After Sun Lan left, only Xu Damao and Peng Shitou remained in the office.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Xu Damao asked.
The location issue is the cornerstone of everything for an auto repair shop. It's not that other places are unsuitable, but it will delay things by at least six months. Moreover, with the ongoing construction projects in Beijing, land within the city limits has been almost entirely taken, and large-scale construction projects now primarily need to be located on the outskirts.
Xu Damao doesn't want to get up and ride his bicycle for an hour every day, only to spend another hour getting back. Even if Xu Damao could do it, other workers and technicians wouldn't. If this continues, many talented people will be lost.
“Section Chief, Old Jiang absolutely refuses to give up that land, which belongs to the primary school. Moreover, he has somehow found a number of influential comrades to come to our section chief and ask us to give up that land,” Peng Shitou said.
As Peng Shitou explained, Xu Damao also realized that the difficulty of the matter was far greater than he had imagined.
After Peng Shitou took over the task of finding a site, he retrieved the information about the land from the factory. When he saw it, he almost died laughing. The site didn't belong to Hongxing Primary School, but only to the steel rolling mill, managed by the logistics department.
After reporting to the logistics department, Peng Shitou led his men to the primary school to measure the land, intending to delineate all the areas that did not belong to the primary school and then design the workshop.
They couldn't even get into the primary school; a shaky security guard stopped them at the gate. Since they all worked at the same steel mill, they couldn't force their way in.
When they told the security guard they wanted to see a school leader, he pretended to be deaf and dumb. Of course, given his condition, it was also possible that he genuinely couldn't hear them. In any case, the group didn't get to see any leaders.
After several attempts, Peng Shitou grew anxious and prepared to gather more people to forcibly enter. However, before he could even begin, the section chief spoke up, saying that several influential figures had made requests to reserve the land and factory buildings for Hongxing Primary School.
Li Wenming, the section chief, had always been very supportive of the transportation department and Xu Damao, but on this matter, he also offered some advice. He asked Peng Shitou to be cautious and, if necessary, to discuss with Xu Damao about changing locations.
Moreover, it's better to change sooner rather than later. If the location is changed, the logistics department will fully support the auto repair shop's work, providing manpower and vehicles as needed.
Li Wenming's attitude also shows that Jiang Changkong is no ordinary person; at least the people he knows can keep Li Wenming in check.
After listening to Peng Shitou's report, Xu Damao felt utterly disheartened. He had originally thought that the best and most suitable site was waiting for him to build a factory and realize his life's dream, but he never expected to be dealt such a blow before he even started.
"Section Chief, how about we go somewhere else? I know a few other nice places, they're a bit far, but they're bigger than this one," Peng Shitou comforted him.
Xu Damao gave him his first task, which he was confident he could complete, but it turned out like this, making him lose face and worrying that Xu Damao would "use him and then abandon him".
In the transportation department, with Sun Lan holding the fort, he knew he had no chance of advancement. He had little education, was retired from his previous job, and while his professional skills were good, he couldn't very well be driving. That's why he thought of coming to this new factory, to change his path and try his luck.
"Okay, I'll see if there's any way to resolve the site issue. In the meantime, could you help me find out if there are any other large, reputable auto repair shops nearby? When the time is right, we can visit and learn from them."
"Our new factory is just starting out, and we're mostly just groping in the dark. It would be better to visit other factories and copy their practices directly; that way, we'd be less likely to make mistakes," Xu Damao continued, assigning tasks.
Before Xu Damao could be depressed for long, Gao Yan finally arrived.
"Section Chief Xu, it's been a long time."
Gao Yan was still as plump as ever, but her once cheerful face now held a hint of worry, which added a unique touch. Li Xuewu's choices were truly impeccable.
"Sister Gao, your arrival makes things much easier for me," Xu Damao said, welcoming her.
Putting aside Gao Yan's personal life, her work ability is beyond reproach. She always handles people and communicates effectively and logically.
"Haha, Da Mao, I've come here to seek refuge with you, you can't scare me like that," Gao Yan said.
“I’ve had a ton of worries lately. Now that you’re here, I’ll call over another deputy factory director, and then you can each take charge of a section, and I’ll just sit back and relax. Otherwise, if things continue like this, I reckon I’ll go bald by the time I’m 30,” Xu Damao joked, touching his still fairly thick hair.
"Then let's get into the swing of things as soon as possible. What's going on right now, and what can I do?" Gao Yan seemed a little impatient.
"There's no rush. Have you made all the arrangements? Have your children and family come along?" Xu Damao asked with concern.
Back at the branch factory, Gao Yan, being a landlord, had helped Xu Damao a lot, especially when he first arrived; she helped him buy many daily necessities. Now that he was at the main factory, Xu Damao wanted to help as much as he could.
“I’m divorced and came here alone with my child. I’m currently staying at the factory’s guesthouse, and I’m planning to find a place to stay nearby,” Gao Yan said, but she sounded very downcast.
Xu Damao felt no sympathy for Gao Yan, but rather for her husband. This man had his wife taken advantage of, his son left him, and he ended up with nothing. However, the fact that Gao Yan was able to keep her son with her shows that she had also paid a heavy price.
"Has he arranged a house for you?" Xu Damao asked.
Even if Xu Damao didn't say it, Gao Yan knew that "he" referred to Li Xuewu. Their relationship was probably common knowledge within the First Factory.
“I came here to live a good life, to leave my old place and start over. As for him, aside from our superior-subordinate relationship, we will have no further connection,” Gao Yan said.
"In that case, your problem is also a problem with the auto repair shop. Our office director has just been confirmed to be Director Li's niece. I'll have her contact you and help you resolve this matter."
She doesn't know anything about your relationship, so don't worry. Besides, she's my wife's best friend; although she's a bit of a tomboy, she's a good person.
To get the auto repair shop management team up and working as quickly as possible, Xu Damao was going all out. If Li Xuewu had to bleed even once, it would be like cleaning up his mess.
Looking back now, Li Xuewu seems more like the protagonist than Xu Damao himself. He slept with different women, enjoyed a successful official career, and finally landed safely after the storm.
"Alright then, I also want to get my own things sorted out as soon as possible." Gao Yan didn't refuse. Right now, she urgently needed someone familiar with the situation in Beijing to help her solve her accommodation and her child's schooling problems.
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