Gu Shi simply looked at the report without saying a word. The master craftsmen who fired bricks in the brick kiln were all brought over from Yamanashi Prefecture by him.
He ran a steel plant in Yamanashi Prefecture, and he knew that several of the workers there were also skilled brick makers.
When he arrived in Xinshi City, he didn't forget to bring his fellow apprentices with him.
Therefore, he was unwilling to doubt these people and preferred to believe that there was a problem with his own materials.
"How about you investigate the people in the factory yourself? Do it discreetly, they won't know. If there's a real problem, would you dare let them make bricks for you again?"
These words seemed to awaken Gu Shi, and he finally made up his mind about where to start.
"Thank you so much, Brother Zhang. These are all top-quality Da Hong Pao teas. I don't really have anything to thank you for!"
Gu Shi was in a bit of a predicament. Zhang Ge and he were comrades-in-arms who enlisted together back then, but after they were discharged from the army, they went down different paths.
Seeing his expression, Brother Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Hey, it's nothing. I'll help you if I can. We're all brothers!"
In the end, Brother Zhang left behind the bag of tea leaves, watched Gu Shi struggle to ride away on his bicycle, and sighed softly.
Gu Shi rode his bike for another hour before finally returning to the brick factory.
The brick factory has built dormitories for its employees, who usually live there because they need to oversee the brick-making process day and night.
For convenience, Gu Shi specially built the dormitory, instead of just haphazardly setting up two dilapidated wooden huts like other factories.
He had just parked his bicycle when the security guard at the gate rushed over in a hurry.
"Boss, several people came by earlier. They said they were looking for you. They looked like some kind of boss, and they're sitting in the reception room right now!"
The security guard was a clever young man; he wasn't the type to refuse entry no matter what.
Gu Shi frowned and said in a low voice, "Have you seen those people? Who was inside entertaining them?"
"Never seen him before, but he looks like a rich man. Little Zhang is inside!"
Gu Shi felt something was off, so he quickly walked over.
Upon entering the reception room, one could see a middle-aged man talking to Xiao Zhang, with an old lady and a young girl sitting beside him.
The old lady looked familiar, and Gu Shi walked in before he could see her face clearly.
"Hey, isn't this Gu Shi? How's business at the restaurant lately?"
The old lady was the same old lady who sold him the small restaurant back then, and she looked exactly the same as before.
"Madam Bai, the restaurant is doing quite well, what brings you here..."
Grandma Bai looked at Gu Shi with a kind expression. The man who was talking next to her also turned around to look at him. Gu Shi didn't notice that the girl next to Grandma Bai was also staring at him intently.
The man stood up and extended his hand in a friendly manner.
"Hello, I am Bai Jianguo, the head of the brandy company!"
Gu Shi shook hands with him and politely asked, "Hello, I am Gu Shi, the person in charge of the brick factory. I've heard so much about you!"
Brandy is one of the largest companies in New Stone City, with a wide range of businesses involved in virtually every industry.
He never expected that the old lady Bai was actually from the Bai family.
"You look quite strong, young man! You must exercise regularly!"
"Mr. Bai, you flatter me. What brings you here today is..."
Although Gu Shi had a guess in his mind, he really couldn't understand how such a good thing could fall from the sky and hit him on the head.
"Hahaha! Young man, don't be in such a hurry! I just came here today to take a look. I heard you bought my mother's old house before, so I wanted to come and see it!"
Bai Jianguo laughed it off, but it seemed his purpose wasn't entirely pure; there were probably other issues involved.
Gu Shi then continued, "When my wife and I first arrived here, we didn't understand these things and rashly bought the old lady's house. If you..."
"Hey! Xiao Gu, don't be so nervous! I've been to that restaurant, it's pretty good, the taste isn't bad either, it's great, it's great!"
Seeing this, Bai Jianguo chuckled and said, "Young man, don't be so nervous. I just came to see you!"
Gu Shi seemed to sense the hidden meaning in his words and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Xiao Zhang quickly ran over to smooth things over.
The topic then turned to the brick factory again, and several people brought up the problems with the brick factory again, which were still big issues.
As he was talking, Bai Jianguo stopped. He looked at his daughter beside him, and then at Gu Shi.
Finally, he spoke, revealing the purpose of his visit.
"Xiao Gu, I think you're reliable. Such a big thing happened at the factory, and you were able to take responsibility on your own. I think you have a lot of potential!"
Gu Shi just smiled and didn't say anything, but he caught a glimpse of the girl next to him out of the corner of his eye.
She shyly covered her eyes, occasionally stealing glances at Gu Shi, unaware that Gu Shi had already seen her.
"Here's what we'll do! I think this place will definitely develop in the future, and I'm willing to give you some investment to help with the brick factory's operations, but..."
Bai Jianguo stopped speaking at the right moment, and he reached out and pulled his daughter out.
"This is my daughter, Bai Lili. She hasn't suffered much in the past few years. Why don't you take her with you and teach her?"
Gu Shi knew perfectly well that this wasn't about him teaching someone else's daughter at all.
Faced with this enormous temptation, Gu Shi firmly refused.
“Mr. Bai, I think you may have some misunderstanding about me. I don’t have much time to train new people; the factory has experienced master craftsmen…”
"Xiao Gu!"
The old lady interrupted him, clearly knowing what he was going to say, and her expression wasn't very good.
However, Gu Shi felt powerless. When he first bought the shop, his relationship with Lin Qingyu was blatantly obvious.
Why do some people keep taking on this challenge?
"Madam, my brick factory urgently needs this investment, but I really have no choice. I have never trained a new person before, let alone a young girl who has never experienced hardship!"
Although he did not explicitly refuse, his words had already made the expressions of the other four people present turn sour.
Bai Jianguo and the other two were angry, while Xiao Zhang was frightened.
He really couldn't understand how such a simple thing, something that could be done with just a little effort, could result in an investment from the largest company in Xinshi City. What a worthwhile deal!
Ignoring their expressions, Gu Shi continued, "Besides, I don't think Miss Bai needs to suffer. Suffering isn't a good thing."
"Miss Bai doesn't need to experience any of this. I believe the Bai family can ensure that Miss Bai never has to suffer in her life!"
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