Chapter 40: Drawing a Big Pie in the Sky
Xia Pengfei answered Yan Ruyi's questions.
Xia Pengfei kept everyone in suspense for a moment, saying, "I heard this from a rumor, so I can't guarantee it's true, but I feel it's probably pretty close to the truth."
Yan Ruyi urged him to speak quickly, and Xia Pengfei said mysteriously, "I heard that the municipal government intends to restore the auction house. This matter may fall to our cultural relics bureau. That guy surnamed Yang smelled the scent and came here. I heard that his family is one of the richest in Hong Kong. I guess he also wants to get involved."
Yan Ruyi exclaimed in surprise, "Our Cultural Relics Bureau is going to be turned into an auction house?"
"No, they'll probably set aside a department specifically for this."
Xiao Yan's news quickly became the talk of the town.
Xia Pengfei and Yan Ruyi got together for another little meeting. Xia Pengfei said smugly, "See? I told you I was right. My information network is still pretty good."
Yan Ruyi said, "I wonder who will be put in charge of this task."
You definitely need to find someone who knows what they're doing.
Xia Pengfei analyzed the situation with her one by one, "First, we can rule out Professor Jiang. Professor Jiang only cares about academic research and has no interest in this. Professor Qian is also unlikely. Professor Qian is like a hermit and looks down on such mundane matters. Professor Fu and Director Xu are both getting old and will retire in a few more years. They probably won't want to get involved in new things. Professor Zhao, well, he definitely won't take on something that doesn't seem to offer any benefits at first glance. Director Liu is suitable, but he might not have that much energy."
After counting them all, I felt that none of them were suitable.
He suddenly had a thought, "Xiao Yan, do you think it might be that you're asked to set up an auction house?"
Yan Ruyi and he complimented each other, saying, "I think it could be you too."
Xia Pengfei waved his hand, "I can't, I don't have the ability. If you really have to manage it, I'll work with you and be your assistant."
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He counted Yan Ruyi's strengths on his fingers, "You have a good education, strong professional skills, you've worked as an announcer, been featured in newspapers, and successfully organized a lecture on cultural relics. You're already a familiar face to the city leaders. If I had to choose someone to prepare for an auction house, I would definitely choose you..."
Zhao Dongsheng, Qian Yingjing, and Fu Chunlei came in together and happened to hear Xia Pengfei's last few sentences.
Zhao Dongsheng scoffed and continued, "For such an important job, you definitely need someone with rich experience and qualifications to keep people in check. People look at your ability, not how pretty you are. If you don't have the ability, even if you are forced into the position, you'll be a hopeless case."
Qian Yingjing, not one to tolerate Zhao Dongsheng, routinely retorted, "Old Zhao, you can't speak too soon. I might as well reveal a little insider information: the bureau is indeed considering having Xiao Yan take on this responsibility."
Since Qian Yingjing has leaked this information, it's practically a done deal.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have told anyone.
The news that Qian Yingjing already knew, Jiang Dongming would have known even earlier than Qian Yingjing.
When Qian Yingjing said this, Fu Chunlei wasn't surprised at all; he probably had already heard rumors about it.
Of the five senior members at the appraisal center, only he hadn't heard a single word from them.
With so many people at the testing center, they singled him out.
Zhao Dongsheng was so angry he almost fainted.
Qian Yingjing was not just talking nonsense; the bureau did indeed want Yan Ruyi to be in charge of the establishment of the auction house.
Director Liu quickly spoke with her to solicit her opinion.
Jiang Dongming and Xu Licheng were also there.
Compared to the time she was asked to organize a science lecture, she was less flustered and even narcissistically praised herself, saying, "The leader trusts me so much, it seems I really am outstanding."
After praising himself in his heart, he told Director Liu and the others, "I've never done this before, and I don't know where to start."
She wasn't even very clear about what auction houses actually did.
Director Liu, “You’ve never been an announcer before, but you did a great job. And the cultural relics lectures, you spearheaded those as well, and they were very successful. The city even gave you a special commendation. Your work experience is something you accumulate little by little. The bureau trusts your abilities, so just go for it. If you encounter any difficulties, just let us know. From the city leaders to every employee of our cultural relics bureau, we will all cooperate fully.”
