Chapter 1203: If You Won't Give It to Me, I'll Snatch It

Let me ask you, can time flow backward?

Can it flow backward?

If it could flow backward, Da Da Qiangzi would definitely not be so hard on himself.

When he walked out of the Steel Mill Guesthouse, the tears on his face had not yet dried.

Ah, the longer people live, the more confused they become.

Why do I say this?

Sometimes you cannot figure out who treats you well and who treats you poorly.

Just like the various problems one encounters in life, not all of them can be resolved or understood clearly.

They might even make people indulge in philosophy or metaphysics.

The cultured ponder philosophy; the uncultured ponder fortune-telling.

Say you've had a heartbreak, you still love your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend so much that you just can't move on.

You think, why did he (she) reject me? Was it because I wasn't good enough to him (her)?

Or did he (she) fall for someone else?

If not, then what was the reason?

If you can't figure it out and are dying over it, what do you do?

If you happen to have a good friend who understands philosophy and helps you analyze it dialectically.

They might talk for four or five hours, maybe chat for three to five days, or even over a month, and slowly you will feel relieved.

Even if you can't figure it out and your heart remains unrelieved, time will dilute everything, and your friend has to go to work too.

If you don't have such a good friend, or none of your friends know how to guide you, are you just going to die?

Go find a fortune-teller to break the curse.

You just ask the fortune-teller, why!

Why did he (she) leave me, why did he (she) treat me this way, how should I let go.

A fortune-teller usually needs only three words to make you put down your psychological burden and leave laughing heartily.

What three words?

He (she) clashes with your fate!

Now Da Da Qiangzi was thinking, perhaps the reason people cannot walk together, or part ways halfway, is precisely the best and most suitable arrangement in life.

Would continuing to follow the Shopkeeper necessarily make him happier than today?

Would staying in Steel City to marry the little nurse necessarily make him happier than today?

Not necessarily; he himself wouldn't dare say it definitely would.

Just now upstairs, the reminders Li Li Xuewu and Lao Lao Biaozi gave him were actually things he had also been pondering.

Whether his feelings for that Miss were truly love or merely charity.

He was a bit confused, unable to figure it out; he blamed his low level of education, lacking sufficient knowledge and learning.

Later, listening to Li Li Xuewu speak about work methods and approaches, he tried to apply them to himself.

Some things could simply be thought about in reverse—

Regarding that Miss, was it love or charity?

Thinking in reverse, did he possess a heart of compassion?

Thinking about the things he had done in the past, thinking about the people from the past, where did he have the qualification to speak of charity?

Fine! With just this one point, he figured it out.

Regardless of her family background, regardless of her evoking pity, since he didn't despise her for being a butcher's daughter or an orphan, she shouldn't despise him for being good-for-nothing.

Get married if it's time to get married, have children if it's time to have children; he could also rightfully bring the woman back to the village to bow before his parents.

As for the younger brother-in-law, he still had to support him; he wasn't short of this one bowl of rice, and he still had this much conscience.

He was not short of money now, and even the identity and value he needed most were about to be realized through his younger brother.

When he walked out of the guesthouse, his heart was bright and clear, so happy he wanted to shout aloud.

Lao Lao Biaozi pulled open the car door, jumped into the vehicle, turned his head, and asked Da Da Qiangzi who was getting in: "Taking you out to have some fun?"

"Have fun my foot? I'm not going—"

Da Da Qiangzi rubbed his face and said in a muffled voice: "Do you think I want to face your sharp tongue after getting scolded?"

Just as Li Li Xuewu and others were inspecting the Steel City Steel Mill and discussing the upcoming technical reform work, the authorities issued a new notice regarding the resumption of classes.

On October 14th, the People's Daily published the "Notice on the Resumption of Classes in Universities, Middle Schools, and Primary Schools."

The notice required that "universities, middle schools, and primary schools across the country must immediately open," and to "carry out teaching while carrying out revolution."

This was the second notice issued by the authorities regarding education work since entering October.

In Li Li Xuewu's view, spilled water cannot be gathered up; this work of tightening the drawstring could not be completed in a short time.

The educational environment across various regions had been lax for over two years; how was it possible to suddenly emphasize discipline and solemnize education?

Only places like the Red Star Factory, which sought tranquility amidst chaos, enforced discipline, and fundamentally removed the soil that bred unstable factors, had the conditions of a newly built school.

