Chapter 241 Retreating Two Steps and Advancing Three: Taking Over the Factory

Unfortunately, the boss had lost patience with teaching her this time.

Wang Xiao's trip to Beijing was certainly not just for educating his subordinates.

If that's the case, she could easily solve the problem with a single phone call.

She had another important thing to do in Beijing: to visit Deputy Secretary Cao, or rather, Minister Cao.

Wang Xiao sighed again.

Can you believe it? Yang Tao has been in Beijing for months and hasn't even visited Minister Cao once.

Now, she, as the boss, is like a parent, and she has to take her child to apologize no matter what.

Minister Cao is very busy. If it weren't for her close personal relationship with Wang Xiao, she wouldn't have been able to find time to meet him amidst her hectic schedule.

Wang Xiao handed over a basket of strawberries with a smile: "I'm embarrassed to bother the leader, but I told the villagers of Zhimen that we must let the old leader taste the first batch of strawberries we've grown."

Minister Cao was both amused and exasperated: "You're trying to sweet-talk me again. You've been growing strawberries in Zhimen for almost three years now, and you're still calling it the first batch?"

Wang Xiao vehemently denied it: "That's different. This is truly the first batch of Japanese Akihime strawberries that the Jiangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences introduced and then bred locally."

She wasn't lying; the strawberries were picked just this morning and then air-freighted to Beijing. The shipping cost was much higher than the price of the strawberries themselves, perfectly illustrating the saying "a gift of a goose feather from afar carries great meaning."

Minister Cao was surprised: "Really? Then I must try it."

She called out, and her secretary came in to help take the strawberries out to wash.

He was brought over from Jiangdong by Minister Cao, and was considered an old acquaintance of Wang Xiao's: "Thanks to the leader, we are also able to eat strawberries in the dead of winter."

Minister Cao shook his head with a smile: "Do you really think President Wang is stingy? She brought such a big basket of food just for you to eat, so she can advertise for you."

Wang Xiao clapped his hands: "That's why leaders are leaders; they saw right through my little schemes."

The secretary laughed and said, "Then we'll eat first as a sign of respect."

After he left, Minister Cao asked Wang Xiao with a smile, "You're a very busy person too. What brings you to Beijing this time? Do you need any help?"

Wang Xiao waved his hand: "Really, no, I really didn't mean to freeload. I'm already in Beijing, it would be a shame if I didn't come and treat you to a meal."

Minister Cao laughed again: "Alright, you wait, this time you'll eat in the cafeteria."

Wang Xiao nodded: "Great! I can brag about it later, saying that I've eaten at the canteen of a central ministry."

Minister Cao was amused and laughed heartily: "Oh my, you girl, if you didn't go into business, you could be a famous comedian. Oh no, you should stick to business, otherwise Jiangdong Province will fight me."

Wang Xiao just smiled, then turned to tease the reserved Yang Tao: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and ask Minister Cao to sign it for you."

Minister Cao asked in confusion, "What kind of signature? Is it for some project?"

“No.” Wang Xiao laughed even harder. “This girl idolizes you. When I told her I was coming to visit you, she came running up to me, asking if she could come along. She really admires you; you’re her idol.”

As she spoke, she then berated Yang Tao, "Oh dear, you have to say, this girl is so cowardly. She's been in Beijing for months and still hasn't dared to come see you. She's so nervous, so nervous when she sees her idol."

Minister Cao looked at Yang Tao in surprise, then chuckled, "Where would I sign it for you?"

Yang Tao quickly took out her notebook filled with famous quotes and cautiously asked, "Can I sign it here?"

She then took the opportunity to introduce herself, saying, "When I was in college in Jinning, you visited us, and I admired you very much. Later, I went to work at Jiangzhimen Commercial City, working alongside General Manager Chen, and I was fortunate enough to meet you, but I never dared to ask for your autograph."

In fact, it's true that she admires Minister Cao.

How many young girls in Jiangdong Province don't admire Deputy Secretary Cao? To become a high-ranking official like Deputy Secretary Cao in the future is the dream of countless young girls.

But after she arrived in Beijing, she really didn't think about visiting Minister Cao.

Because she felt that this had nothing to do with her acquiring land in Beijing, and Minister Cao's work was unrelated to this area.

