Chapter 560: Unexpected

"Don't be like a dog biting Lu Dongbin—unable to recognize a good heart."

Li Xuewu glanced at Ji Weidong and asked, "How many years have you been working? Your salary isn't low, right? How much have you saved?"

"This..."

Ji Weidong faltered at Li Xuewu's question. He was a section-level cadre, and his monthly salary was over sixty yuan—a decent amount, to be sure.

However, he was a bachelor, and he only bought the best cigarettes and alcohol, and he mostly ate out.

On top of that, he had a younger sister at home; although she had started working, he covered most of their living expenses.

As for savings, he could manage a little, but whenever he saw something rare, it would basically vanish.

Good items at this time required ration coupons and long queues.

Ji Weidong felt too embarrassed to pull strings to skip the line, so he could only buy from the negotiated-price shops.

The name said it all: no coupons needed, but expensive. Few people went there, and there were no lines.

The result was that the money in his hands went out fast.

If it weren't for the fact that he was courting someone, he wouldn't even think about saving money.

But courting was also a major expense, and saving was just for a staged "all-in."

Li Xuewu saw Ji Weidong's hesitation and knew this kid had no habit of saving.

"Let's not talk about the past; let's talk about this year. You're courting someone, right?"

Li Xuewu asked with great concern, "Half a year has passed; how much have you saved?"

"Is it enough to marry a wife yet?"

"Don't tell me, don't tell me—you've been working for so many years and still have to use your parents' money to marry?"

"..."

Ji Weidong looked at Li Xuewu speechlessly, his heart aching in a way he couldn't describe.

You might as well just stab me with a knife; at least that would only hurt the flesh. Now you're stabbing me with words, and that hurts the heart.

Li Xuewu stood on the platform, looking at Ji Weidong's slick appearance, and knew he had guessed right.

"Now that I'm talking to you about investment, you don't think I'm trying to fool you, do you?"

"I do!"

Ji Weidong was stubborn, but in these matters, one votes with their feet.

"But tell me about the project first; I'll consider it."

Li Xuewu ignored his stubbornness, handed his bag to Han Jiankun, signaled for him to go inside and wait with Wen Saner, and then took out a cigarette.

"What kind of relationship do we have? Would I scam you?"

As he spoke, he handed a cigarette to Ji Weidong.

Ji Weidong looked at Li Xuewu, took the cigarette, and lowered his head to catch the flame from Li Xuewu's lighter, muttering, "Is this the first time you've scammed me?"

"Look at you, you have such a misunderstanding of me."

Li Xuewu emphasized this, lit Ji Weidong's cigarette, and then lit his own.

He snapped his lighter shut with a flourish, took a drag, and said, "There's an opportunity for you now; it just depends on whether you want to invest."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the pier and said, "I have a batch of brand-new cargo ships in my hands—shiny and new. The manpower and shipping channels are all ready; we're just short of startup capital."

Ji Weidong stared at Li Xuewu sideways and asked, "Are you kidding me? Is my meager salary enough for your so-called startup capital? Even with this bonus, it wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps in your teeth!"

He knew Li Xuewu had been pulling some strings. Within reasonable limits, he didn't know how Li Xuewu operated.

Anyway, he knew Li Xuewu had money now. Especially after returning from the frontier, this kid must have made a fortune.

And with all that money, damn it, this kid wouldn't even give him 1,200 yuan.

Now that he had finally made some money back in Steel City, he wanted to scam his money again.

"Many hands make light work."

Li Xuewu smiled, glanced at the person from the Investigation Department following Ji Weidong, and then said to Ji Weidong, "You know what kind of person I am. I love making friends, and when there's a good opportunity, I naturally want everyone to make money together."

Ji Weidong twitched his mouth. He didn't know Li Xuewu possessed such an excellent quality.

But he also knew that since Li Xuewu had brought it up, he must have a way.

"Are you trying to target all of us?"

Ji Weidong squinted and said, "So scamming me alone wasn't enough; you want to take us all in one go? You've got some nerve."