But for the current general environment, wanting to fully restore the educational environment of two years ago, or even three years ago, would probably still require some effort and time.

Furthermore, one could see from the notice that resuming classes did not equal fully restoring the original teaching discipline and environment.

It was still about mass study, revolutionizing while studying, and studying while revolutionizing; the root problems were not solved.

This would lead to one result: classes resumed, but it was tantamount to not having resumed at all.

Leaving aside time and energy, what about the teachers?

The students returned to the classroom, but where did the teachers go?

After experiencing so many events and encountering so many problems, did they still possess the ability to teach?

When the Deaf Old Lady passed away, Li Li Xuewu heard a few words from Third Master in the rear courtyard.

Yan Yan Fugui was a cautious and careful man by nature; even when he spoke, he was vague and left no handle for others to grab.

Yet from his fragmented words, one could deeply sense his helplessness and fear.

Let me ask, can a teacher who fears his students still educate them well?

Just like in later generations, where hitting is forbidden and scolding is banned, how do you expect teachers to educate students?

How mischievous were you when you were in school? Do you think your own child is such a well-behaved baby that they need no teaching?

Contradictions often exist within the unstable state of supply and demand relationships; all problems have traces to follow.

Conversely, let me ask, are all teachers in schools good teachers?

When they corporally punish students, do they ever engage in excessive behavior, and does such behavior affect or harm the students' mental health?

If one truly wants to be comprehensive, then don't eat vegetables from the market because they are all sprayed with pesticides; if you get sick, don't go to the hospital because IV drips damage blood vessels...

There is an idiom that describes this very aptly: giving up eating for fear of choking, starving oneself to death because one is afraid of choking.

Whether in life or work, having contradictions is not terrifying, because contradictions and problems can be resolved.

One must absolutely not refrain from action out of fear of contradictions and problems arising; doing so would make a fool of oneself.

Therefore, under the current educational environment, the Red Star Factory resolutely established its own educational system.

Was Li Li Xuewu not afraid of problems arising?

Was Li Li Huai De not afraid of problems arising?

They were all afraid, trembling with fear; even in Steel City, when Li Li Xuewu spoke with the leadership team of the Steel City Steel Plant, he inquired about the situation regarding education and teaching.

The Red Star United School is in Jingcheng, Steel City, Camp City, Fengcheng, and so on; how should the education and teaching management for the children of employees in these places be realized in the future?

Bearing fear and trembling with anxiety, they still had to attempt to carry out educational and teaching work following the model of the Red Star United School.

Where conditions permitted, restore and rebuild the educational environments for junior high schools and primary schools.

Plan comprehensively, with unified management by the Education Management Department.

The reason only the structures for junior high and primary schools were planned is that the latter stages of teaching could be transferred to Jingcheng.

Where conditions did not exist, conditions would be created to achieve this goal.

The Liangma River Industrial Zone constructed by the Red Star Factory in Jingcheng does not comprise all units of the group.

In Tianmen, in Steel City, and even in Fengcheng, a large number of employees will work within the group in the future.

The residential areas in the Liangma River Industrial Zone are merely the first phase of construction; in the future, equally excellent supporting projects will be built in the Red Star Steel City Industrial Zone.

Correspondingly, welfare guarantee facilities and equipment for healthcare, education, daily life, and so on will gradually be established.

When Li Li Xuewu accompanied Robin on a tour of the steel plant, he mentioned this point.

The Liangma River Eco-Industrial Zone will be an attempt by the Red Star Factory to explore the organic integration of future factories and cities.

However standardized and advanced the design and construction of the Liangma River Industrial Zone are today, that is how excellent the industrial zones the Red Star Factory establishes in other regions in the future will be.

The Red Star Factory's industrial zone in Steel City was already quite large in scale; the group traveled by car around the area, focusing on inspecting projects constructed to support the steel plant, as well as the foundations for future rolling mill construction projects.

In a reserved area, the group disembarked from their vehicles and, holding blueprints, began to discuss.

"What is the core of a thermal power station?"

Robin took off his exquisite leather gloves, held them in his hand, pointed at the empty ground ahead, and said, "It is land."

"I thought you were going to say..."

Li Li Xuewu was amused by his self-questioning and self-answering; seeing Robin look over, he shook his head to express his apology.

Robin, the Vice President of the Santa Ya Group, did not mind, smiling similarly as he asked, "What?"

