Chapter 266: I

Yangcheng Railway Station.

Li Ye led Wang Qiangqiang and Li Dayong off the train, joining Hao Jian and several retired soldiers as they moved with the crowd toward the station exit.

Li Dayong, on his first trip south, looked around and said: "Brother, Yangcheng isn't much hotter than our Dongshan—why do people keep calling it a furnace?"

Li Ye explained: "Yangcheng isn't the hottest place, but the heat lasts too long. We came in summer, so we don't feel it.

If you came in spring or autumn, it'd still be hot, so northerners, when describing Yangcheng's weather, can't think of any word but 'hot.'"

"That's true—I heard from Peng Ge and Qiangzi that here in winter, people just wear long sleeves; Yangcheng folks don't even know what cotton coats and pants look like."

"They definitely know—they've just never worn them, hehehe~"

The group laughed and chatted their way out of the station, where Mu Weimin waited with two cars to pick them up.

Li Ye told Li Dayong and Wang Qiangqiang to head to Pengcheng first, while he and Hao Jian went to a restaurant in downtown Yangcheng.

Hao Jian said: "Guo Donglun already said if you came to Yangcheng, he'd treat you—his expression made it seem like he was holding his breath."

"He's holding his liquor!" Li Ye laughed. "Last time I treated him in Jingcheng, I nearly drank him under the table. Men don't easily admit defeat—he's got to reclaim his honor."

"Then be careful today—he might serve Wujiapi. I can't stand that stuff—I won't be able to help you."

"Do I need you to help me drink?"

Li Ye smiled faintly, utterly confident.

Since arriving in this world, he'd never met a drinking opponent he couldn't beat!

Guo Donglun indeed invited Li Ye to drink Wujiapi, but he didn't seem to want to challenge him to a drinking contest anymore.

"After we parted in Jingcheng, I thought a lot. Some of what you said was right, some wasn't—but one thing was: doing real work is always better than wasting time. This toast is for thanks."

Guo Donglun, unable to move easily, had his maid Xiao Liang pour Li Ye a drink and raise a toast to him.

Then he said to Li Ye: "I'm now on assignment at the Yangcheng Garment Company. Next, I'll be your competitor—tell me now if you have any needs."

Li Ye smiled: "Your 'next step'—when exactly? Not tomorrow, I hope?"

Guo Donglun chuckled: "Next year. I need time to study and find a few suitable people. Besides, pulling the ladder out from under you suddenly wouldn't be fair to a friend, would it?"

"Fine, I'll remember you as a friend," Li Ye smiled. "I actually do have a request—see if you can help."

Guo Donglun nodded: "Go ahead."

Li Ye said: "This spring, someone tried to steal the Fenghua trademark registration at the Trademark Bureau. If I hadn't registered it first, they'd have succeeded."

Guo Donglun raised an eyebrow: "You suspect me?"

"Definitely not you," Li Ye waved his hand. "If a soldier like you would do something like that, who could we trust?

It's someone else—the contact number left behind points to the Yangcheng Foreign Trade office. Can you check it out for me?"

Li Ye handed Guo Donglun a slip of paper and a trademark registration application form.

Guo Donglun took them and asked Li Ye: "And if I find out who it is—what do you plan to do?"

Li Ye smiled: "I won't break the law. I just want her name spread throughout the entire Foreign Trade system. Help if you can; if not, I'll handle it myself."

"Ah, you're trying to destroy her career."

Guo Donglun handed the paper and form to his maid Xiao Liang—neither accepting nor refusing.

This wasn't the future, where every clever person took turns in the spotlight. In 1983, within the system, personal integrity mattered. Fenghua was a nationwide brand—trying to steal its trademark was no different from theft.

After discussing this matter, Guo Donglun said nothing more about business—only drank and exchanged cups with Li Ye.

Yangcheng's Wujiapi lived up to its reputation—Li Ye felt warm all over, very comfortable.

