Chapter Nine: A Blessing in Disguise

Since returning these past few days, Li Dongling had been familiarizing himself with his surroundings and this era. He had thought about what to do, but no matter the endeavor, a clever housewife cannot cook without rice; everything required a first pot of gold.

In this wild, rugged era, there were countless ways people acquired their first pot of gold. Some relied on trickery and fraud, while others used a silver tongue to swindle entire cities and countless companies, defrauding tens of thousands of people and making off with hundreds of millions, only to eventually meet their own downfall.

Of course, there was another faction, like Mr. Shi of Giant or Kingsoft, who built software companies, becoming technological heroes who reaped both fame and fortune, pursued by thousands.

A first pot of gold can sometimes be dirty and bloody, but it can also be clean. If given the choice, Li Dongling hoped to obtain a clean one. Original sin, once stained, is something you can never wash off for the rest of your life.

Remaining at the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory made it difficult to acquire that first pot of gold. The burden was too great, and with people like Liu Jiande in charge, Li Dongling might not have a shred of influence even after ten years—the loyal, hardworking Zhou Wenyan was a living example of that. As for borrowing from a bank, given his current status, how much could he possibly secure?

Going to the Shangguan Town Component Factory seemed like being led into a trap, but who was to say it wouldn't be an opportunity? If he could bring the Shangguan Town Component Factory back to life, could he use it to earn his first pot of gold?

Liu Jiande, clapping his hands, looked at Li Dongling. He had only spoken casually; he hadn't expected Li Dongling to walk right into the trap. That saved him the trouble of wasting his breath. Liu Jiande had no intention of letting any of the technicians sent to support the Shangguan factory return. Not only would it free up several official staff positions, but he could also make these technicians the scapegoats for the factory's inevitable bankruptcy, allowing him to claim credit with the director. The old director of the No. 1 Wireless Factory would be retiring within a year or two, and Liu Jiande wanted to taste what it felt like to sit in that chair.

Seeing Li Dongling agree, Xu Yiqiao called out a few more names: "Hou Yongzheng, Ning Panwang..."

But unlike Li Dongling, the others called by Xu Yiqiao refused to go to the Shangguan Town Component Factory at any cost.

"I’m not going anywhere. I’ve worked at this factory for over a decade. Now you want me to leave? No way. Like I said, unless you, Xu, go with me, it’s useless no matter who says it!" Hou Yongzheng was clearly a troublemaker; he squinted at Liu Jiande, showing no fear of him at all.

"I’m not going either. If anyone dares to dock a single cent from me, I’ll go lie down at the doorstep of the municipal government office!" Ning Panwang held his head high. His stubbornness gave Liu Jiande a headache.

After several people were called and all refused, Xu Yiqiao began to panic. With no other choice, he looked at the "old oxen" under his command. Though reluctant, he called out, "Zhou Wenyan, you go!"

"Me?!" Zhou Wenyan’s face turned deathly pale. He hadn't expected that after all these years of working like a beast of burden under Xu Yiqiao, with plenty of hard work if not great achievements, he would be kicked out today.

"Section Chief Xu, I..."

"I what? Do you still want to work here, Zhou Wenyan? If you don't, get out! If you won't go for technical support, get out of the Technical Section. This small temple can't accommodate a big Buddha like you!" Xu Yiqiao unleashed a torrent of abuse, venting all his anger on Zhou Wenyan. Humiliated in front of everyone, Zhou Wenyan mumbled for a long time, his face flushed, but he didn't dare to talk back, let alone throw a punch.

Seeing the ashen-faced Zhou Wenyan, Xu Yiqiao knew he had him, but two people weren't enough. Just as Xu Yiqiao was looking around, wondering who else to send, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out: "Section Chief Xu, let me go!"

Once this person spoke, three or four others followed: "I'll go too, add me to the list!"

The speaker was Zhang Ao, and the others who volunteered were well-connected individuals who had been shoehorned into the factory. Others were afraid that once they left, they wouldn't be able to come back, but they weren't. At worst, they could just transfer to other departments or state-owned factories in Pingyang City. They treated this trip to Shangguan Town like a vacation—it was even freer than being at the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory.

Seeing there were seven or eight people, Xu Yiqiao finally sighed in relief and said to Liu Jiande, "Manager Liu, we have selected the personnel from our Technical Section to support the Shangguan Town Component Factory!"

"You represent the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory. Work hard when you get there and show our spirit of daring to take responsibility and facing challenges..." Before dismissing the meeting, Liu Jiande spouted a bunch of high-sounding nonsense, but Li Dongling had no interest in listening and returned to the dormitory building with Zhang Ao.

"That Liu Jiande doesn't have good intentions. Why did you agree to him? That old guy is full of malice!" Zhang Ao said to Li Dongling.

Li Dongling glanced at Zhou Wenyan, who was walking behind them with a mournful expression. "A blessing in disguise, who knows? Going there might be an opportunity."

Zhou Wenyan couldn't take Li Dongling’s words in at all. He had joined this factory when he started his career, and he had been there for over fifteen years, from apprentice to full-time worker. Now, he was being driven away. Although it was ostensibly "technical support," Zhou Wenyan wasn't stupid. Given the state of the No. 1 Wireless Factory, they were desperate to get rid of people; once they were out, how could they ever be allowed to return?

Zhou Wenyan had thought he would spend his entire life here until retirement, perhaps even being rehired to train apprentices. This sudden change made him feel as if the sky had collapsed, and his entire life had lost its purpose. It wasn't just him; when employees of state-owned factories faced bankruptcy and layoffs, they felt the same way. The "iron rice bowl" was gone, and the life belief they had held for decades suddenly crumbled—it was hard to accept psychologically.

