Chapter 219: Zhao Yushui's Efficiency

Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi came today for exactly this.

Regarding Yu Yan taking the initiative to bring it up, Ning Weidong replied happily: "Brother-in-law, the situation is like this..."

Blah blah blah, he explained his idea of expanding the company's scale and wanting to change to a new office building.

Yu Yan was on the side, listening while picking up a bite of food.

At the end, Ning Weidong said: "It just so happens that a friend of mine said the location of this Fumin Hostel is good, the space is also spacious, and most importantly, it has been losing money for two years in a row."

Yu Yan understood Ning Weidong's meaning, which was to use the connections within the Second Light Industry Bureau to directly take over this Fumin Hostel.

He was from the Urban Construction Bureau; although not in the Second Light Industry system, he was well-versed in some situations, so he pondered: "Weidong, this matter is not easy to handle. Although you say that hostel has been losing money for years, the fixed assets are there..."

Ning Weidong said: "Brother-in-law, I know." As he spoke, he looked at the Zhao Ruyi sisters: "Ruyi told me long ago that our family would rather suffer a little loss than ever take advantage of the public."

Hearing this, Zhao Yushui couldn't help but nod.

In fact, this afternoon, after receiving Zhao Ruyi's phone call, she felt a bit unhappy in her heart.

She felt that Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi were being unreasonable and simply talking nonsense.

If they really got the Second Light Industry's hostel, what would their Zhao Family become? If this matter spread, it would cause an adverse impact on her father's reputation and even his future.

It was just that Zhao Yushui was quite shrewd; although she hadn't had much contact with Ning Weidong before, her eldest brother Zhao Lichun did not rate Ning Weidong poorly.

That made her not rush to say anything, but instead want to listen carefully to see how Ning Weidong would handle it, which was why she had called them over.

At this moment, hearing Ning Weidong's words, she felt that she had probably misunderstood this brother-in-law before.

Ning Weidong continued: "The fixed assets should belong to whoever they belong to; I just want an office space, and we can pay whatever the rent for the building should be."

Zhao Yushui nodded slightly; it was good that Ning Weidong didn't intend to seize it by force.

Ning Weidong added: "And there is a precedent; originally the whole building was the Fumin Hostel, but now the small half on the north side is used as an office for the Literature and Art Federation. I was thinking, the Fumin Hostel sign can stay, most of the rooms can be used as my office, and the rest can let them continue to run the hostel..."

Ning Weidong explained his meaning, and Zhao Yushui calculated slightly in her heart; if it were like this, it was not without room for operation.

She said immediately: "I will go to Wang Hongying's unit in person tomorrow, wait for my call."

Ning Weidong said with a smile: "Oh, Second Sister, then thank you so much."

Since Zhao Yushui had said this, the matter was eight or nine tenths certain.

It wasn't that Zhao Yushui had that much power, but mainly because Ning Weidong had already set the expectations very low.

If Ning Weidong wanted the Fumin Hostel building, this matter would have been blocked right there at Zhao Yushui's end without even needing to be discussed.

But if it was just renting for an office, there was no problem.

Ning Weidong drank a few more cups with Yu Yan, the two of them finished a bottle of Moutai together, and at about seven o'clock, Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi left; Zhao Yushui and her husband saw them all the way downstairs, waving as they watched the two walk away before turning to walk into the Office Building.

Zhao Yushui asked while going upstairs: "What do you think of this person Ning Weidong?"

Yu Yan said: "Someone Dad approves of must be good; he is very capable of handling things."

Zhao Yushui nodded and said: "That's true, he is indeed someone with a sense of proportion, knowing what can be done and what cannot."

While talking, the two returned upstairs and closed the door.

Zhao Yushui changed her slippers and said while tidying up the table: "In the future, you should interact with him more; Big Brother is going to Handong soon, and from now on, only I and Ruyi will be left here in Beijing."

"I know~" Yu Yan replied: "By the way, what do you think about letting Hongmei go work for him?"

Yu Hongmei was Yu Yan's younger sister; she hadn't had a suitable job since returning from the countryside the year before last.

With Yu Yan's ability, if he really tried every possible way, it wouldn't be impossible to arrange, but his parents doted on their daughter and didn't want Yu Hongmei to go to a factory.

That made it not very easy to handle.

Although the Yu Family was far inferior to the Zhao Family, they were not an ordinary family, so they simply supported their daughter.

Zhao Yushui asked in surprise: "Will it work? Last time we went to the Cotton Textile Factory, that was a proper large State-owned enterprise, and Little Sister didn't want to go; going to Ning Weidong's place, that's a Big Collective."

Yu Yan waved his hand and said helplessly: "That stubborn girl, does she care if it's State-owned or Big Collective? She didn't want to go to the Cotton Textile Factory because she complained it was too far from home and she had to ride a bike to work."

Zhao Yushui blinked; she had been married to Yu Yan for five or six years, but she really wasn't very familiar with this sister-in-law.