It wasn't until her boss gave her a severe scolding that she realized she had made a stupid mistake again.

Wang Xiao complained from the side, "Minister, you have no idea how difficult these kids are to manage these days. Even if we can't get a piece of land in Beijing for months, it doesn't stop her from chasing after her idols."

Minister Cao has already signed it: "Wishing Comrade Yang Tao success in her work and a bright future."

As she signed her name, she asked, seemingly casually, "Land acquisition? What are you doing acquiring land in Beijing? What, you think you're finally going to enter the Beijing real estate market because you think you're too small in the north and south?"

“No.” Wang Xiao shook his head. “I’m just an agent. Last summer, the Russian ruble depreciated by half in a single day, and the speculators in Moscow were particularly panicked, hoping to find a way to preserve its value.”

“You know me, I can’t control my mouth. I mentioned the Pudong development project, which is a good opportunity to acquire land and develop projects with great potential for future appreciation, or to buy property in Hong Kong.”

“They felt they were unfamiliar with Hong Kong and were afraid of being ripped off when buying a house, so they chose Pudong. Then I arranged for someone to acquire land in the Pudong Development Zone, and we plan to build a commercial complex there.”

Minister Cao nodded: "That's really good. The country is focusing on promoting Pudong, and Shanghai is the leader of the Yangtze River Delta, with a good foundation."

Wang Xiao sighed: "That's right, but the middlemen in Moscow are happy, while those in Bucharest are not. They feel that I'm being unfair to them. When I acquired land in Shanghai, I didn't even inform them, causing everyone to miss out on opportunities."

She lamented, "There are not many countries in Eastern Europe that have returned to stability. Although the situation in Hungary and Romania is still relatively good, everyone wants to have a way out in their home country so that they won't have nowhere to go when they die."

As she spoke, she laughed, "It just so happens that Shanghai is now implementing the blue-stamp household registration system, and there are very few people in the Yangtze River Delta region who don't have a connection to Shanghai."

Minister Cao laughed and pressed her for an answer: "Then why didn't you acquire any more land in Pudong?"

“It’s too late.” Wang Xiao shook her head. “Besides, there are also some speculators from the north who think Beijing is better and want to develop their businesses there. I thought, last year, when the Fifteen Measures came out, the real estate market cooled down, so I thought land in Beijing wouldn’t be so sought after. But this girl has been running around for several months and hasn’t even gotten close to a piece of land.”

Secretary Cao sighed, indicating that he couldn't help: "I can't help with this. Our department doesn't have any land either, otherwise everyone would want to pool their money to build houses. Beijing is big, and it's not easy to live here."

Wang Xiao quickly waved his hand: "Minister, don't misunderstand, I really didn't come here to make things difficult for you. I just came to deliver strawberries. Hey, don't disbelieve me, I'll tell you the truth, I already have a direction for acquiring land. I have no interest in the land in the development zone, I won't take what's in other people's bowls, I'll do something else."

Secretary Cao became genuinely interested: "Oh, if you don't want the land in the development zone, what kind of land are you planning to acquire in Beijing?"

Land in Beijing is extremely scarce. The land that can be allocated for human use is mostly original agricultural land or land in newly established development zones.

Wang Xiao laughed: "I heard that Beijing is now moving from secondary to tertiary industries, and from tertiary to tertiary industries."

The concept of "retreating from secondary industry and advancing to tertiary industry" was proposed in the 1980s. It encouraged some small and medium-sized enterprises that had no market to withdraw and engage in the tertiary industry, namely the service industry.

It incorporates urban planning, which involves relocating industries within the second and third ring roads to areas outside the third ring road, freeing up the original industrial land for commercial development.

It was against this backdrop that factories in Beijing began to relocate.

Yang Tao finally realized belatedly why her boss had glared at her.

The boss was scolding her for being stupid. Since she knew that Shougang was going to relocate, why didn't she think of taking advantage of the old factory buildings?

Wang Xiao was indeed quite angry about this.

Yes, not to mention her subordinates, even she herself doesn't always have a smooth time pushing projects forward; there are many times when she encounters obstacles and can't move forward.

So what should we do in this situation? We should find another way, a roundabout way to achieve our goal.

Simply put, as a subordinate, you need to show your boss that you have the potential to generate revenue for him/her. If this sub-project is unworkable, quickly switch to a project that seems promising.