After packing his things, Li Dongling, Zhang Ao, and the others set off for the Shangguan Town Component Factory. Although Zhou Wenyan was reluctant and kept sighing, he followed along. He couldn't bring himself to just give up; unless he dared to throw away his iron rice bowl, he couldn't handle the humiliation of Xu Yiqiao berating him in front of the entire Technical Section. If the factory held a meeting to criticize him publicly, he would be so ashamed he'd want to crawl into a hole.

The Shangguan Town Component Factory covered a fair amount of ground, but it looked desolate. There wasn't a single cargo truck in front of the gate, though a few bicycles were parked in the shed. Hearing that Li Dongling and his group were there to provide technical support, the elderly guard didn't show a hint of a smile, muttering, "What use is a group of baby soldiers?"

Li Dongling examined the factory. It appeared to be in a state of suspension and felt very cold, but it was kept quite clean, which suggested the leadership's management was actually decent.

"Director Zhang, these are the technicians from the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory here to provide support!" The guard pushed open the door to the director's office and called inside.

"Come in!"

A rough voice sounded. When Li Dongling entered, he saw a large man sitting there, staring at them with sharp eyes. Upon seeing him, they instinctively felt this man must have been a soldier.

"Damn it, is this how Liu Jiande is trying to fool me? What’s the use of sending a few technicians? I need orders! I need money! Do I lack these people?!" Zhang Xiaocheng cursed Liu Jiande, not caring that Li Dongling and the others were right there. After venting, he added, "Go, go wherever you want, just don't hang around in front of me and be an annoyance!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ao and the other well-connected individuals felt as if they had been granted amnesty. Without a word, they slipped out. A moment later, the sound of a motorcycle roared, and they took off.

Li Dongling and Zhou Wenyan remained. After a moment, Zhou Wenyan couldn't help but ask, "Director Zhang, is there anything you need us to do?"

Zhang Xiaocheng looked up and sneered at him. "I just said it. I need orders, I need money. The bank is chasing me for debt every day, and my workers are coming to my house to beg for food. You tell me, what do I need you for?"

"If you can land orders and get money, I’ll let you call me grandpa and kneel down to you, or I’ll treat this thing like a ball and kick it around. Can't do it? Then go find somewhere cool to sit and wait. The canteen provides one meal a day!"

Zhang Xiaocheng spat, pointing at his head. He left Zhou Wenyan speechless, unable to get a word in. How could he possibly land orders or get a bank loan?

"Director Zhang, can we go into the workshop and take a look?"

Zhang Xiaocheng didn't look up, waving his hand for them to do as they pleased. Li Dongling didn't say anything more; he pulled Zhou Wenyan and walked out.

Walking through the factory, Li Dongling saw that although it was closed, people were still guarding the production workshops and warehouses. While they sat around listlessly, it was clear that Zhang Xiaocheng had put in the effort, hoping for the day they could restart production.

After looking around, he found the equipment was fairly well-maintained. The factory had previously produced components for the No. 1 Wireless Factory and other state-owned enterprises. Now that those factories were struggling, the Shangguan factory was faring even worse.

After arriving, apart from eating, Li Dongling spent his time in the workshops and warehouses. At first, Zhou Wenyan followed, but eventually, unable to understand what Li Dongling was doing, he sat at the gate and basked in the sun like the others.

Li Dongling spent the whole day getting a grasp of the factory's equipment and technical level. They couldn't produce complex equipment, nor did they have the capital.

That evening, they returned to the dormitory building to rest. On the way, Zhou Wenyan complained, "When will days like this ever end?"

Li Dongling was riding his bicycle when he inadvertently looked up at the sky. In this era, the night sky was filled with stars. Just then, he saw a streak of light like a shooting star cut across the sky and vanish into the night.

"Screech!"

Li Dongling slammed on the brakes, startling Zhou Wenyan. Li Dongling kept his eyes fixed on the sky. Zhou Wenyan looked up too, but didn't see anything different from usual.

"I know what the Shangguan Town Component Factory should make!"

Leaving behind that cryptic remark, Li Dongling rode off, leaving Zhou Wenyan completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened.

Early the next morning, Li Dongling arrived at the factory. As soon as he arrived, he saw Zhang Xiaocheng arguing with someone.

"Go ahead, search! If you can find any money on me, take it all! There are machines in the workshop—if you like anything, just haul it away. I can even mortgage the factory to you! If that’s still not enough, just take my life!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaocheng acting like a rogue, the other man became anxious. "What use is your broken factory to me? Director Zhang, that’s not what you said when I helped you get the loan. You said it would be for three months, and it’s been nearly a year. You haven't paid back a cent. If you don't pay, I’m going to be fired!"

Hearing this, Li Dongling realized the man was from the bank, there to collect debts. After a long standoff, seeing Zhang Xiaocheng was immovable, the man said helplessly, "You win, Zhang. Just wait for the bank to take you to court!"

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaocheng actually laughed. "That would be perfect! If you can really make the bank take this broken factory, even if you send me to prison for a few years, I’d be happy. When I get out, I’ll bow to you. This position is not meant for a human being to sit in!"

Watching Zhang Xiaocheng pound the table, the man was completely defeated; he picked up his bag and turned to leave.

"Any other bad news? Spit it all out at once!" After the bank representative left, Zhang Xiaocheng dropped his "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" act, looking exhausted as he asked Li Dongling.

"Director Zhang, I believe the Shangguan Town Component Factory should resume production. If we don't, the factory really will collapse!"

"What?!" Zhang Xiaocheng wondered if he had misheard.

Li Dongling ignored him and continued, "The product most suitable for production here right now is satellite television receivers!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaocheng still didn't understand, Li Dongling said directly, "Satellite dishes!"