Chapter 30: You Need to Write a Note for Me

Before the workday ended, Zhao Liang quickly had the finance department issue a receipt for Li Xian's deposit.

To be cautious, Zhao Liang specifically instructed the finance department to state on the receipt that the balance must be paid within a month, or the deposit would be forfeited. Li Xian, thinking even further ahead, worried that fluctuations in aluminum ingot prices might cause unnecessary trouble, so he had them add a clause stating that if the aluminum ingots couldn't be delivered within a month, Zhao Liang would pay five times the deposit as compensation.

Both sides were afraid the other might back out, so the deal was quickly finalized.

By the time Li Xian left the Multiple Operations Bureau, it was already past noon.

"Director Zhao, that's it for now. I have some personal matters to attend to today, so I won't invite you to dinner. After the aluminum ingots are handed over, I'll definitely thank you properly," Li Xian said politely at the entrance of the Assets Department.

Zhao Liang laughed heartily and gave Li Xian's hand a firm shake. "That's all secondary. But let me remind you, you need to handle the balance payment as soon as possible. Make sure it's done within the stipulated time."

"Of course!" Li Xian agreed readily, though he felt a bit bitter inside.

Damn it, he had originally planned to proceed steadily, but now, he suddenly felt like a gambler. It was a bit sad.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two parted ways.

As Li Xian walked out of the Multiple Operations Bureau, deep in thought, another group of people was leaving the office building, chatting and laughing.

One of them noticed Li Xian walking away with a worried look and couldn't help but stop.

"Hmm? What's he doing here?"

Seeing Zhao Liang staring at Li Xian's back, that person rolled his eyes and walked over.

...

Earlier, Li You had told Li Xian where they would be eating.

It was at a restaurant called Jubao, not a big place, but relatively clean. When Li Xian arrived, they had just started eating.

Seeing his son looking troubled, Li You asked what was wrong. He didn't know that Li Xian had already disrupted his job assignment and thought it was because of that.

When asked, Li Xian mumbled some vague responses.

Considering the mindset of this era, where job assignments after graduation were seen as a lifetime matter, he feared that if he told the truth now, he might get a good scolding from his father.

Better to wait until things settle down, he thought.

After a happy meal, the group drove a tractor to the north side of the Forestry Bureau, where bricks, cement, and other building materials were sold.

In fact, Li Xian wasn't very good at purchasing, especially when it came to these small items that required a lot of haggling. He found it quite tedious.

After visiting a few dealers with Li You and spending several hours, they finally completed their purchases.

While Li You and the others went to pick up the goods, Li Xian wandered around the area. The northern part of the Forestry Bureau was newly developed, with few residents and mostly factories.

The Forestry Bureau and the county were not large, and urban consumption had just started to rise, so these factories didn't seem very prosperous.

As Li Xian strolled around, he didn't see the bustling scenes of heavy traffic that would be common in later years.

By chance, he came across a tile factory. Thinking that tiles would be needed to finish the walls of the new house, Li Xian walked in.

Compared to the brick factories he had just visited, this "Forestry Bureau Tile Factory" was downright deserted.

In the vast factory, there wasn't even a single truck loading goods.

When he reached the sales office, he heard a commotion.

Looking inside, he saw a man in his forties loudly criticizing a drunken man.

The general idea was that the factory had stopped production due to severe overstocking, yet the sales department wasn't making an effort, wasting time drinking and playing cards instead.

The man being scolded looked about fifty years old. He burped and said, "Director Yang, don't try to pressure us with those big words. You should know the market situation yourself. The Forestry Bureau isn't doing any construction, so our tile sales are poor. Is that our sales department's fault?"

Director Yang, seeing the man wasn't taking him seriously, slammed the table. "The Forestry Bureau isn't doing construction, so you can't push sales to the public? If everyone thought like you, where would our factory be headed? Might as well shut it down and have everyone laid off!"

"Hey, pushing sales to the public? If we relied on the public, this factory would have shut down long ago!" The man being scolded didn't care, saying, "Director Yang, don't try to scare me. I've got five years until retirement. If you think I'm not capable, fine, replace me with someone who is. I'm done here!"

With that, the man walked out of the sales office, cursing as he brushed past Li Xian.

The others in the sales office, seeing their boss leave, also dispersed, leaving Director Yang shaking with anger.

Witnessing this, Li Xian thought for a moment and then knocked on the door.

Director Yang was fuming.

Ever since he was transferred from the Commercial Bureau to this factory, the situation had been getting worse by the day. The old-timers in the factory, relying on their seniority, paid him no heed, only thinking about slacking off.

The higher-ups had talked to him several times, saying that if the performance didn't improve, the factory would have to shut down. If it came to that, the workers might not care—they'd still get paid even if they didn't work—but what would happen to him, the factory director?

Hearing someone knock, he put his hands on his hips and shouted, "Who is it?"

Li Xian was startled. "Uh... Hello, I'm here to buy tiles."

Seeing it was an outsider, Director Yang toned down his anger a bit and looked Li Xian over. "Young man, how many do you need?"

When he learned that Li Xian was buying tiles for a house, and didn't need much, Director Yang waved his hand dismissively. "Go straight to the warehouse and find someone there to help you."

He then resumed his stance, no longer paying attention to Li Xian.

Seeing that Li Xian wasn't leaving, he tilted his head and said, "I said, young man, go straight to the warehouse if you're buying tiles!"

Li Xian smiled, showing his teeth. "Well, I just heard that the factory's tiles aren't selling well. Is that true?"

The other man glared at him but didn't respond.

"Director Yang, what if I told you I have a way to help you sell these tiles? Would you believe me?" Li Xian asked, trying to sell himself.

"You?" Director Yang looked Li Xian up and down. "What could you possibly do?"

Li Xian grinned, "It doesn't matter how I do it. I just want to know, if I can help the factory sell these tiles, what's in it for me?"

"Hah," Director Yang found this amusing. His sales director had just quit, and now this unknown young man was making bold claims.

"Kid, you shouldn't make empty boasts. I've got over 3,000 boxes of various tiles in the warehouse. If you can sell them all, you can keep the profits. Not only that, I'll give you a bonus of 10,000 yuan!"

Li Xian was delighted to hear this.

"Talk is cheap. Let's sign a contract!"