Xu Licheng, “You were highly recommended by Mr. Yang Siyuan, who said he wanted to cooperate with you.”
Yan Ruyi, "..."
When she got home, she put away the little notebook with Yang Siyuan's name on it and stopped reading it.
However, I will still accept any work assigned by the organization.
The appointment notice came down quickly, and Yan Ruyi was temporarily appointed as the deputy director of the auction house's preparatory office.
The official director is Director Liu, but he's just a figurehead.
Although Yan Ruyi has an impressive academic background, she has also performed her assigned tasks very well since joining the Cultural Relics Bureau.
However, she has little work experience, and anyone randomly selected from the cultural relics bureau is more senior than her.
She wasn't worried about not being able to control her subordinates; Director Liu was just a figurehead, but in reality, he was there to back her up.
She still does the actual work.
Yan Ruyi, having just become a leader for the first time, couldn't help but gloat when she got home with her appointment notice.
Li Yan: "Ruyi, now that you're an official, how many people are under your command?"
Yan Ruyi replied truthfully, "I'm the only one right now."
Li Yan said, "Commander Guangbiao, are you hiring? If you are, how about you recruit me? We're family, you'd definitely trust me more than anyone else."
Yan Ruyi wasn't sure if they were hiring.
Director Liu told her that some staff would be transferred from the bureau to the site initially.
Even if she were to hire someone, she wouldn't hire her second sister-in-law; she's not hiring an ancestor.
He pointed to the appointment letter and said to Li Yan, "Second sister-in-law, did you see this? I'm only acting temporarily. If there's a more suitable candidate, I'll quit."
Li Yan thought about it and realized that the risk was a bit too high.
If Yan Ruyi quits, she probably won't be able to stay either.
At that time, she will also lose her job at the factory run by the neighborhood committee, and she will not be able to please either side.
He said awkwardly, "Then forget it."
Fang Caiyun thought differently from Li Yan, "Once the auction house is built, they won't let you manage it anymore. Wouldn't all your previous efforts have been for nothing?"
Although Yan Guoqiang had never been a leader, he was more experienced than them. "It is called a temporary appointment, but it is actually a probationary period to see if you can do the job. If you can do the job, you will be promoted to a permanent position. As long as you don't make any big mistakes, you won't be removed from your position."
Yan Ruyi had only just learned what "temporary" meant.
When she saw the appointment letter, she even thought of asking Director Liu about it.
I was too embarrassed to ask later.
It turns out that the change of personnel wasn't because there was a more suitable candidate.
Yan Ruyi flattered her father at the opportune moment, saying, "Dad, you know so much."
Comrade Lao Yan was very pleased and decided to teach his daughter more about how to be an official.
Yan Mingtao undermined him, saying, "Dad, you've never been a leader."
Yan Guoqiang retorted, "Even if I've never eaten pork, I've still seen pigs run. Daughter, if you don't understand something, just ask me."
Although he had never been a leader, he had seen many leaders. He knew exactly which leaders were good and which were bad, and why they were good and bad.
It's definitely enough to teach my daughter.
Ye Hongzhen, "Asking you is not as good as asking..."
She thought she should ask Commander Song instead of him. After all, he was an officer, and officers are officials too. He knew more than a seventh-grade fitter like him.
On second thought, even though the truth had already been revealed, since her daughter hadn't made it public, she should pretend she didn't know.
So she changed her mind halfway through her sentence, "Instead of asking you, you should ask the ancestors of the Yan family what kind of smoke is coming out of the Yan family's ancestral graves this time."
Comrade Yan said solemnly, "It's like Kui Xing descending to earth."
Comrade Yan Ruyi, who was certified by her own father as the reincarnation of the God of Literature, felt that she had to work harder and try to get rid of the title of "temporary" as soon as possible.
When it was first placed on her head, she was a little confused and didn't know where to start.
Once you calm down, you won't feel so lost anymore.
She needs to figure out what auction houses actually do first.
She first heard the word "auction house" from He Zaixian.
He Zaixian only mentioned it briefly and didn't go into details with her.
