Chapter 21: Happiness Arrived So Suddenly

As soon as he saw the man, Ma Jian hurriedly stood up and shook his hand. “Minister Wang, hello, hello!”

“Oh, Old Ma, hello!” the man replied courteously.

There was no doubt—this was Wang Hongxi, Deputy Director of the Technology and Quality Department of Siyang Group.

After shaking hands with Ma Jian, Liang Hongjun introduced him with a cheerful smile: “Old Wang, you and Factory Director Ma are old acquaintances, so there’s no need for formality. But this Comrade Xiao Zhao, I think it’s your first time meeting him, isn’t it? Don’t be fooled by his youth; he’s the Acting Deputy Section Chief of the Technology Department at Hongda Machinery Factory!”

Zhao Guoyang immediately stepped forward to shake hands with Minister Wang and greeted him.

“Acting Deputy Section Chief?” Wang Hongxi was clearly not much interested in Zhao Guoyang. He exchanged a few perfunctory words before turning his attention back to Ma Jian.

Yet Liang Hongjun had noticed the title of the article Zhao Guoyang had just been reading—“On the Differences Between Disc Wheels and Spoked Wheels.”

Seeing that Zhao Guoyang seemed genuinely absorbed in the article, a trace of surprise flashed across Liang Hongjun’s eyes.

Once Wang Hongxi arrived, conversation flowed quickly.

Upon hearing that Hongda Machinery Factory had already reworked all the frames and that they’d passed inspection, Wang Hongxi was visibly unsettled.

“Old Ma, your factory’s speed is unbelievable! There were so many problems with the last batch of frames, and yet you managed to fix them all in less than two weeks?”

“If your reworking standards are so high, then how did the quality of the first batch turn out so poorly?” Wang Hongxi was a straightforward speaker and didn’t bother to spare Ma Jian’s feelings.

After this series of pointed remarks, Ma Jian’s face reddened a little.

Seeing his superior in a tight spot, Zhao Guoyang quickly stepped in to ease the situation. “Minister Wang, I’m sorry, this was indeed our factory’s fault.”

“You probably know, our factory used to supply some small machinery plants, making rather rough equipment with little demand for surface finish. So we lacked experience with the requirements for the first batch, which led to mistakes.”

“However, thanks to the support and concern of our leaders, the Technology Department has overcome the difficulties. In the future, there will absolutely not be issues like air holes or oversized weld seams.”

As soon as Zhao Guoyang finished, Ma Jian echoed him immediately, “Yes, yes, Guoyang is right. Minister Wang, our factory has now strictly implemented production standards and processes. There will never be such problems again.”

“Oh? I hope so,” Wang Hongxi replied noncommittally, nodding.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Liang Hongjun laughed and said, “Old Wang, the problem has been solved, so let’s turn the page and move on. But you really ought to thank this Xiao Zhao here.”

“Xiao Zhao? Thank him? Minister Liang, what’s going on?” Wang Hongxi asked in confusion.

Liang Hongjun smiled as he recounted the incident with the frames from Shunxin Machinery Factory, especially emphasizing how Zhao Guoyang had immediately spotted an issue with the material used by the other factory.

Once Liang Hongjun finished, Wang Hongxi’s expression changed.

The Siyang 125 motorcycle project was one Wang Hongxi himself had personally overseen. If a safety incident occurred due to frame material issues, he would bear a grave responsibility.

Thinking back on how little attention he’d paid to Zhao Guoyang earlier, Wang Hongxi couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

“Comrade Xiao Zhao, thank you so much. Honestly, regarding the issue with Shunxin Machinery Factory’s frames, I really…”

Listening to Wang Hongxi’s awkward Mandarin with a Cantonese accent, Zhao Guoyang replied modestly, “Minister Wang, you’re too kind. It was just a small effort on my part, really nothing at all.”

For Zhao Guoyang, spotting the difference between the two materials was hardly anything worth boasting about.

“All right, Old Wang, let’s move on. Today, Factory Director Ma and Xiao Zhao have come for another reason: to discuss deepening our cooperation with Siyang Group. You and Factory Director Ma already talked about this last time, didn’t you?” Liang Hongjun followed up.

“Yes, Minister Liang. Last time, Factory Director Ma and I did discuss it, but it was only a preliminary intention to cooperate. We had to see whether their first batch of goods could meet our factory’s standards.”

Liang Hongjun nodded with a smile, clearly appreciating the prudence of his subordinate.

Siyang Group was a massive manufacturing enterprise with more than a dozen senior leaders.

Although Liang Hongjun wasn’t among the top executives, his position was extremely important—more so even than several marginal deputy factory chiefs.

Recently, there were rumors within the group that during next year’s reshuffling, Liang Hongjun might take another step up, becoming the deputy general manager in charge of technology.

If his promotion went as hoped, he would certainly need to cultivate a trustworthy ally in the Technology and Quality Department.

That person, naturally, would have to be Wang Hongxi.

With this in mind, Liang Hongjun had always strongly supported Wang Hongxi’s work.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spoken so candidly earlier, making his stance almost explicit—that he wanted to deepen cooperation with Hongda Machinery Factory.

Wang Hongxi might be blunt, but he certainly wasn’t stupid.

After hearing Liang Hongjun mention “deepening cooperation” several times, he immediately understood the message.

“Minister Liang is right. Since this batch of frames from Hongda Machinery Factory has fully met our requirements, we can indeed discuss deepening our cooperation…”

At these words, Ma Jian felt as if he’d tasted honey, and he quickly said, “Thank you, thank you, Minister Liang, Minister Wang, for your trust in Hongda Machinery Factory. We will do our utmost to complete your orders on time and with guaranteed quality.”

Wang Hongxi thought for a moment, then took a pen from his shirt pocket, picked up a blank sheet of paper, and wrote down a few numbers.

After writing, he said, “Factory Director Ma, the order I gave Hongda Machinery Factory last time was actually split off from Shunxin Machinery Factory.”

“In fact, if Shunxin Machinery Factory takes on our Siyang 125 motorcycle project, their production of 100cc frames will inevitably decrease. I’d like to talk with the Purchasing Department; I believe I can allocate you another portion of the quota.”

“That’s wonderful! Minister Wang, do you know how many more orders you might allocate to Hongda Machinery Factory?” Ma Jian asked, trying to contain his excitement.

Wang Hongxi and Liang Hongjun exchanged a glance, then Wang replied unhurriedly, “I can’t make a firm promise about the exact number yet, but a hundred units shouldn’t be a problem. The only thing is, does your factory actually have the capacity for this?”

Upon hearing this figure, Ma Jian was already quite satisfied. After all, doubling the order meant this trip had been a complete success.

“Yes, yes, absolutely, Minister Wang. Our factory is one of the largest in Ninghai City—our production capacity is second to none.” Ma Jian nodded vigorously.

Liang Hongjun decided, “Excellent, Factory Director Ma. As long as Hongda Machinery Factory can guarantee a monthly output of two hundred frames, then our cooperation can basically be considered settled.”

The good fortune had come so suddenly that Ma Jian was left a bit at a loss, while Zhao Guoyang remained calm and collected, as if two hundred frames were nothing out of the ordinary.

Seeing his demeanor, Liang Hongjun became interested.