Chapter 21: A Miss Is as Good as a Mile

"You need to handle the office building matter as soon as possible. You must secure the property title deed!" Li Dongling said to Gao Peng. He did not want any complications with these matters. People today, due to their mindsets and lack of experience, place great importance on verbal promises while often overlooking the necessity of contracts.

The domestic real estate industry had only been liberalized for a few years and was still in the exploratory phase. While land in Yazhou was being fiercely speculated, inland cities remained relatively conservative.

This was especially true for properties, land, and office buildings belonging to municipal units or state-owned enterprises. If the property deed was not obtained at the time of purchase, it could become a significant issue years later when the original officials retired and were replaced by new ones who might not honor the previous arrangements.

Not to mention Pingyang, even if one were to go to Yanjing to buy traditional courtyard houses with the intention of making a fortune, one could easily be swindled. Many courtyard houses in Yanjing lacked clear property titles and were occupied by multiple households; while they could be purchased, collecting rent or reselling them was difficult.

Of course, if one could successfully hoard courtyard houses with clear titles, it would be a lucrative investment. Scarcity drives value, and in a place like Yanjing, one hardly needed to worry about depreciation.

Gao Peng wiped his mouth and promised Li Dongling, "Don't worry, Brother Li, I understand. My father works in the municipal office, and the thing he says most often is 'be careful to avoid mistakes, don't give anyone a handle to use against you!'"

Li Dongling nodded. "Beyond that, once the office building's title is settled, I need you to find a construction team to renovate the building in phases, following the standards of office buildings in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong!"

Gao Peng’s face lit up with joy. This was a lucrative job; even without cutting corners on materials, there was money to be made.

Li Dongling did not mind Gao Peng making a profit. As long as he could complete the tasks as instructed and ensure quality, what did it matter if he earned a little extra? To get people to work or even give their all, it ultimately came down to fame and fortune. If you couldn't provide these, mere talk wouldn't keep them loyal for long.

"From now on, wherever you point, I’ll strike. I, Gao, will never have a second word!"

"In this land of Pingyang, there’s nothing that I, Old Third Gao, can’t handle!"

"Brother, from now on you are my own brother. I’m with you all the way!"

By the end of the meal, Gao Peng was heavily intoxicated. Watching him alternate between swearing loyalty and drunken boasting, Li Dongling paid the bill with a wry smile and dragged him out of the Pingyang Hotel. Li Dongling had only tasted a bit of the 1993 Maotai, having only two glasses, while Gao Peng had polished off the rest.

At that moment, Gao Peng was rambling drunkenly about doing "big things" with Li Dongling to show his father and his two older brothers in the Gao family who was the most capable one.

After dragging Gao Peng out, Li Dongling let out a long sigh. Looking at Gao Peng, who was still gesturing wildly while leaning against his motorcycle, Li Dongling felt a headache coming on.

Li Dongling didn't carry a mobile phone, as there were very few users in the country; people mostly used pagers, calling back on landlines after receiving a message. Moreover, he didn't know the phone number for Gao Peng's home.

After a moment of thought, Li Dongling found a public phone at a nearby shop and called Zhang Ao at the Component Factory. After a while, Zhang Ao arrived in a taxi, helped Gao Peng into it, and rode the motorcycle away, finally putting the matter to rest.

Watching the vehicle pull away, Li Dongling felt that in this era, one really needed a car. Transportation was still underdeveloped, which was why taxis were so popular and synonymous with high income.

With a car, everything would be more convenient. In a few days, Li Dongling planned to purchase two: one for Dongling High-Tech's office use and one for his own.

A person is defined by their clothes, and a horse by its saddle. For a long time, the quality of an office building and the brand of a car were key indicators of a company's strength. One couldn't generalize, but in this day and age, that perception carried a lot of weight.

"What? The Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Industrial Bureau are giving our factory an award, and Mayor Luo is coming to inspect us?!"

At the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, Liu Jiande was shocked by the sudden notification.