"Boilers, steam turbines, and generators."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and nodded, explaining, "I thought you were emphasizing those."

"Oh, those are certainly important—"

Old man Robin maintained the stereotype of a classical gentleman in front of Chantal, but upon arriving in Steel City...

... he was like a wild dog off its leash, acting a bit wildly.

He pursed his lips, looked at the flat land ahead, and said, "But more importantly, there must be enough land to build it and contain it, is there not?"

"This is truly a wonderful place!"

Without waiting for Li Li Xuewu to answer, looking at the level fields, Robin said with some emotion, "If France possessed such land, it would absolutely not be wasted on factories."

Do not listen to his nonsense; it is merely groaning without cause.

France began its industrial revolution very early; were all its factories built confined within Wang Dashan?

Pure bullshit—

Factories encroaching on farmland is a significant characteristic of industrial transformation, and also a helpless measure in the shift from an agrarian society to an industrial society.

Everyone knows that without grain people will starve to death, but the Frenchmen waving white flags know even better that without industry there are no guns or cannons.

If they want to obtain more land and more grain, they must develop industry with their lives on the line.

Now that the French have already consumed the dividends of industrial transformation, they naturally stand and talk without feeling the pain, lamenting the loss of farmland and regretting the grain.

Furthermore, this patch of black earth has never lacked bastards coveting it.

Li Li Xuewu treated Robin's remarks as mere farting; could he really beat him up over it?

"Three blast furnaces and two large workshops are sufficient."

After discussing among themselves, the team of engineers who came with Robin coordinated again with the engineers of the Red Star Factory.

Li Li Xuewu listened, but he did not directly understand some of the technical terminology; it was the translator who made it clear.

Remember, knowing a foreign language and being a professional translator are two different things.

It does not matter if they sit together babbling nonsense; missing a sentence or two does not hinder boasting.

When brothers from Sichuan Province and cousins from Jiangxi Province sit together speaking Mandarin, there are times when they cannot understand each other.

But if you're talking about work and coordinating operations, there can be absolutely no room for error.

If the French engineer talks about the front gate tower while the Chinese engineer talks about the hip bone axis, how can that possibly work?

They pull out the blueprints, say it's a chimney, but without a translator, no one understands; just looking at the drawings, you'd damn well think it was an underground water well.

Of course, saying that is an exaggeration; in reality, no idiot would actually build a chimney thinking it was a water well.

With the help of translators, the engineers on both sides carefully checked and discussed, while Li Li Xuewu and the others could only stand aside, watching and listening.

Yang Yang Shuxing, the deputy director of the steel mill in charge of logistics, distributed cigarettes to everyone present.

When he reached Li Li Xuewu, he offered one, but seeing Li Li Xuewu wave his hand in refusal, he smiled and said, "Director Dong has quit smoking too."

"That's what he told me last time he came."

Li Li Xuewu turned to look at him, smiled, and said, "Though the experience of quitting smoking isn't pleasant."

"Hehehe, I often catch him sneaking a smoke."

Yang Yang Shuxing lit a cigarette for himself, took a puff, and stood beside Li Li Xuewu.

He didn't understand French; the translator on the other side spoke too fast for him to keep up.

Standing beside Li Li Xuewu, his purpose wasn't to participate in the engineers' discussion.

As a cadre, one isn't omnipotent, especially for those in management roles; you need to understand, but there's no need to understand everything.

"Do you know how large this power station is going to be built?"

"How large? Are you asking about the generating capacity?"

Li Li Xuewu glanced back at him and said, "Less than twenty thousand; it should be around eighteen thousand."

"Um... does that count as large or small?"

Yang Yang Shuxing was very straightforward with Li Li Xuewu, neither pretending to know what he didn't nor hiding his ignorance.

He spoke very plainly: "I might know a little about steelmaking, but regarding electricity generation, I know absolutely nothing."

"Actually, it's all the same; I damn well never studied it either."

Li Li Xuewu laughed and cursed once, then nodded and said, "From what they say, this falls within the capacity range of a small power station."

"Anything under fifty thousand kilowatts is called small."

After explaining this to Yang Yang Shuxing, he gestured toward Dashan in the distance and said, "If we could develop small-scale hydroelectric power, connecting it all together might just about suffice."

"Small-scale hydroelectric power doesn't seem useful; I've already asked."