"Take it or leave it."

Li Xuewu said indifferently, "You know whether I have money or not. If it weren't for our good relationship, and the fact that you bachelors really don't know how to save money, would I help you?"

"You have such a kind heart?"

Ji Weidong wiped his mouth and asked, "How much do you need? Give me a number."

Despite his words, he knew Li Xuewu's ability to make money.

If he could really invest a sum of money as Li Xuewu said and get dividends every year, even if it wasn't for retirement, it would still be better than leaving it in the bank.

So, despite his habitual sarcasm, he asked realistically.

Li Xuewu was blunt: "How much? Just give me whatever you have. Investing now is better than spending it recklessly."

"You really want to take it all, don't you?"

Ji Weidong said anxiously, "This time, each of us got at least 300 yuan in bonuses. With over forty people, that's over 12,000 yuan. Can you even use that much?"

As he spoke, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "You don't want to sell the fleet directly to us, do you?"

"Hehehe, you're dreaming!"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "12,000? For a fleet? You couldn't even buy the tail of one of my ships!"

"Damn!"

Ji Weidong squinted and asked, "12,000—how many shares can we get?"

This was a crucial question, as dividends depended on the number of shares.

Even though this was a public-ownership society, Ji Weidong and the others weren't fools; they were elites who had traveled the country.

There were some things others didn't know, but these people were clear-headed—after all, they were the ones dealing with "those kinds of people."

Li Xuewu took a drag of his cigarette and counted on his fingers for Ji Weidong: "My ships are 1,000-ton cargo ships, foreign-made. Calculating based on a capital of 150,000 yuan each, two..."

"What?"

Ji Weidong got anxious as soon as he heard this. He interrupted Li Xuewu and glared at him: "When we were dividing the goods, didn't you say this stuff wasn't worth anything!"

"And 150,000!"

Thinking of the real price of those ships, Ji Weidong's heart bled.

Damn it, at the time, this kid had bought them from him at scrap prices, giving a total of only 14,000 yuan for the scrap metal.

Now that they were in his hands, how did they become "shiny and new"!!!

"Don't you dare tell me those 150,000-yuan ships are the same batch you bought from me for 14,000."

"Um... no."

Li Xuewu shook his head under Ji Weidong's bloodshot gaze, denying it.

This surprised Ji Weidong, who pressed, "Not bought from me? That's impossible..."

Before he could react, Li Xuewu added, "No, I mean the ships—each ship is 150,000."

"You! %￥%#"

Li Xuewu held down Ji Weidong, who was about to jump up and bite him, and comforted him: "Those piles of scrap metal weren't worth anything in your hands, but they're different in mine."

"I really thank you."

Ji Weidong gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of wanting to beat Li Xuewu but knowing he couldn't win.

Li Xuewu didn't care at all and said, "Don't be so polite. But don't be in a hurry; I haven't even calculated the capital for the pier and the management capital I've invested..."

Ji Weidong listened to Li Xuewu's introduction and operational speech with bloodshot eyes.

It was brilliant. Li Xuewu was indeed a capable person with ideas and goals.

But... what the hell did that have to do with him, Ji Weidong!

He now knew he had lost a watermelon and picked up a sesame seed, yet he had been feeling smug about it.

Thinking back to the day before yesterday, when he had called his leader in front of Li Xuewu to show off his achievements, he felt his face burn.

Finally, Li Xuewu calculated that based on the 12,000 yuan Ji Weidong mentioned, they could get about 0.275 percent of the shares.

Ji Weidong finally saw the ugly face of a capitalist and understood why the people had to be the masters of the country.

They took their savings to invest, letting Li Xuewu use them to make money. If Li Xuewu made 100 yuan, they would only get 0.275 yuan.

And that 0.275 yuan had to be split among forty-plus people...

"Are you playing with me?"

Ji Weidong sucked hard on his cigarette and asked anxiously, "Why do we get so little?"

"Because your investment is small."

Li Xuewu spread his hands helplessly and explained, "In a partnership, I take more and invest more. When we make money, I get a bigger share—that's how it works."

