The next day at work, as soon as Director Gao entered his office, he called the Ministry of Metallurgy.
"Hello! Is this Vice Minister Bai? This is Gao Guoshun. I have some good news to tell you."
"Really? More good news! Is there new progress on the machine repair issue?"
Vice Minister Bai's voice came from the other end of the phone; he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Hehe! A leader is a leader indeed. You guessed it before I even said anything. That's right, yesterday afternoon, that technician Sun from our Ministry of Metallurgy personally took charge and fixed another one. That's why I say the leader has good taste!"
Director Gao was beating around the bush, but what he really wanted to know was whether Sun Zhengguo had actually joined the Ministry of Metallurgy.
"Haha! Director Gao, you're up to no good! Are you trying to take advantage of someone again? Let me tell you, no way! Forget about it!"
The two talked for about ten minutes, and Director Gao finally gave up and stopped thinking about it altogether.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister Bai, sitting in his office at the Ministry of Metallurgy, was also thinking about some things.
"Knock knock knock!"
The knocking at the door interrupted Vice Minister Bai's train of thought, and he instinctively called out, "Come in."
After receiving permission, a young man wearing glasses walked in through the door and then gently closed it again.
"Boss, you wanted to see me."
"Secretary Hu, what's the progress on the matter of Sun Zhengguo that I asked you to handle last time?"
It turned out that the young man wearing glasses was none other than Vice Minister Bai's secretary—Secretary Hu.
"Sir, I have communicated with the school, and Professor Wu has also made arrangements. We are just waiting for Sun Zhengguo to receive his graduation certificate as soon as the semester starts so that he can be officially assigned here."
"Um!"
"Keep a close eye on things, don't let someone else snatch it away. Also, the level 12 technician we ordered last time, change it to level 11 technician."
"Okay! I'll go to the HR department to make the arrangements right away."
Upon receiving the instructions, Secretary Hu turned to leave.
"etc!"
"Let's just go straight to Level 10 Technician! As for the engineer? We'll let him take the exam himself after he joins the department!"
Even Secretary Hu was a little unsettled. Vice Minister Bai usually doesn't easily change his mind once he's made a decision. What's going on today?
"Are you a little surprised? This isn't like me."
What could Secretary Hu say? He could only nod.
"It's all Gao Guoshun's fault. He set the bar so high, promising him the position of section chief. What if we don't give him something in return, and he doesn't come?"
Secretary Hu then realized that there were so many stories behind this, no wonder Vice Minister Bai changed his decision twice.
"Boss, you have such great vision. This is what it means to recruit talent without being bound by convention."
"Hahaha!"
Vice Minister Bai was very pleased with Secretary Hu's flattery and burst into laughter.
Sun Zhengguo was unaware that it was because of Director Gao's interference that he was promoted two ranks, and now his salary was almost the same as that of the deputy section chief.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care. Did Sun Zhengguo lack that little bit of money?
As a self-proclaimed "cheater," all he wants to say is, "I'm not interested in money; I never carry money in my pocket."
Three days later at noon, in the small canteen of the First Steel Rolling Mill, it was the same group of people again, but this time when drinking, everyone was very casual, and no one tried to outdrink each other.
Through the past few days of investigation, Professor Wu has thoroughly examined all the machines in the factory, including some blueprints, which he has also made backups of.
Sun Zhengguo and Chen Lianshan also achieved remarkable results. Not only did they complete the blueprints, but Sun Zhengguo also repaired six of the seven broken-down machines in the factory.
The machine that couldn't be repaired was from the War of Resistance against Japan and was not worth repairing. After discussing it with the factory, we simply gave up on it.
Tomorrow, Professor Wu and his group will be heading to the Second Steel Rolling Mill, so today's meal is aptly named—a farewell dinner.
"Professor Wu, thank you so much for your strong support this time. The addition of six machines has greatly increased our factory's profits. Let me toast everyone again."
Factory Director Gao raised his glass and expressed his sincere gratitude.
"Director Gao, you're too kind. We're all contributing to the country. I suggest we toast together!"
Since everyone wanted to give Professor Wu face, they all finished their drinks together.
After finishing the glass of wine, Director Gao suddenly remembered something else.
"Technician Sun, there's another good thing I forgot to tell you?"
Sun Zhengguo, who was eating, immediately stopped eating when he heard about his situation and looked at Director Gao with a puzzled expression.
"This morning, Vice Minister Bai called and asked me to inform you that you should report to the Ministry of Metallurgy immediately after graduation. Your entry level has been readjusted and you have been designated as a Level 10 Technician."
Factory Director Gao didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly told Sun Zhengguo the good news.
Chen Lianshan, who was standing to the side, was stunned. He had been working for many years and was only earning a level 12 technical employee salary, while Sun Zhengguo had earned a level 10 technical employee salary as soon as he joined the company. It was really incomparable.
Professor Wu remained calm, saying that with his students' abilities, they would be sought after anywhere, and such a salary did not reflect their value.
"Why is this? It was supposed to be level 12, why was it suddenly changed to level 10?"
Sun Zhengguo asked in confusion.
"You should thank me for this! Remember when I promised you the position of section chief? Vice Minister Bai was afraid you'd leave! So he had no choice but to change your technician level, also to retain talent."
Sun Zhengguo hadn't expected that this was the reason. To thank Director Gao, he immediately toasted him a few times.
Enraged, Factory Director Gao exclaimed, "You repay kindness with enmity!"
After lunch, before parting, Director Gao did not forget his promise and gave each of them a kickback.
"Professor Wu, this is a small token of our appreciation from our factory. Please accept it. This is also a reward from the Ministry of Metallurgy, which has entrusted us to pass on. Please accept this as well."
None of them stood on ceremony; it was all their hard-earned money, and they accepted it without hesitation.
Sun Zhengguo and Professor Wu were a little better, as they both regarded money as dirt, while Chen Lianshan, standing to the side, was already grinning from ear to ear.
You know, a few days ago, after the first machine was repaired, the factory rewarded me with 100 yuan and some vouchers. This time, I'm getting double the reward. You can imagine that the reward must be substantial.
On the way back, Sun Zhengguo followed Professor Wu, preparing to ride towards Tsinghua University.
"Zhengguo, you don't need to go to school today. Everyone has been working for several days, so go back and rest early. Consider it a half-day off. We'll meet at the entrance of the Second Steel Rolling Mill tomorrow morning."
"Alright! Mr. Wu, you two take care, I'll go home first."
After greeting Professor Wu, Sun Zhengguo, in a good mood, immediately turned the car around and drove towards the courtyard house.
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