Peng Shitou, the deputy head of the transportation department, volunteered to ask Xu Damao to transfer him to the auto repair shop, and even suggested a good location suitable for the construction of the auto repair shop.
After hearing the explanation, Xu Damao couldn't help but smile wryly. Only someone like Peng Shitou, who spent his days running around with the leaders, would know about such things. If you asked Xu Damao, he probably would never guess in his entire life.
The place he was referring to was Hongxing Primary School.
Although Hongxing Primary School is also a steel rolling mill, it is not located at the factory headquarters and is far from the center of power. Usually, apart from the children, no one else goes to the school.
According to Peng Shitou, before liberation, Hongxing Primary School was located on the site of a large factory established by a capitalist. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was converted into a primary school. However, the primary school only occupies a small part of the school; a large portion remains abandoned, while the original factory buildings are still standing.
Originally, the people from the steel rolling mill and Hongxing Primary School had always wanted to build a middle school there as well, with the site right next to the primary school, so that place had never been used. However, over the years, for various reasons, the steel rolling mill only had a primary school and had not built a middle school. As for whether it could be built in the future, that was not Xu Damao's concern.
"Let's go check out the site." Xu Damao led Peng Shitou to Hongxing Elementary School.
The two didn't drive; they rode their bikes directly to Hongxing Primary School, which took about 10 minutes.
Xu Damao had never been to an elementary school before, so he was a little unfamiliar with the place. However, Peng Shitou seemed to know it very well. After greeting the gatekeeper, the two went inside and parked their car at the entrance.
"You seem to know this place very well," Xu Damao asked casually.
“Hehe, I came here once before with my old boss,” Peng Shitou said.
"You're already so familiar with this place after just one visit? I thought you came here often because you took such a shortcut." Xu Damao didn't quite believe him.
The path the two were taking was clearly not towards the teaching building, but rather towards the factory area next door.
“I’ve been here a few times before. My son went to school here a few years ago, and he would be called in by the teacher to be scolded several times every semester. Sometimes when I came in, I really didn’t want to be scolded by the teacher, so I would just wander around inside.”
Peng Shitou spoke with a hint of embarrassment. He had been a leader's secretary before, but he still got scolded when it came to children's education and teachers.
The two chatted as they walked to the factory.
This factory area is divided into several large workshops, and there are also many wide, paved flat areas on the side. It seems that the previous capitalists were quite powerful.
From the outside, the factory looked a bit dilapidated, with weeds growing everywhere, and didn't seem very satisfactory. But when the two casually entered a workshop, the high roof and spacious rooms were clearly designed for an auto repair shop.
Moreover, despite its dilapidated appearance on the outside, the inside is in excellent condition and there is no leak.
“This is the location of our auto repair shop,” Xu Damao said firmly.
With this location, Xu Damao can say that as long as everyone is present, the auto repair shop can be fully operational within three months, saving at least six months compared to finding a separate site outside and building it.
Just as Xu Damao was envisioning the future, Jiang Changkong, the principal of Hongxing Elementary School, arrived.
"Section Chief Xu, Section Chief Peng, you two are honored to have you here. Why didn't you come to my office? What are you doing here? Come on, come to my office and have a seat."
Principal Jiang walked over at an astonishing speed, completely disproportionate to his height and age. Before Xu Damao and the other could speak, Jiang Changkong pulled him away.
"Principal, don't be so polite. We're just here for a quick look around and will be heading back soon." Xu Damao was puzzled by the other person's excitement.
"What's so interesting about this? It's just a pile of scrap metal and dust. To be honest, if it weren't for the upcoming construction of student dormitories and a sports field, I would have fenced this place off."
The old man's seemingly casual words revealed a shocking truth to Xu Damao. Was his dream of a future auto repair shop about to vanish into thin air?
"Principal, you said you were going to build dormitories and a playground here, but I've never heard anyone from the main factory mention that?" Xu Damao asked.
According to regulations, such large-scale infrastructure projects definitely require approval and funding from the head office; the primary school doesn't have that capability.
"Hehe, the leaders are already discussing it, it'll be soon. Come on, leaders, let's go to my office for some guidance." The old man urged the two again, but remained vague on the issue of the venue.
Xu Damao realized something was wrong. He exchanged a glance with Peng Shitou, who also noticed the situation was amiss.
"Principal, I won't go to your office. We have a lot of things to do in our department. Come over another time."
After greeting Jiang Changkong, Xu Damao and his companion turned and headed towards the school gate.
Once the two had walked away, Jiang Changkong seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"The wolf is coming!"
Indeed, the biggest obstacle to using this venue, besides the fact that the middle school hasn't been built yet, is Principal Jiang in front of us.
Jiang Changkong was a scholar from the old era. He was highly educated and passionate about education, but his life was full of hardships, and he spent most of his life as a small-time teacher.
But he had met many sages and wanted to make a name for himself in history through education. And so, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he finally became the principal of Red Star Primary School.
But becoming a primary school principal wasn't something he could stop at; his goal was to build a good middle school first. However, what he initially thought would be an easy task turned out to be a nightmare – one problem after another kept popping up.
During that time, many people raised concerns about the school grounds, but the old man turned them all away. Although he was just an elementary school teacher, he knew a lot of people, including many prominent figures.
Over time, many people selectively forgot about this place. But unexpectedly, Xu Damao and Peng Shitou came today.
"Judging from their actions, they seem to have their eyes on this land. This is going to be a bit tricky."
Jiang Changkong muttered to himself. He knew Xu Damao's power; it was incomparable to those of the others.
After leaving the elementary school, Xu Damao and his companion discussed the venue issue.
"Judging from Principal Jiang's expression, it will probably be quite a struggle for him to secure this venue. So, I'll leave this to you. Go and handle it first, gather information. If you encounter any problems, come back to me, and we'll discuss it together."
Xu Damao handed the matter over to Peng Shitou, which could be seen as a test for him.
Xu Damao, who had just returned to his office, was told that Li Xuewu was looking for him again.
"Has the personnel been assigned? So quickly!"
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