Full and satisfied, Li Ye and Hao Jian headed to Pengcheng.

In the car, Hao Jian said: "Your godfather—I feel today's dinner was just a welcome, nothing important."

"He said it," Li Ye replied lazily. "He's going to compete with us."

"Let him compete!" Hao Jian shrugged. "I'm not bragging, but those garment factory workers? Rigid thinking—none of them are a match for us."

"Didn't you catch it?" Li Ye smiled. "Guo Donglun plans to fully replicate the structure of Pengcheng Factory Seven—even steal people from us. When he asked about your needs, he was hinting at compensation!"

"What?"

Hao Jian was stunned—he pulled the car over to the roadside.

He asked Li Ye: "You mean he'll recruit people from the southwest, build a brand-new factory with no baggage or constraints, and steal our business?"

"Yes. You guessed right."

Li Ye nodded: "Guo Donglun is smart—he saw the fundamental difference between us and those bloated factories. He'll copy us.

More smart people like him will come. So we can never slack off—we must keep running, always ahead of everyone else."

"This…"

Hao Jian understood now. He was smart, yes—but how many smart people were there in the world? Pengcheng Factory Seven had shown everyone the way—who couldn't copy it?

"Sigh~"

He sighed, then started driving again.

Over the past half-year, Pengcheng Factory Seven had led everyone. As its director, Hao Da had been at the peak of his fame—he'd briefly underestimated the world's heroes. Now he was back on the same starting line—how could he not worry?

But Li Ye said: "Competition is good. Without competition, there's no progress. To capture overseas markets, you need product competitiveness. Besides, even if Guo Donglun steals business, isn't he still Chinese?"

"Don't let the rich water flow to outsiders. The overseas market is huge—it can hold hundreds of garment factories. As long as we stay in the top ten, we'll live comfortably. Why worry?"

"Top ten?" Hao Jian scoffed. "Brother, you mean nationwide top ten? Before, I never dared dream of being top ten in my county."

"When you go to Hong Kong, ask Pei Wencong to get us a batch of secondhand machines. That $1. million might not last."

Li Ye smiled: "Now you think $1. million isn't much? Don't be stingy—next year, it might become $17 million."

"$17 million?" Hao Jian perked up. "Brother, if you say that, I'll believe you!"

Li Ye laughed and scolded: "Believe it or not."

Hao Jian burst into laughter—his worries vanished completely.

Li Ye's predictions had never been wrong. If he said $17 million, it would be $17 million—no less.

………

When Li Ye and Hao Jian arrived at Pengcheng Factory Seven, Li Dayong and Wang Qiangqiang were already busy working inside.

Hao Jian had imported a batch of secondhand equipment from Hong Kong and was installing it in the new workshop. The two brothers didn't mind the heat or the dirt—they worked alongside the installers, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

It had to be said: these two "major shareholders" had good character. Though now worth millions, they treated ordinary workers without condescension or superiority.

Li Dayong, seeing Li Ye, exclaimed happily: "Brother, are all these machines imported? They look so precise."

Li Ye said: "Yes, secondhand from Hong Kong—not the best, but serviceable."

Li Dayong blinked. "Even these are just serviceable? What would the most advanced ones look like?"

Li Ye smiled: "Isn't that your job as an engineering student? Who else should you ask?"

"."

Seeing Li Dayong's lack of confidence, Li Ye patted his shoulder: "Dayong, don't look down on yourself. Getting into the Aviation Academy already puts you ahead of 95% of the country. Push harder—nothing is impossible."

Li Dayong smiled sheepishly, then suddenly asked: "Brother, can you tell me—are you really guided by Old Huai?"

Li Ye asked, surprised: "Why ask that?"

Li Dayong smiled, gesturing around at the factory buildings and machines with a circular motion, full of awe: "Because you've made me believe nothing is impossible. Brother, you're truly omnipotent."

(End of Chapter)