Ji Weidong thought about the prospects of Li Xuewu's fleet—steel cargo transport, inland river transport of materials, and even future maritime transport, north-south shipping, and so on.

That would be so profitable! Since he knew that and had seen Li Xuewu's investment, how could he be willing to earn only that 0.275 yuan!

"So, if I invest more, I earn more?"

"Exactly."

Li Xuewu said matter-of-factly, "If you can come up with four million, a fifty-fifty split wouldn't be a problem."

"Cut the crap."

Ji Weidong took a drag of his cigarette and said, "If I had four million, would I have let you buy the ships?"

Li Xuewu didn't argue with Ji Weidong; after all, this was a future angel investor, so he had to be respectful.

Ji Weidong thought for a moment and said, "This seizure... um... I'll ask my leader. If... um... I'll contact you when we've coordinated ours."

Li Xuewu saw the train was about to depart, nodded with a smile, and said, "We have a person in charge and a finance department here. You can contact them directly when you've decided."

"Mm-hmm, got it."

Ji Weidong waved at Li Xuewu like he was shooing away a capitalist fly, and didn't forget to urge Li Xuewu, who was about to board: "Take good care of my sister. I'll go back as soon as I'm done here."

Li Xuewu stood at the carriage door, turned back to Ji Weidong, and said, "Don't forget I'm getting married at the end of the month. If you really can't make it back, remember to send the gift money. If you don't show up and the money doesn't show up either, that's not how it's done."

"Get lost, you only know how to scheme against me."

Ji Weidong said he was annoyed with Li Xuewu, but he actually saw Li Xuewu's train off before returning to the guesthouse.

As soon as he entered the guesthouse, he went upstairs to call his leader.

After repeating Li Xuewu's words and painting a glowing picture of the fleet's shipping prospects as Li Xuewu had described, he heard the leader on the other end of the line reply: "Are you sick?"

"What?"

Ji Weidong was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when the leader replied: "You ran around the frontier for a whole month and came back empty-handed, and now that you've been squatting in Steel City for over a month, you want to bring back another mess?"

This was about Ji Weidong. The Investigation Department didn't like to lose, and Li Xuewu was indeed very helpful.

But Ji Weidong personally... that frontier trip, aside from that accidental journey, he really hadn't gained anything.

This time in Steel City... originally he had, but he had just decided to invest in Li Xuewu's project...

Which meant the leader was right!

Damn it, it was all Li Xuewu's fault for tricking him again!

Just as Ji Weidong was fuming, the voice on the phone spoke again: "However, the project he mentioned... it's worth discussing. As for you guys..."

While Ji Weidong waited for the leader's hesitation, the leader said with a smile: "With assets of several million, one slip and you might not only lose your dividends by the end of the year, but your shares might even decrease."

"What!"

Ji Weidong exclaimed, "How could our shares decrease if we invested money?"

"Capital expansion—they'll ask you to invest more. Do you have the money?"

The leader seemed to be an expert who knew this game well.

"Damn, he scammed me again!"

Ji Weidong knew Li Xuewu was a rascal; letting him make money was a lie. Damn it, getting him to contact the leader to talk about that seizure was the real goal!

Listening to the leader tell him to find a time to meet with Li Xuewu after he returned, he knew Li Xuewu's scheme had a chance.

"So, last night when we asked you for money, you said don't be in a hurry, someone would send it—was this it?"

Wen Saner sat in the soft-sleeper carriage with Li Xuewu, full of disbelief, especially after Li Xuewu told him about the conversation with Ji Weidong just now.

"I understand you have a use for it and don't want to use the family's money, but you're too bold, daring to scam..."

"Hey!"

Li Xuewu interrupted, "How can you call it scamming? We're talking about cooperation, about investment!"

"And what if we lose money?"

Wen Saner asked very seriously, "After all, none of us know what will happen on the water tomorrow, right? You can't guarantee that everything you think of will make money, right?"

"True."

Li Xuewu nodded honestly. He wasn't a god who could predict the future; how could he guarantee success every time?