She couldn't find anyone to ask, so if she wanted to learn more about this topic, she could only read books.
She told Jiang Dongming and headed straight for the bookstore.
But after searching around, I couldn't find any books on this subject.
So I went to the city library again and managed to borrow two books: one was "The History of Auction Houses" and the other was "The World of Auctions".
After two sleepless nights, I finished reading both books and finally started to get a grasp of the concepts.
Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed similar to holding a lecture on cultural relics. It's just a matter of the same few things: venue, people, and money.
The venue is the auction house's registered address. The city has already allocated the land, and construction can begin at any time as long as the Yang Group's funds are in place.
The auctioneer was also handled by the Yang Group and was hired from Hong Kong.
Antique appraisers are often staffed by personnel from the appraisal center.
As for the money, that's even easier to say. The Yang Group will take care of everything. The Yang Group is financially strong, so there's no need to worry about the money not being in place.
The most pressing issue she needs to consider right now is where to work.
Before the auction house building is built, there needs to be at least a place for office space.
The establishment of the auction house was spearheaded by the city government, with the Cultural Relics Bureau in charge of the preparatory work. The preliminary work was handled by the Cultural Relics Bureau, specifically by Yan Ruyi, while the Yang Group mainly provided the funding.
The Yang Group paid for the construction of the auction house building; as for the initial expenses, they would have to figure out how to solve them themselves.
The city government only takes the lead and approves the land, but doesn't allocate funds.
Director Liu, with his meager budget, managed to approve 200 yuan for Yan Ruyi.
In recent years, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has focused on the excavation and protection of cultural relics, which are all very expensive projects. The amount of money allocated by the government is simply not enough, and the expenditure is always insufficient.
Unlike other organizations, they don't have any additional revenue streams, and their slush funds are always full.
Although their warehouse is filled with priceless treasures, their bureau's slush fund is cleaner than their bureau chief's face.
The bureau chief approved this 200 yuan, but who knows where we'll have to find the money to cover it in the future?
Director Liu painted a rosy picture for her: "Initially, the funds are indeed a bit tight, but you can overcome that. Once the auction house is officially completed, everything will be fine. The Yang Group alone has invested 100,000 yuan. The auction house building is initially planned to be six stories high. Even if you change offices every day, it will still take you almost two months to complete the rotation."
I can make empty promises, but I have no money to offer.
Yan Ruyi had no experience either. 200 yuan was a small amount, but she didn't really know how big the shortfall was.
Song Yiping explained to her, "Office space is essential. The Cultural Relics Bureau can't provide it, so we have to rent it from outside. You're just using it temporarily, as a transitional place. It doesn't need to be too big; 50 square meters should be enough. According to the current market, the rent for 50 square meters in the Yanjiang Road area is about 15 yuan per month. Including water and electricity, as well as other miscellaneous expenses, it will cost about 18 yuan per month."
Yan Ruyi took out a small notebook and lay on the table to calculate: 18 yuan a month, plus 200 yuan approved by Director Liu, that's enough to last a year. In a year, the auction house building will definitely be built.
Then they will be able to move to the new office.
The premise is that no tables and chairs need to be purchased, no telephone needs to be installed, and there are no other expenses...
But a telephone is essential.
She had previously considered installing a telephone at home and even went to the post office to inquire about the rates.
If it's a private installation, the initial installation fee is 5,000 yuan, and that's assuming there's a power line nearby. If there isn't one, the initial installation fee will be even more expensive.
If it's a business phone installation, the price is cheaper, but a single number still costs 2000 yuan.
The 200 yuan that the bureau chief approved for her was probably only enough to buy a telephone.
Yan Ruyi deeply understood what it meant to be strapped for cash. She slumped onto the sofa and sighed, "Even a clever cook can't cook without rice."
Song Yiping patted her head and pulled her up, "Let's go and see for ourselves. Maybe we can find a solution."
I drove her to the riverside road.
The reason for choosing Yanjiang Road as the office location is that it has been decided that the future auction house building will be built on Yanjiang Road, and the land has already been approved.
Yanjiang Road is not in the main urban area, but a bit southeast. The two most famous companies on this road are the First Construction Company and the Second Construction Company.