If you remain inflexible and stubborn, like a donkey pulling a millstone with its eyes closed, the boss will see that you've put in a lot of effort even if you haven't achieved anything significant.

Wrong! What bosses value most is efficiency; there has to be an efficiency that offers hope even if there's no tomorrow.

Both involve acquiring land. You know that farmland in development zones is already taken by others, so why don't you turn to industrial land in the city?

You clearly knew that some factories were going to relocate!

Yang Tao wished she could stick her head to her chest.

Fortunately, neither the boss nor Minister Cao had the time to waste on her emotions.

Minister Cao was slightly surprised: "You want to take over someone else's old factory building?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "Yes, I work in sales. Factories always need to produce things to sell. I was thinking, could we start from this direction, establish a relationship with them, and work together to maximize our profits?"

Minister Cao nodded. Although she was not very familiar with the specific circumstances of the companies relocating from Beijing, the major policy of "moving out of secondary industries and into tertiary industries" and "moving out of tertiary industries and into tertiary industries" was in place. Those that wanted to relocate were either extremely polluting or not profitable, and it was already very unprofitable for them to occupy land in the city.

It's normal for such companies to want orders.

She pressed further, "Have you found a factory to negotiate with yet?"

Wang Xiao shook his head with a wry smile: "I really don't know. I'm trying to figure out where to find the information. I wonder which government department has it?"

Nowadays, there's no talk of information openness and transparency. Many things, including land acquisition agreements and who the land was given to, are not disclosed. This makes it difficult for you to know where to start if you want to buy second-hand land.

Minister Cao frowned slightly: "I really don't know much about this."

Just then, the secretary came in with a bowl of washed strawberries and casually asked, "Xiao Zhu, do you know which department is in charge of this?"

The secretary smiled and said, "Minister, you really don't need to go to such lengths. Just ask Director Tang; he's an expert in this field."

Minister Cao remembered: "Oh, right, he used to work there."

She picked up the receiver and dialed a number, telling Wang Xiao, "Alright, you don't need to run around anymore. To be honest, with Beijing's weather like this, I don't even want to wander around aimlessly. We really can move the factory out."

Wang Xiao chuckled: "We were just saying that we should move Shougang to the island."

Minister Cao made a phone call: "Come here for a moment," then asked in surprise, "Why move to the island? Shouldn't we be moving into the mountains?"

Yang Tao thought to herself, "See, see, that's what the boss thinks too. It shows that I'm not too stupid."

Wang Xiao explained with a smile: "Because water transport costs are low, many large steel plants around the world are built near ports, precisely to reduce transportation costs."

Minister Cao then realized, "As expected, you're the smartest one."

"No way," Wang Xiao denied. "I grew up in a steel factory. Our Jinning Steel Factory is also located by the river. I've heard adults say that since I was a child."

Yang Tao is going to become withdrawn again.

Because she had lived in Jinning for several years, and the commercial city had many children of steel factory workers.

In her boss's words, this is all something she should know.

Thank goodness, there was a knock on the door of Minister Cao's office, and a man of medium height and build, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a jacket, walked in.

Minister Cao nodded to him: "Old Tang, could you please help me introduce which factories in Beijing are currently relocating, where they are located, and what they do?"

She then explained to Wang Xiao, "Director Tang used to work in this area."

Wang Xiao quickly thanked the person, saying, "Thank you for your help."

Director Tang immediately replied, "No trouble at all. It's just that many companies have relocated from Beijing in the past two years. I don't know what aspect you'd like to know."

After listening to Wang Xiao's request, he quickly searched through his options and offered a suggestion: "I wonder if a ribbon factory would be a suitable option?"

What is a ribbon factory? It makes woven belts, ribbons, backpack straps, clothing lace, and clothing labels. They are clothing accessories, which happens to be related to Mr. Wang's profession.

"The factory wasn't very big," Director Tang recalled. "It was a merger of three street factories, covering about forty acres and employing about two thousand people. Because textile production involves dyeing, which causes pollution, they had to move away this year."

Forty-odd acres of land is indeed not a large area; it's only the size of a residential complex with six to eight buildings.

But it's okay if there are no fish or shrimp. A small area has its advantages: lower development costs and less hassle.