"So..."

Wen Saner said with a bitter face, "It's one thing if our own business loses money, but that's the Investigation Department. If we partner with the public and lose money, what do we do?"

"If we lose money, we just ask them for more."

Li Xuewu said bluntly, "They're angel investors. If we don't ask them, who do we ask? Angels are the embodiment of kindness."

I urge you to be kind!!!

Wen Saner looked at Li Xuewu, his head buzzing. This rascal dared to fool anyone!

Li Xuewu looked at the bitter-faced Wen Saner and laughed: "It's fine, how could we lose money? Just those people alone—the goods from the steel mill are enough for you to break even. If we can get out to sea, we'll make a killing. There's no one who can compete with you right now."

"That's what you say."

Wen Saner was still hesitant: "But why is my heart always uneasy? Can't you pick an easier target?"

Li Xuewu nodded and brushed him off: "Next time, next time I'll definitely listen to you and pick an easier target."

Wen Saner didn't believe Li Xuewu. If he really listened to him, he wouldn't dare provoke the Investigation Department.

But he also knew Li Xuewu's situation. He was really short on money. Li Xuewu said the family's capital was needed for something else and couldn't be touched, and they had opened an office here, which required money everywhere.

But thinking about the source of this money, Wen Saner couldn't help but be anxious to make money.

"What's the path you told Ji Weidong about?"

Wen Saner looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "The path for our fleet to get out to sea."

"It's Ji Weidong and his people."

Li Xuewu was currently looking at the documents brought back from the steel mill while pondering how to write the research report.

"..."

Wen Saner was dumbfounded. So the path to the sea that Li Xuewu had boasted about to Ji Weidong was Ji Weidong himself!

That was really... really clever!

The Investigation Department had the convenience of going out to sea. If they could help, that would be...

"Hurry, hurry!"

Huang Shiwen stood at the door of the conference room, constantly urging the people in her section to bring the thermos bottles over.

The leaders who came to research were sitting in the conference room having a meeting with the leaders of the steel mill.

Section Chief Wang had asked them to prepare in the morning, saying they were going to the guesthouse to prepare to replace the guesthouse service staff.

But for some reason, they were all ready, and the leader said they weren't going anymore, changing it to preparing here at the conference room.

Well, they didn't get to steal the guesthouse's job, but they did steal the office's job.

However, compared to the guesthouse, the office's attitude was very easygoing. Who wouldn't be satisfied with someone coming to help serve the leaders?

Yes, being able to serve in the conference room meant seeing the leaders.

But it was useless, because the leaders who came were of too high a rank. You couldn't expect them to praise you just because you poured water well.

Mostly, they would ignore you. A "thank you" was considered polite and high-class.

Huang Shiwen was so eager to perform now entirely because of the wind stirred up by Wang Jingzhang of the Service Section. She was an intern university student and naturally wanted to follow the leader's intentions.

Having been promoted to section chief of the Service Section, she naturally wanted to perform well in the service reform activities and strive for a better result when she was assigned a permanent position after graduation.

She couldn't be like Zhou Yao, who was stubborn and only knew how to type away at her desk.

She was a young woman of the new era with ideals and ambitions, and naturally, she wanted to realize her ideals and herself at the steel mill.

So, on such an important reception occasion, she was busy running around with her colleagues, unable to let down the opportunity Wang Jingzhang had fought for.

Taking the thermos from an old colleague in her section, Huang Shiwen complained: "Why are you so slow!"

After saying that, she ignored the old colleague and pushed open the door to enter the conference room.

Compared to the cold words at the door of the conference room, Huang Shiwen automatically put on a smiling face after entering.

She walked quietly in the conference room, starting from the big leader, preparing to refill hot water for the leaders.

In fact, her entry attracted everyone's attention, but seeing that she was there to serve, no one paid her any more mind.

Only Wang Jingzhang, who was sitting at the very edge, looked at the female university student he had pried away from the Security Section.