Yang Yang Shuxing shook his head and said, "Around three hundred kilowatts is fine for lighting up rural areas, but for industry..."

"The main issue is that the steel mill, the rolling mill, and other upstream and downstream industries have huge electricity demands."

Li Li Xuewu crossed his arms, listening to their discussion while chatting casually with Yang Yang Shuxing.

"These two power stations we're getting are a last resort; in the future, the speed of industrial development will surely outpace power construction, and we'll constantly be strangled by bottlenecks."

"I was even wondering if we could sell electricity outward."

Yang Yang Shuxing chuckled, choked on his smoke, coughed twice, and then continued, "Given the current production scale, it seems difficult."

"You're still thinking about selling electricity outward?" Li Li Xuewu looked at him amusedly and said, "Right now, with just this eighteen thousand, I'm already worried it won't be enough in the future."

He raised his hand to gesture toward the construction site in the distance and said, "Just you wait; once the steel mill's technical renovation is complete, the rolling mill is built, and other supporting and auxiliary industries start up, there will be plenty of people crying and shouting to secure power supply."

A few days ago, Li Li Xuewu read in the newspaper that the projected electricity generation for this year could only reach about 77 billion kilowatt-hours.

Does that sound like a lot? After all, it's counted in units of hundreds of millions, but what if you spread it across 9.6 million square kilometers of land? What if you distribute it among seven hundred million people?

For this small power station, right from the project initiation, Li Li Xuewu had constantly emphasized the budget, the budget, insisting that the future electricity budget for the Hongxing Steel Industry Base be included in the calculations.

And the result? After all that calculating, they damn well came up with just eighteen thousand.

If it were up to him to calculate, it would certainly be between thirty thousand and fifty thousand; just as Yang Yang Shuxing said, if there's excess, it can be sold, since there are plenty of people demanding electricity these days.

However, this power station was obtained for free; you can't just ask for however much you want.

The Santa Ya Group isn't a charitable organization; if you haven't ordered a single dish, do you expect them to throw in two power stations for free?

Inspecting the steel mill, inspecting the automobile manufacturing plant, checking the site for the rolling mill, checking the location for the power station...

All day long, the investigation team was busy, running around.

Li Li Xuewu accompanied them throughout; although he had opinions or questions, he did not ask them on the spot.

After all, this was still in the discussion phase; any issues could be raised at the meeting later.

Cheng Kaiyuan and Xiang Xiang Jingyu were also busy; one took this opportunity to investigate production management and technical transformation, while the other used the chance to investigate financial work.

When Li Li Xuewu returned, Xiang Xiang Jingyu had just finished her work and was coming downstairs; the two met face to face.

"How did it go today?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu sized him up and asked, "What were the results?"

"Don't joke with me," Li Li Xuewu responded with a smile; "I went to supervise the work, not to do the work myself."

"Hehehe—"

Yang Yang Shuxing followed behind, smiling, and introduced, "We've finished touring everything, verified all the relevant data; now it just depends on how the engineering side negotiates."

"You've worked hard—"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu smiled and nodded, saying to Yang Yang Shuxing, "Once we return this time, we should basically be able to finalize the plan for the Steel City Industrial Zone; you deserve much of the credit."

"I wouldn't dare claim that; it's all the leaders' merit."

Yang Yang Shuxing wasn't old, but he was older than Xiang Xiang Jingyu, making their conversation quite interesting.

Someone might ask, on what grounds!

On what grounds is Xiang Xiang Jingyu not very old yet holds such a high rank?

At thirty-four years old, a deputy bureau chief—that's the dream of a lifetime for so many people.

Actually, the reason is very simple; in this era, there simply aren't many people who understand economics.

If one has worked in the ministry for many years, possesses rich work experience, and has matching educational background, ability, and seniority, then you tell me, on what grounds shouldn't she have it?

Coming to Red Star Factory for an airdropped training assignment, not even a demotion with a temporary post, meant these cadres arrived carrying strings attached.

If they performed well, they might be promoted right there; if they performed poorly, they would be recalled to continue their training.

Why was it always said that cultivating a talented cadre required consuming many resources?

The reason was basically embodied in Xiang Xiang Jingyu.

The fact that he could come from the Ministry to Red Star Factory already explained the issue.

Yang Yang Shuxing had self-awareness; he knew he could not compare to Xiang Xiang Jingyu, nor could he afford to offend him.