When they got married, Yu Hongmei had already gone to the countryside, and she only came back to visit relatives a few times in between, leaving after two or three days.

It wasn't until the end of last year that she returned.

Zhao Yushui said: "Can't Hongmei ride a bike? I remember she seemed to have ridden one before~"

Yu Yan laughed: "She knows how to ride, but she doesn't like to. When she was little and just learned to ride a bike, people were digging a trench on the road; it was dark at night, she didn't see it, and she rode both herself and the bike into the trench. Ever since then, she's had a phobia; she avoids riding if she can..."

Zhao Yushui didn't expect there was such an anecdote, and couldn't help but smile.

Yu Yan continued: "Ning Weidong's company is not far, and even if they move to that hostel later, Hongmei can walk to work."

Zhao Yushui said: "Then you ask her later; if Hongmei is willing, I'll go say a word."

……

The next afternoon, Ning Weidong didn't expect Zhao Yushui's efficiency to be so high.

He originally thought he would have to wait a few days to see any progress.

He didn't expect that by the next afternoon, Zhao Yushui would call: "Weidong~ It's Second Sister."

Ning Weidong said hurriedly: "I recognized you, Second Sister~"

Zhao Yushui said: "You go to the Second Light Industry Bureau now and find Wang Yongfu..."

Ning Weidong acknowledged, and after Zhao Yushui finished speaking, she hung up the phone.

Ning Weidong hadn't quite reacted yet; was it done already? But since Zhao Yushui had called, it certainly couldn't be wrong.

He immediately rode his bike to the Second Light Industry Bureau.

In less than half an hour, Ning Weidong parked his bicycle downstairs and walked straight inside.

Arriving at the dispatch office, he knocked on the window.

The guard inside was dozing off and was quite impatient at being disturbed; he rolled his eyes at Ning Weidong and said crossly: "Who are you looking for~"

Ning Weidong didn't mind: "I'm looking for Wang Yongfu; excuse me, which floor is his office on?"

Just now on the phone, Zhao Yushui hadn't said exactly where Wang Yongfu was, only telling him to come over.

The guard at the reception room frowned and asked defensively, "Looking for Section Chief Wang? Who are you?"

Ning Weidong smiled: "My name is Ning Weidong. I just spoke on the phone; Section Chief Wang is expecting me. If you don't believe me, you can call to confirm."

The guard was stunned for a moment, dared not say more, and pointed: "Follow the stairs to the second floor, the third office on the east side."

Being able to call before coming showed that the young man in front of him wasn't just stumbling around blindly; even when asking for favors, he knew the proper channels.

Ning Weidong thanked him, found Wang Yongfu's Office, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

A "Please come in" came from inside. Ning Weidong turned the doorknob, pushed the door open, and entered, smiling before speaking: "Section Chief Wang!"

Inside the office, Wang Yongfu was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted: "You are Ning Weidong?"

Ning Weidong took a few steps forward, reached out his hand, and said: "That's right, sorry to bother you, Section Chief Wang~"

Wang Yongfu stood up with a smile and shook hands with Ning Weidong enthusiastically: "What's this about bothering or not? Your second sister and my younger sister are classmates. Forget 'Section Chief Wang,' just call me Brother Wang."

Ning Weidong chuckled: "Then I will respectfully comply, Brother Wang~"

Wang Yongfu knew Ning Weidong was the Zhao Family's son-in-law and dared not be the least bit negligent. He pulled Ning Weidong to sit down, fetched a teacup, poured water, and after some pleasantries, quickly brought up the main business.

Ning Weidong restated the situation and his request, finally saying: "Brother Wang, I know this is hard to handle and I certainly don't want to put you in a difficult position. Regarding the rent, I can increase it by twenty percent. Additionally, I can take in the surplus staff from the hostel."

Ning Weidong knew very well what the higher-level departments cared about and what they did not.

As for the rent, they didn't care at all; in any case, no matter how much money it was, it went into the public account and wouldn't end up in anyone's personal pocket.

The reason Ning Weidong was willing to pay more rent was actually just to show an attitude.

Standing on the side of the Second Light Industry Bureau, what they feared most was actually trouble.

If they really gave Fumin Hostel to Ning Weidong, although Ning Weidong said he could keep the sign, how many people could those remaining few rooms support?

When the time came that wages couldn't be paid, it wasn't as if people didn't have mouths to speak; if something really blew up, that would be the most troublesome thing.

Therefore, Ning Weidong took the initiative to propose that he could take in the surplus personnel, which was equivalent to dispelling Wang Yongfu's worries in advance.

Sure enough, hearing Ning Weidong say this, Wang Yongfu's smile grew even broader: "Weidong, you really thought of everything ahead of time."

Originally, Zhao Yushui had gone through Wang Hongying to reach his family, so he definitely had to give this face.

Coupled with Ning Weidong being so sensible, Wang Yongfu couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

He had originally been somewhat worried about how to handle the aftermath at Fumin Hostel.