The No. 1 Wireless Factory was in a sorry state: production had halted, wages were delayed, and the expensive television production line they had just brought back was still being calibrated with no clear start date. For the Pingyang municipal government to be commending the factory now felt absurd. What was there to praise?

After hanging up the phone, Liu Jiande looked at Liu Shirong, who was sitting in his office. "I have a meeting now. You’ve joined the technical department, so behave yourself and don't stir up any trouble! The factory is unstable these days, and city leaders are coming to inspect. Don't get in their way and drag your father down with you!"

"I know, what trouble could I possibly cause?" said Liu Shirong impatiently, fiddling with a pager he intended to give to his blind date, Zhao Wanrong. After speaking, he stood up and said, "I'm going to watch a movie from Hong Kong with Wanrong this afternoon, so I won't be back!"

Liu Jiande felt a sharp pain in his liver watching his son, but before he could scold him, he grabbed his teacup and notebook and headed to the conference room. The meeting was being held by the veteran factory director himself, and Liu Jiande dared not delay.

"You're all here!"

Xu Yongjin, the director of the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, saw that Liu Jiande and the others had arrived and signaled for the door to be closed.

Having risen step-by-step to become director since the factory's inception, Xu Yongjin was still a figure no one, including Liu Jiande, dared to ignore, even though he was less involved in daily management now.

"I called you here today for two main reasons. The first is the color TV production issue. It’s already behind schedule. When we applied for the project, we promised it wouldn't delay production, but look at it now—how long have we been shut down? The workers have strong opinions, and city leaders are very concerned. This involves over a thousand permanent employees and two thousand temporary ones; it’s a matter of livelihood for many families. This is no small matter!"

Xu Yongjin’s voice was calm, and he didn't slam the table, but every word hit Liu Jiande like a hammer. This was already a sign of his dissatisfaction.

"There were some technical issues. The technical staff in our factory lack depth, and some materials haven't been fully grasped. We still need to study them," Liu Jiande said, his back breaking into a sweat as he hurriedly explained.

"Technical department issues?"

"I recall that Xiao Zhou, Zhou Wenyuan, in the technical department, has excellent skills. A wireless factory in the neighboring city even tried to poach him. He couldn't grasp the technology?"

"Also, didn't we have a new university graduate from Hanxi Jiaotong University? When the director of the Municipal Industrial Bureau assigned him, he specifically contacted me, saying many units and state-owned enterprises wanted him. It was only after careful consideration and his own preference that he was assigned to our factory. I was recovering in the hospital for a while and haven't had the chance to meet him yet."

"With them in the technical department, plus the support from the vendor who sold us the production line, you still couldn't get it done?" Xu Yongjin asked hesitantly.

Liu Jiande’s back was soaked, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He took a sip of tea, stunned. He hadn't expected Xu Yongjin to remember Li Dongling and Zhou Wenyuan. Recalling that he had let Xu Yiqiao drive them away, Liu Jiande’s hand trembled.

Other factory leaders who knew the inside story—that Liu Jiande had driven away many technicians to make room for Liu Shirong—watched him with amusement.

His mind racing, Liu Jiande quickly decided to sacrifice a pawn to save the king. He was the general manager, not the head of the technical department; how could he be expected to manage such "trivial" matters?

"It might be a technical department issue. I will investigate it immediately upon returning to see what Xu Yiqiao is up to. I guarantee I will get the production line running as soon as possible!" Liu Jiande said with a serious face, pointing the finger directly at Xu Yiqiao.

Xu Yongjin looked at Liu Jiande, feeling something was off, but he didn't press further.

"The second matter is the city's commendation of our factory. Mayor Luo and other city leaders are coming to inspect us, primarily because the Shangguan Town Component Factory, which we provided technical support to, has overcome its difficulties."

Xu Yongjin continued, "This month, the Component Factory’s revenue exceeded nine million, and I hear it might break fifteen million next month, becoming a major taxpayer for our city. Our factory’s technical staff supported their satellite dish project. The city values this highly, which is why they are commending us..."

When Liu Jiande heard this, it felt as if he had been punched in the head, leaving him completely dazed.