Therefore, in their conversation and exchanges, there was no envy or jealousy, and certainly no belly full of complaints.

Very politely, with a touch of respect, he expressed the attitude required for the post work to perfection.

Standing at the doorway, after speaking only a few sentences, Yang Yang Shuxing voluntarily took his leave and departed.

He knew that when a leader came down, there must be matters to discuss with Li Li Xuewu, and his standing there had already become an eyesore.

Saying he could not compare to Xiang Xiang Jingyu was true, but actually, compared to Li Li Xuewu, he also could not compare; this belonged to a kind of congenital disability.

Career advancement and development seemed subtle and hard to understand, but in reality, they were very simple and very clear.

The premise was that you had to understand it and see it clearly.

Take Li Li Xuewu, for instance; he had worked in the General Factory's administrative organs from the very beginning until he encountered a bottleneck period.

Being so young, and possessing such ideas and capabilities as outlined in Wu De Xiang Fa, he was inevitably destined for rotational training within the administrative organs.

Only when his experience became rich and his seniority mature would he be sent down to a branch factory to serve as the top leader, continuing his training.

In contrast, look at him; like Li Li Xuewu, he had encountered a bottleneck in the administrative organs, yet he lacked the potential for rotation within them.

Therefore, he could only be sent down to a branch factory early to serve as a deputy position, continuing his training.

From this single difference, the future advancement potential of the two men became apparent, foreshadowing the difference in how far each could go.

Li Li Xuewu came down to serve as the top leader, whereas if he went up, he could never become the top leader of an administrative department.

This was what one called a congenital disability; it was very helpless, and very realistic.

Of course, among those sent down early, there were no lack of rising stars being trained and cultivated who, upon seizing an opportunity, would shoot straight up.

But were there many such rising stars?

The fact that you could see many of them indicated that there truly were not many; this was called survivorship bias.

Many? What did 'many' mean? Only when something became commonplace could it be called 'many'.

At the end of 1965 and the beginning of 1966, Li Li Xuewu was at the section-chief level, while Yang Yang Shuxing was at the deputy division-director level.

And now? The two of them were equal!

Do not rush; in another two years, Yang Yang Shuxing knew he would still be at the deputy division-director level, while Li Li Xuewu would be his leader.

Journey to the West had so many immortals and so many demons, yet the only one who truly succeeded was the Monkey King.

Even the Bull Demon King, who had connections in the Heavenly Court, had not yet secured an official establishment position; that was truly losing the Lady while also breaking the soldiers.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Walking on the road back to the guesthouse, Xiang Xiang Jingyu tightened the overcoat on his body and asked, "What kind of problem?"

"The power station; it might not be enough."

Li Li Xuewu sighed and said, "These French people are so tight-fisted, squeezing every brick seam; who can stand that?"

"So you also know that they are the ones providing the money, do you?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu glanced at him and asked with a smile, "How much is the shortfall? Do you have specific numbers?"

"How could I?" Li Li Xuewu looked at her and asked, "If I said there will be a shortfall in the future, would you believe me?"

That was exactly how it was; judging from today's discussion results, the French felt they were being very generous and had indeed bled some resources.

And what about Red Star Factory's side?

They also felt they had gained a profit, perhaps even with the possibility of excess electricity generation.

Only Li Li Xuewu, listening from the side, frowned.

The present was the present, and the future was the future.

Among those currently handling design and construction, who could foresee how much electricity this place would need in the future?

Li Li Xuewu's idea was that until the construction and perfection of the power system were complete, production electricity usage must not be delayed.

At least thirty years, or even calculating forty years into the future.

Currently, building a small thermal power station could fully supply the electricity needs of all production units in the industrial zone.

This even included electricity for future supporting facilities in the industrial zone, such as residential power consumption, and so on.

However, when initiating the project, Li Li Xuewu had already realized that this power station, starting from independent power supply, would gradually coordinate with the power grid in the future.

Because as electricity consumption increased and shortages arose, the role of this small power station would slowly shift from a main force to auxiliary operation, until the day it was eliminated.

But if it were built to be the main force from the start, only to become disabled after two years, then what use was there in building it?

Did land not count as a cost?

Did time not count as a cost?

Li Li Xuewu tapped his head with his finger and said, "The design calls for eighteen thousand; I want it to be thirty-six thousand."

"If it were up to me, I would max it out directly to forty thousand."