That is, the First Labor Construction Company and the Second Labor Construction Company.
The auction house building is located closer to the First Construction Company.
Yan Ruyi pointed to several bungalows outside the First Construction Company building and asked Song Yiping, "Are these houses also belonging to the First Construction Company?"
Song Yiping consciously pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Let's go ask."
The row of bungalows outside the No. 1 Construction Company is right by the roadside, and directly across the road is the site of the auction house building.
Because it is still in the planning stage, only the location has been selected, but construction has not yet started.
Yan Ruyi immediately took a liking to these houses. They were close to the site, and she could see the construction progress across the street from inside the house.
Moreover, there is a bus stop just 200 meters away, making it convenient to take the bus when going out to run errands.
I just don't know how much it costs to rent a room, and whether the construction engineer class allows credit.
It would be best if the construction company was willing to pay on credit, and then pay the outstanding rent once the money from the Yang Group arrives.
A dark-skinned, rugged-looking middle-aged man emerged from the main gate.
The man noticed that Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping were circling around those few bungalows, and Yan Ruyi was even pointing and saying, "This one is the best, I like this one."
He walked over, looked the two of them up and down, and asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"
Song Yiping shook hands with the man. "Comrade, hello, I am Song Yiping, and this is my girlfriend, Yan Ruyi."
The man said, "Hello, my name is Cao Shengde, and I'm a first-level construction engineer."
After shaking hands, Song Yiping took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to the middle-aged man.
Although Zhonghua cigarettes are not as scarce as they were in the 1960s and 70s, they are still not available to ordinary families, and even if they could buy them, they would not be willing to spend the money.
The man's eyes lit up. He took the cigarette, smelled it, but didn't want to smoke it, so he tucked it behind his ear.
Yan Ruyi, "..."
Why does Commander Song always carry cigarettes with him? Does he like to smoke?
I'll review it when I decide to go back.
Right now, we should focus on important matters.
A cigarette instantly shortened the distance between them. Cao Shengde said, "I've seen you two loitering around these houses. Are you looking to rent one?"
Yan Ruyi directly explained her purpose to him.
Cao Shengde excitedly grasped Yan Ruyi's hand. "So you're Comrade Yan Ruyi, who's in charge of setting up the auction house. I was wondering why the name sounded so familiar. Comrade Yan, Comrade Song, if you don't mind, let's go to the office for a cup of tea."
Judging from the man's tone, he must be a leader of the First Construction Company. Yan Ruyi had a feeling that there was a chance of getting the rent payment on credit, so she and Song Yiping followed Cao Shengde to his office.
Cao Shengde invited the two to sit down and poured them water.
Cao Shengde: "This morning, the company leaders were still talking about this matter, wanting to see you to see if there was anything we could do to help. I didn't expect you to come in person... You can choose any of those rooms outside. The ones you were looking at earlier used to be where our company's Women's Committee worked. Later, the Women's Committee moved to the newly built building, and those rooms became vacant. The telephones haven't been moved either. If you want to use them, you can choose any room. We don't even need to install new telephones. You can just use them. We won't charge you a penny for the telephones, water, electricity, or rent. If you're not comfortable with that, we can sign an agreement."
You can tell from her voice that she's someone who can take charge.
However, Yan Ruyi did not believe that Cao Shengde would give her the house and telephone for free just because of a cigarette from Song Yiping.
He directly asked Cao Shengde, "Does the First Construction Company want to take on the auction house building project?"
When Cao Shengde first learned that Yan Ruyi was the person in charge of the project, he looked down on her a little, especially since she came with Song Yiping.
Song Yiping was a military officer, and he thought that Yan Ruyi only got to her position because of Song Yiping's connections, and that she might just be a pretty face with no substance.
At this moment, Yan Ruyi saw through his thoughts, and his impression of Yan Ruyi changed drastically.
He stopped beating around the bush with Yan Ruyi and said directly, "To be honest, Comrade Yan, both our first-level and second-level construction engineers are vying for this project. In terms of qualifications, our first-level engineers are far superior to the second-level engineers. We have won more awards than them. We have won every award imaginable, including the Engineering Quality Award, the Technological Innovation Award, and the Architectural Design Award."