Minister Cao nodded: "Alright, go and see for yourself after you finish eating."

Director Tang quickly laid out the unpleasant truth upfront: "I've never dealt with the ribbon factory before; I only know they're relocating. I'm sorry, I can't be of much help later."

Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "You've already helped us a lot. Otherwise, we would still be running around like headless flies."

Since the goal of acquiring the land had already been set, and Minister Cao was in a hurry to attend a meeting, there was no need for Wang Xiao to insist on having a meal at the ministry's canteen.

When Minister Cao saw her off, he said with regret, "Let's have dinner together tonight, and we can talk."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "I couldn't be happier."

When she got out and boarded the car, Yang Tao didn't dare to breathe loudly, wishing she could become invisible.

Wang Xiao glanced at her and let out a meaningless "humph" from his nostrils, which startled the unlucky girl so much that her legs went weak and she almost fell off the bus.

Ivanov didn't dare to breathe loudly, thinking to himself, "How dare you call yourself gentle and kind?"

I'm sorry, but he can no longer look at either Russian letters or Chinese characters in the same way.

We don't eat in the ministry's canteen, but we can't skip lunch.

Although Yang Tao didn't manage to acquire a piece of land in Beijing, she still spent several months traveling around the city, so she was able to find a restaurant for her boss near the Hongxing Ribbon Factory.

Forget about traditional Beijing-style braised pork offal; you're out on business, no need for such strong flavors. Hot pot is also unsuitable, because the smell will seep into your clothes.

Wang Xiao simply ordered shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and braised pork belly, which she then ate with chicken noodle soup.

Actually, a bowl of noodles would be the most convenient solution, but that's not her style; she loves to have side dishes with her noodles. Ivanov, on the other hand, has developed a fondness for roasted meat.

While eating noodles, everyone listened intently to what the people in the restaurant were saying.

Someone jokingly asked an acquaintance they ran into, "Hey, got paid today? Not eating Zhajiangmian anymore?"

"Don't even mention it," an acquaintance complained. "What kind of money are they going to give us? We're lucky if they can even pay our wages."

The person speaking shook his head: "Oh dear, your ribbon factory is doing very well. In previous years, I saw the department store watching your workshop's production closely, and the profits were incredibly good."

"You're talking about the past." The acquaintance shook his head. "It's not like that now. Southerners are too cunning; no one can outsmart them. Anyway, let's eat noodles."

Yang Tao glanced at the boss, who casually sipped his chicken soup.

I must say, even in the dead of winter, eating noodles with chicken soup is not bad.

The restaurant may be small, but its food is delicious.

The worker eating noodles frowned slightly when he saw Ivanov and the others.

It's not uncommon to see foreigners in Beijing; the city is practically the headquarters for Russian traders in northern China.

But precisely because of this, the workers started to have their own ideas, wondering if they could earn some extra money.

Previously, the factory had sales representatives, and sales were the responsibility of the sales representatives. But after the factory's business declined, the factory manager mobilized all employees to find ways to secure orders.

The worker saw the Russian and, with a "what the heck" attitude, quickly finished a bowl of noodles with plenty of toppings. Wiping his mouth, he came over and struck up a conversation: "Hey, comrade, are you here to buy something?"

Well, he doesn't speak Russian.

Oh, it's alright. There are Chinese people sitting at this table too; they're probably translators.

This boss has quite the airs, and he does a lot of translation work.

Wang Xiao nodded with a smile: "Yes, we're here to buy things."

The worker immediately perked up: "Then I'll take you to our factory. We produce a lot of good products, which are supplied to large department stores. The quality is excellent."

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded again: "Okay, then please wait a moment."

The workers found it strange.

Why didn't this translator even ask her Russian employer what he thought? Sigh, I've heard these translators can actually make decisions for their bosses; it seems that's true.

Wang Xiao finished his noodles, and Ivanov also put down his chopsticks.

He's become increasingly skilled with chopsticks, and he's full of confidence. If the Spring Festival Gala this year includes a game where he uses chopsticks to carry ping-pong balls, he's fully capable of competing and winning an award.

Seeing that their boss had finished eating, the assistants quickly drank the last sip of soup, as they couldn't very well finish eating before him.

Everyone wiped their mouths, put their coats back on, and left the small restaurant.