"Are you dreaming—"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu glanced at him and reminded, "Do not covet more after gaining a little; do not be a glutton with no limit."

"Do you think the French aid consists of biscuits and chocolate? That I am a glutton with no limit?"

Li Li Xuewu let out a long breath and said, "If this power station is built too small, then asking the French for a power station back then was truly like taking off one's pants to fart—a superfluous move."

He turned his head, looked at Xiang Xiang Jingyu, and asked, "You've just been listening to me ramble; how about your side?"

"Are you envying me, or are you mocking me?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu rolled her eyes at him; you couldn't just listen to one sentence from this rascal, you had to listen carefully to every single word he said.

Listening to that one sentence, it seemed perfectly normal, but as soon as you took the bait, the next sentence would kick you straight into a pit.

When talking about work, it didn't matter, but when chatting idly, you must never agree with him; contradict every sentence he says, and you'll never go wrong.

"How can you say that—"

Li Li Xuewu tucked his hands into his pockets and said with a smile: "If I were to envy your office being as warm as spring while sending me out on field duty, freezing like a third-rate grandson, wouldn't that be humiliating myself?"

"You're even demoting your own generation for yourself?"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu finally caught a small advantage and seized it vigorously; nodding with a smile, she said: "It is indeed quite humiliating."

Li Li Xuewu glanced sideways at her, his lips moving slightly, yet he made no sound.

The two of them traded barbs during the day, laughing it off as mere amusement, but the real key lay in the evening.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu perhaps saw his lips move or felt a bit guilty, so she coughed and said: "Don't curse!"

"Are you some great immortal? Possessing divine calculation!"

Li Li Xuewu looked at her speechlessly and said: "I didn't even make a sound, yet you know I was cursing you?"

"Wouldn't I know your—"

Xiang Xiang Jingyu naturally knew; he hadn't cursed her, but he certainly hadn't thought anything good either.

It was nearly time to get off work, and there were quite a few people on the road.

She wore a woolen overcoat, her hands tucked in her pockets, her high heels not too high, making a slight sound as she walked.

In this late autumn season, fallen leaves fluttered everywhere; the sky was a stretch of gray, the ground a stretch of yellow, creating somewhat the atmosphere of a young couple strolling after work, returning home together.

Of course, these were all thoughts in Xiang Xiang Jingyu's mind; as for Li Li Xuewu, he might just as well be thinking about walking the dog after work.

When it came to being cutting, he was cutting to the extreme.

During the three or four days of research and office meetings, Li Li Xuewu had only called Zhou Wang Yamei once and had not gone over to stay.

Because there were meetings every evening, yesterday's had lasted until midnight; as the person in charge, Li Li Xuewu had to keep a close watch.

During that evening's discussion meeting, he maintained his attitude of listening and observing more, offering no opinions or suggestions.

It was not until the morning of the second day that the main responsible persons from both engineering teams attended the office meeting together to report the discussion results to the leaders of Red Star Factory and the Steel Plant.

After all, the matters had already been discussed and demonstrated, so the reporting work was completed by the Red Star Factory side.

The leaders listened very attentively; some understood, while others only half-understood.

Li Li Xuewu listened while cross-referencing the materials and writing; how much he wrote, he did not check carefully.

Only after the engineer representative finished the report did he put down his fountain pen.

"Good, thank you for your hard work, comrades engineers."

Cheng Kaiyuan, Dong Wenxue, and Xiang Xiang Jingyu were of equal rank, but Dong Wenxue had previously only been a Deputy Secretary.

When Cheng Kaiyuan came to Red Star Factory, his appointment from above was specifically as Executive Deputy, ranking even higher than Xiang Xiang Jingyu.

However, with subsequent changes in the situation, shifts in division of labor, and the development of the Management Committee, Old Li had no longer kept this bowl of water level.

Of course, Old Li had never intended to keep it level in the first place; this current state was exactly what he wanted.

The Executive Deputy had no executive duties; the duties were all distributed among the deputies.

Since this was on Steel City's territory, the seating arrangement of the three was quite interesting.

They did not sit at the head of the table but rather in the middle section of the conference table.

Dong Wenxue had originally arranged for the office to place Cheng Kaiyuan's nameplate in the center, but when they entered, Cheng Kaiyuan saw it and switched it himself.

Now Dong Wenxue sat in the middle position, with him and Xiang Xiang Jingyu seated on either side.