Among this batch, these few were the best-looking. Not giving them to the Service Section but letting old Xu of the office give them to the Security Section—wasn't that casting pearls before swine?

He, Wang Jingzhang, couldn't watch talent be buried, so he transferred them over and arranged a section chief position for her, mainly to build her into the vanguard of the Service Section's reform.

Good.

Wang Jingzhang watched Huang Shiwen walk gracefully to the big leader's side, take the thermos stopper according to etiquette, lift the teacup lid with her fingers, pick up the teacup, turn behind the leader, and pour hot water while holding the thermos...

"Ouch!"

The group of factory leaders were listening to the factory director's report when they saw the big leader jump up, clutching his back.

And behind the big leader was Huang Shiwen, who had been scared silly.

No one else knew what had happened, but Wang Jingzhang, who had been observing his own general, saw it very clearly.

For some reason, the hot water in the thermos was particularly full. Huang Shiwen poured it, and it suddenly spurted out, drenching the leader's back.

It was no wonder the big leader jumped up and cried out; that was boiling water!

"What are you doing!"

Sitting next to the big leader was Secretary Yang Yuansong. Seeing the leader's embarrassed expression, he frowned and scolded Huang Shiwen.

Huang Shiwen's little face turned pale with fright, and she no longer had the composure she had when she first entered.

Especially after Yang Yuansong asked, she was already scared, and now she couldn't even hold the teacup in her hand, and it fell to the ground with a "clatter."

"It's okay, it's okay."

Seeing everyone stand up in a panic to look over, the big leader waved his hand with great demeanor and smiled, asking everyone to sit down.

At the same time, after waving his hand at Yang Yuansong, he comforted Huang Shiwen, who was crying: "It's okay, it's okay, I wasn't scalded, don't cry."

It would have been better if she hadn't cried; if she had just apologized, this would have been treated as an accident.

Now, the big leader was also very sad, feeling that he had scared the little girl.

And Yang Yuansong and the other factory leaders were even more embarrassed. What kind of occasion was this, what kind of position was this, how could they arrange for someone who would cry to serve?

Looking at Wang Jingzhang again, Wang Jingzhang was running over, apologizing to the leader.

If the matter had stopped here, Wang Jingzhang would have been criticized by the leader for poor personnel management at most.

But as a backbone of the vanguard, how could Huang Shiwen, who was eager to perform, swallow this breath?

"Wuwu, Section Chief Wang, someone wants to harm me!"

This cry startled everyone; these words couldn't be said casually.

And before Wang Jingzhang could answer, Huang Shiwen said aggrievedly: "It's Zhou Yingqiang from the section, he deliberately filled the hot water so full..."

Now the matter was complicated. The looks the steel mill leaders gave Huang Shiwen were no longer amused or sympathetic; they were all profound.

And Wang Jingzhang wished he could cover Huang Shiwen's mouth and drag her out.

Smiling dryly and nodding at the leader who looked over, Wang Jingzhang persuaded Huang Shiwen to go out, and even cleaned up the teacup fragments on the floor himself.

Originally an accident, it had now become a premeditated family scandal. This was a huge loss of face.

Especially in front of the big leader, and the victim was the big leader.

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was as awkward as it could be, as tense as it could be, and even the big leader's repeated words of indifference couldn't ease it.

As a result, the subsequent reporting work was suspended, allowing the big leader to go back and change his clothes.

But when the big leader and his party came out of the meeting hall, they saw the girl who had poured the water earlier arguing with a man at the end of the corridor, her voice so hysterical that it could be heard from this end.

A girl in her twenties—how much resentment must she have to lose her temper like this?

Too much face had been lost today. Yang Fengshan looked at the secretary, his face iron-blue, and sent the leader downstairs.

And Wang Jingzhang, following behind, felt like he was in an ice cellar when he saw the looks his colleagues were giving him.

It was truly a loss of face. The Service Section's reform results for over a month were very fruitful, and the leaders were very satisfied.

Not mentioning Wang Jingzhang running over to put out the fire, the leader returned to the guesthouse and saw that the guesthouse staff were already preparing.