Just at this moment, there was another knock at the door from outside.

Wang Yongfu called out, "Come in."

A middle-aged man pushed the door open and entered from outside.

Wang Yongfu said with a smile: "Old Chen, you came just in time. Let me introduce you. This is Comrade Ning Weidong, and this is Manager Chen of Fumin Hostel."

Ning Weidong stood up to shake hands with Manager Chen.

Manager Chen looked at Ning Weidong with a complex expression, clearly already knowing what was going on, and squeezed out a smile: "Manager Ning, you are indeed young and promising."

Ning Weidong said: "Manager Chen is too kind."

What followed was another round of negotiations. With Wang Yongfu coordinating and the Bureau setting the tone, Manager Chen of Fumin Hostel knew the general trend was gone, so he didn't cause any trouble and smoothly completed the paperwork.

Starting from today, three-quarters of the large building originally occupied by Fumin Hostel belonged to Dongyi Company.

The rent was three hundred yuan per month, paid directly to the Bureau.

At the same time, Ning Weidong also had to take in twelve of the original hostel staff members.

Fumin Hostel would continue to operate in the remaining one-quarter.

Ning Weidong was naturally very satisfied with this result.

He thanked Wang Yongfu profusely, promised to treat him to a meal later, and then left the Second Light Industry Bureau.

Without delay, upon returning to the company's Siheyuan, Ning Weidong immediately called Ning Wei over and told him to take people to Fumin Hostel to take over the place.

Although at this juncture it was almost impossible for anyone to discover the safe hidden in the fourth-floor wall, one couldn't be too careful.

Ning Wei was stunned when he heard this.

Ning Weidong hadn't leaked a word of this before; he had actually managed to get half a building all of a sudden.

He immediately took Liu Dong, Wang Xuewen, and Zhao Chunming and rushed out.

Just as they left, Wang Kaixuan and Hu Bayi came out of the office across the way: "Manager, what happened?"

Ning Weidong said with a smile: "I got an office building over in Xidan. Once we tidy it up later, we'll move over there."

Wang Kaixuan and Hu Bayi were both stunned.

Wang Kaixuan said: "Why are we moving when everything is fine?"

Ning Weidong explained: "Our courtyard is only this big. As the company develops in the future, we will definitely need to bring in more people. Rather than being caught short-handed then, it's better to plan ahead."

Wang Kaixuan realized with a half-genuine, half-fake expression: "Manager, no wonder they say you have such foresight~"

Ning Weidong laughed: "Cut it out, your flattery is too deliberate." He then said to Hu Bayi: "Old Hu, you were a leader in the army and have management experience. Don't hold back; you need to put it to good use."

Hu Bayi's heart stirred, catching Ning Weidong's meaning: "Manager, if you have any orders, I will certainly not refuse."

In fact, Hu Bayi had been feeling a bit unsettled lately.

Ever since he came to Ning Weidong's place, every day was just drifting along with Wang Kaixuan, with no serious work to do.

Although he had worked with Wang Kaixuan to handle two Approval Documents using connections in Min Province and earned a few thousand yuan, Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan did not have the same personality.

He was a man who had been a soldier.

Wang Kaixuan thought this kind of life was great, but Hu Bayi felt it wasn't right.

Hearing today that Ning Weidong intended to let him do something, a sense of eagerness suddenly welled up in his heart.

Ning Weidong called the two of them to the Upper Room, sat on the sofa, and said: "Old Hu, I'm planning to start a distillery recently..."

Blah blah blah, he explained his idea of using low-quality white liquor, filtering it, diluting it with water, making it into Vodka, and selling it to the people from the Soviet Union.

Ning Weidong didn't hide anything from Hu and Wang.

After Ning Weidong finished speaking, Wang Kaixuan slapped the sofa armrest hard: "Damn! You can even do it this way!"

Hu Bayi had a more steady personality, yet he also felt that Ning Weidong's ideas were wildly imaginative, while at the same time understanding what Ning Weidong meant: "Manager, are you planning to have me manage this factory?"

Ning Weidong said: "Not manage, but build! Right now, there is no site, no equipment, and no personnel. Old Hu, I want to entrust this matter to you."

Hu Bayi licked his lips and met Ning Weidong's gaze: "You are naming me for this task."

Ning Weidong smiled and said: "Do you dare to take it?"

Hu Bayi sat up straight, his back as stiff as a board: "What is there not to dare! As long as you trust me, I guarantee I will complete the mission."

Although he had left the military for over half a year, having not yet been worn down by the grind of life, the spirit and energy in Hu Bayi had not yet dissipated.

Ning Weidong said "Good," and immediately made the final decision: "Old Hu, let me explain it to you in more detail, and you get a proposal to me as soon as possible. As for the funds... I will allocate ten thousand yuan to you first. Choosing the site, recruiting people, and what equipment is needed—you are fully responsible for it all. If there is anything you cannot resolve, come directly to me."

(End of this chapter)