This also meant that this office meeting was to be presided over by Dong Wenxue.

Actually, no thought was needed; Dong Wenxue's arrangement was merely politeness, for the sake of unity.

But as the saying goes, this is Steel City; although the power station project construction belongs to Red Star Factory, the construction site and usage are in Steel City, so Dong Wenxue must necessarily preside over the work.

Dong Wenxue looked around, glanced at everyone, and stated: "Industry cannot do without electricity, just as fish cannot do without water."

"How big a fish requires how big a pond; the more fish there are, the larger the pond needed, and the more water required; the same principle applies to power stations."

He tapped the pencil in his hand and said: "A total installed capacity of eighteen thousand, under ideal conditions for a year, can produce one hundred and fifty million units of electricity, correct?"

"Hehehe—"

The engineers sitting around the conference table laughed, and Li Li Xuewu laughed too.

Other leaders who understood also smiled.

"This is impossible, right?"

Dong Wenxue naturally understood this principle; looking toward Li Li Xuewu, he smiled and remarked: "How much electricity does the entire country generate in a year?"

Li Li Xuewu did not understand much about power generation knowledge; he had only heard it from the engineers and thus had a rough idea in his mind.

The "total installed capacity of eighteen thousand" mentioned here refers to the total installed generating capacity.

His understanding was that it referred to the power generation equipment capacity after the power plant was formally installed and put into use.

This included normal operating capacity, accident reserve capacity, and maintenance reserve capacity.

The unit of calculation is kilowatts.

With 365 days in a year totaling 8,760 hours, running at full load with all units operating, a total installed capacity of eighteen thousand would indeed produce one hundred and fifty million units of electricity in a year.

But the problem was, could it be calculated this way?

What is called full load, what is called all units?

This small power station had set up six generator units of 3,000 kilowatts each, with every two units forming one production group.

It sounded a bit awkward to say, but in reality, that was just how it was.

Although there are 8,760 hours in a full year, achieving an actual power generation efficiency of 2,000 hours would be considered awesome.

Because it was impossible for all units to work, nor could they work at full load; wouldn't that be ruining the machines?

This kind of thing happened over the next decade or more, precisely the situation Li Li Xuewu feared: nationwide, 38 generator units with capacities exceeding 6,000 kilowatts were scrapped annually.

Why? Simply because they ran at full load, operating around the clock.

Who gave the orders? Amateurs; back then, politics commanded everything, and all actions followed those commands.

"Having thirty million would already be considered good."

Li Li Xuewu chimed in, "After solving the power station problem, we still have to solve the coal problem."

"Hahaha—"

Inside the conference room, everyone, including Dong Wenxue, burst into laughter.

Talking about coal while guarding Steel City, Li Li Xuewu's remark carried a hidden meaning; he was fundamentally not speaking about the issue of coal.

Last night, Dong Wenxue had already communicated with him, so naturally, he understood what Li Li Xuewu was thinking.

Of course, after Li Li Xuewu's explanation and report, he also understood the hidden dangers and concerns involved.

"You can't raise fish in a water bucket, and even raising fish in a river pond isn't an exact fit, right?"

Dong Wenxue did not rush to call on Li Li Xuewu by name to speak; instead, he spoke in a very amiable tone, "We must calculate the actual electricity generation capacity and make full preparations."

"At the same time, we must also calculate the electricity consumption for production and prepare a sufficient budget."

He gently patted the documents before him with his palm and said, "Only when two margins of surplus are opened up can we maneuver freely when future supply and demand requirements arise, correct?"

Issues brought to the meeting for discussion inherently involve disagreements; if the host lays out the problem clearly while speaking, it means there are no disagreements.

Therefore, upon hearing Director Dong's remarks, the person in charge of the engineering team immediately understood the situation.

The result would certainly be insufficient total installed capacity; as for where this shortfall manifested, he did not know.

Either the budget for production electricity consumption was insufficient, or the forecast for actual power generation was poorly planned.

With an annual generation capacity of thirty to forty million, he truly could not fathom what industry or what development could consume so much electricity.

Current data from the steel mill showed that annual electricity consumption had just exceeded one million kilowatt-hours.

Even counting the rolling mill and factoring in future industrial projects, thirty million would be enough.

How much could residential electricity usage amount to? Simply increasing the generator unit capacity would absolutely suffice to meet the demand.