Xiao Yuanhua sighed to Yang Fengshan, who had followed him: "It seems the root of your factory's problem is still management."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Facing the leader's criticism, what else could Yang Fengshan say but nod in agreement?

Xiao Yuanhua was not satisfied with Yang Fengshan's attitude, and while nodding, he said: "You should think carefully about the problems within it."

After saying that, he went upstairs under the guidance of the service staff, leaving Yang Fengshan, who was frowning, standing in the lobby for punishment.

Qin Huairu was sensible. Seeing the factory director come, and seeing the leader frown and go upstairs, she took the initiative to invite the factory director to sit in the tea bar and wait.

Yang Fengshan looked at this woman whom Li Xuewu had transferred from the workshop to be the guesthouse director.

He remembered very clearly that Qin Huairu's husband was originally a factory employee who later died in a work-related accident, and it was only after begging the factory that she was arranged to come in.

He didn't expect her to be in the same courtyard as Li Xuewu, and now she was doing very well.

At least under her management, this guesthouse was doing very well. He had never heard anyone from the guesthouse spreading gossip.

Don't look at his high position; he knew everything in the factory, remembered everything—this was his basic skill.

Sometimes he also admired Li Xuewu, who knew how to use people. Whether it was finding a pearl in the sea or rising to the top, just look at the results.

Facts proved that even if Li Xuewu was suspected of arranging for his own people, they were outstanding enough that you couldn't say anything even if you wanted to.

"It was someone from the Service Section who scalded the leader while pouring tea."

Knowing that Qin Huairu had seen the leader's embarrassment, Yang Fengshan explained directly.

This surprised Qin Huairu. Aside from speaking when arranging the leader's meals, she rarely had contact with the factory director.

Now hearing the factory director explain this to her, she didn't react for a moment.

Yang Fengshan didn't care about Qin Huairu's dullness. He looked at the orderly lobby, then at the interior decoration, and then at the scenery outside.

He had to admit that his brother-in-law couldn't catch up to this workshop female worker even if he borrowed two legs.

Comparing people really makes you want to die. Huang Ping was a junior high graduate and hadn't even outperformed a female worker with only an elementary school education.

"The guesthouse is managed well."

Yang Fengshan smiled at Qin Huairu, who was stunned, and said: "I heard the leader praise you."

"Thank you, leader, it's all what we should do."

Qin Huairu replied politely, looked at Yang Fengshan's expression, and said: "If there's a meeting to be held, I can have people clean up the small conference room in the auxiliary building or the large conference room."

"No need."

Yang Fengshan knew what Qin Huairu meant, nodded with a smile, and said: "The leader is leaving soon, no need to trouble."

"Okay."

Qin Huairu nodded. Seeing that the factory director wasn't going to the tea bar, she gestured toward the cafeteria and said: "Or you can wait in the cafeteria, and I'll make you a cup of tea."

"No need."

Yang Fengshan refused Qin Huairu again, but he walked toward the cafeteria, and at the same time waved at Qin Huairu, signaling her to follow.

Qin Huairu was also confused by Yang Fengshan's gesture; she didn't have much contact with the factory director.

Once in the cafeteria, following the factory director's gesture, Qin Huairu and Yang Fengshan sat down opposite each other at the table.

Yang Fengshan's position was just right for him to see the direction of the stairs, which was convenient for him to wait for the big leader.

"The leader praised your service for being good; I see it's not false."

Opening with just that sentence, Yang Fengshan then nodded and said: "I actually want to ask you for advice on management."

"Ah?"

Qin Huairu was surprised, then said embarrassedly: "I... this... how could I... with you..."

Yang Fengshan waved his hand again, signaling the nervous Qin Huairu to sit down and talk.

"The capable are teachers. Let's just chat, don't be nervous."

Comforting Qin Huairu, Yang Fengshan explained: "From small things, you can see big things. From this guesthouse of yours, you can see the management of the steel mill. If your guesthouse is managed well, then you must have your own way."