Cao Shengde simply led Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping to the exhibition hall so that they could see for themselves.
Cao Shengde said with great pride, "Look, these are all the awards we've won over the years."
The showroom is full of trophies of all sizes.
Not only are there certificates and trophies, but also photos with leaders.
Yan Ruyi looked at the photos and saw that there were not only photos with city leaders, but also photos with provincial leaders.
Cao Shengde didn't forget to take the opportunity to put down the Second Construction Engineers, saying, "Any one of these trophies is a top-notch one. What the Second Construction Engineers have is just a few that we don't even want, following behind us."
The first-level and second-level construction engineers are notoriously at odds. Neither of the two construction companies is willing to concede to the other, and when it comes to big projects, they go all out to compete, each trying to get the project to their own.
For example, when building the auction house building, the Second Construction Company tried to get in touch with higher-ups and secure the project through city leaders.
Unlike them, Yi Jian not only worked hard at the top, but also tried to find another way to connect with the Yang Group and the Cultural Relics Bureau.
After all, the building was funded by the Yang Group, and he said he wanted to use the First Construction Company, and the city leaders would give him that face.
The Cultural Relics Bureau was the one who initiated this project, so its words carry weight.
Yang Siyuan is in charge of the Yang Group. He is currently traveling between mainland China and Hong Kong, so it is difficult to see him at the First Construction Company.
That's why Cao Shengde spared no effort in promoting his company when he met Yan Ruyi, the person in charge of the project today. He also wanted Yan Ruyi to help him make a connection and let them meet Mr. Yang from Gangcheng.
Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping only realized at this moment that Cao Shengde was the general manager of the First Construction Company.
He's definitely someone whose words carry weight.
Yan Ruyi had an idea in mind and said to Cao Shengde, "I have a plan, Manager Cao, please listen to it and see if it's feasible."
Cao Shengde: "Comrade Yan, please speak."
“We’ll rent that room outside temporarily as an office. The rent here on Yanjiang Road is 15 yuan a month. Water, electricity, and telephone will cost you 18 yuan a month. The lease term is tentatively set for one year. After one year, the rent will be paid in full.”
As for Mr. Yang, I can help you make a connection when he comes next time, but I can't guarantee that you'll definitely win the project.
Cao Shengde: "We know that. Whether we can win this project depends on our strength. We thank Comrade Yan for providing us with this opportunity to demonstrate our strength... We don't need to pay for the rooms. These rooms are just sitting empty anyway."
Yan Ruyi insisted on giving it, so Cao Shengde had no choice but to agree.
Fearing that Yan Ruyi might change her mind, Cao Shengde insisted on having her sign a house rental agreement on the spot, affixing the company seal of the First Construction Company.
Yan Ruyi didn't bring the official seal, but he waved his hand generously, "Take the agreement first, and once it's stamped, give me a call and I'll have someone pick it up."
Cao Shengde invited Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping to dinner, but Yan Ruyi declined.
He saw the two of them off, watched them get into the car, and drove quite a distance before returning home.
Yan Ruyi couldn't wait to ask Song Yiping, "How did I do just now?"
Song Yiping smiled and said, "Comrade Xiao Yan has impressed me today."
He was an outsider; he could only help her with preliminary research, but the final decision rested with Yan Ruyi.
He felt that Yan Ruyi handled the situation very well, with a good balance between tension and relaxation, which exceeded his expectations.
His partner's excellence has increasingly exceeded his expectations.
I rented a satisfactory office without spending a penny.
Although you don't have to pay for it temporarily, you still have to pay the full rent after a year.
However, it did alleviate her current financial pressure.
Yan Ruyi was secretly pleased, but said modestly, "Oh, it's not that I'm particularly capable. It's just that we each got what we needed. I wanted to rent an office without spending money, and he wanted a chance to meet Yang Siyuan. It just so happened that we met. I was just the matchmaker."
As for whether Yang Siyuan chooses the first-level or second-level construction engineer exam, that's Yang Siyuan's business.
Anyway, the two construction companies are about the same level, so it doesn't matter which one builds it.
Song Yiping was taken aback. "Which Yang Siyuan?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
