Cheng Ran's mindset improved slightly, which gave Jiang Wanqing more energy to devote to her work.
The cooperation with Jiangnan was not finalized. To be on the safe side, she wanted to investigate the qualifications of several other alternative factories to see if there was one that could replace the cooperation.
Without hesitation, Jiang Wanqing began traveling around within two days, preparing to negotiate with both state-owned and private factories.
Beixin is a joint public-private machinery factory located outside of southern Xinjiang. It has a long history, but it has fallen behind in the past two years and has been overtaken by southern Xinjiang. She wants to visit this factory first.
Before she left, Cheng Ran handed her an envelope, and she nodded in confusion.
"What's this?"
"Knowing that you were going to Beixin, I did my best to help. A comrade-in-arms is friends with their leader, and this is the letter of introduction he wrote. With this, it's easier to get closer to them."
She had only mentioned it casually, never daring to expect any unexpected gain. She never imagined he would take it to heart. Jiang Wanqing lowered her head, pursed her lips, took the envelope, and put it in her bag.
She smiled, stood on tiptoe, hugged his neck, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, honey. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, drive carefully."
"good."
She waved to him and then turned to leave the courtyard. This time, there was no middleman like Du Ming to see her off, so she rented a car and had someone drive her to Beixin.
In fact, Beixin is located in a better place than southern Xinjiang. The journey is not as long, and the road is flat and open, with only short stretches of narrow paths.
The factory was a bit dilapidated and had a sense of age, but it was also quite large. The driver dropped her off at the large iron gate and then stopped the car.
"Comrade, I can't go in there. You can get off here."
Jiang Wanqing understood that private cars couldn't easily get in, so she paid the fare, thanked them, and got out of the car.
Looking up at the factory building with its rich history, Jiang Wanqing raised an eyebrow. The sound of old machines running could be heard from inside, rumbling and smoke billowing from the chimneys, obscuring the sky above.
No wonder this factory declined. Its equipment couldn't keep up, so it became inefficient and couldn't compete with others. The environmental pollution was also so serious. Even if it survived these few years, it would be difficult in the future. Reform and transformation are like cutting flesh with a sharp knife.
Jiang Wanqing walked towards the iron gate, when a crooked-looking security guard came out and blocked her way.
"Halt! Who are you? Have you reported to your superiors before you come in!"
Jiang Wanqing was somewhat displeased by the harsh tone, but considering that she was indeed an outsider, she held back for the time being.
"I'm looking for your manager. This is a letter of introduction."
She took the envelope out of her pocket, but the security guard didn't even look at it, and pushed it away impatiently.
"Go away, I can't read. How do I know if you're trying to fool me? You think you can just see the person in charge whenever you want?"
"Um... I'm here to discuss cooperation with him. You can refuse to let me in, but could you please inform your superior inside that it's up to them to decide whether or not to see me?"
"No! Get out of here! Who are you to order me around? What if you're a criminal? Wouldn't I be derelict in my duty?"
As she spoke, the security guard reluctantly pushed her out. Just then, a car drove up, honked its horn, and the security guard immediately stepped forward with a smile, opening the door and bowing and scraping.
"The leader is back! Welcome, welcome..."
"What a complete 180-degree turn of his face!" Jiang Wanqing rolled her eyes silently. Hearing him call the person in the car "leader," she had a sudden idea and immediately stepped forward to stop the car.
Taking advantage of the slow speed of the car as it entered the iron gate, she spread her arms to block it.
"Wait a moment!"
The driver immediately braked, startling the leader inside, who rolled down the window.
"What's going on?" This was the question asked the security guard.
"It's alright, it's alright, sir, please go in. She's just a scoundrel, I'll kick her out right now!"
The security guard scrambled to pull Jiang Wanqing away, but she was quite strong. She ran to the car window, handed the letter of introduction to the man called "leader," and then introduced herself.
"Hello, leader. My name is Jiang Wanqing. I'm from the Beijing area and I'd like to cooperate with your factory. Could you please give me a little time to chat with you? I'm sure you'll be interested in my plan."
The man frowned, opened the letter of introduction, read its contents, raised an eyebrow, and opened the car door.
"Come up here, let's talk in my office."
"Thanks!"
The security guard was dumbfounded. It really was a useful letter of introduction. He scratched his head, watched the car drive in, and scoffed.
Inside the car, Jiang Wanqing first extended her hand to the leader.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Wanqing."
The man nodded slightly, but did not shake her hand; he simply smiled.
"Yang Chang".
His name was Yang Chang, and Jiang Wanqing silently memorized it.
She got out of the car with him and went to his office. He was quite gentlemanly and invited her to sit down, then poured her some water.
"I heard that a few days ago, a business partner from southern Xinjiang was treated like an honored guest. Was that person... you?"
The other party was very direct, and Jiang Wanqing gave a forced smile and agreed.
"It should be me."
"Really? If it's you, someone who's treated like an honored guest in Jiangnan, why would you come here? Or are you a fraud? Jiangnan discovered you're incompetent after some investigation, so the cooperation fell through, and now you're trying to scam me?"
Jiang Wanqing couldn't help but chuckle at Yang Chang's wild imagination.
"It's not that complicated. We're still in the contact stage. When buying something, you compare prices from several vendors. What I have is naturally worth finding a suitable partner in all aspects. Jiangnan is indeed good, but... I want to investigate other options, including Beixin."
Jiang Wanqing didn't beat around the bush and stated her purpose. Yang Chang remained noncommittal. Just then, the landline on his desk rang.
He went over to answer the phone, and it turned out to be Du Heng calling. The two had studied together before and knew each other, but they ran different factories and rarely communicated on personal matters except for business. They were both trying their best to outdo each other.
"Hello?"
"Yang Chang! I'm asking you, is Comrade Jiang Wanqing with you? Let me tell you, don't even think about it. We in Jiangnan have already decided to cooperate with her, and the terms we're offering are absolutely beyond what you can match. I'm going to bring her over right now, so don't you dare do anything reckless!"
Yang Chang held the phone up to his eyes and frowned. He hadn't misheard; it was Du Heng's voice. It seemed that Jiang Wanqing was indeed quite capable, able to get his friend to write a letter of introduction and make Du Heng panic. He needed to see what made her so special.
"Hmph, that depends on whether you can catch up. Everyone wants capable people. How do you know I can't match the conditions you're offering?"
After saying that, he hung up the phone before Du Heng could reply. Then, when he looked at Jiang Wanqing, his smile became more sincere. He sat down in front of her and looked her in the eye.
"Comrade Jiang, may I ask how you would like to cooperate?"
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