Not far from the entrance, a reporter was interviewing a passerby, asking him for his opinion on private cars.

The elderly man being interviewed replied without hesitation: "Those are capitalist things. We ordinary people in a socialist country don't want that kind of luxury. Private individuals shouldn't own cars; private cars are wrong!"

The worker at the ribbon factory was quite the smooth talker, blurting out, "Such nice words! If he had the money to buy a car, he definitely wouldn't say that. He's poor, so what? He's just too proud to admit it."

Fortunately, he didn't speak loudly, otherwise Wang Xiao was really worried that his grandpa would show him what it meant to be "your grandpa is still your grandpa".

She smiled, put on her mask, and walked forward with her head down.

The reporter noticed them and wanted to come over for an interview, but stopped when his gaze fell on Ivanov and the others.

Clearly, they were also afraid of getting into trouble by interviewing foreigners.

Wang Xiao first thought the interview was a bit absurd, but then he thought, no matter how many leaders in China treat official vehicles as their own private cars and even have drivers, in reality, private individuals are not allowed to own cars at present.

It feels quite subtle.

Alas, the failure of China's oil-powered vehicles is truly a disservice to such a favorable market environment and policy support.

They followed the workers all the way into the gate of the ribbon factory.

It was lunchtime, and some workers were going to the canteen for lunch while others came out for some fresh air. Seeing their colleague with a group of Russians, many cast curious glances their way.

When they heard that their colleague had brought a Russian to their factory to look at goods, some people showed joy, while others looked annoyed, wondering why they hadn't thought of buying things from the Russian.

I heard that the Russians are very generous; they don't haggle and they pick up the goods very quickly.

"I'll take you to the factory manager." The workers didn't care whether their colleagues were envious or jealous; if they were so capable, they would go and solicit customers themselves.

He shouted to his colleagues, "Do you see where the factory manager is?"

Someone replied to him, "He went back to the office, but there are clients there."

The workers were worried that the factory manager would give the Russians the best price, while they would give the Russians the same price, which would mean they would lose money.

Wang Xiao seemed to sense his worry and smiled, "No rush, why don't you show us around the workshop first?"

The workers were overjoyed: "Great, great, our factory is very large. Look, these are all workshops. This is the weaving workshop, this is the shuttle weaving workshop, this is the cutting workshop, and this is the warping workshop."

Wang Xiao asked him with a smile, "Are you a parking attendant or a security guard?"

The worker exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! You really know your stuff. I'm a security guard."

The so-called "security guard" is actually a maintenance worker.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "I know a little. I also grew up in a factory. When we were kids, we made our own roller skates by running to the factory to find these long ropes."

The worker slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Wow! I used to play like that when I was a kid. Where in Beijing are you from? Your Mandarin is so standard!"

Wang Xiao smiled and shook his head: "No, I'm from out of town. Hey, could you bring some samples from your factory for us to see?"

The worker slapped his forehead, embarrassed, and said, "Look at me, I completely forgot the key point. There it is—"

He looked around again, asking, "Sister Li, where are our factory's samples?"

Without hesitation, Sister Li replied, "Where else could it be? The supply and marketing department, of course."

However, the door to the supply and marketing department was locked, and no one knew where the person had gone.

Seriously, when it really matters, they all fail miserably.

Sister Li enthusiastically offered advice: "Xiao Zhou, why don't you take the customer to the factory manager's office? They have samples there too. Oh dear, you're such a simpleton, you should have just taken him directly to the store."

The worker said hurriedly, "It's not that I didn't think of that."

Wang Xiao comforted him, "It's alright. It's a good opportunity for us to check on the factory's production situation so we'll have a better understanding. Is this the factory manager's office? Take us there. We'll be fine later."

The worker then responded with "oh, oh" and led the way.

As soon as they climbed the stairs, an angry roar came from inside: "We've been customers for so many years, buying so much from your factory! And now you're getting worse and worse at ripping us off! Is this strap even usable? It could kill someone!"

Wang Xiao craned his neck to look and saw a soldier in a colonel's uniform standing by the window. His imposing presence truly seemed capable of uprooting the entire office.

She turned around and whispered to the worker, "Is the quality of the goods from your factory not good?"

The worker was taken aback: "No, no, our factory is known for its high-quality products, it must be a misunderstanding."

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Back to work, sigh.