Li Xuewu listened to Xu Damao's report and pondered for a long time. He was an ambitious man; if he hadn't known this news, it wouldn't have mattered, but knowing it and not wanting a share of the pie wasn't in his nature. He just hadn't expected Xu Damao to not only ask him to share the pie, but also to make it for himself—that was a bit of a challenge.
But thinking about it, making cakes isn't impossible. The establishment of a separate machine repair shop wasn't entirely unexpected. Currently, steel rolling mills are operating at full capacity, with various types of steel in short supply; production capacity is disproportionate to demand.
This resulted in the existing factory buildings and workshops being insufficient, and the leadership had already begun looking for solutions. However, no one expected Yang Zhenhua to start with the machine repair shop. Yang Zhenhua had been at the steel rolling mill for some time, but for a long period there hadn't been any major changes, leading many to believe he was just a pushover. Unexpectedly, Yang Zhenhua's personnel oversight began in the machine repair shop.
He knew a little about the auto repair shop Xu Damao mentioned. Xu Damao had been looking for other manufacturers to expand his business, and even had some minor conflicts with the security department. He knew about all of this, but didn't interfere.
The steel mill is doing a pretty good job in car repair, it's one of the best in the district and has a good reputation in the whole of Beijing, so it's not impossible for them to set up a car repair shop there.
But after the factory was established, who would be the factory director, deputy director, and how many section chiefs were needed? These were the key questions Li Xuewu was pondering. He didn't want the cake he had worked so hard to make to be taken away by someone else.
After a while, Li Xuewu stopped thinking.
"Da Mao, spend the next few days organizing this idea and putting it into a written report. The report should include the current situation, the necessity of its establishment, and future development. I'll contact the top leader, and if possible, I'll visit him," Li Xuewu said.
After Xu Damao left, Li Xuewu picked up the phone on the table and dialed. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he confirmed the accuracy of Xu Damao's information, and then he could begin his subsequent work.
"Director Fang, hello. Does the leader have time this week? I'm planning to report on my work." Li Xuewu made another call to the senior leader's secretary.
After a while, the other party replied that there would be 20 minutes available on Friday afternoon.
After returning home, Xu Damao began preparing the documents.
Fortunately, he had the experience of working with various documents from his later years, so these kinds of reports were a piece of cake for Xu Damao. If it were the original owner of this body with only a junior high school education, he probably wouldn't have been able to cobble together a single draft even after working for days and nights.
On Friday afternoon, Xu Damao drove Li Xuewu to the ministry.
Speaking of vehicles, this third sedan from the steel rolling mill, after being taken back by the transportation department, has now essentially become Li Xuewu's personal car. Of course, to avoid suspicion, the vehicle is usually kept in the transportation department, but anyone other than the deputy factory director can hardly use it. Position determines one's position, and Li Xuewu is the third-in-command and the direct supervisor of the logistics department.
Fortunately, the transportation department has managed to get a few sidecar motorcycles, which should be enough for the section chiefs and department heads if they need them urgently, so there haven't been any objections.
"Da Mao, the big boss is a bit short on time. Today's report will focus on you, so keep it brief, clear, and to the point."
"Besides, the top leader has a lot of say in this matter, so you need to perform well," Li Xuewu instructed in the car.
This is also a characteristic of Li Xuewu: he is powerful, but he also dares to use people and give his subordinates opportunities. For most leaders, this kind of opportunity to perform in front of a higher-up is something others can only dream of.
"Don't worry, I could recite this report with my eyes closed, especially with you here behind me," Xu Damao said.
"That's good. Let me tell you about the things to keep in mind when meeting with your boss."
After Li Xuewu finished speaking, he told Xu Damao some things to keep in mind, including tone of voice, posture, and that the leader didn't like people smoking. At this point, Xu Damao also realized that this high-ranking leader was none other than Ma Lao, the second-ranking vice minister in the ministry.
Although he's called Old Ma, he's only in his fifties. He's a meritorious figure from the revolutionary era, previously working in local government, and only recently came to Beijing as a key figure for development. Old Ma's previous workplace had connections with Old Master Li's, and Li Xuewu likely achieved his breakthrough through that connection.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. In both his lives, the highest-ranking official he had ever met was only a department-level cadre. This was a ministerial-level position, and Xu Damao felt a little dizzy. Moreover, once he entered the ministry, there were many rules and regulations, so Xu Damao had no choice but to follow Li Xuewu step by step.
"Director Fang, does the leader have time now?" Li Xuewu asked cautiously as they entered an office.
"Director Li, the leader said you can go in directly. But you need to be careful with the time, it can't exceed 20 minutes, the leader has another meeting later."
After Director Fang finished speaking, he and Li Xuewu knocked on the door of the office opposite. Xu Damao then realized that this was the office of the high-ranking leader. It was completely unremarkable, very plain, and even the paint on the door was peeling off.
"Leader, Li Xuewu from the steel rolling mill is reporting for duty," Li Xuewu said loudly.
The sound nearly startled Xu Damao; Li Xuewu hadn't revealed beforehand that the leader had this hobby. Luckily, Xu Damao reacted quickly, immediately standing at attention, ramrod straight.
"Haha, you've come to learn martial arts, come and sit down. Is this your secretary?" Old Ma was a little surprised that Xu Damao, this young man, had come in.
“Sir, this isn’t my secretary, but the head of the transportation department at our steel rolling mill. The matter I’m reporting on today is related to them, and he drafted the report. He’s familiar with the matter, so I brought him here to report to you,” Li Xuewu explained.
"Not bad, you're quite young. You all do it, don't be shy," Old Ma said with a smile.
"How has Mr. Li been feeling lately?" Mr. Ma asked first about the condition of Mr. Li.
Li Xuewu briefly introduced the old man's health and mentioned that the old man had invited Mr. Ma to visit his home when he had free time.
"Leader, we're here to report on our plan to establish an auto repair shop within our steel rolling mill." After a while, Li Xuewu brought the topic back.
"Hehe, your steel rolling mill is quite interesting. Old Yang wants to start a machine repair shop, and you want to start an auto repair shop. It seems you're developing quite well. I must go and take a look when I have time, and learn from you," said Old Ma. But what he meant made Li Xuewu's heart skip a beat. He wondered if Old Ma was dissatisfied with the steel rolling mill.
"Alright, time is limited, young comrade, you can report directly." Old Ma didn't give Li Xuewu time to think and immediately asked him to report.
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