Qin Huairu was still a bit confused. How could managing a guesthouse be the same as managing a steel mill?

Seeing Qin Huairu not speaking, Yang Fengshan smiled and said: "Tell me, how do you manage to be a good guesthouse director, and how do you manage your deputy directors and section chiefs?"

"This..."

Qin Huairu was still hesitant. She now understood the factory director's meaning, but she was afraid of saying the wrong thing and causing trouble for Li Xuewu.

Yang Fengshan was very patient, encouraging: "It's fine, just talk freely."

"Factory Director."

Qin Huairu opened her mouth: "Actually, you might know about me. I'm just a worker in the fitter workshop. Where would I have learned management? I just had this opportunity."

"Mm, that's quite extraordinary."

Yang Fengshan laughed: "It's not just anyone who can grow from a worker into a cadre. It's not like someone else is managing this guesthouse now, right?"

As he spoke, he asked with a smile: "It wouldn't be Li Xuewu managing it personally, right? Hahaha~"

Knowing that the leader was telling a joke, Qin Huairu didn't dare take it as a joke.

Li Xuewu had always kept her from asking about news, and even more so, didn't allow them to spread gossip, and kept a clear distance from the Security Section, just to avoid any connection.

Now that the leader asked this, Qin Huairu had to make it clear, otherwise, if the leader misunderstood, who knew what gossip would arise.

"Factory Director, Deputy Section Chief Li is too busy with his own work."

Qin Huairu tried to smile, then continued to explain: "However, the management style and methods of the guesthouse were indeed taught to us by Deputy Section Chief Li. That is a fact."

"Oh? Tell me, I'm listening."

Yang Fengshan nodded. He had deliberately brought up Li Xuewu to see what Qin Huairu would say, but he didn't expect Qin Huairu to be so unselfish, directly talking about Li Xuewu.

"This guesthouse was reorganized and reopened under the care of Deputy Section Chief Li."

Qin Huairu introduced: "Before starting service, Deputy Section Chief Li gave us three pieces of advice: one is service, one is unity, and the other is safety."

Yang Fengshan nodded, not interrupting Qin Huairu, signaling her to continue.

Qin Huairu explained: "Regarding service, Deputy Section Chief Li required us to improve service quality in terms of equipment, facilities, and personnel quality."

"Regarding unity, Deputy Section Chief Li required all employees of the guesthouse to be of one mind, to be tolerant and understanding of each other. Even if there are disputes and contradictions, they cannot affect work, and guests cannot feel them."

"Regarding safety."

Qin Huairu paused, pointed to the fire extinguisher in the corner, and said: "The safety of the cafeteria food, the hygiene safety of the rooms, even the fire extinguishers are constantly reminding us of safety."

Yang Fengshan nodded and asked: "Just by these three? And you managed the guesthouse well?"

"No way~"

Qin Huairu was getting smoother as she spoke, her mouth no longer stuttering, and her smile was very normal.

"At the beginning, it was chaotic. Some employees came from the workshop, some were selected from the Service Section, and some were sent by the Logistics Section. There were always contradictions."

"How did you handle it?"

Yang Fengshan was clearly interested in this and signaled Qin Huairu to talk in detail.

Qin Huairu explained with a smile: "First make the principles clear, then make the discipline clear. Care for comrades more in private, be strict in work, treat everyone equally. I think if anyone is still unconvinced, they can be sent back to the Service Section."

Yang Fengshan saw the leader coming downstairs from the cafeteria entrance, stood up, and said to Qin Huairu: "I've learned a lot. It seems I need to learn more from you."

"You're too modest, Factory Director."

Qin Huairu sent Yang Fengshan out of the cafeteria door, and seeing the leader coming over, she stood to one side.

Xiao Yuanhua saw the person in charge of the guesthouse walking out with Yang Fengshan, nodded, and said: "Thank you for your service these past two days. Please thank everyone for me."

"You're too polite, leader. This is our duty."

Qin Huairu stepped forward with a smile to reply, then stepped back half a step.

