi Youzhen was tanned and skinny. Zong Qinghou said distressedly: Wife, you have worked hard.
Shi Youzhen replied: It's okay. Only if you are in good health, my life and that of my daughter will be better. Zong Qinghou was so moved that his eyes were red.
When the summer cold came, Zong Qing handed over a profit of 22 at the end of the year20,000 yuan, far exceeding the original target of 100,000 yuan.
Tao Li is speechless, creating his own traces. Zong Qinghou's good character and good performance attracted many merchants to seek sales from him.
Zong Qinghou got up).
Under the leadership of Zong Qinghou, the net assets of his school-run enterprise have exceeded 8 million yuan, and the number of employees has grown to more than 130 people.
In that year, the Shangcheng District Education Bureau allocated Zong Qinghou a spacious and bright three-bedroom apartment. Shi Youzhen and her daughter were very happy.
As a result of dealing with children all day, Zong Qinghou learned that many children like to eat snacks, but they are not nutritious. As a result, he began to plan the production and sale of Wahaha children's nutrient solution.
Zong Qinghou visited the thatched house three times and hired Zhang Honghui, the technical director of the century-old store "Huqing Yutang", to be responsible for developing the original plan. In order to respect and retain talents, he vacated his new home in Nuan'an to Zhang Honghui.
Zhang Honghui) Zong Qinghou's family of three returned to the 10-square-meter old house.
Afterwards, someone asked Shi Youzhen: Do you have no complaints about your husband doing this?
Shi Youzhen replied: Everyone wants to live in a spacious and bright new house, but if they don't have a mind and bearing, they won't achieve anything. I can't help the boss with anything else, but it's okay to move.
Later, this sentence reached the ears of Zong Qinghou, who respected his wife very much.
Entering the 90s of the 20th century, Zong Qinghou's career entered the fast lane
In **Entrepreneurship)
In 1991, Zong Qinghou founded Wahaha Food Group Company in Hangzhou. In the following year, the sales reached 400 million yuan, and the net profit exceeded 70 million yuan.
In 1996, Zong Qinghou aimed at the bottled water market, and Wahaha pure water was born. He expanded his business to three series: children's nutrition solution, milk drinks, and bottled water. He became a respected national entrepreneur.
It is said that when a man is rich, he becomes bad, so some people began to worry about Shi Youzhen's marriage. Shi Youzhen observed carefully, and after becoming famous, Zong Qinghou was still sincere and simple.
cloth shoes millionaire) at home, he told himself that he would never call the shots or be on top. A quartz watch that costs tens of dollars can be used for more than ten years. No matter where he goes, he always wears a pair of comfortable and breathable cloth shoes, and he doesn't have any name brands on him.
After Zong Qing, he put morality first and only mentioned morality. When selecting cadres, the first thing he examines is his character.
The people who know Zong Qinghou best are the people around her, so Shi Youzhen is not worried that her successful husband will change his mind.
His wife, who has worked in the business system for many years, started a business with him. Zong Qinghou has always regarded her as his right-hand man.
With the continuous expansion of the business territory, Zong Qinghou successively appointed Shi Youzhen as the executive of Songyu Printing and Packaging, Songyuan Machinery Manufacturing, Hengfeng Food Technology.
Under the care of the couple, their daughter Zong Fuli has been studying in the United States for many years. After returning to China in 2004, Zong Fuli worked at the grassroots level for several years. In 2007, he became the president of Hongsheng Beverage Group, a subsidiary of Wahaha. In March 2020, Zong Fuli concurrently served as the deputy general manager of Wahaha Group Sales Company.
In 2015, Zong Qinghou ranked 18th on the Forbes China Rich List with a net worth of $10.3 billion.
Zong Qinghou has a history of smoking for many years and smokes cheap cigarettes for 18 yuan a pack. In recent years, Shi Youzhen has repeatedly advised him to quit smoking. Zong Qinghou always said: I'm so old, what's the point of quitting smoking? So Shi Youzhen no longer insisted.
As a result, Zong Qinghou made a mistake in this regard.
Zong Qinghou and daughter).
Starting in the summer of 2023, Zong Qinghou began to cough up blood. Shi Youzhen accompanied him to the hospital for examination, and it was found that he was suffering from medium-stage lung cancer.
Shi Youzhen held the diagnosis in her hand and burst into tears. She called her daughter and asked her to work out the best ** plan with the doctor.
Zong Qinghou was very optimistic and never feared death. While working with doctors**, he also cares about the vulnerable in his business empire and company.
Zong Qinghou knew that young people were under a lot of pressure to get married and repay their mortgages, so he asked them for a salary increase three times. For employees who are in difficulty, Zong Qinghou always asks the company to lend a helping hand, and goes to condolences every New Year's holiday.
On December 14, 2023, Zong Qinghou, who had a haggard and emaciated face, attended the Wahaha National Dealer Conference in a wheelchair. Seeing that the former high-spirited, amiable and respectable boss has become like this, many employees on the scene turned their backs and quietly wiped their tears.
No one thought that this would be the last time Zong Qinghou appeared in public.
After the Spring Festival in 2024, Zong Qinghou's condition took a sharp turn for the worse. Shi Youzhen knew that her husband's time was running out, so she put down her own things and spent as much time with her husband as possible.
Delivering food, pouring water, and feeding medicine could have been done by the nursing staff. But Shi Youzhen always does everything himself. She felt that she could do more for her husband, and that made her feel at ease.
National entrepreneur Zong Qinghou).
On February 23, Zong Qinghou woke up after being in a coma for two hours. He couldn't speak, and gently stroked the back of Shi Youzhen's hand, with infinite nostalgia and reluctance in his eyes. After more than 40 years together, Shi Youzhen can read her husband's eyes, and tears fall from her eyes.
At 10:30 a.m. on February 25, Zong Qinghou, a national outstanding entrepreneur and legendary business wizard, died in Hangzhou at the age of 79.
The death of her husband pushed Shi Youzhen and her daughter Zong Fuli into the abyss of grief.
Countless citizens spontaneously came to the memorial service)
On February 28, at her husband's memorial service, Shi Youzhen looked solemn. Looking at the drizzle and the thousands of Hangzhou citizens who spontaneously came to see them off, tears slipped from the corners of their eyes again and again.
Shi Youzhen silently comforted Zong Qinghou in her heart: You have been busy for so many years, and you are tired. Rest! I've been with you for decades, but we haven't had enough. If there is an afterlife, I am willing to be married to you!
What do you think about this? Feel free to leave a comment**!
Zong Qinghou's memorial service