The engineers present could never imagine that in the years to come, whether for the steel mill or the rolling mill, annual electricity consumption would reach figures in the tens of millions.

With so many assembly lines starting up and an increasing number of electrical machinery being applied, no one could foresee this trend of development.

"Comrade Li Xuewu communicated with a few of us last night," Dong Wenxue introduced to the crowd, "Let everyone hear his opinion first, and then we will discuss."

Li Li Xuewu waited until Dong Wenxue nodded in approval before he began to speak.

He did not start by talking about the power station because he simply did not understand that stuff.

If he tried to lecture on power generation, the engineers present would verbally tear him apart, at least in their hearts.

To make people convinced, one must speak clearly and with sound reasoning and evidence.

Li Li Xuewu began by discussing the Red Star Factory's overall industrial layout in Steel City and the integrated industries that the Red Star Industrial Zone could drive.

He was familiar with this aspect; whenever leaders came for inspections or brother units came for research, Li Li Huai De would always invite him to join in painting grand visions for them.

The grand visions Li Li Xuewu painted were huge and round; although they looked vague, they tasted truly delicious when realized.

Several of the grand visions he had painted for Old Li had slowly come true, so Old Li naturally placed great trust in him.

Adopting the tone of one painting grand visions, he depicted for those present a magnificent blueprint of an industrial behemoth.

Citing the actual example of the existing automotive industry supply chain, he described the future of the Red Star industrial production base, highlighting super advantages such as the mixed development of light and heavy industries and the integrated production of industrial products.

This place would be a production base while also possessing supporting functions such as healthcare, education, and housing.

In the future, an experimental production center would also be built here to achieve linked symbiosis with the laboratories far away in Jingcheng.

Li Li Xuewu could not describe how much electrical support such an industrial monster would require in the future, but he dared to guarantee that the current small power station was established merely as a safeguard.

The engineers present, whether French or from the Red Star Factory, were all rendered damn silent.

Both sides held relatively authoritative knowledge in their respective fields, but with different perspectives and different jobs, even a slight collision resulted in massive headaches.

"Do you mean..."

The person in charge hesitantly reminded, "The Santa Ya Group's intention is to design based on a comprehensive consideration of future production electricity usage given only the current situation."

"Design must also reference needs!"

Li Li Xuewu's tone slightly intensified, "Whose needs? The Red Star Factory's needs."

"The Red Star Factory needs you to consider this in advance and get involved to strive for more practical applications."

He tapped the table and said, "If the Santa Ya Group is unwilling to increase this design capacity, that is fine; you simply double the design specifications."

Saying this, Li Li Xuewu looked at Dong Wenxue and the others to explain, "At the very least, we must reserve room for future upgrades within the power station."

"That is to say, we should set the initial design specifications based on a target of thirty thousand to fifty thousand."

Cheng Kaiyuan spoke to the person in charge of the engineering team, "Let them do their design, and you do yours."

"Leave the opening; if there is a need later, we can add equipment ourselves to upgrade and transform it."

He then looked at Li Li Xuewu and asked, "Is that what you mean, Li Xuewu?"

"Correct, I don't understand the technical aspects; how to leave the margin and how much to leave depends on you."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and stated, "My opinion is to leave the maximum margin; leave it at fifty thousand, as the cost won't increase by much."

"I agree with Deputy Director Li's opinion," Yang Yang Shuxing smiled and said, "We were just saying yesterday that if there really is a surplus, selling electricity would count as revenue, right?"

"Thinking this way is not problematic."

Dong Wenxue nodded, looked toward the engineers, and asked, "This is our opinion; if your side has any questions, you may raise them as well."

"Even technical ones are fine," he said with a smile, gesturing to the few of them, "We may not be able to help much, but many hands make light work."

"It is mainly about the capacity," the person in charge said very rigorously, "With a standard volume of eighteen thousand but a design of fifty thousand, whether they will agree is another matter entirely."

"This cost isn't just a matter of adding one brick or two bags of cement..."

"How much more? Give me a number."

Seeing his difficulty, as if he dared not speak to the other party, Li Li Xuewu figured that intellectuals cared about saving face.

He said to Dong Wenxue and the others, "Begging for food is shameful; I don't feel there's anything shameful about begging for money."

"Won't give? If you won't give, I'll just rob it!"

PS: Guess why Li Li Xuewu insisted on arranging a power plant in Steel City, and specifically during Dong Wenxue's term.