The situation among the three giants of the steel rolling mill gradually stabilized. None of them could do anything to the others, and none of them could drive the others away. In this way, three years passed in the blink of an eye, and 1965 had arrived. Yang Zhenhua had become a veteran secretary, Huang Xian had served as the factory director for most of the year, and Xu Damao was still the factory director.
However, Xu Damao is now a factory director at the level of a division chief. Just last year, the auto repair shop was officially upgraded from a deputy division chief factory to a division chief factory, and everyone's status rose accordingly. Even Liu Haizhong became a true deputy section chief, a true state cadre.
With the upgrade, the auto repair shop expanded its staff, and its technical level and capabilities became among the best in the city. Many important events required personnel from the auto repair shop to participate in and provide support. Because of this, the steel mill consistently claimed that the auto repair shop was being paid by the steel mill to provide services to outsiders.
Of course, this is just talk. Every time a high-ranking leader calls the steel rolling mill, the mill's leadership readily agrees. After all, they're the ones doing the good work and currying favors, while the auto repair shop does the actual work—why not?
"Da Mao, come to my office." Xu Da Mao, who was in his office, received a call from Li Xuewu.
To be honest, Xu Damao felt a little sorry for Li Xuewu. This guy had been in the deputy director-general position for six years, without any advancement, at most his ranking might have moved up a notch. But Li Xuewu had already reached the top of the deputy position, and there was no room for further advancement.
Li Xuewu has changed a lot in the past few years compared to when Xu Damao first met him. Initially, Li Xuewu genuinely did a lot of practical work and paid great attention to the factory's production and operation. However, after several years without promotion, Li Xuewu's mindset underwent a significant change.
The biggest change is probably in his boldness. Before, he would only accept gifts from trusted confidants like Xu Damao; now, he'll accept anything anyone dares to give him, and then do favors for them afterward. The same applies to his attitude towards women.
A few years ago, Gao Yan was the only woman he treated well. But in recent years, he's tried to seduce any pretty woman in the factory, sometimes with money, sometimes with power. Now he has a terrible reputation in the factory.
Xu Damao quickly drove to the steel rolling mill. By the way, he now has his own car, one of those that looks pretty good.
"Factory manager, you wanted to see me."
"Well, Da Mao, you've been a division-level cadre for over a year, but you haven't attended any training. This time, the higher-ups specifically called your name, so you can't escape it," Li Xuewu said with a smile.
Attending training programs organized by relevant departments is an essential step for leading cadres, with some programs lasting short periods and others longer. Xu Damao has also participated in short-term training programs over the years, lasting about a week or two, but he has never attended any long-term ones.
"Boss, how long will it take?" Xu Damao asked.
“Three months, full-time, at the highest training school. Go back and prepare, hand over the factory affairs, and let Gao Yan take charge for a while,” Li Xuewu said.
Xu Damao hadn't expected this to take so long and be so rushed. The auto repair shop was busy and had a wide range of business, so a smooth handover would take considerable effort. He hadn't heard a thing about this training beforehand, and he had a feeling there was something fishy going on.
Li Xuewu has changed a lot. Xu Damao can no longer say certain things to him casually. In addition, there is only a year left before the storm arrives. At that time, Li Xuewu will be a prominent figure, enjoying ten years of glory and then facing a lifetime of reckoning.
Xu Damao went to Huang Xian's office again.
"Da Mao, you're going out for training soon, aren't you?" Huang Xian said enthusiastically.
The current Huang Xian is not the same Huang Xian as before. Although he has gained a foothold, his sharp edge has diminished considerably over the years, and he is no longer as aggressive towards others. Xu Damao's own strength has also improved, so he can receive relatively equal treatment from Huang Xian.
"I also want to thank the factory director and all the leaders for their guidance, which gave me the opportunity to study and further my education. To be honest, I don't have a high level of education, and I've been so focused on work these past few years that I haven't had much time to study. This is a great opportunity," Xu Damao said with emotion.
His words were half true and half false. The truth is he genuinely didn't have time for systematic learning and didn't obtain a higher degree; the false part was the so-called "training" by his superiors.
Huang Xian knew about the training as soon as he came in, which means the leaders had communicated beforehand, implying he had no choice in the training. Previously, Li Xuewu would definitely have consulted him beforehand, but this time he didn't.
“Learning is a lifelong endeavor. By the way, you’ve been away for so long, how have you been managing your work?” Huang Xian asked casually.
"Just now, Director Li informed me that Director Gao Yan will temporarily take charge of the factory's affairs," Xu Damao replied.
"Hmm, Director Gao is good, he's very shrewd and capable. But Da Mao, your factory has such a heavy production and operation task right now, wouldn't it be better to hand over the work to Director Zuo, who is in charge of production? Of course, I'm in charge of production, so I pay more attention to this area."
"The factory manager is right. I'll go back and look into it, and try my best to ensure that my training doesn't affect the company's production."
After leaving Huang Xian's office, Xu Damao went to Yang Zhenhua's office.
Xu Damao spent the whole morning reporting to several leaders, but he also figured out one thing: the leaders must have reached a consensus that he should move to a different position.
Like an ironclad camp with ever-changing soldiers, Xu Damao knew that the auto repair shop was just one phase in his career. He had reached the position of factory manager at a young age, and it was impossible for him to stay there forever. However, Xu Damao had poured a lot of effort into building the auto repair shop from scratch, and it was a little reluctant to leave.
The fact that the main leaders had reached a consensus, and that Li Xuewu hadn't informed him beforehand, meant they had already agreed on the distribution of benefits. It was time to leave, but where to go?
After racking his brains for a long time without any results, Xu Damao was too lazy to think about it anymore. A strong wind was about to blow, and being the top leader meant having to choose sides, which might not be a good thing.
Before returning to the auto repair shop, Xu Damao first visited the Lou family. For the past few years, he had been conducting private transactions with the Lou family, dealing not only in auto parts but also other items. Over time, their relationship had become very close.
But now that he's about to step down as factory director, these transactions naturally need to stop. Stopping these transactions won't harm the Lou family, as their business scope is very broad. However, as a friend, Xu Damao still wants to offer the Lou family some advice, even if they can obtain it from higher-ups.
“Mr. Lou, the situation is changing rapidly and becoming increasingly uncertain, so I suggest your family make a decision as soon as possible. When the winds blow, people like you are the easiest to be swept away,” Xu Damao said.
“Sigh, you can’t argue with that, but I just can’t bear to leave here. But Damao, I’ll keep your words in mind, and I’ll make a decision as soon as possible,” Lou Hongsheng replied.
Lou Hongsheng's departure is a good thing for the Lou family and also for Xu Damao. The transactions they've made over the years couldn't have been completely concealed, so Xu Damao is safer now that they're gone. Furthermore, the Lou family's success abroad might be a greater asset to Xu Damao in the future.
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