Xiao Yuanhua and Yang Fengshan were both very satisfied with Qin Huairu's words and actions. From Qin Huairu's statement just now, Yang Fengshan knew that Li Xuewu really had some skills in management.

And Xiao Yuanhua had learned about the establishment process of the guesthouse's management system from Yang Yuansong's mouth in the morning.

So both of their expressions were the same now.

Yang Fengshan followed the leader's words and said with a smile: "The guesthouse is managed well; I was just asking Director Qin for advice."

"Oh, is that so?"

Xiao Yuanhua was very polite to the grassroots comrades, nodded to Qin Huairu in farewell, and while walking out, said to Yang Fengshan: "The grassroots can find solutions to problems. This line of thinking of yours is correct."

Yang Fengshan agreed with a smile: "Among three people, there must be my teacher."

"Hahaha."

Xiao Yuanhua had already seen the car at the door, and the other accompanying personnel were waiting over in the office area.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else at the guesthouse entrance, Xiao Yuanhua looked at Yang Fengshan and said earnestly: "Management is a great study, one that you must pursue, explore, and learn for a lifetime."

"If you want to go east, you must learn to go west. If you want to go north, you must have the ability to go south."

Xiao Yuanhua knew that Yang Fengshan was under great pressure in the management work of the steel mill, but this position was not a place for games, and the steel mill was not an amusement park.

If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight—that's the principle.

If you want the power to command, you must bear the obligation of being attacked and questioned. You must either cultivate yourself or be someone else's object of cultivation.

Xiao Yuanhua also hoped that Yang Fengshan could bravely take on the responsibility and accountability of management and not let a deputy factory director affect the work plan and goals.

"Treat this incident as a training."

Before getting into the car, Xiao Yuanhua instructed Yang Fengshan: "It's also a review and improvement of yourself. Believe me, it will be good for you."

After saying that, without waiting for Yang Fengshan to say anything more, he waved his hand, signaling the driver to start the car.

Watching the leader's car leave the guesthouse courtyard, Yang Fengshan stood in the courtyard and pondered for a long time.

Saying he was asking Qin Huairu for advice was a joke; that wasn't his goal.

But the big leader's words were not; they were something he couldn't ignore and needed to understand and think about.

Why didn't he talk to Li Huai De, but instead talked about related work directly at the symposium?

It could be seen that the situation now was such that even the big leader couldn't speak casually or issue instructions casually.

And that conversation with Yang Yuansong also made Yang Fengshan understand his attitude toward the current situation of the steel mill.

The big leader called it training, called it a review—wasn't it questioning his ability?

The guesthouse was managed well, the leader praised it, which only made his lack of ability and courage more apparent.

Looking back at the guesthouse, looking at Qin Huairu and the others standing at the door sending the leader off with him, Yang Fengshan thought of someone.

This person said he was coming back today, but he might not be seen until tomorrow.

It wasn't anyone else that the factory director was thinking of, but Li Xuewu. Qin Huairu could tell from the factory director's eyes.

So when Li Xuewu arrived at the steel mill at five-something in the morning on Wednesday, April 16th, Qin Huairu was on duty. Knowing Li Xuewu was coming back, she had already prepared a room for him to rest.

However, Li Xuewu didn't go to rest, but sat in the guesthouse cafeteria, waiting for Chef Qian to prepare breakfast for him.

"You mean the factory director asked you these things?"

Li Xuewu looked at Qin Huairu across the dining table, not expecting such a big accident to have happened yesterday.

Qin Huairu didn't tell Li Xuewu the gossip in the guesthouse, but that didn't mean she couldn't tell him about her own affairs.

Besides, she was also afraid that the factory director's sudden questioning had something to do with Li Xuewu, so she told the truth.

Of course, what the people in the Service Section did in the conference room was no longer a secret; it was as if the whole factory was about to know.

Telling Li Xuewu didn't matter; it was just giving Li Xuewu some factory news before he went to work today.

Li Xuewu wasn't interested in this news, but asked about his home.

"Nothing happened at home these past few days, right?" ===== CHAPTER 561 =====